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‘Mikey Likes It’: The Origins of Life Cereal’s Most Famous Slogan
Say the phrase Mikey likes it to anyone between the ages of 40 and 100, and chances are good they’ll get the reference. It immediately brings to mind an incredibly popular commercial from the 1970s of a cute, round-faced toddler shoveling down Life cereal. The slogan was never actually...
8 Classic Movie Props That Were Tossed in the Trash
In the early days of Hollywood, it was impossible to predict there would be any financial or historical reason for saving movie props. Later, even when collectors began to show interest and film conservationists implored filmmakers to hold on to materials, studios found it too expensive to try and keep set decorations in storage. And if the memorabilia somehow found its way out into the world, its owners had little idea of the cinematic history they held in their hands. Check out eight iconic props that wound up in a dumpster.
How ‘Friend of Dorothy’ Became Code in the Gay Community
In the 1980s, the U.S. Navy carried out a futile search for a woman who didn’t exist. The Naval Investigative Service (NIS) had learned that gay men sometimes referred to themselves as ‘friends of Dorothy,’ and assumed that, as Randy Shilts explained in 1993’s Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military, “a woman named Dorothy was the hub of an enormous ring of military homosexuals in the Chicago area.” The NIS made it their mission to find this elusive Dorothy, thinking they could get her to reveal the names of gay Navy personnel.
The Maniac Next Door: The Surprisingly Bizarre Origins of Michael Sembello’s Pop Hit From ‘Flashdance’
Michael Sembello’s synth-driven hit song from ‘Flashdance’ is rumored to have been inspired by William Lustig's 1980 slasher classic, ‘Maniac.’ But as it turns out, the true story is even weirder.
When Kriss Kross Launched a Backward Clothing Trend
Featuring rappers Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly and Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith, Kris Kross rose to international fame with their infectious 1992 debut single, “Jump.” The duo rocked mega-baggy jeans, baseball caps, and oversized sports jerseys—all worn backward.
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