Nostalgia

Everyone has always had&nbsp;that&nbsp;moment that they remember while in school. Was it an epic senior prank? Was it a time a student absolutely owned a teacher with a righteous power move? Was it just pure chaos that encapsulated the essence of attending school with a bunch of other children? <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/oq6a82/what_was_the_most_legendary_thing_a_student_did/" target="_blank">This AskReddit</a> attracted some hilarious answers. Vote up on the most chaotic stories below!

People Are Sharing The Most Legendary Thing That Happened At Their School, And We're Taking Notes

General

Alyssa Mariano

Lists ranking things children love, from silly movies to sports to fun, creative crafts.

For the Kids

The best PBS cartoons range from educational toddler shows to fun animated series for older kids. This list of top PBS cartoons is ranked from best to worst thanks to your votes. Over the years, PBS has aired a variety of cartoons that have educated us and pulled at our heart strings. Because of our nostalgic love for PBS animations, this list contains funny PBS cartoons that you can vote on! Side note: some of these cartoons are currently broadcast on PBS while others aired in the past.

Obviously,&nbsp;Arthur made the cut for this best PBS cartoons list. That furry little aardvark&nbsp;Arthur&nbsp;just might be one of the best PBS shows of all time. It was created by Marc Brown and first aired in 1996 and get this - it&#39;s still running today!&nbsp;Thomas &amp; Friends,&nbsp;The Magic School Bus, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Martha Speaks,&nbsp;Dinosaur Train - there are so many classic shows found in this list that were a huge part of American childhood.

So where does your favorite PBS animated shows fall on this list? Be sure to vote the best PBS cartoons to the top!

Clifford the Big Red Dog

The Best PBS Cartoons of All Time

TV Program

The Best PBS Cartoons Of All Time, Ranked By Fans

Ranker TV

For most people, their high school experience was not the way&nbsp;it&#39;s often portrayed in movies. However, for the very few, high school may be their absolute peak.&nbsp;Redditor u/<a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Nearby-Level6472/" target="_blank">Nearby-Level6472</a> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/pefk4j/what_made_the_high_school_legend_become_a_legend/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x&amp;context=3" target="_blank">asked</a>:&nbsp;&quot;What made the &#39;high school legend&#39;&nbsp;become a legend?&quot;&nbsp;and the responses are pretty legendary.

People Are Sharing Hilarious Stories Of Their High School Legends

Brian Roque

Lists about films and TV shows told by the visuals-intensive medium that allows storytellers to weave fantastical legends told by unforgettable characters.

Animation Mania

70s TV

Check out this totally far out list of 70s cartoons! In the 70s, cartoons became more popular than ever. With shows like Looney Tunes and Scooby-Doo, who could resist spending their Saturday morning in front of that colorful 2D picture show? If you feel as strongly about classic television as we do, you should vote for your favorite cartoon so it ends up in the NO. 1 spot on this list.&nbsp;

Ready for a blast from the past? Remember&nbsp;Schoolhouse Rock!? Well, those catchy and witty jingles obviously&nbsp;landed themselves a spot on this homage list. This educational 1970s cartoon was created by David McCall and premiered in 1973. Some classic songs from this good 1970s cartoon include &ldquo;Conjunction Junction,&rdquo; &ldquo;Electricity, Electricity&rdquo; and &ldquo;I&#39;m Just a Bill&quot; (ohh, sweet, sweet nostalgia).

Other good 70s cartoon shows like The Pink Panther Show and The Jackson 5ive also appear on this list of great 1970s cartoons. Looney Tunes was also a popular cartoon of the 1970s, even though most of the episodes were created decades earlier.

Where do your favorite 1970s cartoons fall on this list? Be sure to vote them to the top spot!

The Best, Most Fab Cartoons from the '70s

The Best '70s Cartoons & 1970s Animated Shows, Ranked By Fans

The internet and cell phones have become a ubiquitous part of life. They&#39;re everywhere and most people have them. But it wasn&#39;t always that way. Twitter user <a href="https://twitter.com/anaismitchell/status/1477352871146528787" target="_blank">@anaismitchell</a> wanted to know what people miss about the time before cell phones took over everything, and social media delivered their memories of the before time.

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People who had analog, pre-cellphone childhood or young adulthood, I&rsquo;m tryna write an essay, what do you miss about those before times?
&mdash; Ana&iuml;s Mitchell (@anaismitchell) <a href="https://twitter.com/anaismitchell/status/1477352871146528787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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23 People Share What They Miss Most About The World Before Cell Phones

Anthony Barstow

Lists about things you love—or at least remember—about history's most bodacious decade.

I Love the '80s

The Best TV Shows of the 1980s

80s TV

Get ready to feel some serious nostalgia after reading through this list of the top 80s cartoons. Let&#39;s face it. <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-animated-series-ever-made?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">The best cartoons</a> of the 1980s helped to shape an entire generation. Whether we were dreaming of hanging out with chipmunk brothers or becoming a stealthy turtle who loves eating pizza in gutters, the 80s made for some pretty amazing television. This list contains funny 80s cartoons and action-packed 80s animations.&nbsp;

Was there ever a better cartoon than&nbsp;The Simpsons? This show chronicles the lives of The Simpsons, a family from Springfield, IL., who always seem to make life a little more interesting (thanks, Homer). Created by Matt Groening in 1989, this classic timepiece is still on the air today, and it&#39;s the one 80s animation that holds the record for the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/longest-running-us-sitcoms/tvs-frank?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">longest running</a> American animation of all time.

Other good 80s shows like DuckTales and The Gummi Bears also appear on this list of 1980s <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/my-favorite-cartoons-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">cartoon shows</a>. The Transformers was a favorite 1980s TV show and it eventually became a series of blockbuster films. The Transformers aired from 1984-1987.

Where do your favorite 1980s shows fall on this list?&nbsp;You can even vote on this list of the best cartoons of the 1980s to make sure your favorite 80s cartoons end up in the No. 1 spot! Woohoo! GO 80s.&nbsp;

Heathcliff & the Catillac Cats

The Most Unforgettable '80s Cartoons

The Best '80s Cartoons & 1980s Animated Shows, Ranked By Fans

Family Entertainment

There was a time, not too long ago, when the children of the world would hastily awaken from their Saturday morning slumber and run to the closest television. You couldn&#39;t stop them, nor would you want to, and it was all due to the fact that Saturday morning cartoons were amazing. Ask any generation about those toons, and you&#39;re bound to hear tales of nostalgia regarding <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-animated-series-ever-made" target="_blank">animated</a> ducks, Snorks, Smurfs, and everything else in between.

Sadly, the Saturday morning cartoon of yesteryear is no longer. Kids can stream whatever they want whenever they want, so while the activity may be gone, the content isn&#39;t. Looking back over the Saturday morning cartoons that entertained millions of children, there are tons of interesting details and fun facts you probably didn&#39;t know about them. After all, we were kids when we enjoyed them the most, so many of the best details about them slipped by unnoticed.

This list highlights some of the more fascinating details most people didn&#39;t know about their favorite Saturday morning cartoons. Take a look down below, and when you find something you didn&#39;t already know, be sure to give it a vote to see which detail rises to the top!

Things You Probably Didn't Know About Nostalgic Saturday Morning Cartoons

Jonathan H. Kantor

<a href="https://twitter.com/causalinf/status/1393221071961268226" target="_blank">@causalinkf</a> asked Twitter to share the weird perks people had because of their parents&#39; jobs and the internet did NOT fail to deliver. Vote up the best perks!

People Are Sharing The Cool Perks They Had As Kids, And We're Feeling A Bit Jealous

Joshua Rhee

Find out what your favorite '90s stars are up to today.

'90s Stars: Then & Now

Entertainment

Teen heartthrobs, scream queens, and every crush-worthy celebrity from the &#39;90s are now turning out performances as concerned dads, working moms, and try-hard stepparents as former Tiger Beat cover stories turn in their pom-poms and Mazda Miatas for sack lunches and PTA meetings. But that doesn&#39;t mean the end of an era, just a new chapter. Here are a few &#39;90s teen dreams who are now playing the part of parents on popular TV shows. Vote up the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-film-actors-and-actresses-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">actors and actresses</a> who are still worthy of poster wall space.

Dreamy Teen Stars From The '90s Who Are Now Moms And Dads On Popular Shows

Celebrity Lists

What do you miss about the 90s? It&#39;s a simple question, but the answers sure do vary. From Blockbuster movie nights&nbsp;to slap bracelets, there&#39;s something&nbsp;for everyone to miss when the 90s are involved. Vote up the most missed things from the 90s!&nbsp;&nbsp;

All answers courtesy of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/qqtyo5/what_do_you_miss_about_the_90s/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=web2x&amp;context=3" target="_blank">this AskReddit</a>.

People Are Sharing What They Miss Most From The 90s And The Nostalgia Is Real

M. Garcia

Best TV

For entire generations of kids, some of their most fond memories are of watching Saturday morning cartoons. The animated shows that became instant classics entertained children across the country and most had a special theme song that was so catchy, kids just couldn&#39;t forget it. What are the greatest cartoon theme songs of all time?

There are a lot of catchy cartoons on this list, and those that have been voted the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/my-favorite-cartoons-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top 10 cartoon</a> theme songs have some of the most memorable musical intros in television history, animated or not. They kept kids hooked on the show and still resonate (and are remembered) even today. This list features the greatest theme songs from cartoons including, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Flintstones, Duck Tales, Rainbow Brite, The Legend of Zelda, My Little Pony, The Transformers, The Care Bears, The Simpsons, and The Smurfs.

What are the catchiest cartoon theme songs? Are the tunes forever part of your memory high on the list? Vote up the best cartoon theme songs of all time below and be sure to sing along.

Pinky and the Brain

The Greatest Cartoon Theme Songs of All Time

The Best Cartoon Theme Songs of All Time, Ranked

Animated

Though <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-disney-animated-movies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Disney animated films</a> dominated&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-highest-grossing-90s-movies/all-genre-movies-lists" target="_blank">the '90s box office</a>, the best non-Disney films from that era reveal&nbsp;a renaissance&nbsp;for animated content. Nearly every studio in Hollywood cashed&nbsp;in on the public's renewed interest in animated fare. Several&nbsp;invested in the Don Bluth business; the Land Before Time&nbsp;auteur directed&nbsp;four films in the decade, including Thumbelina&nbsp;for Warner Bros., and&nbsp;the well-received&nbsp;Anastasia&nbsp;for Fox. Meanwhile, An American Tail:&nbsp;An American Tail: Fivel Goes West, produced by Steven Spielberg, marked&nbsp;the first entry from Spielberg's Amblimation&nbsp;studio, a short-lived company responsible for&nbsp;We're Back: A Dinosaur's&nbsp;Story&nbsp;and&nbsp;Balto;&nbsp;it eventually folded into DreamWorks&nbsp;Animation by the end of the decade. DreamWorks Animation, founded in 1997, is the only non-Disney success story of the '90s, releasing hits Antz&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Prince of Egypt&nbsp;in 1998, and laying the foundation for their reputation as the cheekier alternative to Disney's&nbsp;Pixar juggernaut.The most revered&nbsp;non-Disney animated feature of the '90s, Warner Bros.' exciting and heartbreaking&nbsp;The Iron Giant, served&nbsp;as a cautionary tale that explains the entire decade in non-Disney animated films.&nbsp;Despite unanimous critical praise, without the Disney branding&nbsp;The Iron Giant&nbsp;flopped at the box office. A massive failure that, along with the failures of&nbsp;Osmosis Jones&nbsp;and&nbsp;Looney Tunes: Back in Action,&nbsp;stopped&nbsp;Warner Bros. Animation from making another&nbsp;movie for over a decade. Though they&nbsp;never matching the box office success, and rarely the critical success, of their Disney counterparts, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-50-greatest-animated-films-of-all-time" target="_blank">animated films</a> from the '90s not by Disney now hold a legacy of their own, and paved the way for films like Despicable Me, Kung Fu Panda, and Happy Feet.

All Of Your Favorite Animated '90s Movies Not Made by Disney

Film

The Best Non-Disney Animated Movies Of The '90s

Clay Keller

A lot of times, kids are giving us clues to the kind of person they will grow up to be. Luckily, we have Twitter around to confirm this for us. So, when @amandadeibert <a href="https://twitter.com/amandadeibert/status/1397556750564216835" target="_blank">posed the question</a> on Twitter,&nbsp;&quot;What is something you did as kid/young person that exemplifies <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-i-know-exactly-who-you-are-instagram/jacob-shelton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">exactly who you are</a> now? One of those &#39;wow, that is so me&#39;&nbsp;stories,&quot; the internet responded with some great stories.

24 People Share Childhood Stories That Perfectly Explain Who They Became

24 People Share Childhood Stories That Perfectly Describe The People They Became

Ranking the best movies of the decade that brought us everything from Fight Club to Titanic to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

'90s Movie Nostalgia

Trending on Ranker

The 1990s gave us some of the most memorable movies in history, from surprise successes like&nbsp;Home Alone&nbsp;to big budget franchise launchers like&nbsp;Jurassic Park. Regardless of genre, something they all have in common is that fans have put a lot of thought into <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/90s-movies-fan-theories/mariel-loveland" target="_blank">theories about them</a>, and many of them are really, really dark. There are fans that speculate that Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is actually the killer in&nbsp;Seven. There&#39;s even a theory that suggests Jack and Rose are responsible for the fate of their titular ship in&nbsp;Titantic.

If you love flicks from the 90s (and have a bit of a twisted mind), check out this list of dark fan theories from popular 1990s movies.

14 Dark Fan Theories About Classic '90s Movies

Dark Fan Theories About Classic '90s Movies

T.J. Peters

Mistakes & Plot Holes

The 2000s brought a new&nbsp;level of excitement and explosiveness to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-2000s-action-movies/ranker-film" target="_blank">action movies</a>. While the X-Men and Spider-Man&nbsp;franchises kicked off Marvel&#39;s domination at&nbsp;the box office, the world was also introduced to a new James Bond and Superman. As <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-underrated-2000s-action-movies/tyler-mitchell" target="_blank">entertaining and memorable</a> as these movies are, though, that doesn&#39;t mean they are perfect, and fans have been keen to point&nbsp;out their <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/action-movie-plot-holes/renee-engelberth" target="_blank">plot holes</a>. Sometimes these plot holes are glaring, like the fact that the pre-meditated murder at the center of&nbsp;Minority Report&nbsp;is at odds with the core premise of the movie. Some are more logistical, like how Cyclops is somehow able to use an eye scanner in X-Men. Fans even point out the most minuscule plot holes, like the one that suggests Harvey Dent could never be a believable Batman in The Dark Knight&nbsp;because of his prominent chin.

If you love the big-budget thrills from the turn of the 20th century, check out these&nbsp;fan-spotted plot holes from 2000s action movies.

Plot Holes In 2000s Action Movies Fans Couldn't Help But Notice

The 1990s was a great period for <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-1990-action-movies/ranker-film" target="_blank">action movies</a>. With filming technology advancing rapidly, &#39;90s action movies were starting to look a lot better than their 1980s predecessors. Things were especially looking up for the action sci-fi genre, which was beginning to take off with classics&nbsp;like Total Recall, The Matrix, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Fifth Element, and so many more.

While we celebrate the time where Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger were the biggest stars in the world, here are some things you didn&#39;t know about the making of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/90s-action-movie-details/jonathan-kantor" target="_blank">&#39;90s action movies</a>.&nbsp;

Things You Didn't Know About The Making Of '90s Action Movies

Julian Hoffman

Nostalgia lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of nostalgia lists and rankings

Nostalgia lists on Ranker

90s TV

These are the best Saturday morning cartoons from the &#39;80s and &#39;90s. Thankfully, with the advent of the DVD, the DVR, and even VHS tapes, Soul Train can&#39;t ruin our fun anymore. Rank your favorite &#39;80s cartoons and <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-10-cartoons-of-the-90s?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">90s cartoon shows</a>, from the original TMNT to Bucky O&#39;Hare. What were your favorite &#39;80s and &#39;90s cartoons? These awesome Saturday morning cartoons, voiced by <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-childhood-cartoon-voice-actors/math-erao" target="_blank">some fantastic and recognizable actors</a>, made weekends just the best. Seeing them now instantly brings back glorious memories of those carefree, childhood days.

This &#39;90s cartoons list also includes some great mid 1980s cartoons that you surely enjoyed. But which on this &#39;90s cartoons list were the best?&nbsp;For which did you save your bowl of sugary, soggy cereal so you could enjoy them both at the same time? Which ones had the toys that you received as gifts only from misguided aunts and uncles and then later threw in your closet never to play with again? Did you prefer the more <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/extreme-childrens-cartoons-you-forgot-about/matthew-ludwinski" target="_blank">oddball,&nbsp;extreme&nbsp;cartoons</a>?

This list of the best Saturday morning cartoons of the &#39;80s and &#39;90s includes classics with awesome theme songs and persistent franchises as well as single-season cartoon series that will make you be like, &quot;Oh yeah, I remember that!&quot; Click rerank below to make your own version of this list and vote up the best &#39;90s <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/my-favorite-cartoons-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">cartoon TV shows</a> below!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Best Saturday Morning Cartoons for Mid-'80s to '90s Kids

The Best '80s & '90s Saturday Morning Cartoons, Ranked by Fans

Ranker Community

They used to look one way, but now they look different.

Before & After

You remember the days: sitting in front of the TV wondering which outfit Kelly Kapowski would wear today in her efforts to draw more attention than&nbsp;Zack&nbsp;Morris&#39;s 20-pound cell phone. Teen actresses of the &#39;80s and &#39;90s were unforgettable - you probably had their posters on your wall. The question now is: What happened to the hottest girls of your childhood?

Taking you&nbsp;from The Wonder Years to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-to-larisa-oleynik/megan-summers" target="_blank">The Secret World of Alex Mack</a>, this list of then-and-now pictures of the hottest crushes from your childhood is a side-by-side comparison of what became of all the most memorable actresses from your youth.

Your Childhood Crushes (Then And Now)

Person

Brian Gilmore

Creepy, terrifying, and nausea-inducing pics and vids that will skeeve you out and give you nightmares.

Warning: Look Away

You remember them (even if you don&#39;t want to): the scariest characters and images from your childhood. These sometimes unassuming things haunted your dreams and thoughts within minutes of being introduced to them.

If you&#39;ve ever blocked some frightening image from your conscious or subconscious because you just couldn&#39;t bear the thought of it coming back to haunt your dreams for yet another night, ready the plastic bedsheets because this list of scary memories from your childhood is bringing all the best of the worst characters right back at you (with pictures!). From a seemingly innocuous toilet that grows fangs whenever you try to take a leak to Pennywise the Clown, a character that single-handedly ended the careers of hundreds of birthday clowns in the 1990s.

These scary childhood horrors include some of the <a href="/crowdranked-list/creepiest-characters-on-television">creepiest characters on TV</a> and the <a href="/list/the-13-scariest-internet-memes-of-all-time/danielle-dauenhauer">scariest memes on the internet</a>. Carry on if you dare.

Jason Voorhees

60+ of Your Greatest Childhood Fears

The '80s and '90s saw an inordinate amount of child stars who lived the primes of their lives during their movie or sitcom careers. Since then, many of those actresses have seem to fall off the face of the earth. Where are they now?So, since they didn't have the Internet following them around, here are the 20 hottest girls who turned into hot babes, along with who they were, what they looked like as kids and where they are now. Enjoy.You're looking for some nude TV stars? Well, these might not be pics of TV stars nude, but this list will certainly bring back some fond, fond memories.

The Top 19 Sexiest Girls You Forgot About

Hottest Child Actresses from 80s and 90s TV | Child Actresses/Stars All Grown Up

Greg Stopera

Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario World

Super Mario Bros. 3

Bart Simpson

Homer Simpson

Dexter

The 1990s brought a wave of amazing, unforgettable programming designed specifically for kids. Let's rank 'em.

'90s TV for Kids

Lists about your favorite characters that were drawn by hand or generated by computer.

Animated Characters & Cartoons

poll

The 1990s was a time when all types of cartoons were introduced to the general public and thrived within the the realm of pop culture. 90s cartoon characters are some of the most beloved of all time and certainly some of the most iconic. Characters range from more mature characters like Homer Simpson to Beavis and Butthead to classic children&#39;s cartoon characters like SpongeBob SquarePants, Blue, Rocko, and Doug Funnie. We also can&#39;t forget about famous female 90s cartoon characters, like Leela (Futurama), Marge (The Simpsons), and The Powerpuff Girls.&nbsp;

During the &#39;90s, mature cartoons started to become popular with many teens and young adults. Mike Judge was at the forefront of this movement creating the aforementioned Beavis and Butthead TV show along with King of the Hill, whose main character Hank Hill can be seen on this list. These famous cartoons are the forefathers to characters like Peter Griffin, Stan Smith, and the rest of the Seth MacFarlane universe. The same goes for the Nickelodeon cartoons of the same time period.

Anyone can contribute to this list of who the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-cartoon-characters-on-tv/greg-hahn?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best cartoon characters</a> of the &#39;90s is, which makes this ranking an accurate, real-time reflection of the crowd&#39;s collective opinion.If you have a favorite&ndash;boy or girl, blue, green, black, or yellow&ndash; that is not on the list, be sure to add it. It can be disputed that the &#39;90s was the best time for edgy cartoon characters and this Ultimate List sets out to settle the dispute over who was the best character of that time. Rank your favorites or add whoever you see missing.

Tommy Pickles

The Best Cartoon Characters Of The 90s

TV Character

The 100+ Greatest 90s Cartoon Characters 

Lists that rank the best, most addictive, most compelling, most punishing games in all genres for players at every level of experience.

The Best and Worst of Gaming

Arcade Games

Top classic video games from the early years of gaming. This list contains the best games released on any system (arcade, home consoles, portable devices) from the 1960s through the year 2000 (which for this list would be considered the start of the &quot;modern era&quot; of gaming.) This includes all the essential games from the era of the arcade, as well as the original 8-bit consoles and their 16-bit follow-ups.Many of the retro games on this list have remained extremely popular to this present day, and are often still played by passionate fans on preserved consoles or on computers via emulator software. Some of these games are part of ongoing franchises that have remained vital to this day, such as the classic &quot;Mario Bros.&quot; games, &quot;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/a-timeline-of-the-legend-of-zelda-chronology/stephanroget?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Legend of Zelda</a>&quot; titles and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/all-fighting-games-list/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">fighting games</a> like &quot;Mortal Kombat.&quot;Experimental video games have been around since the 1950s, but it was two game breakthroughs in the early 1970s that really brought games more mainstream attention. &quot;Spacewar!,&quot; released in 1961, became popular enough to generate about 1500 individual arcade machines, but was so complicated to learn that it failed to really develop mass appeal. The same was not true of 1972's &quot;Pong,&quot; from the same creators, that recreated table tennis for arcades and eventually sold nearly 20,000 machines. By the late 1970s, <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/failed-video-game-consoles/nathan-gibson?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">video game consoles</a> for the home were becoming more commonplace, with both the Intellivision and ColecoVision competing in toy stores and introducing many of the titles we're still familiar with today (including the original &quot;Donkey Kong&quot; and &quot;Space Invaders.&quot;)1978 is traditionally considered the start of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-popular-golden-age-arcade-games/video-games-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Golden Age of video games</a>, particularly in terms of arcade games, with the introduction of numerous beloved retro titles (including &quot;Frogger&quot; and &quot;Galaxian.&quot;) Finally, in 1985, Nintendo introduced the first Nintendo Entertainment System to stores, bundled with the game &quot;Super Mario Bros.,&quot; a landmark release in console history.