Things Younger Than Conference Planner (& Did we mention Birthday Girl?) Katie Dochen

THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW

2008-07-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Oprah Winfrey Show is younger than Katie Dochen.

Oprah is, indeed, younger than Katie Dochen; not Oprah Winfrey herself, of course, but her nationally syndicated show. Here she is in 1986, when no one had heard of lowly little Ms. Winfrey. Feels like it was so long ago!

The Big O is not only an icon, hosting the highest-rated talk show in television history; she is also a magazine editor, a powerful book club leader, an Academy Award nominee and one of the richest people on earth -- all in less time than it took Katie to live! However, Oprah, wouldn't be on our list of folks to call to even headline the fabulous work of a Dochenrence (what those "in the industry" call a conference worked by the Dochster). In fact, Katie is such a pro, she'd make the call herself!

-By Sean

MACGYVER

2008-07-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

MacGyver is younger than Katie Dochen.

She's crafty. She's handy. She makes the impossible practical & the complex oh-so-simple. With only a Swiss Army knife & a little duct tape, Katie Dochen can run a conference with the best of 'em. Cara often refers to Katie as the RAC's modern day MacGyver, but in fact we should refer to MacGyver as our modern day Katie, seeing as he didn't it the small screen until 1985.

-By Cara

ECTO COOLERS

2008-07-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

Ecto Coolers are younger than Katie Dochen.

It may seem as though it's been decades since Ecto Cooler was all the rage among elementary school tykes, but in fact, this Ghostbusters-inspired Hi-C beverage hit grocery store shelves in 1984, when Katie was, most likely, no longer "on the bottle."

When there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Katie Dochen, Conference Planner extraordinaire!

-By Cara

THE U.S. WOMEN'S NATIONAL GYMNATICS TEAM

2008-07-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Women's National Gymnastics Team is younger than Katie Dochen.

Every single athlete on the nation's best female gymnastics team is younger than Katie by at least five years. The team's youngest member, Ivana Hong, is a mere 15 years old & therefore a stunning 10 years behind Katie. And although Chellsie Memmel & Alicia Sacramone are the team's most elderly members, topping out at the big 2-0, they're still a good half a decade behind Ms. Dochen.

Don't discount Katie's job as a conference planner as being an easier than the jobs of these career gymnasts: Dealing with hotel accomodations and busing schedules can be a balancing act of an entirely different genre! And although Katie could certainly provide these adolescent gymnasts with the sage wisdom of her quarter century, these youngsters do have a leg up on her in one area -- what they lack in age, they make up for in fully functional feet.

-By Arielle & Kate

THE 3 1/2" FLOPPY DISK

2008-07-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

The 3 1/2" floppy disk is younger than Katie Dochen.

In this, the era of nano technology, zip drives & iPhones, it might seem that the 3 1/2" floppy is a thing of the far distant past. But lo & behold, the 3 1/2" floppy, invented as the alternative to the larger 8" and 5 1/4" floppy disks, is in fact younger than our very own Katie Dochen!

All right -- to be fair, Katie was a mere 1 year old when the 3 1/2" floppy was invented, but it's still an important one-year differential... mainly because it gives us an excuse to add floppy disks to this distinguished list! We would, however, be remiss if we didn't mention that although the 3 1/2" floppy disk has become outdated, Katie Dochen only gets better with age.

-By Arielle

AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

2008-07-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is younger than Katie Dochen.

Yes, one of our favorite Texan’s favorite haunts, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, is younger than she is. And the airport, which recently said “hola” and “adios” to 836,689 passengers in a single month, is not just younger than Katie -- it's younger than her by a whopping 14 years! In fact, if you added the age of the airport to the age of the first iBook computer, their combined ages would still be younger than our birthday girl.

-By Mark

MARK ZUCKERBERG

2008-07-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Facebook founder Mark Elliott Zuckerberg is younger than Katie Dochen.

Both Zuckerberg & Katie are former L’Taken participants, but the similarities appear to end there -- for now. Zuckerberg created Facebook, which you may have heard of, as it seems to be quite popular these days. Forbes magazine lists the recently-turned-24-year-old Zuckerberg's worth at about $1.5 billion and names him the world’s youngest self-made billionaire.

Our beloved Katie Dochen works at the RAC, so she is probably well on her way toward becoming the world's second-youngest self-made billionaire. It’s only a matter of time. Watch out, Zuck!

-By Jessie

THE LITTLE MERMAID

2008-07-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Ariel, the Little Mermaid, is younger than Katie Dochen.

Ariel & Katie have SO much in common: their long, thick, flowing red hair, their vivacious curves, their lovely singing voices, their devoted families, & their shared inability to walk on two feet. Both have a large fan club & are adored by everyone who has ever seen them in action.

It’s not surprising, then, that Ariel & Katie are SO close in age. So close... yet so far away. You see, our dear, sweet Katie Dochen turns 25 this year, while Ariel, the Littler Mermaid, was born in 1989 and has JUST turned a mere 19 years old.

Oh, & Katie? An important dating lesson to learn from your redheaded cartoon counterpart – if it doesn’t work out, there are plenty more fish in the sea!

COCA-COLA CLASSIC

2008-07-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

Coca-Cola Classic is younger than Katie Dochen.

On April 23, 1985, the Coca-Cola Companies reformulated their top seller & launched New Coke with much fanfare. The backlash was swift & enormous.Less than three months later, on July 10, they reverted to the old formula under the name Coca-Cola Classic, which the marketers promoted to high heaven in a desperate attempt to win back customers.

The introduction of Coca-Cola Classic lead to the creation of the iconic song memorably performed here by some enthusiastic teens who are, for the record, also much younger than Katie Dochen:

-By Rebecca (of course)

ROSSIYSKAYA FEDERATSIYA

2008-07-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

Rossiyskaya Federatsiya (the Russian Federation) is younger than Katie Dochen.

With the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1991, the Russian Federation was born, making the modern day incarnation of one of Eastern Europe's most storied nations a whole lot younger than our dear Katie.

Yes, the land of vodka, herring, Communism, the Cold War and old folks with lots of gold teeth is only 17 years old. So forget all those loooooooong high school history lessons we had to sit through about Lenin & Marx. Let’s crack open that bottle of Smirnoff to celebrate Katie’s big day! After all, compared to Katie's hair, those guys aren't "Reds" at all. Dosvedanya!

-By Daphne & Barb

APPLE MACINTOSH COMPUTERS

2008-07-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

Apple Macintosh Computers are younger than Katie Dochen.

In 1984, Apple Computer launched its Apple II series, which was among the first home computers available. The new design was leaps & bounds ahead of others on the market and quickly became one of the most recognizable and successful computers of the time.

The Apple II is immortalized by the groundbreaking commercial that aired during the Superbowl in January 1984:

A YouTube search of "Katie Dochen" yields the following video, of no relation to our Katie but of notable amusement:

-By Rebecca

SPONGEBOB & SANDY CHEEKS

2008-07-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Spongebob Squarepants is younger than Katie.

So is his friend, Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel who lives in Bikini Bottom, the city under the sea where they dwell.

Like Katie, Sandy Cheeks is from Texas & speaks with a Texan accent.

We assume that is where the similarities end.

-By Barb

ALEX TREBEK'S RUN AS HOST OF "JEOPARDY"

2008-07-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

“I’ll take Things Younger Than Katie Dochen for $200, Alex.”

Answer: This man started his run as the host of Jeopardy in 1984, at the same time that Katie Dochen was taking her first baby steps.

Question: Who is Alex Trebek?

-By Cara

45.5% OF THE RAC STAFF

2008-07-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

45.5% of the RAC staff is younger than Katie Dochen.

The 22-person RAC staff is almost evenly divided in terms of age, with our birthday girl falling smack-dab in the middle. Yes, although 12 staff members have already seen their quarter-of-a-century birthday come & go, a whopping 10 more have yet to watch their young-adulthood slip away.

Cara, 24 , and Kate, 23

Jessie, 23, and Jonah, 23

Ben, 23, and Rebecca, 23

Joanna, 22, and Alex, 21

Lia, 19, and Max, just a pup

-By the RAC youngsters

ANN TAYLOR LOFT

2008-07-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ann Taylor Loft is younger than Katie Dochen.

The first Loft store, God’s gift to underpaid working women, opened in 1996, probably just around the time of Katie’s Bat Mitzvah. If the green dress she wore that day hadn’t been so darn cute, this post’s author would be telling Katie that she should have gone to the then-brand-new ATL in Austin, TX to spruce up her tween wardrobe.

On this commemorative Dochen birthday, Katie's celebration of a quarter of a century (an end to young-adulthood!), our honoree will don a spectacular Ann Taylor Loft creation. The store itself won't celebrate its own quarter centennial for another 13 years, by which time Miss Dochen will be a mere two years away from being Over the Hill. But that's for another blog.

-By Joanna

THE OLSEN TWINS

2008-07-02T10:51:00.001-07:00

The Olsen twins are younger than Katie Dochen.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were born in 1986, making them DEFINITELY younger than Katie. But let’s compare their achievements to Katie’s:

Olsens: Estimated worth of about $100 million according to Forbes.
Katie: Measured in KKP dollars, Katie’s a ba-jillionaire.

Olsens: Fashion icons for a generation of tweens.
Katie: Single-handedly bringing the black boot back into style.

Olsens: Regular media exposure in People and US Weekly.
Katie: Featured in USA Today

We feel bad for the twins having achieved so little as compared to Katie. But hey, they’re only 22 – there’s still 3 years till they’re as old as Katie.

-By Barb

BLUE M&Ms

2008-07-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

Blue M&Ms are younger than Katie Dochen.

Katie Dochen was already 12 years old by the time these circular, cerulean chocolates hit the stands in 1995, when the blue hue replaced the phased-out tan M&Ms (may they rest in peace).

Runners up that are also younger than Katie:

Peanut butter M&Ms (1990)
Almond M&Ms (1992)
M&Ms minis (1996)
Crispy M&Ms (1998) (discontinued in 2005, so they're WAY younger than Katie)
Purple M&Ms (2002)

-By Kate

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

2008-07-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is younger than Katie Dochen.

Although President Reagan signed the federal holiday into law sometime in 1983 (which means it may or may not technically be older than Katie Dochen), it wasn't officially observed until 1986, which definitely makes it younger than our beloved conference planner.

What's more, a lot of states didn't begin celebrating MLK Day until 2000, when Katie, a junior at Austin's Anderson High School, was already well on her way toward adulthood.

We have a dream that someday Katie Dochen will accept that she's now a quarter of a century old.

-By Kate

TETRIS

2008-07-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

Tetris is younger than Katie Dochen.

So you think your Nintendo Wii is cool? This Game Boy puzzler captivated the minds of America's youth in the mid-'80s. This game is SO OLD, in fact, that the creaters of the Nintendo Wii were not even born at the time of Tetris' 1985 conception.

(Note: That last sentence may or may not be factual.)

-By Cara

THE WORLD WIDE WEB

2008-07-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

The World Wide Web is younger than Katie Dochen.

When the World Wide Web was invented, Katie was already a bright-eyed first grader. Invented in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee, this series of tubes has not yet reached its 20th birthday.

Katie Dochen has.
Half a decade ago.

-By Cara & Kate