Month: March 2021

Nickelodeon in the 90s was way more than just a TV network – it was a community.

Being a kid could be confusing and scary and lonely and sad at times. It could also be totally boring and filled with entertainment that felt toned-down or even pandering. Adults ran the world, and kids had to live by their rules. But not with Nickelodeon. In the 90s, the kids owned Nickelodeon. It was a community where they could do what they wanted and totally be themselves – their true outrageous, goofy, normal, imaginative, and oftentimes gross kid selves. Some of what aired on the channel might have freaked your parents out a little, but that was the point, right?

This week we are joined by Scott Barber, the co-director of the newly-released documentary The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story, to talk all about the documentary, the shows, the characters, the brilliant executives and creators, and what it meant to be a Nick kid in the 90s – and what it means to be a (dare we say grown-up?) 90s Nick kid today. Because in our minds, once a Nick kid – always a Nick kid.

The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqjb18BVz8c

Instagram: @TheOrangeYears

Facebook: facebook.com/theorangeyears

Diana Spencer became the Princess of Wales in 1981 a few weeks after turning 20 years old and she immediately caught the attention of the whole world. People loved her accessibility, her warmth, her community service, and her style. But beneath it all, she was deeply unhappy and lonely, despite her boundless love for her two children and all the others she touched through her charity work. Devastatingly, she wasn’t able to escape it and passed away at 36 years old.

Just a few days ago in March 2021, Meghan Markle, the former Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry’s wife, came forward with similar revelations about her time in the royal family – years marked by life-threatening depression, lack of support, loneliness, and the added layer of being a multiracial American woman in a deeply, historically oppressive institution. The similarities are stark, and the two womens’ stories tie together and paint a picture of a truly problematic system for women and women of color.

This week I’m by myself covering Princess Diana – her life, her legacy, and how her story is tied to Meghan’s – and my plea for compassionate media consumption as we see how damaging these systems are to women of all strides in the public eye.

CW: Suicidal ideations, mental health, bipolar personality disorder, self-harm, disordered eating, public humiliation, shame, harassment

ROSEBUD. *cha-ching sound* *windfall of cash in your account*

If only life was like the original The Sims when it was released in 2000. Right? You could pull a cheat code out of thin air and give yourself an influx of cash to build the house of your dreams and go on a ton of cool vacations. You could stand in front of your dresser and magically swap outfits. You could paint, read, play chess, work out. As a Sim, you could live easy.

But it wasn’t all rosy to be a Sim – the Grim Reaper was always lurking, burglars could steal your stuff, you could set your kitchen on fire… No matter what happened to your Sims, the game was one of the first instances of that 90s-kid-epiphany that you had to be responsible for yourself and others or things could go sideways fast.

Join me with my sister Sam from SimpsontheGo as we discuss the original The Sims, the gameplay, the expansion packs, and the l

egacy. And let us know who you made as your spouse (a celebrity or real-life crush?) when you made yourself in the game.

SimpsontheGo Instagram: @simpsonthego

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simpsonthego

SOURCES

“The Sims Made Me Realize I’m Ready for More in Life,”  Wired.com, February 2021 https://www.wired.com/story/sims-game-psychology/

“The Sims 1: Every Or

iginal Expansion Pack, Ranked,” TheGamer.com, Jun 2019 https://www.thegamer.com/the-sims-original-expansion-packs-ranked/

“The Original “The Sims” Was Inherently Dark and Kind of Creepy,” Medium.com, July 2014 https://medium.com/@julialynnrubin/the-original-the-sims-was-inherently-dark-and-kind-of-creepy-2a0ba631f5a7

“The Sims: Weird objects from the original game,” Extratime.media, October 2020 https://extratime.media/2020/10/19/the-sims-weird-objects-from-the-original-game/

“Why The Original Sims Game is Still the BEst in the Series,” Cultured Vultures, September 2017 https://culturedvultures.com/original-sims-still-best/

“How The Sims navigated 20 years of change to become one of the most successful franchises ever, Washington Post, February 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/02/04/how-sims-navigated-20-years-change-become-one-most-successful-franchises-ever/

“31 things all original The Sims players will know all too well,” Metro News UK, June 2014 https://metro.co.uk/2014/06/08/31-things-all-original-the-sims-players-will-know-all-too-well-4754027/

“The Sims, Then and Now,” Bustle, September 2014 https://www.bustle.com/articles/38755-the-sims-then-and-now-your-comprehensive-guide-photos

25 years ago this month, a movie hit theaters that threatened to unseat Caddyshack for the greatest golf movie ever made. Except the main character wasn’t a golfer, he was a hockey player (with a wicked slapshot), and he made sure you never forgot it

.

This week Eric and I are celebrating the beloved 1996 Adam Sandler classic, Happy Gilmore, on its 25th filmaversary. Arguably one of the best comedies of the 90s, Happy Gilmore (and his iconic rival, Shooter McGavin)  imbued a ton of nostalgic memories in 90s kids and 90s kids at heart. So grab a Subway sandwich and a beer and settle in for a hilarious throwback to a movie that graced our 90s sleepovers and gave us a comedic hero we still love today.

And if you have a 90s 9th Green at 9 Theme Party, please invite Eric and me, thanks.

LINKS

Happy Gilmore/Shooter McGavin Reunion: https://mashable.com/article/happy-gilmore-25-year-anniversary-reunion/

Happy Gilmore/Bob Barker Fight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QJiAK-s5a0