- 6 minutes ago
Get ready for a serious hit of nostalgia! Join us as we count down those unforgettable childhood experiences that today's Generation Alpha will simply never know. From the thrill of Saturday morning cartoons to the agony of dial-up internet, these memories defined entire generations. Which of these blasts from the past do you miss the most? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00Hey, Sarah!
00:01Whoa, Ozzy, you reek!
00:02You know I reek!
00:03I've been playing so many games with my Games Freedom Pass,
00:07I have had zero time to shower.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo!
00:11And today, we'll be counting down our picks for those core childhood experiences
00:15that may not ever return for Generation Alpha.
00:30Passing notes in class
00:31There's been a lot of societal discussion concerning the efficacy of banning cell phones in schools.
00:38Perhaps it'll be during a full implementation of such a rule,
00:41whereby the old habit of passing notes might return to the everyday classroom.
00:46This was how many Gen Xers and prior generations communicated with their friends
00:51out of sight from authority figures and teachers.
00:54Michael? Excuse me, what's that in your hand?
01:01Bring that note up to me.
01:07Communication these days is obviously so much simpler and immediate,
01:11yet can also occasionally lack the sort of creativity it took to jot down the perfect note,
01:16one that could discuss everything from after-school plans to a latest crush.
01:21I know. Do you want me to spell chicken?
01:24Just pass it to Holly.
01:27To Holly.
01:30Recording the radio.
01:32It's been the subject of classic rock songs like
01:35Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio from Ramones,
01:38and Radio Gaga by Queen.
01:40Everything I had to know
01:43I heard it on my radio.
01:47Tunes that romanticize how older kids used to stay up past their bedtime
01:51to record their favorite songs off the radio.
01:54This habit wasn't solely the subject of top 40 pop radio hits either.
01:58Since many older fans of underground music might recall recording their favorite episodes
02:03of a weekly cult radio show that played obscure punk, alternative, or heavy metal.
02:08Home recording technology, like blank audio cassettes,
02:11made it fun and convenient to be creative at home with all of radio's varied content.
02:16Fun, at least, for generations that didn't have Apple Music or Spotify at their collective fingertips.
02:22I did Rock and Roll Radio. Let's go Rock and Roll Radio. Let's go Rock and Roll Radio. Let's go.
02:28Calling Collect.
02:29It's time to go out there alone and save the people you call up to 44% by dialing.
02:34One hundred collect!
02:36Picture it.
02:36You've thoroughly enjoyed a Saturday afternoon at the mall with your best friend,
02:40but now it's time to call a parent for a ride.
02:42But wait, there are no cell phones yet, and you spent your last quarter at the arcade.
02:47What do you do?
02:48Simple. Just call Collect.
02:50The availability of pay phones and phone booths back in the day made it easy for even younger kids to
02:55get in contact with their parents.
02:57Dialing a number like 1-800-COLLECT, which is still operational, believe it or not,
03:02could direct the caller to record a voice message, which would then be delivered to a home landline.
03:07The recipient could then accept the telephone charges, and voila, instant phone call.
03:12Make sure you dial 1-800-COLLECT, not zero.
03:15Oh yeah, save a big penny.
03:18Try a buck or two, Bitterman.
03:20How many times do we gotta tell you?
03:21Okay.
03:22I'll dial 1-800-COLLECT.
03:23TV ends.
03:25Hey, have you ever watched the opening to Toby Hooper's Poltergeist and wondered what the heck was going on with
03:30Craig T. Nelson's television set?
03:39Terrestrial cable used to actually go off the air at a certain time.
03:43With most channels playing something like we see during that scene.
03:46A national anthem accompanied by some nice nature scenery.
03:49An announcer ending that channel's broadcast day.
03:52And then usually either a station ID or some static.
04:05Television programming would resume the following morning, so we hope that you got something to entertain yourselves with while you
04:12wait that out.
04:13Smoking everywhere.
04:15Hey, whoever said that every lost childhood experience needed to be pleasant?
04:20Well, you might be nostalgic for the smoking section at your local Applebee's if you were one of the millions
04:25of naughty kids who experimented with nicotine against the Surgeon General's warning back in the day.
04:30Didn't you read this? Cancer, heart disease, emphysema.
04:35I thought those were the ingredients.
04:37For others, that constant cloud of hanging smoke present within every building and office might not retain the same sort
04:44of vibes.
04:45Tobacco marketing and advertising helped wean generations of people off the stuff.
04:49With a lot of photographic evidence showing just how omnipresent smoking was within our lives.
04:54I know, I know, I know.
04:56Did you smoke when you were pregnant with me?
04:58It was, it was sexy and there was nothing on the package that said don't.
05:04A similarly unhealthy culture of vaping may have replaced a lit cigarette, unless you're Dave Chappelle, but many of us
05:11can still smell the stuff in our clothes.
05:14Irresponsible playground construction.
05:16We're willing to bet that every parent has remarked at least once about the comparative safety of modern playgrounds.
05:22Areas with soft, spongy ground and slides that, you know, aren't made of freaking metal?
05:27This was sadly not so for many kids who grew up back in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and perhaps even
05:34into the early aughts.
05:35Yes, so many of us still live with the scars, emotional and perhaps even physical, from burning the heck out
05:41of ourselves while attempting to traverse a metal slide during a hot summer's day.
05:45I really hadn't planned on my daughter using the slides, but I lost track of her in the crowd for
05:50a couple seconds and she had run over to get on the slides and that's when it happened.
05:54Oh, and let's say an extra prayer for those tragic cases that got so burned, they got stuck up there
05:59on that slide, roasting in the hot summer like a honey baked ham.
06:04Boredom.
06:04Yes, we know that kids and adults still get bored.
06:07I'm so bored.
06:09Oh, come on.
06:11There's lots of ways to pass the time.
06:13Hitch up your pants.
06:15Air whittle.
06:16Dee, dee, dee, dee, dee, dee, dee, dee.
06:18Yet we probably shouldn't be, right?
06:20Not when we have so much at our fingertips every second of the day.
06:24Yet imagine a world where this wasn't so.
06:26At least, not yet.
06:28Your friends are busy or your parents need to take you with them on an errand.
06:31It's their car, so they're choosing the music.
06:34And you don't have any handheld video games or a phone.
06:37So it's either bring a book, some drawing paper, or just look at the trees.
06:41Because you're in it for the long haul.
06:43Granted, entertainment and excitement are all what we make of them.
06:46But today's generation admittedly possesses an embarrassment of riches when it comes to distraction.
06:52Come on, I'm bored.
06:53I'm bored.
06:54Play with me.
06:55Remembering directions.
06:56Peter, we're lost.
06:58Would you please find some place to ask for directions?
07:00We are not lost.
07:01And even if we were, you know I can't ask another human being for directions.
07:05Why not?
07:05Cause I'm a man.
07:06Modern GPS technology is another wonder that's made getting around the world so much easier
07:12and convenient.
07:13Sure, maps are still important as well.
07:15But what if that's the only option?
07:18Remembering directions used to be imperative back in the day.
07:21Particularly if you didn't have the foresight to write them down prior to taking off.
07:25On your bike.
07:26In a car.
07:27Or on foot.
07:28Kramer would like to schedule a lunch with you at Monk's coffee shop.
07:35Really?
07:35When?
07:3610 minutes.
07:37Do you need directions?
07:38No, I don't.
07:39Those aforementioned maps could help, sure.
07:41But if you don't have one handy and are just going off of memory.
07:44Then yeah.
07:45Let's hope you were paying attention at that last gas station or rest stop.
07:50Taking someone's word for it.
07:52You made plans to meet up with a friend at noon.
07:54You agreed on the time, the place and the itinerary.
07:58So there's nothing to worry about, right?
07:59When the numbers read 315, meet us there.
08:03315.
08:05315.
08:06Some of you are hearing that and thinking, not at all.
08:09While others just might be getting anxious at the very thought of what we're about to discuss.
08:13What if you get there and your friend isn't?
08:15There's no way to text and confirm.
08:17You just gotta take them at their word that those plans you made yesterday are still in stone from the
08:21last time you spoke.
08:23Just for fun, leave your phone at home the next time you make plans.
08:26And see how long it takes before you turn around and go get it.
08:30Privacy.
08:31A recent report estimates about a billion security cameras rolling worldwide.
08:3618% of them here in the United States.
08:38There's definitely a larger discussion to be had concerning the alarmingly small and shrinking windows of true privacy for us
08:46as a society.
08:47Serious discussions about how being connected 24-7 is both good and bad for our collective mental health.
08:54People, especially young people, should be allowed to make mistakes in private without worrying about being filmed or harassed.
09:01We live in a world where those tumultuous years of youth have become even more stressful for kids living in
09:07a world forever online.
09:08One without the privacy older generations perhaps take for granted when judging the struggles of what's going on today.
09:14So yeah, this list is lighthearted for the most part, but let's not forget each other out there, okay?
09:19Computers that analyze your daily routines and understand what you're doing, what you're carrying, what you're wearing, who you are,
09:25what your attributes are.
09:26Cereal box goodies.
09:29Honestly, Dawn, how many bowls of cereal are you planning on eating?
09:32Oh, these aren't for eating. I'm just trying to get the extra out of the way so I could get
09:39this.
09:39It used to be the case that with every box of cereal, there was a chance of getting an exciting
09:44prize.
09:45These were often just small plastic toys, which were of relatively cheap quality, but getting one was so much fun.
09:52Now you can get geared up for adventure with new robot racers from the new movie Robots.
09:58One free and specially marked boxes of Kellogg cereal for a limited time only.
10:02They were random too, so if you wanted a specific one, you'd have to splash out on cereal until you
10:07found it.
10:08Now you can just order whatever cheap plastic toy you want online, but it doesn't have the same thrill.
10:14A glow monster inside. Put it together. Hold him under the light. Turn off the light. Filmed in black light.
10:22Heckenstein. The wolfman. The mummy. Catch him up the upper.
10:25In the 21st century, cereal has started marketing itself as a healthy option, so the toys contained are now pretty
10:32much non-existent.
10:34Dial up internet. When most of us think of old school internet, there's one specific noise that comes to mind
10:39first.
10:50Now we take instant web page loading for granted. Before broadband was common, we had to rely on telephone networks
10:57to provide our connection.
10:59This was called dial up, and the sounds it made were impossible to forget.
11:10Welcome.
11:10At the time, it felt like a painful barrier, preventing us from seeing the websites we wanted to load.
11:16Now these noises are loaded with nostalgia. Dial up also meant your family members couldn't use the phone when you
11:22were surfing the web.
11:23An alien concept for the kids of today.
11:25Gonna be like the best year of our lives.
11:30Shooji! Get off AOL!
11:34Shooji!
11:35Staying out all night for new releases.
11:38Before everything was digitized, if you wanted something badly, you'd have to go into a store as soon as it
11:43opened.
11:44You can see plenty of people showed up wearing robes and carrying wands, hoping to be among the first to
11:49get their hands on the book.
11:50If you wanted concert tickets, there were two ways you could acquire them. First was simply calling Ticketmaster, and second
11:58was going into a kiosk.
11:59If you wanted to see a band in high demand, you would have to camp out at the kiosk all
12:04night, with no guarantee you would get tickets.
12:07So you sure we have enough for them?
12:15People would do this with tons of other things too, including new books or video games.
12:20Now, you simply get them online.
12:22Even when it's a physical release, places offer day one delivery anyway, so there's basically no need for inconvenience.
12:29What people will do for a little entertainment system.
12:33It's midnight.
12:35I'm right here for the PlayStation 2.
12:38The best entertainment system to hit the world.
12:42Waiting for photos to be developed.
12:44Oh, my camera's full again.
12:47Aren't they beautiful?
12:50If you told someone from a few decades ago that we'd all have devices in our pockets capable of instantly
12:55taking high definition photos, they'd be stunned.
12:58It used to be the case that all cameras had film, which needed to be developed at a store before
13:03seeing the final products.
13:05It's been an hour.
13:09It's under S.
13:11Under S.
13:15Oh.
13:16Oh.
13:17Oh.
13:18So we had to be far more careful about each and every image we took.
13:21This meant taking your camera on holiday was a uniquely exciting experience.
13:26It's a perfect match.
13:29Not just yet.
13:30Taking it into a store after coming home, then waiting a few days for it to be developed, was a
13:36unique rush that will never be common again.
13:38Creating a MySpace page.
13:40The internet felt a lot simpler when almost everyone surfing the web was friends with MySpace Tom.
13:45Every user creates a profile which explains a little about themselves and their interests and you can display photos of
13:53yourself.
13:53I've got my own MySpace and the band has one too.
13:56It was the earliest big social media, long before the metaverse became a thing.
14:00Compared to modern social media, it was far more customizable.
14:04You could change virtually every aspect, including the backgrounds, the text and music, and could even select your top friends.
14:12If you want, you can scroll down and look at all the different types of them.
14:16Usually they have quite a bit.
14:18So take your time, look through them.
14:20We're just going to click on this one.
14:21Now, social media profiles all virtually look the same, differing in posts and profile pictures alone.
14:28It wasn't only MySpace that did it.
14:31YouTube profiles used to also be way more customizable.
14:34This trend is unfortunately long gone.
14:36So if you want a truly personalized online profile, you'll have to make a website.
14:42Hank, I'm just about done reconfiguring the Strickland page.
14:49Hey, that's my cell sheet.
14:51But I don't know if that needs to be flashing.
14:54Phone booths and collect calls.
14:56So phone booths still exist, but now they're only really associated with illicit individuals trying to keep a low profile.
15:04I'm still out here.
15:05Still getting away with it.
15:07Feds couldn't find their own ass with both hands and a proctologist.
15:10You shouldn't be calling me.
15:11By 2016, fewer than 100,000 remained in America.
15:16And that figure has likely gone down a lot.
15:19It used to be we had to remember the phone numbers of all our friends and family if we wanted
15:23to call them on the go.
15:26Hello?
15:27Hello, baby.
15:29Clarence?
15:30You got it.
15:31Clarence, it's great to hear from you, man. What's going on?
15:33Now we all have mobile phones, making phone booths completely redundant.
15:38People barely even call anymore as well, with texts being way more common.
15:43If you do venture inside a phone booth today, be prepared.
15:47You don't know what you may find inside.
15:49When somebody phones 999, the ambulance service will be able to say there is a defibrillator.
15:53It's located at the phone box on the corner of X and Y roads.
15:57And if the cabinet is locked, they'll give an access code.
16:00Handwritten letters to pen pals.
16:01Something like handwritten letters will always exist.
16:05Do you get the noblets in America?
16:07Well, my favorite noblet is vanity noblets.
16:11They're too simple a creation to just vanish.
16:13However, they're far less common now than they used to be.
16:16It was once a regular occurrence for two children to become pen pals.
16:20Even if you saw each other a lot, sending each other handwritten letters was a uniquely charming experience.
16:26Dear Susie, you have a superb voice.
16:28You're my favorite animal in the program by far.
16:31Please find enclosed.
16:32Dear Sam, thank you very much.
16:34I got replaced as the raven because I yelled at Mrs. Lynn.
16:36With the internet making us more connected than ever, there's little incentive for kids to be pen pals anymore.
16:42Why bother taking the time to hand write a letter, then pay for a stamp, wait a few days for
16:47postage, and wait even more time for a reply when a text is instant and virtually free?
16:53Ooh, a letter from my old pen pal.
16:56Someday I'll write you back, Osama.
16:58Video rental stores.
17:00Imagine the perfect video store.
17:02It would have a great selection, right?
17:04Right!
17:05Over 10,000 videos.
17:07Chains like Blockbuster used to be a staple of many people's lives.
17:10Back before the internet's rise, the only way to watch a movie or a show would be to catch it
17:15on TV or buy a physical copy.
17:17Or even better, simply rent it.
17:19A musical?
17:20A mystery?
17:21A cartoon, Cindy?
17:21May I suggest a video, Cindy?
17:23Can you believe all the attention you get with this card?
17:25Excuse me?
17:26Do you have kids here?
17:27Uh, here.
17:28Take ours.
17:29Thanks!
17:30Is this a great card or what?
17:32Video stores were a blast to visit.
17:34Kids could spend hours in these shops browsing VHS tapes or DVDs, looking for a fun flick for their movie
17:40night.
17:41You could also rent video games from them, something which would be entirely alien to the kids of today.
17:46Hey, Sarah!
17:47Whoa, Ozzy, you reek!
17:49You know I reek!
17:50I've been playing so many games with my Games Freedom Pass, I have had zero time to shower.
17:55There was even a brief period where you could rent DVDs online and have them posted to your door,
18:01which is what Netflix originally did, phoning friends on a house phone.
18:06If you're too young to remember when phone booths were useful, you may instead remember when house phones were essential.
18:17Hello?
18:19Do you still want to do something tonight?
18:21Growing up before smartphones meant most kids were unlikely to have their own mobile.
18:26So if you wanted to talk to your friends after school, this was the way to do it.
18:29Let's go out.
18:31Okay, hold on, I'm on the other line with Gretchen.
18:33Don't invite Gretchen, she's driving me nuts.
18:35Hold on.
18:36Okay, hurry up.
18:38It's Regina.
18:40She wants to hang out with me tonight, but she told me not to tell you.
18:42Do not hang out with her.
18:44Why?
18:45You don't want me to tell you.
18:47Ugh, you can tell me.
18:48Hold on.
18:50Oh my god, she's so annoying.
18:53That is, unless you simply walked over to their house and asked if they wanted to come play,
18:56which might be considered weird in today's world.
18:59Sometimes, a service will still ask for your home phone number and a separate mobile.
19:04But in recent years, these two numbers are often the same.
19:07As recently as last week, phone service providers have made moves to stop servicing traditional landlines.
19:13Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest
19:19videos.
19:20You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
19:24If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
19:29Saturday morning cartoons and catching TV shows
19:33It used to be that if you wanted to watch a TV show, you had to wait until its exact
19:37time slot.
19:38For many kids, this meant catching cartoons on a Saturday morning was the peak of the weekend.
19:50Now you can watch your favorite cartoons whenever, often without commercial breaks.
19:55As a result, the classic Saturday morning cartoon experience basically doesn't exist anymore.
20:00You know this wascally wabbit, but look who's coming to ABC Saturday mornings!
20:05He's the kid you already love, and he's here in all new episodes of Doug! Cool!
20:10Similarly, the excitement of catching a new episode of a series everybody's watching,
20:15then going into school the next day to chat about it, is not the same.
20:18On the bright side, at least you don't have to worry about missing a new episode because of being busy
20:23when it airs.
20:29What do you miss the most from your childhood, and is it something still around? Let us know in the
20:34comments!
20:34What does this mean to me? We have a new episode of Reading and 여름!
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