Peptoids (N-substituted polyglycines and extended peptoids with variant backbone amino-acid monomer units) are oligomeric synthetic polymers that are becoming a valuable molecular tool in the biosciences. Of particular interest are their applications to the exploration of peptoid secondary structures and drug design. Major advantages of peptoids as research and pharmaceutical tools include the ease and economy of synthesis, highly variable backbone and side-chain chemistry possibilities. At the same time, peptoids have been demonstrated as highly active in biological systems while resistant to proteolytic decay. This review with 227 references considers the solid-phase synthetic aspects of peptoid preparation and utilization up to 2010 from the instigation, by R. N. Zuckermann et al., of peptoid chemistry in 1992.