Credit: OptoScalpel/Wikimedia Commons

Truly, it was the Wild West of pop culture.

I know everyone thinks that there is no other time like the time they grew up in, but I think I can resolutely state that the start of the new millennium was a pretty wild ride for us all. Everything was covered in pastel colors, cell phones were becoming more common, the internet was still figuring itself out, and kids would buy anything with familiar brands slapped on it. Well, okay, that last one’s just a kid thing, not so much a 2000s thing, but the point is that the stuff that arose in that first decade was pretty wacky, to say the least. I could spend all day listing random junk from a toy store, and would very much like to, but in lieu of that, here’s a quick sampling.

Flip Phones

Credit: eBay

HitClips

Credit: Imgur

Heelys

Credit: Heelys

Heinz Purple and Green Ketchup

Credit: Business Insider

Shrek… everything. Literally everything.

Credit: EricSonic18 via DeviantArt