30 Events, 30 Years
Teamspirit is 30 this year. Looking back at 1995, it’s hard to believe what passed for normal when we opened our doors. To paint a picture, we’ve excavated some of the year’s more eye-opening trends and behaviours. How many do you remember?
Tamawhatchi?
Remember Tamagotchis? These hand-held digital pets were a massive craze in the 1990s with 91 million sold worldwide. Like real pets they told their owners they wanted to be fed or fussed over by making frequent annoying noises, vibrating madly and even doing digital ‘poos’ until you stroked them or fed them digitally.
The first cut is the deepest
Before the Retail Distribution Review (2012) largely marked the abolition of commission on financial product sales, advisers’ recommendations to clients were often led by the size of potential commission over a product’s quality or suitability.
Carbon copy
Before PIN machines were a thing, when you paid for goods by credit card, retailers took three imprints of your card using carbon copy paper, one for the retailer, one for you and one for the card supplier.
Songdances
In the 1990s, people loved songs the whole dancefloor could dance to. Painful to watch now, these included The Macarena, Tragedy (Steps) and Cotton Eye Joe to name but three moments of embarrassment.
Knock knock. Who's there?
Hard to believe in 2025, but 30 years ago some financial services were sold door-to-door. Many life companies like Pearl (now Phoenix Group) and Co-op Financial Services would sell, advise and take monthly premiums on the doorstep. Co-op, in fact, only said goodbye to their 500-strong door-to-door salesforce in 2011.
Video killed the radio star
In 1995 no high street was complete without a Blockbuster store. Before films were streamed, there were DVDs and before them chunky A5-sized videos that you played through your video player and tv at home. You went to your Blockbuster, rented films by the night and then brought it back the next day or paid late fees.
Reality cheque
While rare today, in the 90s cheques were one of the UK’s most common methods of payment. 4 billion were written in 1990 alone. As late as 2015, 558 million were filled in and signed, with a daily value of £1.7bn.
Skantily clad
The skant, as a fashion, was big in ‘95. Combining trouser and skirt in a single look 90’s pop icons, such as girl band B*witched (look ‘em up) and Zoe Ball were regular wearers. As were large swathes of the population.
Inflation… plus a bit
In 1995, the UK football transfer fee record was smashed when Manchester United paid Newcastle £7m for striker Andy Cole. 30 years on, the record is 15 times higher at £106m (Enzo Fernandez).
eBay’s first ‘kerching’
Although it feels like it’s been with us forever, in 1995 eBay opened its virtual doors for the first time. The first item it sold? A broken laser pointer.
