50 random things from 90s pop culture
We call love to sit back and reminisce about the "good ol' days" from time to time. The 1990s were certainly a decade to remember when it comes to pop culture, television, music and emerging technologies. If you grew up in this decade, you will most likely remember several of the items on this upcoming list. Many of these references have been forgotten while some will live on forever.
Here are a few random staples of 90's pop culture in no particular order.
Blockbuster Video
There was nothing like a Friday night at everyone's favorite video rental store. The smell of butter and plastic VHS tape cases enclosed in a blue and yellow-carpeted store. Get some microwavable popcorn ready and for a night featuring the double-tape set of Titanic. Don't forget to rewind.
New Kids on the Block
After forming in the mid-80s, the New Kids were on top of the world in the early 90s embracing full on superstardom with sold out stadium tours, branded lunch boxes, fortune and fame worldwide. These guys are still "Hangin' Tough" to this day as a group and sound as good as ever.
Michael Jordan
Six championships. The greatest basketball player of all time. Enough said.
Full House
For eight seasons, Danny Tanner, Uncle Jesse and Joey Gladstone provided us with heartwarming encouragement, family values, and cheesy humor. It is comforting to know that "Wake up San Francisco!" "Cut it out" "You got it dude" still live on in reruns and a Netflix reboot to this day.
Cartridge video games
Super Mario Brothers. Sonic the Hedgehog. Donkey Kong. The list goes on and on. Call a friend and indulge in Goldeneye and RBI Baseball '94 until the sun comes up.
Fanny packs
Lets face it. Fanny packs might contend as one of the most convenient apparel accessories ever invented. They had a short run as a 90s fashion fad. I wouldn't be surprised if they made a return to modern day popular culture.
Ford Bronco
A tough and rugged body-on-frame SUV capable of hauling the family through any weather condition on the way to a weekend getaway. Despite its unfortunate cameo in 90s pop culture, the Bronco was undoubtedly a classic. Rumor has it that it may make a return at some point.
90s Saturday Night Live cast
Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, and many more legendary names that have left their mark on comedy history played prominent roles in NBC's long-running Saturday Night sketch comedy franchise in the 90s.
"Brick" cell phones
It is difficult to imagine life without cellphones today. In the 1990s, some models of cellphones were the size of a small cinderblock with limited functionality and costed a fortune to operate. Despite all of this, it was a innovative for its time to be able to call a friend from the car on the way home from the Jamesway.
Portable music players/radios
Imagine standing at the bus stop with a Sony Discman in your hand with a handheld leather booklet of CDs to keep you entertained during the entire commute. The Wallflowers, Gin Blossoms, and Hootie and the Blowfish always seemed to do the trick when you needed an extra boost.
90s fashion
Remember the grunge style or when baggy carpenter jeans were the coolest thing in town? Throw on some Alanis Morrissette and your favorite look and do the Macarena for a little throwback fun.
VCRs
Grab some popcorn, adjust the tracking on the ol' four head and throw in your favorite Adam Sandler movie on VHS and enjoy all the feels of the 90s.
AOL Instant Messenger
Buddy lists, profiles and waiting for the person you liked to sign on and send you a message. brb, ttyl, rofl, lol...AIM was certainly a pioneer application of its time.
Pogs
Grab a slammer and your pog collection and get ready for a heated battle with your neighborhood friend, because its time to play for keeps. I'm still waiting for this game to make a comeback.
90s Top 40 Radio
Madonna, Backstreet Boys, Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, Shania Twain. The list goes on and on and on. Before Spotify and streaming playlists, your local contemporary hit radio station was the place to be for all of the hottest pop hits.
Palm Pilot
A tablet before a tablet was a thing. The Palm Pilot was an organizer with revolutionary for its time, allowing you to organize your calendar and even check email to an extent. Imagine that!
Beepers
A classic staple of any parent's belt loop in the 90s. Its the equivalent of receiving Morse code on your cargo jeans while combing through the clearance bin at Sam Goody. What a cool way to get in touch with someone!
Joe Pesci movies
Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Goodfellas, The Lethal Weapon movies, Casino, and many more. Joe Pesci was an icon on the silver screen in this decade.
Fun Factory
I believe this group was a head of its time. I am confident that if "I wanna be with you" or "Don't Go Away" were released today, they would be top 40 hits.
Celine Dion
Her voice with some powerful percussion instruments could move mountains. All I will say is "The Power of Love" still gives me chills.
Shania Twain
Ms. Twain reminded us all in the 90s that having a cool car and a comb up your sleeve just in case was nothing to brag about. A seemingly endless list of hits solidifies her as a superstar.
Shaquille O'Neal movies
Who could forget "Kazaam"? Also, I'm still waiting on the reboot of "Steel".
Zany Brainy
A great stop for Pokemon cards and the all-new CD-ROM game that you couldn't wait to get home and install on your Windows 95 computer.
String Thing
Imagine a product similar Twizzlers pull and peel splattered on a board. Ta-da. String Thing.
Austin Powers
Groovy! One Hundred Billionnnn Dollars! A classic comedy franchise with over the top characters that still remain memorable to this day.
Joel Schumacher's Batman
While these movies weren't the best, I think George Clooney deserved one more run at playing Bruce Wayne.
Baseball superstars
Mark McGwire. Sammy Sosa. Darren Daulton. Jose Conseco. Ken Griffey Jr. Cal Ripken Jr. and dozens of superstars with larger than life charisma graced America's pastime in the 90s.
The Mighty Ducks
Its always fun to watch the journey of a pee wee hockey team go from barely being able to skate to winning the league championship to beating Iceland in the Goodwill games and eventually becoming a prep-high school powerhouse all under the guidance of Gordon Bombay. What a magic man. Quack Quack!
Multi-colored Apple computers
What would go perfectly with that new office wallpaper? How about a transparent blueberry-colored desktop computer.
Laser disc players
At one point, some considered the future of multimedia to come in the form of a disc that could double as a pizza serving dish.
The Lethal Weapon movie series
One of the most entertaining buddy cop tandems of the 90s. You could always count on Riggs and Murtaugh.
Ally McBeal
An underated series ahead of its time. How could you not cheer on Ally?
The Ford Taurus station wagon
Nothing beats the excitement of riding backwards in the third row, while eating fun dip on the way to the rollerskating rink.
Nick at Nite's Block Party Summer
Remember watching four straight hours of I Love Lucy reruns on a hot July Tuesday night dubbed Lucy Tuesdays? How about Munster Mondays or Happy Days Thursdays?
Denim jackets
How do you top wearing your favorite pair of jeans? Wearing a matching jean jacket.
Snap back hats
A classic staple of the sidelines and locker rooms of sporting events.
A single earring
A cool fashion trend and a common trait amongst many of boy band members of the 90s.
Notorious B.I.G
A legend and an icon of music and pop culture
The Monday Night Wars
One of the most heated battles in cable TV history took place between two sports entertainment giants
The Brady's
No. We're not talking about The Brady Bunch. We're talking about the short lived drama series surrounding an older Brady family from 1990. Does anyone remember this?
Seattle Supersonics
With George Karl, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and a Western Conference Championship run, the Sonics had a good run in the 90s. I'm still waiting for this team to make a comeback.
Jerry Rice
Quite frankly, one of the greatest players to ever grace the gridiron. Jerry Rice was a once in a generation type of player.
Body-building gear
Its only a matter of time before Zubaz and bright-colored tank tops are back in style
90s game shows
You've gotta love "Who wants to be a millionaire?" with Regis Philbin. The best!
90s day time talk shows
You can't forget some of those intense episodes of Sally Jessy Raphael
The Home Alone movie series
It never gets old watching Kevin McCallister foil the schemes of Harry and Marv after all these years. A quintessential gem of 90s cinema.
Cadillac Allante
A Cadillac sports car with bold Italian design cues that deserves another run. Tommy Gunn drove one after defeating Union Cane in Rocky V. This is certainly a collectors item if you can find one today.
Handheld video games
A Gameboy was the perfect companion on an extensive bus ride. Super Mario Bros., Paper Boy and Donkey Kong. The list goes on and on.
The WB Network
A mecca for teen heart throb shows like Dawson's Creek and supernatural fantasies like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed. Essentially the channel still exists as The CW, but without the frog mascot with the top hat.
CD catalogs
I can vividly remember getting excited when the catalog delivery of NSYNC's debut album, Billy Joel's Greatest Hits and Madonna's Immaculate collection came in.
Enjoy the day!
- C
Here are a few random staples of 90's pop culture in no particular order.
Blockbuster Video
There was nothing like a Friday night at everyone's favorite video rental store. The smell of butter and plastic VHS tape cases enclosed in a blue and yellow-carpeted store. Get some microwavable popcorn ready and for a night featuring the double-tape set of Titanic. Don't forget to rewind.
New Kids on the Block
After forming in the mid-80s, the New Kids were on top of the world in the early 90s embracing full on superstardom with sold out stadium tours, branded lunch boxes, fortune and fame worldwide. These guys are still "Hangin' Tough" to this day as a group and sound as good as ever.
Michael Jordan
Six championships. The greatest basketball player of all time. Enough said.
Full House
For eight seasons, Danny Tanner, Uncle Jesse and Joey Gladstone provided us with heartwarming encouragement, family values, and cheesy humor. It is comforting to know that "Wake up San Francisco!" "Cut it out" "You got it dude" still live on in reruns and a Netflix reboot to this day.
Cartridge video games
Super Mario Brothers. Sonic the Hedgehog. Donkey Kong. The list goes on and on. Call a friend and indulge in Goldeneye and RBI Baseball '94 until the sun comes up.
Fanny packs
Lets face it. Fanny packs might contend as one of the most convenient apparel accessories ever invented. They had a short run as a 90s fashion fad. I wouldn't be surprised if they made a return to modern day popular culture.
Ford Bronco
A tough and rugged body-on-frame SUV capable of hauling the family through any weather condition on the way to a weekend getaway. Despite its unfortunate cameo in 90s pop culture, the Bronco was undoubtedly a classic. Rumor has it that it may make a return at some point.
90s Saturday Night Live cast
Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, and many more legendary names that have left their mark on comedy history played prominent roles in NBC's long-running Saturday Night sketch comedy franchise in the 90s.
"Brick" cell phones
It is difficult to imagine life without cellphones today. In the 1990s, some models of cellphones were the size of a small cinderblock with limited functionality and costed a fortune to operate. Despite all of this, it was a innovative for its time to be able to call a friend from the car on the way home from the Jamesway.
Portable music players/radios
Imagine standing at the bus stop with a Sony Discman in your hand with a handheld leather booklet of CDs to keep you entertained during the entire commute. The Wallflowers, Gin Blossoms, and Hootie and the Blowfish always seemed to do the trick when you needed an extra boost.
90s fashion
Remember the grunge style or when baggy carpenter jeans were the coolest thing in town? Throw on some Alanis Morrissette and your favorite look and do the Macarena for a little throwback fun.
VCRs
Grab some popcorn, adjust the tracking on the ol' four head and throw in your favorite Adam Sandler movie on VHS and enjoy all the feels of the 90s.
AOL Instant Messenger
Buddy lists, profiles and waiting for the person you liked to sign on and send you a message. brb, ttyl, rofl, lol...AIM was certainly a pioneer application of its time.
Pogs
Grab a slammer and your pog collection and get ready for a heated battle with your neighborhood friend, because its time to play for keeps. I'm still waiting for this game to make a comeback.
90s Top 40 Radio
Madonna, Backstreet Boys, Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, Shania Twain. The list goes on and on and on. Before Spotify and streaming playlists, your local contemporary hit radio station was the place to be for all of the hottest pop hits.
Palm Pilot
A tablet before a tablet was a thing. The Palm Pilot was an organizer with revolutionary for its time, allowing you to organize your calendar and even check email to an extent. Imagine that!
Beepers
A classic staple of any parent's belt loop in the 90s. Its the equivalent of receiving Morse code on your cargo jeans while combing through the clearance bin at Sam Goody. What a cool way to get in touch with someone!
Joe Pesci movies
Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Goodfellas, The Lethal Weapon movies, Casino, and many more. Joe Pesci was an icon on the silver screen in this decade.
Fun Factory
I believe this group was a head of its time. I am confident that if "I wanna be with you" or "Don't Go Away" were released today, they would be top 40 hits.
Celine Dion
Her voice with some powerful percussion instruments could move mountains. All I will say is "The Power of Love" still gives me chills.
Shania Twain
Ms. Twain reminded us all in the 90s that having a cool car and a comb up your sleeve just in case was nothing to brag about. A seemingly endless list of hits solidifies her as a superstar.
Shaquille O'Neal movies
Who could forget "Kazaam"? Also, I'm still waiting on the reboot of "Steel".
Zany Brainy
A great stop for Pokemon cards and the all-new CD-ROM game that you couldn't wait to get home and install on your Windows 95 computer.
String Thing
Imagine a product similar Twizzlers pull and peel splattered on a board. Ta-da. String Thing.
Austin Powers
Groovy! One Hundred Billionnnn Dollars! A classic comedy franchise with over the top characters that still remain memorable to this day.
Joel Schumacher's Batman
While these movies weren't the best, I think George Clooney deserved one more run at playing Bruce Wayne.
Baseball superstars
Mark McGwire. Sammy Sosa. Darren Daulton. Jose Conseco. Ken Griffey Jr. Cal Ripken Jr. and dozens of superstars with larger than life charisma graced America's pastime in the 90s.
The Mighty Ducks
Its always fun to watch the journey of a pee wee hockey team go from barely being able to skate to winning the league championship to beating Iceland in the Goodwill games and eventually becoming a prep-high school powerhouse all under the guidance of Gordon Bombay. What a magic man. Quack Quack!
Multi-colored Apple computers
What would go perfectly with that new office wallpaper? How about a transparent blueberry-colored desktop computer.
Laser disc players
At one point, some considered the future of multimedia to come in the form of a disc that could double as a pizza serving dish.
The Lethal Weapon movie series
One of the most entertaining buddy cop tandems of the 90s. You could always count on Riggs and Murtaugh.
Ally McBeal
An underated series ahead of its time. How could you not cheer on Ally?
The Ford Taurus station wagon
Nothing beats the excitement of riding backwards in the third row, while eating fun dip on the way to the rollerskating rink.
Nick at Nite's Block Party Summer
Remember watching four straight hours of I Love Lucy reruns on a hot July Tuesday night dubbed Lucy Tuesdays? How about Munster Mondays or Happy Days Thursdays?
Denim jackets
How do you top wearing your favorite pair of jeans? Wearing a matching jean jacket.
Snap back hats
A classic staple of the sidelines and locker rooms of sporting events.
A single earring
A cool fashion trend and a common trait amongst many of boy band members of the 90s.
Notorious B.I.G
A legend and an icon of music and pop culture
The Monday Night Wars
One of the most heated battles in cable TV history took place between two sports entertainment giants
The Brady's
No. We're not talking about The Brady Bunch. We're talking about the short lived drama series surrounding an older Brady family from 1990. Does anyone remember this?
Seattle Supersonics
With George Karl, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and a Western Conference Championship run, the Sonics had a good run in the 90s. I'm still waiting for this team to make a comeback.
Jerry Rice
Quite frankly, one of the greatest players to ever grace the gridiron. Jerry Rice was a once in a generation type of player.
Body-building gear
Its only a matter of time before Zubaz and bright-colored tank tops are back in style
90s game shows
You've gotta love "Who wants to be a millionaire?" with Regis Philbin. The best!
90s day time talk shows
You can't forget some of those intense episodes of Sally Jessy Raphael
The Home Alone movie series
It never gets old watching Kevin McCallister foil the schemes of Harry and Marv after all these years. A quintessential gem of 90s cinema.
Cadillac Allante
A Cadillac sports car with bold Italian design cues that deserves another run. Tommy Gunn drove one after defeating Union Cane in Rocky V. This is certainly a collectors item if you can find one today.
Handheld video games
A Gameboy was the perfect companion on an extensive bus ride. Super Mario Bros., Paper Boy and Donkey Kong. The list goes on and on.
The WB Network
A mecca for teen heart throb shows like Dawson's Creek and supernatural fantasies like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed. Essentially the channel still exists as The CW, but without the frog mascot with the top hat.
CD catalogs
I can vividly remember getting excited when the catalog delivery of NSYNC's debut album, Billy Joel's Greatest Hits and Madonna's Immaculate collection came in.
Enjoy the day!
- C
Comments
Post a Comment