Top 10 Most Disastrous Trends

A fad is a trend that rises quickly in popularity but fades just as fast. While some trends might resurface when a new generation discovers them, many remain fleeting. Here’s a countdown of the most regrettable fads.

10. Saggy Pants

The concept of sagging pants might have been fine if worn by celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but in reality, it's mostly seen on awkward teens who don't understand fashion. The trend involves wearing pants so low that underwear, or even worse, skin, is exposed. It’s slightly more attractive than the person's face, but still, it’s better off covered. Unfortunately, this fad hasn’t died down and only seems to be getting lower with time.

In 1957, Harold von Braunhut introduced Sea-Monkeys under the name 'Instant Life,' before changing it to 'Sea-Monkeys' on May 10, 1962. These creatures are sold in kits that are ready to use. The first step in the process is adding a 'water purifier' package to water on the first day. Unbeknownst to the user, this package contains both eggs and salt. On day two, the 'instant life eggs' package is added, containing not only eggs, but also Epsom salts, borax, soda ash, yeast, and sometimes a dye, either blue or green, to make the freshly hatched creatures more visible. The Sea-Monkeys that appear after the second day are the result of the eggs in the 'purifier' package. The food for them is a combination of Spirulina and dried yeast. The 'boost' packages contain mainly salts, which stimulate the artemia to reproduce. [Wikipedia]

Digital pets stand out because they lack any physical form beyond the device they operate on. Essentially, they're pets you can feed and walk with the press of a button. If you forget to take care of them and they 'die,' it’s no big deal – you can easily get a replacement without needing to learn responsibility! This silly trend began with the Tamagotchi, a toy introduced in Japan in 1996 by Aki Maita and marketed by Bandai.

Popularized in the 70s, the mood ring was either a hollow glass bubble filled with thermotropic liquid crystals or a glass gem sitting atop a thin layer of liquid crystals. Its purpose was to supposedly indicate your emotional state (as if you couldn't already tell!). Blue was for happy, black for anxious or stressed, and a variety of colors for anything from passionate to angry. The rings have come and gone from store shelves over the years and even have their own humorous place in culture.

First introduced in 1978 and mass-produced for the public starting in 1982, the Cabbage Patch Kid became the most iconic trend of the 1980s. It was so wildly popular that it led to violent altercations and even riots among parents desperately trying to secure one for their children by Christmas.

Although their reign was brief, Cabbage Patch Kids became one of the most profitable toys, generating $600 million in sales by 1985. After the craze for these dolls faded, they were replaced by the Garbage Pail Kids—collectible cards that came with bubble gum. Each card featured a quirky or grotesque character, like “Richie Retch.”

What started as a cuddly, adorable toy soon took a turn for the macabre—truly a stroke of genius!

A beloved novelty from the 1960s, the lava lamp was created by Edward Craven Walker. While some deemed it garishly tacky, its appeal was undeniable: a lamp that heated wax to form flowing, blob-like shapes that rose and fell as they cooled. This repetitive motion provided little more than visual amusement, which may explain its surge in popularity—just add a bit of recreational substance and you’ve got a groovy time.

In the 1960s, black lights became a staple in nightclubs, where revelers painted themselves with fluorescent colors that would glow under the eerie light. This trend made its way into the 1980s, morphing into the punk scene with fluorescent spiked hair and other bold styles. Today, black lights are more commonly used for practical purposes like detecting counterfeit money, authenticating antiques, or luring bugs to zappers. They can even give paranoid travelers peace of mind: a quick scan of hotel bed sheets under the black light will expose any unsavory stains!

The smiley face graphic was first popularized in the early 1970s by brothers Murray and Bernard Spain, who used it to market novelty items. The duo created buttons, mugs, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and a host of other merchandise emblazoned with the simple image and the slogan “Have a happy day” (which was created by Gyula Bogar). Even now, this iconic symbol continues to appear on buttons worn by modern punks and is a frequent sight on the internet. [Wikipedia]

Gary Dahl, an advertising mastermind, concocted a brilliant scam: take a rock, place it in a box, and call it a pet. While this oddball fad from the 1970s only lasted six months, its legacy remains intact. The rock was sold with a humorous “Pet Rock Training Manual,” offering instructions on how to care for your new pet (notably, there were no guidelines for feeding). The manual included a series of commands that could be taught to the pet, such as “sit” and “stay” (which were easy), but “roll over” usually required assistance, and “come” proved utterly untrainable. [Wikipedia]

Do I really care? The infamous “Baby on Board” sign was first introduced by Safety 1st Corporation in 1984 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon by 1985. However, according to Wikipedia, its popularity waned in the U.S. by 1986 as parody versions like “Baby I’m Bored,” “Pit Bull on Board,” and “Mother-In-Law in Trunk” began circulating. Sadly, the trend still lingers in the UK (and New Zealand), where variations like “Princess on Board” and “Little Person on Board” have become common, possibly explaining why many British children (especially in London) behave so poorly in public. An urban myth claims that the sign originated after a baby’s death, but Snopes debunks this story. Comedian George Carlin famously described “Baby on Board” as “the three most puke-inducing words that man has yet come up with.”

Bonus: MySpace

Our extra highlight is the cyberfad, MySpace. This social networking platform is owned by Fox Interactive Media. As of September 7, 2007, it boasts 200 million accounts. Known for its notoriously unattractive pages featuring loud music and flashy designs, MySpace has become a haven for millions of early teenage girls who communicate in all caps, using a nearly unintelligible text-speak dubbed 'stupid.' LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLZ.