Be Kind, Please Rewind: '90s Debuts Quiz

"Home Alone" opened in US cinemas on November 16, 1990. Macaulay Culkin played Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old accidentally left behind when his family went to France for Christmas. Kevin enjoyed having the house to himself until two burglars arrived. Chris Columbus directed the film from a script by John Hughes.

Its mixture of family worries and outrageous traps made for a very unusual Christmas adventure.

Sega released the original Genesis game "Sonic the Hedgehog" in the US in June 1991. Its blue hero raced through colourful levels and collected golden rings while trying to stop the villain known as Dr. Robotnik or Dr. Eggman. The scientist had trapped animals inside robots, giving Sonic something to rescue along the way. Speed was a large part of the appeal, but players also had to judge jumps and dodge hazards.

This was the game that began Sonic's own series.

Disney's original animated "Aladdin" went into wide release in the US on November 25, 1992. The story followed a young man whose discovery of a magic lamp brought him face to face with a very talkative Genie. Robin Williams supplied the Genie's voice, while Princess Jasmine and the scheming Jafar were central to the adventure. Songs helped tell the story, including "A Whole New World".

This entry refers to the animated original, rather than the later live-action version.

"Friends" began on NBC on September 22, 1994. The sitcom followed Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross as they dealt with work, relationships and life in New York City. Central Perk, their regular coffee shop, gave them a place to gather and talk things over.

In the opening episode, Rachel arrived in her wedding dress after walking away from her wedding. The series was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman.

The first PlayStation launched in Japan on December 3, 1994. Its North American and European releases followed in September 1995, which is why the country matters here. Sony's console played games stored on CDs. Many of its games used three-dimensional graphics, making characters and places appear to have depth rather than look flat.

It helped make this style of gaming familiar to a much wider audience.

"Toy Story" opened in US cinemas on November 22, 1995. It was the first feature film made entirely with computer animation. The story gave toys a private life of their own when humans were not watching. Woody felt threatened when a new toy, Buzz Lightyear, arrived in Andy's room, but the pair eventually had to work together. Tom Hanks voiced Woody and Tim Allen voiced Buzz, giving the animated rivals very different personalities.

"Wannabe" was released as a single in the UK on July 8, 1996. It introduced the Spice Girls with a lively message about friendship and what they expected from a relationship. The five members were Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Adams.

Their contrasting personalities became a large part of the group's appeal. The UK release is specified because the song reached different countries at different times.

"Teletubbies" first aired in Britain on March 31, 1997. Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport created the programme for very young children. Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po had aerials on their heads and television screens on their tummies. Those screens showed short films of children doing everyday things.

The first episode included a boy named Ned with his bicycle, bringing a little of the real world into the characters' unusual home.

Britney Spears released her debut single, "...Baby One More Time", in the US in 1998. Max Martin wrote the song, which opened with a short piano phrase. Its music video showed Spears at school, dancing in the corridors and gym. An album with the same title followed in January 1999. The single came first, so it is the song's 1998 release that counts here.

"SpongeBob SquarePants" first aired on US Nickelodeon on May 1, 1999, as a preview before its regular run began in July. In "Help Wanted", SpongeBob applied for a job at the Krusty Krab. His enthusiasm did not immediately impress Mr. Krabs and Squidward, but a crowd of hungry anchovies gave him a chance to prove himself. Creator Stephen Hillenburg had studied marine biology as well as art. That combination helped him turn underwater life into a world of comic characters.