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40 Bits Of Pop Culture Trivia To Scratch That Nostalgia Itch

Kids these days will never know how good we had it

40 Bits Of Pop Culture Trivia To Scratch That Nostalgia Itch

March 26, 2025

Roll your eyes all you want, you juvenile yet somehow intimidating young folk, but we had a ton of cool stuff back in our day.

Ugh, we never thought we’d be those people who said “back in our day,” so yeah, you’re right to roll your eyes.

We’ll leave you to your fancy new devices and A.I. besties while we take comfort in a time where we were the ones rolling our eyes at fogies saying, “Back in our day.”

40

ClassMates.com

The first social network: 1995 CLASSMATES IM Welcome to ClassMates Online This unique new service helps high school alumni friends find each other. When you join ClassMates you get access to e-mail addresses for other registered alumni and make it possible for your old school friends and reunion organizers to contact you. We already have registrants from more than 21,000 high schools covering all 50 states, Canada and about 300 American/C anadian territorial and overseas high schools. If GRACKED.COM Social networking began in much the same way it still operates: as an excuse not to have a high school reunion. Randy

39

Multi-User Dungeon

38

YouTube

The first YouTube video: 2005 CRACKED.COM YouTube cofounder Jawed Karim's Me at the ZOO has the energy of an aborted Jackass stunt. Не motions to the elephants behind him and expounds on their really really really long, um... trunks.

37

Emoticons

The first emoticon: 1982 5-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman :-) Scott E Fahlman <Fahlman at Cmu-20c> I propose that the following character sequence for joke :-) Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economic things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For thi :-( GRACKED.COM People have always struggled to communicate sarcasm online. Computer scientist Scott Fahlman proposed the Carnegie Mellon comp-sci department mark humor with a simple :-).

36

AOL

The first AOL IM: 1993 PROGRAM DISK Insert disk in your floppy disk drive (A or B): click on the File AMERICA menu of your Windows Program Manager; select Run: then type Online A\SETUP (or BASETUP) and press OK, FOR WINDOWS Version 2.0 00001005 This was also the last wholesome DM. AOL exec Ted Leonsis IM'd CRACKED.COM his wife Don't be scared ... it is me. Love you and miss you. (to which she responded, Wow ... ... this is so cool!)

35

Terminator 2

Hasta la vista, baby Before the 1991 movie, the phrase was used by Bob Hope in a 1970 stand-up special and in popular songs like 1987's Looking for a New Love by Jody Watley and 1988's Wild Thing by Tone Lõ . CRACKED.COM

34

Little Mac

Little Mac had to be little because two thirds of the screen was needed for the player to focus on the larger, more intricate opponents. I 3 2:58 POINTS 4770 Rounos TKO And his name was indeed a play on the newly popular Big Mac. CRACKED.COM

33

Pac-Man

Legend has it that 26-year-old designer Toru Iwatani came up with Pac-Man when he removed the first slice from a pizza pie. And our old pal Scott Pilgrim was right: the name was changed because the original Puckman was just begging for vandalism. CRACKED.COM

32

Rewinding Tapes

GRAGKED.COM I had to explain to a college senior the origin of the word rewind.

31

The Backstreet Boys (Again)

Backstreet Boys are the most successful boy band. In the rivalry between *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, BSB sweeps on the basis of commercial success. They are one of the bestselling artists of all-time. CRACKED.COM — Source

30

Thompson Twins

British new wave pop group Thompson Twins released a video game on a vinyl record in 1984. Players had to copy the game from the vi- nyl disc to a cassette tape, which could then be played on a ZX Spectrum or Commo- dore 64 computer. CRACKED NOW YOU KNOW — Source

29

E.T.

CRACKED.COM Steven Spielberg refused for years to release E.T. on home video. In the mid '80s, home video was booming - but the decade's highest-grossing movie wasn't available. It took the industry six years to convince Spielberg to release his ugly alien on cassette. His more recent beef with streaming platforms isn't exactly unprecedented. — Source

28

He-Man

The 1983 HE-MAN was syndicated AND THE developed cartoon MASTERS by Mattel OF THE UNIVERSE just to sell dolls (err... action figures). Reagan era deregulation paved the way for toy companies to create product based programming aimed at children, basically allowing Saturday morning cartoons to become half hour commericals. CRACKED.COM — Source

27

The Spice Girls

The '90s were the 14 decade the Spice Girls 1996 1990 199 ruled the pop 199 world. 1998 1998 1999 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 ESTATE STATO 1996 They were the most commercially successful British group since the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, a and 1992 Led 1993 Zeppelin. 1998 1999 1990 1991 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 CRACKED.COM NOW YOU KNOW: THE '90s — Source

26

MTV

MTV had a very fitting first music video. At 12:01a.m. on August 1st, 1981, Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles became the very first music video on MTV. The video was released in 1979, so the band definitely saw the changing of the guard and capitalized. CRACKED — Source

25

G.I. Joe

In the 1980s, the struggling HASBRO toy company released a new action figure for its GIJOE line. The new character SNAKE EYES was clad completely in BLACK because Hasbro couldn't afford COLORED PAINT. CRACKED.COM — Source

24

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello had the first fully animated music video. Released in 1979, Accidents Will Happen was made by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, who created a cartoon version of the band using 35mm stills as reference. CRACKED — Source

23

Myspace

Source

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22

Earthworm Jim

Bugs in pop culture Earthworm Jim A simple earthworm that got access to a space- worthy supersuit is just the tip of the strange iceberg that is this classic video game from the '90s. CRACKED.COM — Gameloft
Earthworm Jim Wiki

21

Boy Meets World

Boy Meets world There's a where Are They NOW tape you'll never see. For the show wrap-up party, they shot a VHS video where all the cast played their characters years later. We never wanted to release it because it's totally inappropriate, Rider Strong has said. CRACKED.COM — Source: Us Magazine

20

Prince

The Bangles' Manic Monday GRAGKED COM The Bangles' 1986 hit song was written specifically for the band by none other than Prince, who sent the band the song via cassette tape. The guitar legend penned the song under the pseudonym RRY S GOLD Christopher. MAXI-SINGER — Source

19

Jackie Brown

РАМ GRIER BE JACKIE BROWN CRACKED.COM 70s blaxploitation films like Coffy and Foxy Brown made her cinema's first female action star. In the 90s, career peaks were a Snoop Dogg video and an episode of The Fresh Prince until Tarantino gave her the title role in the now-classic Jackie Brown. — Source: Screenrant

18

Kung Fu Nostalgia

DAVID CARRADINE KILL BILL CRACKED.COM Tarantino saves another one! In the 70s, Carradine was famous for his iconic role as Caine in Kung Fu, but the 80s and 90s brought dozens of straight-to-video movies. Martial arts fans worldwide saw his legacy reach new heights as Bill in Kill Bill. — Source: Screenrant

17

Backstreet Boys

Ryan Gosling told AJ McLean that Backstreet Boys were never going to make it Before they were famous, the Backstreet Boy and the actor played basketball together daily, but Gosling was a naysayer about the potential of the boy band. CRACKED.COM — Source: Hollywood Reporter

16

Theme Songs

Battlestar Galactica The theme from the 1970s show was repurposed in the 2000s revival as the anthem of the Twelve Colonies. — Source: Bear McCreary's Official Site

15

Huge Websites

40 Bits Of Pop Culture Trivia To Scratch That Nostalgia Itch

14

Cassette Tapes

I got fired 3 days after starting a job at a video/music store for CRAGN giving a $1.00 refund on a blank cassette tape a customer brought back, with

13

‘80s Arcades

In the '8Os, video game arcades were seen as seedy dens of drugs and sex. CHAM JUNGTUE KOING Going there to play Donkey Kong could lead kids to a life

12

Lilo & Stitch

Movie and TV Aliens Lilo & Stitch Stitch is voiced by his creator. When the mischievous alien was changed to be a more expressive and verbal character, writer/director Chris Sanders provided his voice himself. CRACKED.COM — Source

11

Wham!

Wham! George Michael wanted to grow out of the teen pop phase and write more honest music. In 1986, even though their latest hit The Edge of Heaven hit No. 1 in the U.K., they played a farewell show at Wembley called The Final, and called it quits. CRACKED — Source

10

The Penguin’s Makeup

The Penguin required over four hours of makeup BATMAN RETURNS It was four-and-a-half hours of makeup and getting into the costume, said Danny DeVito. We got it down to three hours by the end of the shoot. I had pounds and pounds of face prosthetics and body padding, and the prosthetic hands, which were hard to use. CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Batman Behind-The-Scenes Facts (From The Movies and Shows)

9

Pikmin

Mario walked SO that Pikmin could... scuttle. - CA СЯЯРМ GISPR СЯЯР MATROFILE X Super Mario 128 was a bizarre demo designed to show that the GameCube could render 128 Marios in a single environment. That rapid object generation is the basis for the now-classic Pikmin army. CRACKED.COM — The Surprising Origins Of 12 Iconic Video Game Characters

8

Livestreaming

The first live webcam: 1991 wwwdcamacuk/coffeel WA CRACKED CON University of Cambridge researchers got tired of running to a different floor to check — Source: BBC

7

Saved by the Bell

140 141 HD The same high school set was used on Saved By The Bell, iCarly, and That's So Raven. This means that same set of lockers first aired in 1989 during Saved By The Bell's heyday, and stayed on the air until iCarly's final season in 2012. CRACKED.COM

6

Classic Late-Night TV

Peter Lassally produced Johnny Carson, David Letterman and Craig Ferguson. In his youth, he survived a concentration camp and went to grade school with Anne Frank. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

5

Superbad

The house party from SUPERBAD - DE - IBOUSE ON AND 4 10 is - - care was filmed half a block from the OJ Simpson murder house. — Source

4

Jon Hamm

CRACKED Jon Hamm on 30 Rock. In 2006, he lost the role of Jack Donaghy to Alec Baldwin, but don't worry, he booked Mad Men shortly after. We got to see his legitimate comedy chops with 7 appearances as Dr. Drew Baird. — Cheatsheet / TV VCR

3

The Godfather Part II

JOHN CAZALE AND HIS FIVE MOVIES THE GODFATHER PART II WAS PEAK JOHN CAZALE. Cazale's five legendary movies involved three people: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Francis Ford Coppola. The Godfather Part II holds a special place in his filmography, as it's the only movie to involve the three of them. CRACKED.COM — IMDb

2

New Kids on The Block

It's the Kimmy Gibler phase of career for NEW KIDS FULLER HOUSE CRACKED.COM After Kimmy buys counterfeit concert tix for her best pal's birthday, NKOTB show up at the house to serenade DJ instead. Added comedy: The birthday girl is whacked out on dentist pain meds. Hard to blame Donnie Wahlberg for sitting this one out. — Bustle

1

Toy Story

TOY STORY The Home Improvement shout out Binford on NINEAM GASO Woody is trapped under a Binford Tools toolbox. — Source: YouTube

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