Kids in 1992 wanted to preserve Game Boys, rollerblades, and MC Hammer.
The 90s were a strange decade, no matter which part of pop culture you want to examine. The same decade that gave us the Power Rangers also gave us Rob Liefeld. Everyone remembers Sonic the Hedgehog, but whatever became of Bubsy? While the charming cat platformer (catformer, perhaps?) seems lost to the ravages of time, Nickelodeon and a contingent of its loyal viewers wanted to make sure the same fate didn’t befall the beloved pop culture icons of 1992. The network and a team of kids put together a time capsule containing 21 items that the denizens of the far-off future year 2042 could use to better understand the (admittedly very weird) habits, preferences, and worldview of children in the early 90s. From VHS tapes to Burt Reynolds (in a magazine) to photos of Soviet Russia, it would seem that they succeeded.
The items represent a wide swath of material from 20 years ago. There’s some stuff that still holds up today, including a VHS of Back to the Future, a box of Twinkies, a Barbie doll, and a baseball. Other items, such as a Game Boy, a pair of rollerblades, a jar of Gak, and Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em on CD are a little more dated. Those who open the capsule in 2042 might find that the most salient items, however, are photographs of celebrities, vehicles, and world events of the time, as well as an actual piece of the Berlin Wall, which had just fallen two years prior.
Since the burial of the time capsule happened 20 years ago and its unearthing is still 30 years away, this may not be the most urgent news you read today. Even so, it serves to reinforce the fact that even though it may not seem like it, the 90s were a long time ago, and a whole generation of kids has grown up under a whole new pop culture paradigm. If this list makes you nostalgic now, just imagine how you’ll feel in 2042.
Source: mental_floss
Published: Jun 26, 2012 05:12 am