The characters of the '90s: Clarissa Darling

I was a little bemused when the Vh1 aired the mini-series I Love The 90’s in 2004. My friends and I watched I love the 80s and 70’s (and all of their sequels) religiously. When I Love The 70’s ended, I was eagerly anticipating I Love the 60’s (which has still not been made) and instead Vh1 gave us I Love the 90’s. 

Even though I was 14, I felt that the series had come much too soon, that the 90’s were indistinguishable from the current decade. Now that we’re completely separated from the 1990’s by the progressive 2000’s, I’ve embraced the decade of my birth as a simpler time with superior children’s programming. I was a child back then, but (probably starting around 1994) I became influenced by the very same mediums that influence me now. Books, TV, movies, and music. 

The first ‘90’s style icon that comes to mind is the precocious Clarissa Darling of Clarissa Explains It All.

(The most recognizable Clarissa graphic on Tumblr. The pie chart is actually depicting what motivates Americans.)

Clarissa’s frequent use of graphics drew me in as a kid. They occasionally popped up in other Nickelodeon programs, but they were mostly the trademark of this show. As charismatic as Clarissa was, she did tend to go on and on in her monologues and the graphics usually helped illustrate whatever she was talking about.

And of course, Clarissa’s vibrant wardrobe:

Every kid in the 90’s dressed like this, but to a far lesser degree. There were kids in headbands, kids in ripped jeans, kids with weird graphic tees, kids that wore crazy jewelry everyday, but no one combined all of the elements into a true Clarissa-approved ensamble. She wore every single thing that was cool in the '90s AT THE SAME TIME. And she looked ridiculous, but she looked awesome.

With the resurgence of '90’s fashion,  liberty prints, overalls, Doc Martins, even scrunchies (and other things that you probably banished from your closet the minute you hit puberty) are now highly coveted “vintage” items on Etsy and Ebay. (Side note: I can now sympathize with my parents at the feeling of things younger than me being called “vintage”. When they actually aren’t.)

But if you’re smart and you’re longing for the days of yore, you’ll go for the cheaper alternative and find authentic '90’s treasures in your local thrift shop, where Clarissa’s closet lives on. 

That’s it for now. Expect more '90s characters in the near future.

(All images are screenshots from the show, Clarissa Explains it All, but I got them from the sites Pull Teeth, The Neave, and Ferg Face.)