Toys / Tools / Technology

For this special edition of PowerPlay, we’re looking back to a simpler time. Back in 1995, Michael Jordan had just returned to the NBA after his sudden retirement two years earlier. The Internet was becoming “a thing” and we were hearing about these DVD contraptions that would save us the hassle of rewinding our VHS tapes before returning them to Blockbuster. (And in 1995 you might’ve been returning Toy Story, Apollo 13, Braveheart or Die Hard with a Vengeance).

On TV, someone in your household was probably watching ER, while at the theatre you might’ve seen Forrest Gump, which would go on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

The Atlanta Braves became World Series champions that year, and the New Jersey Devils took home the Stanley Cup.

Meanwhile, here’s what the 1995 edition of PowerPlay would’ve looked like and what was flying off the shelves at the time a ministry called Promise Keepers Canada was just getting started...

GEORGE FOREMAN’S “LEAN MEAN GRILLING MACHINE.”

The most amazing thing about the George Foreman grill isn’t necessarily the fact it’s sold more than 100 million units worldwide, or that it’s still in production today selling for as low as $30, but rather the man who put his name to the nifty little product.

Invented by Michael Boehm after walking around malls in the 1980’s and noticing none of the grills cooked meat on both sides at the same time, the grill would owe its massive success in part to Foreman’s innate salesmanship and the name he made for himself as one of the most successful boxers in history.

Even more inspiring is how those fortunes were used to fund his ministry work after becoming an ordained minister.

It was in 1995 that his “lean mean machine” would hit shelves, and people started grilling meat on both sides simultaneously.

And the rest is history.

WINDOWS 95

Windows 95 was a gamechanger, with a little help from the bizarre 30-minute “cyber sitcom” featuring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry who were household names at the time thanks to the popularity of Friends. In Toronto, the CN Tower was covered in a 100 m banner for the occasion. Altogether Microsoft’s $300 million marketing campaign helped rocket the software launch to one million copies shipped in just four days and eventually taking more than 57 percent of the market share for desktop operating systems.

Features like the Start menu and taskbar continue to this day but were first introduced to the world in 1995.

EBAY

It’s hard to imagine a world without eBay, or AuctionWeb as it was first known. But pre-1995 folks would’ve had to travel the country to buy collectibles, used appliances or, like the first item sold, a broken laser pointer.

The story goes founder Pierre Omidyar contacted the buyer to confirm he understood the laser pointer was broken.

The buyer explained simply, “I’m a collector of broken laser pointers.”

It was then Omidyar realized he had a multi-billion dollar company on his hands.

However, it would be the popularity of a bean-stuffed toy that would fuel eBay’s meteoric rise…

USB

Intel was the first to introduce the groundbreaking Universal Serial Bus. While those sound like three random words smushed together, the USB quickly became the most convenient way to physically transport data in your pocket. To this day, the device is still considered the most successful invention to store, transfer, and access data, not to mention connect a myriad of peripherals like mice and controllers. Now if someone could explain exactly how this bus that universally transports serials works…

BEANIE BABIES

You likely remember these little bean-filled animals: you were either trying to find them as the most popular toy that Christmas, or you or your sister received them (or begged for them!). The collectible critters were known for the exorbitant prices they carried by rabid collectors, as creator, Ty Warner was known to randomly retire certain dolls. This would artificially send prices sky-high, some even going for thousands of dollars on the newly minted eBay.

In fact, the fortunes of eBay and Beanie Babies would become so intertwined that when eBay went public, one of the risk factors detailed in the report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission was the online auction’s dependence on the continued strength of the Beanie Babies market.

Beanie Babies would set you back anywhere from $4.99 to $42,300.

DVD

Like CDs, the move to digital video discs was all about data. The new format allowed film studios to store up to 10x more data than videotapes, while offering high resolution and clearer audio output. While it would take a few years before the medium took off, DVDs offered yet another advantage over their VHS predecessor: bonus features!

Finally, cinephiles could annoy their friends and family by forcing them to rewatch the latest movie with the DVD commentary, or the special behind-thescenes featurette on how they built the miniature village that explodes in the second act. Why watch the movie when you can watch a movie about the movie?

The first DVD players could set you back up to $600.

SONY DISCMAN

While the Sony experimented with several varieties of CD players, it was the D-Series Discman that would cement the brand as king of the 90’s music scene. The Discman boasted Mega Bass technology and the gold standard of antishock protection that was essential on bike rides, running or sitting at the back of the bus. It’s hard to imagine now, but CD’s were a huge leap forward in terms of audio quality and convenience (skipping songs, no rewinding or turning over the tape!)

In 1995, a Sony Discman would put you back around $350. But there was no better way to listen to Michael W. Smith or DC Talk when you were on the go.

/ SANDY MCMURRAY writes about games, toys, and gadgets at funspot.ca.