In Case I Missed It: 90's Edition

90s Halloween: costumes, candy, school parties, and the TV that made the season Alex kicks off a nostalgia-heavy look at what made Halloween in the 1990s feel bigger than a single night. He traces how costumes, trick-or-treating, school events, decorations, and TV specials worked together to turn October into a month-long ritual. This episode is a solo reflection from Alex, blending personal memories with pop culture history. He also closes with a top-five 90s Halloween candy ranking and a broader argument that the decade’s Halloween worked because it felt communal, homemade, and unpolished.

Key topics

• In this episode, Alex revisits how Hocus Pocus became a Halloween tradition despite bombing in theaters in July 1993, with only about $8 million opening weekend and roughly $39 million total on a $28 million budget.
• He argues that 90s Halloween was built by reruns, school parties, neighborhood participation, and the shared ritual of costume planning and candy hunting.
• He compares store-bought box costumes with homemade costumes, making the case that the boxed costume was the most iconic because it was instantly recognizable and tied to whatever character was popular that year.
• He remembers the costume eras of the decade: Ninja Turtles, Batman, Power Rangers, and late-90s Scream masks.
• He contrasts the classic orange plastic pumpkin bucket with the pillowcase, framing the pillowcase as the serious trick-or-treating strategy for maximum candy.
• He describes how Halloween looked different depending on where you grew up, including apartment buildings, schoolwide trick-or-treating, and classroom candy swaps.
• He highlights the “full-size candy bar house” as neighborhood legend and breaks candy into tiers, from premium name brands to the unwanted leftovers like candy corn, hard butterscotch, toothbrushes, and raisins.
• He reflects on school Halloween culture, including hallway decorations, classroom parties, costume parades, art projects, and paper pumpkins taped to windows.
• He explains why Halloween cartoons felt so special in the 90s, especially The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror, where writers got permission to go darker, funnier, and more chaotic than usual.
• He closes by arguing that Halloween in the 90s felt communal because nearly everyone in the neighborhood participated, from parents and teachers to store owners and grandparents.

• “Halloween in the 90s was one of the last nights of the year that belonged to everybody in the neighborhood.”
• “The costume was never really about the costume. It was permission for one night.”
• “We didn’t wait for the calendar. We just decided what Halloween was.”

• Reese’s peanut butter cups
• Snickers
• Skittles
• Warheads
• Ring Pops and Push Pops

• Airheads
• Kit Kat
• Twix
• Sour Patch Kids
• Nerds
• Crunch

• Candy corn
• Hard butterscotch
• Toothbrushes
• Fruit snacks
• Popcorn balls

The 90s gave us some of the greatest horror movies ever made, and today I rank my Top 10 and defend every pick. From Misery to The Silence of the Lambs, this is Scream Season. What was the 90s horror movie that actually got you? The one where you ran from the light switch to the bed?

THE LIST

10. Misery (1990)

9. Candyman (1992)

8. Interview with the Vampire (1994)

7. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

6. I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

5. Se7en (1995)

4. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

3. Scream (1996)

2. The Sixth Sense (1999)

1. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Also in this episode: - Did You Know Though: three October facts from the decade, including Anthony Hopkins' screen time in Silence of the Lambs and the Blair Witch budget-to-box-office math - Top 5 Horror Scenes from the 90s That Are Still Living in Your Body - Why the 90s understood what made horror work: dread, ideas that follow you home, and villains who win

Chapters

• 00:00 The Essence of 90s Horror
• 07:12 Ranking the Top Horror Films
• 11:04 Cultural Commentary in Horror
• 15:19 The Evolution of Horror Techniques
• 43:20 The Impact of Iconic Scenes

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1993 was the year the 90s stopped feeling like the 80s' little brother and started feeling like the future. Jurassic Park, Mortal Monday, Wu-Tang, Bane breaking Batman's back, and the World Wide Web going public, all in one year. Episode 16 of In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition is the full 1993 recap, plus a spooky season flashback to October 1993.

Here's what we cover:

🎬 Movies: Jurassic Park and Schindler's List in the same year, The Fugitive, Mrs. Doubtfire, Free Willy, Addams Family Values, Dazed and Confused, Cool Runnings, Demolition Man.

🎮 Video games: The Sega vs. Super Nintendo console wars, Mortal Monday and the blood code, the Senate hearings that created the ESRB, Doom, NBA Jam, Star Fox, and the two completely different Aladdin games.

📚 Comics: Knightfall and Batman #497, Reign of the Supermen, the adamantium rip in X-Men, Maximum Carnage, and the speculator boom.

🎵 Music: Nirvana's In Utero and MTV Unplugged, Doggystyle, Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers, A Tribe Called Quest, Pearl Jam's Vs., Mariah Carey, Tag Team's "Whoomp! There It Is," and the lost art of taping songs off the radio.

📺 TV & culture: The X-Files, Frasier, Beavis and Butt-Head, Animaniacs, Power Rangers, TGIF, and the day CERN gave the web to the world.

🎃 Spooky Season, October 1993: Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Treehouse of Horror IV, and The Halloween Tree.

We also pull the receipts. Other shows remember the 90s wrong, and we get the dates, the facts, and the details right.

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Next week: Episode 17, Scream Season: the Top 10 Horror Films of the 90s.

New episodes drop every Saturday. Subscribe so you never miss one, and leave a 5-star review if you grew up in the 90s.

Chapters

• 00:00 Welcome to Spooky Season
• 01:58 Reliving 1993: A Cultural Snapshot
• 06:54 The Cinematic Marvels of 1993
• 10:28 The Musical Revolution of 1993
• 15:41 The Video Game Wars of 1993

The 90s brought a diverse range of music that resonated with listeners, including hip hop, R&B, grunge, and alternative music. Mega Ran's journey from high school to college, his experience as an educator, and his evolution as a Grammy-nominated rapper reflect the DIY spirit of the 90s. His love for wrestling and the impact of music in his upbringing shaped his creative expression. The conversation delves into the impact of the 90s music scene, exploring the diverse genres and their influence on the speakers' lives. It also touches on the crossover between music and wrestling, as well as the evolution of the music industry. The speakers share personal experiences and reflections on the music of the 90s, highlighting its enduring significance.

Takeaways

• Diverse music of the 90s resonated with listeners
• Mega Ran's journey reflects the DIY spirit of the 90s Diverse Influence
• Crossover Impact

Chapters

• 00:00 The Sound of the 90s
• 01:32 Living Inside a Sound
• 03:09 Bringing Positive Vibes
• 03:37 Growing Up in Philadelphia
• 04:22 The Birth of a Rapper
• 13:34 The Evolution of Music
• 24:44 The Impact of Wrestling
• 28:01 The 90s Music Scene
• 30:30 Crossover: Music and Wrestling
• 36:36 Evolution of the Music Industry

The 90s Disney rankings everybody has in their head finally get said out loud - and this episode has a Disney voice actor with the exact kind of take that makes the whole list more fun. Alex sits down with Holland Watkins to rank the decade's animated giants, from The Lion King and The Little Mermaid to Mulan, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the overlooked gems hiding lower on the list. Holland brings more than nostalgia - she brings the perspective of someone living inside Disney history.

As a voice actor who booked Disney's Wish after a chance conversation in a class, she talks about what it feels like to finally see your name on screen, why animation deserves more respect, and how voice performance has changed from "doing a voice" to fully inhabiting a character. She also opens up about the winding path that took her from childhood dreams in rural Virginia to acting, wrestling training, stunt work, hairstyling, and, eventually, Disney. You'll hear why Pocahontas hit so hard as a kid, why Mulan is Holland's true comfort movie, why Hunchback still feels shockingly dark, and why The Lion King remains the undisputed number one. Along the way, Alex makes the case for underrated classics like The Rescuers Down Under, explains why Tarzan feels like the end of an era, and breaks down how songs like "Colors of the Wind," "Be Our Guest," and "Circle of Life" still define what Disney magic feels like. We also get into the realities behind the glamour: the SAG-AFTRA strike, what it means to work in animation, why Disney fans are so fiercely protective of these films, and how a childhood mindset can turn into a real career when you keep saying the dream out loud.

Holland's story is proof that the most ridiculous-sounding goals are sometimes the ones that come true. Perfect for Disney fans, 90s kids, animation lovers, and anyone who needs a reminder that your childhood obsessions may have been shaping your future all along.

The 90s era was a time of significant change and evolution, marked by the introduction of VHS tapes and the impact of the 9/11 tragedy. The VHS era revolutionized home entertainment, providing ownership and control over movies and TV shows. The 9/11 tragedy reshaped the world and impacted the lives of individuals, leading to a shift in technology, lifestyle, and societal norms. The VHS tape era was a time of emotional connection, ritualistic experiences, and unique memories. The physical act of renting and watching VHS tapes created a sense of ownership and participation that is missing in today's streaming era. The VHS tape was not just a container for movies, but a vessel for memories and experiences.

Takeaways

• VHS tapes revolutionized home entertainment, providing ownership and control over movies and TV shows.
• The 9/11 tragedy reshaped the world, leading to a shift in technology, lifestyle, and societal norms. Emotional connection to VHS tapes
• Ritualistic experiences of renting and watching VHS tapes

Chapters

• 00:00 The Nostalgia of VHS Tapes
• 02:52 The Impact of 9/11
• 28:19 Emotional Connection to VHS Tapes
• 31:09 Ritualistic Experiences of Renting and Watching VHS Tapes
• 35:56 The Enduring Legacy of VHS Tapes
• 44:37 The Specific Memories of VHS Tapes

1992 was a pivotal year that marked a cultural shift in music, movies, television, and technology. It saw the rise of grunge music, the release of iconic films, the debut of Cartoon Network, and the first text message. The year encapsulated a blend of joy and pain, shaping a generation in ways that continue to resonate today.

Chapters

• 00:00 Cultural Impact of 1992
• 26:46 The Cultural Impact of Music in 1992
• 30:21 The Cinematic Landscape of 1992
• 31:55 Television and the Birth of Reality TV
• 33:31 The Technological Revolution of 1992
• 34:27 The Cultural Shift of 1992
• 36:12 The End of the Beginning: 1992 as a Decade-Defining Year

The conversation takes us on a nostalgic journey through the joy of fast food as a kid in the 90s. It explores the significance of various fast food restaurants and their impact on childhood memories, traditions, and experiences. The 90s fast food experience was a nostalgic journey filled with memories of iconic restaurants and their unique offerings. From the Wendy's Superbar to the Book It Program at Pizza Hut, each chapter delves into the emotional significance of these dining experiences. The neighborhood spot and the cultural impact of McDonald's Happy Meal are also explored, along with a memorable mention of Sizzler. The episode concludes with an invitation for listeners to share their own number one restaurant from the 90s.

Chapters

• 00:00 Nostalgic Car Rides
• 03:10 The Joy of Fast Food as a Kid
• 06:10 Ranking 90s Fast Food Restaurants
• 12:45 Chuck E. Cheese: An Event for Kids
• 23:24 Subway: The Experience of Watching Your Sandwich Being Made
• 27:17 KFC: Sunday Family Meal Tradition
• 30:35 Burger King: The Kids Club and the Whopper
• 35:39 Taco Bell: Affordable and Dignified Food for Kids
• 39:48 Wendy's: The Freshness and Quality
• 40:16 The Wendy's Superbar
• 45:24 Pizza Hut and the Book It Program
• 48:45 The Neighborhood Spot
• 55:30 McDonald's and the Happy Meal
• 59:09 Sizzler: A Memorable Mention
• 01:03:08 Number One: Your Restaurant

The 90s daytime talk show era was a chaotic and controversial period in television history, characterized by the influence of iconic hosts like Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Springer, and others. It ended with a reckoning that forced a shift in the landscape, leading to the decline of tabloid talk shows. Despite the chaos, the era also provided a unique form of education and company for a generation of kids who grew up watching these shows.

Chapters

• 00:00 The 90s Daytime Talk Show Explosion
• 05:10 The Influence of Phil Donahue
• 06:09 The Chaotic and Controversial 90s Television Landscape
• 07:28 Oprah Winfrey: The Queen of Daytime Television
• 09:48 The Complicated Figure of Jerry Springer
• 12:08 The Evolution of Maury Povich's Show
• 13:57 Ricky Lake's Impact on Tabloid Talk Shows
• 14:55 Sally Jesse Raphael and the Shift in Show Content
• 16:27 The Unique Approach of Montel Williams
• 17:26 The Controversial Geraldo Rivera Show
• 18:55 The Impact of the 90s Daytime Talk Show Era
• 22:21 The End of the Daytime Talk Show Era
• 28:58 Memorable Moments from 90s Daytime Talk Shows
• 35:05 The Human Side of the 90s Daytime Talk Show Era

The 90s wrestling era, known as the Attitude Era, was a cultural phenomenon that captivated millions of viewers with its compelling storytelling and larger-than-life characters. It was a time of intense competition between WWF and WCW, marked by unforgettable moments and iconic personalities. The era's impact on pop culture and the enduring legacy of its characters continue to resonate with fans today.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Monday Night Experience
• 03:42 The Rise of Pro Wrestling in the 90s
• 06:34 The Monday Night Wars
• 09:23 The McMahon Factor
• 15:08 The Rock and Stone Cold Era
• 20:59 The Decline of WCW
• 32:40 Top 5 Attitude Era Moments
• 41:07 The Impact of the Attitude Era

Most of us were born between 1982 and 1989. Which means

the 80s? We don't really remember them. But by the time

we were old enough to actually see the world around us —

the world we woke up in was 1991. And it turned out to

be something special.

This week on In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition we do our

second Year Recap — a full 360 of 1991. Music, movies,

TV, sports, and world events. The year that didn't stop.

Nirvana's Nevermind knocking Michael Jackson off number

one. Metallica's Black Album dropping six weeks before

it. The Gulf War ending in 100 hours on live TV. Whitney

Houston's national anthem that made the whole country

stop breathing. The Bulls winning their first

championship and a dynasty beginning. Terminator 2

raising the ceiling for every movie that came after it.

The Silence of the Lambs sweeping all five major Oscars

as a horror film. Beauty and the Beast becoming the

first animated film ever nominated for Best Picture.

John Singleton directing Boyz n the Hood at 23 years

old. Magic Johnson's announcement that changed a

national conversation overnight. The Soviet Union

dissolving on Christmas Day. And the SNES and Sonic

launching the console wars.

Plus Did You Know and our Top 5: Moments From 1991

That Changed Everything — including the one that

started everything and the one nobody saw coming.

New episodes every Saturday morning.

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#1991 #90sNostalgia #Nirvana #Nevermind #90sPodcast

#MagicJohnson #MichaelJordan #Terminator2 #90sRecap

#MillennialNostalgia

A/S/L?

If those three letters just unlocked something in

your brain — this episode is for you.

This week on In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition we're

going back to the early internet. The dial-up modem

sound. The AOL CD that came in the mail. Chat rooms

full of strangers. The screen name you chose at 9pm

on a Tuesday that became your entire digital identity

for a decade. AIM buddy lists. The away message that

was definitely about someone specific. GeoCities pages

with auto-playing MIDI music nobody asked for. And

Napster — the software one 18-year-old built in his

dorm room that accidentally ended the music industry

as it existed.

Plus our new permanent segment — the TOP 5 LIST.

This week: Top 5 Early Internet Experiences Every

90s Kid Had and Will Never Forget. From the Napster

download that took 45 minutes and got killed by the

phone, to the getting-caught-online moment every

single one of us lived at least four times.

The early internet was weird. It was chaotic. It was

completely unsupervised. And it changed everything

about how humans talk to each other — forever.

New episodes every Saturday morning.

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.

#90s #AOL #AIM #DialUp #EarlyInternet #90sNostalgia

#ChatRooms #MillennialMemories #90sPodcast #ASL #Napster

The Knicks just won it all for the first time in 53 years —

and this episode has been building toward that moment our

whole lives.

This week on In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition, we're going

back to what it felt like to be a sports kid growing up in

the New York area in the 90s. The Knicks' back-to-back trips

to the Finals in 1994 and 1999. The Yankees dynasty that won

four titles in five years. The Rangers ending a 54-year

Stanley Cup drought. The Devils right there too. And the

streets where we played all of it out ourselves — wiffle

ball, handball, stickball, pickup basketball with no refs

and at least four arguments per game.

We also break down something most people don't think about:

how differently we actually watched sports in the 90s. Game

7 of the 1994 Finals drew roughly 28 million viewers — still

the highest-rated Game 7 in NBA history — with zero second

screens, zero notifications, zero distractions. Just the game.

This one is for everybody who grew up believing, who argued

every call on the court, and who finally got to watch their

team finish what it started three decades ago.

New episodes every Saturday morning.

Subscribe and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.

This week on In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition we're not talking about a show or an album or a moment in history. We're talking about a feeling. The 90s summer — from the last day of school to the first day back — and everything in between that made it the greatest season of the greatest decade of our lives.

Every great decade has a foundation year — and for the 90s,

that year was 1990. On this week's In Case I Missed It: 90s

Edition, we do our first Year Recap and go all the way back

to where it all began. Nelson Mandela walking out of prison

after 27 years while a billion people watched. MC Hammer

going diamond with the first rap album to ever sell 10

million copies. Mariah Carey announcing herself to the world

with four number-one singles from a single debut album.

Milli Vanilli having their Grammy REVOKED. Home Alone

becoming the highest-grossing comedy in history. Ghost,

Goodfellas, Fresh Prince premiering, Twin Peaks changing

television forever — and somewhere in a quiet Swiss

laboratory, Tim Berners-Lee proposing something called the

World Wide Web while his supervisor wrote four words on the

paper: "vague but exciting." We cover the music, the movies,

the TV, the sports, and the world events that built the

foundation of the greatest decade ever lived — and make the

case that 1990 was the most important year of the entire

decade. New episodes every Saturday morning, because

Saturday mornings were always ours.

Remember staying up late because you were so close to the next save point? Well, this episode is for you.

This week on In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition, we’re taking a trip back to the golden era of home gaming.

We’re not just talking about the games—we’re diving into the culture, the console wars, the rivalries, and the moments that shaped our gaming identities.

We’ll explore the full timeline, from the Game Boy’s dominance in car rides and waiting rooms to the epic SNES vs. Sega Genesis war that split entire friend groups. We’ll also discuss the heartbreaking launch of the Sega Saturn, PlayStation’s transformative impact on game content, the N64’s controversial Super Mario 64 release, and the Dreamcast’s visionary design that went unnoticed until its demise.

But that’s not all. We’ll also delve into the culture surrounding the games. We’ll talk about Nintendo Power magazine as the internet of its time, the thrill of Blockbuster rentals with limited memory cards and a 48-hour time limit to beat a game, the trading of cheat codes on school buses, and the accidental creation of the ESRB rating system by Mortal Kombat’s congressional appearance. And we’ll reminisce about the couch co-op experience that online gaming eventually replaced but never truly replicated.

We drop every Saturday morning, because Saturday mornings were always ours.

Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts and leave a 5-star review—it helps us reach more people and keep the nostalgia alive.

You didn't need an alarm clock on Saturday morning. Your body just knew.

This week on In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition, we go all the way in on the holiest ritual of 90s childhood — Saturday Morning Cartoons. Not cable. Not Nickelodeon. Not Disney Channel. We're talking about the real thing: waking up before everybody in the house, planting yourself in front of the TV, and letting ABC, Fox, CBS, and WB carry you through the greatest three hours of your entire week.

We break down:

• The ABC vs. Fox vs. CBS vs. WB Saturday morning showdown — who really ran the block?
• The weekday cartoon culture too — the Fox Kids and WB afternoon blocks that kept us glued to the TV before and after school
• The "Did You Know" deep cuts — the behind-the-scenes stories about your favorite shows that you never heard growing up

This wasn't just TV. This was a whole childhood institution — and we're giving it the tribute it deserves.

New episodes every Saturday. Follow on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

In case you missed it… the 90s were better.

If you grew up in the 90s — or wish you did — this show was made for you. I'm kicking off In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition, the show where we celebrate the greatest decade that ever lived, one week at a time. We're talking 90s music, 90s TV, 90s movies, 90s fashion, 90s sports — all of it. No filters. No apologies. In this premiere episode, I'm setting the stage: what this show is, why the 90s hit different, and we're diving straight into the culture — grunge vs. R&B, Fresh Prince vs. Saved by the Bell, the rise of Jordan, the birth of the internet, and why this era shaped an entire generation.

Plus — I've got a list. The Top 5 Reasons the 90s Were the Greatest Decade of All Time. Come argue with me. Whether you're a millennial riding nostalgia or a Gen Z kid who finally figured out why we keep talking about this era — you belong here. Subscribe, hit follow, and come back every Saturday. In case you missed it… the 90s were better.

The greatest decade in history just got its own show. In Case I Missed It: 90s Edition drops every Thursday — music, movies, TV, sports, fashion, and all the culture that made the 90s the 90s. Hit subscribe! We're going back.