10 Hypes That Took Over America in 1992

Gak

Nickelodeon turned its signature green goo into a toy kids could stretch, drop and stick to things. Gak came in nine bright colors and sold more than 160,000 units at Wal-Mart in six weeks. Teachers were less enthusiastic: one banned it after students stretched it across her classroom.

The Incredible Crash Dummies

Crash Dummies were built to fly apart on impact, then snap back together for another collision. The toys grew from a seat belt safety campaign, but some adults worried kids were learning that crashing was fun—not that buckling up mattered. Tyco expected the line to bring in more than $50 million in 1992.

Kris Kross and backwards clothes

Kris Kross’s “Jump” spent eight weeks at number one, and their backwards clothes became just as recognizable as the song. Baggy jeans and oversized jerseys were easy to copy: kids could turn around what they already owned and show up at school “totally krossed out.”

Batman Returns

Batman Returns opened with a record-setting weekend and brought the Penguin and Catwoman into a summer full of toys and Happy Meal collectibles. But the dark film left some parents wondering what they’d taken their kids to see. McDonald’s complaints didn’t stop the promotion; the contract meant the toys kept coming.

Wayne’s World

The movie turned “Excellent,” “Schwing” and “We’re not worthy” into playground vocabulary. Its car scene also sent Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” back onto the American charts, where it climbed to number two—higher than it had reached the first time around.

Troll dolls

Trolls returned with bright hair, jewel-bellied Treasure Trolls, pencil toppers and keychains. More than 15 companies flooded the market as the craze peaked. Russ Berrie sold about $150 million worth in 1992, turning a little grinning doll into one of the year’s strangest comebacks.

The Ren and Stimpy Show

Ren and Stimpy brought gross close-ups, screaming fits and deliberately strange humor to Saturday morning cartoons. By 1992, the show had won both young viewers and college students, proving that weird could be popular—even as creator John Kricfalusi clashed with Nickelodeon over the show.

Sonic Two and Sonic Twosday

Sega made Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s release a national event, calling its November 24 launch “Sonic Twosday.” The game sold 600,000 copies in America on its first day, on top of 400,000 pre-orders, and introduced Tails, Sonic’s two-tailed fox sidekick.

The Dream Team

Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and other NBA stars joined forces for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The Dream Team won by an average of almost 44 points, while kids back home wore its jerseys and argued over who was the best player on the best team ever assembled.

Barney

Barney and Friends premiered on PBS in April 1992, and the friendly purple dinosaur soon appeared on pajamas, books, videos and mall tours. Toddlers adored him; many parents, older siblings and teenagers couldn’t stand the singing and “Super-dee-duper.” The split was so sharp that Barney became the year’s biggest craze—and the one plenty of kids were embarrassed to admit they liked. From Gak in your hair to Sonic Twosday, 1992 made everything louder, weirder and a little more purple.