I recently came across this video thanks to the wonders of social media. I of course am immediately drawn to any 80s or 90s pop-culture references so of course, once posted to my news feed on Facebook I had no other choice but to click the link. It did not disappoint. This video features so many of the most iconic TV shows and commercials from when I was a kid and would park myself in front of the television for as many hours as my parents would allow (which was eventually limited to 1 hour a week of regular TV and unlimited PBS. I know. Not cool mom and dad!). I was happy to see such a great cross section of content, from commercials to live action tv shows for young kids and teenagers with a smattering of the "important" commercials thrown in for good measure. It really was like reliving my childhood!
Enjoy! It definitely made me smile and brought back many memories!
The 1990s seemed to be a boom time for commercialism geared towards children. This was an era where games and toys were turned into TV shows and all TV shows, especially cartoons, had an almost inherent commercial value to them. One example, featured here, is Rescue Rangers. Not only was there the original movie based on Chip and Dale, but then it spawned the cartoon show and a whole slew of must-have toys. I, for one, as a small child of the 80s, but a really a consumer of 90s culture, ate it all up. Watching this clip I realized that the commercials are just as iconic and memorable as the shows themselves. I watch the Cheetos and Chuck E. Cheese commercials with the same familiarity that I can sing along with The Animaniacs theme song.
Something else that this got me thinking about is the shared experience of media that we kids-of-the-90s experienced. Whoever posted this to youtube (whoever KyleKingTV is) had a relatively finite amount of material to choose from. Cable TV existed, but was not nearly as pervasive as it is today. The entertainment available to us was pretty much TV (primarily broadcast, PBS and limited basic cable stations), some video games and books. We all pretty much watched the same stuff which was so concentrated that nearly 20 years later we still remember these as the iconic images of our day. Today there are so many options for entertainment that the pool gets diluted. It will be interesting to see what a kids' montage will look like in 20 years from now and if it has the same recognizability for the target demographic. Maybe in the future rather than TV shows kids will look back fondly on Youtube videos, iPhone apps and Facebook statuses. Only time will tell...
I'd love to hear what you're favorites are/were. Feel free to post them in the comments section!
1 comment:
I LIVED for Ghostwriter, the Mighty Ducks, Saved by the Bell, Pinky and the Brain, and the Disney Afternoon!
Thanks for sharing.
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