We didn't believe it. It seems crazy. But we've looked things over closely and it's true: prom dresses is #25 on the Lycos 50.
Kids are making plans for the big dance four months ahead of time, it seems. Still, who'd have guessed prom dresses would be the hot item? (They got twice as many searches last week as wedding dresses.) Also rising were prom hairstyles and (a distant third) prom themes.
Combine prom queries with science fair projects (#16) and it's starting to feel like 1955 all over again.
Other key items from this week's Lycos 50:
MLK TO #4: Dr. Martin Luther King weighs in at #4 as surfers prepared for yesterday's holiday. King's lengthy name makes for many different search names; we counted over two dozen, from Martin Luther King (most popular) to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Martin Luther King Jr. biography and simply MLK.
Y2K TO OBLIVION: Yes, the scare is officially over. Y2K drops off the Lycos 50 after 17 weeks on the big board. Also disappearing was Time/Clocks, the last of the New Year search terms.
VIVA VACATION: Las Vegas moves up one more notch to #10 this week; boards suggests that spring break (or Canadian reading week) getaways are the reason. Meanwhile, it seems clear that cold weather vacationers are responsible for moving Hawaii up to #35 on this week's list.
VIVA ELECTION? White House (#30) searches were high this week, up roughly 55% over last week. Perhaps interest in the presidential elections is finally taking hold?
THIS OLD SEARCH: House Plans (#47) finally cracks the Lycos 50 this week after months of hovering on the margins. There seems to be house construction a-plenty going on out there. Other related popular terms: log homes, modular homes, home decorating.
MORE HOUSEKEEPING: We're declaring pregnancy and baby names to be permanent general terms and so are removing them from our list this week. We're also going to be counting sports terms differently; in the past we've been combining queries like golf courses and golf clubs as searches for golf, but henceforth we'll count them as individual items. You'll notice the resulting drop in general sports terms.
NEW THIS WEEK: Prom dresses, the White House, Hawaii, Titanic, late rapper Tupac Shakur, tennis pinup Anna Kournikova, house plans, former wrassler Sable, actress Jennifer Love Hewitt.
DROPOUTS: Y2K, time/clocks, Publishers Clearing House, wrestling, golf, witchcraft, baby names, football, pregnancy.
BIGGEST RISE: Martin Luther King Jr., up 23 spots to #4.
BIGGEST DROP: Video game Tomb Raider, down 12 places to #37.
AND FINALLY: Why oh why is Titanic (#38) still so popular? The film was a smash hit, sure -- in 1997. The video came out a year and a half ago. Even theme song diva Celine Dion is on sabbatical. Some of the searchers are history buffs or students researching the actual ship, but it seems clear the movie is still an obsession with surfers. Tip o' the winter stocking cap to director James Cameron for this search-driving juggernaut.
