Forget organized sports leagues and structured activities. Today's episode celebrates the original "unplugged" generation: Gen X! We're taking a deep dive into the impromptu, self-governed world of neighborhood games that defined our childhoods. From the chalk artistry of Hopscotch to the frantic dashes of Kick The Can, these weren't just games; they were life lessons in strategy, teamwork, and knowing when to run for cover. We'll share the top 10 neighborhood games according to our society members along with hilarious and sometimes cringe-worthy memories of getting dizzy with Swinging Statues (or Statue Maker as Kristin calls it) and the sheer force required to break (or be broken by) a Red Rover chain. Get ready to laugh, wince, and remember a time when the biggest challenge was getting home before dark.

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Today we’ll be saving the precious messages inscribed into our school yearbooks that no one ever imagined would be read aloud PUBLICLY 40 years later. But that's exactly what we did -- welcome to Gen X Yearbook Reader’s Theater! (Sorry, Debbie). There may not be anything that signals the end of the school year more than the distribution of yearbooks. And the signing frenzy that follows..And so – we all spent significant time with the yearbooks that documented our academic experience in the Gen X era. We read every scribbled message from every single person – friends, enemies and complete strangers alike – and we’ve come away with something bigger than we thought. It's a time capsule of not just fashion (neon), hairstyles (big) and culture (everyone's an icon) -- it's also a time capsule of who we were and how people saw us at a particular moment in time. And reading those messages now, with your adult eyes, might just change your whole perspective on high school. Join us for a hilarious, heartbreaking but also humbling performance of yearbook inscriptions recalling government tests, a D in Humanities, mock trial club, CPR fumbles, fetal pigs and, of course, lots and lots of crushes (just ask Carolyn aka 'Mrs. Crosier').

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Get ready to kick off Season 16 as we flash back to the glorious chaos of Field Day! We're diving headfirst into the GenX end-of-year tradition that either filled you with the thrill of victory (and a coveted ribbon!) or the dread of impending physical exertion. We'll reminisce about the agony and the ecstasy of the tug-of-war (remember that glorious rope burn?), the awkward coordination of the three-legged race, and the surprisingly stressful egg-on-a-spoon relay. Join us as we learn why some of our listeners lived for the competitive spirit and sunshine and who is still salty about not winning a ribbon.

Kristin and Carolyn each share some exciting news, too.

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Tune in today as the topics of our Season 16 episodes are REVEALED! Consider this your TV Guide preview issue for the new season of The Pop Culture Preservation Society, full of pithy promos, clever hooks, and even a Season 16 theme song. Before the big reveal, Carolyn warms up the crowd with a walk through an actual TV Guide Preview Issue from 1979 (does anyone else remember Out of the Blue starring Olivia Barash? Or is it just Kristin?). The 1979 fall line-up was full of new shows and big changes -- the Hardy Boys closed up shop, the Ropers moved, and Laura Ingalls got rid of her braids -- and we hope the new season of the PCPS will deliver just as much drama and intrigue. Lace up your roller skates, it's time to get this season started!

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

After a new opening conversation where we give a tribute to an non-M-named icon of our era, Linda Lavin, we are thrilled and honored to be talking to the trailblazing woman who wrote for some of the most iconic shows of the 70s and 80s, Susan Silver. Join us as Susan, the first female writer for The Mary Tyler Moore Show who opened the door for over 20 female writers after her, regales us with her start in the business, shares some juicy behind-the-scenes nuggets about the MTM episodes she wrote, and begs us to find her a husband! We’re also talking about the strong women in TV we grew up admiring and who became role models for we GenXers…thanks in huge part to this legendary woman.

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Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Today we’re saving our GenX prom, that "Night To Remember,” the one we wanted to have just "One More Night" to experience "Always and Forever” — the dresses, the themes, the music, and all of OUR memories … and YOURS! Who drank so much water that day to be able to fit into her dress that she had to pee all night? Whose prom was basically a mini-wedding ceremony? Who had a serious wardrobe malfunction in the car? And which of our listeners just threw her strapless bra in the trash when it kept slipping down as she danced? Listen now for all these stories (plus more!) and a brand new opening conversation about why we’re so, so glad we don’t have to “do” prom today!

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Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

Which Sesame Street skits have been living in your head for the past 50 or so years? Rubber Duckie? Mahna Mahna? Ladybug Picnic? Grover screaming “FAAAAAR?” There are SO many classic, memorable skits we’ll never be able to get out of our brains — and we’re not complaining! Join us for an encore of one of our HAPPIEST episodes as we count down YOUR Top 10 (or 14) favorites! Which shockingly appears low on the list? Which was the #1 most memorable? And which one prompted a debate about Ernie’s nipples? Listen now to find out!

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Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

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Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com

We're back with an encore presentation of our tribute to Sesame Street with the added bonus of a surprisingly serious conversation inspired by a New York Times article about the demise of creative jobs for Gen Xers. If you went into a creative field as a young adult in the 90s, you have likely seen a tsunami of change in your industry, sometimes to the point of extinction. Once again, Gen Xers have to adapt and change and persevere with little to no help. Hashtag late stage latchkeyism.

And perhaps your creative dreams were fueled by Sesame Street in early childhood? If so, here's what you'll find in today's episode...

How do you get to Sesame Street? With us! Join us as we celebrate and honor the sunny days of Sesame Street — OUR Sesame Street — the OG!! We’re remembering those first years and all the things that have been living RENT FREE in our heads for decades: All the humans we loved (including TWO Gordons!) … the muppets … the kids … and the songs. And NEXT WEEK we’ll be ranking the top 10 sketches as determined by our listeners. It’s a two-week Sesame Street-palozza love-fest that will sweep all your clouds away!

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Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at hello@poppreservationists.com