If you were a girl growing up in the ‘90s, there was nothing more important than having your very own brightly colored Caboodle to organize all of your makeup and other random crap. Slumber party? Better bring that Caboodle, baby, and it better be name brand, or you’ll feel the evil stares of the other girls judging you. Teen girls are, like, SO judgy, don’t even pretend.
Do you see a particular resemblance to a fishing tackle box when looking at your favorite caboodle? That’s no accident, friends. The Caboodle was, in fact, inspired by those fishing tackle boxes, and Plano, the company who made, and still makes, the most-used tackle boxes around, is the company that manufactures Caboodles.
Wish you still had your Caboodle today, either for your own makeup nostalgia organizational needs, or maybe to share the joy with a daughter of your very own? No worries, Caboodles is manufacturing again (did they ever stop?), and fully embracing the ‘90s color palette with their current models, from the ever recognizable on-the-go-girl that you know and love, to many other different styles to suit your needs.
But to truly get that real ‘90s vibe, you’d really need everything you used to keep in your beloved Caboodle. So let’s take a look at some of those items that were always lurking around in the bottom of your plastic dream organizer.
Roll-On Glitter
If you didn’t have roll-on glitter, were you even a girl in the ‘90s at all? There were many different brands that got in on the fun, but Bath and Body Works with their Art Stuff roll-on glitter was some top notch stuff because it also smelled good.
Butterfly Clips
Everyone wore butterfly clips in the ‘90s, so you better have some in your Caboodle. From Sarah Michelle Gellar, to Britney Spears, to Melissa Joan Hart and Lizzie McGuire herself, you couldn’t escape the butterfly clip. And neither did I – at my junior year high school winter formal, I rocked some purple sparkly butterfly clips!
Hard Candy Nail Polish
Sure, there were other popular nail polishes of the day, including Chanel’s Vamp, but was there anything sweeter than getting a nail polish that also had a plastic ring included? I think not. Alicia Silverstone, a ‘90s queen herself, even mentioned the Sky blue polish on David Letterman.
Wet 'N' Wild Lipstick
No lipstick was more ubiquitous than Wet ‘n’ Wild in the ‘90s. You had a whole range of shades to choose from, even if you were a little afraid to really go out there and put on a bold color like some of your celebrity idols. That didn’t stop you from filling your Caboodle with them, though.
Biore Pore Cleansing Strips
Are you ever more self-conscious than when you’re a teenager and your skin is doing crazy things? Nope. And that’s where the Biore Pore Strips came in, giving us all a sense that we were doing something to help keep our pores unclogged and sparkly clean. Were we actually doing anything? Probably not much, but hey, at least it was fun to do it as a group and revel in the grossness.
Lipsmackers
Chapstick? Check. Roll on lip gloss? Check. Lipsmackers had you covered when you didn’t want to wear a real lipstick, but still wanted something on your precious pucker to try to woo the boys with. Or just to lick your own lips for a taste of that delicious plastic-y goodness.
Scrunchies
A high pony, a side pony, a low pony, a half pony, all of them were pulled back with a colorful scrunchie, and you know you had multiple versions of them lying around in your Caboodle. Supposedly, these may be making a comeback today, so pull out that old Caboodle and find your vintage scrunchie.
Gap Scents Dream Perfume
Were there other perfumes? Yes. Were there even other perfumes from Gap? Of course. Heaven. Grass (WTF was up with that anyway). But you couldn’t beat Dream. It was the perfume of choice, and girls everywhere had a little aluminum bottle of it in their Caboodle.
Altoids
You best believe every girl wanted to make sure she had some fresh breath, ready for flirting. Personally, I hated Altoids and was more of an Orange Tic Tac person, but everyone had Altoids at my school, most often the generic cinnamon or peppermint flavors, but sometimes the Sours varieties as well.
Dep Styling Gel
Were you crimping your hair in the ‘90s? Then you were probably using some Dep styling gel to keep that crimp in place. You could even get a little sample pack with a Barbie, to play around with it in her hair, or even give it a go in your own, and that little sample was the perfect size to fit in your Caboodle.
Did you have a Caboodle? What were your essentials? Let us know in the comments!
- Supposedly, designers saw a picture of Vanna White using a fishing tackle box to organize her makeup in 1986, and subsequently came out with the Caboodle in 1987, looking very similar to said tackle box, just with jazzier colors.
- The truth is, the actual designer was a New Zealand native named Leonie Mateer who moved to California in the ‘80s and saw a model using a tackle box as a makeup organizer during a photoshoot, and the idea was born.
- When they were introduced in 1987, the tagline was “The whole kit ‘n’ caboodle goes into the Caboodle!”
- In the first two years, they sold over 2 million units, and in 1993 Plano, the company who made the Caboodle, reported that they now sold more Caboodles than tackle boxes.
- In 1992, Mattel partnered with Caboodle to release a special tie-in Barbie called the Caboodles Barbie with Glitter Beach makeup for you. Totally stylin’.
- Supposedly, designers saw a picture of Vanna White using a fishing tackle box to organize her makeup in 1986, and subsequently came out with the Caboodle in 1987, looking very similar to said tackle box, just with jazzier colors.
- The truth is, the actual designer was a New Zealand native named Leonie Mateer who moved to California in the ‘80s and saw a model using a tackle box as a makeup organizer during a photoshoot, and the idea was born.
- When they were introduced in 1987, the tagline was “The whole kit ‘n’ caboodle goes into the Caboodle!”
- In the first two years, they sold over 2 million units, and in 1993 Plano, the company who made the Caboodle, reported that they now sold more Caboodles than tackle boxes.
- In 1992, Mattel partnered with Caboodle to release a special tie-in Barbie called the Caboodles Barbie with Glitter Beach makeup for you. Totally stylin’.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
