Tag: nostalgia

Are These the Best Old-School Arcade Games of All Time?

If you grew up in the glow of an arcade cabinet, pumping quarters into machines and battling for high scores, you’re not alone. The golden age of arcade games holds a special place in many hearts—and now, the internet has spoken.

Ranker.com recently asked readers to vote for the best classic arcade games of all time, and the results are basically a love letter to joysticks, 8-bit soundtracks, and pixelated glory. Spoiler: Pac-Man still rules the maze.

Here’s the full Top 20 list:

  1. Pac-Man – The OG icon of arcade gaming chomps its way to #1.
  2. Galaga – Pew pew! Still one of the most satisfying space shooters ever made.
  3. Street Fighter II – Where friendships went to die. Or at least took a punch.
  4. Donkey Kong – The game that gave us Mario and barrels of rage.
  5. Frogger – Teaching us the dangers of traffic long before driving school.
  6. Space Invaders – Those aliens just never quit.
  7. Mortal Kombat – Finish him! (And maybe traumatize young gamers everywhere.)
  8. Asteroids – A vector-graphic classic. Still hypnotic.
  9. Ms. Pac-Man – She’s faster, tougher, and has better mazes than her man.
  10. Double Dragon – Tag-team street fighting at its finest.
  11. Dig Dug – Blowing up underground monsters with a bike pump never gets old.
  12. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game – Cowabunga, dudes!
  13. Centipede – Speed, precision, and mushroom warfare.
  14. Defender – Rescue mission meets button-mashing chaos.
  15. Mario Bros. – Before the Super came along, this was the humble beginning.
  16. 1942 – Old-school air combat with a side of loop-de-loops.
  17. Gauntlet – “Wizard needs food, badly.”
  18. Rampage – Smash buildings, eat people, be a monster. Therapeutic.
  19. Golden Axe – Swords, magic, and side-scrolling brawls.
  20. The Simpsons Arcade Game – A chaotic and hilarious family beat-’em-up.

Whether you were Team Joystick or just there for the greasy pizza and neon lights, this list hits all the right nostalgia buttons. And if you’re thinking “Hey, where’s [insert your favorite]?” — the list actually goes to 100+, so it’s probably on there. Check it out.

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: July 6-12

Jared Fogel is a creep, NFL players vs. fireworks, and Oreo Thins make their debut. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

We found out Jared from Subway was a perv.

The FBI raided Jared Fogle’s home in Indiana on July 7, 2015 as part of a child pornography investigation. Subway immediately dumped him as their spokesman. Even worse, his cameo in “Sharknado 3” got cut! He agreed to a plea deal a month later that put him away for 15 years. He won’t be eligible for parole until 2029.

Two NFL players lost fingers playing with fireworks.

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had his right index finger amputated on July 8, 2015, four days after a firework mangled his hand. Bucs cornerback C.J. Wilson also lost two fingers in a fireworks mishap that same Fourth of July. The injury ended Wilson’s career. Pierre-Paul missed half a season and went on to make the Pro Bowl in 2020.

Your odds of winning the Powerball got worse.

They added 10 more balls, but also dropped the number of Powerballs from 35 to 26. All told, it lowered the odds of hitting the jackpot from 1 in 175 million to 1 in 292 million, but the odds of winning smaller prizes increased. The changes led to the first $1 billion Powerball jackpot winner just six months later. ($1.59 billion in January 2016.)

Oreo Thins made their debut.

ABC News noted the thinner, snappier version took longer to soften when dunked in milk – 37 seconds vs. 19 for the O.G. (They also reported Thins were only 7 fewer calories, but it’s actually 18 fewer.)

The Women’s World Cup Final was the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history.

26.7 million Americans tuned in to watch the U.S. score four goals in the first 16 minutes and beat Japan 5-2. The ratings record stood for seven years until the Men’s World Cup Final between Argentina and France narrowly topped it with 26.73 million in 2022.

Meek Mill had his first #1 album.

“Dreams Worth More Than Money” went on to become the first platinum album of his career. His 2018 album “Championships” also went platinum.

A kid passed his driving test, then his mom crashed into the DMV.

It happened at a DMV in Huntsville, Alabama. She claimed the brakes didn’t work, but her son had just passed his test in the same car, so…

Taylor Swift gave $50,000 to an 11-year-old fan with cancer.

Naomi Oakes’ cancer went into remission a year later. She graduated from high school in 2022. 

LucasFilm announced a Han Solo spinoff was in the works.

“Solo” came out in 2018 and made $393 million, but cost $275 million to make. By “Star Wars” standards, the $118 million profit was considered a modest success.

“Minions” was a massive hit.

The “Despicable Me” spinoff outgrossed the original, raking in $336 million. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” made even more in 2022, leading to a third Minions movie that was announced in July 2024.

“One Mississippi, Two Mississippi”: In Other Countries

If you’re having a low-stakes kind of day, this might be the most delightfully useless but hilarious thing you’ll see: someone on Reddit asked non-Americans what their version of “One Mississippi, Two Mississippi” is… and the responses did not disappoint.

These playful phrases, often used by kids to count seconds during games like hide-and-seek, vary wildly depending on where you’re from. But the creativity? Universal. Let’s take a scenic world tour of weird and wonderful second-counting traditions.

In Denmark, they apparently count beers: “One case of beer, two cases of beer…” Not exactly playground material, but A+ for local flair.

Scotland goes full safari with “One elephant, two elephant,” while up in Canada, it’s a toss-up between “One hippopotamus” and “One steamboat.”

In Brazil, kids say “Um indiozinho, dois indiozinhos,” which translates to “One little Indigenous kid, two little Indigenous kids.” India opts for “Tick tick one, tick tick two,” which sounds like it could double as a suspense-building sound effect. Meanwhile, China gets rhythmic with, “1-2-3-4, 2-2-3-4…” and repeats up to ten before looping back.

Aussies might say, “One cat and dog, two cat and dog,” although one local insisted they’ve never heard that in their life… so it may just be folklore at this point. Mexicans take a minimalist approach with a calm, deliberate “Uno… dos… tres…”

One resident of Mississippi admitted that growing up there, they thought everyone just used the name of their own state. So “One North Carolina, Two North Carolina”?

And finally, a shout-out to the South African who used “One Mississippi” . . . without even knowing what or where “Mississippi” was.

So no, it won’t solve any of the world’s problems. But it might make your next round of hide-and-seek a little more international.

Steve from “Blue’s Clues” Is Launching a Podcast for Grown-Ups

Ready to feel all the nostalgic feels? Steve Burns – the original, green-striped-shirt-wearing host of “Blue’s Clues” – is officially stepping into the podcast world. But this time, he’s not talking to Salt, Pepper, or Mailbox. He’s talking to you.

Steve’s new podcast is called “Alive“, and it’s aimed at the generation who grew up with him and might now be quietly spiraling into adulthood.

Each weekly episode will explore what it means to “stay human in a complicated world.” Think: self-reflection, curiosity, and probably fewer cartoon chairs with faces.

Burns says the inspiration came from his viral 2021 video marking the 25th anniversary of “Blue’s Clues”, where he popped back into our lives to say he never forgot us … and yes, we cried.

In describing “Alive”, Steve said, “There are a thousand podcasts you can listen to, this is one that listens back.”

He wants to pick up right where he left off decades ago, but with grown-up themes like connection, curiosity, and asking deeper questions.

In other words, this is still a show about following clues, just not the crayon-drawn kind.And in case you’re worried that this is going to be all introspection and no fun, Steve promises there will still be a little lightness sprinkled in. “There will be LESS talking furniture,” he said, “but there will still be some fun along the way.”

The show is expected to drop this fall, and judging by the buzz around it already, “Alive” might just be the cozy, thoughtful podcast hug our collective inner child needs.

So, whether you’re solving existential mysteries or just need a reminder that someone still believes in you, Steve is back.

These Obsolete Skills Still Live Rent-Free in Our Brain

Wanna feel old? (Or older than you already did?) People online are sharing all the quirky, now-useless skills they still remember… and if you were born before apps were a thing, chances are you’ve got a few of these stored in your mental attic.

Here’s a nostalgic list of obsolete talents many of us haven’t used in decades, but could still pull off in our sleep:

  1. Programming a VCR
    If you could make it stop blinking 12:00, you were basically the family tech support.
  2. Dubbing tapes with two VCRs
    Including the sacred ritual of removing the plastic tab so no one taped over Spaceballs.
  3. Rewinding a cassette with a pencil
  4. Loading and developing 35mm film
  5. Driving stick
    Still potentially useful if you find a car from the ‘90s or a luxury European rental.
  6. Using a Thomas Guide
    You had to read a map using Battleship-like grids.
  7. Making a mixtape
    From radio. In real time. With perfect timing.
  8. Covering school books with paper bags
    Sharpie doodles were encouraged.
  9. Running MS-DOS programs
  10. Memorizing phone numbers
    Jenny’s number (867-5309) lives rent-free in our heads forever.
  11. Customizing Winamp skins
  12. Using carbon paper
    The OG “copy and paste.”
  13. Folding a roadmap
    Or more accurately: trying, failing, and then “making it work.”
  14. Pinning a cloth diaper
    And doing it without poking a baby. Legend status.
  15. Making a weed pipe out of a Coke can
    You didn’t learn that in shop class, but maybe you should’ve.

Whether you’re laughing, cringing, or feeling weirdly proud, these skills are little time capsules of life before everything got smart, touch-enabled, and stored in the cloud.

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: June 22-28

Spider-Man, fo’ shizzle, Diddy crime, and mattress actors. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

The new Spider-Man was an actor you’d never heard of.

19-year-old Tom Holland was relatively unknown, but did have some cred for his performance in 2012’s “The Impossible” with Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. (Really needed his web slingers in that one. Spoiler: the tsunami wins.)

Leonardo DiCaprio invested in a mattress startup.

He knows his way around a bedroom, so folks laughed. Fellow mattress enthusiasts Adam Levine and (ex Spider-Man) Tobey Maguire were also early investors. The up-and-coming mattress company was Casper.

Diddy was maybe going to jail.

He got arrested for aggravated assault after a dust up with a coach at UCLA, where his son was playing football. The charges were eventually dropped due to a “lack of evidence,” but it was later alleged he’d fought the coach, choked out an intern, and put another staff member in a headlock. The good news is he was able to put his legal troubles behind him…

Dustin Diamond was definitely going to jail.

He got four months for stabbing a dude in a bar brawl on New Year’s Day. Served three, got out on probation. Sadly, we lost Screech less than six years later. Dustin (who was not a smoker) lost a battle with lung cancer in early 2021.

“Fo’ shizzle” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Even the snobby, fancy dictionaries had caved and were leaning into the new 21st century vocab. “Sext,” “hot mess,” “autotune,” and “stanky” also made it in that year.

A cat won Dog of the Year.

You’ll know why when you remember the footage. A loose dog tried to rip a kid’s leg off in Bakersfield, CA, but the family cat kicked its ass. 7-year-old tabby Tara took home spcaLA’s highly coveted National Hero Dog Award. Ask your pup, it’s quite the honor.

Paris Hilton wasn’t in a fiery plane crash.

An Egyptian prank show caught heat for making her think her plane was going down. But TMZ later reported she was in on the prank, supposedly pocketing a cool $1 million for the stunt. The collective reaction was wow… she’s a better actress than we thought.

Rumor had it Tom Cruise might do a “Top Gun” sequel.

The rumor picked up steam when he later said he’d do it if there was “no CGI on the jets.” “Top Gun: Maverick” came out seven years later in 2022 and grossed $1.5 billion at the box office. They did use real jets – with a dash of CGI.

The first “Inside Out” was a huge hit with (most) kids.

Unfortunately, a group of excited kiddos in Ohio were left traumatized after a projectionist accidentally screened the horror flick “Insidious: Chapter 3” instead. Scarred for life.

Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris were together and rich as hell.

“Forbes” named them the world’s highest-paid celebrity couple with combined earnings of $146 million. Beyoncé and Jay-Z were next at $110.5 million.

Taylor and Calvin dated for just over a year. She eventually moved on to car wash owner and Campbell’s Chunky souperfan Travis Kelce. “Forbes” doesn’t do the list anymore, but Tay Tay and Trav would be high up on it.

Whatever Happened to Cereal Box Prizes? And Other Stuff That Quietly Vanished

Some things disappear with a bang. Others just slip out the back door while no one’s looking… like your old Tamagotchi or Kevin Costner’s reputation as a box office draw.

A viral internet post recently asked, “What’s something that used to be everywhere, and now it’s just… gone?” The answers were a nostalgic gut-punch… and also kinda hilarious. Here are a few of the best:

1. Heelys
Those shoes with the hidden wheels? If you weren’t flying down the school hallway on a pair of Heelys in 2004, were you even alive? They’re technically still around, but these days you’re more likely to see a grown man on a Bird scooter than a kid on Heelys.

2. Cereal Box Prizes
Once the highlight of any kid’s morning, cereal prizes are now mostly just QR codes that send you to an app you’ll forget about in 10 minutes. Digging through sugary flakes for a plastic toy was a core childhood memory. Now? Just sadness and fiber.

3. Picture-in-Picture TV
It used to be a very big deal to watch two shows at once. Now we’re watching TV while scrolling TikTok and responding to emails. Modern multitasking made this feature irrelevant… R.I.P. to the little box in the corner.

4. Voiceovers in Movie Trailers
“In a world…” used to open every epic trailer. But gravel-voiced narrators have all but vanished, replaced by ominous piano music and vague text like “From the studio that brought you… something you forgot.”

5. Paid Lunch Breaks
The “lunch hour” used to be part of your shift. Somewhere along the line, it became a “take it if you dare” unpaid thing, and we just collectively shrugged and said okay.

There’s a lot of this kind of stuff. Here are a few things that DIDN’T make the list, but should’ve:

  • Eye contact.
  • Sears.
  • Justin Timberlake fans.
  • The prestige of an Ivy League degree.
  • MTV.
  • Voicemails.
  • Unopinionated people on Facebook.

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: June 15-21

It’s time for another nostalgic look back at the good, the bad, and the just plain weird. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

1.  Trump announced he was running for president, and everyone chuckled. He descended his golden escalator, formally entering the fray on June 16th, 2015, and no one thought he had a chance. Hillary Clinton had announced her candidacy two months earlier that April.

2.  The Rachel Dolezal scandal broke. The former president of Spokane’s NAACP chapter resigned after it was revealed she was extremely caucasian. She made headlines again in 2024 when her OnlyFans page got her fired from a teaching job in Arizona.

3.  “Jurassic World” had the biggest opening weekend ever – $208.8 million. But the record only stood for six months. “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” opened to the tune of $248 million that December.

4.  Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig’s made-for-TV movie premiered on Lifetime. “A Deadly Adoption” was a typical Lifetime drama. The only comedy that existed was the fact that Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig decided to do a typical Lifetime drama.

5.  A-Rod got his 3,000th hit, and the fan wouldn’t give him the ball. His 3,000th hit was a homer snagged by pro ballhawk Zack Hample. Two weeks later, Hample finally traded the ball for some signed swag, free All-Star tickets, and a $150k donation to the charity Pitch in for Baseball.

6.  Brian Williams got banished to MSNBC for his B.S. helicopter story. He’d been suspended by NBC News earlier in the year after claiming he was on a helicopter that got hit by an RPG in Iraq.

7.  Sean Penn and Charlize Theron broke up. Yeah, they dated for a minute – or more like 18 months between 2013 and 2015. Their 15-year age gap may have been an issue, and also the fact that he’s known to be… difficult.

8. A divorced guy literally split everything down the middle. A woman in Germany left her husband of 12 years. He went viral after doing the only mature thing and sawing their possessions in half.

9.  Even Michael Jackson’s son thought the name “Blanket” was dumb. News broke that he’d started going by Bigi at school because he was sick of being bullied. (It was just a nickname anyway. Bigi was born Prince Michael Jackson II. MJ introduced him in 2002 by dangling him off a balcony with a towel on his head. Normal dad stuff.)

10.  Utah Valley University invented cellphone friendly stairs. Three separate lanes for walking, running, and texting. It’s been a decade… how has this design not become ubiquitous?

10 Things That Happened 10 Years Ago: June 8-14

It’s time for another nostalgic look back at the good, the bad, and the just plain weird. Here are 10 things that happened 10 years ago this week.

1.  American Pharoah won the Triple Crown.  He was the 12th horse to do it, and the first since 1978.  It happened again three years later when Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018.  No other horse has done it since.

@worldhorseracing

10 years ago, Triple Crown 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 was made… 🇺🇸👑 @thenyra #belmontstakes #americanpharoah #triplecrown

♬ original sound – WHR – WHR

2.  The most popular wedding song was “All of Me” by John Legend.  According to Spotify, the #1 first dance song was “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.

3.  Pizza Hut announced their Hot Dog Bites Pizza was coming to the U.S.  They’d already offered it in the U.K., Australia, Canada, and several countries in Asia.  Unfortunately (or thankfully), it was only a limited-time thing.  It came with a side of French’s mustard for dipping.

4.  The Warriors and Cavs were in the NBA Finals.  Golden State won it in six games even though the Cavs had LeBron James.  It was the second time they had him – he’d just rejoined Cleveland after four seasons with the Miami Heat.

5.  Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were still together.  They were spotted flying coach to France with their six kids.  They announced their divorce about a year later in 2016, but it wasn’t finalized until 2024.

6.  “Best,” was becoming the go-to word for ending an email.  A report found “best” and “thanks” were the top two words people used.  In the early 2000s, only around 5% were using the word “best.”

7.  Kim Kardashian rented out the Staples Center.  It was so her then hubby Kanye West could play basketball on his 38th birthday.  Other players included Justin Bieber, Tyga, Pusha T, and Russell Westbrook.

8.  Florence and the Machine scored their first #1 album.  “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” shot to #1, beating Taylor Swift’s “1989” album at #2.

9.  Raven-Symoné replaced Rosie O’Donnell on “The View.”  She’d guest hosted dozens of times already, but only ended up being a full-time host for two seasons.  The other hosts back then were Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez, and Nicolle Wallace.

10.  We found out the “Brady Bunch” kids were all hooking up behind the scenes.  Susan Olsen (Cindy) told an Australian news outlet there were lots of make-out sessions on set.  Cindy and Bobby, Jan and Peter, Marcia and Greg.  (It’s fitting that Cindy was the one to spill the beans. She was always such a tattle-tale!!)

The Most Common High School Experiences We Shared

With graduation season in full swing, a YouGov poll asked thousands of Americans a nostalgic question: If you could go back and do high school all over again, would you?

For many of us, the answer is HELL NO!! But that’s not actually how the majority of Americans feel about it.

Most Americans would like to revisit their high school years—but maybe with a few do-overs.

55% say they’d go back and relive their teenage years, while 40% say absolutely not. (The other 5% are still on the fence.)

The vast majority of that “yes” crowd would do things a little differently though. Only 12% overall said they’d want to have the exact same high school experience if they went back and did it all over again.

Even across generations, we shared a lot of the same high school moments.

The poll also dove into shared high school experiences, ranking how common certain milestones and memories were. Unsurprisingly, having a crush took the top spot—87% of respondents admitted to pining for someone in high school.

50 High School Moments We Shared

Had a crush on someone: 87%

Had a group of friends or a clique: 83%

Took a class you loved: 79%

Took a class you hated: 79%

Attended a school football game: 68%

Kissed someone: 68%

Lied to your parents: 67%

Took the SAT or ACT: 66%

Went on a date: 65%

Had a boyfriend or girlfriend: 64%

Got your driver’s license: 64%

Went to a school dance: 63%

Had a part-time or full-time job: 62%

Made a close friend you still talk to: 62%

Failed a test: 60%

Had a curfew: 55%

Filled out a college application: 54%

Showed up late to class: 53%

Experienced anxiety or depression: 53%

Went to a house party: 53%

Got grounded by your parents: 52%

Went to prom: 52%

Participated in a school club: 51%

Skipped class without permission: 50%

Drank alcohol: 49%

Hung out at a mall: 49%

Volunteered: 48%

Made the honor roll: 47%

Got bullied by someone: 47%

Drove to school: 45%

Got sent to the principal’s office: 43%

Pulled an all-nighter: 40%

Took an AP or honors class: 40%

Played on a sports team: 39%

Got detention: 37%

Smoked a cigarette: 37%

Had sex: 36%

Got into a physical fight: 35%

Had a cellphone: 35%

Cheated on a test or assignment: 32%

Snuck out of the house at night: 31%

Joined the school band or choir: 31%

Participated in a school play: 30%

Smoked pot: 28%

Had a social media account: 28%

Became close to a teacher you still talk to: 22%

Had braces: 19%

Participated in student government: 16%

Participated in political activism: 11%

Bullied someone: 10%

So, yeah. We went through a lot of the same stuff.

If you experienced all 50 things on that list, you really packed it in! If you experienced none of them… you were probably homeschooled. (But c’mon, your mom must have at least bullied you once!)

What the poll reveals?

While everyone’s high school journey is unique, the poll shows just how many of our experiences—good, bad, and awkward—were shared. And if most of us could go back, we probably wouldn’t change everything, but maybe we’d study a little harder, party a little smarter, or say “hi” to that crush just once.

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