Forward This or You'll Have Bad Luck: 10 Iconic Chain Emails We Used to Get & 10 Things We Miss About Them
Forward This or You'll Have Bad Luck: 10 Iconic Chain Emails We Used to Get & 10 Things We Miss About Them
The Inbox Chaos That Raised a Generation
Before social feeds did the heavy lifting, your email inbox was where all the drama happened. Every two messages were either a test email from your relatives spelling your name wrong or a "FORWARD THIS OR YOU'LL HAVE 10 DAYS TO LIVE" blaring on the subject line. Sure, chain letters might have been annoying then, but honestly, they were also kind of iconic. Looking back, it’s hard not to laugh at how seriously we took them, even when we absolutely knew better. Ready to take a trip down memory lane? Here are 10 chain emails we all used to get, and 10 things we miss about them.
1. The Sparkly Friendship Email
This one was the least vicious of the bunch. You’d open it and get hit with glittery graphics, bright fonts, and a message insisting you were appreciated. It usually leaned wholesome, like a digital note passed in class, except it arrived with a forwarding quota. Even if it was cheesy, it still felt nice to be included.
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2. The “Your Crush Will Notice You” Promise
We all had a person in mind whenever this chain mail came into our inboxes. If you forwarded it quickly enough, you were supposedly granted an alternate universe where your crush would magically confess or kiss you on the lips. The more people you send it to, the bigger the reward. Sure, you knew it wasn't real, but did you still do it? Of course you did.
3. The Creepy Story You Read With One Eye Closed
SEND THIS TO 10 PEOPLE OR SOMEONE WILL APPEAR IN YOUR MIRROR. If that sent a jolt down your spine, you're not alone. These chain letters always seemed to come at night, unloading some horror story involving a ghost, a killer, or some overly specific threat about what would happen if you didn’t forward it. The worst part was how it made bedtime or going to the bathroom feel like a risky decision.
4. The “Thoughts and Prayers” Forward
This was the more grown-up cousin of the friendship chain, often packed with inspirational lines and a gentle push to “share the blessing.” It commonly arrived from a relative who meant well and genuinely believed forwarding it spread positivity. You didn’t forward it because you were scared to get cursed with bad luck if you didn't, but because ignoring it felt oddly rude.
5. The Wealth and Fortune Chain
Ah, who doesn't want a quick shot at success? This chain letter promised money, luck, or a sudden jackpot, oftentimes with oddly detailed predictions about how it would show up. The email would sound absurd, but even if you didn’t believe it, part of you still thought, “What if this is a sign?”
6. The Sympathy Scam “Donations Per Forward” Email
This one tried to recruit your guilt by claiming a child or family needed help, and each forward would trigger a donation. Sometimes it escalated into asking for money directly, which made it feel even more urgent (and kind of questionable). Since it tugged at your heartstrings, you probably fell for it more times than you'd like to admit.
7. The Straight-to-the-Point Curse Email
This chain letter came with no spooky ghosts, but it did have one ominous promise: don't forward, and you'll be cursed with bad luck for seven years. Of course, the message was also written in bubbly font or way too many exclamation marks, because that's how you know it's Legit.
8. The “Bill Gates Will Pay You” Classic
This chain email insisted that a famous tech figure was tracking forwards to prove email worked at scale. The claim was always that you’d get money, free software, an all-expenses-paid trip, or a special reward just for spreading the message. It sounded official enough to fool people who wanted it to be true.
9. The Virus Warning That Was Basically a Chain Email
Technically this wasn't a chain letter, but it might as well have been. You’d get a message warning that a specific subject line would destroy your computer if you opened it. The instructions were dramatic, usually telling you to delete it immediately and forward the warning to everyone you cared about. Again, you knew it probably was nothing, but did you still do it? Maybe. Yes.
10. The “Make a Wish” Promise
It's crazy how much faith we put into some tiny words on a screen sometimes, but back then, if we ever received a chain letter telling us to "make a wish and it'll come true" (as long as we sent it to 15 or 20 people, of course), we believed it straight away. Call it wishful thinking.
Chain letters were kind of a pain to keep up with and forward, but looking back, there's a lot of nostalgia tied to those funny messages. Here are 10 things you probably miss about them without realizing.
1. The Pure, Undiluted Stakes
Chain emails made everyday life feel like it came with deadlines and consequences, even when nothing was actually on the line. That kind of forced urgency was ridiculous, but it also created instant conversation the next day. You could ask someone, “Did you get that one?” and they’d immediately know what you meant.
2. The Over-the-Top Subject Lines
Few things matched the intensity of an inbox screaming “FW: FW: READ NOW!!!” in all caps. The wording was never calm, and honestly, that was what made it more iconic. It was clickbait before we called it clickbait.
3. The Glitter, Clip Art, and Questionable Design Choices
A lot of chain emails looked like someone discovered new fonts every two business days and would stop at nothing to try all of them. The visuals weren’t exactly tasteful, but they were memorable, and you could spot them instantly. In a weird way, they had more personality than most modern messages.
4. The Shared Address Book Era
Forwarding a chain email meant you were using the same handful of contacts over and over, which created its own little social map. You learned who would always forward everything, who never replied (how dare they), and who would scold you for cluttering their inbox. The good old days.
5. The Awkward Math of “Send This to 10 People”
You’d count your contacts like it was a real challenge, then panic when you realized you only trusted eight people not to judge you, or when you could only send to "10 friends." The scramble led to wild choices, like forwarding it to someone you barely talked to just to hit the number. It was socially messy, and that’s part of what made it unforgettable.
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6. The Relatives Who Took It Seriously
Every family seemed to have at least one person who treated chain emails like a public service announcement. They weren’t trying to be sarcastic; they genuinely believed every message that came their way. It created a particular kind of affectionate exasperation that still feels familiar.
7. The Long Forward Trails That Told a Story
Seeing a huge stack of forwarded headers was like proof that the message had traveled through half your school or neighborhood. Each “FW:” added a tiny layer of history, whether you liked it or not. It made the email feel communal, even when the content itself was utter nonsense.
8. The Early Internet Literacy Lessons
Chain emails taught a lot of people, the hard way, that not everything written online is real. You learned to recognize emotional manipulation, fake authority, and urgency tactics because they showed up constantly. And honestly, that skepticism ended up being a useful survival skill later.
9. The Low-Tech Thrill of Passing Something Along
Forwarding wasn’t polished, and it definitely wasn’t algorithmic, so it felt like you were choosing to participate rather than being nudged. The act itself was simple, but it created quick social ripple effects when everyone received the same thing. It was annoying in practice, yet oddly satisfying when you were part of the wave.
10. The Way They Made Everyone Talk About the Same Thing
For a brief moment, chain emails synchronized people, because so many inboxes were hit with identical messages. The shared annoyance, fear, or laughter became instant small talk at school, at work, or online later that night. You don’t really get that exact kind of collective “did you see this?” energy from email anymore.
