Mental Floss

THE '80S

JD Hancock, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

In the summer of 1989, there was no escaping Tim Burton's 'Batman.' The Caped Crusader was on everything from T-shirts to bed sheets—but the studio still claimed the film lost money.

Jake Rossen




Scholastic

In 1986, Ann M. Martin published the first 'The Baby-Sitters Club' book. Now, more than 30 years later, Netflix is bringing Kristy, Claudia, and all the rest of the club back to the small screen.

Erin McCarthy




Warner Bros.

Joe Dante's dark comedy classic is partly responsible for the PG-13 rating. But that hasn't stopped WarnerMedia from turning it into a new animated series.

Jennifer M Wood


Getty Images

When 'The Dukes of Hazzard' premiered on January 26, 1979, it was intended to be a temporary patch in CBS’s primetime schedule until 'The Incredible Hulk' returned. It became much, much more.

Jake Rossen


Warner Bros. Entertainment

The beloved—and politically incorrect—NBC sitcom made its debut on January 4, 1984. Here are some facts about the show.

Garin Pirnia




NBC Network, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

'Watch Mr. Wizard,' which aired on NBC from 1951 to 1965, featured host Don Herbert performing a series of science experiments using everyday objects—glass bottles, cans, aquariums, matches—to illustrate the amazing world of physics.

Jake Rossen


1984 Publishing

If one of the joys of being a horror fan in the 1980s was being seduced by the shocking and lurid come-ons in the newspaper advertisements for these movies, one of the downers was going to the theater and not getting all those ads promised.

Michael Gingold






William Ragsdale stars in Fright Night (1985).

Since 1985, Tom Holland’s critically acclaimed directorial debut has been a staple of Halloween movie marathons everywhere. Hard to believe he wrote the script in just three weeks.

Jennifer M Wood
PBS NewsHour, Flickr // CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

When we think of Zubaz today, “utilitarian” probably isn’t the first word that pops into our heads.

Ethan Trex