With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, various couples prepare to reserve a candlelit dinner and to give and receive bouquets of flowers and chocolate-covered strawberries. However, members of The Weekly Talon shared some of their childhood crushes that they wouldn’t mind spending Valentine’s Day with, ranging from actress Megan Fox to Lightning McQueen.
Black Widow and Jane Foster
Marvel films often fill up theaters all across the world, and some of these famous superheroes often take up space in the hearts of fans as well. Many have said that they have a crush on Captain America, some say Wanda Maximoff, but senior news editor Silas Marion had a few of his own to name.
“Growing up, I watched all the Marvel movies with my dad and my sister, so I had a crush on Scarlett Johansson in her role as Black Widow as well as Natalie Portman in her role as Thor’s girlfriend, Jane Foster,” Marion said.
Pink Mighty Morphin Power Ranger
Many children tend to roleplay as superheroes out on the playground during recess. Some have capes, some have special abilities, and some even take the time to decide which Power Rangers color they would be. As someone who grew up in the ‘90s, when this franchise was seemingly at its peak, English teacher Matt Barker instantly knew his answer to this question—Kimberly, the pink Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, played by actress Amy Jo Johnson.
“When I was a kid, I wanted to be the green ranger, but it wasn’t really about the shield and the Dragonzord as much as it was that the pink ranger was his girlfriend,” Barker said.
Regardless of what color Power Ranger you wanted to roleplay as, or which one you dreamt about dating, which Power Ranger was your favorite?
Diego from Dora the Explorer & Lightning McQueen
“Dora the Explorer,” a popular children’s television show, features a young girl adventuring with her various companions throughout the world. Along with her trusty backpack and her monkey Boots, she also uses a lot of maps—and some of these maps have even led the way to some people’s hearts. Weekly Talon members Grace Carroll and Natalie Quance have expressed their shared crush on Dora’s cousin, Diego.
“He was very helpful and kind,” Quance said when asked about what she found intriguing about Diego.
But these two members aren’t the only ones who took a liking to popular animated characters. Staff writer Grace Gilliam recalled an underrated character that she too wouldn’t mind spending Valentine’s Day with—Lightning McQueen from the “Cars” movies.
“I liked his egotistical side on the outside, but on the inside he was sweet,” Gilliam said.
Fortunately, this one is quite understandable, due to how much character development he had.
Niall Horan from One Direction
One Direction—the British-Irish pop boy band that once took over the hearts of teenage girls all across the world. Even after announcing their hiatus and eventual split in 2016 to pursue independent careers, the fans—also known as “Directioners”—still remained awestruck over these heartthrobs, and junior Andrea Keller, Director of Social Media, went into detail about a moment she took quite a liking to band member Niall Horan.
“When I would ride in the car with my babysitter, she would play her One Direction CD and so I already loved the band’s music,” Keller said. “Then my babysitter showed me a picture of the band, and I liked Niall’s blonde hair over the other brunettes. I had such a big crush on him that I got a bookbag in pre-k that had his face on it.”
Understandably, I think we all dreamt of having a 1D backpack growing up.
Harry Potter Characters
From wizards and witches to mages and sorcerers, the fantasy world of magic is quite extensive. This is prominently seen in J.K Rowling’s “Harry Potter” franchise, which follows the story of a young boy born into the world of wizardry. The main character, Harry, became quite a crush for various people, including staff writer Olivia Rareshide. She recalls how her liking for him grew following her initial introduction to the franchise.
“After I finished reading the books, I watched the movies with my mom, and the ‘Harry Potter’ movies were all I ever watched after that,” Rareshide said. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but part of the reason I liked the movie so much was because I had a crush on Daniel Radcliffe playing Harry Potter. I liked seeing him fight against Voldemort and I was really jealous of Hermione and Ginny because they got to be friends with him.”
But Rareshide isn’t the only person recalling their witchy crushes. Senior Sean Lane, Co-Editor-in-Chief, reflects on the impact that the “Harry Potter” franchise had on his childhood—for various reasons.
“The ‘Harry Potter’ books/movies were a big part of my childhood, and I had a little crush on Emma Watson growing up for her role as Hermione Granger,” Lane said. “I guess I had a thing for people with magic.”
Pink-Haired Girls
While many enjoyed playing with Barbie dolls growing up, some followed down the path of Monster High dolls—which feature teenage children inspired by various famous monsters navigating a high school under the same name. One of these characters, Draculaura—the adopted daughter of infamous vampire Dracula—caught the eye of senior staff writer Rylie Yount.
“I think her design is absolutely adorable, and I also admire the way she approaches her friendships and relationships,” Yount said. “She’s such a lover girl, and I would genuinely do anything to steal her closet, even if it was just for a day.”
Another popular character that caught Yount’s attention dates back quite far. She recalls the first time she watched the 1997 film “Batman & Robin” as a child, and how she fell head-over-heels for Poison Ivy, who was played by actress Uma Thurman.
“Even as a villainess, the level of femininity she has is honestly so attractive. Like she literally walks all over men; I would do anything she wanted me to,” Yount said.
While some members have gotten over these childhood crushes, many have been quite unsuccessful. Whether it was because we wanted to be them or be with them, the question still remains—What are some of your childhood crushes?
