Sexual Education For Boys And Girls Nl 1991 Online Patched | Puberty

Posted by: RetroEdTech Archive | Reading time: 4 min

If you grew up in the Netherlands in the early 90s, you remember it. The teal background. The stiff, illustrated diagrams. The suddenly very serious tone about "baardgroei" (beard growth) and "menstruatiecyclus."

I am talking, of course, about the legendary (and notoriously dry) educational software: Puberty Sexual Education for Boys and Girls NL 1991.

For years, this title was locked away on floppy disks, gathering dust in school attic storage rooms. But recently, the archiving community has done something remarkable: they found an online patched version. Posted by: RetroEdTech Archive | Reading time: 4

| Topic | 1991 Approach (NL) | 2025 Online Patched Approach | |--------|-------------------|-------------------------------| | Body changes | Anatomical charts, video of "de puberteit" | Interactive apps (e.g., Sense.info), YouTube animations from Rutgers NL | | Wet dreams | Mentioned in a boys-only aside | Discussed openly with both genders, plus how online porn creates unrealistic expectations around ejaculation | | Menstruation | Tampon/pad demo using red ink | Same, plus digital period trackers and how to handle leaks in school (social media shaming prevention) | | Masturbation | "It is normal and private" | "It is normal, but stop if it interferes with gaming/school; clear your browser history; no shame." | | Sexual orientation | One paragraph about being "different" | Full lesson on LGBTQ+ history in NL (first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001), coming out online safely | | STIs | HIV was the main fear; condom demo | HIV, HPV (vaccination), chlamydia; plus how anonymous apps enable risky hookups; how to order STI tests online via Sense | | Consent | "Don't let anyone touch you if you don't want to" | FRIES model (Freely given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, Specific) applied to sexting and in-person |

The 1991 version taught menstruation hygiene (pads vs. tampons). The online patched version adds:

I spent an afternoon with the patched version. Here’s my honest take: It was informative, anatomical, and boring

The Good: The nostalgia is potent. The pixel art of a shy boy pointing at his own armpit hair is unintentionally hilarious. The patch’s new "Myth Buster" mode is genuinely educational—it debunks things we believed in 1991 (like "you can’t get pregnant the first time").

The Bad: Some of the original script is painfully dated. One module still says, "Boys feel desire more often than girls"—a myth the patch tries to correct with a pop-up disclaimer.

The Ugly: The original soundtrack. It’s a single, looping MIDI file that sounds like elevator muzak played through a broken modem. It was informative

Praktische tips:

In 1991, a boy’s idea of sex came from a faded Playboy or hushed locker room talk. In 2025, the average 11-year-old has seen hardcore content online. The patch here is porn literacy.

Let’s set the scene. The early 90s. Dutch schools were progressive but technologically cautious. This MS-DOS program was revolutionary for its time:

It was informative, anatomical, and boring. And it was all we had.