From a McDonald’s character’s reign of terror to the pairing of an iconic doll with a theoretical physicist, 2023 was filled with fun moments in popular culture. 

This year, The Panther compiled a list of staff members’ favorite pop culture and entertainment moments of the past year. Responses varied from films to celebrity news to internet trends. 

The Grimace Shake 

An entertainment trend this year took a light-hearted celebration to a darker level. Highlighting one of its mascot’s birthdays, McDonald’s sold a meal containing a “Grimace shake” — a purple shake inspired by the character of the same name. However, an internet trend arose from the shake’s creation — internet users made elaborate videos splicing clips of themselves enjoying the shake juxtaposed with clips of themselves amidst violent set-pieces stained with the drink — staged as the aftermath of Grimace’s wrath.

Nicholas De Lucca, a senior screenwriting major and the Features & Entertainment Editor, enjoyed watching Grimace’s image become something twisted. 

“I got to witness some truly deranged and creative videos, some of which were quite disturbing,” De Lucca said. “I appreciate the dark humor and thank all those who spent around 14 dollars on the full meal just to make those videos.” 

Everything Taylor Swift 

If there was a singular person who took the year by storm, there is no doubt it was 12-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift. From her hugely popular Eras Tour and the accompanying concert film to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, Swifties had no shortage of content to be excited about this year. 

For sophomore English major Nicole Kavros, the politics editor for The Panther, Swift’s tour and film were personal highlights. 

“I loved keeping up with The Eras Tour and the release of the tour movie, and I even got the chance to see her show myself this summer,” Kavros said. “(It) was probably the best night of my life.” 

For Assistant Features and Entertainment Editor Taylor Bazella, a senior strategic and corporate communication major, the singer’s relationship with Kelce was a fun intersection of two of her passions. 

“Swift is my favorite musical artist of all time, and I’ve always admired her. On the other hand, I’m a huge football fan, so to see my worlds collide was definitely a cool part of the year,” Bazella said. “I loved seeing such a positive relationship be in the spotlight in the media. ow can someone not be obsessed with Swift singing ‘Karma is the guy on the Chiefs’ during her concert?” 

“Barbenheimer”

No recap of 2023 in entertainment would be complete without a mention of “Barbenheimer,” the pop culture phenomenon that paired two theatrical films releasing on the same day — Christopher Nolan’s three-hour biographical epic “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s intellectual property fantasy “Barbie” — as a double feature. Both films garnered incredible box office success. The experience, dubbed “Barbenheimer,” had moviegoers debating over which film to view first as part of the double feature. 

“(My favorite moment in entertainment/pop culture this year was) probably the ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ movies,” said Alexandra Der Boghosian, a junior political science major and a staff writer for the news section. “Even though they are both such different movies, they will always have a connection.” 

To senior screenwriting major Molly Rose Freeman, a staff writer for the Features and Entertainment sections of The Panther, “Barbie” did a phenomenal job at portraying the female perspective. 

“As a woman, it was amazing to see our struggles presented on the big screen without having to be metaphorical. They were laid out in no uncertain terms,” Freeman said. “(‘Barbie’) was also just a wonderful expression of female joy and friendship and a lovely bonding experience with my own friends.” 

“Five Nights at Freddy’s”

One of the more recent films, the film adaptation of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” video game franchise, garnered massive fan interest. 

One viewer of the film was senior screenwriting major and staff photographer Jack Sundblad, who enjoyed seeing the film alongside the dedicated fans. 

“(My favorite moment in entertainment/pop culture this year was) seeing the ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ movie,” Sundblad said. “It was fun seeing it with a bunch of die-hard fans who have been waiting to see the game come to the big screen for years, even though the movie was terrible.” 

A Surprise Guest at the Met Gala 

Normally a fundraiser of fashion, this year’s Met Gala sported an uninvited guest. 

While onlookers waited for celebrities to arrive, a cockroach was found on the gala’s red carpet, drawing interest from the internet and photographers on the scene. While it was eventually stepped on, the bug drew attention of major media outlet Variety, who posted multiple tweets about it. 

Managing Editor Kiana Kalahele, a senior English and business administration with an emphasis in marketing double major, found it funny that a small bug drew attention away from the annual extravagant event. 

“Knowing that the Met Gala is such a formal, quintessential event in pop culture, it’s just so funny to me that something like a cockroach on the carpet at such an important event made such waves on Twitter that night,” Kalahele said. “My entire Twitter timeline was blowing up about the roach on the red carpet.” 

While the hecticness of finals week is upon Chapman and plans are being made for the upcoming winter break, 2023 was a momentous year for entertainment and pop culture. Its most fun moments deserve to be remembered.