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14 Pop Culture Moments That Changed Millennials Forever

Image Credit: Disney

Millennials, in case you haven’t heard, aren’t teenagers anymore. The oldest in the generation are nearing 40, and even the youngest are out in the workforce, perhaps married, perhaps with children or thinking about it at this point.

That means they came of age in the 80s and 90s, which means we can blame at least some of their quirks and other odd behaviors on these 14 moments that television and movies thought were okay for kids.

14. Gmork from The Neverending Story.

Honestly there wasn’t a whole lot from that movie that wasn’t nightmare fuel.

13. The reveal at the end of the Thriller video.

HE HAD YELLOW EYES WHAT WHY.

12. The Thundercats early nudity.

I’m still not over it, to be honest.

11. Large Marge.

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure wasn’t all big fun.

10. Depressed Big Bird.

He turned blue in Follow that Bird and it was extremely disconcerting.

9. Return to Oz.

The closet of heads. The wheelers. The shock therapy. All of it.

8. Herbie Hancock’s Rockit video.

The 80s had a strange relationship with mannequins.

7. The death of Optimus Prime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLwWqGNaABU

Transformers: The Movie was unexpectedly emotional.

6. The alien in Mac & Me.

I maintain it was a demon masquerading as an alien.

5.When Fievel was lost in An American Tail.

I mean, some of us also still don’t quite trust cats (which I say is wise).

4. The anti-Christmas monologue on Gremlins.

Terrifying on so many levels.

3. When Will watches himself get guillotined.

Something Wicked This Way Comes indeed.

2. All of the Drug-Free America commercials.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXwNLENy7IA

Particularly this one, where the drug dealer is an actual snake.

1. The clown doll under the bed in Poltergeist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_pOcZOmac4

Also the entire movie but especially the clown doll.

I definitely agree with many of these – so that’s what’s wrong with me!

Or some of it, anyway.

Do you have a memory of something from your childhood that totally messed you up? If it’s missing from the list, tell us in the comments!