The Bop It 90s Craze: All About The Original Bop It Toy

From 1996 to the early 2000s, you could not go anywhere without hearing ‘Bop it! Twist it! Pull it!’ This post will tell you everything you need to know about the Bop It 90s craze, why the original Bop It toy was so much fun, and how you can still play this nostalgic game.

I even have a video of my vintage 90s Bop It toy!

How The Bop It 90s Craze Got Started

The Bop It toy has been a staple in the lives of many 90s kids. But how did it all start?

The original Bop It toy was released in 1996 by Hasbro and was an instant hit with children everywhere. The cool commercials, plus its unique combination of sound effects, lights, and buttons made it an addictive game that could be played alone or with friends.

Playing the game is surprisingly simple. The game has two solo modes, vocal commands or sounds only, and a multiplayer ‘Pass It’ mode. Both single-player modes give random commands at increasing speeds until you either mess up or get 100 in a row correct.

In vocal command mode, a voice says ‘Bop It! Pull It!, etc’ to tell you what to do next. In solo sounds-only mode, you hear the corresponding sound effect to tell you what to do, instead of a vocal command.

Pass It mode is a multiplayer game where it gives a random number of Bop, Twist, or Pull It commands followed by a few seconds of music and the command ‘Pass It!’ The player then passes it to the next person who has to quickly get ready to follow the next set of commands. As the game gets longer, the game gets faster and gives you less time to complete the actions, including passing to other players.

It was a great party game and would have gone viral on social media if things like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok had been around at the time. As it was, kids and adults alike played Bop It anywhere and everywhere, and the commercials came on nearly every commercial break. I remember having challenges with my friends like ‘ I dare you to get to 100 with only one hand’ or ‘I bet you can’t play it hanging upside down’.

Playing Bop It Today

Since then, the toy has been updated with new features such as additional buttons, voice commands, and even motion sensors. and since then it has gone through many iterations, from the classic version to the more advanced versions like Bop It Extreme and Bop It Blast.

Bop It Extreme was fun with its updated edgy music and the addition of ‘Flick It’ and ‘Spin It’. It proved to be much more challenging and the high score went all the way to 250. I had one from 1998 until a friend’s kid broke the spinner, but that is a completely different story!

Today, the Bop It craze is still going strong thanks to its popularity in the 90s and its ongoing updates that keep kids engaged for hours on end. With its simple yet challenging gameplay and endless ways to play and one-up your friends, this game is set to be a timeless classic!

If you are looking to relive your childhood with the original Bop It toy design, you can find them for sale as vintage collectibles on Amazon and eBay. Otherwise, the 2006 remake is a bit different but can easily be found at Walmart.

Original Bop It Toy: Gameplay to 100

Looking to relive your memories of the 90s Bop It toy right now? Here’s a video of the original bop it toy I have owned for about 26 years now.

Please share your memories of Bop It in the comments section below!

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