I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo too!

Forgive us the shameless attempt to link the fantasy hit “Wicked” to the delightful Moo Deng. But, hear us out — there’s something the two have in common as the year draws to a close. Escapism. Whether we found it on the yellow brick road or in videos from a Thailand zoo or perhaps in unlikely Olympic heroes, we gravitated toward fantasy and feel-good pop culture moments this year.

There were new trends, as always. “Brat summer” became a thing, as did “demure, mindful.” And for some inexplicable reason, we became obsessed with celebrity lookalike contests.

There were breakups — Bennifer is, again, a thing of the past — and reunions: Oasis, please try to stay together for the tour. And some things stayed, remarkably, the same: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé kept on breaking records and making history.

So, after a year where much changed but some things held steady, here’s our annual, very selective trip down pop culture memory lane.

January

It starts as a cheery tweet from a beloved “Sesame Street” figure: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answers hint at something deeper and more worrisome. Doing much better is the viral phenomenon “Barbenheimer,” which makes its awards season debut at the Golden Globes. Lily Gladstone, first Indigenous winner of best actress in a drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” begins her Globes remarks in the language of her tribe, Blackfeet Nation.

February

Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to settle into a sweet love saga via TikTok. Only that’s not quite what we get with “Who …Did I Marry?,” Reesa Teesa’s depressing, fascinating, 50-part account of her disastrous marriage with a man who lied about everything. Meanwhile, Swift begins her week with the Grammys in Los Angeles (becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times and announcing a new album), then heads to Tokyo for four tour dates, then jets back just in time for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas

— where she shares a passionate smooch with boyfriend Travis Kelce on the field of victory.

March

“What was I made for?” Billie Eilish sings at the Oscars, channeling Barbie. Ryan Gosling’s singalong “I’m Just Ken” is one of the most entertaining Oscar musical moments in years. Still, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” prevails, a rare case of the top prize going to a blockbuster studio film. Will it happen again in 2025? Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande hope so; as presenters, they make a sly reference to their juggernaut, “Wicked.” Beyoncé carves her space in country music with “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which makes her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart.

April

Tennis has been around for centuries, but it’s having a moment, helped mightily by “Challengers,” the romance triangle starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor. At midnight, Swift drops “The Tortured Poets Department,” then drops another 15 songs two hours later. The fascinating and disturbing “Baby Reindeer,” the story of a struggling comedian’s encounter with a stalker, debuts on Netflix.

May

It’s Met Gala time. Erivo and Grande make fashion waves on the carpet and then musical ones at dinner, with a soulful performance of “When You Believe.” Jennifer Lopez cancels her summer tour amid reports of poor ticket sales and trouble in her marriage to Ben Affleck. It has been an eventful year for J.Lo, who released an album and movie called “This is Me ... Now” — both reflections on her renewed love with Affleck.

June

Charli XCX releases her hit “Brat” album, with its lime green cover, and launches a thousand memes. At the celeb-heavy Swift shows in London, we see Prince William shaking it off, which is either charming or cringe, you decide. Even better: Kelce dons a top hat and tux and performs for one night.

July

Bonjour, it’s Olympics time! In Paris! An audacious opening ceremony along the Seine is punctuated by a fabulous Celine Dion, perched on the Eiffel Tower, singing her heart out. Controversy swirls over a scene critics feel mocks Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (organizers say it does not). Olympic stars are born — including French swimming superstar Leon Marchand, rugby player Ilona Maher and bespectacled “pommel horse guy” gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, who nets two bronze medals and comparisons to Clark Kent. Also capturing hearts: Moo Deng, born this month. Her name means “bouncy pork.”

August

Bennifer is no more. After two decades, two engagements and two weddings, J.Lo files for divorce. Oasis announces a reunion tour. Will they be “demure, mindful”? Everyone seems to want to get in on TikToker Jools Lebron’s act. Back at the Olympics, in the new sport of breaking, we meet Australia’s Raygun, arguably neither demure nor mindful with her “kangaroo” move. Cute animal alert: It’s Decoy Ohtani’s Major League debut! Shohei Ohtani’s perky pooch does a great “first pitch.”

September

Chappell Roan withdraws from a music festival after speaking out about frightening fan interactions. “Bachelorette” Jenn Tran, the franchise’s first Asian American lead, is forced to sit through a painful viewing of her proposal to her chosen suitor, after tearfully explaining how he’d later dumped her over the phone. Tran keeps busy though — she’s part of the new “Dancing with the Stars” lineup. Also on the list: rugby player Maher and Pommel Horse Guy! Also, Anna Sorokin, dancing with an ankle monitor. Online fandom, meanwhile, is shaken when X is temporarily suspended in Brazil and celebrity stan accounts post tearful farewells.

October

Thousands gather in New York for a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest, and things really get interesting when Chalamet himself shows up. The trend continues with contests for Jeremy Allen White and Zayn Malik. Turning to basketball, who’s that dancing with Usher? Why it’s Ellie the Elephant, the now-viral New York Liberty mascot.

November

Maya Rudolph does a pretty good Kamala Harris laugh on “Saturday Night Live,” but you know who does it better? Harris herself. The Democratic candidate makes a surprise cameo three days before the U.S. presidential election. Bravo announces that reality show “Vanderpump Rules” is entirely recasting its 12th season — apart from namesake Lisa Vanderpump. As for Moo Deng, our favorite pygmy hippo is generating plenty of merch.

December

Director Jon M. Chu’s emerald- hued fantasy “Wicked” remains very popular, dancing through life and defying gravity at the multiplex. Moviegoers also come for “Gladiator II” and, in a veritable tidal wave, Disney’s “Moana 2,” which beckons us back to the seas of Oceania. Once again, 2024 seems to be telling us: Give people some whimsy, a place to escape, maybe some catchy tunes — and no one knows how far they’ll go.