Category: Galleries
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15 things you probably had in your school bag in the 2000s
Buttons and hidden compartments made it feel like a spy gadget. Notes ended up so highlighted that nothing actually stood out. The compass, protractor and ruler came in a little tin that rattled with every step. Wheeling your bag down the hallway was either genius or deeply uncool, depending who you asked. Clicking between colors mid-sentence was half the fun of taking notes. Weaving colorful plastic strings into keychains was a summer camp skill. Your entire school life was saved on a tiny stick around your neck. Sharing a piece with friends was a quick way to make someone’s day. Tiny scented bottles clipped onto backpacks were everywhere. It was meant for homework, but it ended up full of doodles and notes from friends. Protecting school textbooks in colorful fabric covers was a back-to-school ritual. The black-and-white marbled cover was instantly recognizable. Tiny erasers shaped like food and animals were collected more than they were used. Rolling a neat white strip over your mistakes felt much fancier than liquid paper. It held every subject in one giant case, and it weighed about as much as a brick. -
12 movies that made an entire generation cry
Anyone who has ever loved a dog should keep tissues close for this one. 
This classic dog story has been bringing families to tears for decades. 
A gentle giant robot and the boy who befriends him made for a surprisingly emotional ride. 
A love story told across a lifetime left audiences reaching for the tissues. 
Based on a real dog’s incredible loyalty, it’s one of the most heartbreaking pet movies ever made. 
Its song about remembering loved ones has families crying together. 
Families expecting a fun fantasy movie were not prepared for how emotional it gets. 
Its opening minutes are famous for making grown adults cry before the adventure even starts. 
Many viewers still can’t talk about this coming-of-age story without getting choked up. 
A friendship between two animals who are supposed to be enemies is a guaranteed tearjerker. 
One scene in this Disney classic has been making kids cry for generations. 
A little dinosaur’s journey left a whole generation of kids sobbing on the living room floor. -
Things people did online before social media
Finding out which cartoon character you were could take up an entire evening. 
A two-minute trailer could take far longer than two minutes to buffer. 
Message boards were packed with secret codes to unlock levels and characters. 
Changing your whole computer to look like your favorite movie was a big upgrade. 
Players spent hours leveling up characters in huge fantasy worlds right in their browsers. 
You could pick a room about almost anything and start talking to strangers. 
Watching an auction’s final seconds tick down was surprisingly intense. 
Fans kept their favorite stories going long after the books and shows ended. 
Online chess, checkers and card games connected players from all over the world. 
A dancing animated card in someone’s inbox was the sweetest way to say happy birthday. -
12 movies you probably watched on repeat growing up
Three witch sisters made this the movie everyone watches every Halloween. 
A bobsled team from a tropical island made for one of the most feel-good sports movies ever. 
Getting shrunk down and lost in your own backyard was the ultimate adventure. 
A chocolate river and a golden ticket made every candy bar wrapper exciting. 
Kids everywhere memorized every word of its most famous training song. 
A friendly ghost made a haunted house look like the coziest place on Earth. 
Two dogs and a cat finding their way home is a family favorite that still pulls at the heartstrings. 
A team of underdog hockey players had every kid practicing the “flying V.” 
Every bookworm wished they could move things with their mind, too. 
A board game that brings the jungle into your house made kids nervous about rolling dice. 
A dad dressing up as a British nanny to see his kids was equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. 
A summer of baseball, friendship and one very scary dog made it a sleepover essential. -
Childhood things you didn’t realize were actually pretty weird
On a hot summer day, nobody bothered going inside for a glass. 
Some schools had kids swish fluoride together and spit into paper cups. 
Getting your scalp inspected in front of the whole class was just part of school. 
Carrying an egg everywhere for a week was supposed to teach responsibility. 
Throwing balls at each other as hard as possible was an official school activity. 
Holding onto one long rope with your classmates was how little kids crossed the street. 
Some old children’s TV puppets were more nightmare fuel than entertainment. 
Those purple-ink copies had a smell kids couldn’t resist. 
Posing in front of neon lasers made every school photo look like a sci-fi movie poster. 
Inviting a face-painted stranger to entertain little kids was somehow totally normal. 
A tiny fairy sneaking into your room to buy your old teeth sounds strange when you say it out loud. -
10 things that made you feel rich as a kid
The giant pack with the built-in sharpener made you the most popular kid at the art table. 
Hearing that music and actually having cash ready was the best feeling in the world. 
Every kid on the block suddenly wanted to be your best friend. 
Walking out with a book, a poster and a fancy pen felt like a shopping spree. 
Not having to cook or go anywhere felt like living like royalty. 
Watching your own shows behind a closed door was the ultimate status symbol. 
Being allowed to skip water and get a real drink felt like a big upgrade. 
The real box with the cartoon mascot, not the store brand in a bag, felt like pure luxury. 
Having one, or even just a friend with one, put you in a whole new class. 
You felt like you could buy the whole store. -
12 things every 2000s teen had in their bedroom
Zebra and leopard prints made any bed feel bold and stylish. 
A warning on the door was mostly aimed at younger siblings. 
Pillows, posters and rugs all featured the classic symbol. 
Shelves of DVDs, plus a few box sets of your favorite shows, were a point of pride. 
Quizzes, celebrity gossip and posters came in every issue. 
Sinking into one of these round chairs was the best seat in the house. 
It turned your bedside table into your own personal sound system. 
Loading five CDs at once and hitting shuffle felt incredibly high-tech. 
A tall rack full of albums showed off your music taste to anyone who walked in. 
Ticket stubs, notes from friends and concert wristbands were pinned up like treasure. 
Holiday lights stayed up long after the holidays because they made the room feel cozy. 
Magazine cutouts and printed photos covered every inch of wall space. -
12 movie soundtracks everyone still knows by heart
Its title song still gets people out of their seats at weddings and parties. 
Its big duet won an Oscar and became one of the most-sung karaoke songs around. 
It turned a cappella into something cool and made everyone try the cup-tapping routine. 
A cassette full of old hits brought classic songs to a brand-new audience. 
One song about a family member nobody talks about became a surprise chart-topping hit. 
Kids and parents alike still belt out its ocean anthem in the car. 
Its soundtrack spent weeks at the top of the charts and turned into a sing-along favorite. 
It introduced a whole new generation to ABBA’s greatest hits. 
Generations of families have sung these songs together on road trips. 
Fighter jets and big 80s anthems made this soundtrack an instant classic. 
The disco hits on this album had the whole world dancing in white suits. 
It’s often called one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time, thanks to one unforgettable power ballad. -
14 things that made having a computer in the 90s so exciting
Nobody really knew what it did, but pressing it felt powerful. 
Paying by the hour to get online was a big part of growing up in many parts of the world. 
They held way more than a floppy, which made them feel like a giant upgrade. 
A whole new desktop with a Start button felt like a giant leap forward. 
Bright, candy-colored computers made the beige boxes look ancient overnight. 
Watching a picture slowly appear on screen line by line felt like magic. 
A special desk just for the computer made the whole setup feel official. 
It screeched through paper with holes down the sides that you tore off in strips. 
Popping out the ball to scrape off the gunk was a regular chore. 
Playing the first level over and over without buying the full game was a skill. 
The boxes were huge, and the disc inside was tiny, but that box looked amazing on a shelf. 
Flying a plane from your bedroom was the closest thing to being a pilot. 
Watching that little tray slide out made the future feel like it had arrived. 
It took up half the desk, and it felt like the most powerful machine in the world. -
15 TV shows that would break the internet if they returned
A return of the precinct would be a big moment for fans of the show’s chaotic squad. 
The loft and its quirky roommates are still a comfort-watch favorite. 
Fans would love to see the family drama decades later. 
The brilliant, grumpy doctor still has a huge fan base on streaming. 
Fans would love to know what Wisteria Lane looks like today. 
Betty’s bright outfits and big heart would be a welcome comeback. 
The detective duo’s long break has left fans wondering whether one more case is ever coming. 
Its whimsical, colorful world ended far too soon for its devoted fans. 
Fans are still debating its mysteries years after it ended. 
This short-lived cult classic launched huge careers, and fans still wonder what happened to the characters. 
It was canceled after just one season, and fans have been begging for more ever since. 
A brief special during lockdown only made fans want more time in Pawnee. 
The original Dunder Mifflin crew back together would be every fan’s dream. 
Fans would line up just to see what Jerry and the gang are complaining about now. 
A one-time reunion special drew huge attention, so imagine the reaction to a whole new season.