Icon Analysis

At its root, and without trying to sound like Captain Obvious, icons are symbols. They represent something, whether it is an emotion, a time period, a culture, or anything a person wants it to mean. Some icons illicit powerful emotions, such as images of the World Trade Centers, as they remind people of 9/11. Other icons, such as Martin Luther King Jr., represent the Civil Rights struggle and that time period. Personally, my three icons are Nintendo, Dr. Pepper, and Michael Jordan.

Nintendo

I chose Nintendo as one of my icons for a few reasons. The first reason is because it reminds me of my childhood. I grew up on Nintendo, starting from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and eventually moving on to the Super NES and Nintendo 64 (I eventually purchased the GameCube and Wii systems when I was older). This leads to my second reason: I have so many fond memories of playing video games on these systems, especially the Mario and Zelda games. I don't even want to fathom the amount of hours I put into playing games as a kid, as I'm more than sure that it was unhealthy. Though I suppose it was a blessing for my parents, as they never had to pay a babysitter. Finally, I don't feel that I am alone in feeling this way about Nintendo, as I feel Nintendo is a great representation of someone that grew up in the 1990s.

Dr. Pepper

My second icon was chosen for many of the same reasons as my first. I was introduced to Dr. Pepper at an early age, and it very quickly became my drink of choice for, well... everything. I didn't want anything other than Dr. Pepper when I ate something, even if it was a bowl of dry cereal. It especially became my drink of choice for the long video game marathons I would have, as I would drink one if I started feeling tired so that I could keep on gaming. I eventually made the choice to cut back on my consumption of it, as it was starting to get out of control -- it is never good when opt for a can of soda instead of water to quench your thirst -- but I still hold fond memories of it. And while it wasn't just Dr. Pepper specifically, I feel that soda consumption is something that reminds a lot of adults of their childhood. I remember my dad telling me how he used to look forward to the weekend as a teenager, as he'd always go to the local hangout spot with his friends and have a bottle -- of Dr. Pepper even -- as his parents never kept any at the house. This just goes to show you that even if you look at the same icon, it can mean different things to different people.

Michael Jordan

If you asked me what two icons represent the 1990s the most, it would have to be Nintendo and Michael Jordan. Jordan became a household name because of his dominance in the 1990s. He destroyed his competition. People thousands of miles away with zero interest in basketball knew/know of Michael Jordan, the same way that everyone knows who Muhammed Ali and Tiger Woods are. I knew many people who only followed basketball when Jordan played, and as soon as he retired, they stopped watching. To this day, these same people don't watch NBA (National Basketball Association) games, even though the talent pool is arguably bigger in today's era. As a kid, I was a huge Jordan fan, to the point that I wanted to "be like Mike" and play basketball myself. And though I never considered playing basketball in high school or beyond, I owe my interest in the sport to Jordan. It was so fun watching him play, and I'm honestly a bit sad that I never got to see him play in person. Ever since he retired, I haven't had as much fun, or been as happy, watching basketball as I did when Jordan played.

EDIT (4:13pm EST, June 1): Nintendo image stopped showing. Fixed.