Image Credit: Everett Collection
There’s nothing new under the sun — which is just the way Millennials like it.
We’re a generation obsessed with our own recent past, as befits the children of Boomers. Our influence on the entertainment industry is also increasing as we grow older. That’s probably why 2012 was the year that a collective nostalgia for pop culture from the ’90s and even the early ’00s hit in full force. Sure, the year also featured its share of projects inspired by/cribbing from the ’80s or even earlier — we learned it by watching you, Generation X! — but generally speaking, a yearning for the days of Boy Meets World, Titanic, and the Spice Girls has supplanted a yearning for the days of Growing Pains, Journey, and The Breakfast Club.
Here’s a month-by-month rundown of 2012′s most nostalgia-driven moments, from announcements of sequels and reboots to random late night comedy bits. (Tom Hanks recited a slam poem about what?) Though it’s pretty ’90s heavy, even non-Millennials should find something here they get a kick out of — or something that makes them righteously furious. (For many nostalgia hounds, the two go hand in hand.)
The newest installment in Activision’s hugely popular Call of Duty series, Black Ops II, has grossed $1 billion in just 15 days, making it the fastest-selling video game of all time.
