Let me tell you about the time 6 strangers randomly assembled on a Saturday afternoon at the mall to clear the X-Men arcade game. Some 20-something guy wanted to clear the game so he bankrolled a bunch of us kids to play with him. Every time one of us died he'd flip us a quarter and tell us to keep going. It felt like an epic battle, but it must have only been an hour. To this day the most fun I've had in a "multiplayer" game.

@AverageJoe483

8 ай бұрын

I loved the X Men arcade game - button mashing to the max!

@UpsetN3RD

8 ай бұрын

Loved that game so much! I still have it on the PS3 but nothing will compare to the Saturdays I spent at the arcade with my brother and Uncle playing it

@Scantronacon

5 ай бұрын

@@UpsetN3RD needs to be ported :(

@UpsetN3RD

5 ай бұрын

@@Scantronacon it definitely does

@NJR1984

Ай бұрын

That's an awesome memory.

Anyone else have memories of sneaking into Spencer's Gifts to peak at the "naughty" stuff in the back? Lol

@jeffk.9075

7 ай бұрын

I still remember back before our Spencer's even had a naughty section. The guy that ran it was named Jeremy and he would have water gun fights with us in the store. Good times.

I always find it absolutely sad and disappointing that our favorite stores sadly goes bankrupt 😞

@lorddeecee

8 ай бұрын

I can’t wait for Nintendos broke ass to go bankrupt so I can play melee in peace

@grkpektis

8 ай бұрын

I still go to the mall for escape rooms and attractions but never to shop

@azurekite3870

8 ай бұрын

Yea, I know what mean and so miss the miss the border book store:(

@M64bros

8 ай бұрын

@@azurekite3870 I'm glad I'm not the only one that still remembers that store!

@azurekite3870

8 ай бұрын

@@M64bros i know and i remember when they use have the trains when he talked about them being in front of the store and it cracked me up when talked about seeing moms and old grandas fight for the power ranger toys and the one that sneeked a toy away with her cain too just to buy it. lol

Andre I would absolutely love to see you talk about the Rise and Fall of Saturday Morning Cartoons how they last from the 80s up until the Later 2010s/early 2020s

As a Millennium, I truly missed shopping at Malls, it was like the Teenager's hangout clubs for us as well as Cafes. The Mall I once love and go is still around, but it is a shadow of it's former self. Gen Z will never know what it was like going to Malls or even know of Toys R Us

@Goldstar_

8 ай бұрын

I think you mean "Millennial". A millennium is 1000 years. 😄

@lynne8559

8 ай бұрын

I’m gen z and 22. Yes our generation goes to malls. My 11 year old niece goes to malls. We aren’t 4😂😂

@Jamessmith-xk3fh

7 ай бұрын

​@@lynne8559it's probably not the same since most chain stores that were well known in malls are gone

I remember pre-ordering Final Fantasy IX at Electronics Boutique like a year in advance, and when the game came out, they handed me a free FFIX art book. I was like, "What is this?" And they're like, 'you're pre-order bonus.' That blew my mind

@nehemiahpouncey3607

8 ай бұрын

We have a new game shop called Video game world. It's just like GameStop but they Sell games from the past like NES Etc.

@nehemiahpouncey3607

8 ай бұрын

Our GameStop keeps closing and Opening.

SEARS was a huge part of my childhood. It's this time of year that we would get our SEARS Wish Book in the mail.

Damn, I thought this list would be full of things I didn’t know. Instead, it just unlocked hidden memories

The strike ended and now Andre is making videos again. He must be part of the union. Happy to have him back.

@BlackNerdComedy

8 ай бұрын

Thanks but I actually made some videos during the strike kinda like this one, check ‘em out if you have a chance. I just avoided movies/TV during the strike.

I think the Gen Z crowd won't ever truly appreciate what Malls were for us. It was the place to shop, be entertained,, hang out with friends, socialize or even make money by getting a job there. Many teenagers found their teenage love at the mall. There was no ubiquitous internet so this was the one stop shop for everything you needed. We had so many good memories there. How many great memories did you have shopping on Amazon? None. It's just an online store. That's what made malls special. It was an experience.

@gustavoclarindo101

8 ай бұрын

The mall is still the place to hang out, buy stuff, eat, watch movies here in Brazil. I guess we are frozen in time(i am not complaining lol)

@MahkyVmedia1

8 ай бұрын

​@@gustavoclarindo101lucky

@gustavoclarindo101

8 ай бұрын

@@MahkyVmedia1 indeed

@lynne8559

8 ай бұрын

I’m gen z and 22. We have gone to malls. We are adults and teens/pre teens. We’ve been to malls. My 11 years old niece goes to malls

@MisssKayy

8 ай бұрын

Malls are definitely not the same. Hanging out at the game room, getting macked on!😂

Malls are forever closing something down we like or loved.

The days when malls ruled were some great times. I am a fan of online shopping, it definitely is a staple in today's society. But I'm still one of those people that loves to walk through a store for the physical experience. That is what malls gave us. It's kinda sad to see the malls struggling to hang on, basically because it is something that is a memory of my youth.

Brookstone had the most comfy blankets I've ever used. I bought a bunch of family members them as gifts before and everyone would fight over who got to use them, even the pets lol.

I worked at a standalone Montgomery Wards. My mom was a manager, so when I was of age, she got me a job. 3yrs during HS, and first semester during college. I was in many departments, but sales and commission in Electric Ave was the best. i was young and understood electronics better than the old folk. Good memories. I miss all those mall stores

I wanted to comment to say that Waldenbooks was the first place I went to buy Manga and Dungeons and Dragons books. I got my first set, a 3.0 series at the Waldenbooks at the biggest Mall near me. And while I'm not too sure I have any of the Manga I bought back then, I still have a cool "Kanji de Manga" set that helped me learn how to write some Kanji and learn some Japanese. My High school self could practically see the Sakura leaves (unfortunately, I'd have to go to D.C. for their Cherry Blossom Festival for that). Ironically, my mall also had a Suncoast and it's where I got my first anime dvds too. The one person who decided that Pilot Candidate was their show, got the whole series thanks to Adult Swim. I think my sister also picked up or at least was gifted a special Edition White Evangelion tape (It just so happened to be the last 3 episodes and we were like 13 and practically tweens so we didn't understand what was up.) But stuff like that, and I'd go to Sea the Source for all my D20 and Magic the Gathering Needs, baby!!

This hit me in the nostalgia feels on all fronts! I've been to all of them. Sadly as these stores closed, so did my desire to go to the mall. One store not in the video was Circus World but it got bought out by KB I think. After Toys R Us closed, there was an effort to bring KB back but it fizzled and never happened.

I am an actual Toys R Us kid. I made two radio commercials. I still enjoyed K B Toys as well. I remember being a fully dedicated store with a parking lot in my area.

Ahhh I miss classic mall stores. KayBee and the OG Disney Store…those were my jams!

My favorite part about being a 80's and 90's kid. I miss my Saturday arcade trips and mall outings.

Malls are still packed here in the Philippines, especially during the weekends. SM Supermalls are gigantic places to hang out.

Ah, how I miss my neighborhood Borders. Not sure what made them better than Barnes & Noble in my mind, but it somehow was. My go-to mall store was Hot Topic. Not technically gone, but now much more indistinguishable from Spencers. Back in my day [Insert cane shaking and toothless gum smacking here] they had (plastic) wrought iron cemetery gates at the front and a distinct dungeon vibe.

@nehemiahpouncey3607

8 ай бұрын

Remember seeing two lesbians in There once.😂 Borders. They were holding hands like they Wanted the whole bookstore to Know.

@COSun25

8 ай бұрын

Hot Topics don't carry those adult toys Spencer's loves to show off with pride.

@nehemiahpouncey3607

8 ай бұрын

I miss my borders too. Think it got turned into a trader joes.😂

@Psykitty96

8 ай бұрын

I dont know why,but I remember Borders having really good hot chocolate

@nehemiahpouncey3607

8 ай бұрын

@@COSun25 oh that'll come soooooner or later. There time will come.

Man, I used to go to the mall all the time. And c'mon, one of Kevin Smith's best movies was Mallrats.

@BrandonCroker

8 ай бұрын

“Everyone wants mister toads wild ride.”

@nehemiahpouncey3607

8 ай бұрын

Plus stan Lee made a cameo in it.

@wespapes2054

8 ай бұрын

@@nehemiahpouncey3607 with lines!

@nehemiahpouncey3607

8 ай бұрын

Fye is still hanging in there for how Long tho?

“A mall is a place where there used to be jobs and happiness” -Roy Wood Jr.

I never understood the malls I went to that had an EB games on one side and Gamestop on the other and they were literally the same store, layout, prices, labels, company etc. 😅

@BlackNerdComedy

8 ай бұрын

Vultures always surround the corpse LOL!

YESSSSS I LOVE MALLS SO MUCH!!!! I still love going to malls, some of my favorite stores I loved going to include Build a Bear, the Lego Store, the Disney Store, and lots of other stores too!!! I remember going to a KB Toys once when I was a kid (Although I don't think it was in a mall), and I remember getting Pokemon cards there!!!

@COSun25

8 ай бұрын

Lego and Build-a-Bear are still around.

I used to work at Suncoast and Babbage's so this hits me on so many emotional levels.

@boardcertifiable

4 ай бұрын

Suncoast was awesome, i bought my first dbz vhs tapes there. 🎵🎵 Memories....🎵🎵

I miss the Disney stores in the Norwich malls. Weirdly enough it's come full circle here and the Castle Quarter mall has an arcade called Retro Replay, where you can spend money upfront and then play all the arcade games as long as you want (warning- the gun games knacker your arm after a while!)

The nostalgia is wild!

It's interesting to see what stores closed in your area. I was at EB games just about a hour ago. We still have them in Australia. You should visit one when you have another convention here!

Thank You for the trip down memory lane…I remember working at KaY Bee…SMH Goodtimes😢

KB toys really hit me in the nostalgic feels. I vividly remember going to one and seeing the PS2 copy of Shadow the Hedgehog displayed in the front. I also remember there being an inflatable Spongebob on a cupcake and a Dora snowglobe.

My very first job was a seasonal sales associate at Babbage's. I worked there in Austin in college and eventually was promoted to assistant manager at Software Etc. after their merger. Crazy.

I loved Waldenbooks and Sharper Image, both in the same mall. I could hang in Sharper Image for about 30 minutes or so, and Waldenbooks was fabulous because they also sold albums.

80's kid so ya, you took me back. Everything you talked about I remember. You make me feel all my 40+ years.

Great romp down memory lane. It’s weird because tons of people still come to our mall, but 1/3 of the stores are always closed and store turnover is high.

I got my first backpack from Montgomery Ward for kindergarten and we also bought our first VCR and Nintendo from there

This really hit me in the nostalgia. I never expected to see, in this video, a Sharper Image commercial with Mary Lou Retton and Kid N Play right back to back.

Waldenbooks was one of the stores I would regularly stop at to check for new RPG books/boxed sets.

I've brought up Kaybee Toys several times throughout the years and nobody remembers that place... Absolutely spent a lot of time at Tilt as well! I would spend a lot of time on Dance Maniax

When i was in my "i wanna build that" or "i want figure out how that works" phase, zany brainy was there for me. Was devastated when the only one left in town closed. There are online stores that try to capture that magic, but nothing beats walking through a store and discovering a kids chem lab set and learning how to make new things and conduct experiments.❤

I remember first seeing the Rocket Knight Adventures box behind the counter at KayBee and instantly KNEW I had to try it. Also got a Kyle Rayner GL figure there in the mid-90s close to the holidays, when I wasn't supposed to buy myself toys. And I remember seeing a whole shelf of Turbografx-16 games at Babbage's, helping to add to the console's mystique.

Spencer's and Hot Topic were awesome! When I was a kid, there was this cool Japanese store that sold Gundam models and stuff at my local mall.

My mom was a manager for an arcade in San Diego in the 90s. I got to play a lot. They used nickels instead of tokens. They closed and moved to Oregon.

A couple of my biggest mall memories were buying albums, although they were both from an FYE. I think the one that sticks in my mind the most was when I went on a date with a girl and swung by to get a copy of George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass on CD after dinner. lol

It's crazy how the Dave & Buster's styled places, are the only ones left for an arcade experience. Putt Putt Golf around my way would basically be Celebration Station. I was so into video games when I was younger, the arcade section took over my love for golf and go karts. Since I knew I couldn't enjoy that same quality of games at home, I made the most of it at CS! Lol One time I went to an Electronics Boutique in the mall, and the clerk wanted me to "watch the store" while he went to the Great American Cookies not far away. No other customer came in while he was gone, so there really wasn't much to it. The clerk came back rewarding me with some Nintendo DS stylus pens, and a demo of Monster Hunter 3 Tri for the Wii (I still have factory wrapped to this day). One of the malls I've had the most memories at, is completely wiped out with an Amazon Delivery Warehouse in its place. Fortunately, we have the bigger mall still active. 😁

I remember going into the Disney store every time I went to the mall with my grandma. It's so sad it closed. That store would be amazing today if it was still around.

@Goldstar_

8 ай бұрын

The Disney Store is online only now. All the physical locations (that I know of) have closed.

We didn't have a Toys R Us until I was in eighth grade, so KB Toys was my place! Loved raiding the weird toys in the clearance aisle!!

RIP KB Toys T_T That place was like my home away from home, and MANY Christmas gifts were bought there. Loved it.

I actually have more nostalgia for Kay Bee toys than I do Toys R Us. We lived close to the mall and there was a Gameco and arcade next to it with the food court next door to them. I could also redeem my book.its at Pizza Hut over there or get my tacos at In A Tub. I loved that mall!

When I was young, we had an indoor themepark in our mall. I remember they had animatronic animals you could ride all around.

Yes, the library is still around, Queens Library, Brooklyn Library, and NYPL all carry a wider and more current range of movies on DVD than Netflix has for streaming.

I've always loved malls. Also, I preferred KB Toys over Toys r Us just because KB usually had the same toys cheaper. I also have fond memories of Waldenbooks, especially getting Archie Comics from there. I used to love going to Montgomery Ward because they usually had about 5-6 game console demos going (in the early-mid 90s). My dad and I always spent time in mall arcades, Aladdin's Castle when I was little and Tilt later on. Most of my games came from Electronic's Boutique and Gamestop, with a few early PC games from Software Etc.

It would have been funny if the grandma in that story was the actual Rangers fan 😂. Personally, I was not familiar with most of these stores. I was born in ‘97 and I didn’t visit that many malls in NYC when growing up in the 2000s. And man, GameStop has fallen hard in the city in the past few years. There’s only TWO in Manhattan, with the rest being in the outer boroughs.

I remember Tower and Afterthoughts, which was a more mature version of Claire's. My dad and me bought all our music at Tower. I was shocked one day we went to the mall to find Tower had closed and been replaced. KB toys was awesome.

I always bought my books from B. Dalton. We had a Waldenbooks too, but most of it was taken up with toys for younger kids. Their book selection was limited to just a few shelves in the back of the store. The wooden train set they had on display was always fun though.

Never went to Montgomery Ward, but you did unlock a core memory! Anytime I went to a Baltimore Orioles baseball game as a kid, we had cheap seats up in the high bleachers. Looking out over the city at the higher view in the concourse, the one thing that always stood out to me was signage for a Montgomery Ward warehouse far off in the distance.

I used to love Waldenbooks, back in the day my mall had both a Walden books AND a B Dalton.

@BM-wh5qk

2 ай бұрын

Same with my mall. AND there was a Barnes & Noble across the street from it.

EB still exists in Australia and Canada, you still get nice exclusive freebies

If only we could to back to those days. Nothing beats the mall.

As an old mall rat I truly appreciate this video. ❤

Man this video took me back. Out of these the stores I miss the most are definitely KB Toys and Waldenbooks. I also REALLY miss my local Aladdin's Castle arcade.

Loved going to the mall growing up

You are the best Andre! The malls now-a-days are creepy asl ghostowns...

@boardcertifiable

4 ай бұрын

Really? Awesome imma go there, i like spooky stuff.

Have a lot of fond memories of KB toys! When Pokemon first came out, they had an entire WALL of merch, while no other store anywhere near us [even Toys R Us] had anything for quite a while. Also, they were the only place that had Dinozaurs and Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog when those came out. and they usually had some stuff from a couple years ago mixed with current, Such a great place!

Tilt was where we mallrats used to hang out ❤😊the memories

I miss Borders. There's a Barnes and Nobles in the area of the mall I frequent, but it was easier to go to the Borders when I was there. I remember there being a Zany Brainy near where I lived... I miss that place.

@nehemiahpouncey3607

8 ай бұрын

I remember some malls even having A burger king.😮

The one I loved to visit when I lived in New York was the WB store at the Staten Island mall. It had a giant Bugs Bunny statue dressed as the statue of liberty out front. They closed long ago but to this day I still wonder what happened to that statue. Andre would have loved to visit it because they hid gremlin statues all over the store.

arcades will always have fond memories for me and getting games at electronic boutique software etc. and funcoland was always so good since you really got to know and bond with the people selling you games since you both played them, I never really had that happen at gamestop unfortunately, still blows me away that they are still around somehow....

Great video! Hearing about Kay Bee toys makes me so nostalgic. I have a vivid memory of seeing a Buzz lightyear toy that would fly in a circle on the ceiling in their display window, I wanted it SO BAD

Andre over here bringing up all the nostalgia berries

Thanks for all the great content you make, Andre, I really enjoy it ❤ keep up the great work 🎉

Kaybee toys was always PACKED with toys!! Like super packed!

Now i wanna watch the mall game show from the 90s "Shop 'till you Drop"

Love the dive into nostalgia. Reminds me of FunScape. Anyone remember that place? Or Discovery Zone.

Love this kind of content, Andre. Keep it up, dude!

I used to work at KB Toys also. I worked there up until the day they closed.

I remember always stopping at both GameStop and EB games at my mall EVERY trip

The best memory that still exist is the inside mall kiosks selling rope chains 😅😅😅

Man, this was such a nostalgic trip for me. So many of these stores were in my local mall. I used to love going to KB Toys, Suncoast, Waldenbooks and Funcoland back in the day. I didn't go to the mall a lot, but it was a fun weekend treat, kind of like going to Blockbusters was. It was sad to see these store shut down. I still miss Borders especially. It wasn't in my local mall, not until Waldenbooks became Borders Express at least, but that was such a good book store and had some nice stocking stuffers during the holiday season too. Barnes and Noble was just never quite as good and I think it was further away from me than Borders was too. It feels weird that you had to explain what malls were like. It makes sense when a lot of people wouldn't be familiar with them since they were more popular during the 80's and 90's, but it still felt weird.

@danielland3767

8 ай бұрын

Funcoland was the shit!

Here in Toronto we still have Toys R Us and EB Games just turned over to GameStop this year. (Or was it last year?? ). Either way, a lot of their product still come with classic EB stickers on it. But yes the classic retro mall feel was an identity to itself and is sorely missed

Best part of KB- the clearance bins!

Andre we're the same generation! I also miss the KCET Store of Knowledge, had a wide variety of cool and educational stuff. My mall is thankfully still operating but the anchor stores are different. Currently they're Macy's, Nordstrom, and Barnes & Noble.

Wow! Waldens was my go to store! And yes there are still libraries (some of which you can check out video games too!)

Dude! this is great! Please do more retro videos!

@BlackNerdComedy

8 ай бұрын

Thanks! Will do!

I have so many blissful kaybee toys memories

A more recent store chain that was similar to Suncoast was Another Universe. It sold movie paraphernalia, but also stuff for cartoon and comic book fans. I've only been to 2 locations, both of them were in malls: one was in White Marsh Mall, the other was in the Mall of Columbia (both in Maryland, BTW). Sadly, both are gone now.

Thank you for this video. I’m close to the same age as you and man did I love malls growing up. As you said, while my parents went shopping for their things I’d spend most of my time at Kaybee, The Wall, Suncoast and of course arcades. I live in Japan and am lucky that Japan still has not only shopping malls with many stores but many arcades as well. Also shops here still do gifts for preorders on video games. I got a sweet tumbler cup with my preordered Mario Wonder.

Man~! I miss EB Games. Going there or KB Toys while mom and dad went off to other stores. Thank you my local EB Games for always having a great about of Gamecube and PS2 games back in then.

Contempo Fashions!! I used to shop there while I was in college. I also miss Borders, I could stay in that store for hours. Thanks for the nostalgia, Andre! 😊 Oh, and I'm still cheesing over "Urkel Saves Santa". 😁

@BlackNerdComedy

8 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

@justingonzales2619

8 ай бұрын

@@BlackNerdComedy Same with me just the Borders and Blockbuster stores.

In Canada, EB didn't turn into GameStop until super recently (last couple years). Also,we had Future Shop which was bought by Best Buy in 2001, then all those stores wither closed or converted about 10 years ago. They weren't in malls for the most part, but still.

At our local mall, I watched a store go in the mid 80s from Games and Gadgets, to Electronics Boutique, to EB Games, to Gamestop. Still a Gamestop today

There was this one mall that apparently a lot of kids from my school would go to, but I didn’t go to because I thought it was lame due to the lack of stars they had in it. That was until I went into this place called, ‘THE SCI-FI LOUNGE’ that was an arcade that had every game console to play as well as classic arcade machines. They also had snacks, food, and drinks that you could get for $10. That was legit the place to go on Friday nights.

I went into EB and Funcoland all the time but I loved TRU for toys and games. K-Mart and Venture were my places to go as a kid. I lived walking distance from a K-Mart. I'd go there all the time to look for action figures, read comics, and get a slurpee. Oh, Books a Million stores are still in malls!

I got a number of things at KB Toys, but the one that sticks out to me the most is my Sailor Uranus doll (Irwin, 2001). Really wish I'd been able to convince Mom to get me Neptune as well, but with the prices Irwin's SM dolls go for now, I'm really glad I at least got Uranus. Pretty sure several of my games came from EB; I still remember walking into either an EB or another long-gone video game mall outlet that had a mini-cabinet of Dreamcast games on display (this is probably where I first saw Sonic Shuffle) and some American McGee's Alice figures. Don't remember going into Suncoast, but I've found some old receipts floating around the house.

My mall's anchor stores were Kmart and Sears, but Kmart relocated in the early 90s across town to their own store, which also closed down within that decade lol. And Sears turned into a Big Lots soon after. Those two leaving were the start of the downfall of our mall. The only things that kept the mall alive were a sports store, and the rampant gangs that broke in and used the empty departments as their headquarters.

There was also Waldensoft, which sold games and software. We had a Waldenbooks and Waldensoft in the same mall!

I always go to my local FYE store! They have a lot of 80s, 90s, and 2000s things that you can buy that are non-music related in those stores! Two stores that I miss are Disney Store, and Brookstone. Disney Store I always had a close connection to, especially since I grew up going to the first Disney Store that opened, and have a lot of memories with my parents and grandparents over there. My favorite memories of when I went there to buy the "Toy Story" toys, and a bunch of the original Cars movie toys! I have a lot of very special memories, that will forever live on in my heart of that store!

Remember Nintendo Arm Wrestling? I used to love that game. Also, Hyper Sports aka Hyper Olympics.

We didn’t have a Sharper Image in my local mall, but we did have a Spenser’s Gifts… almost as good, but cheaper & sleazier 😆

I had that exact How To Draw Cartoon Comic Strips book when I was a kid! DUDE!