7 things you loved as a kid that don’t exist anymore

Growing up in a time before the first iPhone release meant most interactions with friends were in-
person or on the phone using a landline. Plans to meet had to be made in advance, and there were no
real-time text updates leading up to the appointment.

Everything seemed to move a little slower. New music wasn't available for immediate download with
one click. TV shows played on the network's schedule. Movies were available in theaters and at the
local movie rental store. Toys and games required a visit to a shop to acquire.

Times have changed, but iconic products from innovative brands will live on in the memories of those
who grew to love them in childhood.

Here are 7 things you loved as a kid that don't exist anymore.

McDonald's Playplace

Introduced in 1972, these branded playgrounds were part of the McDonald's

experience that included the iconic Happy Meal. New locations are often
built without a playground.

The Sony Walkman cassette player

The original portable music player, the Sony Walkman,
was popular during the 1980s. The first model was met
with "lackluster sales" of 3,000 units in its first month of
release in 1979. Clever marketing on the streets of
Tokyo saved the personal c

assette player, and sales soared the very next month. Sony
stopped producing new Walkmans in 2010 after a
successful 30-year run.

Choosing a movie at Blockbuster

was once one of America's most popular video rental stores.

Walking the aisles searching for just the right title often took more
time and effort than tapping away on a keyboard does today. All
but one location in the U.S. is closed.
Toys "R" Us

Toys "R" Us was quite popular during the early 1980s and was worth
$12 billion by 1990. The superstore filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Toys
"R" Us closed for good in June 2018 after 70 years in the toy business.

Mall arcades
Atari released "Pong" in 1972,
thereby creating one of the first commercially successful
video games. "Pac-Man" would later become the most
successful coin-operated arcade game of all time. Console
gaming grew alongside the arcade business following "Atari,"
but the market eventually shifted away from arcade
gaming. Los Angeles’s last mall arcade shuttered in 2016.

Showbiz Pizza

Founded in 1980, Showbiz Pizza featured an animatronic stage show

along with a selection of arcade style games in a family-friendly
restaurant concept. Showbiz Pizza was the best-performing knock-
off of another animatronic pizza chain called Pizza Time. In
1985, Showbiz Pizza Place and Pizza Time completed a merger to
become Chuck E. Cheese.

Gameboy
The iconic Nintendo Gameboy was released in 1989. The
small monochrome screen and modest onboard power didn’t
stop this predecessor of the Nintendo 3Ds from outselling its
better equipped competitors. The original Gameboy
was discontinued in the early 2000s.