Happy 2018!!!

...is what I would be saying if I had written this article when I originally planned on it. Still, 2018 is a whole year, so I think we're good. There are plenty of things that will come out this year that we will remember fondly year down the road, but how about the things that came out years ago that we can look fondly upon now.

So I decided to do a list of 20 things turning 20 years old in 2018. Basically, this is a list of 20 things that came out in 1998 in the United States (it's an important technicality). So let's get nostalgic.

1. Armageddon

The movie about Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and some schmucks going to stop an asteroid from destroying the earth. More importantly, to me at least, the killer soundtrack to this movie also came out 20 years ago, and you definitely "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" like this movie and soundtrack. I'm not ashamed of that joke.

2. N*SYNC

N*SYNC made their United States debut in January of 1998 (that's why there's the U.S. rule for this list). The song "I Want You Back" started to sweep the nation, thanks in large part to Disney, and N*SYNC started to become a household name in America.

3. Furby

Who else remembers playing with this adorable little toys? I owned a few when I was a kid, but I did not realize they came out in 1998. Really shows how much of a rad they really were.

4. The Big Lebowski

Twenty years of the Dude gracing our screens. This movie was "far out, man," and worth another watches. I'm sure "the Dude abides" (these puns ain't stopping yet).

5. Google

Don't believe me, Google it. Google was incorporated in 1998 as a result of a research project done in 1996. Officially, Google's birthday is September 4, 1998, so Google will no longer be a teenager on that date.

6. Baby Bottle Pop

It ain't a baby anymore, Baby Bottle Pop turns 20 this year. The catchy jingle and sweet flavors for this candy can get stuck in your head (mostly in the teeth area). Kinda wanna eat one and listen to the jingle again (not the Jonas Brothers one from 2008 though, not nostalgic enough yet).

7. Mulan

Yeah, one of my favorite Disney movies came out in 1998, and it wasn't "The Parent Trap" or "A Bug's Life." 90% of my love for this movie comes from one song (you could probably guess the one), and another 7% comes from the rest of the soundtrack, so there's not a lot of enjoyment from the movie itself, but it's still good. And if Mulan came out in 1998, then I can think of another thing that came out in 1998...

8. Szechuan Sauce

Thanks to Rick and Morty fans, this thing became popular beyond all recognition during 2017, but the original came out in 1998 with the Mulan movie. While it was the second version that sent some people crazy this past year, the original deserves a mention on this list. After all, you can't forget the first.

9. Holes

It took nine entries, but I finally put a book on this list, and it's a good one. Before the movie that helped Shia LeBeouf start to transition from TV star to movie star, there was this book that came out in 1998. 20 years later, it's still a pretty good book.

10. "... Baby One More Time"

I feel like if I was a basic white girl I would enjoy this more, but at a minimum, I recognize the greatness that followed. So it is definitely worthy of recognition as one of the most important things from 1998. Now let me grab a cup of Starbucks so that I can properly jam out to this.

11. Game Boy Color

Alright, now it's time for something a little more masculine than Britney Spears because I have to maintain a little machismo. The Game Boy Color was the first handheld console I ever owned, so this is way more personally nostalgic than most of these. Still, there is nothing quite like playing some of these old games from the Game Boy Color (although I may or may not use emulators to do so).

12. "Dawson's Creek"

"Dawson's Creek" starred a young James Van Der Beek as the lead character Dawson. While I have never seen an episode, I have heard great things from those who have. Combine that with the fact that this show was the precursor to many of the teen dramas that are on TV now, which is most of the CW that I find myself watching.

13. Cranium

Now we get board games, 1998 had everything. In all seriousness, this is actually a really fun game that is underappreciated. Cranium, as with a lot of other things on this list, was a starting point for more great games to follow.

14. "Saving Private Ryan"

"Saving Private Ryan" might be that best war movie of all-time. Even if you do not believe that, you can't deny that it is a great film. The acclaim and awards that this film earned following its release shows that this film was that good.

15. Disney's Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom at Disney World in Orlando, Florida opened to the public in 1998. With exhibits like the safari, this place is massive, and I enjoyed every minute of it while I was there. Then they decided to add the "Pandora" parts to the Animal Kingdom, so now I need to go back because those things look awesome.

16. "That 70's Show"

So I originally was not a big fan of this show, but as I started watching it again, I have started to like it. This show really was one of the defining comedies of its time on television. Plus any show that goes for 200 episodes has to be doing something right, and it all started back in 1998 (or the 70's).

17. The MPMan

I'm 99% of you saw this are thinking some variation of "what is that thing," so let me explain. That "thing" is essentially the first MP3 player to ever be released. The MPMan was hot garbage that was so bad it was almost immediately replaced by the Rio PMP300, but it was still the first, so it gets the credit.

18. "There's Something About Mary"

Regardless of your thoughts on this movie as a whole, pretty much everybody can recall two of the iconic scenes from this movie. Two iconic scenes from a comedy movie is pretty impressive, and this is regarded as the funniest movie from 1998. The funniest movie of 1998 earns a place on this list.

19. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was released in the United States in 1998. While the Philosopher's Stone came out in Britain the year before, this version of the first book started the movement in the United States. Harry Potter is one of the biggest franchises in history, and twenty years ago it started in the United States.

20. "Closing Time" by Semisonic

Yeah, I saved "Closing Time" for last, don't judge me. The song that I had never heard end anything before college has become a generic ending for a few events I have gone to. Now that I have listed these twenty things that are turning 20 this year, I guess it's "Closing Time."