RETRO

22 Things You Owned in the '90s That Are Worth a Fortune Today

Hopefully you didn't take your toys out of their packaging back in the 1990s, because some could be worth a good deal of money on eBay now.

These Rugrats Sneakers Will Bring Out Your Inner '90s Kid

Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Reptar, and other characters from the Nickelodeon show all make appearances on Champ's and Fila's new line of Rugrats-branded footwear.

Are You Smart Enough to Pass Thomas Edison's Impossible Employment Test?

Thomas Edison's 146-question employment test was so difficult that the inventor's own son—as well as Albert Einstein—reportedly flunked it.

This 1980s Copy of Super Mario Bros. Is One of the Most Expensive Video Games in History

The old 'Super Mario Bros.' game, originally released for the NES in 1985, just broke a world record for video games sales at auction.

Good Fortune: The Story of Miss Cleo's $1 Billion Psychic Empire

The self-professed medium drew millions of callers—and millions of dollars in government fines for deceptive advertising.

Wise Quacks: A History of the Rubber Duck

Ernie's love song about his prized duck once hit the Billboard Top 100.

When Y2K Sent Us Into a Digital Depression

Sometime during the late 1990s, consumers noticed that their credit cards with expiration dates in the year 2000 were being declined by merchants.

Peek Inside Sears's 1990 Holiday Wish Book

Electronics were huge (literally) and acid wash was all the rage in 1990.

Retro Kit-Cat Klocks Are Getting an 'Exotic' Makeover

The clocks were invented during The Great Depression to bring joy to families across America.

Those Old Ceramic Christmas Trees In Your Attic Are Worth Hundreds of Dollars Today

Most old holiday decorations don't hold much value beyond the sentimental kind. But vintage ceramic Christmas trees shoot up in value around the holidays, and could potentially be worth hundreds of dollars.

Storefront of Carnegie Deli in Midtown Manhattan.

New York City's Legendary Carnegie Deli Is Reopening With 1950s Menu Prices

Pastrami sandwiches will cost less than $1.

Stranger Things Season 2 Got a Retro, VHS-Style Home Video Release

When decades collide.

Rob Bottin in John Carpenter's The Fog (1980).

12 Clear Facts About John Carpenter's The Fog

'The Fog,' John Carpenter's eerie 1980 crowd-pleaser, overcame its tiny budget and DIY production to become a huge hit, earning 20 times what it cost to make.

The Bloody History of Fangoria, the Magazine That Changed the Way We View Horror Movies

During a gathering of Parliament in the 1980s, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher held up a copy of an American periodical.

A Brief History of Zubaz

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

The Computer Error That Led to a Country Declaring War on Pepsi

Instead of two people each winning a grand prize of $40,000 in the company's 1992 giveaway, more than 800,000 people held a winning bottle cap. That's when things got ugly.

21 Far Out Facts About Dazed and Confused

Richard Linklater's ode to the 1970s arrived in theaters 25 years ago ... and quickly flopped at the box office.

Sony Launches PlayStation Classic, Preloaded With 20 of Your Favorite Games

No cartridges required.

Antisocial Media: The Rise and Fall of Friendster

When software engineer Jonathan Abrams arrived in Silicon Valley in 1996, the internet was known for three things: vast amounts of information, pornography, and anonymity.

When WWF Wrestling Figures Ruled the '80s

More than 5 million dolls were sold in the first year alone, brother. Here's the story of the WWF wrestling figures.

Nickelodeon's New Streaming Service is Bringing Back Your Favorite '90s Shows

For $6 a month, you can watch 21 of Nick's most-loved shows. And 'Double Dare 2000.'

Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler, Grid Engine, Wikimedia Commons // CC0 1.0

America's Last Blockbuster Store Gets Its Own Beer

If you can't visit your childhood Blockbuster, this beer is the next best thing.

15 Things to Look For the Next Time You Watch The Warriors

Can you dig it?

Photo illustration by Mental Floss. Milk Cartons: Courtesy of the National Child Safety Council. Background: iStock.

When Missing Kids Could Be Found on Milk Cartons

The idea was to protect children, but those billions of crime-stopping milk containers wound up scaring the crap out of them instead.

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