Mental Floss

RETRO

Walt Disney Pictures

If you were alive during the first half of the 1980s and lucky enough to have access to HBO, you've probably seen 'Midnight Madness' more times than you can count.

Jennifer M Wood








Jason Tester Guerrilla Futures, Flickr // CC BY-ND 2.0

The popular 1990s board game, which was hit with criticism for promoting reckless spending and stereotyping women as frenzied shoppers, is about to make a comeback.

Jake Rossen




Liia Galimzianova/iStock via Getty Images

The adult novelty item has a surprisingly rich history involving organized crime, food science, and the difficulties in patenting the name "Candypants."

Jake Rossen


JuliScalzi/iStock via Getty Images

What keeps us coming back to old cartoons, movies, and the '90210' reboot? The same reward system in the brain that responds to eating great food or winning money.

Jake Rossen


Amazon

The Pet Rock was the brainchild of copywriter Gary Dahl, who thought America needed a laugh during the largely humorless post-Vietnam and Watergate era.

Jake Rossen








Shadow Shifter, YouTube

The novelty shirts, shorts, and pants were one of the hottest clothing items of 1991, with a special dye that changed color in response to temperature changes. Before long, Hypercolor proved to be too popular for its own good.

Jake Rossen