10+ childhood memories that remind us growing up was full of small joys we didn’t know we’d miss this much

Childhood has its own particular smell. Not just literally — though if you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you know exactly what a fresh piece of bubble gum, a new cassette case, and a cartoon-printed sweater smell like together — but emotionally. It’s the smell of a world where the most important thing you owned was a set of stackable multipoint pencils, your favorite toys and a “treasure chest”. These 10+ true photos and stories about childhood, family, nostalgia, and the small joys that stay with us long after we’ve grown up remind us that the things we thought we’d forgotten are still right there, waiting to be found.

Does anyone else miss the fashion from our childhood — fun cartoon sweaters, shiny track jackets, and big fluffy bows in girls’ braids?

At some point, these pencils replaced the regular ones in our pencil cases. The most interesting part began when one lead got lost, and a crumpled little piece of paper immediately took its place.

My first computer! Well, okay, technically it was Dad’s — he was already doing video editing and 3D graphics back then. But of course, we played games on it too.

Burying a “secret,” treasure, or time capsule was an important childhood pastime.

• I was about 7 years old. After watching a bunch of cartoons, I decided I wanted to hide some “treasure.” I found a clear plastic bucket with a lid, big enough, and put several nice toys in it — practically my favorites. I put the lid on and hid it in the sand. And then I happily forgot all about that treasure for 3 or 4 years. My parents were building a house at the time, so the sand was constantly being used for all kinds of projects, with new sand being brought in too. So you can imagine my joy when, several years later, I dug up that very treasure completely by chance while building yet another castle.

The owner of this butterfly wonders: “Who else remembers this hair-thinning tool?”

• I don’t even have to remember — I talked my husband into getting me one last year. © Pikabu

This summer, I helped sort through old things at my in-law’s apartment and found countless childhood treasures in an ordinary tin box. Ah, back then you could become rich in a single day — or lose an entire fortune.

Who among us hasn’t cut holes in an old sheet from mom’s closet? Especially after being inspired by ghosts. And even as adults, we still feel like bringing back the good old days.

• We came with our child to a kids’ birthday party where entertainers had been hired for a pretty penny: they wore different costumes of the children’s favorite characters and had a whole packed program. There was so much going on! And I had brought an old sheet from home, cut 2 holes in it for eyes, put it on, and at one perfect moment jumped into the room like that. The kids were beyond thrilled! We played tag and hide-and-seek, and even danced together. Many of them never figured out who it was and decided I was another entertainer. And out of the whole party, the thing everyone remembered most was my Ghost.

I was sorting through old things in my parents’ storage closet and found something from my childhood — a fiber-optic lamp. Back then, it wasn’t just a night-light, but a real magical artifact.

The only question on the mind of this rare Tamagotchi’s owner: is there anyone who actually managed to raise their little pet?

Who else remembers melody pops that you could actually play and eat?

We treasured that long-awaited toy so much that we did everything we could to take care of it.

• My daughter and I went to visit my parents over vacation. My father says, “Natty, let’s go help Grandpa look for treasure.” What he really meant was that he’d decided to plant a few apple trees.Half an hour later, my little one comes running back, wide-eyed, covered in dirt and grass, holding out a faded rainbow spring toy. I immediately remembered how I played with that cherished toy for a week about 30 years ago, and then hid my treasure in the garden so no one would get their hands on it. Back then, my parents scolded me for losing a new toy. Now my daughter is turning it over in her hands and offering to buy me “a normal, colorful one.”

I was going through old photos and found myself from about 30 years ago. Probably everyone had photos like this back in the day. Or dogs like this.

Getting a game console as a birthday gift was the ultimate dream. And then every new cartridge brought so much joy. I had Aladdin, Super Mario, and even Barbie.

Every generation has its own idols and Labubu.

• My daughter absolutely adores those Labubu toys. She gets them from her grandmothers and godparents. And I’m just... not really a fan. I told her, “What kind of toy is that? You can’t even look at it without feeling gloomy. We didn’t have nonsense like that back in my day.” Then, some time later, my little star came up to me with her phone and showed me CatDog, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and Happy Tree Friends. She said, “I read that these were super popular when you were a kid. Just don’t try to tell me you didn’t watch them.”

Childhood memories work differently from other memories. They don’t fade the way adult ones do — they just go quiet for a while, and then something finds them. A photo of a stackable pencil. A cartoon sweater on someone’s Instagram. A child burying something in a sandbox and a grown adult suddenly remembering that they did exactly the same thing at exactly that age, with exactly that level of seriousness. These small things from growing up aren’t small at all. They’re the ones that made us.

If there’s a childhood object or moment in this collection that stopped you in your tracks, we’d love to know which one — and what it reminded you of.