Top 10 Characters or Shows that Deserve Their Own Merch
(According to the Vintage Vitamin Team)
Is it really possible to choose a single favorite show or character of all time during the 1990s? The 90s was such an iconic decade for the entertainment industry in general. With all these classic gems during that decade (which still remain relevant to this day by the way), it’s definitely hard to choose a favorite. We get it. In this article we will narrow it down for you, but of course, the Vintage Vitamin way. So we asked the team: “Name your favorite show or character during the 90s and tell us why they deserve their own merch” and we got some pretty interesting answers. Now sit back, relax, grab a beer (or a glass of milk whatever) and let us scour the good decade through the team’s core memories and experiences. Oh and we’re not going on a walk through memory lane, we’re going to hangout there.
1. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Let’s be honest, most of the stories that we remember as kids were all the scary ones. Now that the spooky season is just around the corner, let’s dive into this one first. “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” is a light horror/kid’s appropriate kind of scary anthology television series on Nickelodeon which aired from 1990 to 1996. I know they tried to make the show kid-friendly but it was still unsettling with all those stories that creeped us out as children (and maybe even scarred us for life). Basically, the show’s scheme revolves around a group of kids who call themselves the “Midnight Society”. The group gathers around in a campfire while they each share their chilling tales of horror. This was the real-deal back then from urban legends to vampires, and monkeys, the stories encourage the viewers (mostly kids) to think with all that mystery and twists. Just thinking about this show makes us feel the 90s nostalgia when the kids were raised by semi-scary shows like Goosebumps, and Beetlejuice. These are just some kid-friendly horror anthologies which we grew to love, but still haunt us in our adulthood.
2. Takumi Fujiwara from Initial D
Buckle up your seatbelts because we are about to drive past the limit with this one. If you are somebody that is passionate about cars, enjoys auto racing, and loves everything about the street racing subculture, you might remember Initial D. It is a popular street racing Manga Series written and illustrated by Shuichi Shigeno which ran from 1995 to 2013. It was later on adapted as an Anime television series on various networks. As of 2021, the series is considered one of the best-selling manga in HISTORY with over 55 million copies in circulation. Back then, it served as a cultural reset to the usual theme of manga and anime plots. This goes to show just how iconic it is. The story follows Takumi Fujiwara, who started off as the tofu delivery guy in his community to one of the best drivers in Japan. In the span of his career, and hundreds of exhilarating races, he absolutely destroyed (almost) everyone who dared to race him as he drove an old Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX AE86. Takumi became the best driver in his 2D world, and we shall say that the same goes here. He is legendary.
3. Mars Attacks!
Mars Attacks! is a film by Tim Burton which was released in December of 1996. While the existence of extraterrestrial-beings-terrorizing-Earth theme is no longer a stranger to 90s films, this one is hilariously twisted and weird. First off, the story is like mocking the usual and formulaic plots of films where a certain heroine magically overcomes an extinction-level threat. No, not in this film. Here, all the supposed “hero” figures get absolutely annihilated by the Martian invaders—so expect the worst. In the end though, the planet still gets saved (by the most unexpected people…accidentally) but we won’t spoil it if you didn’t have the chance to watch it. We must say, the movie is chaotic and it is a dark comedy gold! It was mean spirited, and anti-mainstream in the best way. I guess nobody in 1966 wanted to see it, but we must say, Mars Attacks! was really ahead of its time. Maybe it’s time for it to get the attention it deserves printed in a merch.
4. Jessica Drew a.k.a Spider Woman
While we literally call her “Spider Woman” Jessica Drew is not anywhere near who “Spider Man” is. Her character was first seen back in the 70s in the Marvel Spotlight #32 she also had about 50 comic issues in the following years. For those who don’t know, she accidentally got her powers from her researcher-parents in an attempt to cure a fatal disease when she was a child. Fun fact though, she was actually introduced as a villain. Before she became a superhero and an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, she was working for Hydra as “Arachne”. She also became best friends with Captain Marvel, exchanged fists with Hulk, and got tangled up with the Spider Verse. After all that childhood stuff, and her identity crisis one thing’s for sure—Jessica Drew is an icon and we’d love to see her star on her own merch.
5. Fushigi Yûgi
This one might be one of the by-the-book greatest Isekai classics in the whole history of anime. For those who don’t know, Isekai is an Anime genre where the theme revolves around traveling into and saving another reality, world, or dimension—you get it. Fushigi Yûgi, which was released in 1991, is a whole adventure packed in 52 episodes. Traveling into the “Universe of the Four Gods” sounds interesting enough, but fighting bandits, and gathering warriors in a world where a powerful priestess can grant a whole country’s wish? All of those while falling in love and going through a crazy love triangle??? Glad it’s not in this world, cause that’s A LOT, to be honest. Still, Fushigi Yûgi is clearly a 90s anime gem and it deserves more attention!
6. Sentry
Now this is a controversial one, but we’ll say it anyway because we play it like that. The Earth’s mightiest superheroes’ very own Iron Man and Captain America might be the best—but they’re no match to Sentry. He first appeared in the MCU in The Sentry #1 which was released in September 2000. As a matter of fact, he was even acknowledged by TONY STARK as “the most powerful human being in the universe” in World War Hulk #1, despite his arrogant tendencies and his big ego. Sentry is a conflicted character, he can’t really belong to the good troupe because of his complex origin story, and the depth of his morals. However, the idea that an actual character can be both a hero and a villain humanizes the notion of what a superhero is, and we think that it is very interesting. For sure though, Sentry’s powers are dangerously scary. Needless to say, we need to see him in a shirt—or maybe in a live action movie.
7. Home Movies [Adult Swim]
Yes, this show is real. Some of you might remember Home Movies when it first aired in 1996. Although the show got canceled 5 episodes later, it made its way back to mainstream television when Cartoon Network bought it. Since then, Home Movies became the first ever program that aired in [Adult Swim] back in 2001. So yes, it is real and it was not just a childhood fever dream (although the animation kind of looks like one). Much like CN, we definitely see the potential of this show as it was really well set-up from the beginning until the end. When re-watching it as an adult, you can see just how big of a masterpiece it was. Anyways, the series follows a young aspiring filmmaker, Brendon. With the help of his friends, Jason and Melissa they attempt to make a cinematic home movie masterpiece. However, the bulk of the following seasons focused loosely on the filmmaking as Brendon figures out if he’s still enjoying making movies, or if it’s becoming more of a burden. Case in point, kids don't really make good movies but making up a fantasy world and inventing their own realities? Ooh, they’re pretty good at that. The show gained a cult-following in the span of its run, and it’s never too late to join it.
8. MadCap
Ooh, we think the MCU fans are ready for this one. Yet another MCU villain that’s surprisingly not yet graced us with his presence on the screen. If we can all agree with something, I bet it’s that all MCU villains are undoubtedly interesting and powerful… but no one is as dark and twisted as MadCap. His character was first seen in Captain America #307 which was released in July of 1985. To cut the long story short, he got his powers from an A.I.M. chemical experiment that went really out of hand. This disaster killed everyone he was with in the bus during this trip including his own family. This event led to him gaining superb healing abilities which makes him feel no pain, hence, impossible to kill. Now, imagine the agony and guilt he felt, coupled with the fact that he can’t actually end his sufferings no matter how worse it gets. What does a “once ordinary” human turned superhuman have to offer against cosmic villains like Thanos or the Titans themselves? Well, MadCap being a completely UNHINGED ANARCHIST, and an UNKILLABLE BEING is enough. What horrors can a man do when there’s nothing holding him back? See.
9. Masked Rider
Masked Rider is a live action television series which was released in 1995. It was an American adaptation of the Japanese television series “Kamen Rider Black RX” which aired in 1988. It is also a spinoff of the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”. The iconic Kamen Rider franchise was hard to surpass, but this adaptation did a pretty good job of portraying the story given the context of its audiences. Although, we must say, there are a lot of notable deviations from the Japanese franchise such as toning down the violent fight scenes, and some altered story lines. The franchise was considered a “flop” during its time. Still, the overall feel of this series gives an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. It takes us back into the day and era of masked superheroes battling monsters, robots, and aliens (or robot-aliens). Back when we didn't stress enough about the technicalities of production, we just truly enjoyed watching and rooting for the heroes to win as kids.
10. Freaked
Now this one is a relic, and even maybe a forgotten gem. Freaked was released in 1993. Although it has encountered some technical difficulties in production and audience reception, Freaked has soon found its grip as a cult-classic. I guess only a few people understand just how hilarious, campy, and grotesque it was. The film was described with a “rocky horror style” which follows the story of Ricky, who somehow gets tangled up with a big company for a PR campaign. He was attempting to do damage control for the company’s toxic fertilizer called Zygrot-24 and it all went awry. Basically, it’s about corporate greed, some science stuff, more mad science stuff and a bunch of people getting tangled up in some bizarre crap. Watching this movie sure feels like a time machine, it takes us back to the good old grunge era. It’s hilarious, and content wise, it also doesn’t disappoint. Give it a watch! If you can scour the internet for a copy, I guess.
Phew! Now we're done with the list, have you unlocked some forgotten core memories? Leave a comment below or go to our Instagram Page and tell us what you think!
That's it for today, catch ya'll later!
Phew! Now we're done with the list, have you unlocked some forgotten core memories? Leave a comment below or go to our Instagram Page and tell us what you think!
That's it for today, catch ya'll later!