# What became ubiquitous then went away in your lifetime? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 10, 2026, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180 "2026-04-10T22:01:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/161 "2026-04-12T14:52:56Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > > > Haven’t they been replaced by outdoor “town center” malls? > > What constitutes a ‘town center’ outdoor mall? > > IOW, how is one different from, say, the local shopping centers I remember from the late 1950s (many of which are still in existence today) or the ‘big box’ shopping centers that came along later (1990s?)? Except they aren’t _malls_ because they are exposed to the elements (like your other two examples) and you also have to cross a lot of streets (unlike your other two examples). They aren’t an “enclosed, climate controlled shopping center” which seems to me like a pretty concise definition of a mall. Town centers are the worst for me because of all those disadvantages. The only thing I prefer them to is literal downtown areas that you have to pay to park in. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/162 "2026-04-12T15:03:29Z")
While we’re at it, the Muppets also took over the names ‘Elmo’ and ‘Oscar’ (the grouch). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/163 "2026-04-12T15:19:50Z")
Or local mall is fine. Always busy. > **[Metropolis at Metrotown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_at_Metrotown)** > > Metropolis at Metrotown (commonly referred to as Metrotown) is a three-storey shopping mall complex in the Metrotown area of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Opened in 1986, it is the largest mall in British Columbia and the third-largest in Canada, behind Alberta's West Edmonton Mall and Ontario's Square One Shopping Centre, with 27 million customer visits annually. The mall is located adjacent to Metrotown station on the SkyTrain rapid transit system. Three office buildings are part of the... ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/164 "2026-04-12T15:43:04Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > I think Kermit the Frog played a big role in that. > [@salinqmind1](#): > > the Muppets also took over the names ‘Elmo’ and ‘Oscar’ (the grouch). I started a thread to discuss. > [@Are the muppets the reason names like Kermit and Grover have become archaic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219): > > In the thread about things that became ubiquitous and then died out, I mentioned names, like Buffy. But older examples of perfectly acceptable names that have become largely extinct are Kermit, Grover, Elmo, and Oscar. I’m sure that when you heard them right now, a certain mental imagery came to mind: muppets. Is that why nobody names their kid Kermit these days? Teddy Roosevelt named one of his kids Kermit. He was a tough guy. His son was raised to be a badass, and eagerly fought in war. … ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/165 "2026-04-12T16:02:54Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > I still use mine everyday. It works fine and so does ITunes on my computer. In fact I am listening to Sonny Rollins right now, courtesy of ITunes. Yeah I still enjoy vinyl records and music CD’s too. Enjoy it while it lasts, because iPods were discontinued in 2022. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/166 "2026-04-12T16:08:41Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Yeah I still enjoy vinyl records and music CD’s too. Enjoy it while it lasts, because iPods were discontinued in 2022. I’m not too worried. [A quick glance at Ebay.](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=ipod&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p4624852.m570.l1313) ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/167 "2026-04-12T16:13:57Z")
> [@Jaycat.again](#): > > I’m not too worried. [A quick glance at Ebay.](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=ipod&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p4624852.m570.l1313) The topic is about things that were ubiquitous and now aren’t. If you’re enjoying them as vintage equipment, great, more power to you, but “I can still get them vintage off eBay even though they’re not being manufactured” isn’t ubiquity or really even abundance. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/168 "2026-04-12T16:21:16Z")
Can’t say I’ve seen anything like those. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/169 "2026-04-12T16:36:18Z")
I feel like there’s some kind of fundamental difference between things where we still use the object, but we use newer technology (portable digital devices, monitors, mice) and ones where the actual object itself isn’t in use anymore (physical audio storage & players and fax machines). I can’t quite articulate it, but I think this distinction is somehow important to this discussion. For me, the one that comes most to mind are point-and-shoot cameras, both film and digital. There were simple cameras when I was a little kid, but for the most part, photography was something that was more of an enthusiast hobby when I was a kid. Cut to the mid 1970s, and all the camera manufacturers started making point-and-shoot cameras with better and better functionality. Over time, they sold very well, and manufacturers even introduced multiple film formats for them (110, APS). Then in the early 2000s, digital point and shoots took over from film, and sales shot into the stratosphere, with film essentially dying away. In the late 2000s, the smart phone was invented, and digital point and shoot sales died away faster and harder than film P&S sales had. [The Rise and Crash of the Camera Industry in One Chart | PetaPixel](https://petapixel.com/2024/08/22/the-rise-and-crash-of-the-camera-industry-in-one-chart/) Based on that graph, camera sales are where they were in the mid-1970s, and I’d bet that’s probably mostly mirrorless/DSLR sales, not point-and-shoot sales. Smartphones put the stake through the heart of non-enthusiast camera sales, then threw the squirming corpse out into the sunlight for good measure. Now they’re effectively dead, with the exception of film wonks and people who want to be like various celebrities and influencers who use old P&S cameras of various sorts, as well as Gen-Z types who pine for some sort of past they never actually experienced and therefore futz around with film and old digital stuff in an attempt to disengage from the online world. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/170 "2026-04-12T16:50:51Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Except they aren’t _malls_ because they are exposed to the elements (like your other two examples) and you also have to cross a lot of streets (unlike your other two examples). They aren’t an “enclosed, climate controlled shopping center” which seems to me like a pretty concise definition of a mall. I grew up thinking malls had to be indoors, simply because those were the ones I was accustomed to, but that’s not the case at all. Merriam-Webster defines it as “an urban shopping area featuring a variety of shops surrounding a usually open-air concourse reserved for pedestrian traffic.” Malls as a concept predate the indoor mall most of us are accustomed to these days. If you’ve got to cross a regular street with traffic then it’s probably not a mall. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/171 "2026-04-12T17:24:02Z")
Pet rocks New Coke ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/172 "2026-04-12T17:43:50Z")
> [@stopnonstop](#): > > Now, most people bring their own bags, or if they purchase from the supermarket, they have reverted to paper bags Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods in central Kansas, plastic bags are alive and well and thriving. Grocery store, hardware store, WalMart, even the shoe store will send your purchases home in plastic, unless you have your own shopping bags. ---
**Author:** ![Mortimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/173 "2026-04-12T18:43:16Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Unfortunately, in my neck of the woods in central Kansas, plastic bags are alive and well and thriving. Grocery store, hardware store, WalMart, even the shoe store will send your purchases home in plastic, unless you have your own shopping bags Same around this part of rural WI. But they all have used plastic bag collection points that appear to be fairly well used. It’s not a huge inconvenience to bring the used bags back to the store, so I do. But I also wonder if the collection points are mostly for show or if the bags collected actually get recycled. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/174 "2026-04-12T19:05:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Regarding the death of shopping malls, my impression is that the ones aimed at middle-class shoppers are failing but not the ones aimed at people with money. So the mall with a Nordstrom or Bloomingdales, a Tiffany store and a Louis Vuitton shop is doing fine but not the one that had the Macy’s and the Gap stores. “The Bay” – the catchy name for the Hudson’s Bay Company department store – managed to survive long after the demise of most general department stores in Canada by distinguishing themselves with just such an upscale model. That gave them a couple of decades over long-gone department stores like Eaton’s, but sadly, even they couldn’t survive. It was a real shame because it was a very pleasant place to shop, or just browse. Department stores themselves are an excellent example of something that was ubiquitous when I was a kid and are now long gone. I remember going shopping downtown with my Mom, which involved taking an electric trolley bus. There were no fewer than at least three department stores downtown, two gigantic ones, and one a little smaller. The demise of department stores I think was a major factor in the decline of malls, as they were the classic big anchor stores that helped support the malls. The Bay, Sears, Eaton’s – all gone now. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Or local mall is fine. Always busy. > > [Metropolis at Metrotown - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_at_Metrotown) I don’t know if, in general, malls in Canada are faring better than in the US, but perhaps some are. Certainly, the three malls I know of in my general area are still in existence, but I haven’t been to any of them in a while and have no idea how well they’re doing. There is, of course, the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, which is something else again! It’s not so much a mall as an indoor city. It’s 5.3 million square feet and has 800 stores, 100 dining venues, and attractions like a water park and theme park. ---
**Author:** ![stopnonstop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@stopnonstop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stopnonstop)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/175 "2026-04-12T19:05:37Z")
When they used to hand out plastic bags, for free, I’d reuse them to line waste bins, clean the kitty litter, empty the ashes from the charcoal bbq, etc. Now I have to buy bags to serve those purposes. I don’t know if there has really been any significant decrease in the use of plastic bags in my area - the cost, however, has been passed onto the consumer. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/176 "2026-04-12T19:11:11Z")
> [@stopnonstop](#): > > When they used to hand out plastic bags, for free, I’d reuse them to line waste bins, clean the kitty litter, empty the ashes from the charcoal bbq, etc. I still do. Plastic bags were discontinued here years ago, but since my rate of intake was far greater than my rate of use (mostly to line the kitchen garbage bin) I just kept accumulating them. Now I’m dipping into the accumulated reserves. I may eventually have to start buying garbage bin liners, but that won’t be for a long time yet! ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/177 "2026-04-12T19:31:24Z")
> [@Mortimus](#): > > Same around this part of rural WI. But they all have used plastic bag collection points that appear to be fairly well used. It’s not a huge inconvenience to bring the used bags back to the store, so I do. But I also wonder if the collection points are mostly for show or if the bags collected actually get recycled Quite recently the Wood and was selling plastic bags (the kind Aldi used to use) for ten cents each or a case of 400 for $30. We bought 2 cases. We use and reuse those bags until they are completely worn out. Those are quality bags. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/178 "2026-04-12T19:31:26Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Pet rocks A 15-minute gag gift fad hardly seems to qualify. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/179 "2026-04-12T19:35:18Z")
The answer is obvious: Canada has its own space-time continuum. I thought everyone knew that, eh! ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180/180 "2026-04-12T20:23:17Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > A 15-minute gag gift fad hardly seems to qualify. The OP didn’t place much limitation on what qualifies. Continuing with 1970s fads, I nominate **streaking**. Not really ubiquitous, although discussions of it seemed to be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-became-ubiquitous-then-went-away-in-your-lifetime/1029180.md?page=10)