by Brian GalindoBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffSenior Editor, Nostalgia Nerd

When Coco was preparing for international release, Disney and Pixar had reason to believe it might not be allowed in China at all. The country has strict film censorship rules that typically ban depictions of ghosts and the supernatural, which, of course, are central to the movie's plot about the Land of the Dead. Because of this, the film seemed like an obvious candidate for rejection, and even industry observers thought it might not be worth submitting. Despite those expectations, Disney submitted the film anyway, largely as a formality, not expecting approval.

©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

When Chinese censors reviewed it, however, the reaction was unexpected: many were reportedly moved by the emotional story about family and honoring ancestors. That theme aligned with Chinese cultural values, helping to outweigh concerns about the supernatural elements. Instead of requiring cuts or banning it outright, regulators approved the film in full. In the end, the movie became a major box-office success in China, surprising both Disney and Hollywood insiders.

©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection

Tickle Me Elmo was almost Tickle Me Taz — as in the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. The creators of the iconic '90s toy, Greg Hyman and Ron Dubren, initially created a chimp that laughed as a prototype toy for Tyco, and thought it would make a great Elmo toy. Tyco liked the idea of the toy. However, they didn't have the rights to make Sesame Street plush toys (only plastic toys).

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Tyco did have the rights to make Looney Tunes plush toys, and thought Taz would work great for it. Six months later, while Tickle Me Taz was still in development, Tyco renewed its contract with The Jim Henson Company and, wanting to secure the license to make Sesame Street plush toys, pitched Tickle Me, Elmo, as a toy they could create if they had the rights. The Henson Company loved the idea, and the rest is history.

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When RuPaul's Drag Race premiered in 2009, it was far from an obvious success at the time. The show was created by RuPaul alongside longtime collaborators Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey of World of Wonder, and was inspired by competition-format shows of the time, like America's Next Top Model and Project Runway. However, at first, RuPaul was initially hesitant to take part because reality TV at the time often relied on conflict and negativity, and he has said he wanted to avoid anything "mean-spirited." However, Barbato and Bailey convinced him the show could celebrate drag while remaining entertaining, and once development began in earnest, his concerns faded and his confidence in the concept grew.

©Logo / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Even with a clear vision and Ru as attached as the host, the show struggled to find a home, as multiple networks passed on it due to uncertainty about its mainstream appeal and whether people would want to see a show about drag. It was eventually picked up by Logo TV, a smaller LGBTQ-focused channel that had been actively searching for a drag-centered series after receiving numerous similar pitches. While the show debuted with a modest budget and limited reach, the strong word-of-mouth and fanbase helped turn it into the TV juggernaut it is today. But it's hard to believe now that not only did it struggle to find a home, but that Ru was skeptical of doing a reality TV show.

Miranda Priestly's office in The Devil Wears Prada was modeled after Anna Wintour's real-life office at Vogue. While the novel the movie is based on is widely understood to be a roman à clef based on author Lauren Weisberger's experience working as Anna Wintour’s assistant at Vogue, the film adaptation softens and reshapes Miranda Priestly's character, making her less directly reflective of Wintour.

But there was one thing that was directly inspired by Wintour: Miranda's office design. According to the film's director, David Frankel, the production designer once got a glimpse at her office and recreated it for the movie. And reportedly, it was so spot-on that Wintour quickly redecorated her office after the movie came out.

Calvin Klein invented the modern boxer brief and played a major role in making them popular. Early versions of boxer briefs actually existed before the 1990s. However, John Varvatos, while working as head of menswear at Calvin Klein in the early '90s, is widely credited with redesigning and modernizing the style into what people recognize today.

Show2Outt/ Calvin Klein / Via ebay.com

What Calvin Klein did then was really turn boxer briefs into a cultural phenomenon through marketing. The brand's iconic 1992 ad campaign featuring Mark Wahlberg helped bring the style into the m

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