KEY POINTS:
It's official. The 90s revival has begun.
We know this because Sunday night's new Simpsons episode That 90s Show parodied the decade.
As the heating packed in, The Simpsons settled in to a family storytelling session in which Marge and Homer recalled a dark, secret era of their lives - the 90s.
"The 90s?" said Bart. "Never heard of it."
This, of course, was a typical Simpsons in-joke, as the series first appeared on our screens in 1990 and was a defining feature of the decade. But, taking the comment at face value, it's fair to assume 10-year-old Bart really wouldn't know about the decade.
While many of us (i.e. me) may still think the decade was just a couple years ago, the reality is, it's been 18 years since the decade began. Children born in the 90s are driving, drinking (hopefully not at the same time) and are legally entitled to vote in this year's election.
Chances are, most kids under 15 remember little, if anything, about the days of MC Hammer, grunge and hypercolour T-shirts.
Which means the time is ripe to fill them in with a few pop culture history lessons while taking older viewers on a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
The Simpsons is just the beginning.
The past month has seen two iconic blasts from the past resurface - New Kids on the Block and Beverly Hills 90210. While the 90s boy band has reformed and recorded a new album, Back on the Block, rumours of a 90210 spin-off have been confirmed with the as-yet-untitled series set to air in America this year.
And just because we're isolated at the bottom of the world, don't think New Zealand is immune to the 90s fever sweeping the globe.
TVNZ is leading the revolution with the revival of two 90s classics - Wheel of Fortune and Stars in Their Eyes.
Less than 10 years after the cheesy game show was canned, the Wheel is back, with Jason Gunn and Sonia Gray taking on the roles of Phillip Leishman and Lana CocKroft.
Premiering next week, a local version of Stars in Their Eyes is technically a first for New Zealand viewers, though many will remember the British version with host Matthew Kelly, which was a ratings winner throughout the 90s.
TVNZ isn't the sole perpetrator. We have Prime to thank for the revival of the 90s favourite Gladiators. More than 10 years after the programme left our airwaves, American Gladiators returned to Prime last night, hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali.
It's no coincidence all these classics are being brought back with a vengeance. The powers that be have been waiting for this moment for a long time; biding their time as the stigma of the 90s slowly faded and a sense of nostalgia began to build. Waiting for the moment they could dig up old ideas, dust them off and present them as retro kitsch.
Too soon and they appear to be behind the drag curve. People aren't ready to laugh at their embarrassing fashion crimes and terrible music choices.
The time it takes for this transition to occur directly correlates to how tasteless and tragic the era was. It took nearly 20 years for people to get over the 80s, whose revival has only recently subsided.
One can only wonder how long it will take us to get over this decade and recall fondly the days of celebutantes, emos and MySpace. Bless.
