Throwback School Supplies Kids Don't Use Anymore

Going back to school shopping today is certainly a lot different than it was 30, 20, or even just 10 years ago. Back in the day, getting ready for the new year by buying a bunch of school supplies was a production, and kids carefully selected the coolest pens, pencils, notebooks, folders, binders, and pencil cases they could find. Today, though, schools are a whole lot more tech-savvy, which means many kids barely need all of those stationery supplies. Most middle school and high school kids really only need some books and a trusty laptop.

While younger kids do need a lot of the same core basics adults remember buying for school, the brands and options available out there have really changed. Adults may look back at these old school supplies and feel a heavy sense of nostalgia for what things used to be like, but kids will probably look at them and wonder how we ever got anything done in the classroom without a computer screen and keyboard. They may be officially old-school (pun not intended), but these throwback school supplies that once filled our Jansport backpacks are still really fun to look at, and just might bring back some memories.

For more nostalgia, check out our list of school supplies kids from the 1980s will remember.

Scratch 'n sniff stickers were really big in the '70s and the '80s, but they were also popular through the early '90s as well. These fun little puffy stickers were affixed to everything, whether teachers added them to tests and homework, or kids used them to decorate their notebooks, and everyone had their own favorite scent. While scratch and sniff stickers of course still exist, they don't look the same, and kids don't seem to be quite as amazed by them anymore either.

Gelly Roll pens were a staple for kids in school in the '90s. Sure, you could barely see most of the colors on your notebooks, but they were fun, colorful, and sometimes sparkly, so it didn't really seem to matter. Plus, let's be real: most of us used them to write notes to each other, something that is also probably obsolete due to texting. You can still buy gel pens, but they don't have the same allure as they once did.

Believe it or not, there was a time when these clunky digital calculator watch was the height of tech savviness. They first came around in the 1970s and proved to be an excellent way to cheat on math tests. Now, with smartphones and fancy calculators, you definitely don't need these.

Trapper Keepers were one of those school supplies every '80s and '90s kid had to have. From the iconic "trapper" flap on the front to the bulky three-ring binder inside, this was an extremely cool accessory. It came in a variety of designs and colors, and held everything a kid needed throughout the day. They were eventually replaced by Five Star binders, and the vintage ones we all loved are nowhere to be found.

Back when kids regularly used pencils at school, erasers were an obvious must-have. Novelty erasers made this item much more fun, and kids could find erasers in every shape, size, and color imaginable. Now, they're not quite as necessary.

Remember when all of the information you could possibly want about a book couldn't be found by a quick (and easy) Google search? CliffsNotes were once the best way to do the school reading without actually doing the school reading, but now you really don't need them anymore.

There was once a time when erasable pens seemed like one of the coolest things out there. These were especially great for kids who were learning how to write in cursive, a practice that has since stopped in many schools. And now, with many kids taking notes on laptops, these kinds of pens aren't a necessity.

Floppy disks were once the best way to back up important information from the computer. Then CDs came along, then USB flash drives, and now, most kids just rely on the cloud, or something like Google Drive. Floppy disks are no more.

You basically weren't cool if you didn't pack your lunch in a metal lunchbox. Most of these also came with a matching thermos for your drink, and you could get them in so many different designs - it was always fun to pick them out. Now, if kids bring lunch, they use soft lunch bags or the fancy ones that can also act as ice packs.

Kids used to use pencils much more often, and so bringing your own pencil sharpener was a big advantage and sometimes essential. Kids today typically use mechanical sharpeners or really small ones, but years ago, they relied on these bulky manual sharpeners.

Mead marble notebooks are, of course, still around, but while some kids might use them, they aren't quite as popular as they once were. Years ago, you couldn't walk into a classroom without seeing a handful of these - now, a lot of kids use laptops for note taking.

You can't talk about old school supplies without mentioning the OG, Lisa Frank. In the '90s, the colorful, fun, whimsical images from the brand were everywhere: on folders, notebooks, Trapper Keepers, lunch boxes, erasers, pencils, and so much more. You can still purchase Lisa Frank, and while it has a nostalgic quality to it, it's not the same.

Scented erasers weren't the only things kids were sniffing throughout the day. Mr. Sketch scented markers were introduced in the 1960s and were an immediate hit. You can still find them today, but, again, they're not quite as cool as they once were.

Today, you'd be hard pressed to find a kid taking math classes without a powerful Texas Instruments calculator at the ready. But before those calculators were a thing (scientific calculators came about in the 1970s), there were slide rules, which were used to do tough calculations. These are obviously obsolete now.

Pencil boxes are definitely still an important school supply, but today's kids use mostly soft, small ones. Plastic Spacemaker boxes were super popular years ago, but they're hard to find nowadays.

The Speak & Spell came out in the 1970s, and was a great tool for kids learning how to spell. It would say words out loud and kids had to figure out how to spell them. But these ceased to exist in the '90s, and now, of course, kids don't need something like this to learn how to spell, thanks to the internet and apps.

Rubber cement was a necessary school supply in the '60s and '70s, when kids used it for art projects and such. Today, it has been replaced by glue sticks and regular Elmer's glue.

Pencil toppers in general were really popular many years ago, but especially Troll doll pencil toppers. They were fun, quirky, and a little weird, and they basically didn't serve a purpose, but kids loved them.

Of course, white out is still a product you can buy, but kids don't need it like they once did. Again, this is because a lot of kids take notes and do assignments on a laptop rather than in a notebook.

Yikes! pencils were just your basic pencil, but they had a much cooler design. They were colorful and bold and were just meant to make a boring school supply more fun. They aren't made anymore, but you might still be able to find them on Ebay.