Things you only know if you grew up in Devon in the 1990s | Devon Live

Bygone shops, incredible crisps and THE best toys money could buy!

If you grew up in Devon during the 1990s, chances are this decade holds a unique nostalgia for you.

While the era was marked by illegal raves, house music and the rise of super clubs, Devon wasn't exactly a hotbed for these trends.

However, what we did have in abundance were the distinctive haircuts, the fashion trends, the dubious cheap alcohol and an unmistakable 90s spirit.

Here's a trip down memory lane with a few things you might remember if your formative years were spent in Devon during the 1990s.

Classic shops

Getting the bus into town was a great day out - even if you only had, like, £8 in your bank account.

You'd spend the day browsing bygone boutiques such as Our Price, Woolworths and Tammy Girl eyeing up cassettes, boob tubes and pick 'n' mix that you couldn't afford.

And if you were really lucky, you might scrape together a few coppers for a Bender in a Bun at Wimpey.

Banging nightlife

There's nothing quite like nineties music - and if you grew up in Devon in this era you almost certainly will have busted moves in one of these amazing nightclubs:

• Luckies or Colossus in Ilfracombe
• Marisco in Woolacombe
• Zenaxis in Barnstaple (or Bees if you were under 16)
• Valbonnes, Ritzy’s, Bohemia, The Monastery, Venue and Monroe’s in Torquay
• Tiffany's, Mambo, Arena and Club Rococo in Exeter

Dodgy barnets

Whether it was curtains with a high undercut or a scrunchy with carefully crimped locks, hair was everything in the 1990s.

Sure, it won't go down as a style-defining era, but it was fun at the time.

Baggy, baggy jeans

If you didn't have a pair of extremely wide jeans bearing either the Eclipse or Spliffy motif, there was barely any point leaving the house.

Boutiques such as Fosters and East of Eden cleaned up on this trend, which could often be found complimented by a NAFF bomber jacket.

Going out

Many people's first foray into the world of alcoholic beverages would have taken place in the 1990s.

Popular drinks (by which I mean cheap) included MD20/20, White Lightning, Skol lager, Hooch, Archers, Smirnoff Ice and - the classic - Lambrini.

If you weren't chucking your guts up behind a bus station by 8.30pm it wasn't a proper night out.

A big day out

There's no way to describe the anticipation of waiting to hear whether the Radio 1 Roadshow was coming to your town.

The infamous event visited numerous destinations across Devon over the years, including Paignton, Exmouth and Woolacombe.

Motivational mornings

When "at home" exercise was bigger than going to the gym to get hench, Mr Motivator was the fitness king of everyone's front room.

He even made a comeback in Devon this month when he appeared at Plymouth's Mecca Bingo for a one-off special event.

How the mighty have fallen!

The BEST toys

Before mobile phones were widely available, it was all about the toys - and the 1990s had some of the best!

Whether it was feeding your Tamagotchi, scrunching your Beanie Babies, combing you Troll's hair, smashing your mate's Pogs or swapping Pokemon cards in the school playground, there was truly something for everyone.

Tunes on the move

Pottering around with headphones on, oblivious to those around you and unknowingly singing out loud is not a new thing.

And in the 90s one item to enjoy huge pre-smartphone popularity was the Sony Walkman.

Whether it was cassette, CD or (for those with more money than sense) the much-heralded MiniDisc, music on the go was as important then as it is now.

And if you were really lucky, your Walkman would come with MEGABASS!

A beast on the field

Whether you were the fat kid in goal with expensive gloves or the agile striker, football boots were critical to 90s sporting culture.

And none more so than the fabled Adidas Predator.

Released in 1994, this boot with its moulded tyre-style toe, gave us all hope of being able to bend it like Beckham (though in reality, I think we all ended up doing a bit more toe-poking)!

Amazing crisps

When I was at school in the 90s, 20p could buy you enough food - well, crisps - to feed you for a whole day.

Popular snacks including Space Raiders, Puffs, Discos and Chipsticks ranged from between 5p and 10p in the school yard tuck shop.

A trip to the flicks

Whether it was the freezing cold Pendle Stairway in Ilfracombe, the enormous Odeon in Exeter or The Colony in Torquay, the 1990s was a classic era for cinema.

Films such as Titanic, Terminator 2, Forrest Gump, The Matrix, Groundhog Day, The Usual Suspects and Trainspotting defined that decade.

A bucket of popcorn, a huge cup of Fanta and some toffee Poppets could all be purchsed for just a few quid (or less if you bought them down the road at Spar and sneaked them in).

In-house blockbusters

And if you couldn't afford a trip to the movies, you could just rent the VHS.

Every town had at least one "video shop", but sitting through all the ads at the beginning sucked!

And remember "Be kind, rewind".

Video games

On a wet Devon Saturday morning in the winter, there was nothing better than sitting in with your mates playing one of the timeless video consoles.

The sadness of not being out playing football or hanging around the park was instantly dissolved by classic time-wasters such as Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog or Crash Bandicoot.

AOL ruled the world

If you were one of the lucky households to have dial-up broadband, you definitely would have had this.

Before Google and Facebook, AOL Messenger was THE way to speak to your friends without having to pick up the phone.

And this was all before the advent of emojis - can you imagine?