Where were you in the year 1987? 

I was 10 years old, living in the armpit of America - enjoying Weird Al Yankovic on tape, the new era of the Transformers cartoons at 3:30 PM every weekday in syndication, worn VHS recordings of the Star Wars trilogy pirated from HBO, and my dad driving me to the comic store every Friday if I kept up with piano lessons. Whether you came of age in 1987, were already an adult in 1987, or weren't even thought of yet in 1987, 1987 was a milestone year even here, now, 38 years later.

1987 is a milestone year... especially in pop culture. And that's why all this week the Popverse team are being kind and rewinding back to the things we loved from the year 1987 - whether we lived it at the time or in reruns and reprints - in a special themed week called Made in '87. Let me remind you of everything that year gave us.

In the movies of 1987, Three Men and a Baby and Fatal Attraction topped the box office charts. The first went on to influence the monster hits Full House, and the second brought about the entire modern subgenre of erotic thriller... but in the years since, other films not as popular at the time grew in memory to become even more resounding in our lives. 1987 was the year of Predator, Dirty Dancing, The Princess Bride, Robocop, Lethal Weapon, Spaceballs, The Lost Boys, Spaceballs (yes again), and more.

In the world of comics, Chris Claremont's epic run on Marvel Comics' Uncanny X-Men was hitting its stride, while the seminal DC series Watchmen was reaching its finale. In Japan, Ranma 1/2 debuted, beginning a story that lives on to this day. It was also the year Spider-Man and Mary Jane got married (and even got a wedding announcement in the New York Times), and while it didn't last in comics, it did last for fans, coming full circle here now 30+ years later in animated movie franchises and the Ultimate Marvel line.

In gaming, Nintendo was coming into its own as the dominant force in home gaming, while Sega remained the king of the arcade. Can you believe that in one year we had the debuts of Street Fighter, Legend of Zelda, Contra, Metroid, Castlevania, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!, Double Dragon, and Gauntlet? The last one may be surprising, but in its day at the mall arcade, it was king for me - just behind the hit arcade game of the year, Outrun.

Coming full circle back to TV, 1987 was the year the Simpsons debuted... no, not the TV, the family, as a series of shorts as part of a SNL-esque live-action comedy series. The top show of the time, however, was The Cosby Show, and while the horrendous acts of its star/producer sullied the enjoyment of that show for most everyone (me included), its impact at the time was undeniable, and A Different World still is a favorite. It was joined by the continued hits of Cheers, Golden Girls, Growing Pains, Alf, and more, as well as the debut of a little show that presaged modern TV in many ways: Married... with Children.

Join us all this week - or in the days, months, and years in the future whenever you may read this, as we dig into the lasting pop culture memories Made in '87.