As a child, I was given a set amount of time on the computer every day, and I definitely made use of that time! Virtual worlds attracted me because I could be who I wanted to be, but what I wanted to buy, and say what I wanted to say. Seeing my tiny, digital self in her own world gave me a sort of satisfaction and happiness that I was addicted to.
Laptops and the Internet were just beginning to become more popular in the early 2000s, and this certainly showed in the websites that were prominent at the time. After MySpace hit its final chapter, virtual worlds made their debut. People could create mini, online versions of themselves, or whoever they wanted to be!
To all of the 1990s-2000s kids out there, here are some websites that will be sure to make you reminisce on the “good ol’ days.”
Pixiehollow.com
Pixie Hollow was created by Disney to be the primary setting for the Disney Fairy franchise. The website was released on September 8th, 2008 and received the bulk of its publicity through ads on Disney Channel TV. Users could create a free female fairy character or male sparrow character. Each account came with some furnishings and a house. Fairies were able to interact with each other in certain places within Pixie Hollow. The website was terminated on September 19th, 2013.
Luckily, I did some research and dug up a way to access the site….
Weeworld.com
One of my personal favorites, WeeWorld! It was an online gaming and messaging site that appeared in 2002. It was formerly known as a social networking site (it came shortly after MySpace and tried to replace it), but became known for its chat-based avatars, named “WeeMees.” Before its end, approximately 180 million WeeMees were created. Unfortunately, on May 11, 2017, the site unexpectedly shut down, reportedly from lack of profits.
Barbiegirls.com
Barbie Girls was a virtual world created by Mattel based on the Barbie brand. It opened on April 24, 2007. Just a week after opening, 200,000 members signed up. The site was geared towards young girls, so there was not an option to create male avatars. The Barbie Girls community decided that any avatar dressed in all black was a male. BarbieGirls, unfortunately, shut down on June 1, 2011. BarbieGirls gave notice to their dear fans and led them to Stardoll.com, another popular dress-up website at the time.
Barbie Girls also released a line of customizable MP3 players along with their website. This allowed players to gain access to VIP opportunities. These music players were designed to look like avatars from the game and came with fashion packs to change the look of the device.
Everythinggirl.com
Everythinggirl hosted most well-known tween girl sites, including MyScene.com, Pollypocket.com, Pixelchix.com, barbiegirls.com, Barbie.com, and Beautycuties.com. This was the Mattel hub for all toy-obsessed girls. Users could play games, watch videos, and collect points towards an online bracelet. The website that drew the most traffic was MyScene.com. MyScene.com was created following the MyScene doll, a barbie-type of toy that resembled the Bratz franchise with the Barbie/Mattel label. The site itself presented dress-up and fashion games, videos, and more.
Once again, I was able to dig up a few ways to access the infamous MyScene games…
Beauty Studio: http://web.archive.org/web/20071109001737/http://myscene.everythinggirl.com/games/beauty_studio/beauty_studio.aspx
Shopping Spree: http://web.archive.org/web/20040207011412/http://myscene.everythinggirl.com/games/shoppingspree/shoppingspree.aspx
Neopets.com
Neopets is one of the most well-known virtual websites. It hosted its launch on November 15, 1999, making it one of the first virtual worlds on the internet. The good news is that this site still exists today! Users can adopt virtual pets and purchase virtual items using one of two currencies. Players raise their pets and interact with them through chat rooms, forums, and games.
The late 2000s was indeed a time to be alive for those who wanted to make new friends online. Thousands of websites came readily available to anyone who had access to the internet. Unfortunately, because of the popularity of text-messaging and other social-networking sites, most of these worlds have come to their ends. There are still some ways to access many of these bases, but usually, we must take our memories and hold them close to us!