18 Nostalgic Buys That Made 2020 Less Meh & More Kewl

Once upon a time — before smartphones and COVID-19 — we'd hop off the school bus in our Limited Too babydoll tees, plop down on floral applique blankets, and Dear Diary within the confidential spines of wide-ruled Lisa Frank journals. (The hot gossip? Connor checked yes on my "Do you like me?" note.) Now, in the throes of one hectic year and counting, we're looking back on those childhood relics that once kept our worlds turning with wistful respect. Suddenly something as small as keeping a Tamagotchi alive or popping in a butterfly clip for our Zoom call is giving us the surge of nostalgic warmth we so desperately needed.

To keep that fun-and-fancy-free energy rolling on into 2021, we rounded up all the best throwback-inspired buys we could find that are currently a lot cooler (or, should we say, kewler) than they ever were back in 2000-something. Scroll ahead to shop yourself a small slice of simpler times in the form of everything from crazy colorful journals to just-as-sticky-as-you-remember lip glosses, pastel roller skates, puzzles, inflatable pools, and more magic. Go on and put that childlike spark back into your post-2020 body.