10 Things From "The O.C." We Wish Were Real

Who didn't want to hang out at The Bait Shop?

Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Nothing was a trendy as The O.C. (at least, not in its first two seasons). It was self-aware, chock full of good music, and hosted a cast of characters that each became style icons in their own right. Fans of the show looked to the Josh Schwartz-created teen drama as a guide for how to live, how to party, and how to be cool in general.

It became an addicting pop culture phenomenom that introduced us to our new favorite bands and then up-and-coming actors that are big today. But it couldn't give us everything it delivered. Here are some O.C. set pieces we wish were real.

Yamaclauses

Seth Cohen is often mistaken for being the inventor of the Yamaclaus. However, it was really Lindsay Gardner, Ryan's former girlfriend and Caleb Nichol's abandoned child, who created the Chrismukkah staple as a way to do something cutesy for her ex in season two of the series. Naturally, Seth Cohen fell in love with it, and it's become a holiday craft project for teens everywhere.

The Model Home Mix

Remember those days when you'd make your crush a music mix of your feelings? Well, Marissa did just that for Ryan, who at this point in season one had only really listened to Journey. Which was bizarre, since he had just moved out of his tough hood Chino. It kept him company during lonely nights spent in Kirsten Cohen's now burned-down model home, and featured such songs as Jeff Buckley's cover of "Hallelujah." It was the kind of mix you could light a candle to.

In the third season, just before Marissa's death, Marissa regifts Ryan the mix, complete with its own custom cover. Considering the series released six of their signature O.C. mixes, it's a wonder producers never dropped The Model Home Mix as its own.

The Adventures of Seth Cohen and Captain Oats comic

In the inaugural Chrismukkah episode, we were gifted with two gems thanks to Seth's way with the ladies: one, a realized vision of Summer Roberts as Wonder Woman, lasso and all; and two, Anna Stern's hand-drawn comic, The Adventures of Seth Cohen and Captain Oats, about the awkward nerd and his famous toy pony. While Summer's sexy gift to Seth is unforgettable, it's Anna's gift that made you giddy. It was cool, original, and all you wanted to do was get your hands on a copy—and a girl who was creative enough to make your inner 10-year-old the same thing.

The Bait Shop music venue

The introduction of Alex Kelly (Olivia WIlde) revived all things cool in The O.C., which before then, had been bouncing around from mansion to The Harbor School to emo Marissa's lifeguard tower. The Bait Shop, a music venue set on a Newport Beach pier, became the Peach Pit of the new generation, and was the perfect platform to introduce audiences to new bands, namely Rachael Yamagata, The Thrills, and The Walkmen.

The Arches restaurant

Whenever Sandy and Kirsten Cohen had a date night, this was their go-to place. They came for everything from reviving their marriage to celebrating the new year. Or both, simultaneously. We get glimpses of the fancy hillside restaurant throughout the series, but we can't help but wonder what it would've been like to wine and dine like the Cohens.

The Valley TV show

A champion of metahumor, The O.C. poked fun at itself with The Valley, an onscreen parody of the teen soap. In other words, it's everything The O.C. is, except, like, set in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. Known for obsessing over the series, Summer Roberts actually got a chance to party with the cast, and its main star Grady Bridges (Colin Hanks), in the season one episode, "The L.A."

Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley reality series

A nod to Laguna Beach, MTV's reality take on The O.C., the series made mention of Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley, a real life version of the The Valley. It was first brought up by Seth Cohen in season two, whilst he was drowning all his feels about Summer in a marathon of the docudrama.

Atomic County comic

Technically, this became a reality as a merchandising scheme for the show, and we couldn't be more happy about it. In 2006, it was released by Warner Bros. as a spin-off animated series that was comprised of 14 episodes, each under five minutes. The entire collection, still credited to the fictional Seth Cohen and Zach Stevens, can be bought on iTunes.

For those unfamiliar with it, Atomic County was the comic book developed by Zach and Seth, who inadvertently came up with the idea doodling Summer in various superhero costumes as a way to cope with their break-up. Think of the plot of The O.C. but in superhero form, starring the main cast's animated counterparts: The Ironist (Seth Cohen), Little Miss Vixen (Summer Roberts), Kid Chino (Ryan Atwood), and Cosmo Girl (Marissa Cooper).

Now, if only Warner Bros. invested in a second season...

A Season for Peaches erotic novel

Before 50 Shades of Grey, there was A Season for Peaches, the erotic novel Taylor Townsend's ex-husband Henri Michel wrote about the neurotic Newport Beach native in season four. It became the talk of the town, a runaway bestseller, and a point of contention in Ryan and Taylor's relationship. But who could blame him? After Townsend mentioned that it could never be a mainstream movie, only a porno, it'd be difficult not to tense up at the idea of it.

If E.L. James is looking for another project, maybe it's worth giving Josh Schwartz a call.