Weekly Roundup
Roundup of the things we have found
What a week for nostalgia lovers. The 90s revival train is officially in full swing. Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel series from director Chloe Zhao is heading to Hulu later this year, and the original cast of Malcolm in the Middle is reuniting for a limited series on Disney+. On top of that, Hellraiser is getting a brand new comic reboot from BOOM! Studios in partnership with Clive Barker himself. Oh, and The Breakfast Club just turned 41 - which means we are all officially old. But at least we had the best decade, right? Let’s get into it.
Commercial of the Week
Budweiser “Whassup?!” (1999)
If you were alive in the late 90s, you heard this phrase at least 400 times a day. The original “Whassup” ad first aired during Monday Night Football on December 20, 1999, and it was based on a short film called “True” written and directed by Charles Stone III - who actually appears in the commercial as the guy who answers the phone.
The concept was ridiculously simple: four friends calling each other, watching the game, having a Bud, and screaming “Whassup?!” at each other. But it became one of the first truly viral campaigns back when the internet was still finding its feet. The phrase got parodied on talk shows, in movies, TV shows, and even made its way into non-Budweiser commercials. It won just about every major advertising award going.
Fun fact: In 2020, Budweiser actually brought the ad back with a quarantine-themed remake, re-recording the audio to encourage people in lockdown to check in on their friends and family. Same energy, different era.
Watch the original Whassup commercial on YouTube
Good News in the 80’s/90’s
The 90s TV Revival Wave Is Here
Sarah Michelle Gellar is returning as Buffy in a sequel series directed by Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao, expected on Hulu this year. And Bryan Cranston and Frankie Muniz are back for a Malcolm in the Middle limited-series reunion on Disney+, expected this spring.
As Variety put it, millennial Y2K nostalgia is fuelling a whole new round of TV revivals - and honestly, we’re here for every single one of them.
Movies in the 80’s/90’s
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Watch The Breakfast Club trailer on YouTube
Released on February 15th, 1985 - exactly 41 years ago this week - The Breakfast Club is one of those films that just never gets old. Five high school students stuck in Saturday detention: a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Writer-director John Hughes turned what sounds like the most boring premise ever into one of the most culturally significant films of the last 50 years.
The film grossed $51 million against a $1 million budget (in 1985 money, that’s insane), launched the careers of Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, and Ally Sheedy, and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2016.
Fun fact: When John Hughes was shopping the screenplay around Hollywood, he kept hearing the same rejection - “It sounds like a play.” Also, the film was edited by legendary editor Dede Allen, who had worked on Bonnie & Clyde, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon. Not bad company for a teen movie.
If you haven’t watched it in a while, this week is the perfect excuse.
Game of the Week
Golden Axe (1989)
Watch Golden Axe arcade gameplay on YouTube
If you ever spent your pocket money feeding coins into an arcade machine, chances are Golden Axe ate a good chunk of it. Released by Sega in 1989, this side-scrolling hack-and-slash game dropped you into the fantasy land of Yuria, where you picked one of three heroes and battled your way through hordes of enemies.
Designed by Makoto Uchida (who also created Altered Beast), the game was inspired by Western fantasy, particularly Conan the Barbarian. It became famous for its cooperative gameplay - grabbing a mate and smashing through levels together was the ultimate arcade experience.
Fun fact: Despite the name “Golden Axe,” there are technically no golden axes in the Mega Drive/Genesis version of the game. The dwarf’s axe was golden in the arcade version, but the colour was lost when it was ported to the home console. So the entire game is named after something that doesn’t appear in the version most people played. Classic.
Poster of the Week
Back to the Future (1985)
You know the one. Marty McFly checking his watch, the DeLorean leaving fire trails behind it, that iconic logo. The Back to the Future poster is one of the most recognisable pieces of movie art ever created, and it was designed by the legendary Drew Struzan - the artist behind posters for Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and basically every major 80s blockbuster.
Struzan had a gift for capturing the essence of a film in a single image, and the Back to the Future poster is a masterclass. It tells you everything you need to know: time travel, adventure, and a kid who’s way out of his depth.
Drew Struzan sadly passed away in 2025 at the age of 78, but his work lives on every time someone pins this poster to their wall. Which, let’s be honest, is still happening in dorm rooms worldwide.
Random Things of the Week
The Reebok Pump (1989)
Remember when your sneakers had a basketball on the tongue that you could literally pump up? The Reebok Pump debuted in 1989 and became one of the most iconic shoes in basketball history. The whole concept came about because Reebok president Paul Fireman was losing market share to Michael Jordan’s Nike Air shoes and needed something to fight back.
Engineer Paul Litchfield was tasked with creating a customisable sneaker, and the result was a shoe with an inflatable bladder system built into the tongue. NBA star Dominique Wilkins - aka the “Human Highlight Reel” - became the first endorser and famously pumped up his Reeboks before winning the 1990 Slam Dunk Contest. That moment alone sold millions of pairs.
The shoes were bulky, heavy, and cost around $170 at launch (which was a lot in 1989), but none of that mattered. If you had Pumps, you were the coolest kid on the playground. No debate.
That’s your lot for this week. If any of this brought back some memories, hit reply and let us know - we love hearing your stories. See you next week for more trips down memory lane.