Nostalgia Index

Nostalgia Index

Nostalgia can be a powerful thing. Whether it's playing a movie you’ve loved since you were a kid or embracing retro fashion, looking back fondly on the past can pick you up if you’re down.

But which product or trend do people feel the most nostalgic about? The experts at Spin Genie have analysed the data to find out, looking at the number of Google searches for popular trends over the last few decades. We’ve covered everything from media and tech to fashion, beauty, and food.

The most nostalgic hairstyles

Hair cuts

1. Braids

10,257,000 searches

Braids are the most searched nostalgic trend on our list of hairstyles. While braids are a timeless look, the trend hit it big in the 1990s. Box braids, in particular, were popularised by Janet Jackson in her 1993 film Poetic Justice.

2. Pixie Cut

8,376,000 searches

Next up is pixie cuts, with over 8.3 million searches. The trend originated in the 1950s when  Hollywood stars like Audrey Hepburn wore them. Fast-forward 40 years, and the style made a comeback in the 1990s, popularised by Hallie Berry in 1992.

3. Bangs

7,338,000 searches

Bangs complete the top three hairstyles people are the most nostalgic for, racking up more than 7.3 million searches from December 2023 to November 2024. The versatility of the hairdo, from wispy to uneven or even blunt cuts, could explain its popularity.

The most nostalgic beauty products

Beauty products

1. Hair Crimper

731,000 searches

The hair crimper is the beauty product for which the public has the most nostalgia, with just  731,000 searches over the past year. The trend was big in the 1980s, and recently made a comeback thanks to the edgy, youthful look and touch of creativity it adds to hairstyling.

2. Pink Sugar

640,500 searches

Pink Sugar takes second place, with 640,500 searches over the past 12 months. This floral and fruity fragrance was launched in 2004 and quickly gained cult status among young fans. It features top notes of raspberry and orange, fading into candy floss and caramel scents.

3. Caboodle

568,500 searches

Up next is Caboodle. Popular in the 1990s, these handy makeup organisers were inspired by tackle boxes. The brand is still going strong today, tailoring its cases to more mature audiences and offering smaller, sleeker cosmetic cases.

The most nostalgic fashion trends

Fashion

1. Overalls

5,823,000 searches

Overalls, one of the biggest fashion trends of the 1990s, took the top spot, with over 5.8 million searches from December 2023 to November 2024. This could be due to the renewed interest in 90s fashion and “farmcore”, a fashion movement inspired by rural living that takes inspiration from workwear. 

2. Graphic Tees

5,456,000 searches

Another 90s fashion staple, graphic tees take second place. The trend arose with the booming popularity of grunge fashion during the decade, with t-shirts featuring album art or band logos becoming hugely popular. The trend has been searched more than 5.4 million times over the past 12 months.

3. Bodysuits

4,498,000 searches

Bodysuits are in third place, with just under five million searches since December 2023. The trend was popular in the 1980s, when activewear reigned supreme in the fashion world, popularised by iconic pop star Madonna.

The most nostalgic food and drinks

Food-and-drink

1. Mars Planets

970,500 searches

The public has the most nostalgia for Mars Planets, the little chocolate balls with each containing a different filling: nougat, caramel, or biscuit. Despite their popularity, they were launched and discontinued in the same year, 2007.

2. Wonka Bars

835,500 searches

Based on the signature product from Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka Bars racked up 835,500 searches over the past 12 months. First launched in the UK in 2005 to coincide with the remake of the 1971 film adaptation, Wonka Bars disappeared the same year before making a brief comeback eight years later.

3. Calippo Shots

435,700 searches

Calippo shots take third place with 435,700 searches. The frozen dessert was quietly removed from supermarkets in 2020, much to the dismay of shoppers. Some even petitioned the government to bring it back, an appeal that was ultimately rejected.

The technology people miss the most

Tech

1. PlayStation Portable

19,400,000 searches

The PlayStation Portable is the most Googled retro technology on the list, with 19.4 million searches. The handheld game console was released worldwide in 2005 alongside fellow handheld console, the Nintendo DS. The PSP sold over 80 million units over its 10-year production run.

2. Tamagotchi

12,739,000 searches

In second place is one of the biggest toys of the late 1990s, the Tamagotchi, with 12.7 million searches over the last 12 months. The toy revolved around taking care of a virtual pet and quickly became a playground phenomenon due to its addictive nature.

3. iPods

12,440,000 searches

Next up are iPods, with 12.4 million searches. The handy MP3 player catapulted Apple to the forefront of the tech industry and quickly became a must-have when it was launched in 2001. It also went on to have multiple versions, the Shuffle, Nano and Touch. While it wasn’t the first MP3 player on the market, its friendly design and easy-to-use nature made it hugely popular.

The TV shows people miss the most

09-TV shows-compressed.gif

1. Gossip Girl

30,410,000 searches

Gossip Girl ranks first as the TV show the public has the most nostalgia for, clocking up more than 30 million searches worldwide. The teen drama began in 2007 and ran for six series over five years, winning 17 Teen Choice Awards in the process.

2. Heroes

18,990,000 searches

Heroes ranked second with just below 19 million searches. The show follows several ordinary people who discover they have superpowers and work together to save the world. It aired for four series between 2006 and 2010, winning one Primetime Emmy and 30 other awards.

3. Community

12,880,000 searches

Six million searches behind Heroes is Community, taking third place. The show is considered a cult classic and was praised for making fun of sitcom tropes and parodying other genres. The show also launched the career of Donald Glover, better known by his rap moniker, Childish Gambino. The series won 24 awards, including a Primetime Emmy for the episode “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas”.

The most nostalgic movies

Movies

1. Titanic

41,070,000 searches

In first place is James Cameron’s epic romance Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. At the time, the movie was the most expensive ever made, with a budget of $200 million, and was the first film to gross over $1 billion at the box office. Titanic also cleaned up at the 1998 Oscars, winning 11 awards.

2. Forrest Gump

19,980,000 searches

Second place is another 90s classic, Forrest Gump. Despite being released 30 years ago, the film remains widely popular, with just under 20 million searches over the past 12 months. In 2011, the US Library of Congress selected the film for preservation due to its cultural and historical significance.

3. Home Alone

18,192,000 searches

Home Alone takes third place with over 18 million searches between December 2023 to November 2024. The 1990 movie has become a must-watch at Christmastime. For 27 years, it held the Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing live-action comedy.

The video games people miss the most

Games

1. Unreal Tournament

10,053,000 searches

Unreal Tournament takes the top spot as the video game the public is the most nostalgic for, with over 10 million searches over the previous 12 months. The first-person shooter was initially released in 1999 to widespread critical acclaim and is considered one of the best games ever made. 

2. Resident Evil

4 7,638,000 searches

Up next is Resident Evil 4. The fourth instalment in the survival horror franchise was originally released for the Nintendo Gamecube in 2005 before becoming a hit across other platforms and being named Game of the Year by several publications, including Edge, Game Informer, and the Chicago Tribune.

3. Fallout: New

Vegas 5,242,000 searches

Rounding out the top three is Fallout: New Vegas, a spinoff from the Fallout franchise, and is widely considered the best game in the series. The open-world role-playing game sold an estimated 11.6 million copies worldwide and is widely considered a cult classic. It also won the Golden Joystick Awards Role-Playing Game of the Year award. Over the past year, the game had over 5.2 million searches.

Methodology

Beginning with a list of hairstyles, beauty products, fashion trends, food and drinks, technology, TV shows, films, and videogames from the 1980s to the 2000s taken from list articles, we used Google Ads’ Keyword Planner to find the total number of searches worldwide for each item from December 2023 to November 2024. We then took the top thirty for each category and ranked them based on the number of searches.

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V: 1.57.0 All rights reserved. January 2020
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