A simple father daughter game is making people nostalgic and, honestly, a little stunned at how quickly everyday references can disappear. Brian Benson, 53, decided to test his teenage daughter Skyler on classic terms and pop culture touchstones from the 1980s. He shared the results in a series of short videos on his Instagram account, @magnusthetherapydog, and the internet immediately latched on to Skyler’s surprisingly logical guesses. The twist is that they are often totally wrong, which somehow makes them even better.
The videos started back in April when Skyler was 16, and their dog is usually in the frame too, offering moral support but not much historical context. Benson sets the scene by telling her he will describe something from the 80s and she should explain what she thinks it means. It sounds straightforward until you realize how many once common concepts now feel like relics. Watching Skyler build an answer from scratch becomes the whole point.
One of the first terms that tripped her up was the collect call. Skyler tried to translate it into modern language, imagining something closer to a group chat, except everyone is gathered around a wall phone and somehow joining in together. Then came the phrase “burn a CD,” which she interpreted literally as using a disc so much it gets scratched, ruined, and ends up blank. Her reasoning is genuinely thoughtful, even when the technology she is describing belongs in a museum.
The confusion only gets funnier with older devices. When Benson asks about a floppy disk, Skyler briefly spirals into thinking of a completely different era, then lands on the idea of a flexible disc you put into a player. A pager, in her mind, sounds like a loudspeaker announcement system, like something you’d hear in a hospital or a supermarket calling a doctor to a specific aisle. It is a reminder that without the shared experience, even the best guesses can drift into science fiction.
@magnusthetherapydog I asked my 16 year old daughter if she knew what these 1980's references were Part04! What 80's things should I ask her about next? Go back and watch Parts 1-3! #relatable #funny #teeanger #dog #labrador #1980s #oldschool #familytime #parenting ♬ original sound – Magnus The Therapy Dog
Benson also throws in movie quotes, and that’s where the generational gap really shows. The famous line from E.T. gets mixed up with the acronym ETA, turning a beloved alien moment into a practical question about arrival time. The iconic Dirty Dancing quote about “Baby” is taken at face value, as if it’s guidance from a parenting manual, and Skyler even guesses it might be from a sitcom vibe like Seinfeld. The cultural references may be everywhere, but they are not universal.
Viewers on Instagram and TikTok have been delighted, and at least one of the clips racked up close to half a million likes. Many people praised Skyler’s intelligence, pointing out that her answers reveal strong abstract thinking even when the facts are off. Benson has said he was impressed by how carefully she tried to justify every conclusion, and that she seemed genuinely surprised when she learned what these 80s staples actually were. If nothing else, the series captures something sweet about curiosity, family banter, and the way time quietly rewrites what we consider obvious.
What other 80s terms or quotes do you think would totally confuse a teenager today? Share your best examples in the comments.
