05 Jan

Nostalgia Society

written by Mary Jo and John Tenuto in Blog | No comments

We should be thankful to a Swiss medical student Johannes Hofer from 1688 for the retro Mego versions of Brady Bunch toys now available in stores and on this website. Nostaligia is actually a psychological condition defined by Hofer as what we might think of as homesickness. When we use the word today, it means thinking fondly of the past, yet the sadness that Hofer wrote about is there because the old days can never actually be reinvented. That doesn’t mean American society doesn’t try. We are a nostalgia society. Especially starting in the 1970s, although there are examples earlier, Americans tend to be nostalgic for the era twenty years previous.

The 1970s = The 1950s
Grease
American Graffiti which was 1962, yet was about 1950s culture
Idols like Shaun Cassidy singing 1950s ballads

The 1980s = The 1960s
Star Trek feature films
Batman feature films
Vietnam films like Platoon
The Monkees Music videos, based on the Beatles, Grease 2

The 1990s = The 1970s
That 70s Show
Happy Days
Stage Play
The Nick and Jessica Variety Show
ABBA music, especially the soundtrack of feature films
The Bee Gees
The Brady Bunch feature films

The 2000s = The 1980s
Star Trek prequel features
That 80s Show
Napoleon Dynamite
Rubick’s Cube
PacMan
Indiana Jones feature film

The 1990s begins the “Double Nostalgia” era. Because the 1990s would be nostlagic about the 1970s, yet much of the 1970s was about the 1950s, you get a weird double dose of nostalgia. A good example is the 2008 Star Trek feature film. The feature film is a prequel to the 1980s Star Trek movies, yet also to the 1960s TV show. Why this type of nostalgia? The audience for the modern fashions, television shows, feature films, and toys were children during the era of nostalgia. You might have wanted that Transformer toy, yet your parents never could afford it.

Now, twenty years later, you have the earnings to purchase at the retail store whatever robots in disguise meets your nostalgic eye. There is also the fun of parents sharing their experiences with their children. Star Trek is a known entertainment to people, something fun to share with the next generation. This is why those Mego versions of the Brady Bunch toys appeal to us so much. We can now afford them. We can share them with our family. Now if they’d only make a retro Mego version of the Silver Platters! Until then, we’ll keep keepin’ on being nostalgic.