If you’ve ever watched the hit Britney Spears coming-of-age film, Crossroads, then you’ll know all about time capsules and the nostalgia they bring for users. But what about the culture shock for those who weren’t around when it was buried?
There’s got to be no greater joy than looking back on items you buried as a kid and then seeing them in all their glory when the trends have changed decades later.
If I created one, there would be a Tamagotchi, a Game Boy, all of the Pokémon originals, a screenshot of Liberty X’s Just a Little Bit music video and S Club 7 memorabilia.
Maybe Nelly’s Hot in Here lyrics are tucked in for good measure.
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But what if I was packing things away in 2000s America?
Of course, time has changed majorly in the 25 years since that time, and one man took it upon himself to ensure that he kept a record of exactly how.
Dylan Schrader buried his time capsule and opened it up for the very first time at the beginning of this year, taking everyone along with him as he travelled down memory lane.
He ended up using Crayola’s plastic time capsule product, which was available in the late 90s, so that he could stash away some of his belongings as a kid with the intention of burying them in a secret location.
He said: "Context: Amid the millennium craze of late 1999, @Crayola_Capital offered a simple time capsule.
"My brother and I both made one on the verge of the new year. I originally had the idea of burying it somewhere, but for whatever reason that never happened."
After opening it, he detailed exactly what was inside of his capsule on social media 25 years on from when he first sealed it up.
He explained that he had intended to bury it but never got round to doing so, and at many points, had considered throwing it away or just opening it up but also chose to do neither until this year.
Creating a long thread online of everything he was pulling out of it, he referenced many things people wouldn’t know about today, and of course, commenters were shocked by just how much times had changed.
The first things he pulled out of his time capsule were late 90s pamphlets about AIDS, abstinence, HIV, alcohol and drugs, which clearly isn’t something people are talking a lot about today.
Also in the capsule were family photos, an advert for Pokémon-themed sweets, a floppy disk, and an old coin from 1877.
He also found a button from when his mum ran to be on the board of his school along with some Pogs.
He also included a Walmart receipt from 3 January 2000, which revealed that if you were in the US in 2000, you could buy a small slushie for 88 cents or a large one for $1.08.
Dylan even found a tape he'd recorded for his future self; however, he didn't pack a tape player and had to do some sleuthing to find out what message he'd recorded.
He later tweeted that: "It starts with reading from a Calvin and Hobbes strip, continues with references to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a poem (?) by me (?), musings on the future, and then into a song by Alanis Morissette."
Having shared everything on X, people immediately commented on the difference between then and now.
One person pointed out that people don’t typically use cash anymore, writing: “[The] biggest change I see from 24 years ago is it was normal to carry & pay for items with cash. Would you buy a water or icee with cash today?”
Another said: “Coolest thread I’ve seen in ages. I was 2 at the time, but the nostalgia hits different.”
Someone else said: “This capsule is amazing… it has sooooo much meaning it’s incredible! I appreciate the time you dedicated to this post. Thank Cue.”
Britt Jones