Falloff 

/fôl/ /ôf,äf/

When a person, place, or thing was once hot, but now is not.

As a culture, we tend to romanticize the past. Everyone loves talking about old music or old movies or what have you. Less talked about are the things that people no longer like, those relics of the past that have since left the public spotlight (or have lost the public’s favor). In an attempt to encourage pleasant reminiscing on simpler times, the eagle’s eye presents 10 of the biggest falloffs in history:

10. The Selfie Stick   

Popularized in 2014, these fancy schmancy picture-taking tools enjoyed popularity all the way to 2018 before seemingly disappearing entirely from pop culture. Although still a semi-common sight at popular tourist destinations, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone using these things in everyday life like how they were years ago.

9. Among Us

The sovereign ruler of quarantine idle time has now become nothing but a vehicle for unfunny memes, and it happened almost overnight. Where did it all go wrong?

8. Beyblades

The hallmark of inside recess back in the 2000s and 2010s, these bundles of fun had everyone screaming “3, 2, 1, Let it rip!” at the top of their lungs. Sadly, the fad was ultimately just that, and the franchise becoming increasingly gimmicky didn’t help anything. What was the point of the BeyWheelz?

7. Pokemon GO

This game quite literally had the world in its hands during the Summer of 2016, but it didn’t last long after that. It’s now a kind of niche thing played only by big fans of the franchise and no one cares if you had a shiny Articuno (I had a shiny Articuno).

6. Powdered Wigs

These weirdly clean hair pieces were everywhere in the late 1700s. Interestingly enough, that was right around the time when their popularity started to fade, but presidents all the way up to 1817 tried vainly to keep the trend alive. Their quick death in the U.S. can probably be attributed to the fact that they were wildly expensive and only the fickle upper echelon of American society could afford them.

5. The Smith Family

Once the gold standard of celebrity families, they are now the lead standard of dysfunctional celebrity families, and everyone feels as though we know far too much about them. Regardless of their current status and tendencies to be weird, the Fresh Prince, Dre Parker, and the Whip Your Hair girl retain a special place in the hearts of many.

4. The Roman Empire

Two infant brothers started out nursing from a wolf and ended up founding the most spectacular empire the world has ever seen. Rome is the greatest come-up story of all time; but, it sadly couldn’t sustain that energy, and it’s never recovered from its initial downfall. Despite its ultimate disappearance from the world stage, it still has its place in the annals of history, and its legacy will live on forever in Little Caesar’s. Pizza pizza.

3. Redbox

How popular were these things? Found outside every grocery store you can think of, the death of these loveable kiosks can be attributed to the rise of streaming services. Who wants to rent physical DVDs anymore?

2. Fidget Spinners

Fidget spinners had a monumental falloff. These   ADHD-tools-turned-popular-kids-toys were all the rage around 2017. A year later, they were not. Two years later, they left the public consciousness for good, which was definitely for the best. Kids were so obnoxious with them. 

1. Great Britain

The British Empire is responsible for the colonization of lots of foreign nations, from India to the Americas, to multiple countries in Africa. But in 1776, a certain document was signed, and in 1783, a certain war was won, ending the empire’s undefeated streak. The Brits took loss after loss afterward, losing colony after colony, and they’ve never recovered. All over the United States and beyond, anti-British rhetoric is quotidian, to the point where the British Queen died and was ruthlessly made fun of. There has truly never been a falloff like this one. It’s called soccer.

For better or for worse, our society is always fixated on discovering the next big thing, which often results in stuff with less lasting popularity being discarded as quickly as it came. Going back to the past can be a nostalgic and often sobering experience for many as we remember the once-popular trends that defined the days of yesteryear, only for them to have little place in the minds of the people today. It’s always good to be able to look back on what previously brought us so much joy; it allows us to find something to smile about in things that perhaps wouldn’t be able to provide one otherwise. On that note, I’m off to go listen to OMI (bet you forgot about him).