Blinkies - those small gifs that blinked to give the impression of glitter.
iframes - precursor to divs, but definitely added that “only works in IE” feel.
More contrast between font color and background image - it’s too easy to read.
12pt Times New Roman font - gotta squint to read and default font for everything
Flashy gif banner at your header and footer - bonus points if they’re the same image
All urls default to underlined blue and purple.
Mouse cursor with trails. The more sparkles, the better.
Clip art. Clip art everywhere.
Not mine, but my dad’s that I was there to witness.
It was summer (90s) and we were all camping at a lake. My sister and I were playing with some kids while my dad was chatting up the other kids’ dad. Just as I was getting out of the water I hear the other dad exclaim “you remind me of a guy I used to know called [name]!” My dad laughs and says “I am [name].” Turns out they used to go to school together decades before.
It’s stuck with me all these years, and has somewhat been turned into an inside joke within our family.