--- description: A distinctive pattern was confusing internet users who were sure they'd seen it before, but couldn't identify exactly where it was from. title: The Internet Is Struggling to Identify This Retro Pattern image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Internet Is Truly Struggling to Identify This Wacky Neon Pattern You Might Recognize  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2019 3:41 PM CUT  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 4, 2019 3:41 PM CUT It was a simple enough ask: who on the internet could identify a bit of art — a pattern, really — believed to be from a 1980s album cover? No, it wasn’t from the popular 1989 show [_Saved By the Bell,_](https://time.com/4353974/saved-by-the-bell-diner-chicago/ "undefined") despite all the people who felt like it belonged in that universe. No, it wasn’t related to[ George Michael](https://time.com/5079307/george-michael-family-tribute/ "undefined")‘s ’80s British pop duo Wham!, either. No, it wasn’t the pattern found on plush bus seats. It seemed to be tough to identify, but everyone had a feeling they’d seen it before; some even went to the lengths of watching full episodes of old TV shows to try to come to grips with it, as they shared with frustration on Twitter. > [](https://twitter.com/RemoanaF/status/1134409114937909249) > [](https://twitter.com/YoungHartzz/status/1134581680080130049) > [](https://twitter.com/underwiredbro/status/1134472883722432513) Eventually, however, the collective intelligence of the internet and its viral process appeared to come through. After the Twitter query also spread to a Facebook group, someone found a skateboard that had the identical pattern printed on its underside. While it’s a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum — did the pattern exist before the skateboard, or did the original quest come from familiarity with the skateboard? — it more or less solves the mystery. > [](https://twitter.com/ageingbboys/status/1134463835212042240) The aesthetic can be traced back to the Memphis Group, an [influential design group](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCI8lPvr6SM "undefined") active in the ’80s. [Distinguished by](https://www.everything80spodcast.com/memphis-design/ "undefined") bold, colorful, angular geometric shapes that evolved from previous ideas of modernism, Memphis design is embodied in the pattern that Twitter was so confused about — and similar forms of it are indeed to be found in the opening credits for _Saved By the Bell_ and in those fabric patterns in buses, for instance. > [](https://twitter.com/ThatMrsJ/status/1134720254259662848) The real question, then, is now: what’s the defining pattern of the 2010s? ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5600608/80s-pattern-twitter/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5600608/80s-pattern-twitter/"},"headline":"The Internet Is Truly Struggling to Identify This Wacky Neon Pattern You Might Recognize","datePublished":"2019-06-04T15:41:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:59:06.453Z","description":"Memphis design strikes again","url":"https://time.com/5600608/80s-pattern-twitter/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","Design","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5600608/80s-pattern-twitter/","name":"The Internet Is Truly Struggling to Identify This Wacky Neon Pattern You Might Recognize"}}]}] ```