When Hyde and Bungalow were as packed with celebutantes as Betty Ford rehab was. When instead of fidget spinners to fiddle with, we were twiddling with our pink Motorola Razrs and bedazzled T-Mobile Sidekicks. When starlets didn't need Snapchat filters to give a picture some extra oomph because they would just serve up nip slips and crotch shots instead. When outrageous scandals and rowdy behavior spoke for themselves, because how many millennial-friendly buzzwords do we cloak headlines and blurbs with now to make Chrissy Teigen tweeting about innocuous lame shit truly seem like it "literally gave us life?" 

The early 2000s: it truly was a time that could never be forgotten, and its fake-tanned and bubblegum pop memory lives on thanks to Pop Culture Died in 2009.

The THNK 1994 Museum and your favorite Instagram account Pop Culture Died in 2009 teamed up to bring us back a taste of the early aughts. Hey, it's way better than Trump tryna bring back Lindsay Lohan's terrible fake tan from Sunset Tan, amiright? 

For the optimists, it's a call upon society to bring back a Renaissance of pop culture. For the cynics, however, it's simply an outrageous trip down memory lane that is amusing but also serves as a reminder that this era will never be brought about again. Take a look at some of the paintings from the THNK 1994 exhibition along with our interview with PCD2009!

[Painting by Laura Collins]