MANILA, Philippines - Before we hit the big two-zero, we’ll celebrate the last moments of our teenage dream with a major #throwback party. This year, #YSProm is all about having the best birthday bash we wish we had. In true Pinoy style, we have a few pleasant surprises and — trust us — you really wouldn’t want to miss it.
But what would a kiddie party be without our OGs? No, we don’t just mean the gang we hang out with IRL. The YSProm guest list has always included the biggest names in the creative industry. But much of who we are right now are also because of our childhood friends — yes, including the fictional ones. We grew up reading a lot of books and watching too much TV, after all. So since it’s our 20th birthday, here are 20 fictional characters we’re inviting to YSProm to take us on a nostalgic trip like no other.
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Little couple (McDo commercial)
It doesn’t take much to rekindle an old flame. #YSProm is a perfect time for catching up with old friends and we’d love it if the kids from that McDo commercial could come to our party together. We never really knew if they actually ended up together (sharing an order of fries could mean a lot of things) but we can always hope, right?
TJ Detweiler, Recess
There’s always that one guy who’s friends with just about everyone at a party. Remembering names and making the rounds for besos is a huge task on its own but these people have fun doing it anyway. It only makes sense that we invite the “It” guy of Recess and the playground — TJ Detweiler. He’s funny, charismatic, and he might even be able to introduce you to your crush. Yeah, you’re welcome.
Margot Tenenbaum, The Royal Tenenbaums
You know your party is legit when the kids who are too cool for this sh*t show up. #YSProm is probably not Margot’s thing but we’ll invite her anyway. We’ll even save her a slice of cake in case she feels like not staying at home to smoke in her bathroom. Why? Because she’s a Tenenbaum, obviously.
Shaggy Rogers, Scooby Doo
We remember Shaggy and Scooby Doo from their many adventures, but even more so for their big appetites. While they’re really fun guests to have around, it’s best to keep them away from the #YSProm food booth. They can see anything edible as a Scooby snack and we all know what happens after that.
Angelica Pickles, Rugrats
She’ll probably just judge us all at #YSProm but she wouldn’t be Angelica Pickles if she didn’t. She’s a bully (and she knows it) but she’s was also a big part of our childhood. Since we’re all grown up anyway, it might finally be time for a quick honest chat with her. She’ll probably just call us all stupid anyway, but that wouldn’t just that make for a good drinking game?
Ese and Joey, Gimik The Reunion
The ‘90s was the golden era of Pinoy loveteams and at one point in our childhood, we wanted what Ese and Joey had. They made us laugh, squeal, and ugly cry in Gimik The Reunion (or any Jolina-Marvin sighting, tbh). While they’re not together anymore, we can’t help but want to see them again for old time’s sake. Who knows, they might even indulge us with a song and dance number. (Chuva choo choo, anyone?)
Twister Rodriguez, Rocket Power
You know what they say, “snap or it didn’t happen.” Besides the occasional drunk clips, we actually enjoy taking videos of our daily activities. But when you’re having too much fun living it up, it’s best to have friends that can record your memories for you. Having Twister Rodriguez in YS Prom would be perfect. He skates around with a video recorder in hand so he’ll definitely catch every snap-worthy moment and still look cool at the same time.
Rory Gilmore, Gilmore Girls
As far as girl crushes go, it couldn’t get any better than Rory Gilmore. First of all, she’s well-read and her witty comebacks are impressive. As she returns to our screens again, we can’t help but want to catch up and hope to get the inside scoop on the Netflix Gilmore Girls special. That, and we just really wanna see our crush again and find out how they’re doing.
Chuck Bass, Gossip Girl
Everyone knows that there ain’t no party like a Chuck Bass party. It’s not like we’ve ever been to one (we can only dream!) but we do know that every spoiled rich kid can throw an epic rager. Since it’s our 20th birthday, one of our wishes is to party it up with Mr. Bass and the many cool kids he’ll roll with. Street cred plus points: check!
Brian Griffin, Family Guy
Well, it’s not like you’ll need another reason to drink at YS Prom. But having Brian Griffin around will definitely have you needing another round of drinks or maybe even five. This Labrador is cultured enough to talk to you about anything from jazz to a novel that he wrote. He can hold his alcohol and keep an interesting conversation at the same time. That should be fun.
Barb, Stranger Things
Every party group needs a designated driver. #YSProm is happening on a school night this year so it’s best to be with a driver who can get you home safe and before curfew. Barb’s Stranger Things stint was also way too short but YS Prom is the perfect occasion to get to know more about everyone’s favorite barkada tita. Who knows, a few drinks in and she might actually show us her wild side.
Sarah ang Munting Princesa
She will give you a run for your #YSProm queen dreams. Our exclusive guest list includes some of the best creatives any publication could dream of. But the buzz of our party really comes from the appearance of the hottest names in town. It’s 2016 but photos of Sarah from 1985 (in the form of memes) are still very popular in our feeds. If that doesn’t scream “influencer” then we don’t know what does.
Ryan and Sharpay Evans, High School Musical
Young STAR loves people who take their costumes seriously like Ryan and Sharpay Evans. A little sparkle never hurt nobody but a lot of creativity in your #YSProm outfit might just get you an award. With this dynamic duo around, everyone will surely step up their #throwback fashion game. Now, wouldn’t that make for a pretty souvenir picture?
Karen Smith, Mean Girls
Everyone loves a low-key bitch like Karen. Living it up as a member of the “Plastics,” she’s funny and friendly but can be such a bully too. Did we mention she can predict the weather with her boobs? We’ll never really know when that might come in handy. (P.S. It will be very helpful for this year’s #YSProm.)
Peyton Sawyer, One Tree Hill
#YSProm is a night of celebrating Young STAR and the many contributors that give it meaning. In a crowd full of artists, we think Peyton Sawyer would fit just right in. Besides having great taste in art and music, she also established her own music label. Young STAR always recognizes the passion of our youth, and these are the kinds of creative pioneers we’ll always support.
Kenan and Kel
What’s a birthday party without a clown? By that, we mean the funny guys, not the creepy dudes on our newsfeeds. Despite all their shenanigans, this dynamic duo actually taught us a valuable lesson: it’s okay to fail, just keep on dreaming anyway. But then again, we really wanna see them at #YSProm for their jokes and the endless prank attempts. That, and to finally find out what’s in their orange soda.
Ugat-Puno, Sineskwela
So much has changed since our legit kiddie birthday. But we gotta give credit to the OGs who got us to where we are now. Remember Ugat-Puno, the talking tree from Sineskwela? We haven’t seen him in awhile but we still want to invite him to YS Prom. We found comfort knowing that we’re not the only ones who are sabaw early in the morning. (Ugat-Puno was very confused for most of the show.) But besides that, he kinda helped us pass our Science subjects too. That’s, like, a lot.
F4, Meteor Garden
They were probably not your first crush but that doesn’t mean your attraction to them will ever die. You probably even lost a few friends fighting over them. But that’s the kind of grade school drama that made the good old days so memorable. We’re pretty sure having the F4 boys in YS Prom will trigger even more nostalgic moments that’ll start some great conversations.
Raven Baxter, That’s So Raven
There’s always that one person who brings the party wherever they go. While we find her psychic powers super cool, we also love Raven Baxter for her contagious energy. She can break it down on the dance floor, belt it on the karaoke, and keep up an engaging conversation. Who wouldn’t want her at a party?
Fred and George Weasley, Harry Potter
We’d love to invite all the characters in the Harry Potter series but we feel like saving that for another #YSProm. (Yule ball-theme, anyone?) For now, we’re sticking with the redhead Weasley twins. There’s more to Fred and George than their mischievous pranks but that’s really one of the main things why they seem awesome enough to hang out with. You know what they say: double the trouble, twice the fun. Art by IANNA RALLONZA and SHY CABAJAR