Two decades ago when Global Hypercolor was cool and you were only as good as your Walkman – a breed of hair heroines dominated the TV schedules with glorious manes.

 

1. Rachel from Friends

Bigger than Phoebe when she was pregnant with her brothers’ triplets and bouncier than Chandler after drinking six cups of coffee – the multi-layered bob that was 'The Rachel' will go down in 90s TV hair history, despite Jennifer Aniston revealing she thought it was ‘the ugliest haircut I’ve ever seen’.  

2. Peggy from Married With Children

Peggy Bundy and her voluminous red tresses taught us that even when you think you’ve teased your hair enough, you can always tease and tease AND tease it some more. 

3. Topanga from Boy Meets World

Whether she flicked it, crimped it or put it up in a velvet scrunchie, Topanga’s thick blonde mane was never anything less that lion-like. And let’s not even talk about her perfectly rounded and always evenly spread (no splits or strays here) fringe.

4. Joey from Blossom

How did Joey, a.k.a Blossom’s hot but hopeless older brother, always manage to get his hair so boyishly tousled that you just wanted to reach into your TV and rumple it some more? Hmm, maybe we just answered our own question.

5. Kelly from Saved by the Bell

We imagine Kelly Kapowski had a selection of pastel pink hairdryers dotted around in various locations (at home, in the locker room after cheerleading try-outs, Lisa Turtle's house etc), so that she could recreate her freshly-washed, girl-next-door glossy waves at a moment's notice.

6. Elaine from Seinfeld

A role model (and a brilliantly sarky one at that) for girls with unmanageable curls. Elaine’s solution was a simple one: get yourself a selection of sturdy hair barrettes and rock a half-up ‘do constantly.

7. Becky from Roseanne

We're not sure what she had against long hair (perhaps that was the preserve of angsty younger sis, Darlene?) but Becky only ever seemed to wear her hair in a variety of bobs, which, er, looked a bit like she cut them herself in the bathroom mirror. 

8. Will from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Lending a whole new meaning to the request for a 'short back and sides', the height of Will's high-top appeared to corresponded with his fame - reaching dizzy new reaches around 1993.

9. Fran in The Nanny

Rivalling Peggy Bundy in the big hair stakes, Fran's curly coif was as big as her personality. Fah-bulous!

10. Marge from The Simpson

While we still have SO MANY questions about why her hair is blue and why she has a huge beehive, Marge's distinctive look has become as iconic as the silhouette of the Eiffel Tower - you'd just know it anywhere. 

11. Brandon from Beverly Hills 90210

Swoon-worthy eyes, baby-soft skin, eyebrows that knot quizzically at moments of angst, and hair that was coiffed on just the right side of perfect - 90210's Brandon Walsh was the epitome of a good-girl's heartthrob. 

 

12. Winnie from The Wonder Years

Sporting glossy long hair and perfect bangs pretty much all the way through those years of wonder, Winnie knew what suited her and she stuck with it. A sort of Anna Wintour of 90s teen TV, if you will.

13. Vicki from Suddenly Susan

As well-known for her flaming red hair as her brash personality, Vicki's wild tumble of curls were the perfect foil for her co-star Brooke Shields' sleek blow-dried look.

14. Grace from Will and Grace

Grace's hair may have been a synonym for her chaotic personality, in comparison to straight-laced friend Will, but we often wished we possessed an unruly mass of glorious red curls too.

15. Daria from Daria

As befitting her no-nonsense character, Daria's auburn hair remained a fuss-free affair and resistent to passing trends, that her sister Quinn would no doubt know about, throughout her time on screen.

16. Dorien from Birds of a Feather

Also taking tips from the Peggy Bundy school of hairstyling, volume (and surely a few sets of massive rollers) were the key to Dorien Green's catty-neighbour-next-door look.

17. Patsy from Absolutely Fabulous

So big was Patsy's towering 'do that it was almost a character in itself: like Patsy and Edina it could put away Champagne and packs of fags like nobody's business, and oh how we laughed when its collapse was employed as a hilarious barometer of Patsy's drunken state!

18. Dawson from Dawson's Creek

James Van Der Beek's hair in Dawson's Creek? One word: curtains. And even at the programme's peak, even he couldn't make them look cool.

19. Vanessa from The Cosby Show

While The Cosby Show is best remembered as an 80s show it did run until 1992, and in that time Vanessa was the one that tried out the most experimental looks - aside from Bill Cosby's jumpers of course. From shaped afros to plaits and relaxed waves, and let us not forget about her fetching collection of headscarves and chunky hairbands. 

20. Rebecca from Cheers

Another 80s to 90s gem, Cheers made a hair icon of Rebecca Howe (played by Kirstie Alley), whose thick, wavy mane defied taming - a bit like the feisty Rebecca herself.