Mental Floss

THE '80S



George Michael performs during his "Faith World Tour."

The idea of pop stardom fundamentally changed in the 1980s, in part because of George Michael and his blockbuster solo album debut, 'Faith.'

Kenneth Partridge














Tech Decks were classroom nuisances, brah.

From slap bracelets to finger-sized skateboards, these are the distractions that filled teachers' desk drawers in the '90s.

Jake Rossen
Keanu Reeves moments after discovering he will never be able to remove Babes in Toyland from YouTube.

In 1986, Keanu Reeves starred in a three-hour made-for-television adaptation of the operetta 'Babes in Toyland.' One critic declared he "looked understandably embarrassed each time he is required to join in another dreary song."

Jake Rossen




A crew of cozy Calico Critters.

Calico Critters—or Sylvanian Families, as they're known outside North America—took the toy market by storm in the 1980s.

Zoë Randolph


The kid in you is getting excited just looking at this picture.

That famous Toys "R" Us jingle that you can hum from memory? One of the world's most successful authors helped write it.

Anne Taylor