Mental Floss

POP CULTURE

Pogs were once a pop culture sensation.

While new playthings flooded the marketplace in the late '80s and early '90s, there was one decidedly lo-fi toy that every youngster wanted—without realizing that they weren’t the first cool kids to demand brightly-colored milk bottle caps for their amuse

Kate Erbland
NBC

Tonight, Community returns for its fifth season, with Dan Harmon back on board as showrunner after he was fired in 2012. Prepare with a look back at the show's many self-referential and pop culture jokes, Easter eggs, and callbacks.

Rudie Obias








Disney/Marvel

Marvel's god of thunder returns to the big screen this weekend in Thor: The Dark World. Here are a few facts about the Silver Age superhero.

Rick Marshall
Wikimedia Commons

When Sesame Street debuted in 1969, many producers, teachers, and government officials from different countries contacted the Children’s Television Workshop about airing versions of Sesame Street within their own countries.

DeAnna Kerley








Youtube

Remember Rickrolling? It was all the rage five years ago, but it eventually went the way of all internet memes, to the vault of staleness. If you’ve been looking for a way to freshen up your Rickrolling, you now have reason to rejoice. A new Klingon trans

Arika Okrent


The Beatles performing on stage in 1963.

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are remembered for their instrumental roles in launching the British invasion and bringing the aesthetic of rock and roll to new frontiers with everything from electronic effects to sitars.

Kenneth Partridge, Meg Boeni


MovieGoods.com/Erin McCarthy

Most Hollywood movies go by a different name—also known as a working title—until the film is released in theaters. These cinematic pseudonyms can be used to hide a film’s production from rampant fans or to keep costs low.

Rudie Obias




A still from an episode of 'The X-Files.'

'The X-Files' covered a lot of ground, pitting its stars against all manner of extraterrestrial enemy, cryptozoological creature, and mythological monster.

Rick Marshall

Throwing a fictional universe's characters together into one film (here's looking at you, The Avengers and Man of Steel: Superman Vs. Batman!) is a popular new trend in movies, but TV crossovers have been happening for decades. Here are 11 TV crossovers

Rudie Obias