The Millennial Urge to Buy American Girl’s New Pizza Hut-Themed Toy Set | Eater

"A ubiquitous red‑roofed chain that, for many, functions more as a nostalgia repository than a contemporary dining option: it conjures weekend afternoons of the 1990s and early 2000s spent gossiping over personal‑pan pepperoni pizzas in small paper boxes and sipping soda from craggy red plastic cups. The brand is tied to childhood rituals—most notably the BOOK IT! reading program that rewarded kids with a free personal pizza—and, while its physical presence has thinned in many areas (with some former locations repurposed), it survives vividly in memory as a “red‑roofed mind palace.” Attempts to modernize or hybridize the concept (such as nearby Taco Bell–Pizza Hut combos) are, for the writer, often disappointing compared with the original nostalgic image." - Bettina Makalintal