The staple of every holiday is breaking out the old family albums, and laughing at all the hilarious and outdated outfits your mom used to put you in. People often love the feeling of nostalgia that comes with looking at their youth. However, people took their old family memories and recreated them. We’ve put together a list of 40+ people who hit the nail on the head!
A Very Happy Christmas
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of waking up on Christmas morning as a child, only to discover that good ol’ Santa has brought you the toy of your dreams. This family member managed to recreate that joy perfectly.
The sister seems to have gotten her dream present of Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It might have been impossible to guess this was taken many years later if it wasn’t for her brother’s impressive beard and his full set of adult teeth!
Daddy’s Little Girls
Talk about a handful! These sisters have managed to keep their dad busy by recreating this adorable old family photo. While the two girls obviously couldn’t fit into the exact same clothes as their child selves, their dad managed to find an almost identical shirt!
Posting on Instagram, user @maitecenedesi said that opening the family photo albums felt like a range of different emotions, “Feeling the warmth of the sun…taken by the happiness that was experienced”. What a beautiful ode to a precious recreation!
Halloween Déjà vu
There are two types of people at Halloween — those who dress scary, and those who do not. These two are in the latter category, and not only that, but they’ve managed to dress up in matching costumes, too!
Reddit user, u/Jogoya, posted the image online of him and his sister recreating their first Halloween costumes 20 years later! There are so many cute details in the recreation, such as the spooky faces drawn on the bucket, and the cowboy’s brilliant attempt at matching his costume perfectly!
A Family Tradition
This adorable recreation sees the two sisters posing in complimentary pajama outfits. The first picture on the left was taken in 1991, whereas the updated version was taken 28 years later in 2019, and it really shows how grown up both girls have gotten!
Not only are the bottoms almost an exact match, but the sister on the left must have gone on several shopping hunts just to find a red cardigan that matches exactly. Soon enough, the girls will have another member of the family to join them for their next photo recreation!
Soccer Fans!
Nothing brings father and sons close quite like sports, and this adorable family is quite the example. It looks like over the 13 years that the boys have grown up, a lot has changed — but not the soccer team they all support!
u/lvcabral on Reddit stated that the first photo was taken with his kids in Recife PE, Brazil in 2005, and the second photo taken in Tucson, Arizona. It seems a lot has happened during that time, but dad is still sporting his lucky yellow shirt!
Under the Christmas Tree
This recreation is a mixture of perfect recreation, and a little bit of Photoshop magic. It’s almost impossible to get kids sitting down for long enough to take a photo, so this one must be a treasured family memory.
The recreation sees the trio posing in the same awkward way they did when they first celebrated Christmas together. The details are fantastic, with the youngest brother even managing to get the perfect shorts and sock combo. The photoshop background is a perfect pairing!
Back to the Future
At first glance, we thought these photos were screencaps from Back to the Future given that the car looks almost exactly like the DMC DeLorean! Whilst the father and son in these photos might have aged, the car certainly hasn’t — it looks almost exactly the same.
Reddit user, u/Impossibarth, posted the two photos with the caption ‘Same car, same kid, 24 years apart.’ Even though they’ve both gotten older, it’s very impressive that the dad has the strength to lift his 24-year old son like that.
A World Traveler
When Cody found this picture of his grandfather in Tokyo, Japan, he knew that he had to recreate it. Cody’s interest in World War II when he was younger led him to find out that his grandfather was part of the occupation of Tokyo.
So, when Cody eventually traveled to Japan, he knew he had to recreate his grandfather’s photo. Cody’s appreciation for Japan grew and he ended up staying for an extended period of time. This photo led Cody to an adventure of a lifetime!
Double Denim
For all those children who experienced their mother giving them a bowl cut, we’re sorry for the memory this next recreation brings. This cute photoshoot features the two brothers in their matching denim overalls posing for a photo that we’re sure is still displayed on the fireplace.
Deciding to recreate the image for their parents, the brothers managed to find two pairs of grown-up denim overalls, and sport them for this hilarious recreation. The brothers went to such great lengths to get this image perfect, the youngest one even gave himself a bowl cut!
A Big Con(grad)ulations
College degrees can be hard work — late nights at the library, weekly tests, and those assignments that take all night to complete. It’s even harder work when you’ve got all of the above, plus a newborn!
This cute recreation shows the mother in 2002 receiving her degree, and then again 17 years later at her own daughter’s graduation. Looking at the details in the background, it’s staged at almost exactly the same place. We don’t think this mother has even aged a day!
Band of Brothers
It must have been quite the twist when these three brothers welcomed home their baby sister for the first time. However, the dedication that went into recreating this photo exactly is really something else.
Posting on Reddit, user u/joshsundquist discloses that he found logos from the original t-shirts online and got shirts custom printed for this exact recreation. In Josh’s own words — “The only thing that’s changed is the length of my sister”
40 Years Later
Move over, Ron Swanson — we think we’ve found someone to rival your iconic mustache! This photo was posted online by Reddit user u/bitbot2000 with the caption, “40 Years Later.” But, in all honesty, we’re really struggling to see the differences!
For one, not only does their dad still sporting his iconic mustache, his hair has not changed one bit in the last 40 years. Furthermore, the mom has done an incredible job of recreating that hairstyle, and finding a shirt that is almost an exact match. This is really a 10/10 recreation!
Mom’s Request
Whilst you may be made to think that the sons are behind this brilliant recreation of a sweet family moment, it was actually the mom’s 60th birthday wish! Even after 30 years, the mom looks absolutely stunning in her beautiful gray dress — you wouldn’t believe she was turning 60!
As for the boys, there was a fantastic effort on their end to match their outfits from the one’s they wore as children. While the original tee in the first picture may have been too small for the eldest, he has done an amazing job of recreating the design for his bigger version.
Who’s the Baby?
Whilst the dated brown and blue velvet couch may have been traded for something a little more sophisticated, this sibling recreation is absolutely adorable!
Looking closer, it almost seems like at first glance that the baby is a completely different person given the eye color. Fun fact — a newborn’s eye color starts to change after six months due to their exposure to light, meaning that your baby could be born with blue eyes, but these could easily change to green or brown!
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Reddit user, u/rxhunnel, brought a flavor of the 1970s to Reddit when he posted this side-by-side picture of his parents. He reveals that the first photo was taken in 1975, and the second taken in 2020 — and that they have been making music together for 45 years. Quite the partnership!
u/rxhunnel also reveals that not only were his parent’s musicians, but they went on hundreds of adventures before he was born. They built themselves an RV and traveled all over the US for years to live as traveling musicians. A very rock and roll lifestyle.
My Brother and I
Young boys love to go exploring and meeting new creatures along the way. In this occasion, these two brothers managed to catch a frog and bring it all the way home for this adorable photo. The original photo was taken in 2001, and the siblings recreated it 19 years later.
Whilst they may not have found a frog close by, Reddit user u/thats-the-puzzle announced that the recreation is actually celebrating the memory of their mother, who took the original picture and is sadly no longer around. She would have loved it!
Children’s Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday that brings families from all over the US closer together for a meal that’s well worth the year’s wait. These cousins decided that after 20 years, they would recreate this iconic photo from their family Thanksgiving.
Even though the background might not be the same, all three cousins manage to get their facial expressions almost identical! The biggest mood of them all is the girl on the end admiring the biscuit, why wait to make your very own turkey sandwich?!
Almost Identical
This user really went to great lengths to show just how similar he and his dad are in these two photos. Posting the side-by-side comparison on Reddit, u/Nadname shared that these two photos were taken 38 years apart.
Whilst the shirt may look identical, eagle-eyed Reddit users were able to spot that his dad was sporting a University of Michigan shirt whereas the son opted for his alma matter of Toledo University, Ohio. We hope when u/Nadname has a child, they’ll be able to recreate this.
Peas in a Pod
It’s not very often that you’ll see young brothers be affectionate to one another, but this photo really shows the brotherly bond between the pair. The first shows the oldest brother cuddling up to the newborn and placing a small kiss on his head.
The recreation is almost perfect. Even though the boys look like twins with their matching beards, the eldest has really committed by finding and sporting the same yellow blanket as the original. We hope that their parents loved seeing how much their boys had changed.
Siblings for Life
When people look back at old photos, sometimes its easy to see that they haven’t really changed much at all, and that could definitely be said about this brother. The first photo shows the oldest brother proudly holding his newborn sibling.
The second shows both siblings, now much older, but in the same pose. Although there’s no way the youngest one could have fit into their baby blanket, the blanket in the recreation feels like it is exactly from that time period. A beautiful family memory!
A Mother’s Touch
When mother’s become grandmothers, it’s almost as if they begin their journey of motherhood all over again. They’ll dote over their grandchild, and spoil them with whatever they want. This daughter spotted the love her mother showed her own child and decided to recreate this photo.
The photo on the right is the grandmother after she had just given birth to her daughter, and the photo on the right shows the grandmother holding her daughter’s child. This is just such a beautiful and pure expression of love, and something we’re sure both parties will hold onto.
An ’80s Makeover!
Nothing screams the ’80s quite like permed hair and a strong eyeshadow look. While in quarantine, u/etan_pecan decided to recreate this photo of her mother in the ’80s, sporting her own purple shirt and gold chain to match.
She is definitely her mother’s daughter! Whilst Reddit users praised her exact recreation, they encouraged u/petition etan_pecan to get a hold of some Aqua Net (a popular hairspray used to keep those perms in place) to complete the authentic ’80s experience.
Look at Me!
Whenever this mom got her son this sweater for his third birthday, we don’t think she expected that he would debut the rebrand 23 years later at his 26th birthday! Despite the design being decades old, the rebrand is surprisingly close to the original!
For Mother’s Day, Reddit user u/farmch said he recreated his mother’s favorite picture of them both. Other users were quick to spot the mother’s youthful look even after all these years. We hope this was a Mother’s Day gift worth remembering!
First Photo Together
Photographer u/blackmachine312 recreated this photo with his sister. The top photo is their first photo taken together, with the bottom taken 22 years later. A Reddit user was quick to point out that the user’s haircut hadn’t changed in 22 years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
u/blackmachine312 went to great lengths to make the photo look as close to the original as possible, including painting the bottom of a bed the same color as the crib in the original photo.
Following Steve’s Legacy
This impressive shot shows the similarities between legendary zookeeper and television personality Steve Irwin and his son, Robert. After Steve’s shock and untimely passing in 2006, his wife and children made it their mission to carry on the Irwin legacy.
Uploading the comparison image to his Instagram, Robert captioned the post, “Dad and me feeding Murray…same place, same croc — two photos 15 years apart.” We’re sure he’s incredibly proud of the work you’ve done, Robert!
Wedding Memories
This is certainly a beautiful image to recreate. Photographer Dominic found this photo when he and his sister were younger, and immediately thought about recreating it when she got married in 2018. We’ll forgive them for not getting the outfits exact!
Dominic has advice for those who are looking to do their own recreation photos — print them out! “These photos are all digital and online, but it’s important to have printed copies of your memories so that you can have them to pass down to future generations.”
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Sometimes recreation photos don’t have to show the same people years later, it can also be a recreation of other family members. This photo, uploaded by Reddit user u/5shred, shows his mother-in-law in 1989 holding his wife, and his wife holding their daughter 30 years later.
Adorably, it seems as though the now grandmother held on to all of her daughter’s baby clothes, which was then used to dress the granddaughter. It’s safe to say going by the cheeks on both babies, the newborn is definitely going to look a lot like her mom!
A Family Reunion
We love the accuracy in this family photo recreation! Not only does the rocking horse make a show-stopping appearance, but all of the girls’ outfits are scarily accurate to the original photo.
Reddit user u/Loserchild4life posted the recreation on her account with the caption “20 Years Later,” to which she was met with praise from other Reddit users on the accuracy of their recreation. Apart from an updated haircut, the mom looks like she hasn’t aged a day. Incredible!
Embarrassing Costumes
Even though we hope our parents hold on to our old clothes just in case we want to pass them along, this mother was just cruel in this recreation. An unlikely pairing of Merlin and Catwoman saw this mother have her hands full with costume DIY back in 1992.
According to the internet user who uploaded this photo, the mother was so impressed with her own handiwork, she decided to hold onto the costumes for almost 30 years. Apparently, it gave the siblings a good laugh when they tried on their old costumes so that’s all that matters!
Updated Christmas Portrait
A trend with most parents in the ’80s and ’90s was taking their children to the mall for the annual Christmas portrait update. These sisters decided that, for their parents’ Christmas present this year, they would recreate their first-ever portrait as a family of three.
These sisters have obviously put in a lot of effort to make not only their outfits match but their facial expressions are close to perfect. Even though this photo was taken 20 years later, the youngest does a really accurate impression of just how done with the photoshoot she is.
Vacation Recreations
u/grannybubbles was living up to her username when she decided to share this cute family recreation photo online. She notes that both sets of children are in the same spot and are doing the same poses.
However, the adorable fact about this photo is that the top photos are of u/grannybubbles’ daughters in 1998, and the bottom photos are of their children in 2018 — 20 years later! Despite a bit of greenery added to the lattice board, there isn’t much difference between the two photos!
Head and Shoulders Above
It’s not very often that these cousins meet, so when they do they have to make it memorable. Reddit user u/Moosegang52 shared his recreation of a picture he and his cousin took back in 2005, and one they took 15 years later in 2020.
Not that you could tell by the look on the cousin’s face, but u/Moosegang52 admits that it was a lot harder to take the photo now than it was back then.
Time to Nap
Parents will take any opportunity they can to sleep once their newborn has finally settled down. Even if that means sleeping crookedly on the couch, in the case of this father and son duo. Hilariously, the son decided to recreate this ‘tender moment’ with his dad.
Taken 34 years later, u/deltaphoenix08 attempts to cuddle up next to his napping father, however, it doesn’t look like the tender moment they both anticipated on. It does make for a hilarious family recreation photo, though!
Something Borrowed, Something Blue
This adorable couple decided to do something very special for their diamond anniversary. They decided to recreate their wedding photos from over 60 years ago, making their outfits very similar to the original photo.
What is so special about this photo is the blue wedding dress. It really did bring the couple good luck on their wedding as their something blue. Whether or not the dress on the right is the original or a simple recreation, we can all agree that she looks amazing.
Playing House
One thing that little girls love to play is ‘house.’ Most of them invent their own realities, and when they have sisters who can join in on the fun, that’s even better. Ashlynn uploaded the following pictures to her Instagram account.
The top picture was taken in 1999, and the second taken in 2020. Ashlynn also comments on her youngest sister, Savannah, making the best baby doll. Despite being far too big to fit into the baby bed nowadays, we do have to say that she’s making a good effort!
Christmas Present for Mom
Recreation photos can, of course, make excellent presents for that special someone in your life who’s very sentimental. Reddit user Carl decided that recreating their mom’s favorite photo of her children was an ideal Christmas present.
The photos, taken 27 years apart, feature the four siblings adorning Christmas regalia. The youngest sibling is once again stuck in the black wicker basket and shows just how much he has grown since the last photo was taken. We hope their mom loved it!
22 Years Later
Brian King decided that when he next met his uncle, they would attempt to recreate a photo from his childhood, which features Brian as a newborn being held by his uncle. When Brian uploaded the result to Reddit he captioned his recreation, “went as expected.”
Brian, despite being 20 times the size of his newborn self, pulls off a convincing impression of a crying newborn. Being wrapped in an oversize duvet is the icing on the cake for this hilarious recreation.
Time Traveling Mustache
A father’s first picture with their newborn is such a special memory. Reddit user u/DasMech uploaded this comparison image showing the first time his father held him on the left, compared to the first time he held his son. If it weren’t for the differing shirts, we would have guessed it was the same person!
u/DasMech confessed on his post that he actually grew out this mustache for months so he could recreate this photo when his son was born — that’s some serious dedication!
Special Cousin Reunion
Family holidays are often the only time of the year when cousins from all over the country can meet up. This recreation took a lot of planning and dedication to make sure all the cousins could be there for its 20th anniversary.
One of the cousins in the family uploaded the picture to Reddit with the caption, “My cousins and myself, 1999 and 2019.” This photo is made even more special by the appearance of their grandmother in the middle of the couch. We hope we see another recreation in 2029!
Drink Up
These sisters took on the challenge of recreating a series of old childhood photos they had together. This first one features both siblings drinking out of their milk bottles while lying on the yellow carpet. For their recreation image, both siblings managed to get outfits fairly similar to the original.
The original poster, u/anneontheroux, mentioned that both images were taken 21 years apart in 1994 and 2015. She also mentioned that the photographer is the same in both photos — mom!
Brotherly Bond
These two brothers are unrecognizable! The first photo was taken in 1990 according to Pat, and their seven-year age difference never stopped them from being extremely close. Once they got the right clothing, they recreated this adorable photo 27 years later.
Pat, the younger brother dressed in all red, showed Reddit how both he and his brother went from “absolute cuteness to absolute units.” Both of their outfits are perfect matches, but we wonder how long both brothers were looking for their outfits for this picture.
World Upside Down
This dad definitely thought that by holding his son upside down, it would help him grow. Jake, the father pictured in both images, posted online comparing pictures he took with his son 13 years apart. On the left, his son was just one-year-old, and over the 13 years had grown to be a tall 14-year-old.
It is a crazy reminder of just how fast kids can grow up. Jake said that these photos were taken on vacation, and now that his sons are older, he can really take advantage of the beach right outside his front door!
Mom and Me
Instagram user @Stephanie posted this 10-year update photo with her son, Owen, pointing out the obvious differences between the photos — the picture quality, more moss on the wall, more gray in her hair, and still being an inch taller than her son.
Despite the 10-year difference in the photos, the only real visible difference is seen in Owen, who is still chugging a delicious drink on a hot summer’s day. We suspect in the next update, he’ll be several inches taller than his mom!
Three Generations
This cute recreation doesn’t just span two generations, but three! Reddit user u/swansandelephants shared three baby photos. The first is her mother, born in 1958, the middle is her own baby photo from 1993, and then her own daughters on the right in 2020.
All three have wide smiles, so we think it must be something in the genetics. This is such a beautiful image to have, and we hope that the daughter will carry on the project her mother started and compare her child’s photos when the time comes.
Precious Memories With Grandma
Finally, this family recreation photo has to be the most wholesome on the whole list! Zac posted these two photos to Reddit, where both he and his grandmother are baking some gingerbread cookies. The first picture shows Zac when he was two, and the second photo was taken 15 years later.
A lot changed with Zac and his grandma over the 15 years. Both of them got new aprons, and grandma has updated her kitchen big time with lots of new appliances for future baking sessions. We hope those cookies were delicious!