The '90s were a great time to fall in love with fictional characters. Like little love struck serial killers, our rooms were covered with pictures of beautiful guys ripped from the pages of magazines. Between the boom in teen movies and TV's abundance of TGIF, SNICK, and other kid friendly stars, we were clearly living in a golden age of celebrity crushes.
Not all of those crushes stood the test of time, but the ones that endured did so in a big way. There are some actors who only got better with age and others who hit our nostalgia bone thanks to being forever entwined with their characters. We may have traded those torn YA covers in for real art on our walls, but that has not diluted our love for John Stamos, Rider Strong, and the other guys on this list. If they showed up on our doorsteps today we would still totally want them to be our boyfriends. Like fine wine, they've matured and so have we. It may just be the '90s kid in me talking, but these guys are still total dreamboats.
Let's delve deep into the halcyon days of our '90s crushes and see which guys made the cut:
John Stamos
Have mercy! Stamos still makes us go week in the knees. His Uncle Jesse days solidified him as a heartthrob and the guy responsible for a lot of sexual awakenings. With his gorgeous black hair and wicked sense of humor, Stamos made learning life lessons from the Tanner clan go down easy. These days, Stamos is busy planning a Full House comeback, and we really wish he would invite us to stop by.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Let us dispense with the formalities right up front, Thomas is and always will be JTT in our hearts. The Home Improvement star grew up right before our eyes on TV and we were with him every step of the way. As the smart, sarcastic middle brother on Tim Allen's hit show, JTT was everything we wanted out of a boyfriend: intelligent, capable of making us laugh until we cried, and totally charming. His shiny teeth didn't hurt either. JTT has long sense left acting behind, but the fact that he went to Harvard and Columbia University makes it painfully clear he is still a catch.
Rider Strong
Strong's Shawn Hunter on Boy Meets World was the kind of bad boy we could all get on board with. His devil may care persona was masking a sweet, goofy interior that always came out when he was around his BFF Cory. Recently, Strong brought Shawn back to life on Girl Meets World, and his continued devotion to his former castmates is swoonworthy. Even better, Strong is an incredibly smart man. Just listen to his podcast Literary Disco and then try to tell me you are not still completely in love with Strong.
Donald Faison
Faison is best known as the lovable surgeon Turk from Scrubs, but way back in his teen years he was better known for his roles in Clueless, Can't Hardly Wait, and Waiting to Exhale. Faison is one of the few guys on this list who never took a break from acting, and he has yet to play a character who did not exude a love for life. That mischievous twinkle in his eye has only gotten more attractive as the years have gone by.
Joey Lawrence
Allow me to blow your minds: Lawrence has been totally crushable for four decades now. That's right, the actor started his career in the '80s in the cult classic Adventures in Babysitting before becoming our dream boyfriend in the '90s show Blossom. From there he proceeded to grow into his smoldering hotness in a string of horror movies and sitcoms before joining fellow '90s favorite Melissa Joan Hart in Melissa & Joey. Lawrence was and probably always will be a total sweetheart, and his intense work ethic means he would make for a steady boyfriend.
Sean O'Neal
O'Neal is our most mysterious crush. As Sam, Clarissa's BFF on Clarissa Explains it All, O'Neal was the very picture of the boy next door. Maybe this is just the nostalgia talking, but I would still leave a ladder at my window for him. The former teen star has more or less retreated from the limelight entirely. Aside from a bit of voicework, it seems he is off somewhere leading a totally normal life. That just gives him an alluring mystique.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
When did Gordon-Levitt first become such a heart breaker? Was it during his 3rd Rock from the Sun days? Or was it his turn as a lovelorn geek in 10 Things I Hate About You that solidified his status? All I know for sure is he started out as the gangly cutey that seemed almost attainable and became a class act actor and champion of creativity. Through it all, he remains the kind of guy we would be happy to bring home to our parents.
Jaleel White
White became a household name thanks to his portrayal of the super nerd Urkel on Family Matters, and while the character was occasionally grating (and problematic), it was clear White was totally a star. Now that White has put his Urkel glasses away for good, he has become the epitome of boyfriend material. He has his character's smarts and thanks to his turn on Dancing with the Stars, we know he can dance.
David Boreanaz
Boreanaz is the guy we have to blame for making everyone want a vampire boyfriend. As Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer he was brooding and gorgeous. Nearly two decades later he's hilarious and gorgeous as FBI agent Booth on Bones. And we are still madly in love with him.
Images: ABC; Giphy (9)
