Bottle opener
- became a necessary tool in college when you could legally drink
- comes in many varieties, from church key to gargoyle mouth
- hangable
Quintessential bar food
Quintessential bar food:
Loaded fries
Very bad for you
Served on a large plate
Just about every bar will have it.
Quintessential video-game series
Super-Mario games
- Helped sell the NES, which helped end the video game crash
- Wildly popular the last 30+ years
- still releases sequels in its main series
- features iconic characters that are as recognizable as any cartoon/mascot
Next:
Quintessential 2010-Present TV show
Game of Thrones
- Epic Story
- Intriguing characters
- Room for action, humor, horror, and personal moments
- “Water cooler” show where viewers want to talk about it the next day
Quintessential super hero
Superman
- One of the first successful comic-book superheroes
- Has a wide range of powers (strength, flight, x-ray vision, etc.)
- Has a number of iconic characters in his supporting cast (Lois Lane, Ma and Pa Kent, Jimmy Olson)
- Has sold more comic books than any other comic character
- Has been more-or-less continuously published since his inception in 1938
- A single copy of the first comic book in which he appeared (Action Comics #1) sold in 2014 for over $3 million dollars (the highest price ever for a single copy of a comic)
- Has been the subject of numerous TV shows, cartoons, radio shows, and films
- Instantly recognizable by most Americans, and many people around the world
Next topic: pizza topping
Pepperoni
- Most popular pizza topping in North America
- ‘Italianesque’ style of meat that melds well with tomato-based sauce and crusty bread
- Has a neutral, inoffensive flavor that appeals to a wide range of palates
Quintessential food item of Southeastern U.S.
Fried Chicken
-A definitive Southern USA food
-Can be served anywhere
-Has fast food chains named after it
-Even served in fast food hamburger places
-It’s good!
Quintessential James Bond film
Goldfinger
- Third movie into franchise begins to define Bond film tropes (gadgets, seducing the girl, tough guy henchmen, etc.)
- Critical and box office success
- Great opening theme by John Barry sung by Shirley Bassey
- Iconic gold painted girl
Quintessential young adult fiction franchise
Is there any question it’s Harry Potter?
-Unbelievably successful, both in popularity and financials
-Aimed at young adults, but read by all ages
-Has gotten children into reading long paged books and franchises
-Led to a series of movies and even stage shows
-Everybody knows Harry Potter, even if they have never read and/or seen something based on it
Quintessential newspaper comic strip?
I suppose the obvious answer would be Peanuts, but I’ve never like Peanuts, so I’m going with Calvin and Hobbes.
-Classic kid and real vs imaginary world setting
-Had everything: Humor, cuteness, sweetness, edgy here and there, philosophy, social commentary without a heavy hand, clever as hell, well drawn, engaging as single pannel and long strips, a lot more could be said.
-Avoided over commercialization ( a la Peanuts)
-Gone before its time, deliberately.
-I really miss it!
Quintessential bitter sweet tear jerker movie (I’m in that mood now 
Casablanca
- “We’ll always have Paris.”
- “If that plane leaves the ground and you’re not with him, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.”
- “Of all the gin joints in all of the world, she walks into mine.”
Quintessential Muppet.
Kermit the Frog
- One of Jim Henson’s first Muppets
- Performed by Henson himself (up until Henson’s death)
- Seen by many people who knew Henson to essentially be Henson’s alter ego
- One of the few Muppets who appeared on both Sesame Street and other Muppet TV shows and movies
- He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Next: quintessential sports movie
quintessential sports movie
*Rudy *would be the obvious answer, and cases can be made for The Longest Yard, Field of Dreams, and Rocky. But I’m going with Major Leagues.
- shows what baseball players and managers do behind the scenes
- shows player rituals and psychological games to get the edge
- their ultimate goal was to totally reveal the naked body of their bitchy owner, a truly noble goal
- Bob Uecker nails his role as the lost cause announcer because he’s lived it
Quintessential US state
New York: the quintessential American big city, plus farmland and mountains and beaches, with the Statue of Liberty in the harbor and Wall Street and Broadway and Harlem and Chinatown and the Ivy League and — look, it’s all over the place.
Quintessential comic-book superpower.
Superstrength.
- Superman’s had that since day one. Flying came later, and invulnerability seems like a side effect.
- Nearly every Marvel superhero gets a measure of this, and sometimes nothing else.
- Those heroes who don’t have it tend to find ways to simulate it.
Quintessential rock & roll anthem?
Rock and roll All Nite by Kiss
- says Rock and Roll in it
- is about rocking and rolling
- is about partying
- is a hugely famous song about the topic
- everyone knows it and sings along
- is 40+ years old
Next:
Quintessential piece of technology
The automobile.
Allows everyone to get around much faster
People are no longer limited to living in just one place their entire lives
Its operation isn’t difficult to learn
The technology behind it is always improving
Used by billions of people every day
Quintessential American food
The hamburger
- at least 5 national chains have it as their primary offering
- those same chains do tremendous business overseas
- billions of cows died for our satisfaction
- portable, eat-on-the-go food for the mobile consumer
Quintessential Hollywood actor/actress
Harrison Ford:
Becomes a breakout star in a supporting role, in the biggest hit of the year.
- Comes right back for the sequel, the biggest hit of its year.
- Returns for a sequel, the biggest hit of its year.
Stars in his own action-hero blockbuster, the biggest hit of the year.
- Comes right back for a sequel, the biggest hit of its year.
- Returns for a sequel, the biggest hit of its year.
Can be the leading man in an Oscar-caliber romantic comedy.
- Can also be the leading man in an Oscar-caliber drama.
- Can be the leading man as an ass-kicking President.
Starred in a TV-show adaptation to acclaim.
- Picked up as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and rabid fans were cool with it.
- Went full circle, now top-billed in that first franchise: biggest hit of the year.
That’s kind of what Hollywood is all about, isn’t it?
Quintessential TV sitcom.
n/m