On December 31, 1999, the world was waiting to find out if the Y2K bug would crash computer systems worldwide or even trigger a doomsday scenario. As the clock counted down to midnight, we held our breath and crossed our fingers.

As a teen at the turn of the millennium, Y2K was both thrilling and a little scary. It felt like it was a night that would change our lives forever — cue “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M.

After all the measured speculation and wild predictions, midnight came and went without any fanfare besides the usual New Year’s Eve celebrations. It was the year 2000, and for now, everything felt exactly the same.

But did you know …

1. That’s gonna cost you.

In case you need a quick refresher, the main issue with the Y2K bug was the fact early coders used two digits instead of four to represent years in computer programs. What if the year 2000 was misinterpreted as 1900 instead?

Fixing this bug was a massive (and massively expensive) endeavor. All told, the U.S. spent over $300 billion (the equivalent to around $550 billion in 2025) to prepare for Y2K.

2. Visit our website to learn more!

The U.S. government worked to get the word out about Y2K — both to inform people about the issue and to dispel some of the conspiracy theories about what might happen as a result. They even put together a website called y2k.gov. While the site isn’t active anymore, it’s been archived so you can see what it looked like back in ‘99.

3. This feels familiar …

The Y2K problem was certainly unique to the digital age, but it wasn’t an entirely new phenomenon. When switching over from the year 1899 to 1900, similar problems popped up with paper records.

Back then, birth years were often recorded as two digits. As time went on, this caused some older folks to be mistaken for children — and vice versa. For example, a 5-year-old was summoned for jury duty in 2006 based on a mistaken birth year.

4. Live long and prosper

With Y2K predictions ranging from a temporary blackout to the end of civil society, survival guides were hot sellers in the years leading up to the new millennium. Doomsday believers started stocking up in preparation, gathering everything from canned goods and military rations to generators and firearms. Some people even cashed out retirement accounts and converted their money to gold.

Leonard Nimoy, best known for his role as Spock on Star Trek, hosted a VHS version of one of the many survivalist guidebooks released around that time.

5. Way overdue

One video rental store customer got a rude awakening on the first day of the new millennium thanks to the Y2K bug. Their copy of The General’s Daughter was accidentally flagged as being 100 years overdue, triggering a late fee of $91,250. Fortunately, the error was sorted out and the customer received a free video rental for their troubles. They were probably never late on a return ever again though …

6. Spy games

Unfortunately, some U.S. spy satellites went down after Y2K, and it took several days to get them working normally again. While they were malfunctioning, the satellites sent a stream of indecipherable information that caused a bit of a panic. Could it be a sign that Y2K was going to cause some major security issues?

It turns out the problem wasn’t Y2K (phew). It was actually the software patch they designed to fix it in the first place (oops).

7. Getting old fast

Denmark experienced a pretty adorable Y2K-related snafu. Because one of the computer systems there was automatically reverting dates back to 1900, the first baby born in the new millennium was initially registered as 100 years old. Talk about an old soul!

8. Y2K the movie

Hollywood didn’t miss the opportunity to cash in on the Y2K panic, and the result was pretty bonkers. Aired on November 21, 1999, the NBC made-for-TV film Y2K basically strung together a series of random catastrophes connected to the millennium bug, including a Navy jet falling out of the sky and computers unlocking all the doors in a Texas prison. Ken Olin from Thirtysomething starred as Nick Cromwell, AKA “the smartest man in the world,” who was called upon to solve the many crises that developed. The film was widely panned and criticized for exploiting people’s fears.

9. Never forget

The contingency planning for Y2K mostly went unused when no disasters presented themselves on January 1, 2000. But all that work went to good use the following year on September 11, 2001. Everything from financial institutions to transportation and telecommunication services were likely better equipped to handle the emergency due to all the Y2K preparations.

10. Do you have the time?

The turn of the millennium had all of us thinking about the future, but Danny Hillis was thinking reeeeeally far ahead. Back in 1989, he came up with an idea for a mechanical clock that would keep time for 10,000 years. The very first prototype, called The Clock of the Long Now, made its debut a decade later on December 31, 1999. As the clock struck midnight, the date changed from 01999 to 02000, with five digits used in anticipation of its operation many millennia into the future.

Today, a full-scale version of the Clock of the Long Now is under construction inside a mountain in west Texas. It features a 500-foot shaft and is designed to tick once per year, move the century hand every 100 years, and produce a cuckoo to mark each millennium.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

Son of a nutcracker! If you’re anything like me, you can’t go a single holiday season without rewatching Elf. For kids who grew up watching Will Ferrell on SNL, this movie perfectly transformed his goofy golden retriever energy into one of the most beloved Christmas movie characters of all time.

It’s been over 20 years, but the love for Elf has only grown since its 2003 debut. This modern holiday classic has a killer cast, zany humor, heartfelt moments, and stop-motion sequences that deliver an extra hit of nostalgia.

But did you know …

1. Alrighty then!

The original script for Elf was developed in 1993. Back then, screenwriter David Berenbaum had developed the story with Jim Carrey in mind for the leading role. This was back in his Ace Ventura days, so imagine how different the role of Buddy the Elf could’ve been!

2. Keep it PG, please.

When director Jon Favreau first saw the original script for Elf, the character of Buddy was a bit darker and the story was geared more toward being a PG-13 comedy. But Favreau saw the potential for the movie to become a timeless classic, so he reworked it to play up Buddy’s innocence.

He also transformed the movie’s North Pole setting into an homage to the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer stop-motion Rankin/Bass TV special from the ‘60s. Favreau even voiced the narwhal that uttered this fan-favorite line: “Bye, Buddy. Hope you find your dad!”

3. Who’s that elf?

Did one of Santa’s elves look a little familiar to you? That’s probably because the star of a classic holiday movie has a brief appearance at the North Pole. Peter Billingsley, who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story, has an uncredited cameo as an elf named Ming Ming.

4. Double the fun

Ever wondered how they managed to make Will Ferrell look so huge in comparison to his elf co-stars? The team behind Elf decided to go old-school by using a technique called forced perspective. For those scenes, they built two sets: the set for Buddy would be smaller but filmed closer to the camera, while the other set with the elves was further in the background.

As director Favreau noted in an interview with Rolling Stone, “If you look closely, you can see the two sets meet because we didn’t use CG to paint over that or blur it. I wanted it to have the same flaws that it would have had, to make the movie feel more timeless.”

5. Mall Santa

Will Ferrell was able to call upon real-life experience when acting as Buddy in the scenes at Gimbel’s. He had actually played Santa Claus at an outdoor mall in Pasadena in his pre-SNL days. And guess who played one of his elves? None other than Chris Kattan, who was in The Groundlings with him at the time and would go on to become one of Ferrell’s SNL co-stars.

Remembering their holiday temp job in an interview with SPLICEDwire, Ferrel said: “It was hilarious because little kids could care less about the elf. They just come right to Santa Claus. So by the second weekend, Kattan had dropped the whole affectation he was doing and was like (Ferrell makes a face of bitter boredom), ‘Santa’s over there, kid.’”

6. Singing in the shower

The iconic “Baby It’s Cold Outside” duet with Jovie and Buddy wasn’t originally in the script. When Jon Favreau found out she had a Doris Day-like singing voice, he decided to add it into the movie. It also tied in nicely with the film’s theme: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”

7. Buddy’s burp

One of the funniest moments in the film is an impressive belch that erupts after Buddy chugs a 2-liter of soda. To make the sound as realistic as possible, the production team decided to outsource the task to Maurice LaMarche, an experienced voice actor known for his roles as The Brain on Animaniacs, Chief Quimby on Inspector Gadget, and Big Bob on Hey Arnold! (to name a few). Here’s a video about how the sound design team made it happen.

8. Sounds crazy to me

The big finale at Central Park wasn’t filmed on location. In fact, the actual scene was shot at a place that might seem a little insane: the grounds of a mental hospital in Vancouver. One of the surrounding buildings had patients in it, and Favreau noted, “How weird it must have been for them to look out their window and see Santa Claus and a guy in an elf suit running around with reindeer. It may have been counterproductive to their treatment.”

9. Fender benders

Apparently, the scenes of Buddy in the Lincoln Tunnel were filmed on a normal day with regular traffic — and it caused a few minor accidents! As Favreau explained, “Whenever he was out there in his suit, we’d hear screeches and fender-benders and lights smashing.” I mean, if I saw a 6-foot-3 elf on the side of the road, I’d probably get distracted too!

10. Santa? I know him!

Will Ferrell’s improv comedy roots came in handy while filming some of the street scenes in NYC. Instead of placing extras on site, the crew followed him around Manhattan and caught spontaneous scenes with Ferrell in character as Buddy.

One of the most serendipitous examples occurred when Ferrell crossed paths with a New Yorker who happened to sport a white beard and a red jogging suit. Coming across a Santa lookalike made for a hilarious moment of movie magic.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

As more people have started shopping online, the sight of packed stores at the holidays has faded away.

But in decades past, malls and stores were packed with shoppers desperate to track down the hottest item. More often than not, the most prized product on the shelves was a children’s toy.

Let’s take a trip back in time to discover the in-demand gifts that sold at record rates and sent parents into a frenzy to snatch them up in time for the holidays.

1976: Stretch Armstrong

Thanks to a gelled corn syrup filling (ew), Stretch Armstrong could be stretched to the extremes and still bounce back to its original shape. This mini muscle man became a smash hit and was soon flying off the shelves, making it tough to find during the holiday season of its debut year.

Fun fact: When Stretch was reissued in the 1990s, Cap Toys released a canine sidekick named Fetch Armstrong.

1980: Rubik’s Cube

Rubik’s Cubes may have a nerdy vibe now, but back in the early ‘80s, they were one of the most popular toys around. No, seriously — almost 200 MILLION of the cubes were sold worldwide from 1980 to 1983! That first year, they were especially hard to track down in time for Christmas gifting.

Fun fact: Xuanyi Geng of China holds the world record time for solving a Rubik’s Cube at just 3.05 seconds.

1983: Cabbage Patch Kids

Who would’ve thought that Cabbage Patch Kids would be the toy with the most manic shoppers? In 1983, there were so many violent incidents involving customers trying to get these dolls that the phenomenon was dubbed the “Cabbage Patch riots.” People were hit, shoved, trampled, and — in one instance — even struck with a baseball bat!

Fun fact: The Cabbage Patch riots inspired the plot of the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, Jingle All the Way.

1985: Teddy Ruxpin

A talking bear transformed the toy industry in 1985. Teddy Ruxpin was released in September of that year, and by the time the holiday season rolled around, parents were lining up for the chance to nab one of the few available on toy store shelves.

Fun fact: Teddy was voiced by Phil Baron, who was also the voice of Piglet on the Welcome to Pooh Corner TV series. He also wrote many of the Teddy Ruxpin books and songs!

1989: Game Boy

The price of nabbing the year’s hottest toy started to increase in the late ‘80s. In 1989, Game Boy was the must-have gift of the season at a steep price of $89.99 (around $235 today). Sega’s Game Gear wouldn’t be released until the following year, so this Nintendo gadget was a kid’s best bet for gaming on the go.

Fun fact: Game Boy became the first gaming console played in space when Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov brought it onboard the Mir space station.

1991: SNES

In 1991, Nintendo hit the jackpot on the holiday toy craze once again. This time, it was the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) that made a splash, selling 3.4 million units between its August ‘91 and the end of that year. During the holiday season, many parents spent hours calling around to stores to find one.

Fun fact: Paul Rudd is featured in the original Super Nintendo launch commercial.

1993: Talk Boy

The Talk Boy was invented specifically for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The brainchild of screenwriter John Hughes, this gadget was the hottest toy of the 1993 holiday season. Retailers didn’t anticipate how popular it would be, leaving shoppers scrambling to find one.

Fun fact: Home Alone 2 was in theaters during the 1992 holiday season, but the original Talk Boy released that year didn’t catch on because it lacked the voice-modulating features seen in the movie. The 1993 version fixed that issue and became a huge hit.

1995: Buzz Lightyear

“To infinity … and beyond!” That’s how many Buzz Lightyear action figures store owners wished they had stocked up on for 1995’s holiday season. Toy Story had been released just before Thanksgiving, and retailers weren’t prepared for the insanely high demand for merchandise that would follow. Analysts estimated that the industry missed out on hundreds of millions of dollars in potential sales that year.

Fun fact: They cracked a joke about the shortage of Buzz Lightyear toys in the 1999 sequel, Toy Story 2.

1996: Tickle Me Elmo

Without a doubt, the “it” toy of the Christmas season in 1996 was Tickle Me Elmo. Mobs of people seeking out the stuffed Sesame Street character descended on stores — and most came up empty-handed. At a Walmart in New Brunswick, Canada, one store clerk was even trampled as crowds ran to snatch the toy off the shelves.

Fun fact: Originally priced at about $30, Tickle Me Elmo could sell on the black market for over $1,000 that holiday season.

1998: Furby

Certainly one of the weirdest toys to spark a holiday shopping frenzy, the Furby could wiggle its ears, blink its eyes, and speak a unique language known as Furbish. This chatty little creature was in high demand during the Christmas season of 1998. At one store in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, Furby-seeking shoppers got so out of control that the police were called.

Fun fact: Furbies were banned from certain government agency headquarters in 1999 when fears arose that the toy could learn words over time, essentially becoming a recording device for potential espionage.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

Leave it to John Hughes to turn a parent’s worst nightmare into one of the most beloved holiday films of all time.

Released on November 16, 1990, Home Alone made 10-year-old Macaulay Culkin a household name. Directed by Chris Columbus and written by John Hughes, it held the record as the highest-grossing live-action comedy for two decades.

Sure, you probably know many of the movie’s famous quotes by heart. And if you’re anything like me, this film feels like the Christmas gift that just keeps on giving.

But did you know …

1. No packing list is complete without …

In 1989, Hughes was working on a packing list for an upcoming family vacation. While trying to think of everything he didn’t want to forget, he thought, “Well, I’d better not forget my kids.” But what if he did?

Hughes started brainstorming what his 10-year-old son would do if left to his own devices. It sparked the idea for a screenplay, and he eventually completed the first draft of Home Alone in just nine days.

Why the Wet Bandits, though? The film’s villains came from what Hughes imagined a real kid would be most afraid of: robbers.

2. Family ties

Have you ever noticed a resemblance between Kevin and his cousin Fuller? The infamous bedwetter is actually played by Macaulay Culkin’s little brother, Kieran.

Only 7 years old during filming, Kieran Culkin later admitted that he had no idea what the movie was about at the time. He achieved stardom decades later as an Emmy and Academy Award-winning actor best known for his role as Roman Roy in the HBO series Succession.

3. The deleted post-credits scene

You know that famous “Go Home” scene in Ferris Bueller, another John Hughes hit? Home Alone almost got its own post-credits scene featuring the fake movie-within-a-movie, Angels with Filthy Souls.

According to Chicago Magazine, “The shooting script originally ended with a short scene, after the credits, in which Harry and Marv watch Angels on TV in prison, surrounded by other offenders. They exchange looks when they recognize the movie dialogue that duped them.”

4. “He just made that up on the spot.”

John Candy only had 24 hours to film his memorable role as polka-player Gus Polinski. But he made the most of every minute, often cracking up the cast and crew with his unending improvisations.

As director Chris Columbus told The Independent, “That entire story in the van about John being locked in the funeral parlor with the corpse? He just made that up on the spot.”

5. “We want that ‘Home Alone fall.’”

The stunts in Home Alone changed the movie business forever. All the stunts were done as realistically as possible without the use of special effects. Cast and crew members claim that some of the stunts were actually quite scary to watch in real time because of their death-defying nature.

According to Freddie Hice, the film’s stunt coordinator, “Every comedy for the next 15 years, everybody would call for an interview and say, ‘We want that Home Alone fall.’”

6. Santa Chris

Comedy legend Chris Farley auditioned for the role of the Santa Claus impersonator in Home Alone. But in true Farley fashion, his wild lifestyle may have cost him the part.

Ken Hudson Campbell, who ultimately got the part, met Farley at the auditions one morning. “Apparently, he was out all night and had just been dropped off after a night of shenanigans, shall we say,” Campbell told Chicago Magazine. “Chris went first. It didn’t go very well. He walked in and walked right out.”

Fortunately for Farley, he became a breakout star on SNL after joining the cast in 1990, the same year Home Alone was released.

7. The poor angel!

It’s odd to think of a movie as iconic as Home Alone by any other name. But internationally, titles vary quite a bit from the original.

Argentina’s name is Oh, the Poor Angel, while Brazil calls it They Forgot About Me. Several other countries use Mom, I Missed the Plane as the film’s title.

8. Extreme Home Alone makeover

Many ‘90s kids dreamed of growing up in the McCallister home. However, the interior of the house today is practically unrecognizable compared to its appearance in the film.

Located in Winnetka, Illinois, the Home Alone house has been renovated in an ultra-minimalist style. It sold in January 2025 for $5.5 million.

9. Shoulda coulda woulda

It wasn’t obvious that Home Alone would become such a huge hit, which may have caused a few people to miss out on big opportunities. Before Joe Pesci was cast, Robert De Niro and Jon Lovitz both turned down the role of Harry. Describing his initial reaction to the script, Lovitz said, “I don’t want to play second fiddle to some kid. Then it became the biggest comedy of all time. Oops.”

Comedian John Mulaney, who was in a local children’s sketch comedy group at the time, was asked to audition for the role of Kevin. However, his parents turned the opportunity down.

10. Gin and Juice

What do Snoop Dogg and Home Alone have in common? Snoop’s 1994 music video for “Gin and Juice” starts off with a spoof of the film.

In the video, Snoop’s family tells him he needs to get a job, clean up the house, and act more responsibly. As soon as they leave and he’s left on his own, he puts his hands on his face and yells, “Ahhhh!” (just like Kevin in front of the mirror) as the words “Homeboy Alone” appear on the screen.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

Do you ever stop and think, “Kids' movies just aren’t scary enough these days?”

Sounds weird to say, but I challenge you to a rewatch of the 1993 masterpiece, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Between the spooky Halloween Town setting, the undead protagonist Jack Skellington, and a burlap sack bad guy filled with bugs, they simply don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

With its gothic vibes and creepy imagery, The Nightmare Before Christmas was the first foray into scary stuff for many kids back then. The stop-motion animation and Danny Elfman score let kids like me take a peek into darker themes without causing any actual nightmares.

But did you know …

1. ‘Twas the night before what?

As it turns out, Tim Burton was actually quite the poet. The Nightmare Before Christmas is actually based on a poem he wrote inspired by the famous “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (listen to it here).

Burton’s Halloween-inspired version featured just three characters: Jack Skellington, Zero the dog, and Santa Claus. He even made designs to go with it, hoping to turn it into a stop-motion TV special like those made by Rankin/Bass Productions (think classics like 1964's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and 1970’s Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town). Burton even referred to the story as being like “The Grinch in reverse,” referring to another famous holiday special.

2. Little by little

Stop-motion animation sounds like a cool job, right? Well, you need the patience of a saint to actually make all those little puppets come to life. Just ONE minute of the movie required about a week of filming, and the movie took three years to complete! At 24 frames per second, the entire film has around 110,000 frames.

This behind-the-scenes special shows all the effort the crew put into making The Nightmare Before Christmas. Don’t miss special trapdoors that were used to allow the crew to manipulate the puppets without being caught on film.

3. It’s all in the eyes.

Jack Skellington almost got a makeover before the movie went into production. Apparently, Walt Disney Studios wanted Jack to have actual eyes instead of just blank cavities in his head. They believed that without the eyes, it would be too hard to make Jack expressive enough for audiences to connect with him.

Fortunately, Burton doubled down on the empty sockets with full confidence that his protagonist could show allllll the feels. Ultimately, there were 400 heads made for Jack Skellington, with different versions swapped out to show various facial expressions.

4. Oogie Boogie oops

What if Oogie Boogie had a different demise? Director Henry Selick came up with a wild idea, imagining that “Oogie Boogie was actually Dr. Finkelstein in disguise — sort of a Scooby-Doo sort of ending.” But producer Tim Burton didn’t go for it. In fact, he reportedly hated the idea so much that he went into a rage and kicked a hole in the wall. Yikes.

5. Lost voices

Guess who almost got cast in The Nightmare Before Christmas? Vincent Price was the first choice for Santa Claus, but sadly he ended up dropping out of the film due to the passing of his wife. Ed Ivory ultimately took over the role, but not before Don Ameche and James Earl Jones were considered. Coincidentally, those two are fondly remembered for other ‘90s voice acting roles: Ameche was the voice of Shadow in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, while Jones is the voice of Mufasa in The Lion King.

Although his voice wasn’t used for a character, Sir Patrick Stewart recorded narration for a prologue and epilogue that didn’t make it into the final cut. But for the real Nightmare-heads out there, don’t worry — you can hear it on the film’s official soundtrack.

6. A familiar face

Could Jack be the most recognizable skeleton of all time? Maybe. It sure helps that his likeness has been featured in other movies over the years, most noticeably in James and the Giant Peach. The Jack figurine was actually reused for Captain Jack, the Skeleton Pirate. When Centipede first sees him, he even asks, “A Skellington?”

You’ll also see quick references to Jack’s familiar face in Beetlejuice (which was actually released prior to The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Coraline (also directed by Henry Selick). Some claim to have also spotted him in films like Sleepy Hollow, Finding Nemo, and The Princess and the Frog.

7. Where’s Mickey?

If you haven’t heard about hidden Mickeys, you’re about to unlock a whole new level of Disney fandom. It’s actually a long-standing tradition to sneak the famous mouse ear silhouette into unexpected places in Disney films and theme parks, and The Nightmare Before Christmas is no exception. Watch this scene closely to see what’s featured on the kids’ pajamas.

8. Hot and heavy

As it achieved cult classic status, the fan base for The Nightmare Before Christmas grew exponentially. Countless pieces of themed merchandise for the film have been created, from Hot Topic clothing and accessories to Jenga sets that arrive in coffin-shaped boxes.

Fans have also paid tribute to the movie in some unexpected ways. In Japan, a Halloween show featured actors dressed as the characters but added in a heavy dose of sexual content (plus some vampires for good measure). As Selick tactfully explained, “It pushed it into a whole other zone that wasn’t in the movie.”

9. Festive fan theories

Nothing brings out those warm, fuzzy holiday feelings like … Tim Burton? Despite his decidedly dark, gothic motifs, some fans consider this movie to be part of an unofficial “Dark Christmas Trilogy” with Burton’s signature style. The three films in the trilogy — Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, and The Nightmare Before Christmas — make for an unconventional holiday movie marathon.

10. It’s all connected!

Speaking of fan theories, this one stopped me dead in my tracks (no pun intended). What if the main characters in three Burton films are all the same person at different stages of life? Victor Frankenstein is a child in Frankenweenie, Victor VanDort navigates adulthood in The Corpse Bride, and Jack Skellington is an afterlife version in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The same child and adult names are only the beginning of the cinematic connections. A closer look also reveals that all three characters demonstrate scientific curiosity and have a beloved dog sidekick: Sparky, Scraps, and Zero. On second thought, maybe it’s the same dog all along …

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

A turkey on Joey’s (and then Monica’s) head. Chandler in a box. Rachel’s trifle with meat filling.

Some of the most memorable Friends moments occur during the sitcom’s Thanksgiving episodes. By featuring Turkey Day prominently in almost every season, Friends became closely associated with the holiday.

Rachel, Monica, Ross, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey were definitely doing Friendsgiving before it became cool.

But did you know …

1. Mr. Chang’s big night out

In season five’s “The One With All the Thanksgivings,” there’s a flashback to 1987 where Ross comes home from college and introduces his roommate, Chandler. The two characters talk about testing out their new fake IDs later that night as “Clifford Alvarez” and “Roland Chang.”

Friends writer and executive producer Greg Malins admitted that one of these names was chosen very intentionally. As he explained in an interview with Ministry of Pop Culture, “Rowland Chang was, and still is, one of my best friends, a guy I grew up with. He’s a high-powered lawyer in Shanghai now and people will say to him, ‘We were watching Friends last night and they used your name! What a weird coincidence.’ And he’ll say, ‘It wasn’t a coincidence.’”

2. Mmm, feet

In season six’s “The One Where Ross Got High,” Rachel accidentally makes the infamous trifle with meat. It’s a great setup to begin with, but David Schwimmer’s improvised line, “It tastes like feet!” (which he ran by the writers first) ended up being one of the best parts of the episode. Watch the clip below to see the aired version along with a hilarious blooper.

3. Foosball fumble

For that same episode, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc also had some improvisational urges that sadly ended up being cut for time. According to Greg Malins, “I remember Matt and Matthew pitching the idea of them playing foosball but they’re both on the same side and nobody’s on the other side. One of them moves the little man and it goes into [their] goal and Matthew says, ‘How did we lose that?’”

4. Chandler in a box

Season four’s Thanksgiving episode, “The One With Chandler in a Box,” features exactly what the title says. When asked whether Matthew Perry really stayed in the box for the filming of the episode, co-creators and executive producers Marta Kauffman and David Crane confirmed that he did. His lines were recorded live, and he only came out for breaks in between shots. As Crane says, “Those are his fingers in the hole. And I have to say, when his finger comes up to say goodbye to Kathy, it’s heartbreaking.” Awww.

5. The ultimate trick play

How do you make a soundstage look like a public park in NYC? Production designer John Shaffner had to get creative when tasked with this very thing for “The One With the Football” in season three. First, he came up with the idea of placing the set against a fake brick wall with a metal fence to create a gritty city look.

But he couldn’t just use fake grass — waaay too green for New York in November. Instead, he flipped carpet padding upside down to look like dirt and added fake leaves. The finishing touch was some temporary bleachers so they could still film in front of a live audience.

6. Turkey head

In the season five Thanksgiving flashbacks episode, Joey famously gets his head stuck inside a turkey. Monica later puts a turkey on her head in an effort to cheer Chandler up. The writers wanted to use a real bird, but there wasn’t one large enough (sparing Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox from what would’ve been a uniquely disgusting experience). Instead, a turkey was crafted out of foam, including vents for breathing and mesh for the actors to see through.

7. Aren’t you hungry?

Brad Pitt is well known for his frequent consumption of snacks on screen. But when he made his memorable appearance in season eight’s “The One With the Rumor,” he didn’t take a single bite the entire episode! Instead, viewers were treated to the hilarious story of how he co-created the I Hate Rachel Greene Club with Ross, which was made even funnier by the fact that he was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time.

8. Sibling rivalry

Speaking of famous guest stars, the next season’s Thanksgiving episode featured Christina Applegate’s first appearance as Rachel’s sister, Amy. Reese Witherspoon had already appeared as Rachel’s sister, Jill, in two episodes, but she couldn’t return due to other commitments. The writers decided to focus on a different sister, and Applegate’s performance in the episode ended up earning her an Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003.

9. Who’s that girl?

Phoebe’s outfit in the season three Thanksgiving episode was a subtle nod to another famous guest star. As the gang plays football in the park, she wears a shirt bearing the words “THAT GIRL” and a silhouette of a flipped bob hair style. This is actually a reference to a 1960s TV show featuring Marlo Thomas, who occasionally appeared on Friends as Rachel’s mom, Sandra.

10. Trophy trash

At the end of “The One With the Football,” Ross and Monica are fighting over the football on the ground at the park. However, the competitive Gellar siblings were also featured in an alternate ending. Featured on the season 5 DVD release, the cut scene shows them deciding to call the game a tie, then tossing the trophy down a trash chute in their building to seemingly bury the hatchet. Monica secretly has Phoebe standing at the bottom to catch it, but then she finds out Ross has the same idea.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

As a kid, did you ever wish your toys could come to life? For many Millennials, that moment finally arrived when Tamagotchi burst onto the scene. You could fit your favorite toy into your pocket and actually interact with it throughout the day.

Weird as it was in concept, Tamagotchi was a hit from the very beginning. I remember my mom calling around to toy stores to find out when the next shipment was coming in. They were selling out so fast, they could barely keep them on the shelves.

But did you know …

1. Not without my turtle!

Akihiro Yokoi, one of the creators of Tamagotchi, got his inspiration from a TV turtle. He was struck by a commercial in which a boy is upset that he can’t bring his turtle along on a family vacation, so he tries to sneak the pet in his suitcase at the last minute. Yokoi decided to create a virtual pet that could travel with you anywhere (and avoid suitcase suffocation, of course).

2. Tama-what?

A combination of two Japanese words, the name “tamagotchi” is actually based on a discarded idea for the toy. “Tamago” means egg, and “uotchi” means watch — a reference to the original concept of a wearable wristwatch. That was later scrapped for a keychain design, but the name stuck.

3. E.T. phone home

So what exactly were those creatures on our Tamagotchi screens? The original packaging for the toy says that the Tamagotchi is a “tiny pet from cyberspace” and depicts a UFO-like spaceship. It also says that a Tamagotchi would “return to its home planet” eventually. Basically, we were all carrying little aliens around in our pockets.

4. The Tamagotchi effect

It didn’t take long for kids to start forming strong bonds with their Tamagotchis. In fact, a psychological phenomenon was named for it, with emotional attachments to robots, machines, or software agents often referred to as the “Tamagotchi effect” to this day.

When the digital pets inevitably expired (the average lifespan was only about 12 days), it put many kids through their first experience with loss and grief. Tamagotchi graveyards were built despite the fact that new pets could be generated on the same device. American users seemed especially sensitive to the end of the Tamagotchi life cycle, so while Japanese devices displayed a ghost hovering over a gravestone when a digital pet died, the U.S. models had angel wings.

5. Flying off the shelves

It’s hard to overstate just how wildly popular this ‘90s fad toy really was. When it made its debut on May 1, 1997, the flagship FAO Schwarz in New York City had sold 10,000 Tamagotchis by noon the following day. A feature on QVC was even more successful, with 6,000 selling in only five minutes! The original Tamagotchi price at FAO Schwarz was $17.99, the equivalent of about $35 today.

6. Time for a potty break

Raising a Tamagotchi was more demanding than you might remember. In addition to feeding, bathing, and disciplining it, owners also had to do the dirty work of cleaning up Tamagotchi droppings. Failing to pick up the digital poop piles could make your pet sick.

But there was a workaround for this tedious task: potty training your Tamagotchi. When a bathroom break was imminent, your pet would grimace and wavy “stink” lines would start to form around it. If you regularly activated the toilet icon during this stage (before droppings appeared), you could potty train it. Poop problem solved!

7. Mom duty

Tamagotchis needed attention 24/7, and a beeping notification could emanate from your little egg toy at any moment of the day or night. That quickly became a problem for school-aged kids, and classroom bans on Tamagotchis became increasingly common in the weeks after its U.S. release. What was a kid to do? Just let their little creature die?

As usual, moms stepped in to save the day. Many parents ended up tending to their kids’ Tamagotchis while they were in school, playing sports, or asleep. Fortunately, later versions of the toy solved that pesky little problem with a “pause” function.

8. I’m … not lovin’ it.

In 1998, McDonald’s took advantage of Tamagotchi fever and released a series of Happy Meal toys based on the device. Getting a Tamagotchi with your burger and fries sounds pretty amazing, right? Many ‘90s kids were likely disappointed when they realized the freebies in their Happy Meals were actually just keychains, not functioning Tamagotchis. Bummer.

9. Let’s race!

Tamagotchi made its way into the Nintendo universe with Mametchi, a character who acts as a sort of mascot for the toy. In addition to appearing on numerous versions of the toy (including the original Tamagotchi), this cute little creature is one of the playable drivers in Mario Kart Arcade GP 2. Take him for a spin to see how fast a Tamagotchi can go with a little horsepower under the hood.

10. Going to the chapel …

Does your Tamagotchi want to fall in love? It can in newer versions of the toy. With the Tamagotchi On (released in 2019), you can link your digital pet with another player’s so they can schedule playdates, get married, and even have babies with physical characteristics of both parents. Over time, one player can raise up to 16 generations from the same family as long as they keep caring for them correctly. Time to map out your Tamagotchi family tree!

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

Founder Charles Lazarus called it “a supermarket of toys.” But as a kid walking into Toys “R” Us, I wasn’t thinking about comparisons to big box stores like Walmart. I was simply in heaven.

It wasn’t just that Toys “R” Us had every toy imaginable. It was also the brand’s association with the joy and innocence of childhood. Who among us doesn’t long for the days of being a Toys “R” Us kid?

But did you know …

1. “R” you paying attention?

Ever noticed how the “R” in Toys “R” Us is backwards? That little logo design detail was the brainchild of Charles Lazarus, who founded the brand that would become Toys “R” Us in 1948.

After starting with a focus on baby furniture, Lazarus decided to shift to kids’ toys in 1957. He designed the logo to give the brand a youthful feel — the stylized backwards “R” is supposed to look like a child wrote it.

2. It’s a bargain!

Why were parents flocking to Toys “R” Us to purchase toys for their kids? In addition to their massive selection, Toys “R” Us often had the best prices, too.

Maintaining an image of affordability was central to the brand’s success. When other stores upped the price of popular toys, Toys “R” Us would offer a discount instead.

When the game Simon debuted in the late ‘70s, for example, many stores tried to cash in by charging $30 or more for it. Meanwhile, Toys “R” Us was charging less than $20. Even if the stores made little to no profit on a splash hit like Simon, it created the impression that everything in the store was a bargain, leading to more sales.

3. Category killer

At one point, Toys “R” Us sold 18,000 different toys in 1,450 locations around the globe, controlling around a quarter of the world’s toy market. WOAH.

If you think that level of success sounds insane, so do retail historians (apparently that’s a thing). They’ve actually recognized Toys “R” Us as the first “category killer,” meaning that their domination of the toy market essentially drove the competition out of business. The big-box store formula also helped stores like Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Barnes & Noble become category killers in their respective retail categories.

4. Urkel? Is that you?

If all this Toys “R” Us talk is getting you nostalgic, get a load of this ad:

Not only does this commercial include the iconic Toys “R” Us jingle, it also features a number of notable child stars of the ‘80s, including Jaleel White, Lindsay Price, and Jenny Lewis. The ad was so popular that they remade it in the ‘90s, with most of the “Toys ‘R’ Us kids” from the original returning.

5. A surprising songwriter

“I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys “R” Us kid …”

Is it stuck in your head yet? That catchy jingle from the commercials was actually co-written in 1982 by James Patterson, who worked at an ad agency at the time and would later go on to become the world’s bestselling author. Considering the dark themes in many of his books (Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls, etc.), his creation of such a sweetly saccharine tune is surprising to say the least!

6. Paging Dr. G …

The catchy jingle isn’t the only memorable bit of Toys “R” Us branding. Their lovable mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe, was another touchstone for kids through the years.

He actually started out as Dr. G. Raffe, the mascot for Children’s Bargain Town (the first store opened by Toys “R” Us founder, Charles Lazarus). Geoffrey became more widely known after making his TV debut in a 1973 commercial, and he was even shown to have a wife, Gigi, and two kids: Junior and Baby Gee.

7. Celebrity sibling

Geoffrey the Giraffe was portrayed as a sweet goofball when he first started appearing in Toys “R” Us TV spots. But in the early 2000s, he took on a smart, wisecracking persona voiced by Jim Hanks — as in Tom’s little brother. Jim actually sounds so much like Tom that he’s also been a substitute for Woody in a variety of Toy Story video games and spin-offs.

Wondering who played Geoffrey before Jim? It was Thurl Ravenscroft, whose deep, booming voice was also used for Tony the Tiger and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

8. Times Square toy paradise

In 2001, Toys “R” Us decided to make a big splash in the Big Apple by establishing an international flagship store in Times Square. At over 100,000 square feet, it was a testament to all things toys — not to mention a wonderland for kids of all ages.

Everything felt supersized at the Times Square location. You could ride a 60-foot-tall indoor Ferris wheel, wander through a life-size Barbie dreamhouse, and see an animatronic T-Rex inspired by Jurassic Park. Before it closed in 2015, the store also added an arcade and a Willy Wonka candy shop.

9. Game on!

On November 15, 2001, hundreds of people lined up outside the Toys “R” Us Times Square store for a major event in video game history: the launch of the original Xbox console. Just after midnight, the store sold the first Xbox console — which was signed by Bill Gates, also in attendance for the event. Getting exclusive rights to a hotly anticipated gaming system’s launch at their recently opened, massive flagship store shows just how powerful Toys “R” Us was at the time.

10. Bringing it back

Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017, and the following year, all remaining locations were shut down. But that wasn’t the end for the iconic brand. Toys “R” Us relaunched in 2021 with a new store in New Jersey’s American Dream Mall, and a second location opened in the Mall of America in 2023. Time to plan a road trip for a dose of ‘90s nostalgia!

Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

The sound of a guitar chord comes over the speakers in your car, at a bar, or even in a grocery store. Before you even fully recognize the song, you’re singing it: “You are my fire …” Somehow, this song has been encoded into your subconscious and you know all the lyrics without even having to think about it.

The Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” was released on April 12, 1999 as the lead single from their Millennium album. In addition to becoming a mainstay on TRL, it was nominated for three Grammy Awards and the music video received four MTV VMA nominations, ultimately winning the Viewer’s Choice Award.

To this day, “I Want It That Way” is a defining song of the teen pop era of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.

But did you know …

1. The Swedes

“I Want It That Way” was off to a strong start from the beginning thanks to the dream team that wrote it: Swedish pop hitmakers Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson.

Martin is especially well-known for his songwriting prowess. As of 2025, he’s written or co-written 28 Billboard Hot 100 #1 songs, including “ … Baby One More Time,” “It’s Gonna Be Me,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “Shake It Off,” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”

Carlsson actually opened for the Backstreet Boys (BSB) in Sweden in 1996, but he found he was a better songwriter than pop star. In addition to his work for BSB, he went on to write hits for acts like NSYNC, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Celine Dion, and Bon Jovi.

2. Boy band goes metal

Remember that iconic guitar intro we mentioned? Although this acoustic arpeggio riff is one of the most memorable parts of the famous pop song, its source is more hardcore than you might expect.

The riff is actually inspired by Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters.” Like in “I Want It That Way,” the repeating acoustic sound forms the backdrop throughout the song.

Metallica also played a part in the making of BSB’s documentary, Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of. Band member Howie Dorough said Metallica’s rock doc was one of the main inspirations for their own film.

3. Blink and you’ll miss it

The “I Want It That Way” music video was basically just as popular as the song itself. TRL played it daily for months, and it clinched the #1 spot in the show’s “Top 99 of ‘99” countdown on New Year’s Eve.

But the real sign that you’ve hit it big? You get spoofed.

Blink 182’s music video for “All the Small Things” included obvious references to “I Want It That Way” along with some other popular hits at the time, like “Genie in a Bottle.” And that was just the beginning. The song and/or music video has been parodied countless times, including a Weird Al song about eBay and music videos for “Worldwide” by Big Time Rush and “Walks Like Rihanna” by The Wanted.

4. What did they say?

What is “that” way, anyway?!

If you’ve ever thought this to yourself while listening to “I Want It That Way,” you’re not alone. The lyrics don’t exactly make a lot of sense, an issue that — according to band member Kevin Richardson — may have stemmed from fact that the Swedish songwriters weren’t fully fluent in English at the time.

BSB seems to have embraced the mystery surrounding the lyrics, however. Talking to ET about the song in 2018, the band doubled down on the nonsense lyrics. They essentially said it’s open to interpretation and doesn’t have any particular meaning. As band member Brian Littrell explained, “Some of the greatest songs mean nothing! It happens.”

5. Melodic math

There’s another theory as to why the lyrics for “I Want It That Way” don’t make a whole lot of sense: math.

Melodic math is a strategy implemented by co-writer Max Martin to create catchy pop songs. He focuses on the melody and the hook above all else, while lyrics are more of an afterthought. With melodic math, it’s actually more important that the syllables of the words have a balanced sound with the melody.

Basically, if the song sounds that great, people won’t really care what the lyrics are!

6. Opposite Day

BSB actually recorded an alternate version of “I Want It That Way” in which the song’s message is reversed. Instead of “I never want to hear you say …” as the final line of the chorus, it’s “I love it when I hear you say, I want it that way.”

Does the message in this version make more sense then the original? We’ll let you be the judge — listen to the alternate lyrics here.

7. Hopped off the plane at LAX

The “I Want It That Way” music video was filmed at Los Angeles International Airport in April 1999, with the band dressed in all white as they dance in the Tom Bradley International Terminal and sing to fans on a tarmac.

BSB members later realized how unique the opportunity had been. After 9/11, filming at an airport became nearly impossible.

8. Teenage dream

Can you imagine getting cast in your favorite band’s music video? Devon Daniels, now in her early 40s, got to live the dream back in ‘99.

In 2021, Daniels went viral on TikTok for sharing her story from being an extra in the “I Want It That Way” music video. Just 17 at the time, she won a call-in radio sweepstakes to participate and appeared as one of the fans in the airplane hangar.

After she shared some behind-the-scenes photos from the video shoot, she got a shoutout from band member Nick Carter, who responded on social media.

9. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

You can thank Andy Samberg for one of the most memorable tributes to “I Want It That Way.” In a cold open for a season five episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, his character Jake has the members of a police lineup sing the song to help a victim identify a killer. Before long, it turns into a group sing-a-long. Classic.

10. Ohh … “THAT” way

The TV series Tokyo Vice provides an interesting look at how “I Want It That Way” became an international phenomenon. Set in Tokyo in 1999 and based on a memoir by Jake Adelstein, the show features an American journalist investigating the yakuza.

It’s a pretty gritty show, but a moment with the iconic BSB song definitely provides a bit of levity — along with a moment of connection between American and Japanese culture. Apparently the band really was a big deal in Japan at the time, and the show features the journalist connecting with Sato, a yakuza member, while listening to “I Want It That Way” in the car.

The scene also delves into the perennial question of what the lyrics really mean. Sato’s take is a little racy … watch the scene to see if you agree with him.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

“It’s showtime!”

These words were catnip to me as a kid. For someone who’s admittedly too chicken to watch scary movies as an adult, I was surprisingly obsessed with Beetlejuice at a young age. Released in 1988, this classic helped establish Tim Burton’s signature macabre style all while keeping audiences in stitches. Who else but Burton could’ve dreamed up the afterlife as a bureaucratic nightmare or a “bio-exorcist” title character who constantly cracked crude jokes?

Over 35 years later, Beetlejuice inspired an animated series, a Broadway musical, and a much-awaited film sequel. It feels like Beetlejuice is an old pal by this point.

But did you know …

1. Groucho Marx from hell

Tim Burton fixated on the idea of “Groucho Marx from hell” when creating the character of Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton, on the other hand, is credited for taking that idea and giving it the weird, wacky spin that makes the character utterly memorable. In addition to developing Beetlejuice’s signature look (including the crazy hair and moldy face), Keaton improvised a significant portion of his dialogue during filming.

2. Rat Pack reject

Considering how much Keaton’s original ideas influenced the development of Beetlejuice as a character, it’s clear that another actor may have resulted in a very different movie. In fact, Tim Burton’s first choice for the title role was Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr. Producers also floated the idea of casting Dudley Moore or comedian Sam Kinison before Keaton was finally selected for the role.

Other near-castings for Beetlejuice include Sarah Jessica Parker, Molly Ringwald, Brooke Shields, and Jennifer Connelly, all of whom turned down the role of Lydia. Anjelica Huston was originally cast as Delia Deetz, but she had to drop out due to illness.

3. You’re a star!

When I was little, I thought “Beetlejuice” sounded appropriately gross to suit the title character. As it turns out, the name is inspired by a red supergiant star in the Orion constellation called Betelgeuse. This is how the character’s name is actually spelled, as seen on his headstone in the movie.

4. Alternate ending

In the original screenplay, Beetlejuice was supposed to end the movie trapped inside the model town, surrounded by the monstrous sandworms that appeared earlier in the film. But test audiences found him so likeable that they decided to give the character a more lighthearted ending. That’s how Beetlejuice ends up in the afterlife waiting room at the end of the film.

5. Nepo legs

Speaking of that ending in the waiting room, remember the sawed-in-half magician’s assistant who was sitting on the couch? The leg portion was actually played by Tim Burton’s girlfriend at the time.

6. The mystery of the frozen arm

Near the beginning of the movie after the car crash, the Maitlands return home still unaware of their new status as ghosts. Barbara notes that her arm feels frozen, but it’s never explained.

That odd little piece of dialogue is a holdover from the original script, which was much darker. In that version, the car crash is much more graphic. Barbara’s arm is crushed and the couple scream for help as they slowly drown. Yeesh.

7. Lame names

Beetlejuice is such a catchy and kooky name for a movie, but the execs at Warner Bros. didn’t go for it at first. Instead, they wanted to name the film “House Ghost.” Tim Burton wasn’t having it, so he suggested “Scared Sheetless” as a joke title and then was horrified when Warner Bros. briefly considered it!

8. Movie by mail

One of the most surprising pieces of trivia about this horror-comedy classic is its role in the history of Netflix. In March of 1998, almost exactly a decade after its release, Beetlejuice became the very first Netflix DVD mailed to a customer. The company went on to ship over 5 billion discs before shuttering its DVD-by-mail service in 2023.

9. Did you see that?

The TV comedy Community spent years setting up a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it joke based on the movie. “Beetlejuice” was said once in season 1, then once more in season 2. It was only fitting that in season 3’s Halloween episode, someone mentioned “Beetlejuice” again. As the trickster demon is known to do, he appeared once his name was uttered three times. His cameo? Just someone in a Beetlejuice costume walking by in the background. What a callback!

10. Aloha, Beetlejuice!

In 2024, we finally got a sequel: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. But the Beetlejuice sequel rumors had been floating around long before that. In fact, shortly after the original film’s release, Burton came up with an idea for “Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian.” While the first movie had a German Expressionist vibe, this sequel would be styled after classic ‘60s beach movies. The story revolved around Beetlejuice saving the Deetz family after they offended an ancient Hawaiian kahuna. Burton worked on the project for almost a decade before it was scrapped.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

“Movie night” took on a new meaning in the 1980s. You could simply stop by your local video store and pick up a VHS tape to watch at home instead of going to the theater.

There were plenty of local video rental stores with small, curated selections. But walking into a Blockbuster was like shopping at a megamall instead of a little boutique. They had full walls of the latest releases plus thousands of other titles. It felt like the movie world was at your fingertips.

Unfortunately, Blockbuster couldn’t keep up with the times, never believing in the viability of online DVD rentals and streaming services until it was too late. Eventually, the sight of a closed Blockbuster became commonplace, with the iconic blue ticket stub logo getting duller by the day.

But did you know …

1. The VCR boom

Blockbuster Video opened its first store at the perfect time. The year was 1985, and VCR sales were going through the roof. At that time, 28% of U.S. households with a TV also had a VCR, a percentage that was expected to double by 1990.

But if you wanted to watch a movie on that newfangled device, it’d cost you. Buying a movie on VHS cost around $50 to $100 in the mid-’80s, so rentals were widely preferred. Blockbuster wasn’t the first video rental store by any means, but its vast inventory with thousands of titles beat out the local shops.

2. Live from Blockbuster, it’s movie night!

In most video rental stores at that time, customers brought the movie box up to the counter, then an employee would check in the back to see if it was in stock. But Blockbuster offered so many titles that it didn’t make sense to follow the same store setup.

Blockbuster became the first video store to use a “live” display. That meant movies were actually placed on the shelves, so customers simply brought it up to the register to rent it.

3. Family-friendly, porn-free

Besides the “live” displays, Blockbuster set itself apart by creating an atmosphere that fit its "America's Family Video Store" slogan. Many video rental stores at the time would have an adult film section, but Blockbuster never offered X-rated films. The fact that parents could let kids roam the aisles without worrying about what they might see worked in Blockbuster’s favor.

4. Unlikely mascots

A pair of CGI spokesanimals for Blockbuster made a big splash when they debuted in a 2002 Super Bowl ad. Carl (a rabbit voiced by James Woods) and Ray (a guinea pig voiced by Jim Belushi) starred in a series of Blockbuster ads. The two furry friends lived in a pet store window display across the street from a Blockbuster, where they playfully riffed on everything from kung fu films to Flashdance.

5. Sports in the swamps

What do video rentals have to do with theme parks? Not a whole lot, but Blockbuster co-owner Wayne Huizenga tried to bring the two together in 1994 with a proposed 2,500-acre sports and amusement complex called “Blockbuster Park” located just outside Miami.

Some of the many features of the park would include movie and music production studios, a baseball stadium, a hockey arena, and an "entertainment village" with a virtual reality game arcade. Though it was never actually built, the very idea of “Blockbuster Park” shows just how powerful the brand had become at that point.

6. And the Oscar doesn’t go to …

The Academy Awards are all about prestige films. But shouldn’t hilarious comedies and splashy action thrillers get some recognition, too? The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, which ran from 1995 through 2001, created a way to honor big box office hits, popular video rentals, and fan-favorite stars.

Many of the winning films and actors at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards definitely weren’t the types to score Oscar nominations. Jim Carrey winning an award for Ace Ventura: Pet Detective? Enough said.

7. The kitchen sink

Blockbuster’s era of dominance took a sharp turn when services like Netflix came onto the scene. Stakeholders at Blockbuster clearly didn’t recognize the potential at first, turning down the offer to buy Netflix for just $50 million in 2000 only to turn around and try to enter the online DVD rental market on their own in 2004.

The overconfidence of Blockbuster would eventually become its downfall, and also led to one of the most hilarious incidents in corporate history. The day after Netflix CEO Reed Hastings declared in a 2004 earnings call, “In the last six months, Blockbuster has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at us,” he received a package from Blockbuster. It was an actual kitchen sink.

8. Are you not entertained?

Blockbuster had over 9,000 stores at its peak in 2004, but a decade later, only around 300 remained. As of 2019, there’s only one Blockbuster left in the world.

Located in Bend, Oregon, the store has become a fun destination for film lovers. Plus, it happens to have a very unique set of memorabilia centered around Russell Crowe, including costume pieces Cinderella Man, Robin Hood, and Les Misérables along with director chairs for Crowe and Denzel Washington from American Gangster.

Oddly enough, the collection came from Anchorage, Alaska after one of the last Blockbuster stores closed there in 2018. The store originally got the memorabilia from the HBO show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which had purchased the collection from Crowe then donated it to help the Anchorage store stay in business.

9. Best slumber party ever

Ever wanted to relive the sleepovers from your childhood? The last remaining Blockbuster aimed to do just that by briefly becoming an Airbnb rental in September 2020. The owners of the store offered a limited number of one-night stays at the store, each of which would be fully prepped for a 1990s-themed sleepover. A faux living room space was set up with a pull-out couch, bean bags, and pillows — plus a stack of “new releases” from the ‘90s.

10. This is — literally — the end.

In 2013, the remaining Blockbuster’s company-owned stores were shut down (certain independently owned franchises, like the one in Bend, were allowed to stay open). The last of those company-owned stores to shutter was located in Hawaii, and the name of the final rental proved to be hilariously fitting for the occasion: This Is the End.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

I feel the need … the need for Speed! No, we’re not talking about Top Gun, but good guess. Instead, it’s an action movie that has stuck with us for decades and made many people think twice before using public transportation.

It’s been 30 years since Speed hit theaters, and it’s still just as thrilling as the day it was released. This film has everything: cool stunts and effects, a story that keeps you on your toes, Dennis Hopper hamming it up, and Cameron from Ferris Bueller. It even has two of our favorite ‘90s stars: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

But did you know …

1. Hard pass from the Toms

For the lead role of Jack Traven, the filmmakers’ first choice was Stephen Baldwin. But the baby Baldwin brother turned it down, feeling like it was a little too similar to John McClane in Die Hard. Other actors who said “no” to a starring role in Speed include Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, and what director Jan de Bont referred to as “the Toms” (Cruise and Hanks).

Ultimately, the script was reworked with a more serious tone, and Keanu Reeves was selected for the part. According to de Bont, “What is nice about him as an action hero is that he’s vulnerable on the screen. He’s not threatening to men because he’s not that bulky, and he looks great to women.” Can’t argue with that.

2. Cracking jokes behind the wheel

Sandra Bullock’s character, Annie Porter, ends up taking the wheel shortly after the bomb is discovered on the bus. But America’s sweetheart wasn’t the first pick by a long shot. Ellen DeGeneres was strongly considered for her comedic chops, which fit better with the original script’s tone. (The character was also supposed to be a paramedic, which would help explain why she was able to maneuver a speeding bus through traffic.)

Needless to say, if Ellen had landed the role, Speed would’ve been pretty different from the film we know and love today. That’s also true for some of the other names that were floated for the role, including Halle Berry, Meryl Streep, and Kim Basinger, all of whom turned it down.

3. Keanu’s big surprise

Keanu Reeves wanted to really look the part of an LAPD SWAT team member. So in addition to pumping iron at the gym, he decided to give himself a little makeover. Sensing that his trademark long, floppy surfer dude hair from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Point Break didn’t fit the character, he decided to buzz it into a military jarhead style that was quite short — so short, in fact, that it almost looked like he shaved it all off. 

The physical transformation shocked the studio execs, who considered pushing filming out to give his hair time to grow back. They decided not to, and the new ‘do gave him a tougher look that may have helped solidify his status as an action hero.

4. That’s showbiz, baby!

Hollywood’s most iconic landmark almost went kaboom. The original script for Speed had the bus circling Dodger Stadium before crashing into the Hollywood sign for a big, splashy ending. But two speed bumps (pun intended) got in the way. First, the filmmakers didn’t get approval from Dodger Stadium. Second, the studio execs wanted to include more action off the bus.

The writers went back to the drawing board, changing the setting from the ballpark to LAX and ultimately crashing it into a cargo plane. Then, they added the subway sequence, and instead of ending at the Hollywood sign, the movie’s grand finale happens on Hollywood Boulevard when the train plows through a construction site.

5. The math is mathing.

Gotta love a good Easter egg, right? This one is so simple, yet so satisfying: the number of the ill-fated bus in Speed is 2525. And wouldn’t you know, 25 + 25 = 50 — as in the minimum speed that had to be maintained to keep the bomb from detonating. Genius!

6. That’ll cost you extra.

No one could blame you for keeping your eyes locked on Keanu and Sandy for most of the movie — they’re magnetic! But the other actors on the bus really nailed it by bringing more drama to the action … and at least one of them knew their worth.

The filmmakers decided to have the actors perform the stunt when the passengers transfer to the rescue vehicle at the airport. But one of them, Paula Montes, argued that they should receive extra pay for the stunt work. She succeeded, and the actors all got a little boost in their paychecks. 

7. Movie myths

Perhaps the most iconic moment from the movie happens when the bus jumps over an unfinished section of the freeway. But would that have worked in real life? Mythbusters decided to test it out in a 2009 episode. After creating a small-scale model, they acquired an actual bus to attempt the jump. Unfortunately, it fell far short of the target. Myth BUSTED.

8. Yippee ki-yay, mother trucker

Ready for another Easter egg? To catch this one, you’d need to pay close attention to the truck used by the terrorists in Die Hard. Now, look at the logo on the cargo plane that the bus blows up in Speed. Both modes of transportation sport the same name: Pacific Courier. The name’s appearance on the plane is a nod to Speed director Jan de Bont, who had been the cinematographer for Die Hard.

9. Doh!

Plenty of pop culture fixtures get their moment to shine on The Simpsons, but the reference to Speed is an especially fun one.

In a season 8 episode, Homer convinces his coworkers Lenny and Carl to ditch work and go out drinking. To pull it off, he puts in an old tape from the security camera that shows them on the job. Homer claims the trick is from a movie, but can’t remember the name. He describes the plot using the word “speed” multiple times, but then shares his guess for a title: “The Bus That Couldn’t Slow Down.” Classic Homer.

10. Total yawn fest

The non-stop action is part of what makes Speed such a fun film to watch. But what if everything was slowed down? In screenwriter Graham Yost’s original pitch, the bus had to maintain a minimum speed of 20 mph. Fortunately, his friend convinced him to boost it to 50 mph. Whoever that guy was, I think we all owe him a drink for saving the movie.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

Who’s Simon, and why do we have to do what he says? Some people believe it’s based on the Biblical character, but regardless, it’s a pretty fun game to play.

It’s so fun, in fact, that when the game of Simon Says was transformed into an electronic device, it became one of the most iconic toys of the ‘80s. Whether you played solo or with a group, Simon’s flashing lights and musical sounds were quickly ingrained into your childhood memories.

But did you know …

1. The Father of Video Games

By the time he designed Simon, Ralph H. Baer had already made a name for himself by inventing the first home video game console: the Magnavox Odyssey. He started working on his invention in 1966, and the device was eventually licensed by Magnavox and released in 1972. Baer is considered “The Father of Video Games” and was even awarded the National Medal of Technology in 2006.

2. Touch Me

Although Baer was certainly a video game innovator, he essentially ripped off Atari with his next big invention. In 1974, Atari released an arcade game called Touch Me. It had four big buttons that lit up and made sounds. Players had to repeat the sequences, each time with one more button added. Sound familiar?

A couple years later, Baer saw Touch Me at a trade show. His review was blunt: "Nice gameplay. Terrible execution. Visually boring. Miserable, rasping sounds.” He came up with a prototype called Follow Me, which featured similar gameplay but had an improved handheld design, brightly colored buttons, and harmonious tones.

That invention was later dubbed — you guessed it — Simon. Atari saw the new game’s success and released a handheld version of Touch Me, but everyone thought it was a total Simon rip-off. Oh, the irony.

3. Music to your ears

When deciding which sounds to pair with Simon’s four buttons, Baer looked to the ‘70s version of Google: an encyclopedia. He found out that bugles produce a limited number of notes in a harmonic series, allowing them to play a wide variety of note sequences that all sound pleasant to the ear. Based on that little nugget of information, he decided to program the device buttons to G, C, E, and G, creating Simon’s signature sounds.

4. Simon’s night out

Simon’s debut took place in a decidedly adult setting. In 1978, the game had a lavish midnight release party at Studio 54, a famously debaucherous nightclub in NYC. The event even featured a 4-foot-wide Simon suspended over the attendees like a flying saucer. Nothing like dancing to some disco under a giant Simon spaceship.

5. Earth to Simon

Turns out the UFO saucer-style design was a good choice. The recent popularity of Close Encounters of the Third Kind made the Simon game even more enticing. The similarities were almost eerie. Like Simon, the disc-shaped spaceship in Close Encounters communicates through a series of musical notes and lights. And the Academy Award for best accidental movie tie-in goes to … Simon!

6. All I want for Christmas

After its May 1978 debut, Simon quickly became a hit. By the time the holidays rolled around, it was the must-have toy of the season. It didn’t come cheap, however. The original Simon was priced at $24.95, the equivalent of nearly $120 today.

7. Look Ma, no buttons!

There have been several variations on the classic Simon game since it was first introduced, including the six-button Super Simon and Simon Flash, which had colorful light-up cubes that could be shuffled into different positions.

But Simon Optix literally changed the game by eliminating physical buttons and creating a whole new way to play. Players wear a headset and move their hands in front to repeat the flashing light patterns. Pretty sure the creators of Simon couldn’t have predicted this futuristic spin on the original.

8. The Simon prodigy

Did you ever dream of setting a Guinness World Record as a kid? Maddex Ranjbar from Caesarea, Canada got to live the dream when he broke the record for the most sequences completed in a game of Simon. At just 10 years old, he completed 84 sequences of the game after training for about six months. 

9. Two games for the price of one

One of the most notable pop culture references to Simon occurred in the 2014 film, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones. A group of teens in the movie are messing around with a classic Simon when something starts communicating to them through the game. The lights and sounds of the possessed Simon game act almost like a Ouija board, answering yes-or-no questions by lighting up green or red. Spoooooky …

10. What’s your high score?

Think you’ve still got it after all these years? You can actually see how your skills have held up since childhood by playing Simon online. Tell us your top score in the comments and we’ll see who’s the Simon champ.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

The year was 2001. I sat in a darkened movie theater in a row full of rowdy teens (myself included) and watched as a crew of scrappy street racers stole DVD players out of trucks and lived life a quarter mile at a time. 

Cut to 20 years later. I thought back to that movie and, feeling a bit stir-crazy due to the pandemic, decided to rewatch it along with the many sequels I’d never seen. What better way to kill time than to watch a multi-film franchise? 

Color me surprised when, a few films in, the street racers started transforming into an elite task force regularly tapped by the government to save the world. The stunts were outrageous in the best way possible, with the plot lines bordering on psychotic. I was hooked.

After seeing all 10 films (and anxiously awaiting next year's final installment), I felt like I knew the Fast & Furious cinematic universe pretty well. 

But did you know ...

1. The first installment almost got some real Detroit muscle.

Can you imagine Vin Diesel teaming up with Slim Shady? It almost happened, but Eminem turned down the role of undercover LAPD officer Brian O’Conner in The Fast and the Furious. The famous Detroit rapper was busy with the development of his own film, 8 Mile, at the time.  

Coincidentally, Eminem was later offered the song “See You Again” for Furious 7, but turned it down. Wiz Khalifa ultimately recorded the “See You Again” track with Charlie Puth, which tied Eminem's "Lose Yourself" for the second longest-running number-one rap single in the U.S.

2. It’s a vibe.

The world of NYC street racing was profiled in “Racer X,” an article by Kenneth Li in the May 1998 issues of Vibe. The story captivated director Rob Cohen, who used it as inspiration for the first film in the F&F franchise. There’s even a bonus feature about it on the 2002 DVD release for The Fast and the Furious. Rafael Estevez, a Dominican street racer featured prominently in the article, might even be seen as a prototype for Dom Toretto.

3. Before they stole DVD players, they stole a name.

The name that spawned a franchise didn’t start with the 2001 film. Producer Neal Moritz was inspired by The Fast and the Furious, a 1954 B movie written by Roger Corman. The story follows a trucker who breaks out of jail after being framed for murder, then enters a cross-border sports car race to try to reach Mexico before the cops can nab him (sounds like a possible F&F movie plot, tbh).

Universal Pictures ended up trading the use of some stock footage to license the name of the film. Other proposed titles for the first Fast & Furious film included “Race Wars,” “Racer X,” “Red Line,” and “Street Wars.”

4. The Love Bug meets street racing

Does Dom Toretto exist in the same universe as a sentient VW Bug? Eagle-eyed fans think so after spotting Dom’s 1970 Dodge Charger from the first F&F movie in 2005’s Herbie: Fully Loaded. Lindsay Lohan’s character briefly checks out the car (which has the number 86 on it) in a junkyard, but ultimately opts for the anthropomorphic Volkswagen. With the Love Bug franchise extending all the way back to 1968, just think of the crossover possibilities!

5. Ma’am, can I see your driver’s license?

Racing at top speeds requires a few things: control, focus, and ... oh yeah, a driver’s license. But Michelle Rodriguez (Letty) and Jordana Brewster (Mia) didn’t have theirs before being cast in The Fast and the Furious, so they had to scramble to get licenses in time for filming.

6. The right way to watch the F&F movies

Although it was the third film released in the F&F franchise, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift isn't the third chronologically. In the timeline of the films, the events in Tokyo Drift take place between Fast & Furious and Furious 7. A big hint to this jumbled timeline is dropped in the final scene of Tokyo Drift when Vin Diesel makes a cameo appearance as Dom Toretto.

7. Han’s shady past

Fan-favorite character Han Lue didn’t debut in Tokyo Drift, although that was his first F&F franchise appearance. Actor Sung Kang had already appeared as Han in a 2002 indie crime drama called Better Luck Tomorrow. Director Justin Lin decided to bring Han into the F&F franchise and use Better Luck Tomorrow as Han’s origin story.

You know how Han’s always munching on snacks in the F&F films? It’s actually a replacement for chain smoking, a character trait from Better Luck Tomorrow that Universal Pictures didn’t allow for its movie leads.

8. Ja Rule was only the beginning.

Rappers and singers have been making cameos in F&F since the first film, cementing the franchise as a staple of 21st century pop culture. Here are some of the famous faces who show up on screen:

• Ja Rule (The Fast and the Furious)

• Ludacris (Debuted in 2 Fast 2 Furious and became a key character)

• MC Jin (2 Fast 2 Furious)

• Bow Wow (Tokyo Drift)

• Don Omar and Tego Calderon (Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and The Fate of the Furious) 

• Rita Ora (Fast & Furious 6)

• Iggy Azalea and T-Pain (Furious 7)

• Bad Bunny and Cardi B (F9)

• Josh Dun (Fast X)

9. It’s raining cars!

One of the wildest stunts in the F&F franchise involves several key characters skydiving — while in their cars. But instead of relying on CGI, the F&F filmmakers decided to strap parachutes onto the cars and actually drop them out of a cargo plane (without the drivers inside, of course). Skydivers filmed them as they dropped, and GPS was used to help them land safely. 

While the crew went the extra mile to make this scene as realistic as possible, that’s not the case with every stunt. In case you were wondering, no — they didn’t really shoot Ludacris and Tyrese into space in a car.

10. Keeping it in the family

Paul Walker’s tragic death on November 30, 2013 happened in the midst of filming Furious 7. In order to give the beloved character of Brian O’Conner a fitting sendoff, two of Walker’s brothers — Caleb and Cody — served as stand-ins for some key scenes. 

Around 350 shots were created through VFX: most with the brothers’ faces replaced with CGI, and some with outtakes or old footage. Meanwhile, sound editors used existing recordings to create Paul’s dialogue, and the script was rewritten to explain Brian’s absence from future sequels. Furious 7 went on to become the most successful film in the franchise, grossing over $1.5 billion worldwide.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

It’s one of the most famous movie lines ever, and yet it’s just one of the many memorable quotes to come out of The Princess Bride. This 1987 film is a romance, a comedy, an adventure, and a fairy tale all rolled into one (inconceivable!), which might be why it has such widespread appeal.

From the very first viewing, it became one of my all-time favorites. All I can say is THANK GOD they haven’t tried to remake this one. It’s perfect as-is.

But did you know …

1. Book business

With its fairy tale story, it seems only fitting that The Princess Bride started out as a novel. The author, William Goldman, received $500,000 for the rights to the book in 1973 — the same year it was published. Considering that Goldman had already won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it’s no wonder the studio execs wanted secure the rights to the story ASAP.

2. A rugged Westley

Among the many Hollywood names that wanted to put The Princess Bride on the big screen was Robert Redford, who wanted to star as Westley while also making his directorial debut with the film. Even with a big leading man like Redford, however, the studios seemed hesitant to actually turn the story into a film. 

Rob Reiner finally convinced 20th Century Fox to make it, and even then he had to get it financed by Norman Lear and make major cuts to the budget. Reiner’s heart was set on making the film no matter what — his father, Carl Reiner, had given him the book and it had quickly become his all-time favorite.

3. Would-be Buttercups

When it came to casting the movie, Buttercup was the hardest role to fill. Goldman thought Carrie Fisher might suit the part, while Reiner thought of Sean Young. Some of the many actresses who auditioned for the film were Meg Ryan, Uma Thurman, Courtney Cox, and even Whoopi Goldberg. But as soon as they met Robin Wright, they knew they had found Buttercup.

As far as other possible castings go, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito were both strongly considered for the parts of Fezzik and Vizzini. Coincidentally, they ended up co-starring in Twins the following year.

4. Inappropriate ad-libs

Billy Crystal put his own spin on the role of Miracle Max. According to Mandy Patinkin, who played Inigo Montoya, Crystal “improvised 13th century period jokes, three days straight, 10 hours a day.” Reiner messed up multiple takes when he cracked up off camera, and Patinkin actually bruised muscles on the side of his rib from trying so hard to stifle his laughs.

Some of Crystal’s ad-libs became famous lines from the movie, including “Have fun storming the castle!” Some were a little too racy to make it into the final cut, like: “Don’t bother me, sonny. I had a bad day — I found my nephew with a sheep.” Another was: “True love is the greatest thing in the world — except for a good B.M.” 

5. An avalanche? Inconceivable!

Director Rob Reiner was once approached by a mega-fan of the film who said The Princess Bride literally saved her life. After being caught in an avalanche with a group of fellow skiers, she recited the whole movie to keep everyone’s spirits up while they awaited rescue. She even showed him her still-healing frostbite as proof!

6. Mormons and mafiosos

The Princess Bride seems to be almost universally loved, which means that it’s acquired quite the diverse fan base over the years. For example, many Mormons adore the film’s clean comedy and moral values. The Attorney General of Utah once told Chris Sarandon, who played Prince Humperdinck, that it was the most popular movie in the state.

Reiner experienced the other end of the spectrum one night at a restaurant in NYC. Famous mafia boss John Gotti came in with an entourage of wiseguys, and on Reiner’s way out, one of them looked at Reiner and quoted the famous Inigo Montoya line: “You killed my father. Prepare to die.” As Reiner put it, “I almost s— in my pants. When you penetrate guys like that, you know you’ve made it.”

7. The gentle giant

During filming, André the Giant was in a lot of pain from his wrestling career and a recent back surgery. Despite his massive 7-foot-4-inch, 550-pound build, he was actually unable to perform some of the physical feats in the movie. When it looks like Westley is hanging off Fezzik’s back, Cary Elwes was walking on a series of ramps out of camera shot or acting with Andre’s stunt double. For scenes when Fezzik was carrying Buttercup, Wright was actually suspended by cables.

Despite the physical setbacks, André cherished the experience of filming. He loved that everyone treated him like an equal and didn’t stare at him on set.

8. How things might have ended …

In the movie’s original ending, the grandson (played by Fred Savage) starts looking through the book after his grandpa (Peter Falk) leaves. He hears a voice and looks out the window, where he sees Westley, Buttercup, Inigo, and Fezzik on four white horses. To film the scene, they used a pulley system to lower André the Giant down so the horse wouldn’t be carrying his full weight.

Once they started editing the film, however, they didn’t like how the scene worked. An alternative scene was written and shot later, becoming the film’s actual ending.

9. Buttercup’s baby

Goldman loved the story so much that he decided to write a sequel called “Buttercup’s Baby.” The first chapter is actually included in later editions of the novel. Although Goldman never completed the novel, the plot features Westley and Buttercup’s daughter, Waverly, kidnapped by a villain with no skin on his face. When the bad guy throws Waverly off a cliff, Fezzik (who also happens to be her babysitter) leaps off to shield her from the impact.

10. A tip of the hat

Reiner wanted composer and Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler to write the film’s score. Knopfler agreed, but insisted that he’d only take the job if Reiner included a reference to This Is Spinal Tap. In addition to directing, Reiner had played Marty Di Bergi in the movie, so he decided to have the props team create a replica of the distinctive USS Coral Sea cap his character wore and display it in the grandson’s bedroom.

Knopfler later admitted he was just joking all along, but at least we got a pretty good Easter egg out of the ordeal.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

As a kid, I used to steal glances when walking by Victoria’s Secret in the mall. I didn’t have a reason to shop there yet, and felt like I might get in trouble if I dared to step inside. The store held a sort of forbidden mystique that made it seem borderline scandalous to my young eyes.

Victoria’s Secret was widely regarded as the pinnacle of sexiness in the ‘90s and ‘00s. This place didn’t have your grandma’s sturdy brassieres designed for comfort and durability. Instead, it was all about pushing breasts sky-high and testing the limits of how little material could be used to make a pair of underwear. 

The VS of my youth doesn’t exist anymore. The very thing that made Victoria’s Secret so popular — images of utterly unattainable, “perfect” supermodel bodies — eventually came back to bite it in the scantily clad ass.

But did you know …

1. Who’s Victoria, anyway?

She wasn’t real, and she didn’t have a secret. Founder Roy Raymond actually took the name from the Victorian era. In an effort to evoke a luxurious boudoir from that historic period, the first stores were decorated with silk drapes, antique armoires, velvet sofas, and dark wood. Raymond was going for a tasteful, respectable vibe with hints at the taboo or “secret” nature of undergarments.

2. As told by JT

Roy Raymond founded Victoria’s Secret in 1977, and surprisingly, his target customer wasn’t a woman. Instead, he marketed the brand to guys who wanted to feel more comfortable buying lingerie for their wives and girlfriends. Raymond knew the struggle firsthand — he had tried to buy sexy lingerie for his wife in department stores, but always felt out of place and unwelcome. To make matters worse, he didn’t find the options very appealing. 

At the time, there wasn’t much available for lingerie between the provocative items at Frederick’s of Hollywood or basics like Jockey and Hanes. Raymond found a middle ground, making high-quality, sexy lingerie worn for more than just honeymoons and anniversaries. His impressive success story (and tragic end) was briefly recapped by Justin Timberlake in a scene from The Social Network.

3. 404 error: models not found

Beginning in 1995, Victoria’s Secret held an annual fashion show. Many a supermodel became cemented as a celebrity on the VS runway, including Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, and Gisele Bündchen. The first time the show aired live was in 1999 via webcast. But there was one big snafu — the website crashed after 1.5 million people tried to tune in. Leave it to Victoria’s Secret to break the internet.

4. America’s Angels

Ever wonder why Victoria’s Secret models are called Angels? The heavenly moniker was first used in 1997 when several of the brand’s supermodels were featured in a commercial for the VS Angels collection. The original Angels were Helena Christensen, Tyra Banks, Stephanie Seymour, Karen Mulder, and Daniela Peštová.

The Angel title became so synonymous with the brand that wings became a regular fixture on the runway at the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. The angel wings became increasingly elaborate over the years, and a pair could weigh as much as 40 pounds. In 2003, Heidi Klum wore a set of wings measuring 12 feet tall, making them the largest to ever appear in the show.

In 2007, the Victoria’s Secret Angels received their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the brand. Considering that a number of VS Angels had become household names, it seems only fitting that they earned this symbol of celebrity status.

5. That’s one pricey bra!

Bras with bling are a Victoria’s Secret specialty. Beginning in 1996, a new “Fantasy Bra” debuted each year at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. These bras were bedazzled beyond belief, but the 2001 version stands out for its jaw-dropping price tag. That year, Heidi Klum strutted onto the runway wearing the “Heavenly Star Bra” with 1,200 Sri Lankan pink sapphires plus a 90-carat emerald cut diamond centerpiece worth $10.6 million alone. With an astonishing total value of $12.5 million, this piece of lingerie still holds the Guinness World Record for the most expensive bra ever.

6. Gotta pay the guy tax.

A guy walks into Victoria’s Secret … Sounds like the setup for a punchline, but for employees, the payoff delivered in dollar signs. Workers at VS often found that male customers were willing to spend more, partly because they didn’t want to linger around looking for too long. One employee actually reported that VS workers at her location were trained to treat customers differently based on gender by showing the guys full-price merchandise and touting the top deals to female customers. 

7. Victoria’s dark secrets

While the brand has had its share of scandals (many of which are detailed in Hulu’s three-part documentary series “Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons”), the biggest VS secret involved close ties between former CEO Les Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein. In addition to serving as Wexner’s financial manager for two decades, Epstein was a trustee on the board of the Wexner Foundation. Wexner even granted Epstein power of attorney in 1991.

Unfortunately, Epstein used his connection to the CEO to lure in young women. On more than one occasion, he was reprimanded for posing as a recruiter for Victoria’s Secret models. In 2006, Epstein was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution, and it wasn’t until 18 months later that Wexner finally cut ties with him. Yikes.

8. When Grandpa sells sexy lingerie …

In 2004, a Victoria’s Secret ad mystified the music world. In the sultry commercial, VS model Adriana Lima is paired up with a famous singer. Based on the brand’s image, you might be thinking it had to be a sexy star from the early 2000s — maybe Usher? Justin Timberlake? Nope … it was Bob Dylan.

The pairing of Victoria’s Secret with a counterculture icon in his 60s was odd, to say the least. But maybe this was Bob’s plan all along. At a 1965 press conference, he was asked “If you were going to sell out to a commercial interest, which one would you choose?” His response: “Ladies’ garments.”

9. Purring perfume

One Victoria’s Secret fragrance became the cat’s meow … or should we say purr. Sexy Little Things featured a fruity, floral scent along with pretty pink packaging. But the bottle had its own secret: when you picked it up, it made a purring sound. No word on how effective the gimmick was, but considering that some reviews mentioned placing a piece of tape over the bottom sensor to stop the noise, it may have gotten old pretty quick.

10. Whacked on the runway

The annual VS Fashion Show gave some of the biggest names in music a chance to shine, including Usher, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Nicki Minaj. But when Ariana Grande got her chance to perform at the 2014 event, it became the basis for a memorable meme.

As Ariana belted out her song, “Bang Bang,” model Elsa Hosk’s giant angel wings accidentally hit her in the face. Her hilarious facial expression was widely shared, but Ari took it all in good stride, tweeting: “A Victoria's Secret angel accidentally smacked me in the face with her wings and it was awesome #goals #bangbangintomyface”.

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

In the 1990s, there was one product that had seemingly every celebrity — from actors and athletes to models and musicians — clamoring to become its spokesperson. Name an A-lister from that era, and you can bet they wanted in: Jennifer Aniston, Harrison Ford, Britney Spears, Shaquille O'Neal, Kate Moss … the list goes on and on.

Was it a cool fashion label like Calvin Klein? An iconic brand like Coca-Cola? Nope — it was milk. Plain old, regular white milk. Completely brandless and, honestly, a little boring. But it was also the focus of one of the most successful marketing campaigns of all time: Got Milk?

I bet you can picture those milk mustache ads right now. There might even be a few Got Milk? TV commercials burned into your brain.

But did you know …

1. An office prank inspired the TV ads.

When the advertising agency behind the Got Milk? ads was trying to come up with a concept for the campaign, they decided to pull a prank on their coworkers to test out an idea. They placed empty cartons of milk in the office fridge, then set up a hidden camera to see what happened. The frustrated reactions from the employees told them everything they needed to know. 

They decided to focus on a “deprivation marketing” tactic for the TV ads. Rather than trying to promote milk for its health benefits or taste, they focused on situations where milk was desperately craved but not available — something consumers could relate to in a visceral way.

2. From Aaron Burr to Armageddon

The first TV spot for the Got Milk? campaign went down in commercial history. Maybe the reason it was so good is because it had a soon-to-be-famous director: Michael Bay. Then just a recent film graduate of the ArtCenter College of Design, Bay did the commercial in 1993 before going on to direct a number of blockbuster films, including Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and five movies in the Transformers film series.

The commercial stars Sean Whalen (who you might recognize from Twister) as a history buff who can’t blurt out Aaron Burr’s name because he doesn’t have any milk to wash down his peanut butter sandwich. It received the Grand Prix Clio Award for Commercial of the Year in 1993 and was later inducted into the Clio Awards Hall of Fame. In one USAToday.com poll, it was voted one of the 10 best ads of all time.

3. Black comedy meets white milk.

Who would’ve imagined that something as innocent as milk could be delightfully sinister? When you go back and watch Got Milk? TV ads from the ‘90s, you might be surprised at just how darkly comic they are. The Aaron Burr commercial seems like child’s play compared to a granny getting attacked by cats, a man’s arms snapping off or a priest smashing a vending machine in a fit of rage. This probably explains more about Gen X and Millennials’ sense of humor than we’d like to admit …

4. The secret milk mustache recipe

Following the success of the early TV commercials, the Got Milk? campaign expanded to include a print ad series featuring milk mustachioed celebs. But the making of a milk mustache wasn’t as straightforward as you might think. It actually involved a proprietary mix of milk, ice cream, and sour cream.

The concept of a milk mustache would go on to become a touchstone of ‘90s pop culture. Not only were hundreds of celebrities featured in the print ads (along with fictional characters like Kermit the Frog, Austin Powers, Garfield, and Yoda), there was a famous photographer behind the lens, too. Annie Leibovitz — known for iconic photographs like the one of Yoko Ono being embraced by John Lennon in the nude and the cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. album — captured over 180 of the Got Milk? portraits. 

5. Got lactose?

Being bestowed with the Got Milk? campaign’s signature mustache was quite the honor. But in order to make it into one of the ads, you had to actually back up what you were promoting by being a real-life milk drinker. When Whoopi Goldberg sought out a spot in the Got Milk? ads, she was initially turned down for being lactose intolerant. She finally got her shot in 1999 when the campaign ran an ad specifically for lactose-free milk.

6. Cats love milk … and copycats do, too.

Because the Got Milk? marketing was so ubiquitous, it was only a matter of time before others tried to capitalize on its popularity. Copycat phrases abounded, from “Got Beer?” to “Got Jesus?” to “Got Hair?” and beyond.

You’d think the Got Milk? creators would be ticked off, but they actually welcomed the imitators. They believed the parody phrasing only served to remind consumers of the original, making it effectively free advertising. The one exception was PETA’s stomach-churning “Got Pus? Milk Does” slogan, which got pulled after they were threatened with a lawsuit for trademark infringement.

7. A spooky legend gets thirsty.

In an effort to target the Mexican-American population, a 2001 Spanish-language Got Milk? ad was developed. The commercial was inspired by the Mexican folk tale of La Llorona, a woman who drowned her children then killed herself to spite her adulterous husband. Her weeping ghost was said to wander the earth in search of her lost children — but in the ad, it’s “leche” (Spanish for “milk”) that she’s looking for. It went over well among the Hispanic population, who generally found it funny. Those unfamiliar with the legend, on the other hand, thought it was a tie-in for a ghost movie.

8. Hi, Barbie!

The Got Milk? campaign was so pervasive that it led to collaborations with a number of brands, including Hot Wheels and Oreos. There was even a Got Milk? Barbie released in 1995. It came with a swirly pink straw for “sippin’ in style,” and Barbie was decked out in cow print overalls — very milkmaid chic.

9. But did it work?

Got Milk? may have been one of the most memorable marketing campaigns, but it wasn’t very successful. Some reports said there was a brief bump in milk sales in the ‘90s, but overall, the consumption of fluid milk has steadily declined since the 1970s. During the campaign’s heyday (1990 to 2000), U.S. daily per capita consumption actually fell by 11.5% (0.78 cup to 0.69 cup).

10. All about that “Milk Life”

The Got Milk? campaign persisted for over two decades after its debut in 1993. It wasn’t until 2014 that the tagline was officially retired and replaced with a new one — “Milk Life” — focused on milk's protein content. It hasn’t exactly caught on the way “Got Milk?” did, or even that of the ‘80s predecessor: “Milk: It Does a Body Good.”

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

Picture this: You’re at a sleepover and it’s getting late. After a (mostly) harmless round of Truth or Dare, plenty of snacks, and watching a movie, the tone shifts. Things start to get spooky, and someone suggests a game that sends a shiver down your spine.

No, it’s not “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board” or “Bloody Mary.” It’s a spooky séance conducted via Ouija board. As you and your besties try to contact the spirits, you stifle giggles but secretly hope you aren’t contacting any ghosts for real.

But did you know …

1. Spirits have entered the chat.

Think the Ouija board is a recent invention? Think again. There were plenty of similar “talking boards” that helped people commune with the dead long before Ouija appeared on the scene.

One of the earliest examples is fuji, a form of “spirit writing” practiced during the Song dynasty (960 to 1279 CE). Fuji messages were deciphered using a stick “guided” by the dead, creating Chinese characters in incense ashes or sand.

When Ouija-like devices were first developed, the sand and ashes were subbed out for a letter board. Meanwhile, the stick was replaced with a little heart-shaped indicator known as a “planchette.”

2. The Ouija boom

Tarot, crystals, and astrology may be popular right now, but guess what was all the rage in the 19th century? Séances. People were really into the spirit world, especially during the Civil War when they were desperate to connect with lost loved ones.

A businessman named Charles Kennard decided to cash in on this new pastime and create “talking boards” to sell to the masses. This became the first official Ouija board, which he began manufacturing in Baltimore in 1890. Before long, 2,000 Ouija boards were being sold every week at $1.50 a pop.

3. Good old-fashioned fun

When “talking boards” like the Ouija first became popular, it wasn’t considered a dark or potentially dangerous activity. It was more of a common pastime. There was even an image of a man and woman using a Ouija board on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post illustrated by Norman Rockwell — an icon of wholesome Americana.

4. What does Ouija even mean?

If you believed the story that “Ouija” came from the word “yes” in both French and German, you’ve been fooled (sorry). And in case you were wondering, both pronunciations — wee-gee and wee-ja — are accepted.

The real origin of the name comes from the spirit world itself. One day, Helen Peters (the sister-in-law of one of Kennard’s business partners) asked the board its name, and it spelled out “O-U-I-J-A.” Some think this may have been influenced by a locket she wore featuring the name “Ouida,” a famous author at the time.

The site where this all went down is now a 7-Eleven with a wall plaque commemorating the event. Might as well enjoy a little history along with your Slurpee.

5. Sounds suspicious to me …

After Kennard decided to cash out, another investor in the company named William Fuld took over. Not long after, Fuld died after falling off the roof of his factory — the very same factory he claimed the Ouija board had told him to build!

6. But does it work?

Do you believe in the Ouija’s power? Scientists have actually researched it, and many studies have pointed to the ideomotor effect as a possible explanation for mysterious Ouija messages.

Basically, ideomotor responses are muscular movements that we make unconsciously. This effect can be very convincing because people truly don’t think they’re controlling the Ouija planchette’s movement. When a group uses the board, the combination of all those small, unconscious movements really adds up and, before you know it, you’re chatting with the spirit of dear old Aunt Sally.

7. From the board to the page

Have you always dreamed of becoming a writer? Just let a Ouija board do the work for you. It’s kind of surprising how many authors have turned to Ouija messages when it comes to finding inspiration for their work. 

Emily Grant Hutchings claimed that her 1917 novel Jap Herron was dictated to her by Mark Twain through a Ouija board. In 1982, James Merrill published The Changing Light at Sandover, a 560-page poem with 20 years’ worth of messages delivered via Ouija board during his séances. Even Sylvia Plath used a Ouija board to ask her main spirit contact, “Pan,” for ideas on what to write about (and, occasionally, hot tips for the horse races).

8. We’ve been cursed!

Progressive rock band The Mars Volta claimed that real-life Ouija experiences inspired their 2008 album, The Bedlam in Goliath. After a Ouija board purchased in Jerusalem started sending menacing messages, the band was plagued by one disaster after the next. The music studio flooded twice, tracks randomly disappeared, the original engineer had a nervous breakdown, and the lead singer suffered a foot injury.

The compounding calamities were too much for the band to bear. In an act of desperation, they broke the Ouija board and buried it. Give the album a listen if you want to hear some sinister tunes.

9. The Ouija board made me do it.

After the Ouija board made an appearance in The Exorcist in 1973, it took a dark turn from engaging parlor game to occult practice. Some people started to see the Ouija board as a portal for evil spirits rather than a way to commune with friendly ghosts. The Catholic Church flat-out forbid its use, and certain Christian denominations called it a tool of Satan. Ouija boards have even been burned alongside Harry Potter books, AC/DC records, and other “satanic” items.

10. Hotel hauntings

Known for its frightening ghost encounters, the haunted Grand Midway Hotel in Windber, Pennsylvania made history on October 28, 2016, when it received the Guinness World Record for the largest Ouija board ever. Measuring over 1,300 square feet, the board is displayed on the hotel’s roof. That’s cool or whatever, but you couldn’t pay me to stay there for the night …

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

“On your mark, get set ... go!”

When Marc Summers uttered those famous words, you knew something fun was about to happen. 

No game show captured the fascination of American youngsters quite like Double Dare. It wasn’t just the fact that it was made with kids in mind, complete with a technicolor set and youthful contestants. Instead, it was all about the MESS — the one thing your parents were constantly on your case about. 

On Double Dare, messiness was celebrated, and kids were encouraged to get as sticky and slimy as they wanted. Where else could you go down a sundae slide into a pool of ice cream and chocolate syrup or root around in a giant nose filled with green goop?

But did you know ...

1. The OG Nickelodeon game show

Back in the ‘90s, Nickelodeon’s lineup was packed with game shows: Legends of the Hidden Temple, Figure It Out, Nick Arcade, Wild & Crazy Kids, GUTS ... you get the picture. But it’s unlikely that any of those would have existed if it weren’t for Double Dare, the network’s first game show.

After its premiere on October 6, 1986, Double Dare quickly became a massive hit. At one point, it was the most-watched original daily program on cable TV. In the following years, Nick launched a number of other game shows for kids based on the its success. To this day, Double Dare remains Nick’s longest-running game show with a total of 482 episodes in the original series.

2. Live from ... Philadelphia?

A phone call from Lorne Michaels changed the course of Double Dare history. The show was set to start filming in Philly, and producers were ready to offer comedian Dana Carvey the hosting job. Michaels beat them to it, however, by adding Carvey to the cast of Saturday Night Live. Carvey subsequently dropped out of the running, and that’s when Marc Summers got the call that he was hired as the host of Double Dare.

3. Same thing, but sloppier

Double Dare was such a hit that Nickelodeon developed multiple spin-offs over the years. First came Super Sloppy Double Dare with — you guessed it — even messier physical challenges and obstacle courses. Next up was Family Double Dare, which brought parents into the mix. A rebooted version called Double Dare 2000 debuted at the turn of the millennium, and another revival aired from 2018 to 2019.

4. Double Dare goes Hollywood ... with a Kardashian twist.

In 1987, the creators of Double Dare tried to cash in on its hot streak with a celebrity version of the game. The host was none other than Caitlyn Jenner, then known as Bruce Jenner and still primarily celebrated for Olympic wins and appearing on Wheaties cereal boxes. The pilot’s featured celebs, ‘80s teen heartthrob Scott Baio and soap opera star Heidi Bohay, were each paired with a contestant to compete in the usual trivia and physical challenges.

Celebrity Double Dare was never picked up, but an unaired pilot for a non-celebrity version of adult Double Dare hosted by Jenner can still be seen online. Jenner went on to marry Kris Kardashian a few years later, which ultimately led to a massive resurgence of fame on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 

5. It’s slime time!

The iconic green slime was first introduced in Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy show You Can’t Do That on Television. But it wasn’t until Double Dare that the slime became a central part of the network’s identity. The show’s popularity made slime synonymous with Nick, and by the late ‘80s, they were regularly using it in promotions for the network.

In case you were curious, the most common recipe for slime is Cream of Wheat, green food coloring, and baby shampoo.

6. Double Dare around the world

It didn’t take long for international adaptations of Double Dare to start popping up in countries across the globe. Canada, Germany, India, Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and The Netherlands each had their own version of the popular game show for kids.

While some countries applied pretty straightforward titles, like the French-Canadian Double Défi (Double Challenge) or Brazil’s Passa ou Repassa (Pass or Repass), others took a more creative route. Germany had Drops! while India’s version was titled Nick Dum Duma Dum.

7. The making of a human Mouse Trap 

When the creators of Double Dare were trying to come up with a format for the show, they turned to a surprising source of inspiration: the Mouse Trap board game. According to Geoffrey Darby, co-creator and executive producer, the team behind the show thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun if you made a big Rube Goldberg machine, but instead of a ball, it was a person?” The result was a game show that’s part trivia, part truth or dare, and part Mouse Trap.

8. Behind the music video

The pop punk band Good Charlotte went full throttle with the Nickelodeon nostalgia in their music video for “Last Night.” The video is formatted like an episode of Family Double Dare, with host Marc Summers actually lip synching some of the lyrics. The show’s set was reconstructed for the video, which has members of the band participating in sloppy physical challenges. Talk about a dream scenario for your inner kid.

9. The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers

As the face of Double Dare, Marc Summers is burned into Millennials’ brains as the ever-cheerful and energetic TV host. But his real life included plenty of ups and downs, which he adapted for the stage with writer Alex Brightman and composer Drew Gasparini. 

His one-man show, The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers, takes place on a replica of the original Double Dare set, and select audience members compete in physical challenges. The show covers his struggle with OCD (which wasn’t exactly easy as the host of the messiest show on TV) as well as other real-life triumphs and setbacks. It’s been staged several times since its 2016 premiere, most recently off-Broadway at New World Stages in Manhattan. On Your Marc, a documentary about Summers’ life, prominently features the development of the stage show.

10. I (double) dare you to chug that beer.

Since Double Dare was filmed in Philadelphia, the city has a special affinity for Marc Summers. For several years during Philly Beer Week, Summers served as the host of “Dunkel Dare,” a special event based on the original show. Named for dunkel beers, which are traditionally dark German lagers, “Dunkel Dare” features beer-themed trivia along with messy physical challenges much like those featured on the original show. I’ll drink to that!

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick

Ready to feel old? This year marks the 40th anniversary of Sixteen Candles. Written and directed by John Hughes, it would go on to become one of the iconic teen films of the ‘80s — not to mention the source of some truly memorable lines. Who can forget classics like “What’s happenin’, hot stuff?” or “Can I borrow your underpants for 10 minutes?”

Though there have been many imitators in the years since, it’s worth noting that pre-Sixteen Candles, most teen movies were either raunchy romps à la Porky’s or violent horror flicks. Hughes tapped into something special by making a film about ordinary kids that was lighthearted and funny while still taking the teenage experience seriously. Maybe that’s why we all have a place in our hearts for Farmer Ted to this day.

But did you know …

1. Weekend writing frenzy

John Hughes was known for chain-smoking and blasting music while working on screenplays, often writing late into the night. That formula turned out well for Sixteen Candles, which he wrote over the course of a single weekend.

One thing that helped Hughes was finding his muse for the project in Molly Ringwald. He had received a stack of headshots and pulled hers out as inspiration for the movie. He hung the photo above his desk and pictured her in the lead role while writing.

2. Princess Buttercup, is that you?

Even though Ringwald’s headshot was the inspiration for Samantha Baker, she still had to audition to secure the starring role. Several other promising young actresses were also in the running, including Robin Wright, Laura Dern, and Ally Sheedy. They’d all go on to stardom eventually, but Sheedy must have made a big impression since Hughes cast her in The Breakfast Club not long after.

3. Aragon was almost cast as the heartthrob.

Sam’s crush, Jake Ryan, was played by Michael Schoeffling. His wholesome good looks make it seem like he was an obvious choice for the part, but another actor was also in the running: Viggo Mortenson. More of a brooding bad boy type, Mortenson was actually Ringwald’s first pick. It came down to Schoeffling and Mortenson, but in the end, it seems the right Jake got the job.

4. Geeking out

Finding someone for the role of “The Geek,” aka Farmer Ted, was a big piece of the puzzle. A number of young actors auditioned, including Jim Carrey, who had yet to break out of stand-up comedy, and Ralph Macchio, fresh off of a big role in The Outsiders. But they weren’t what the filmmaker had in mind.

According to Hughes, “Every single kid who came in to read for the part of the freshman in Sixteen Candles did the whole, stereotyped high school nerd thing. You know — thick glasses, ball point pens in the pocket, white socks. But when [Anthony Michael Hall] came in he played it straight, like a real human being. I knew right at that moment that I'd found my geek.”

5. The deleted rap scene

One of the most memorable — and most divisive  — parts of Sixteen Candles is the character of Long Duk Dong, an Asian foreign exchange student. Gedde Watanabe, a Utah native who was 28 years old at the time of filming, actually faked the accent in his audition for the role, and kept it hidden from Hughes until the first table read. He was worried he’d get fired when his American accent was revealed, but Hughes just laughed.

According to Watanabe, a scene where the Donger raps about why he loves America was deleted from the final cut of the film. Someone seriously needs to unearth this footage!

6. All grown up

What happened to the Sixteen Candles characters as adults? In 2003, USA Network was developing a sequel based on that very premise. With a working title of “32 Candles,” this follow-up would take place 16 years after the original.

Ringwald was on board, but only wanted to do it if Hughes was involved. He hadn’t directed a film since Curly Sue in 1991, so it seemed unlikely. After Hughes died in 2009, any remaining plans for a sequel were scrapped.

7. One less candle

While the “sweet 16” is a big moment for many teens, there’s a similar coming-of-age ritual in Mexican and Latin American cultures that might get the Sixteen Candles treatment: the quinceañera. Selena Gomez is said to be developing a comedy TV series for Peacock called “15 Candles” that would be a Latinx reimagining of the 1984 film. The minor adjustment to the title comes from the age when girls celebrate their quinceañera.

8. You’ll never guess who I saw at church …

The church scene in Sixteen Candles is comedy gold, with Sam’s drugged-up sister, Ginny, stumbling down the aisle at her wedding. But with all the attention on her pratfalls, it’s easy to miss the somewhat famous faces in the crowd.

The woman Ginny briefly sits next to in the church is Agnes Belushi, mother to Jim and John Belushi. Up at the altar, you can spot Bill Murray’s brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, as the reverend. The organist is played by Zelda Rubinstein — better known as Tangina Barrons from the Poltergeist movies.

9. License plate Easter eggs

John Hughes snuck a couple fun Easter eggs into Sixteen Candles with vanity license plates. Sam’s dad’s car has a plate which reads V58. This is a reference to “Vacation ‘58,” a short story he wrote that would later be adapted for the movie, National Lampoon’s Vacation.

The numbers 21850 can be found on the license plate of Jake’s car as a nod to Hughes' birthday on February 18, 1950. Coincidentally, February 18 happens to be Molly Ringwald’s birthday, too.

10. Lunch ladies gone wild

The high school cafeteria in Sixteen Candles subjected the characters to some seriously questionable fare. Cream of lunch soup, meatball salad, jumbo fishdog, cornaroni, gelatin balls, canned brownies in light syrup, and vitamin cobbler are just some of the strange items listed on the menu.

Interestingly, this deleted cafeteria scene only appears in televised broadcasts, and was never included in the theatrical release or VHS and DVD copies of the movie. If your school lunches were just as unappetizing, you probably don’t want the reminder anyway!

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Editorial: Ashley
Illustration: Nick