#millar

During the market, it was suggested that someone spout facts and create general conversation around the nostalgic items. I thought I would look up nostalgic movies, tv shows, toys, books and music that feature in our market and hopefully try to remember some of them for the day. All of this information has been pulled from Wikipedia pages devoted to each specific topic, however, it is in my own words.

Tamagotchi:

Tamagotchi was released worldwide a year later than Japan in 1997.

Its name is a combination of the Japanese word for egg (hence the shape of the toy) tamago and the watch (it does look like a stopwatch) 

Furby:

Furby was released in 1998 and sold 40 million in its first three years.

The second edition, which was more advanced (which features in the market) was released in 2005. 

Bratz:

The first four Bratz dolls were released in 2001.

They have received backlash since their conception due to the doll’s exaggerated features and arguably sexualised/ hyper-feminine image that could be damaging to young girls. 

They tried a Bratz revival in the recent years which was not met with success in comparison to their massively popular originals. 

Spice Girls: 

Their debut single “Wannabe” was number 1 in 32 countries.

“Spice Up Your Life” was released 20 years ago. 

They are the most successful female group of all time, along with being one of the most successful pop groups of all time.

The comedy film featuring the Spice Girls, “Spice World” was released in 1997 and was a box office hit in the US.

In 1998 Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) left the Spice Girls due to conflict with the group. 

Pokemon:

Pokemon is Nintendo’s second most popular gaming franchise (Mario being the most popular) 

Pokemon was created in 1996, first as a video game before many spinoffs were made including the popular TV show which was introduced in 1997.

As of now, the Pokemon anime screens in 98 countries across the globe.

Ash Ketchum, the protagonist of Pokemon, shares his first name with one of the Pokemon creators, Satoshi Tajiri, in the Japanese/ original version.

Dragon Ball Z:

Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z (The sequel to Dragon Ball) was an adaptation of the late 80′s- early 90′s manga by Akira Toriyama. The show began screening in Japan in 1989.

By 1996 the English dub of Dragon Ball Z for the USA started, but the amount of episodes were reduced and the dub of the show was cancelled after two seasons. 

Re-runs of the North American version began airing on Cartoon Network in 1998.

Betty Spaghetty:

The dolls were released in 1998 and were popular for a while, before being discontinued in 2004. A few years later they released them again, but discontinued them again after little success. They began selling a modernized version last year which is still currently for sale.

Diva Starz:

Released in 2000

Much like a Furby in that it was essentially a robot, but instead resembling girls, Diva Starz talked and reacted to the clothes you dressed them in. 

In 2002 Mattel created a new design that was thin and tall, rather than the chunky hard plastic dolls they once were. They looked more like Barbie or Bratz dolls and their sales declined before the entire Diva Starz franchise was discontinued.

The Simpsons: 

The Simpsons, although drawn very differently to how most of us think of them appeared on television for the first time in 1987, on the comedy sketch + musical show The Tracey Ullman show.

In 1989, The Simpsons became its own show on Fox.

In Japan, Lisa Simpson is the most marketable character and she managed to increase the popularity of the show due to her good nature that resonated with Japanese viewers.