Analysis / "Mister Sandman" Sequence

Some recurring motifs of Mister Sandman Sequences, arranged roughly chronologically:

Prehistory

• The Mesozoic era (regardless of exact time): Tyrannosaurus rex will be used.
• The Stone Age: More accurate examples will have a herd of woolly mammoths on the plains trumpeting and a tribe wearing pelts and holding spears huddled around fire or painting caves.

The ancient world

• Ancient Egypt: The Pyramids will be visible (at least somewhat justified as the Great Pyramids are some of the oldest still-standing structures, but the building of pyramids was more or less confined to the "Old Kingdom" of Egypt; by the time of the more well known Pharaohs tomb building had moved underground to prevent grave robbers, and obviously the Pyramids aren't visible everywhere in Egypt). Something to do with mummies or the mummification process will show up.
• Ancient Greece: Nigh invariably the Classical Period (even adaptations of Homeric works, which took place centuries before the Classical Period, will have traces of Classical elements). Athens and Sparta will be the only city-states mentioned or shown, possibly played for a nerds vs. jocks dynamic. Often mixed with elements of Ancient Rome.
• Ancient Rome: Will always show Rome itself and never any of the other Roman provinces. Togas and the Colosseum are the go-to signifiers for Rome. Nearly every adult male will be wearing full armor, even in peace time. Gotta include at least one gladiator, regardless of time period. And marble, marble everywhere!

Early Common Era

• The Middle Ages in Europe: If a Medieval European Fantasy then usually a pleasant pastoral village populated by farmers and the occasional knight. If it is supposed to be the calm before an exciting storm, usually we will see the residents carrying out their daily business, tending to their farms and crops. If portrayed as The Dung Ages, then the daily activities will usually either carry on under the specter of the plague, or the local community will have completely fallen apart due to the plague deaths. Expect to see at least one funeral/casket, bonus "points" for a child's casket or a festering mass grave of plague victims.
• The Renaissance: Will usually be one of the major cities associated with Renaissance art, like London or Florence. Everyone will speak Shakespearean and dress like a Shakespearean character too.
• The Eighteenth Century: Powdered wigs for everyone!
  • Stock Music: Public Domain Soundtrack classical, usually something by one of the big name composers (Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, the works).

19th Century and early 20th Century

• Pre-Civil War US South: Every acre of land not occupied by a magnificent plantation house will be growing cotton and worked on by slaves at all hours of the day.
• The Wild West: The stock setting is a single street town with shops lining the sides and either a town hall, a courtroom, or occasionally a church at one end. All men will be wearing cowboy getup. Expect to see at least one bank/train robbery.
  • Stock Music: If no final showdown is going on, then usually just some generic banjo. At high noon, expect the Spaghetti Western theme to start playing.
• The Victorian Period: If a UK setting, then usually Victorian London. Expect to see women in poofy skirts with parasols and men in suits and top hats at all times. If Steampunk, then just add some gears and a zeppelin. If the period around the turn of the century is depicted (e.g. The Gay '90s), expect a prominent Art Nouveau aesthetic.
• The Edwardian Era: In the lead-up to the First World War, expect to see a continuation of Victorian-era fashions and aesthetics (especially Art Nouveau), but with the addition of technological advances like automobiles, flying machines, motion pictures (think early nickelodeons and cinema houses), telephones, and very early radio.
• World War I: This era will usually will often be depicted with its trench warfare, with soldiers from both sides seen in uniform. In addition, many early flying aces in biplanes or triplanes may be depicted (usually chasing or avoiding the infamous Red Baron). If any silent cinema is seen, it may be from a Keystone Studios short with Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, and/or the "Keystone Kops."

The Roaring '20s

The Roaring '20s: All women under 40 are flappers and all women over 40 are horrified by that fact. All men wear three piece suits with bow ties, and either a flat cap or a straw boater hat. All buildings will be designed in Art Deco.

• Stock Music: It's not called the Jazz Age for nothing. If their music doesn't show up, at least expect Louis Armstrong and George Gershwin to get name dropped. If a specific song is to be heard, "The Charleston" (with its associated dance) would be the prime candidate, especially in the middle-late portion of the decade before the stock market crash.
• Stock Movies/Marquees: Since fairly few specific silent films ring much of a bell with the public, typically Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd (specifically the clock scene from Safety Last!), or even early Laurel and Hardy will show up.

The Great Depression

The Great Depression: The entire block will have showed up to form the breadline. Everyone will have lost their shirt in the crash of '29 and look like a background player from a John Steinbeck novel. Remember, it's not the Great Depression without sepia tone!

• Stock Music: "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" of course being the classic, any down-and-out harmonica will do. More optimistic works, or your occasional Crapsaccharine World portrayal of the decade might use "We're in the Money". Tributes to the Hollywood or Broadway scene of the Thirties might use the title song of 42nd Street.
• Stock Movies/Marquees: Glimmer-of-hope sort of stories might use a musical like a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers flick. Bleaker works will occasionally have a vacant theater that closed down due to the crash with a decaying marquee. Stuff set specifically in '39 will usually use Gone with the Wind and/or The Wizard of Oz.

The '40s

The '40s: During the war, expect the tone to be a slightly more upbeat version of the Thirties. In US settings there'll probably be at least one Rosie the Riveter poster and in UK settings swap it out for a Keep Calm and Carry on poster (although neither poster was as ubiquitous during the war as their internet popularity would make you think). Immediately after the war, there has to be at least one obligatory VJ Day Kiss.

• Stock Music: If not a dreary wartime flick, Glenn Miller's "In the Mood" is legally required to show up somewhere on your soundtrack.
• Stock Movies/Marquees: During the war, Casablanca is an obvious standard, but you're just as likely to see a war movie, propaganda piece, or newsreel. After the war, It's a Wonderful Life is the standard for happy-go-lucky post-war pieces. For lighter flair, any number of Classic Disney Shorts, Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, or Tex Avery MGM Cartoons could be used, since they all hit their stride in the 1940s.

The '50s

The '50s: In American stories, the stock Fifties setting is suburbia over varying levels of Stepford-ishness. Within suburbia the Malt Shop is a frequent location and nearly a requirement for works centered around teenagers. The stock characters mostly consist of the standard '50's nuclear family - the Standard '50s Father, the housewife mother, 2.5 children, usually a Seemingly-Wholesome '50s Girl and a younger All-American Boy. And don't forget the Greaser Delinquents! Every town had that group of teens/young adults who dressed in leather jackets and rode around on motorcycles or hot rods. Expect a pastel color palette. Stuff set at the end of the decade will usually contain at least one hula hoop.

• Stock Music: "Rock Around the Clock", of course, is the standard. Elvis Presley songs are frequent Fifties establishers too. Occasionally throw in some Chuck Berry or some Buddy Holly to shake things up a smidge; if it's late in the decade, "Tequila" by the Champs could be used. If things need to be a little more button-down, then Perry Como, Peggy Lee, or Nat King Cole are the most likely to be used. This would also be the decade to use the Trope Namer song; the Four Aces and the Chordettes each have a version.
• Stock Movies/Marquees: Anything staring Marilyn Monroe (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot come up pretty often on that front), Singin' in the Rain, any given Western of the decade, and occasionally From Here to Eternity if the beach-kissing scene needs to get parodied. Expect that greaser gang to go see Rebel Without a Cause and have a general healthy respect for James Dean in general. And, of course, for the Drive-In Theater, there's any number of cheap sci-fi exploitation flicks to choose from. The more giant monsters, the better!
• Stock TV scenes: I Love Lucy is the big one, although Howdy Doody and Leave It to Beaver are close runners-up. Besides those, the occasional TV western could be used for good measure.

The '60s

• The Kennedy '60s: The first part of the decade, from John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign until his assassination (1960-1963), still has a lot of the Fifties mentality, as depicted in American Graffiti, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Sandlot, or Blast from the Past. Expect to see lots of cars with fins and chrome. If any contemporary events are depicted, usually they will include the Cuban Missile Crisis and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.
  • Stock Music: Definitely leans more on the rock 'n' roll side of things than the Fifties, but don't expect to hear The Beatles just yet. Instead, you'll hear plenty of late-50s holdovers like Elvis and "Tequila" by the Champs, plus the likes of Chubby Checker, Del Shannon, Ben E. King, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, and the Ronettes.
  • Stock Movies/Marquees: More than likely you'll see Psycho, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Blue Hawaii, or The Manchurian Candidate.
  • Stock TV scenes: If political news is seen, usually it's the Kennedy-Nixon debates, Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell address, or one of Kennedy's speeches. As far as popular television programs go, it's probably going to be The Twilight Zone (1959), Walt Disney Presents, Lassie, or Bonanza.
• The Post-Kennedy '60s: There's two angles to the Sixties after Kennedy's assassination. One is the "angry Sixties", which includes the violent protesters, the Vietnam stuff, the Civil Rights Movement, the assassinations of the Kennedys and MLK, all typically portrayed via news broadcasts. Then there's the "happy Sixties," which includes your Beatlemania, your go-go-girls — in short, the Sixties that Austin Powers hails from. Somewhere in the middle is the stock hippie stuff, which has more of a socially conscious angle than the happy Sixties but is way more pacifistic than the angry Sixties. Circumstances will usually conspire to put your time-traveling characters at Woodstock in 1969. Psychedelia (whether actual drugs or psychedelic-inspired designs) will usually make an appearance. The stock Sixties colors (more so found in the happy and hippie Sixties) are chartreuse, hot pink, yellow, and bright blue.
  • Stock Music: For the angry Sixties, if you hear Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son", Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth", and the Jimi Hendrix version of "All Along the Watchtower", congratulations! You've hit Vietnam Song Bingo! For added Vietnam bonus throw in anything by The Doors. Happy Sixties obviously has a lot of The Beatles, both their earlier Beatlemania work a la "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and their more drug-induced stuff like "I Am the Walrus". If Beatles licensing is out of your budget, then any British Invasion, bubblegum pop, or Motown (such as The Supremes or The Temptations) will do. Stuff specifically about the Sixties drug culture will usually have Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense and Peppermints" or Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". If it's around summer 1969, expect to hear about Woodstock.
  • Stock Movies/Marquees: The Sound of Music is pretty popular, as are the early films of the James Bond series. For a more peppy flair, you may see one of Elvis's movies, or a beach party movie with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. If it's horror, then it's most likely Rosemary's Baby. Stuff set at the end of the decade might use Midnight Cowboy or Bonnie and Clyde.
  • Stock TV scenes: MSS TVs in the Sixties are more likely to be playing the news than any other decade, and are often used to set which major historical milestone the story is closest to. Popular choices are news reports following the assassinations of the era, or the moon landing. If there's a TV show to be seen, though, odds are it will either be The Andy Griffith Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, or The Ed Sullivan Show (usually with The Beatles performing).

The '70s

The '70s: Disco, and a lot of it, especially at the end of the decade. Heck, even stuff set at the beginning of the decade might still have disco music (erroneously, as the genre really only emerged in the middle of the decade), or at the very least some kind of Funk music. Everyone will be dressed like a background dancer from Saturday Night Fever, even when not dancing. Magnificent Afro hairdos, mustaches, and sideburns are a common sight, as are women with the Farrah Fawcett hairstyle. Most clothes will be made out of polyester, and flared trousers will be a common sight. Speaking of Saturday Night Fever, many an MSS of the Seventies will include a parody of the famous opening walking scene, especially when showing a now middle-aged character as a spring chicken in the Seventies. If anyone is seen listening to music, odds are that it will be from an 8-track tape player.

• Stock Music: For those works set in the early 70's that accurately portray the popular music of the times, might use a Sixties holdover band's twilight years single (like "Across The Universe" or maybe "Bridge Over Troubled Water"). If the subject of the MSS would prefer some harder music, "Rock and Roll All Nite" or "Stairway to Heaven"^note But usually in non-visual media — the surviving members of Led Zeppelin have famously consistently refused to license "Stairway" for use in movies and TV shows are popular choices; strong women often use "I Am Woman"; and the themes from Shaft and Super Fly are popular for all badass black men of the Seventies. As for the Disco Dans, they have their choice of "The Hustle", "I Will Survive", anything KC And The Sunshine Band, and of course anything off the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (or anything The Bee Gees in general). If there's a punk towards the end of the decade, expect something from The Ramones, The Clash, or the Sex Pistols.
• Stock Movies/Marquees: There's a lot of options here, and each individual year has its own MSS marquee favorites.
  • 1970: Love Story, maybe Airport.
  • 1971: The French Connection or Dirty Harry.
  • 1972: Pretty much always The Godfather (maybe Cabaret, albeit rarely).
  • 1973: The Exorcist, The Sting, American Graffiti, or Serpico.
  • 1974: Likely The Godfather Part II, but The Towering Inferno is a runner-up.
  • 1975: Typically exclusively Jaws, but Dog Day Afternoon wouldn't be unheard of.
  • 1976: Pretty reliably Rocky or Taxi Driver.
  • 1977: Star Wars, of course, along with Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Saturday Night Fever, and Smokey and the Bandit.
  • 1978: Superman: The Movie, probably, or maybe Animal House.
  • 1979: Alien or Apocalypse Now.
• Stock TV scenes: At the beginning of the decade, you'll probably see either Nixon or the Bradys on the TV, but later in the decade you might see Charlie's Angels, Happy Days, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Sanford and Son, Starsky & Hutch, or Saturday Night Live with its original cast.

The '80s

The '80s: Expect lots of synth music, bright colors (typically pastels), and aesthetics evocative of Memphis Group and Patrick Nagel. But wood-paneling won't be unusual, and if it's the earlier portion of the decade there may still be some holdover of the muted colors of the '70s. All the women will have incredibly poufy hair done up with a LOT of hair spray, and will have the necks cut off of their sweatshirts, or will wear leg warmers with exercise spandex, if they're not wearing a pantsuit with really padded shoulders. For guys, longer hair isn't terribly uncommon (mullets and Jheri curls won't look out of place here), but shorter hair isn't uncommon either, nor are mustaches a la Magnum, P.I., with any variety of tropical wear or a Don Johnson suit. If there's a business setting, expect to see a businessman in a suit talking on a gigantic brick of a cell phone. If a character is listening to music, odds are it will be from a cassette tape in a Walkman; if a character is playing with a toy, odds are it will be either a Rubik's cube or something from a Merchandise-Driven cartoon of the period. There's going to be at least some talk about the Cold War, Ronald Reagan and his "Star Wars" missile defense program — or, if it's later in the decade, George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis — and if it's midway through the decade, expect to hear lots of talk about how terrible New Coke is.

• Stock Music: Usually a lot of pop — think Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, or Michael Jackson. And the synthier the music is, the better, so you'll get plenty of popular New Wave Music from the likes of Eurythmics, New Order, Devo, or Soft Cell. It also wouldn't be out of place to hear arena rock from Journey or REO Speedwagon, Hair Metal from Twisted Sister or Mötley Crüe, or even hip hop from Run–D.M.C. or The Sugarhill Gang.
• Stock Movies/Marquees: Lots of good options, as there were a TON of blockbusters in the decade. In the earlier portion of the decade, expect to see The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, or E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Midway through the decade, expect to see Back to the Future, Risky Business, Top Gun, The Terminator, Ghostbusters, or any John Hughes movie. At any point you may see an Indiana Jones movie, and if it's set in 1989, definitely expect to see any number of movies from that summer, including Batman, Do the Right Thing, or Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. If there's horror to be seen at any point during the decade, it'll either be The Thing or a Slasher Movie.
• Stock TV scenes: Dallas is usually seen in earlier portions of the decade, with any accompanying talk about "Who Shot JR", but usually Miami Vice would be the go-to from 1985 on, with Magnum, P.I., Knight Rider, and The A-Team being close runners-up, and ALF showing up late in the decade. If there's a cartoon on TV, usually it will be The Transformers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, or possibly even an early season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Early MTV may also show up, and if any commercials are shown, they'll either be "Where's the Beef?" or "Time to make the donuts!" You may also see Ronald Reagan giving a speech, or George H. W. Bush's famous "read my lips" line from 1988.
• Stock Video Games: Video games were SUPER popular in the '80s, so you may include scenes in video arcades with upright video game cabinets, typically with Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong being the go-tos. For home consoles, you will see a lot of Atari 2600 earlier in the decade, usually playing Adventure or Pitfall!, or the terrible ports of Donkey Kong or Pac-Man (usually for the sound effects if nothing else). After 1985, though, you will typically see the Nintendo Entertainment System, typically playing Super Mario Bros. or one of its sequels.

The '90s

The '90s: There's two halves to the decade. The first half would be the Grunge half, so younger characters of either gender in your MSS should include a lot of baggy, ripped jeans, flannel shirts (worn open or tied around the waist), faded T-shirts, and beaded necklaces (usually made from hemp). But bright neon colors aren't out of the question either (as holdovers from the late-80s), and at any point during the decade women may be seen in short floral dresses with sneakers, or slip dresses for something more elegant. For the latter half of the decade, expect to see guys with spiked hear wearing bowling shirts with baggy shorts, cargo pants, or jeans (think JNCO jeans), and women wearing "the Rachel" hairdo with tank tops and bright pants. If cell phones are seen, they will usually be a dark gray Motorola with an antenna, smaller than those of the '80s, but still bulkier than their 21st Century counterparts. If the Internet is featured, the computer(s) involved will have a floppy disk drive and a bulky CRT monitor, and you'll likely hear dialup noises and/or AOL's "You've Got Mail!". If it's around 1999, expect to hear people worried about the Y2K Bug. Aesthetically, while it may be tempting to show '90s design with a Memphis flair similar to the '80s (thanks to Vaporwave), a more accurate depiction of the decade's style would include the "Analog Grunge" or "Factory Pomo" aesthetics^note as explained here with the "Y2K aesthetic" popping up at the tail end.

• Stock Music: Hip hop is much more prominent in the 90s than any other preceding decade, so it wouldn't be out of place for an MSS to include anything ranging from MC Hammer to Vanilla Ice to Snoop Dogg to Coolio to Will Smith to early Eminem. You may also hear New Jack Swing from the likes of Bell Biv DeVoe, Boyz II Men, En Vogue, TLC, Montell Jordan, or Mark Morrison. That said, your MSS could also include grunge and alternative in the earlier half of the decade, including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, or even Alanis Morissette. If it's more UK-based, you may hear Oasis. Later on in the decade, though, you might include Ska music, before seeing the likes of groups like Hanson, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, N Sync, or even early Britney Spears later on. You'll also get some of the late-90s Latin explosion from Selena, Jennifer Lopez, or Ricky Martin. If you're looking for more edge in the late-90s, expect some Nu Metal from Korn or Limp Bizkit. If the MSS is set in or right after 1996, expect to hear the Macarena (and see its dance); and if it's set in 1999, it goes without saying that it must include the song "All Star" by Smash Mouth.
• Stock Movies/Marquees: A MSS will usually prefer to show movies at a Blockbuster Video store instead of a movie theater, since Blockbuster hit its peak in the '90s and is no longer around today. You might see a Jim Carrey movie like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective or The Mask, or a Kevin Smith movie like Clerks, Mallrats, or Chasing Amy. You might see True Lies or Speed for an action film; Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, or Mrs. Doubtfire for something more dramatic; Home Alone or The Lion King for something more family-friendly; or Jurassic Park or Terminator 2: Judgment Day for more sci-fi flavor. Titanic will likely be namedropped at least once during or after 1997, The Matrix and Fight Club will likely be namedropped in 1999, and it wouldn't be unheard of to namedrop Schindler's List at any point, either.
• Stock TV Scenes: An MSS will very likely include a sitcom like Family Matters (for Urkel), Friends, or Seinfeld. For more dramatic flair, it could use Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Baywatch, The X-Files, or Walker, Texas Ranger. Kids' shows will include Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (but only the original) or the much-reviled Barney & Friends. Cartoons will likely include more cable-based fare, including Ren & Stimpy, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, or (later in the decade) Dexter's Laboratory. Depending on where you are in the decade, news events on TV will likely consist of Rodney King and the Los Angeles Riots, the O. J. Simpson trial, the Waco siege, the Oklahoma City bombing, or Columbine. If a politician is to be shown giving a speech on TV, odds are it will be Bill Clinton; if it's the latter portion of the decade, you might see Clinton's "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" speech and hear about his impeachment trial.
• Stock Video Games: The first half of the decade will include the 16-bit generation, so expect to see games on the Super Nintendo (like Super Mario World), or Sega Genesis (like the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Street Fighter, or Mortal Kombat). The second half of the decade will include the 32/64-bit era, so expect to see titles from the Nintendo 64 (usually Super Mario 64 or GoldenEye) or PlayStation (typically the original Tomb Raider I). If any handheld consoles are seen, it's usually the original Game Boy (or Game Boy Color late in the decade), with the Game Gear being a close runner-up. If any arcade machines are seen, then usually it's a fighting game like Mortal Kombat.

Turn of the Millennium

Turn of the Millennium: The 00's aren't all that common just yet in a MSS, as they're still usually depicted as a Present-Day Past, but they still do occur from time to time. Like the Sixties, you'll have a continuation of the previous decade up until a major tragic event; in this case, and especially in American media, it's 9/11. Because of this, anything pre-attacks will still show the classic Y2K aesthetic, while anything after may show the post-9/11 wave of American patriotism and the War on Terror. You might see some early iPhones (as they were first released in 2007), but typically any cell phones will be a flip phone or similar. The rise in social media culture may also be depicted midway through the decade, from the likes of early YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. Fashion-wise, women will be seen in ultra-low jeans with tank tops, and guys will typically be seen in colorful tees with baggy pants and trucker hats; however, Emo Teens in dark clothes (usually sourced from Hot Topic) also won't be uncommon.

• Stock Music: Lots of pop in the vein of Britney, The Black Eyed Peas, Beyoncé, John Mayer, Gwen Stefani, or Avril Lavigne. There will be a lot of hip hop and R&B as well, from Eminem, 50 Cent, Outkast, Lil' Kim, Nelly, Ludacris, and Gnarls Barkley. As far as rock goes, you'll definitely see some more nu metal at the beginning of the decade (especially from the likes of Linkin Park), but this will be supplanted by a grittier sound from the likes of Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, or Staind, or a harder sound from the likes of The White Stripes. Emo Music may also be liberally used; expect to hear the likes of Good Charlotte or My Chemical Romance. And funnily enough, there won't be any Iraq War or Afghanistan War protest music heard, other than something from Green Day's American Idiot.^note As explained by Lindsay Ellis, there just wasn't much popular protest music out there in the 2000's like there was in the Sixties. Additionally, the portable media player of choice will very likely be a classic iPod with wired earbuds.
• Stock Movies/Marquees: There isn't a strictly definitive list of movies that would be considered quintessentially 2000's, but Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy, the original trilogy in the X-Men Film Series, the Ocean's Eleven trilogy, the Bridget Jones movies, and Snakes on a Plane all seem to be contenders.
• Stock Web Videos: In large part, thanks to the rise of YouTube after 2005, any MSS in the latter half of the decade may feature an early viral video. This could include Keyboard Cat, Numa Numa, Star Wars Kid^note Although less so after it was revealed that the video was uploaded without its subject's consent to bully him, Evolution of Dance, Leave Britney Alone, or Diet Coke + Mentos, depending on the year. Web animations like Homestar Runner, Badger Badger Badger, Peanut Butter Jelly Time, or Charlie the Unicorn are also fair game.^note If there's any question as to what should be included, both "Pork and Beans" and "Internet People" are good reference points.
• Stock Video Games: Typically video games may be confined to home or portable consoles, as arcades weren't quite as popular in the 2000's as they were in prior decades, but if an arcade is seen, then you may see DanceDanceRevolution (first released in 1998) or Guitar Hero (first released in 2005). But for home gaming, you will likely see an Xbox or a PlayStation 2 early on; if you see a Sega Dreamcast at all, it's very likely going to be used in a pre-9/11 setting for ironic purposes. You may also see a rise in PC gaming as well (typically with World of Warcraft or Call of Duty). That said, Wii Sports on a Wii seems to be the go-to for later in the decade, mostly due to its broad notoriety for having been a Killer App across multiple demographics. And as far as portables go, expect to see either a Game Boy Advance early on, and a Nintendo DS later on.