The time is upon us. We must say goodbye. Blockbuster video is taking its last bow.
If there’s anything that encapsulates what my ‘90s childhood was about, it was that blue and yellow sign that represented one thing: fun.
Forget the Skip It’s. Forget the Super Soakers. Forget Super Nintendo. Forget flipping through a Scholastic catalog and picking out the books I planned to buy (like The Stinky Cheese Man) but never did.
My ’90s was running to the New Releases wall at my favorite store, ripping Homeward Bound and Terminator 2: Judgment Day off the shelf, and heading to the cashier to get my Snowcaps and Sour Patch Kids. My ’90s was Blockbuster.
And in a few days, the societal activity of searching for a movie outside your home on a Friday night will be an urban legend. Blockbuster as we know it will shutter its domestic operations, including the last 300 stores standing and all distribution centers.
And yes, I’m blaming you, digital aughts. You are destroying the memories of everyone who remembers when Tommy became the White Ranger. And you will pay.
But, in the meantime, let’s focus on all the reasons Blockbuster will forever be in our hearts.
Because there was no greater thrill than seeing this at the start of a movie and wondering what would happen if you broke the rules:
Because whipping one of these babies out made you feel like the Blockbuster boss…and Netflix doesn’t reward you for being a loyal customer. Cheapskates.
And movies weren’t the only things we were rushing to the shelves to get:
But when heading to the New Releases wall on a Friday night…well…you just better watch out:
Because shit could get real:
Anyway…we’ll definitely miss this part of the movie experience:
And because streaming a video doesn’t offer an endless amount of movie snacks:
…Go to Blockbuster. Dassit.
Because no other experience could teach us the importance of good decision making:
And this (from this vantage point exactly) is actually nirvana:
And because there was no greater feeling than looking out the car window after a long Friday in grade school and seeing this sign:
Or being the sibling that was allowed to pick the kid movie…and teasing them for crying about not being the chosen one:
Watching these very ’90s commercials:
Or this:
And of course…these:
And in the end, Blockbuster may be a thing of our past, but it will go down as a respected relic. The best franchise ever. The definition of our childhood. A cultural treasure.
So let’s take a moment to remember this:
And always remember to be kind and rewind.
SOURCE: Giphy, Getty, Tumblr, Youtube
