Adidas Yeezy sneakers are back. These 5 brands also made comebacks.

Jun 02, 2023

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent), Brent Jabbour (Producer), Emma Stoltzfus (Editor)

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German footwear giant Adidas started selling off its excess inventory of Yeezy-branded sneakers after a very public breakup with rapper Kanye West. While Ye will still collect royalties for his role in designing the shoes, Adidas said it is donating a “significant amount” to groups working to combat hate and discrimination. It’s better than destroying the product.

Here are the brands and products left for dead that made triumphant returns in this week’s Five For Friday.

5: The Charlotte Hornets

Michael Jordan dominated the NBA in the 1990s, but it was the Charlotte Hornets that made waves with personalities like Muggsy Bogues and Larry “GrandMama” Johnson. The city didn’t care for the team owner, though, and in 2002 the team relocated to New Orleans.

Charlotte took another shot with BET founder Robert L. Johnson’s Bobcats in 2004. After years of struggle, Jordan took majority stake in the team he once dominated. The only problem was the name, an homage to its former owner. After the team in New Orleans officially changed its name to the Pelicans in 2013, Jordan brought back the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014 season.

4: Surge

The ’90s were all about how much caffeine could be pumped into a fluorescent beverage. Surge was Coca-Cola’s answer to Pepsi’s Mountain Dew, marketed for the extreme soda drinker. Remember, this was well before the energy drink era that brought on Monster and Red Bull.

Surge’s success in 1997 quickly fizzled and it was pulled from shelves in 2003. Thanks to the online “Surge Movement,” Coke brought it back in 2014 as an Amazon exclusive. It promptly sold out, proving nostalgia is as much of a selling point as taste.

3: The McRib

McDonald’s McRib has been on and off the menu too many times to track since its initial launch in the early 1980s. The cycle really picked up after the turn of the millennium. The McRib has gone on multiple farewell tours since 2000, giving Cher a run for her money.

It’s unclear whether it will return this year after its last goodbye, but there’s a decent chance it will be back on the menu the next time pork prices decline.

2: Nokia 3310

Before smartphones, cell phones were in people’s pocket to make actual calls. And in 2000, the Nokia 3310 was easily the most popular phone. It was virtually indestructible, which is likely why it went on to sell 126 million units. But as phones with bells and whistles took over the 3310 fell out of favor.

The phone made a comeback in 2017 with new features like a camera and color display. Still, in the era of texting, a full keyboard seems like a much better option than using T9.

1: Polaroid

Polaroid used to make cameras that shot out printed photos in an instant — although the user would have to shake them around in the air for some reason. By 2008, more people had phones that acted as a camera in their pocket and Polaroid stopped making instant cameras.

In response, the Impossible Project launched to make film for cameras already in circulation. In 2017, it bought the Polaroid name and IP and released its own instant camera. Now, it’s the cool vintage tech you show off at parties.

Tags: Adidas, amazon, Kanye West, McDonald’s, NBA

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:

GET YOUR YEEZYS! ADIDAS IS SELLING OFF ITS EXTRA INVENTORY AFTER A VERY PUBLIC BREAKUP WITH KANYE WEST. WHILE YE WILL STILL RAKE IN ROYALTIES, THE GERMAN ATHLETIC GIANT WILL DONATE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF THE SALE TO ORGANIZATIONS FIGHTING HATE. IT’S BETTER THAN BURNING THEM. WE’VE GOT THE BRANDS AND PRODUCTS THAT WERE LEFT FOR DEAD BUT MADE A COMEBACK IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

WHILE MICHAEL JORDAN AND THE BULLS WERE BUSY WIPING THE COURT IN THE 90S, THE CHARLOTTE HORNETS WERE MAKING WAVES WITH PERSONALITIES LIKE LARRY JOHNSON’S “GRAND MAMA.” BUT THE CITY ITSELF DIDN’T CARE FOR THE TEAM OWNER AND IN 2002, THEY UP AND MOVED TO NEW ORLEANS. CHARLOTTE GOT ANOTHER SHOT WITH B-E-T FOUNDER ROBERT JOHNSON’S BOBCATS IN 2004. AND AFTER YEARS OF STRUGGLE, IN 2010 JORDAN HIMSELF BOUGHT MAJORITY STAKE OF THE TEAM HE ONCE DOMINATED. THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS THE NAME, AN ODE TO THE FORMER OWNER, JORDAN CHANGED IT BACK TO THE HORNETS IN 2014.

WHAT’S THE 90S WITHOUT FLUORESCENT BEVERAGES? ENTER SURGE, COKE’S ANSWER TO MOUNTAIN DEW, FOR THE EXTREME BEVERAGE DRINKER. REMEMBER THIS WAS BEFORE THE ENERGY DRINK ERA. ITS LAUNCH SUCCESS IN ‘97 QUICKLY FIZZLED AND THE DRINK WAS PULLED IN 2003. THANKS TO AN ONLINE CAMPAIGN KNOWN AS THE “SURGE MOVEMENT” COKE BROUGHT IT BACK IN 2014 AS AN AMAZON EXCLUSIVE, WHERE IT PROMPTLY SOLD OUT, PROVING NOSTALGIA’S A PRETTY GREAT SELLING POINT.

MCDONALD’S MCRIB HAS BEEN ON AND OFF THE MENU TOO MANY TIMES TO COUNT SINCE LAUNCHING IN THE EARLY 80S. BUT THE CYCLE REALLY PICKED UP THIS CENTURY, AND IT’S GONE ON MULTIPLE FAREWELL TOURS, GIVING CHER A RUN FOR HER MONEY. IT’S HARD TO SAY IF THE BONE-IN-RIB SHAPED PORK PATTY WILL BE BACK THIS YEAR, BUT THERE’S A GOOD BET YOU’LL SEE IT NEXT TIME PORK PRICES DROP. INTERESTING…

BEFORE SMARTPHONES, THE DEVICE IN YOUR POCKET WAS ACTUALLY THERE TO MAKE CALLS. AND IN 2000, EVERYONE KNEW SOMEONE WITH A NOKIA 33-10. IT WAS VIRTUALLY INDESTRUCTIBLE, WHICH IS LIKELY WHY IT SOLD 126 MILLION UNITS. BUT WHEN PHONES WITH BELLS AND WHISTLES TOOK OVER THE NOKIA FELL OUT OF FAVOR. IT MADE A COMEBACK IN 2017 WITH MORE FEATURES LIKE A CAMERA AND COLOR DISPLAY. GOOD LUCK TEXTING WITH THE T9, NOT EVERYTHING COMES BACK IN STYLE.

POLAROID USED TO MAKE CAMERAS THAT SHOT OUT PRINTED PHOTOS IN AN INSTANT. YOU’D HAVE TO WAVE EM AROUND IN THE AIR FOR SOME REASON. BY 2008, MORE PEOPLE HAD PHONES THAT ACTED AS A CAMERA IN THEIR POCKET, AND THEY STOPPED MAKING INSTANT CAMERAS. THE IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT LAUNCHED SHORTLY AFTER TO MAKE FILM FOR CAMERAS STILL IN CIRCULATION, AND IN 2017 THEY BOUGHT THE POLAROID NAME AND I-P AND NOW IT’S THE COOL VINTAGE THING TO HAVE AT A PARTY.

IF ONLY THEY’D BRING BACK TGIF, THAT’D BE GREAT. FIVE FOR FRIDAY WILL HAVE TO DO! I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO, IT’S JUST BUSINESS.