What makes you feel nostalgic? A song, a smell, a taste, a sound, a touch, a sensation, a toy, a sight? Humans can experience the feeling of nostalgia from any one of these. For those who do not know what nostalgia is, it is a feeling that occurs when a person experiences a memory from their childhood and sometimes just an experience from the past. It most often brings up the emotion of happiness rather than sadness. The best way to describe the feeling of nostalgia is bittersweet. Experiencing nostalgia gives a warm, happy feeling, but it can potentially make people sad and miss that point of time in their life. Nostalgia is a Greek compound name made up of the two Greek words nóstos and álgos. Nóstos means return home, while álgos means pain/longing. When the two words are put together it creates the word that means homesick. Experiencing nostalgia means a person is longing for something in the past and most of the time it brings up happy memories that makes people miss a time in the past.

    The biggest hit of the year 2010 is without a doubt: silly bands. Robert Croak, the inventor of silly bands created the fad for 2010. They were first released in 2008, but they did not become a hit until 2010. The company grew from making $10,000 a year, to over $100 million. Those who were growing up while silly bands were popular are going to have a sentimental connection to them. Shannon Milligan, an 18-year-old girl who grew up when silly bands were popular says when she is reminded of silly bands, “I feel happy and think of the little pigs that I collected.” Seeing them, finding them, or hearing something that reminds people of silly bands is going to bring a rush of emotions. It is going to bring back memories of a happier time of collecting them, wearing them, trading them, and the interaction with friends. It is a much simpler time when the only thing to worry about is collecting new silly bands with friends.

    Webkinz is another item that triggers nostalgia for those who had grown up with them. Webkinz were released by Ganz, a Canadian toy company, in April of 2005. Webkinz became popular almost right after they was released. It stayed a very popular item for kids up until a couple of years ago when the hype of Webkinz started to die down. Those who grew up during the time Webkinz were a hit, it was a part of their childhood. Not just a small part, but a really big chunk of their childhood. Ryan Bashaar, a Senior at Pennridge High School states that she “played with them two to four times a day.” She also says that when she is reminded of the days she spent playing with her Webkinz, “I think of happiness because I thought of those pets as my own and I loved them.” Since Webkinz bring about happy memories from childhood, nostalgia becomes present. No matter what way nostalgia is able to find you, it will always brighten your day and be a reminder of where you came from.