the gross 1990s

This is another reminder to people who grew up in the 1990s that some things about it were just plain stupid.

I remember the '90s. From my mid-teens to mid-20s, I experienced that whole decade and all the dumb stuff that came along with it.

Something that happened with toys, video games and cartoons was a huge uptick in toilet humor.

Here are three examples of what came from the '90s:

Example 1: "Son of Stimpy" from the cartoon show Ren & Stimpy. That was released (pun not intended but can't help that one) in January 1993. The original title was "Stimpy's First Fart". The ENTIRE EPISODE is about a fart. I am not kidding.

Example 2: Boogerman, a video game released for the Sega Genesis in 1994 and later for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. It is exactly what you think it is. Your "ammunition" in the game is burps and farts. Again, not kidding.

Example 3: Grossinator.

This was a toy released in 1995. It is battery powered and has prerecorded phrases. The question mark button randomizes the phrase, the green button plays your custom phrase.

On the right, four buttons to customize the phrase. Each press goes through several prerecorded phrases, and then the Play button plays it all back.

Button 1: You're like, Let's all make, How about, I just love, I'm gonna make, There's nothing like

Button 2: a big, a long, a revolting, a disgusting, a slimy, a foul, a horrible

Button 3: gross, oozing, awful, wretched, stinky, putrid, smelly

Button 4: fart, burp, scab, booger, snot, barf, puke

This means you could create phrases such as:

"There's nothing like a revolting smelly fart"

"Let's all make a disgusting wretched burp"

"You're like a big oozing snot"

...and so on.

If I didn't show you a photo of the actual toy, you would probably say the Grossinator never existed and I'm just making it up. It did exist. And the reason I know it exists is because someone I knew back in the '90s actually bought one and showed it to me.

Did the '80s ever get gross?

For the most part, no.

However...

Things I remember from the '80s that went into the gross category were Madballs and Garbage Pail Kids. Both of those were purposely created with the gross-out factor in mind.

There was also You Can't Do That on Television, a children's cable television program most know from being on the Nickelodeon channel. That show famously dropped green slime on anybody that said "I don't know", which qualifies as slightly gross at best.

Other than that, the overwhelming majority of cartoons, video games and toys did not trip the line over into gross territory. Characters in cartoon shows and video games did not belch or fart in the '80s, but absolutely did in the '90s. And the closest you ever got to gross was if you came across a copy of a Totally Gross Jokes book.

Is gross stuff sold now?

Yes. The National Geographic Super Gross Chemistry Set is such an example. But at least it's a chemistry set with educational value to it.

Gross Me Out Mad Libs is another.

For the most part there is "polite grossness" with products aiming for the gross-out factor. Or said another way, it's NOT gross in a way that will make you lose a few brain cells.

I suppose that's progress.

Published 2024 Aug 22