Friends & Family · Slow

The Time Capsule.60 nostalgia questions about the 90s and 2000s

First phones, VHS nights and the rules you grew up with.

25–40 min 60 cards 2–6 people
What's inside
TechGameMusicFashionInternetMovieTV+49 more
Sample card

What was the scariest movie you saw as a kid?

About the The Time Capsule deck

The Time Capsule is for anyone who remembers renting a movie for Friday night. It asks about your first mobile phone, the movie you watched on repeat, the ringtone you paid for and whether you had to be home when the streetlights came on.

It works best with people around the same age, where one answer sets off everyone else's memories. Play it with old friends or at a reunion. The last card asks whether you would go back.

All 60 nostalgia questions about the 90s and 2000s

  1. What was your very first mobile phone?

  2. What video game defined your childhood?

  3. What was the first album/CD you bought with your own money?

  4. What is a fashion trend you followed that you now regret?

  5. What was your first email address or screen name?

  6. What movie did you watch on repeat on VHS/DVD?

  7. What cartoon intro song do you still remember perfectly?

  8. What was the "it" toy everyone wanted (Furby, Tamagotchi)?

  9. What candy from your childhood doesn't exist anymore?

  10. Myspace or Facebook? Top 8?

  11. What was the coolest thing to have in your pencil case?

  12. Who was your first celebrity crush?

  13. Blockbuster nights: What was the ritual?

  14. Did you make mixtapes or burn CDs?

  15. Do you remember the sound of dial-up internet?

  16. Did you actually watch music videos on MTV?

  17. Who was on the posters in your bedroom?

  18. What slang word did you use that is now cringe?

  19. The Macarena or The Ketchup Song?

  20. Harry Potter or Goosebumps?

  21. What was the scariest movie you saw as a kid?

  22. Did you collect Pokemon cards, Pogs, or Beanie Babies?

  23. Did you have a bowl cut or crimped hair?

  24. MSN Messenger: What was your status?

  25. Walkman, Discman, or iPod?

  26. What did Saturday mornings look like?

  27. What did you play at recess?

  28. Lunchables: Yes or No?

  29. Silicone wristbands (Livestrong)?

  30. Nintendo 64, Playstation, or Sega?

  31. Friends, Seinfeld, or Fresh Prince?

  32. Did you read teen magazines (J-14, Tiger Beat)?

  33. Neopets or Habbo Hotel?

  34. What was the first viral video you remember?

  35. Did you memorize your friends' landline numbers?

  36. Did you ride a bike without a helmet?

  37. Be home when the streetlights come on?

  38. Disposable cameras: The excitement of developing them.

  39. Limewire: Did you give the family computer a virus?

  40. Low rise jeans or Baggy pants?

  41. Light-up sneakers or Heelys?

  42. Y2K: Were you worried?

  43. Butterfly clips or Chokers?

  44. Tony Hawk Pro Skater?

  45. Survivor or American Idol?

  46. What commercial jingle is stuck in your head?

  47. Did your parents have a station wagon or minivan?

  48. What is better now than it was then?

  49. What do you miss most about that era?

  50. How much did a movie ticket cost?

  51. What was the first gig you went to?

  52. Britney or Christina? Backstreet Boys or NSYNC?

  53. Did you pay for a polyphonic ringtone?

  54. How did you ask someone out without text?

  55. What was the song of the summer?

  56. Chalkboards or Whiteboards?

  57. Passing folded notes in class?

  58. Did you have more freedom than kids today?

  59. Did life turn out how you thought it would back then?

  60. Would you go back?

How to play The Time Capsule

  1. Start the deck and read the first card out loud. Whoever wants to answer goes first, or go around the group.
  2. Swipe left or tap the arrow for the next card, and swipe right to go back. Skip any card that doesn't suit the moment. There are no points.
  3. Follow-up questions count. If an answer is interesting, stay on it before moving to the next card.

Going through every card takes about 25–40 min, but there's no need to finish in one sitting. The deck runs in your browser with nothing to install, and your place is saved on this device, so you can stop and pick it up later.