Friends Fandom

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The FRIENDS Fandom                                  FRIENDS theme song

13 'Friends' Storylines That Wouldn't Fly Today On September 22, 1994 (Amber, 2024) one of the most popular sitcoms in the world aired its very first episode. Six friends living regular lives at the home base of Central Perk in New York City took over the 90’s into the 2000’s. The show FRIENDS became an American favorite over the years it aired and is still a fan obsession 20 years after the last episode came out. Fans went crazy for Phoebe’s quirky style and Chandler’s mindless jokes. Since the beginning of the show up until now, fans have been going to the FRIENDS experience in New York City, getting “the Rachel'' haircut, decorating their houses in FRIENDS gear, and posting just about everything they love about the show on social media.

The FRIENDS Experience

Fans from all over the country travel to New York City to participate in the FRIENDS experience. This includes visiting replicas of Monica’s apartment, Joey and Chandler’s apartment, Central Perk, and the Las Vegas wedding chapel. Fans are also encouraged to have a “photo op” at the sets to commemorate the experience. If paying for the FRIENDS experience is out of your price range that’s okay, because the Central Perk cafe is open to everyone and is fully functioning! Fans love to act out their favorite scenes and take pictures drinking coffee on the Central Perk couch.

The Friends Experience: The One Near Long Beach
Fans taking pictures in the Central Perk Cafe

The FRIENDS Experience: The One In New York City! | FULL TOUR

(A video of a full tour of the FRIENDS experience)

Fan Trends

The six friends all had their own styles and hairdos but the fan favorite was “the Rachel”. Women across the country asked their hairdressers for “the Rachel” and still do to this day. The hairdo got so popular that even celebrities changed their hairstyle for it. Not only have people gotten haircuts that resemble Rachel’s haircut on friends, but some have gone so far as to get tattoos to show their love for the show. This picture of a tattoo came from a facebook page called  “FRIENDS Die Hard Fans” which is full of memes, merchandise, and home decor all related to FRIENDS.

Selena Gomez Just Got a Haircut Inspired by "The Rachel" May be a doodle of 1 person and text that says 'CENTIRAIL CENT PERK O PINO'

Selena Gomez with "the Rachel" inspired haircut and a super fan with a FRIENDS themed tattoo.

FRIENDS on Social Media

Between all social media platforms, there are many fan accounts for the show FRIENDS even 30 years after it first aired. Not only are there facebook fan pages, but there are fan pages on instagram, Twitter(X), and TikTok. These pages consist of memes made by fans, clips of favorite scenes, best bloopers, and behind the scenes shenanigans.

A lot of these fan pages also consist of FRIENDS home decor and homemade treats, FRIENDS themed! Fans like to decorate their houses with quotes like "He's her lobster" and "Joey doesn't share food!" (Butler, 2019). The iconic orange couch in Central Perk and the picture frame around the door are the most popular usages for decorating.

May be an image of cupcake and textMay be an image of coffee cup, coffee maker and text

All pictures from the facebook FRIENDS fan page "FRIENDS Die Hard Fans"


As a FRIENDS fan myself, I can say that I have partaken in a few of these activities (I did not get a tattoo). I have tried out "the Rachel" hairstyle, but it definitely wasn't for me. I've even participated in friends trivia on a cruise I went on, but I didn't come close to winning. I think the people who were alive when it aired had somewhat of an advantage. The show depicts a group of friends that work together in order to get through life. People seem to like it so much because it doesn't exhibit unrealistic standards for society. A struggling actor, paleontologist, chef, masseuse, fashion executive, and whatever Chandler does...


Here are some TikToks posted by FRIENDS fans

https://www.tiktok.com/@_friends...fanpage_/video/6948498987137715462?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7356433310408853038

https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsfannpage/video/7358409257915665697


Work Cited


Amber, Ashley. “The Friends Experience: The One in New York City! | Full                     Tour.”YouTube, YouTube, 5 July 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOOTcfzcTz4.

Butler, Bethonie. “‘Friends’: 25 Memorable Quotes, in Honor of the Sitcom’s 25th         Anniversary - The Washington Post.” The Washington Post, 22 Sept. 2019,             www.washingtonpost.com/arts- entertainment/2019/09/22/friends-premiered-        years-ago-here- are- beloved-sitcoms-most-memorable-quotes/.

Newbould, Chris. “‘Friends’: What the World Was like When the Cult Sitcom Was         First Broadcast.” The National, 5 May 2021, www.thenationalnews.com/arts-            culture/television/friends-what-the-world- was-like-when-the-cult-sitcom-first-         aired- 1.695621.

“The One in New York - the FriendsTM Experience.” Friends Experience, 22 Apr.             2024, friendstheexperience.com/new-york/.

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