From fidget spinners to dog filters - here’s everything that turns 10 this year
We've all survived yet another year, and despite being just two days into 2026, it's clear many of us are feeling nostalgic for everything that went down a whole decade ago in 2016.
While we're all at very different stages of life, and therefore have very differing experiences when it comes to certain years, it's a pretty widely-hailed belief that 2016 was one of the 'best years' when it comes to the 2010s and the 2020s combined.
Obviously, nothing can beat the rose-tinted retrospect of 1990s music and retro tech - along with the McBling glitzy Y2K era fashion.
It was characterised by major global events and pop culture phenomena, including Brexit, the death of David Bowie, the Rio Olympics and Kim Kardashian's Paris robbery - but what were the major trends that defined 2016 as they're all set to turn 10 years old this year...
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Thankfully, Complex mag compiled a list of some of the biggest trends, and it's safe to say it's made all of us feel very sentimental.
Fidget spinners
OK, up first is, of course, fidget spinners.
It was in 2016 that these little pocket-sized bad boys transitioned from a niche, therapeutic tool into an emerging trend, setting the stage for their 2017 cultural explosion.
Forbes highlighted them in late 2016 as a 'must-have office toy' for the upcoming year.
Still, to this day, you can find these brightly-coloured objects in many people's desks, school bags or those 'miscellaneous' kitchen drawers.
Pokémon Go
This was huge in 2016.
According to Business Apps, Pokémon Go revenue in the first month broke records, generating $207 million in revenue.
The augmented reality mobile game was also the most downloaded game of 2016 and topped most international charts.20 Nov 2025
It was initially developed and released by Niantic, in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices, and it uses the GPS on mobile devices to find, catch, train, and fight Pokémon, and it imitates the player's actual location.
Instagram Stories
While, for many of us, Instagram Stories have been part of our online lives for what feels like forever - they only popped onto the social media scene a decade ago.
The feature was launched in 2016 and allowed users to share 24-hour photo and video slideshows to directly compete with Snapchat.
It was designed for casual, 'in-the-moment' sharing, as opposed to the more permanent 'main grid' posting and worked by allowing users to add text, drawings, and stickers, with content appearing in a bar at the top of the feed.
By late 2016, it reportedly reached over 100 million daily users, later adding Live video in November.
'Catch Me Outside' meme
The world may have moved on from 13-year-old Danielle Bregoli's September 2016 appearance on Dr. Phil, but we're still seeing fossils of the infamous 'Catch Me Outside' meme floating about online every now and then.
The phrase, meaning 'catch me outside, how about that?' in response to audience laughter, became a viral internet sensation, leading to merchandise, Bregoli's music career as 'Bhad Bhabie' and millions of YouTube views.
The Mannequin Challenge
You couldn't scroll on social media in 2016 without coming across some rendition of the Mannequin Challenge - a viral 2016 internet trend where participants remained frozen in action, similar to mannequins, while a camera moved around them.
It became viral in late October/early November and featured the song 'Black Beatles' by Rae Sremmurd.
Many celebs and politicians hopped on the trend including Beyoncé, Kate Moss, Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres.
Dog filter
It seems as if we quite literally couldn't take a selfie in 2016 without plastering the Snapchat dog filter onto our faces.
While filters have come a long way over the past 10 years, thanks to the rise of AI technology, filters nowadays seem to be less fun and more focused on presenting a flawless version of ourselves online.
Yes, it is all very 'Black Mirror'.
Juju on That Beat
'Juju on That Beat', a song by Zayion McCall, powered one of the year’s most unavoidable dances.
The side-to-side shuffle filled school halls, timelines, and every group chat video with Vine and early Instagram, helping massively with its virality.
Stranger Things
The very first season of Stranger Things first graced us a whole decade ago in 2016.
While reactions are seriously divided on the series finale episode, which came out on New Year's Eve, you can't ignore this Netflix show's ever-lasting cultural impact.
Yeezy Season 3
Yeezy Season 3 blurred fashion, music, and spectacle. Kanye West's fashion show for the brand also doubled as a listening party for his album, The Life of Pablo.
The show saw models standing still for ages, prompting mass criticism and buzz online.
'Damn Daniel' Vine
The 'Damn Daniel, back at it again with the white Vans' Vine literally refuses to die.
It all started with a kid hyping up his mate’s white Vans on Vine and eventually became global news with the kids responsible for the meme, Daniel Lara and Joshua Holz, even landing an appearance on The Ellen Show.
Death of Harambe
This major animal incident spiralled into one of the strangest meme cycles online.
For context, Harambe was a 17-year-old Western lowland silverback gorilla killed at the Cincinnati Zoo in May of 2016.
After a three-year-old boy fell into his enclosure, Harambe dragged the child through a moat. Fearing for the child's life, zoo staff used lethal force, sparking global outrage, memes, and debates regarding animal safety.
Anti by Rihanna
Anti was the eighth studio album by singer Rihanna.
It was released in January 2016 - making it the last time she released an album.
While she has contributed to soundtracks, such as 'Lift Me Up' for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack in 2023, she has not released a new album in over 10 years.
Famous tracks include 'Work', 'Same Ol Mistakes' and 'Kiss It Better'.
Arthur meme
This will no doubt be etched into your mind if you're a Millennial or older Gen Z - a 'Zillennial' if you will.
The viral meme, which is still used today, shows the cartoon character Arthur clenching his fist from the 1990s animated sitcom, Arthur.
It gained widespread notoriety for being so 'relatable', as Arthur successfully displayed 'so many emotions in one fist'.
Bottle flip challenge
This was exactly what it says on the tin.
The challenge involved throwing a partially filled plastic water bottle to land upright on its base or cap - and people went mental for it.
It was reportedly sparked by teen Michael Senatore’s viral talent show video in May 2016, and it soon became a massive, often annoying trend.
Views by Drake
And lastly, we have Drake's Views album, which came out in April 2016.
This was on everyone's Spotify playlists, Instagram Stories, and you couldn't get away from it when it came to bars, clubs, the radio and just about everywhere else in between.
Tracks included 'Controlla', 'One Dance', 'Child's Play' and, we couldn't forget, 'Hotline Bling' - AKA the 'song of the summer'.
After reading the rundown, people rushed online to share their nostalgia with one Instagram user musing: "That was one of the best years."
"Summer 16 was epic af," beamed a second while a third chimed in: "Just another testament to how absolutely epic 2016 was."
A fourth quipped: "Best year of all time," as another gushed: "Need another run like 2016."
And a final Instagram user added: "Solid list right here."
Well, I guess we'll simply have to wait and see what trends the next 12 months will bring us...
Topics: Life, Technology, Social Media, World News, News, Explained, TV And Film, Stranger Things
Rhiannon Ingle