Spring Break
Still Preoccupied With 1985
A Look Back At The Fashions And Pop-Culture Trends That Have Shaped The Past 22 Years
Sarah Kopman-Fried
Issue date: 5/6/07 Section: Focus
1993 - With the advent of the Internet, chat rooms started to become popular this year. "Beavis and Butthead" also debuted and was an enormously popular marketing success. Magic Eye pictures and Nickelodeon's Floam were must-have items and the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game was invented.
1994 - The most quoted movie around was "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." On TV, "Friends" debuted, spawning the extremely popular Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) Shag Haircut. Girls also went gaga over the Wonderbra, while, for boys, Tommy Hilfiger became enormously stylish.
1995 - Crop tops became a huge craze this year, as did Sketchers shoes and Baby Doll fashion. Blue M&Ms and "Sailor Moon" debuted, while in theaters, "Toy Story" was a huge commercial success. The Sony Playstation game console was also released and would go on to become the world's most popular game system. Dial-up internet finally became mainstream this year.
1996 - If ever there was a year for trends, 1996 was it. The "Macarena" was released and Beanie Babies became the hottest collector's item around. Tickle Me Elmo was a must-have toy and the Pokemon series debuted.
1997 - The Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC dominated the music scene in 1997. J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series debuted to critical acclaim and the Tamagotchi was a necessity for all girls under 12. "Titanic" dominated theaters. The debut of "South Park" was greeted by both criticism and much popularity.
1998 - The Monica Lewinsky scandal and its accompanying jokes dominated this year. Viagra and "Blame it on El Nino" jokes were also a source of humor. Teenagers began wearing blinking pacifiers in dance clubs and skating rinks. Furby became a must-have toy.
1999 - A huge year for electronics. The Y2K crisis took shape and a host of enormously popular television shows premiered including, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" "The Sopranos," and "Family Guy." Britney Spears and Ricky Martin also burst onto the music scene. Short sleeve hoodies were fashionable, and Abercrombie & Fitch emerged as a popular teen clothing store.
1994 - The most quoted movie around was "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." On TV, "Friends" debuted, spawning the extremely popular Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) Shag Haircut. Girls also went gaga over the Wonderbra, while, for boys, Tommy Hilfiger became enormously stylish.
1995 - Crop tops became a huge craze this year, as did Sketchers shoes and Baby Doll fashion. Blue M&Ms and "Sailor Moon" debuted, while in theaters, "Toy Story" was a huge commercial success. The Sony Playstation game console was also released and would go on to become the world's most popular game system. Dial-up internet finally became mainstream this year.
1996 - If ever there was a year for trends, 1996 was it. The "Macarena" was released and Beanie Babies became the hottest collector's item around. Tickle Me Elmo was a must-have toy and the Pokemon series debuted.
1997 - The Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC dominated the music scene in 1997. J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series debuted to critical acclaim and the Tamagotchi was a necessity for all girls under 12. "Titanic" dominated theaters. The debut of "South Park" was greeted by both criticism and much popularity.
1998 - The Monica Lewinsky scandal and its accompanying jokes dominated this year. Viagra and "Blame it on El Nino" jokes were also a source of humor. Teenagers began wearing blinking pacifiers in dance clubs and skating rinks. Furby became a must-have toy.
1999 - A huge year for electronics. The Y2K crisis took shape and a host of enormously popular television shows premiered including, "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" "The Sopranos," and "Family Guy." Britney Spears and Ricky Martin also burst onto the music scene. Short sleeve hoodies were fashionable, and Abercrombie & Fitch emerged as a popular teen clothing store.
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