The Retroist

On this new episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk all about the 1989 sci-fi buddy cop TV show, Alien Nation. This is an amazing show that exceeded the film and was canceled way too soon. Join m...

https://retroist.com/retroist-alien-nation-the-tv-series-podcast/

I wanted to move away from Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, but my players were resistant until Wizards of the Coast stepped in and saved the day.

https://retroist.com/returning-to-1st-edition-advanced-dungeons-dragons/

On this new episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk all about the 1988 sci-fi buddy cop classic, Alien Nation. This is a great film with relatable themes that led to a great TV series. I hope I c...

https://retroist.com/retroist-alien-nation-the-movie-podcast/

One of my early jobs was working at CVS. It was an interesting place to work, and it prepared me for my future years working in mall retail.

https://retroist.com/working-at-cvs-in-the-eighties/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the 1989 romantic comedy classic, When Harry Met Sally. This film is expertly constructed and worthy of your time. Hopefully by talking about it...

https://retroist.com/retroist-when-harry-met-sally-podcast/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I talk all about the Bill Murray Christmas classic, Scrooged. I enjoy this rough gem of a film and I hope I can convince you to rewatch or discover it for ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-scrooged-podcast/

On the newest episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk all about “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” It is a rare instance of a film and sequel both becoming holiday classics.

https://retroist.com/retroist-home-alone-2-podcast/

In November 1983, Toy "R" Us sent out this pre-Christmas sale circular. It is filled with all the great toys that would make 1983 such a memorable year. So let's take a look at what you might hav...

https://retroist.com/1983-toys-r-us-christmas-sale-circular/

It is not every day that we get a new flavor of SPAM. So I picked up some Limited Edition Holiday SPAM Figgy Pudding and fried it up to try it out.

https://retroist.com/a-review-of-spam-figgy-pudding/

On this all new episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk about the 1990 film classic, Home Alone. This movie was a massive runaway hit and I hope you enjoy taking a look at it with me.

https://retroist.com/retroist-home-alone-podcast/

Over forty years ago, Lee and Netteka recorded a tape for a friend in the United States about their trip from the United Kingdom to Italy. I picked this tape up at a thrift store and thought I wo...

https://retroist.com/found-audio-a-trip-to-italy-in-the-early-eighties/

In the late 70s, electronic toys were all the rage. Jumping on the trend, Mattel released a memorable and successful musical toy, the Magical Musical Thing.

https://retroist.com/magical-musical-thing-by-mattel/

In 1978, Disco TV peaked when Hot City hit the airwaves. While it only lasted a season, this memorable show encapsulated how many Americans perceived disco at the time.

https://retroist.com/hot-city-helped-bring-disco-to-the-suburbs/

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a film drenched in nostalgia. On today’s episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss this underrated and wildly entertaining Disney film.

https://retroist.com/retroist-something-wicked-this-way-comes-podcast/

Friday the 13th: The Series was a great TV show that was ahead of its time. On today's episode of the Retroist Podcast, I dive into this classic bit of TV horror, and hopefully I can convince you...

https://retroist.com/retroist-friday-the-13th-the-series-podcast/

In 1995, McDonald's released a Happy Meal where you could get an audio cassette with scary sound effects. I picked one up at a flea market a year later and have been enjoying it every Halloween s...

https://retroist.com/mcdonalds-scary-sound-effects-on-cassette/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I take a look at the 1981 horror film, Ghost Story. With its amazing cast and talented director, Ghost Story hearkens back to the golden age of classic, s...

https://retroist.com/retroist-ghost-story-podcast/

I got my first Adult Happy Meal today. While I think the box could use some work, the toy was strangely compelling, and I think I will be trying to collect 'em all.

https://retroist.com/mcdonalds-cactus-plant-flea-market-happy-meal-for-adults/

The Sega Dreamcast was an amazing console that should have cemented Sega as an ongoing player in the console wars, but sadly it failed.  On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the ri...

https://retroist.com/retroist-sega-dreamcast-podcast/

In 1957, Fizzies hit stores, and they were quickly snatched up by bubble beverage-loving Americans. Their success and availability were disrupted by the loss of one of its sweeteners, but that ha...

https://retroist.com/fizzies-drink-tablets/

K·B Toys was the premier mall-based toy store for decades, but sadly it didn't survive. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the rise and fall of this storied purveyor of toys.

https://retroist.com/retroist-kb-toys-podcast/

In the early 1980s, trivia mania swept across America. The cause? A board game from Canada that no one saw coming, Trivial Pursuit. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I look at the history ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-trivial-pursuit-podcast/

Twenty-five years ago, Netflix solved a BIG problem for movie lovers. Me included, it changed how I watched movies and motivated me to buy a DVD player.

https://retroist.com/using-netflix-in-the-nineties/

Some trends are brief, but still memorable. Hasbro's PoGo Bal was everywhere for about a year in the 1980s before slowly disappearing. Let's take a look at the rise and fall and rise again of thi...

https://retroist.com/remember-the-pogo-bal/

Riptide was an excellent TV show that combined light-hearted action with science fiction and detective elements in a compelling package. On this new Supporter episode of the Retroist Podcast, I t...

https://retroist.com/retroist-riptide-podcast/

The Six Million Dollar Man was not only a great show, but it spawned a toy line. It was very popular and would influence the toy market well beyond the run of the show. On today's show, I take a ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-six-million-dollar-man-toys-podcast/

We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster. Did you guys love “The Six Million Dollar Man” as much as I did? If so, you might wan...

https://retroist.com/retroist-six-million-dollar-man-podcast/

Forsaken by its maker in 2019, forlorn fans still clamor for the silky feel and the smell of summer that was, Bain de Soleil Orange Gelée. Let’s reflect on the rise of Bain de Soleil alongside...

https://retroist.com/a-history-of-bain-de-soleil/

While not for everyone, TV Edit Horror has become its own sub-genre that is enjoyed by many. For the more timid, it acts as a bridge that gradually introduces them to horror. I was one of those p...

https://retroist.com/i-love-tv-edit-horror/

In 1985, the sci-fi comedy, Real Genius, hit theaters. Perhaps ahead of its time, its message made it a bit different from many other college-themed films that had come before it. While not a blo...

https://retroist.com/retroist-real-genius-podcast/

Willow is a charming fantasy film from 1988 that often gets overlooked. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I look at the conception, production, and reception of this wonderful movie.

https://retroist.com/retroist-willow-podcast/

For over 30 years, one cookie has embodied FUN with its fun tastes, fun shapes, fun colors, and fun ingredients...the E.L. Fudge Cookie from Keebler. What does E.L. Fudge stand for? When were E.L...

https://retroist.com/keebler-e-l-fudge-cookies/

Grab your lute, call your fellow adventurers, and join me as I summon up memories of the highly influential, and very replayable, 1985 video game computer classic, The Bard's Tale. We'll explore ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-the-bards-tale-podcast/

In 1976, The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, blew into Sesame Street. It was a great appearance by the originator of the role, Margaret Hamilton. Unfortunately, the segments were ...

https://retroist.com/the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-on-sesame-street/

In 1987, McDonald's started a clothing line in partnership with Sears. That relationship didn't last, but it has spawned a spinoff brand that has lasted for decades, McKids.

https://retroist.com/mckids-clothing-and-stores/

Krull is a 1983, sci-fi cult movie classic, compelling and not easily forgotten. Its allure can be credited to the talented cast, excellent cinematography, great musical score by a film legend......

https://retroist.com/retroist-krull-podcast/

On this new supporter episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the teen romantic comedy classic, Sixteen Candles. This is a fun film that encapsulates what many people think of when they say "E...

https://retroist.com/retroist-sixteen-candles-podcast/

The latest Retroist Podcast show is here! Come on a journey with us into the magical shrinking world of Shrinky Dinks! We'll tell you all about the creation of Shrinky Dinks; its inventors; its r...

https://retroist.com/retroist-shrinky-dinks-podcast/

In 1973, Shrinky Dinks began appearing on store shelves, and home craft play time would never be the same. Let's take a look back at the history of this amazing toy, from its birth in the 1970s, ...

https://retroist.com/the-magical-world-of-shrinky-dinks/

On an all new Retroist Podcast Special, supporters of the show share some of their own memories of things I discussed this season.

https://retroist.com/retroist-memories-special-ii/

Pizza Huts' Priazzo came on the heels of the massively successful Personal Pan Pizza. While it might not have been the hit Pizza Hut hoped, it was an influential creation, that is still well-reme...

https://retroist.com/pizza-huts-priazzo/

The Love Boat is a classic show filled with a talented cast and an amazing array of guest stars. On this episode of the podcast, I board the Pacific Princess to discuss the series.

https://retroist.com/retroist-love-boat-podcast/

I have a handful of older phones that had just been gathering dust, but now thanks to a simple Bluetooth device I can easily make and receive calls on them using my mobile connection.

https://retroist.com/revive-your-landline-phone-using-bluetooth/

For over 15 years, The Nickelodeon Super Toy Run fired up the imagination of kids across America. Let's take a look back at this remarkable annual event from its birth in 1984 all the way up to t...

https://retroist.com/nickelodeon-super-toy-run/

On this episode of the podcast, I discuss Emergency! A TV show with a great cast that effortlessly combined the medical drama and action-adventure genres while popularizing the idea of paramedics...

https://retroist.com/retroist-emergency-podcast/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the often overlooked disc video format, Capacitance Electronic Disc or CED. This technology is dying quickly, I hope people can learn a little a...

https://retroist.com/retroist-capacitance-electronic-disc-podcast/

On this all new episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk about the arcade classic, Mappy. This often overlooked game should be in everyone's top 10. Hopefully I can persuade you to try it.

https://retroist.com/retroist-mappy-podcast/

In 1975, a paper cup design, "Orange and Yellow Flowers," was unleashed upon the world. While not as well-remembered as the "Jazz" design, it would be a staple in homes and restaurants for decade...

https://retroist.com/orange-and-yellow-flowers-paper-cups/

Coca-Cola released a brand-new limited edition flavor called Starlight. I picked some up today and share my initial impressions on this "space flavored" soft drink.

https://retroist.com/coca-cola-starlight-review/

In 1983, Pizza Hut released their Sports Bag. Commonly referred to as the Bag Bag, it wasn't an uncommon site for decades after the promotion ended.

https://retroist.com/the-pizza-hut-bag-bag/

The infamous party rock 'n' roll music used in Adam-12 is a popular subject amongst its longtime watchers. One talented fan took it upon themselves to recreate the song for the world to enjoy.

https://retroist.com/the-adam-12-generic-rock-and-roll-party-music/

Mac Tonight was a smash success, but quickly faded from the scene, only to be revived by Mcdonald's sporadically. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I look at the history of this famed spok...

https://retroist.com/retroist-mac-tonight-podcast/

In 1988, 7 Up introduced a new product that they were sure was going to take the world by storm, 7 Up Gold. Unfortunately, they forgot to ask the world if it wanted 7 Up Gold.

https://retroist.com/remember-7-up-gold/

The Nova Rotating Pyramid CD/Cassette Stereo from RadioShack might not have been the best sounding stereo system, but what it lacked in power it more than made up for in commitment to a theme.

https://retroist.com/nova-rotating-pyramid-cd-cassette-stereo-from-radioshack/

In 1989, the film classic, The Wizard, was released. While not a smash hit at the time, it has grown into a cult classic. In this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss this film that is a lo...

https://retroist.com/retroist-the-wizard-1989-podcast/

In the spring of 2021 I spotted a Muttley stuffed animal in a crane game at my local supermarket. Over the next 8 months, I would make repeated attempts to win him. I am happy to announce that my...

https://retroist.com/my-quest-for-muttley/

In 1983, Atari released an official set of wireless joysticks. While they didn't set the gaming world on fire, they did offer a glimpse of the wire-optional gaming world we enjoy today.

https://retroist.com/atari-2600-wireless-joysticks/

In 1987, Sid Meier’s Pirates! was released. It is a near perfect game that gets overshadowed by Meier’s other colossal accomplishment, Civilization. On this Retroist Podcast, I take a deeper ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-sid-meiers-pirates-podcast/

In the mid-eighties, LJN starting selling realistic-looking water guns under the Entertech label. They were controversial among many groups, but for at least one summer they were the hottest toys...

https://retroist.com/water-guns-from-entertech/

In 1978, Funstuf released the Incredible Hulk Rage Cage. A delightfully simple, but visceral toy set that allowed kids of all ages to live out their Hulk-rage fantasies.

https://retroist.com/the-incredible-hulk-rage-cage/

The Wizard was a short-lived show, but it captured the imagination of many who were lucky enough to see it. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk about this cult classic 80s TV show.

https://retroist.com/retroist-the-wizard-tv-show-podcast/

Mac Tonight was McDonald's spokesmoon for just a few short years, but he was a runaway success who is still well-remembered today. Let's take a look at the creation, success, and history of this ...

https://retroist.com/the-history-of-mac-tonight/

In 1974, The Year Without a Santa Claus, expanded the Christmas character canon by giving us more Mrs. Claus and introducing the Miser Brothers. On this episode of the show, we take a look at thi...

https://retroist.com/retroist-the-year-without-a-santa-claus-podcast/

To help get into a festive mood, I gathered together some of my favorite Christmas-themed fast-food commercials for a new supporter Retroist Podcast.

https://retroist.com/retroist-christmas-fast-food-commercials-podcast/

The Atari Lynx is a great "what if" in the history of hand-held consoles. Far from perfect, it was an interesting alternative to the Donkey Kong-sized gorilla that was the Game Boy. On this episo...

https://retroist.com/retroist-atari-lynx-podcast/

McDonald's might not have been the first fast food chain to introduce a breakfast menu, but when they did, it took America by storm. On this supporter episode of the Retroist, I discuss the histo...

https://retroist.com/retroist-mcdonalds-breakfast-podcast/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the 1983 cult classic TV show, Automan. This TRON-influenced show was short-lived, but it is well-remembered by people who watched it at the tim...

https://retroist.com/retroist-automan-podcast/

As a tie-in with Ghostbusters II, they launched a cereal-based contest where you could win a meeting with a Real Ghostbuster. It was mini-record based and brought in Maurice LaMarche, who played ...

https://retroist.com/ghostbusters-cereal-movie-mystery-sweepstakes/

In 1995, the techno-thriller, "The Net," hit theaters. It was a box office success, but it was also way ahead of its time on issues related to privacy and security that are still important today....

https://retroist.com/retroist-the-net-podcast/

Taco Bell's Bell Beefer had a long lineage that stretched back to the start of the franchise. Let's take a look at the evolution of this gone, but not forgotten, fast food sandwich.

https://retroist.com/taco-bells-bell-beefer/

In 1983, Gates McFadden appeared in a commercial for The National Enquirer. While she appeared in a few things before and after, it was this commercial I remembered her for when she made her firs...

https://retroist.com/national-enquirer-commercial-beverly-crusher/

My family had about a half dozen of the Burger King Toy Chariots. While the functionality they feature in the commercial is a lie, it was still a fun free toy to get.

https://retroist.com/burger-king-toy-chariot/

In the eighties, Pierre Cardin lent its name to a host of products, ranging from cigarettes to stereo systems. Let's take a look at the Pierre Cardin Environment 2000 AM/FM Stereo Cassette System...

https://retroist.com/pierre-cardin-am-fm-stereo-cassette-system/

What is exonumia and what does it have to do with arcade tokens and McDonald's Gift Certificates?

https://retroist.com/exonumia-arcade-tokens-and-mcdonalds-gift-certificates/

In 1967, Rankin/Bass' Mad Monster Part was released in theaters. A couple of years later they would start showing it on TV and for many it became a Halloween tradition. The newest episode of the ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-mad-monster-party-podcast/

“Trick or treat, smell my feet. Give me something good to eat. If you don’t, I won’t be sad. I’ll just make you wish you had!”

https://retroist.com/candy-tampering-ragamuffin-parades-and-mischief-night/

In 1981, a group of friends got together to play Dungeons & Dragons. One of those friends captured the session on 8 mm film, and it makes for a wonderful time capsule of the era.

https://retroist.com/home-movie-of-a-dungeons-and-dragons-gaming-session-from-1981/

In the mid-eighties, Hamburger Helper released Pizza and Tacobakes. They were a fun variation on the original Hamburger Helper formula that are well-remembered by many today.

https://retroist.com/hamburger-helper-taco-and-pizza-bake/

In 1990, Nintendo, in partnership with Revlon, released Super Mario Bros. shampoo and bubble bath. It only lasted a few years, but it made bath time more enjoyable and was a favorite for many you...

https://retroist.com/super-mario-bros-shampoo-and-bubble-bath/

As Phyllis Diller said, "Have you ever known anyone who bought a fruitcake for himself? Of course not. They are purchased as Christmas gifts, mostly for people you don’t particularly like."

https://retroist.com/candy-corn-necco-wafers-and-fruitcakes/

In the 1970s, Burger King was already selling a Mustard Whopper. This zingy mayo-free alternative survived in certain areas of the US for over a decade and is still available as a "secret menu" o...

https://retroist.com/the-mustard-whopper/

On the newest episode of the Retroist Podcast, I take a look back at the 1985 horror comedy classic, Re-Animator, starring Jeffrey Combs.

https://retroist.com/retroist-re-animator-podcast/

In 1982, TSR released their Administrator Screens for Top Secret. While not a history changing release, its useful tables and charts were what many players found themselves staring at for hours w...

https://retroist.com/top-secret-administrators-screen/

Phone Booths, The Century 21 Exposition, and Zenith Space Phones By The Retroist • Issue #29 • View online The call you have made requires a 25 cent deposit. Please hang up momentarily, liste...

https://retroist.com/phone-booths-the-century-21-exposition-and-zenith-space-phones/

In 1998, McDonald's released The Ronald and Pals Haunted Halloween Happy Meal Toys. These masked citizens of McDonaldland were great for holding candy and getting people into the spirit of the ho...

https://retroist.com/mcdonalds-ronald-and-pals-haunted-halloween-happy-meal-toys-1998/

On this Supporter Episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the Atari 2600 game from Parker Brothers, GI Joe Cobra Strike.

https://retroist.com/retroist-gi-joe-cobra-strike-podcast/

“He shot 44 men, one of ‘em just for snoring too loud.”

https://retroist.com/time-life-books-columbia-house-and-the-jelly-of-the-month-club/

In 1980, Burger King released a Roast Beef Sandwich. It had everything you might want in a specialty sandwich, but it just couldn’t find an audience. Just over a year later, it had completely d...

https://retroist.com/burger-king-roast-beef-sandwich/

GI Joe: The Movie went straight to video in 1987. It introduced a slew of new fun characters and has one of the best GI Joe vs. Cobra fights ever animated in the first five minutes.

https://retroist.com/retroist-gi-joe-the-movie-podcast/

I always treasured any catalogs that came with my toys. Good ones, like this 1985 offering from Lego, fired up the imagination with great photos and illustrations.

https://retroist.com/1985-lego-catalog/

Henry Ford said, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants, so long as it is black.”

https://retroist.com/baked-enamel-denim-seats-and-icemakers/

If you were growing up in the Nineties, you probably remember Betty Crocker's Fruit Gushers. Born in 1992, Fruit Gushers are still available today.

https://retroist.com/fruit-gushers/

Can you remember the first time you heard music played by lasers?

https://retroist.com/abba-bob-dylan-and-the-largest-cd-boxset/

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was one of the definitive cartoons of the eighties. While it accomplished its goals of selling toys, it also brought a very talented group of people together to cre...

https://retroist.com/retroist-gi-joe-animated-series-podcast/

A tweet about a Crock-Pot, not only taught me about this history of this handy cooking tool, but made me aware of its recent turn on a popular TV show.

https://retroist.com/the-naxon-beanery-crock-pots-and-this-is-us/

On the newest Supporter Episode of the Retroist, I talk about the arcade classic, Zaxxon.

https://retroist.com/retroist-zaxxon-podcast/

What if a vast treasure trove of entertainment was just sitting out there waiting to be dug up? Or maybe fished out?

https://retroist.com/passaic-nj-the-dumont-network-and-upper-new-york-bay/

GI Joe hit comic shelves in 1982 and would run for over a decade. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I discuss the book, the talent behind it, and its rise and fall.

https://retroist.com/retroist-gi-joe-comic-books-podcast/

Plastic cereal premiums used to be common. Nowadays they are extremely rare and I get excited whenever I spot one. I was happy to add my first of the Kellogg's Bowl Buddies to my collection today...

https://retroist.com/kelloggs-bowl-buddies-make-great-laptop-buddies/

As a tie-in with the film Ghostbusters Afterlife a brand new cereal has been released. Is it good? Do I have what it takes to be a Ghostbuster? Who is that breakout character on the back of the b...

https://retroist.com/ghostbusters-afterlife-cereal-review/

According to Aesop, "A mosquito alighted on a bull’s horn and sat there for a while. When it was ready to leave, it asked the bull whether it now wanted it to go. The bull said: “I neither kn...

https://retroist.com/state-birds-mosquitos-and-the-goodyear-blimp/

I know this just sounds like an interesting meal, but they are connected.

https://retroist.com/a-corned-beef-sandwich-astronaut-ice-cream-and-pringles/

The resurgence of GI Joe in the 1980s was a high water mark for toys during that decade. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I take a look at the history of the figures leading up to this mon...

https://retroist.com/retroist-gi-joe-toys-podcast/

In 1978, Texas Instruments' Speak & Spell made its public debut. Soon it would become a household name. It entertained children around the world and was integral in a certain alien's attempt to p...

https://retroist.com/speak-and-spell/

If someone asks you to predict the future. You should probably guess that at some point waterbeds will make a comeback.

https://retroist.com/waterbeds-robert-heinlein-and-galaxy-magazine/

I am happy to announce the next season of the Retroist Podcast is on its way. Here is what you can expect to hear this season.

https://retroist.com/season-14-of-the-retroist-podcast/

A portmanteau or portmanteau word (from “portmanteau (luggage)”) is a blend of words in which parts of multiple words are combined into a new word, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fo...

https://retroist.com/leather-companies-home-computers-and-private-subways/

The State of New Jersey likes to honor famous New Jerseyans by naming rest stops on its major highway after them. But what happens when they run out of rest stops along that highway?

https://retroist.com/garden-state-parkway-service-areas-roadside-parks-and-white-sands/

In the 1990s my family, like many others, discovered the Outback Steakhouse. The first visit triggered a multi-year love affair with the chain. Looking at this old menu now triggers longing for h...

https://retroist.com/outback-steakhouse-menu-1990s/

They started showing Animalympics on HBO just in time for the 1984 Olympic Games. I enjoyed watching the athletes in the real Olympics that year, but I LOVED watching my favorite animated animals...

https://retroist.com/animalympics/

Boomboxes had existed for well over a decade before hitting it big in the 1980s. Growing up in that decade, I can remember going to sleep never having heard the term “boombox” and then the ne...

https://retroist.com/boomboxes-arc-lights-and-santa-claus/

In the 1980s I owned an Aiwa CS-210 Boombox. I am not sure when it died, but its been lost to me for decades. That was until I found this beautiful diamond in the rough while at a thrift store.

https://retroist.com/aiwa-cs-210-boombox/

The newest Supporter Episode of the Retroist Podcast is all about the electronic talking teaching wonder, the Speak & Spell.

https://retroist.com/retroist-speak-spell-podcast/

From the early to mid Nineties, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were making appearances at Disney-MGM Studios. I only got to see them on one visit, but it made a lasting impression.

https://retroist.com/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-at-disney-world/

Come back to Jamaica. What’s old is what’s new. We want you to join us. We made it for you. So make it Jamaica. Make it your own. Make it Jamaica. Your new island home.

https://retroist.com/destination-slogans-field-of-dreams-and-darth-vader/

In 1984, the Olympic Games came to Los Angeles. In addition to some amazing moments in sports, it also gave us a great mascot.

https://retroist.com/1984-olympics-sam-eagles-cartoon-and-the-magnificent-marble-machine/

Sometimes when I close my eyes and focus really hard, I can still smell it. It is a scent that fills me with anxiety, and yet I still crave it. I am of course referring to the smell of the spirit...

https://retroist.com/dittos-ddt-trucks-and-scratch-and-sniff-stickers/

When I watch movies or TV shows and a character actor that I like makes an appearance, I feel a compulsion to give a little bit of biography to anyone in the room. I do realize it’s a bit annoy...

https://retroist.com/poltergeist-pathmark-and-generic-brands/

To finish this season of the Retroist, I asked some people to share some of their own memories of subjects I covered during this season. I put them together in a new episode I am calling the "Mem...

https://retroist.com/retroist-memories-special-i/

In the late Seventies, Sony released a groundbreaking product in the United States called the Soundabout. Never heard of the Soundabout? Well, you probably know it by another name.

https://retroist.com/the-sony-soundabout-superman-and-home-alone-2/

“He was not bone and feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight”

https://retroist.com/fantasy-island-jonathan-livingston-seagull-and-letters-to-e-t/

In 1987, Sid Meier's Pirates! was released. It is a near perfect game that gets overshadowed by Meier's other colossal accomplishment, Civilization. So I thought I would take a deeper look at the...

https://retroist.com/sid-meiers-pirates/

On this all-new Supporter episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the 1985 cult classic superhero tv show, Misfits of Science.

https://retroist.com/retroist-misfits-of-science-podcast/

She’s a maniac, maniac on the floor And she’s dancing like she’s never danced before

https://retroist.com/flashdance-snoopy-and-answering-machine-rap-music/

Who can take a rainbow? And wrap it in a sigh? Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie?

https://retroist.com/candy-man-candy-man-and-candyman/

I recently upgraded my TV antenna and was able to more than double the number of over the air channels I receive on my television in the middle of a large city.

https://retroist.com/a-great-tv-antenna-for-city-living/

A few months ago I jumped into the world of MiSTer FPGA and it has been amazing. Here is how I got started, the items I bought, the tutorials I watched, and the people I follow.

https://retroist.com/getting-into-mister-fpga/

Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. - Casey Kasem

https://retroist.com/casey-kasem-and-american-top-40/

For this Supporter Only Podcast I decided to take a look at some of the best (and my favorite) commercials that Pizza Hut has released over the years.

https://retroist.com/retroist-pizza-hut-commercials-podcast/

This night could use a little brightnin’ Light up you little ol’ bug of lightnin’ When you gotta glow, you gotta glow Glow little glow worm, glow

https://retroist.com/fireflies-glowmatography-and-candy-bar-surgery/

Before I started playing official Dungeons & Dragons products, I tried making up my own game with the only dice I had around. This is my first attempt to recreate the game in writing.

https://retroist.com/my-childhood-d6-rpg-system/

How did Domino’s get its name, what are dominoes anyway, and is there a wrong way to play with them? So many questions to ask and tangents to get lost in while thinking about pizza.

https://retroist.com/pizza-domino-shows-and-mouse-trap/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I take a look at the history of the pizza-producing powerhouse Pizza Hut from its humble origins to its current status as a globally recognized food brand.

https://retroist.com/retroist-pizza-hut-podcast/

Sprinkled Chips Ahoy appeared in stores in 1990. They didn't taste very different than standard Chips Ahoy, but they were still a lot more fun to eat.

https://retroist.com/sprinkled-chips-ahoy-cookies/

The Jetsons might not have been as popular as their stone-age cousins, The Flintstones, but they did manage to one-up those denizens of Bedrock on more than one occasion.

https://retroist.com/the-jetsons-billboards-top-10-and-stone-age-minimalism/

While Saturday Morning Cartoon programming is no longer a thing, it is still alive in the memories of people who grew up enjoying it. Naturally, when enjoying these shows, breakfast cereals are t...

https://retroist.com/the-smurfs-jay-ward-and-breakfast-of-the-gods/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk about the ground-breaking game, King's Quest. This was a genre redefining game brought to the world by the brilliant Roberta and Ken Williams.

https://retroist.com/retroist-kings-quest-podcast/

Have you ever seen a video game or movie and thought, “This looks like this other game I played.” Its often hard to trace the DNA of these creations, but in some instances you can trace it ba...

https://retroist.com/dandy-the-games-of-life-and-dark-tower/

Toufayan Snuggles Hot Dog Buns were like no other hot dog bun. They aren't being made anymore, but comments by the company keeps hope of a revival alive.

https://retroist.com/toufayan-snuggles-hot-dog-buns/

I am pretty sure that Vincent Price never recorded a Tefi for the Tefifon, but if he had and I owned one, I certainly would have bought it.

https://retroist.com/tefifons-omni-entertainment-systems-and-vincent-prices-shrunken-heads/

The LaserDisc lasted for over two decades and was very influential on the optical formats that would follow in its footsteps. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I discuss the LaserDisc from ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-laserdisc-podcast/

In 1968, Kentucky Fried Chicken jumped into a new market and opened its first Kentucky Roast Beef Restaurant. It was a short-lived chain with explosive growth and a quality product. So what went ...

https://retroist.com/kentucky-roast-beef/

Merry-Go-Rounds have thrilled people around the world for generations. They go up and down, round and round, and sometimes they break down. Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo! Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo-Hoo-hoo!

https://retroist.com/space-jam-daffy-duck-and-brass-rings/

Jack Klugman had a great reputation as a talented actor and writer. So what does he do with all of this goodwill? He puts his name on a chain of popcorn stores.

https://retroist.com/jack-klugman-fast-food-and-nj-turnpike-service-areas/

Quincy ME was a groundbreaking show with a passionate and charismatic lead actor, Jack Klugman. It is one of my favorite TV shows and I am happy to cover it as my 250th episode of the Retroist Po...

https://retroist.com/retroist-quincy-me-podcast/

People are always debating the merits of pineapple on pizza, but what about pineapple on a burger?

https://retroist.com/hula-burgers-kenny-rogers-and-froot-loops-pizza/

I have decided to take the research tangents that I enjoy while working on podcasts and blog posts and put them in a new newsletter, "The Act of Discovery."

https://retroist.com/subscribe-to-the-act-of-discovery/

I picked up a box of Limited Edition Lucky Charms that claims it would turn my milk green. I was not disappointed.

https://retroist.com/limited-edition-lucky-charms/

In 1985, Pepsi embraced the Transforming robot fad. They not only released a handful of branded GoBot style toys but also made a commercial featuring transforming soda machines.

https://retroist.com/1985-pepsi-transformers-toys-and-commercial/

The McRib is a fascinating bit of food science that refuses to be defeated. Time and again, when it has been counted out, it starts appearing again. On this episode I discuss its history, creatio...

https://retroist.com/retroist-mcdonalds-mcrib-podcast/

The ColecoVision is a legendary console with a relatively short life, that peaked in popularity in 1983. Did you ever wonder how much one would have cost you then and what that would run you toda...

https://retroist.com/how-much-did-a-colecovision-cost-in-1983/

The Atari Jaguar didn't last long, but it was an interesting attempt by an iconic company to jump back into an industry they helped to define. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I discuss th...

https://retroist.com/retroist-atari-jaguar-podcast/

Supporters over on Patreon have spoken and the first supporter-only episode of the Retroist Podcast is all about the McDonald's Roast Beef Sandwich.

https://retroist.com/retroist-mcdonalds-roast-beef-sandwich-podcast/

Everyone knew that The Empire Strikes Back was going to be a big hit, not just in the theaters, but in toy stores. Here are 25 amazing minutes of footage of WABC reporter Peter Bannon at a Toys R...

https://retroist.com/video-star-wars-toys-at-toys-r-us-on-may-21-1980/

In Search Of was a show that dealt with the mysterious and unexplained phenomena. Hosted by Leonard Nimoy, it was a popular show at the time and a cult hit now. It was also more influential on mo...

https://retroist.com/retroist-in-search-of-podcast/

Almost as soon as they started selling Golden Grahams, they started publishing recipes for Golden Grahams S'mores. While they have packaged this in bar form, it was never as good as the original....

https://retroist.com/retro-recipe-golden-graham-smores/

Premiering in 1979, Supertrain was one of the most expensive TV shows of its time. Billed as a sort of Love Boat on a nuclear-powered bullet train, the show bombed and helped to nearly bankrupt a...

https://retroist.com/how-nbcs-supertrain-went-off-the-rails/

Batman '89 was a cultural phenomenon. Its a good film, but the deeper you got into Batman and embraced Batmania, the more enjoyable it is. So join me as I jump back to 1989, put on my cowl and ta...

https://retroist.com/retroist-batman-1989-podcast/

In 1993, the Pizza Hut Bigfoot Pizza left a big cheesy footprint on America's dinner table. It was two square feet of pizza at a bargain price that is well remembered by pizza fans who were low o...

https://retroist.com/pizza-hut-bigfoot-pizza/

In 1982, a news report was filed from the computer and video game department of Sears. They shot a lot of "B-Roll" and the result is a wonderful video time capsule of some standout technology fro...

https://retroist.com/a-1982-video-visit-to-the-video-game-department-of-sears/

Defender is a fast-paced and innovative game, that belongs up there in the pantheon of most influential early arcade games. Not only was it a mega-hit, but it put into motion game trends that wou...

https://retroist.com/retroist-defender-podcast/

In 1978, Ronald McDonald got his own comic strip featuring all the great characters from McDonaldland. A year later it was gone, but thanks to the effort of a dedicated fan, you can finally find ...

https://retroist.com/the-ronald-mcdonald-comic-strip/

In this episode of the Retroist Podcast I discuss the 1991 classic, The Rocketeer. This cult classic was epic in scope and has a slew of dedicated fans. I am one of them and couldn't wait to cove...

https://retroist.com/retroist-the-rocketeer-podcast/

In 1987, Coleco released the Couch Potato Pal. While not as big a hit as the Cabbage Patch Kid, the Couch Potato has a dedicated fanbase and an interesting history.

https://retroist.com/coleco-couch-potato-pals/

It is time for a new season of the Retroist Podcast. Season 13! After over a decade of podcasting I am making some changes to how I do things.

https://retroist.com/the-retroist-season-13/

In 1975 Sesame Seed Doritos landed in some markets in the United States. While they didn’t set the world on fire, they are fondly remembered by many and it is time to bring them back.

https://retroist.com/sesame-seed-doritos/

The 1979 JCPenney Christmas Catalog is a wonderland of toys. Action Figures and Video Games are just starting to move front and center, yet not everything is defined by franchises. So let's take ...

https://retroist.com/toys-of-the-1979-jcpenney-christmas-catalog/

The Orange Whip was a fountain style non-alcoholic beverage that was served all around the United States. Now it is mostly remembered as a humorous reference in The Blues Brothers. I decided to t...

https://retroist.com/remaking-the-famous-non-alcoholic-orange-whip/

A year after Right Said Fred's hit "I'm Too Sexy" hit the charts, they started using it in a JC Penney Commercial. My mother would discover it and this song, which had long since faded as a hit, ...

https://retroist.com/im-too-sexy-right-said-fred-commercial/

In 1988, Die Hard would hit theaters and action films would never be the same again. It is a film that would alter our heroes, the expectations of our villains, and would eventually make people q...

https://retroist.com/retroist-die-hard-podcast/

Addams Groove was just one component of a marketing juggernaut that helped make The Addams Family a success. With all that stuff out there, it might be easy to overlook the Addams Groove. But for...

https://retroist.com/mc-hammer-and-the-addams-groove/

In 1985 a Scott Adams text adventure was released based on the film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. Let's take a look at it.

https://retroist.com/the-adventures-of-buckaroo-banzai-text-adventure-by-scott-adams/

Die Hard is an amazing movie, but did you ever notice the problem with the touchscreens at Nakatomi Plaza? Given time, this interface would eventually do more damage than Hans Gruber and all his ...

https://retroist.com/the-terrible-touchscreen-interface-in-die-hard/

In late 1993, the Fox Network ran an X-Files promo where Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny speculate that perhaps Santa Claus is in fact an Extra-Terrestrial.

https://retroist.com/the-x-files-promo-that-speculated-that-santa-was-an-alien/

On today's New episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss Mr. Mom. A hit film that had a good run on cable television and entertained a generation. In recent years it has lost some of its momentu...

https://retroist.com/retroist-mr-mom-podcast/

In the early eighties the band, The Monroes, came out with a sound that magically blended guitar rock with synth music. It would perfectly encapsulate the new music that would dominate the early ...

https://retroist.com/music-of-the-monroes/

In 1982 my obsession with Pac-Man briefly caused my family to buy a different type of bread just so I could get another copy of a single sticker that I already owned. It was a magical time to be ...

https://retroist.com/pac-man-and-sunbeam-bread/

People have been enjoying the McRib since 1981. It is a unique fast food offering with a complicated history. So let's take a look back at the rise, fall and rise again of this often elusive sand...

https://retroist.com/the-history-of-the-mcrib/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I discuss the 1978 sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes. Almost everyone I talk to has heard of this show, but I am surprised how many have not yet seen an episode. I...

https://retroist.com/retroist-diffrent-strokes-podcast/

Are you tired of being on the cutting edge of everything as it is reported in our 24 hour news cycle? Then why not point your time machine or browser to the past and start watching Old News.

https://retroist.com/watching-old-news-online/

Halloween styles change over the years and many costumes are very much of their era. I dug up some old photos of a New Jersey Halloween back in 1983 and found some great artifacts that typify tha...

https://retroist.com/halloween-1983-in-new-jersey/

Halloween III: Season of the Witch has not always received the respect other Halloween films have gotten. It is time to abandon your expectations of a Michael Myers kill-fest and embrace the geni...

https://retroist.com/retroist-halloween-iii-season-of-the-witch-podcast/

Teen Witch is a messy earnest mixture of teen fantasy, rap music, and magic. No wonder this 1989 film has earned a reputation as a cult classic.

https://retroist.com/retroist-teen-witch-podcast/

In 1988, Freddy's Nightmare started being broadcast on TVs across America. A lot of people freaked out that a show this racy could make it onto over-the-air television and feared that it would co...

https://retroist.com/retroist-freddys-nightmares-podcast/

In 1973, WOR-TV (channel 9) launched a late night movie presentation called, Fright Night. It ran for 14 years and for many in the New Jersey and New York area, it would be our first exposure to ...

https://retroist.com/wor-tvs-fright-night/

Fright Night is a 1985 horror classic that expertly combines horror, humor and a bit of self-awareness. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I discuss the creation, success and enduring popula...

https://retroist.com/retroist-fright-night-podcast/

In 1991, PepsiCo united two of its brands, Pepsi and Doritos, in a very memorable Halloween contest. The odds of winning a valuable prize were small, but the contest, with its Universal Monster's...

https://retroist.com/pepsi-and-doritos-monster-match-contest/

Time Traveler and Eighties icon, Marty McFly has a look that is not difficult to duplicate. With just a few pieces of clothing and accessories, you can recreate his look for cosplay, Halloween or...

https://retroist.com/how-to-dress-like-marty-mcfly/

Retro Recipe Golden Grahams (Honey is Back) have hit store shelves. "Inspired" by the recipe that was used in the Eighties, the difference is subtle, but nice. Now they just need to bring back th...

https://retroist.com/retro-recipe-golden-grahams/

In 1975, Panasonic released the Sky-Lite Microwave Oven. It only lasted a few years, but its unique and memorable form-factor has made it stand out as a rebel in the rather bland history of micro...

https://retroist.com/panasonic-sky-lite-microwave-oven/

In 1988, Nasta released Hit Stix. They promised to bring sound to air drumming. While they did make a sound, they were not the most dependable toy and the advertising might have been their greate...

https://retroist.com/nasta-hit-stix/

Sometimes a movie will teach you an unexpected, but useful lesson. In the movie WarGames we learn about the dangers of lapse computer security, but more importantly, we learn of a novel way to bu...

https://retroist.com/butter-your-corn-the-wargames-way/

In the 1985 Magnum PI episode, "Little Games," Magnum crashed a very expensive computer playing the game "The Dungeon Master." Sadly, it is not a game that ever existed, but the creativity and ar...

https://retroist.com/what-computer-game-is-magnum-pi-playing/

In the Seventies, the restaurant chain, Beefsteak Charlie's would begin to flourish in and around New York City. In 1984, they had 68 locations and were poised to go nationwide, but tastes began ...

https://retroist.com/beefsteak-charlies/

Computronic makes tone perfect soundtracks for Eighties films that never existed. From concept, through casting and production, each is a wonderful throwback-style musical gem.

https://retroist.com/soundtracks-to-80s-movies-that-never-existed-by-computronic/

In 1965 catsup technology peaked and we were introduced to pizza flavor catsup. It has been over 50 years since it graced a burger or fries and it is time to bring it back.

https://retroist.com/pizza-flavor-catsup/

Stan Freburg was a brilliant entertainer. The type who elevated advertising and made it hilarious and memorable. His style was clever and could border on the silly. You can see the DNA of it in m...

https://retroist.com/stan-freburg-jenos-pizza-commercial/

In 1990, Disney released Disneyland Fun on VHS. For many, myself included, it was more memorable than all of the Disney Animated Classics that would dominate VCRs that decade.

https://retroist.com/disney-sing-along-songs-disneyland-fun/

In 1979, Coca-Cola released this memorable Star Wars-themed intermission snipe, Star Snacks. With great visuals and haunting electronic audio, it should still be playing in movie theaters today.

https://retroist.com/coca-cola-star-snacks-1979/

In 1991, Nerf released the Turbo Screamer Football. This football not only went further than a standard Nerf Football, it also whistled while doing so. Over the years it has become a rarity and h...

https://retroist.com/nerf-turbo-screamer-football/

Crap from the Past is a decades spanning radio show that dives deeply into pop music. Educating and entertaining, it should be a part of your listening routine.

https://retroist.com/get-a-pop-music-education-from-crap-from-the-past/

Released on VHS and Laserdisc starting in 1988, Walt Disney Mini Classics were very popular in the video stores I worked at when I was younger.

https://retroist.com/walt-disney-mini-classics-on-vhs/

Supermarket Sweep is a great gameshow that had an original run in the Sixties and an iconic run in Nineties. The show is now poised for a return, which makes it an ideal time to look back at the ...

https://retroist.com/supermarket-sweep/

Not exactly a racy scene, but this cut scene from the 1982 classic, TRON, adds interesting depth to its anthropomorphized computer programs.

https://retroist.com/was-this-scene-from-tron-too-sexy-for-audiences/

"Power of Ten" is a wild ride. Starting with a closeup of a man sleeping near a lake, it makes its way quickly to the edge of the known universe. Then, just as quickly, it reverses course and des...

https://retroist.com/charles-and-ray-eames-powers-of-ten/

Video stores would get screeners that included promotional marketing pitches to help drive sales. They were usually low-budget, but that could lead to some amazing creativity like what you will s...

https://retroist.com/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-5-vhs-screener-intro/

The late eighties and early nineties were a desert for Star Wars fans. The best we could hope for were books and video games, but occasionally a small nugget of Star Wars hope would show up, like...

https://retroist.com/george-lucas-talks-star-wars-prequels-in-1992/

Elephant Films has announced that they are finally going to bring the cult horror TV classic, "Werewolf," to DVD. This wonderful show was first broadcast in 1987 and has never had a home video re...

https://retroist.com/cult-tv-show-werewolf-finally-getting-released/

Xanadu is a fun movie to watch. A big part of the fun is the music. While the soundtrack for Xanadu is available, it is missing some great tracks. Thankfully fans have put together this expanded ...

https://retroist.com/enjoy-this-fan-made-xanadu-expanded-soundtrack/

Bubo was a highlight for me when watching the original Clash of the Titans. So I was very happy when I found a reasonably priced plastic Bubo to buy online. I just hope he become available again ...

https://retroist.com/want-your-very-own-clash-of-the-titans-bubo-the-owl/

Ain't Gonna Eat My Mind would play intermittently on PBS in my area when I was a kid and I would watch it not fully comprehending how the stuff mentioned here was going on not too far from where ...

https://retroist.com/aint-gonna-eat-my-mind-bronx-gangs-in-the-1970s/

While they had existed before 1983, that was the years the Care Bears exploded in popularity. In addition to some amazing toys and animation, they also partnered with Buster Brown on some very me...

https://retroist.com/buster-brown-care-bear-shoes/

Put together in 1976, the Star Wars teaser trailer attempts to sell a film that has not yet defined itself. It isn't perfect, but the pieces come together to make a compelling tease of a film tha...

https://retroist.com/the-original-star-wars-teaser-trailer-1976/

Search for the Gods is a 1975 cult classic TV movie. Originally made as a pilot for a series that was to focus on the mythology of ancient aliens, it works very well as a standalone film and is a...

https://retroist.com/search-for-the-gods-1975/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the Inhumanoids. This toyline and animated series combined, humor, horror, sci-fi and animation like no other. It is well worth your time.

https://retroist.com/retroist-inhumanoids-podcast/

Enjoli is a perfume that I couldn't pick out of a lineup, but it had an ad campaign that included an earworm based on the Leiber & Stoller classic, "I'm a Woman." So, over forty years later many ...

https://retroist.com/cause-im-a-woman-enjoli/

Leon Neon was a short-lived glow-in-dark toy that was released in 1986 by Mattel. While not a huge hit, it had an ad campaign and cereal premium that made it very memorable. It also unleashed glo...

https://retroist.com/leon-neon-by-mattel/

The Cap' Crunch Toy Shopping Spree Contest was escapist fantasy to be dreamed about while staring at the back of the box while eating bowl after bowl of this delicious crunchy cereal.

https://retroist.com/capn-crunch-toy-store-shopping-spree/

Missile Command is back with a new release for its 40th anniversary in the form of Missile Command Recharged. Not so much a re-imagining as an update. Recharged manages to stay true to the origin...

https://retroist.com/missile-command-recharged/

From late 1984 to early 1985, televisions and radios across the nation were blaring "Neutron Dance." A song by the Pointer Sisters that would be popularized by its inclusion in the "Beverly Hills...

https://retroist.com/the-pointer-sisters-neutron-dance-from-beverly-hills-cop/

Was Brad Pitt always meant to be a giant star? Let's take a look back to an early stage in his career, when a shirtless Pitt ate Pringles by the beach with his friends and was captivated by a bea...

https://retroist.com/a-young-brad-pitt-sells-pringles/

In 1986, &-Up launched a wide ranging ad campaign that married 7-Up with refreshing rain imagery. The "Feels So Good Comin’ Down" ad campaign didn't last as long other 7-Up campaigns, but it wa...

https://retroist.com/7-up-feels-so-good-comin-down/

Video game Journalism was a lot slower in the Eighties. Here we see the release of E.T. for Atari, which was a pretty big deal at the time, lagging behind for months in the print news.

https://retroist.com/et-video-game-journalism-in-the-eighties/

The Saturday Morning Cartoon, "It's Punky Brewster," ran for a remarkable two seasons during the eighties. While similar in premise to many cartoons of the era, it managed to do better than other...

https://retroist.com/its-punky-brewster/

Want to master the arcade classic, Dig Dug? This strategy guide from 1983 will not only give you some tips and tricks for playing, but will show you the patterns you will need to follow to defeat...

https://retroist.com/dig-dug-strategy-guide/

After the success of E.T. a store was opened near Universal Studio Tours for people to buy all sorts of E.T, merchandise. It is not clear what lurked on the shelves of this wondrous store, but I ...

https://retroist.com/in-1982-you-could-get-all-the-best-et-merchandise-at-the-et-earth-center/

Gator Gum was a surprisingly long-lived gum that I absolutely loved. It has an intense strong flavor that almost made your mouth hurt, but it was the perfect cure for what their ads called "Dry M...

https://retroist.com/gatorades-gator-gum/

At the turn of the millennium, Hostess introduced a nearly forgotten snack treat, the Leopard. A Twinkie with spots made from soft chocolate chips, the Leopard didn't last long, but it is well re...

https://retroist.com/hostess-leopards/

The Mattel Aquarius is merely a blip in the history of computers. But to some people, this was their first machine. On this episode of the Retroist Podcast I take a look at the Mattel Aquarius. A...

https://retroist.com/retroist-mattel-aquarius-podcast/

Furskin Bears were a follow-up toy from Cabbage Patch Kids designer, Xavier Roberts. Furskins never really caught on, but it was a great toy with a lot of potential with a low bar of entry for ne...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-the-furskin-bears/

Like Cat vs. Mouse cartoon antics, but are tired of Tom & Jerry? Than why not check out the hilarious cartoons of Pixie & Dixie and Mr. Jinks.

https://retroist.com/remember-jinks-the-cat/

Throughout the seventies and eighties, we were driven to the lemon lime sweetness by the even sweeter voice of one person, Geoffrey Holder. Holder was not only a great soda spokesperson, but a ta...

https://retroist.com/geoffrey-holder-and-7-up/

Hägar the Horrible might not be well-know as an advertising character, but in the eighties he appeared a set of popular commercials and advertisements for Skol beer. A few years later he would a...

https://retroist.com/hagar-the-horrible-for-skol-beer/

I love to see a good robot triumph against the bad guys. If you are anything like me, you will want to check out this the famous Target Practice scene from the 1979 sci-fi classic, The Black Hole...

https://retroist.com/disneys-the-black-hole-target-practice-scene/

In 1977 Sears released an their exclusive Bat Machine. A three-wheeled beauty that might not have been as popular as the green machine, but might have been more compelling.

https://retroist.com/sears-batman-green-machine/

In 1988, commercials at the start of your VHS tapes was still a fairly new thing. Working in a video store, I was a captive audience for this new type of marketing and it has left its mark on me ...

https://retroist.com/the-land-before-time-vhs-pizza-hut-commercial/

Disney produced dozens of educational films in the Fifties. Many of which persisted at schools for decades. Because of this, I grew up learning all about being human from an anthropomorphic crick...

https://retroist.com/you-the-human-animal-starring-jiminy-cricket/

If you watch "The Little Rascals" or "Our Gang" you probably have a favorite character. I liked Spanky and Alfalfa, but my favorite by far is Petey the dog. Here is a little video showing some be...

https://retroist.com/petey-our-gang-dog/

Before E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became an iconic mega-hit, it was just another big summer movie. That means a trailer. While many of us remember the more famous full trailer, another teaser tra...

https://retroist.com/et-the-extra-terrestrial-teaser-trailer/

In 1983, this wonderful live-action commercial for Donkey Kong Jr. on the ColecoVision hit the airwaves. It is an earnest mix of live-action and gameplay footage that left me wanting more of both...

https://retroist.com/live-action-donkey-kong-jr-commercial/

The Kodak Disc was a technological marvel. It excelled at capturing the imagination and money of a whole lot of people. Sadly it didn't excel at taking photos. Nowadays people look back on it as ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-kodak-disc-podcast/

In 1980, SPI released Dallas: The Television Role-Playing game. It might not be the best RPG, but it was the only one at its time that allowed my grandmother to connect her interests with mine.

https://retroist.com/dallas-the-television-role-playing-game/

As a kid, I wanted a Big Wheel. Then one Christmas this low to the ground wide wheeled contraption showed up under our Christmas tree. It wasn't at all what I wanted, but it would turn out to be ...

https://retroist.com/the-green-machine/

For years I always thought the paperback cover art for Jaws by Robert Kastel was my favorite, but recently I picked up an original hardcover with art by Paul Bacon. Now I am not sure which is my ...

https://retroist.com/which-jaws-book-cover-was-better/

In 1976, DC Comics launched a toll-free hotline that crippled phone service and demonstrated the raw untapped power of comic book fandom to the world. Despite this (with some exceptions) It would...

https://retroist.com/the-dc-comics-direct-currents-hot-line/

In 1982, Sears tried to capitalize on the upcoming release of the film, Annie. They created a fashion line and some branded toys. Sadly the film and the merchandise would ultimately under-perform...

https://retroist.com/absolutely-annie-clothing-from-sears/

In 1982, McDonald's released a Playmobil Happy Meal. Ultimately they were supposed to release five toys, but after two they were recalled because they were a choking hazard.

https://retroist.com/mcdonalds-happy-meal-playmobil-toys/

I want to feel the warm golden metallic glow of the late seventies and early eighties. I want to be serenaded by soft music while tapping my foot on dark thick carpeting. I want to be surrounded ...

https://retroist.com/the-leisurewave-aesthetic/

In 2010, seemingly out of nowhere Warren Beatty put on the yellow trench coat once again and played Dick Tracy in a one time TV special. Its a strange creation with an interesting reason for exis...

https://retroist.com/dick-tracy-special-2010/

Pillsbury Fudge Jumbles were a delicious fudgey oatmeal treat that I was suspicious of at first when I was a kid. Under my Grandmother's watchful eye, they would soon win me over and turn me into...

https://retroist.com/pillsbury-fudge-jumbles/

Perhaps not as well-known as her fellow artist and husband, Jim Roslof, Laura Roslof was an early contributor to the art that would define Dungeons & Dragons.

https://retroist.com/tsr-dungeons-dragons-art-laura-roslof/

A rumor stared circulating years ago that the makers of Dungeons & Dragons were trying to copyright the word, Nazi. This turned out not be true, but the background of why is a pretty interesting ...

https://retroist.com/did-tsr-try-and-trademark-the-word-nazi/

In the early Seventies, Coca-Cola ran this ad touting its association with a selection of unique and not so unique burger combinations. Let's take a look at what paired well with a bottle of ice ...

https://retroist.com/coca-cola-and-its-early-seventies-gourmet-burgers/

I collect a lot of what I think are interesting facts over the course of a year. Typically I just left them in a doc to use in the future, but this year I thought I would share them here on the b...

https://retroist.com/52-fun-retro-facts-i-learned-in-2019/

Incredible Hulk Instant Muscles were inflatable toy muscles you wore under your shirt. They could take you from zero to hulk bulked hero in just a few pumps. Sadly all that flexing and inflating ...

https://retroist.com/incredible-hulk-instant-muscles/

In 1982, a triumph of portable amateur photography hit the market, the Kodak Disc Camera. It would be greeted with much fanfare, but its reputation would quickly tarnish. So what went wrong with ...

https://retroist.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-kodak-disc-camera/

Basic Programming for the Atari 2600 is a fascinating attempt to bring simple programming concepts to this low-powered system. Sadly it can be a frustrating experience for people trying it now, b...

https://retroist.com/basic-programming-for-the-atari-2600/

Happy Thanksgiving! On today's episode of the Retroist Podcast, I would like to talk to you about the late eighties holiday classic, Garfield's Thanksgiving.

https://retroist.com/retroist-garfields-thanksgiving-podcast/

Space Food Sticks did actually get their start as snacks for astronauts, eventually being utilized during a Skylab mission. Still they are more fondly and widely remembered as a commercial produc...

https://retroist.com/pillsbury-space-food-sticks/

Fast food restaurants no longer release collectible glasses like they did in the eighties. So through the magic of computers and poor art skills I attempt to capture what it might look like if th...

https://retroist.com/the-mandalorian-glasses-from-burger-king/

In 1982, during the height of E.T. mania, aired on CBS. Hosted by Robin Williams, it is an energetic tour of many sci-fi films and a snapshot of early 80s film famdom.

https://retroist.com/et-and-friends-magical-movie-visitors/

I finally return to the arcade, this time covering the vector-based masterpiece Tempest. I might be terrible at this game, but I am in love with its aesthetics.

https://retroist.com/retroist-tempest-podcast/

In 1968, a new snack was born, the potato crisp known as the Pringle. Of course, an innovative snack like this needs a great mascot and they came up with a mustachioed character to adorn their ne...

https://retroist.com/what-is-the-name-of-the-pringles-mascot/

Happy Days introduced two sisters to the show that are still fondly remembered today, Pinky and Leather Tuscadero. Let's take a quick look back at these side characters and the out sized impact t...

https://retroist.com/pinky-and-leather-tuscadero/

In 1982, Burger Kings decided to add bacon to their double cheeseburger. It was embraced by consumers and became an enduring taste sensation.

https://retroist.com/the-burger-king-bacon-double-cheeseburger/

In October of every year since 1992, Six Flags Great Adventure becomes costumed with the sights and sounds of Halloween during their annual haunt festival. In 1995, I visited for the first time a...

https://retroist.com/six-flags-great-adventure-fright-fest-1995/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I talk about the 1987 TV horror show, Werewolf. This was a one season wonder produced by Frank Lupo that was part of the Fox Networks inaugural season. Un...

https://retroist.com/retroist-werewolf-podcast/

Are you not happy with your sing-a-long options during the Halloween season? In 1966, the Peanuts released a set of Pumpkin Carols that should help this season be a bit more musical.

https://retroist.com/peanuts-pumpkin-carols/

Do you remember Monkey's Blood or Mercurochrome? It was an antiseptic that burned like crazy, dyed your skin reddish orange and contained mercury. Oh and for seven decades parents loved the stuff...

https://retroist.com/monkeys-blood-mercurochrome-for-those-boo-boos/

In the 1984 episode of Magnum PI, Jororo Farewell, Magnum PI works to prevent the kidnapping of the prince of Jororo. His work takes him to an interesting location, the local arcade.

https://retroist.com/retro-arcade-games-magnum-pi/

In the summer of 1999, while employed at a tech company, I traveled to Rome, NY to work at Woodstock '99. The excitement of the music festival quickly turned ominous and we fled in the middle of ...

https://retroist.com/woodstock-99/

I wanted to talk to you a bit about the Retroist and the Retroist Podcast. Most of it lays out my reduced output and feelings about running the site. I cannot speculate what the future will be, b...

https://retroist.com/retroist-update-2019/

Erol Otus was an early artist with the original makers of Dungeons & Dragons, TSR. His contributions are legendary at this point, but he continues to still be slightly enigmatic. So let's take a ...

https://retroist.com/erol-otus-dungeons-dragons-artist/

I payed ten bucks a can to get my hands on some New Coke. I drank a bunch of it and I didn't like it. Oddly enough, this is exactly what I was hoping for. Proving that nostalgia can be very compl...

https://retroist.com/i-dont-like-new-coke-it-was-worth-buying/

Atari released a lot of good titles over the years. Unfortunately Basic Math is not one of them. Instead it is an overly simplified math game with limited replayability.

https://retroist.com/basic-math-atari-2600/

Barnstorming is an exceptionally attractive game for the Atari 2600. It is fun to play, but also has a secret. The game works really well as a multi-player title. So fire it up, pass around the j...

https://retroist.com/barnstorming-atari-2600/

The Sahuagin are Dungeons & Dragons Monster royalty. Appearing at the birth of the game and continuing to be reinvented in every edition. Let's take a look at the early appearances and art of the...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-sahuagin/

On the newest episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the baseball comedy classic, Major League. This is a fun summer film about America's sport. I hope listening to the show might persuade yo...

https://retroist.com/retroist-major-league-podcast/

Starting with its Monster Card from 1983 by Jim Roslof, let's take a look at the development and many early appearances of the iconic Dungeons & Dragons Monster, the Red Dragon.

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-red-dragon/

Atari Backgammon is a fun port of the ancient board game that works surprisingly well on the Atari 2600, especially in two-player mode.

https://retroist.com/backgammon-for-the-atari-2600/

Released in 1989, BMX Airmaster for the Atari 2600 is a great looking game with advanced gameplay. Unfortunately, the release in 1989 is deep into next generation console territory. So by the sta...

https://retroist.com/bmx-airmaster-atari-2600/

The Neo-otyugh is one of two Gulguthra or "Dung-Eaters" in Dungeons & Dragons. Join me as a I take a look at the early history of this tentacled waste-eating monstrosity.

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-neo-otyugh/

Have you ever wondered how to pronounce words used in Dungeons & Dragons? I tended to butcher the words until I found this wonderful pronunciation guide from 1985. It covers most of the more diff...

https://retroist.com/advanced-dungeons-dragons-pronunciations/

The mysterious underutilized Mihstu was a monster that peaked during Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition. It is an interesting creature with a twisting origin, so lets take a look at the Monster Card ...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-mihstu/

The Lizard Man in Dungeons & Dragons is a monster we all fight and unsurprising it hasn't changed much from its origin in 1975 through its appearance on this Monster Card by Jim Roslof.

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-card-lizard-man/

Kobolds are in the DNA of Dungeons & Dragons. So let's take a look at the art for his ever-evolving monster, starting with the Jim Roslof Monster Card and moving onto its appearances in the 1st e...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-kobold/

The Grippli are a race of humanoid frog-like creatures that could make interesting allies to a party. That is, if they can overcome the grippli's monstrous appearance, as captured by Erol Otus, o...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-grippli/

The art for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Card for the Giant Weasel is by Jim Roslof. The Giant Weasel does not get the respect it deserves, so lets take a look at the adorable blood dr...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-giant-weasel/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I tackle the 1988 cult classic, Mac and Me. Despite knowing that his film is unintentionally funny, I find it charming and worthy of watching unironically...

https://retroist.com/retroist-mac-and-me-podcast/

Imagic's Atlantis for the Atari 2600 is a beautiful game that is sadly undone by its shallow and repetitive gameplay. It only become challenging when you play at higher difficulty level.

https://retroist.com/atlantis-atari-2600/

Erol Otus' Ghoul is a terrifying undead creation. It uses its shard disease-ridden claws and bizarre body hair to take down even the most seasoned of adventurers. Break out your holy symbol, we a...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-ghoul/

The Frost Giant, as captured by Bill Willingham, is grim and terrifying. Let's take a look at its AD&D Monster Card art and other early examples of this Norse flavored early D&D monster.

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-frost-giant/

Astroblast was the Astromash port for the Atari 2600. It is a delightful instance of a port of a game, despite having lower graphics, is actually better than the original.

https://retroist.com/astroblast-for-the-atari-2600/

The DIsplacer Beast is a terrifying space-shifting feline that has been around for the entire time Dungeons & Dragons has existing. So let's take a look at the Monster Card that was released for ...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-displacer-beast/

Released in 1983, Assault is a decent game from Bomb. It is fast based with good graphics and interesting gameplay. I am happy to have it in my Atari collection.

https://retroist.com/assault-for-the-atari-2600/

The Giant Constrictor Snake is a powerful serpent that does not get much attention from the Monster Manual. In the AD&D Monster cards though, it gets a beautiful color illustration by the unmista...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-giant-constrictor-snake/

Artillery Duel is a wonderfully made game filled with lots of features and solid Atari graphics. Unfortunately it is also painfully slow. Which makes it fun to try, but does not add much in the w...

https://retroist.com/artillery-duel-for-the-atari-2600/

A legendary creature from mythology that is half human and half horse WITH art by Jeff Dee? Enjoy the AD& Centaur Monster card. It is amazing.

https://retroist.com/dungeon-dragons-monster-cards-centaur/

Alpha Beam with Ernie for the Atari 2600 is an attractive title with interesting graphics and quality sound. Unfortunately it lacks anything resembling real gameplay. This game was targeted at ch...

https://retroist.com/alpha-beam-with-ernie-for-the-atari-2600/

The Barbed Devil was no joke. It is a challenge to even the most seasoned of adventurers. It is also, because of the Satanic Panic around Dungeons & Dragons, one the most polarizing cards from Se...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-monster-cards-barbed-devil/

Air Raid is a rare Atari 2600 game. I decided I had very little chance of finding one at a garage sale or flea market, so finally fired it up via emulator. I was very happy I did, its a clever li...

https://retroist.com/air-raid-for-the-atari-2600/

The Anhkheg is terrifying burrowing insect monster that can destroy even the most well-balanced party of adventurers. Let's take a look at its appearance in the 1st set of the 1981 AD&D Monster C...

https://retroist.com/add-monster-cards-anhkheg/

Some games on the Atari 2600 just work best as two-player games. Air-Sea Battle is a middling game when played alone, but plug in that second joystick and invite a friend over and you have a deli...

https://retroist.com/air-sea-battle/

Adventure is one of the best games ever made for the Atari 2600. A feature rich title, with complex gameplay, it had tremendous replayability that still makes it an entertaining title today. It a...

https://retroist.com/adventure-atari-2600/

Battle Chess was a game that made me laugh and kept me constantly entertained. Surprisingly though, it taught me nothing about how to win at chess.

https://retroist.com/interplays-battle-chess/

In 1983, Activision's Enduro was released on the Atari 2600. It would quickly become my favorite racing game and a top 10 game for me. (even though I never got the patch)

https://retroist.com/activision-enduro/

The commercial itself pretty much IS a music video, featuring the music and members of The Manhattan Transfer and their song, Birdland. It has a sterile industrial vibe with red/white/black color...

https://retroist.com/akai-for-the-most-avant-garde-fans-of-stereo-equipment/

In 1983 Nerds candy was released by Wonka. They were a runaway hit. Over two decades later I bought a lot of Nerd Magnets, here is that story.

https://retroist.com/wonka-nerd-magnets/

On this week's Retroist Podcast I discuss the 1980 comedy classic, "The Private Eyes," starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway. An underrated classic that I hope you will check out.

https://retroist.com/retroist-private-eyes-podcast/

In the summer of 1978, Hoxie Bros Circus came to Secaucus, NJ. Luckily for us, someone captured the circus on glorious 8mm color film.

https://retroist.com/hoxie-bros-circus/

In 1987, CBS aired "The Popcorn Kid." It was about a young kid who worked at a movie theater in Kansas and wanted to work in film. As a video store worker through most of my teens, I identified w...

https://retroist.com/remember-the-1987-tv-show-the-popcorn-kid/

In 1956 my Great Aunt wrote a letter to Con Edison to thank them for helping to retrieve her earrings. It is quite a nice thank-you letter.

https://retroist.com/a-thank-you-letter-to-con-edison-from-1956/

In 1981, Disney released this ambient audio dream of an album and I have been listening to it ever since.

https://retroist.com/walt-disney-studios-the-sounds-of-outerspace/

Let's take a look at a controversy that is over the 30 years old. Did Castlevania II rip off the art style of Ravenloft?

https://retroist.com/ravenloft-castlevania-art-similar/

In 1987, Mattel released a barbie sized doll called Spectra. Her and Shimeroons didn't last long, but they were still amazing.

https://retroist.com/spectra-was-spacy-lacy-and-out-of-this-world/

On this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I discuss the eighties comedy classic, "Trading Places." It is a perfect film to watch this holiday season. Even if you don't listen to the show, I hope t...

https://retroist.com/retroist-trading-places-podcast/

I watch Die Hard every Christmas. That does not make it a Christmas movie. It is a Christmas movie, because it is a Christmas movie.

https://retroist.com/die-hard-is-a-christmas-movie/

They made a commercial for Q*bert the board game in 1983 that featured a live-action version of Q*bert. I would have watched this as a TV series.

https://retroist.com/live-action-qbert-board-game/

Gemstones is a fun and simple game, that is sadly out of print. So I thought I would share my latest find of a sealed game package along with the rules for anyone who wants to try it out at home.

https://retroist.com/how-to-play-gemstones-mayfair-games/

The eighties and nineties were a golden age for dial-in hotlines. Starting with 976 numbers and rolling into 1-900 numbers, the nations appetite for canned recordings could not be abated. I mysel...

https://retroist.com/corey-haim-hotline/

When the Atari 2600 dominated the video game market, Activision offered patches for those who reached high scores in their games. To get one, you simply needed to take a photo of your TV screen a...

https://retroist.com/how-to-photograph-your-on-screen-high-score/

On today's show I talk the groundbreaking early computer game, Hunt the Wumpus. I begin the show talking about how accessible the game was to a young me and how it was the highlight of my early t...

https://retroist.com/retroist-hunt-the-wumpus-podcast/

Jon-Eric Hexum was an actor/model who had an all too short career that came to an abrupt end due to an accidental death. He had the talents and the looks, but like most tragedies, we are all just...

https://retroist.com/death-jon-eric-hexum/

Communication now is ubiquitous. We are basically living in a science fiction world on the communication front. One technology though, for many years, allowed for freedom that would hint at the r...

https://retroist.com/the-magical-world-of-the-walkie-talkie/

In 1984, Plymouth released this commercial for its Duster during the Mtv Video Music Awards. The commercial in this length was very infrequently broadcast and developed a reputation because of it...

https://retroist.com/the-infamous-plymouth-duster-cocaine-factory-commercial/

Armory Dice Markers are great looking artifacts from a different time in gaming. It is nice to see that someone preserved them up until now and that people value them enough to pay a ludicrous am...

https://retroist.com/armory-dice-markers/

Welcome to the 2018 edition of the Retroist Halloween Special Podcast. On today’s show, I finally shut up and turn the microphone over to other people who tell their Halloween stories. The Retr...

https://retroist.com/retroist-halloween-special-2018/

On today's show, I share with you a few of my favorite from the past on the Retroist Halloween Commercial Specials Podcast. From food to haunted mansions, I play a wide array of ads, all of them ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-halloween-commercials-special-podcast/

More of the night he came home!

https://retroist.com/retroist-halloween-ii-podcast/

Bo knows Super Nintendo AND Pepsi AND FedEx.

https://retroist.com/pepsi-super-nintendo-training-camp-bo-jackson/

In space, no one can hear you crunch.

https://retroist.com/froot-loops-aliens-crossover-commercial/

Listen to the season 11 premier episode of the Retroist Podcast, CHiPs. Join Ponch, Jon and the rest of the California Highway Patrol as they fight crime, have fun and look great doing it.

https://retroist.com/retroist-chips-podcast/

In 1984, Role Aids publish and adventure based on the 1983 film, "The Keep." I have run this adventure a couple of times over the years. Here is a little background info on this overlooked access...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-module-role-aids-1983-the-keep/

Like podcasts that are Halloween themed? Here is a list of all of the Retroist podcasts that work well during the Halloween season.

https://retroist.com/retroist-halloween-podcasts/

I have taken a break from the “specials” format of the podcast recently, but I put 3 on the schedule for this year and I am looking for folks who might want to participate. To participate you...

https://retroist.com/want-to-contribute-to-an-upcoming-retroist-podcast-special/

Hires Root Beer has been around since 1876. Making it the 2nd oldest continuously made soft drink in the United States.

https://retroist.com/how-old-hires-root-beer/

While walking to work this morning, I was stunned to spot 3 people walking down the street wearing Members Only jackets. They were not bunched together, but individuals. This got me thinking abou...

https://retroist.com/members-only-jackets/

Welcome to the Retroist Season 11 Fall Preview! On today's show I hope to give you a glimpse into the new season and entertain you a bit.

https://retroist.com/retroist-season-11-fall-preview-podcast/

The art, which I believe is by house illustrator Gary Scrace, is straightforward. A clean, yet compelling illustration of the game with just the right amount of detail without being underdesigned...

https://retroist.com/wizard-of-wor-art-by-gary-scrace/

Planters reintroduced Cheez Balls and Cheez Curls. I had a hard time finding them. Until last night!

https://retroist.com/found-planters-cheez-balls-cheez-curlz/

I have spent a good amount of time at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. During my time visiting the parks, I have been on rides that have broken down many times. Very few of those times thou...

https://retroist.com/disneylands-indiana-jones-adventure-temple-of-the-forbidden-eye-breakdown-photos-from-2003/

I have wanted a set of modern dice that matched the style of the original Dungeon & Dragons box sets. I am proud to announce that I finally found a set.

https://retroist.com/reproductions-original-dungeons-dragons-dice/

The Karate Kid was released in 1984 and it shined a light on the Golf N’ Stuff Family Fun Center in Norwalk, CA. It is where Alli and Daniel have their first date and figures so heavily into th...

https://retroist.com/golf-n-stuff-karate-kid-chips/

I went to the supermarket the other day and while walking past the deli, I spotted their Pepsi soda fountain. Usually, I just walk past this self-service dispenser of sugary deliciousness, but so...

https://retroist.com/pepsi-limited-edition-1978-design-fountain-cups/

Remember when you first got cable television and would use it to check the weather? I am not talking about the first time you saw the weather channel, I am referring to an even earlier time. When...

https://retroist.com/old-school-cable-weather-broadcasting-lives-again/

On Labor Day of 1995, Hulk Hogan opened his Pastamania Restaurant at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Just a few months before this opening I made my first visit to this gigantic ma...

https://retroist.com/hulk-hogans-pastamania-restaurant-at-the-mall-of-america-1995/

In 1984, the Activision fan club held a contest tie-in with Pitfall II – Lost Caverns. They created ten special Treasure Hunt cartridges and put them out into circulation. These ten cartridges ...

https://retroist.com/pitfall-ii-lost-caverns-treasure-hunt-edition/

In 1989, Summer CES took place in Chicago. Marvel was sent three of their biggest characters, Captain America, Spider-Man and Doctor Doom to promote some of the games in which their characters wo...

https://retroist.com/captain-america-spider-man-doctor-doom-ces-1989/

Today on Twitter I sent out a request. I would like to see a version of Space Invaders based on the art that displayed in their 1980s catalog. This art is colorful and evocative. It seems ripe fo...

https://retroist.com/space-invaders-box-art-animation/

David A. Trampier or DAT, put together some of the most iconic roleplaying game art. His fingerprints are all over the early version of the game. Sadly he passed away and before that mysteriously...

https://retroist.com/the-art-of-david-a-trampier/

This week’s Retroist Podcast is about the classic toy from World’s of Wonder, Lazer Tag. I start the show with a story about how my friends and I spent a good part of an amazing summer playin...

https://retroist.com/retroist-lazer-tag-podcast/

In 1988, Listerine unveiled their Ghostbusters-like troop of bad breath fighters, the Listermen. They make their first and I believe only appearance in a commercial for a better tasting version o...

https://retroist.com/listerine-listermen/

I lose all objectivity when it comes to Crystal Pepsi, or as we used to call it “Crystal P.” To me, and my close circle of friends, it was an exaggerated big deal. We drank and celebrated thi...

https://retroist.com/pizza-hut-has-crystal-pepsi/

This week’s Retroist Podcast is about the classic sitcom, Night Court. I begin the show talking about how Harry Anderson inspired my love of magic, even though I am not that good at it. I was n...

https://retroist.com/retroist-night-court-podcast/

I have encountered the Salton Beachcomber Radio many times while browsing thrift stores. This mid-eighties beauty always makes me pause and with good reason. It was a mini-boombox designed to be ...

https://retroist.com/salton-beachcomber-radio/

This week’s Retroist Podcast is about the 1985 cult film classic, “Gymkata” I begin the podcast talking about my first exposure to the film. How I found the concept of combining gymnastics ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-gymkata-podcast/

This week’s Retroist Podcast is about a show that recently returned after a long break, “Roseanne.” on the Retroist Roseanne Podcast I start off talking about why I watched Roseanne during ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-roseanne-podcast/

This week’s Retroist Podcast is all about the 1978 comedy-thriller, “Foul Play”. I start off by talking about how I briefly lived my dream of reenacting a scene from this movie after I move...

https://retroist.com/retroist-foul-play-podcast/

I was not sure if I was going to go to Toys R Us before it closed. Part of me wanted to not taint the good memories I had of the store. But another part of me was curious to see what was going on...

https://retroist.com/my-final-trip-to-toys-r-us/

This week on the Retroist Podcast I tackle a film I have attempted to record a few times in the past, Three Amigos. I start off talking about quoting and emulating films will always be popular an...

https://retroist.com/retroist-three-amigos-podcast/

On this week’s show, I talk about the world’s biggest toy store, Toys R Us. I open by talking about how I felt special going to Toys R Us because it felt like it was a store meant for me. I o...

https://retroist.com/retroist-toys-r-us-podcast/

On this week’s show I talk about the storied video game console, the Sega Genesis or Mega Drive. I begin the episode by discussing how the Genesis would become my entry point to the world of re...

https://retroist.com/retroist-sega-genesis-podcast/

The words “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun” are ingrained in my head forever! I’d bet it might be for you too? In the commercial ...

https://retroist.com/the-big-mac-song-1975/

On today’s show, I talk about the game show classic, Press Your Luck. I kick off the show talking about how comforting it was to watch great shows like this when I was home from school. Then I ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-press-luck-podcast/

I recently watched the Fast and the Furious for the first time. Its similarities to Point Break drove me to rewatch Point Break. This despite having some negative feelings about the film. So I ta...

https://retroist.com/retroist-point-break-podcast/

On today’s show, I talk about the eighties comedy classic, 9 to 5. I start off talking about how I would lay around listening to Dolly Parton, much to my sister’s confusion. If only she had j...

https://retroist.com/retroist-9-5-podcast/

On today’s show I talk all about the video game masterpiece, Moon Patrol. I start by talking about how obsessed I was with finding arcade games as a kid. It was a remarkable and magical time, b...

https://retroist.com/retroist-moon-patrol-podcast/

In April of 1989, history was changed forever. It was there, at the tail-end of eighties that Spiffits launched as the first complete line of pre-moistened household cleaning towelettes. These ar...

https://retroist.com/spiffits-cleaning-wipes/

I don’t think I owned any Ocean Pacific (or OP) clothing when I was a kid. But it was so ubiquitous that I was well aware of it. I even had vague notions of what the brand stood for. Sunshine. ...

https://retroist.com/ocean-pacific/

I was a dangerous kid to bring to the supermarket. When new products were advertised on television, I wanted to try them and was not above begging to get what I wanted. That meant my Mom needed t...

https://retroist.com/oatmeal-swirlers/

Recently I asked the podcast RetroWDW to investigate the short lived Disney Channel news magazine, EPCOT Magazine. Naturally they were able to uncover some wonderful details about the production ...

https://retroist.com/epcot-magazine/

In 1983 Rice Krispies ran a promo for a 7 inch record full of their classic jingles, their Snap Crackle Pop Tunes. Getting it was simple, you would cut out UPC codes and send them shipping money ...

https://retroist.com/snap-crackle-pop-tunes-record/

Stay Alive was originally published by Milton Bradley in 1971. The idea of the game is pretty simple. You must “stay alive.” The game consists of a 7×7 grid with random holes and sliders. Yo...

https://retroist.com/stay-alive-board-game/

Sometimes I find myself singing a song that I cannot for the life of me place. Over the years, I have learned that most of these songs are either jingles from old commercials or phantom songs rec...

https://retroist.com/tina-yothers-baby-im-back-love/

Back before I did the Retroist, I used to blog about Disney. One of my odd passions was for the themed garbage cans in the parks. When I started going to the parks as an adult, you could often fi...

https://retroist.com/favorite-disneyland-garbage-can/

Ah yes, the 70’s were a hotbed of Bigfoot goodness! 70’s television, drive-ins, and popular culture were all dazzled by the subject. With that, I bring you my top 10 Bigfoot “documentaries�...

https://retroist.com/top-10-bigfoot-sasquatch-documentaries-of-the-seventies/

Christmas Eve and it is not quite midnight. So I have time to write this post before Santa should show up. Although, I spent a lot of my time in my youth waiting up till after midnight and could ...

https://retroist.com/merry-retro-christmas-2017/

After watching the classic film, “Alice doesn’t live here Anymore” a few months ago, I was inspired to rewatch its TV show spinoff, “Alice.” It is great classic television. The writing ...

https://retroist.com/breakdancing-tv-show-alice/

Welcome to the Retroist Thriller Podcast. On today’s show I talk all about the music video masterpiece, Thriller. I start off talking about how I was terrified by the monologue from this song w...

https://retroist.com/retroist-thriller-podcast/

As a kid, I was a sucker for a good 976 number. I called the Chipmunks, Howard the Duck, Santa, and many more. All of this without my Mom’s permission. Which caused some issues. So it was proba...

https://retroist.com/976-number-talk-kitt-knight-rider/

My family enjoyed going out for fast food. We liked the price and we really enjoyed the taste. It was not something we did all the time, but when we did, we made an event out of it. So when Burge...

https://retroist.com/remember-burger-king-table-service/

Halloween shopping keeps starting earlier each year. Despite my love for the holiday, I do try to limit my browsing until the month of October. I violated that rule (again) today at the supermark...

https://retroist.com/mayfair-candy-corn-retro/

Nowadays, they are often dismissed as junk mail., but coupon books used to a welcome addition to mailboxes. Let's jump back to 1984 and take a look at the discounts you could get at Pay N Save.

https://retroist.com/1984-pay-n-save-coupon-book/

Unless you lived in the 1930s or are a fan of vintage comic strips you might not be aware of the attempted Mickey Mouse suicide. But it was a very real thing that ran in the Mickey Mouse comic st...

https://retroist.com/mickey-mouse-suicide/

Like many people who grew up in the eighties, I watched The Dukes of Hazzard. I liked the car chases, the simple plots, and the charisma of the actors. My grandmother knew that I was a fan and fe...

https://retroist.com/dukes-hazzard-boss-hogg-action-figure/

When I was growing up, my family home was covered in wood paneling. This process started well before I was around. Not just in the home I was raised, but in all the homes and apartments, my famil...

https://retroist.com/1969-receipt-wood-paneling/

Long before Grand Theft Auto was freaking everyone out, we had the Death Race Video Game Controversy. Death Race is still a controversial arcade game. It was released by Exidy in the United State...

https://retroist.com/death-race-video-game-controversy/

Yogis Space Race was a short-lived 90-minute Saturday morning cartoon. It ran on NBC from September 9, 1978 to March 3, 1979. That short run resulted in just 13 episodes. While it might have been...

https://retroist.com/yogis-space-race/

William Shatner will always be Captain Kirk. It is the role that defined him to the world. But Shatner has worked as an actor consistently throughout his career. Just review his IMDB and you will...

https://retroist.com/william-shatner-on-celebrity-bowling-1974/

When you think Star Trek Original Series VHS, you probably think back to your local video store or mail-order offers. While I worked in a video store and obsessed with mail-order, it is not what ...

https://retroist.com/star-trek-original-series-vhs/

If you are not familiar with candy buttons, they are the little dots of flavored sugar attached to paper. They tend to sell them nowadays at more retro-style candy joints in jars or in drugstores...

https://retroist.com/candy-buttons/

As a kid, I watched wrestling. For a short while, I could not get enough of it. That obsession happened to coincide with the release of G.L.O.W (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) and I watched that a...

https://retroist.com/netflix-glow-opening-credits/

As a kid, anything with sugar in it was alright with me. So I took to juice boxes and Capri Suns like a fish to water. Just hand me a tiny straw and container with some sweet fluid in it and I wo...

https://retroist.com/remember-sip-ups/

I was in the store today and spotted a new Dr. Pepper bottle. It appeared to be normal Dr. Pepper, but it had a fancy TRON-style label on it. After taking a photo and putting a bottle in my cart,...

https://retroist.com/tron-quaker-oats/

When you think of Hawaii, what do you think of? Sandy beaches? Beautiful sunsets? Groundbreaking rock bands from Akron, OH? Not many people will think that last one, but thanks to a contest that ...

https://retroist.com/mtv-hawaiian-holiday-with-devo/

MCI Mail was a commercial email and messaging. It was operated by MCI Communications from 1983 to 2003. Started on September 23, 1983, it was ahead of its time. Naturally being one of the first c...

https://retroist.com/mci-mail/

Last weekend I was at a flea market and spotted an MC Hammer Concert Doll in pretty poor shape. This is not the first MC Hammer Concert Doll that I have seen over the years, so I imagine he is no...

https://retroist.com/mc-hammer-concert-doll/

Many people have heard of Video Professor. They ran commercials on cable TV channels and on late-night programming throughout the nineties. I recall seeing the commercials and laughing at some of...

https://retroist.com/video-professor/

I feel like we have revisited this famous Nuttin Polly-O String Cheese Commercial so often on the site that I could do a podcast on it. Why can’t I stop talking about it? It is one of the more ...

https://retroist.com/art-direction-nuttin-polly-o-string-cheese-commercial/

Welcome to the Retroist Breakout Podcast. On today’s show, I talk all about the video game masterpiece, Breakout. I start the show talking about how I bonded with my eldest sister over Breakout...

https://retroist.com/retroist-breakout-podcast/

When I was in college, I had various jobs. One of my better jobs was working security at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. I was not one of the people who patrolled the parking lot or asked you to st...

https://retroist.com/chris-cornell/

I received an email last week from someone who remembered having a game where you spun coins on these “paddles.” My inbox is full of emails just like this one. They are enjoyable to receive b...

https://retroist.com/parker-brothers-loop-a-lot/

Robert Morgan, Bigfoot Hunter Extraordinaire heads up a summertime expedition to prove the existence of Bigfoot!  Morgan, the hard-driving team leader pushes his team of scientists, and naturali...

https://retroist.com/in-search-of-bigfoot-1976/

During the nineties, my interest in action figures dwindled. Yes, we had a Star Wars resurgence, but it never captured my imagination. I still had all of my original toys, and to me the new figur...

https://retroist.com/quark-deep-space-9-action-figures/

As you might guess from retro film and television from the seventies, disco was a big deal. It was a trend that was easy to latch onto and appealed to multiple generations. So a lot of people lat...

https://retroist.com/disco-break/

Aztec was created by Paul Stephenson for the Apple II and published by Datamost in 1982. It would later be ported to Atari computers and the C64, making it a very memorable game across multiple c...

https://retroist.com/aztec-by-datamost-1982/

When I was a kid, my Mother would talk all about this Tic Tac Toe playing chicken that they had in New York City’s Chinatown. It captured my imagination like nothing else. You could have told m...

https://retroist.com/i-took-lickin-from-a-chicken/

Why is it that breakfast cereal goes so well with nostalgia? Not a week goes by when I don’t get a pang of hunger and nostalgia for some bygone brand of cereal. Products that had a short run, m...

https://retroist.com/fruity-marshmallow-rice-krispies/

In the late nineties, I knew about High Definition TV, but it still seemed very far away. Fortunately it was just around the corner. Some local TV stations were even beginning to test the technol...

https://retroist.com/1999-new-york-city-in-high-definition/

Sometimes something that is small can really help to sum up a time or place. Such is the case with this 1979 TV Guide Fall Preview Guide commercial. It is simple, but it is chock full of wonderfu...

https://retroist.com/1979-tv-guide-fall-preview-guide-commercial/

If you are ever in a beach town, one place you should always stop is the local pharmacy. Better yet, if they have one, a Five and Ten store. They are filled with wondrous beach-related items, whi...

https://retroist.com/kite-packaging-art/

I was at the Living Computer Museum again last weekend. No surprise for people who read this blog. It is one of my favorite places to visit in Seattle. Every time I go there, I find something new...

https://retroist.com/pdp-1170-processor-handbook/

When E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial hit theaters, it was a big deal. E.T. was everywhere after that. He did commercials for lots of products, including a very memorable Atari commercial. One that I a...

https://retroist.com/et-special-olympics-psa/

Growing up and loving computer with little to no money was difficult. You tended to hoard your computer supplies, especially floppy disks. I would climb through dumpsters and wheel and deal with ...

https://retroist.com/elephant-memory-systems-floppy-disks/

In Christmas of 1984, the toy world was shifting. Video games were hitting a rough spot and action figure toys were already years old. Even the heavy hitter of the year before, the Cabbage Patch ...

https://retroist.com/transformers-christmas/

When Hostess fell apart a few years ago, I stocked up on my favorite snack cakes. The one I could not get my hands on was the Chocodile. Which sadly happened to be the one snack cake I had the st...

https://retroist.com/new-improved-chocodile/

Super Jock Toys were a line of toys made by Schaper starting in the seventies. Super Jocks were sports-based, hence the use of “Jock”. Each playset consisted of action figures playing sports ...

https://retroist.com/super-jock-toys/

It is easy to get nostalgic for stuff. Every day I find myself fixating on things from the past. Usually, it is not surprising stuff. A TV show, movie, or a toy are easy things to recall and to h...

https://retroist.com/nostalgia-pencil-sharpener/

I love purchasing vintage collector’s glasses. If you do the same and put them in a collectors cabinet, you should love me. Because I am the person making all of your glasses rarer. That is rig...

https://retroist.com/pac-man-glasses-arbys/

I am not sure who put together this commercial for the Pee-wee Herman Store, but they are either a genius or quite mad. The ad itself is about 30 seconds long. 26 seconds of it is completely word...

https://retroist.com/pee-wee-herman-store-jcpenney/

If you visited my house when I was growing up, to play a game and asked for a snack, I would offer you Ellio’s Pizza. Ellio’s Pizza was not the greatest pizza, it also wasn’t the cheapest. ...

https://retroist.com/ellios-pizza/

I was watching some Disney character training videos when a saw a different mouse video recommendation. It was a link to this wonderful Chuck E Cheese Character Training Video from 1991. By the 1...

https://retroist.com/chuck-e-cheese-character-training-video/

As a kid I inherited a bunch of cassettes from my older sisters. Between those and what I could scrounge up at neighborhood garage sales, I had a decent collection. Some of my favorite cassettes ...

https://retroist.com/boy-wonder-i-love-you/

As a kid, I had a lot of friends who were into fitness. They would huddle in their basements, around rusty workbenches trying to get pumped up. On their walls were posters of the people they were...

https://retroist.com/hulkamania-workout-set-cassette-tape-1985/

This weekend I sat down to watch Comet TV. It is an over the air station that usually comes in very crisply, but for some reason, my signal was terrible. I was going to turn on a movie when I rem...

https://retroist.com/watch-comet-tv/

In 1985 they broadcast a very memorable celebration for Disneyland’s 30th Anniversary. I cannot recall where I got a VHS copy of this special, but at some point in the 1980s it started getting ...

https://retroist.com/pointer-sisters-sing-neutron-dance/

I never purchased a Sega CD or Saturn. So sadly never experimented with playing Sega CD audio. The first console I owned that played CDs was the Sega Dreamcast. One of the first things I attempte...

https://retroist.com/sega-cd-audio/

Welcome to the Retroist River Raid Podcast. On today’s show I talk about the Atari 2600 classic, River Raid. I begin the show by discussing how while I miss a lot of the stuff from the past, be...

https://retroist.com/retroist-river-raid-podcast/

Warm earth music for plants and the people who love them. Like many people, when I was growing up, my early music experiences were shaped by my parent’s record collection. I am happy to say tha...

https://retroist.com/plantasia/

In the 1980s and 1990s, we were really getting jaded with that miracle of communication, the telephone. No longer did we venerate this hi-tech bit of magic with a place of honor on the wall or a ...

https://retroist.com/sports-illustrated-sneaker-phone/

Getting HBO in the 1980s was a real treat. Especially if you did not have a VCR or easy access to a decent video store. On it you could get films that you would never see on broadcast television....

https://retroist.com/classic-hbo-theme/

Recently I have started sharing my collection of unpainted miniatures online. I should clarify, when I am referring to miniatures, I am referring to the miniature figures used in Dungeons & Drago...

https://retroist.com/unpainted-miniatures/

Adrien van Viersen is a lifelong Superman Fan and storyboard artist with some nice superhero bonafides. He has done work on X2, X3, Game of Thrones, and The Flash. This week though he turned he r...

https://retroist.com/golden-age-superman-comic/

The video game crash happened in 1983. The market had become saturated and it would send that industry into a spiral. But it was not as precipitous a plunge as people might think is was now. Inst...

https://retroist.com/1984-colecovision-games/

Welcome to the Retroist Dinosaurs Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the nineties TV cult classic, Dinosaurs. I begin by talking about my mixed feelings about how this show ended and how I ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-dinosaurs-podcast/

This ad was from Best Buy that features 1996 computers, was posted online a few months ago. It really brought back a lot of memories. In 1996, I was lucky enough to have a 486 computer, but all o...

https://retroist.com/1996-computers-buy/

Browsing online this morning I came across this stunning auction on eBay for an original Atari Combat Two Oil Painting by commercial freelance illustrator Michel Allaire. I had followed some of A...

https://retroist.com/original-atari-combat-two-oil-painting/

Have you ever had a quarter that was painted red and wonder, "Why would someone paint a quarter red?" Rarer to find today, many of these crimson coins can be traced back to video arcades.

https://retroist.com/mystery-of-the-red-quarter-solved/

People who are fans of retro gaming will probably want to add an Atari 2600 to their collection. As they browse the endless numbers of them for sale online, they are probably wondering, how much ...

https://retroist.com/atari-2600-cost-in-1984/

I bookmark a lot of websites. So many that it can take me months or even years to re-stumble upon something I thought I needed to share. In 2015 this 1994 Best Buy Ad was posted on Imgur. I drool...

https://retroist.com/1994-best-buy-ad/

I almost hate to write this post, but the time has come. If you follow me on social media, you might notice that every once in a while I post an ad for Kraft Potato Fudge. It is one of my favorit...

https://retroist.com/potato-fudge-fake/

I was obsessed with shooting games when I was a kid. When we went to arcades or any places that had games with guns, I would spend my time pretend playing. Just holding the gun, shooting at the s...

https://retroist.com/shooting-games-1981/

Welcome to the Retroist MacGyver Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the classic TV show, MacGyver. I start off talking about what a poor MacGyver I would make since I lack subtlety in my ha...

https://retroist.com/retroist-macgyver-podcast/

Five Alive was a juice drink I used to love. This summer I was reminded of this magical elixir while waiting for a Ferry Boat in British Columbia, Canada. They had it listed on the soda machine a...

https://retroist.com/five-alive/

In 1983, the band Cinderella made a commercial for a chili dog restaurant called Pat's. In 30 seconds it combines wonderful local advertising with a snapshot of a band on the rise.

https://retroist.com/cinderella-chili-dog-commercial/

If a Superman Anti-Smoking PSA couldn’t convince you to not try smoking as a kid, I am not sure what could. These ads are not familiar to me. I never saw them when I was growing, but I believe ...

https://retroist.com/superman-anti-smoking-psa/

Welcome to the Retroist Rubik the Amazing Cube Podcast. On today’s show I start off by talking about the dark urges one feels when challenged to solve a puzzle they are not capable of solving. ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-rubik-amazing-cube-podcast/

Last week I got to remove another machine from my Pinball Bucket List, Grand Lizard Pinball. This was a game had some vague memories of playing as a kid, but could not nail down what I liked abou...

https://retroist.com/grand-lizard-pinball/

Some songs get released and are quickly forgotten. That is a shame when that song SHOULD become a holiday classic. In 1986, the song by Max Headroom, Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You’re A Lovel...

https://retroist.com/max-headroom-sings-merry-christmas-santa-claus-youre-lovely-guy/

When commercials started showing up in movie theaters, people started freaking out. It really didn’t bother me all that much. As long as the commercial was well-made and short, I didn’t mind ...

https://retroist.com/parker-brothers-video-games-movie-theater-commercial/

As the 1990s rolled around, the Cola Wars continued to rage. Coke and Pepsi would lock horns time and again. One releasing a new product and the other firing right back. It was a great time for n...

https://retroist.com/pepsi-license-to-chill-card/

I do not know how to play an instrument. That doesn’t mean I never tried. In school, I tried to play instruments, but that went nowhere. When I went to the mall as a kid, I inevitably gravitate...

https://retroist.com/learn-play-casio-tonebank-keyboard/

Since moving to Seattle, I have been a fan of the amazing Living Computer Museum. It is a regular stop for me when I have free time. Over the short years I have been here, it has continued to gro...

https://retroist.com/living-computers-museum/

I grew up in an area of New Jersey where pizza parlors were very common. They all had pretty decent pizza, but not one offered the Hair Metal Pizza Experience of Pony Express Pizza. This pizzeria...

https://retroist.com/hair-metal-pizza/

I was looking through some old photo albums last week when I found an envelope of wallet sized photos. These were all photos of my sisters when they were kids. Based on their size, I would say th...

https://retroist.com/sears-portrait-studios/

To celebrate the release of the mighty, but tiny NES Classic Edition, Nintendo has revived their iconic Powerline for one weekend only. Starting today, November 11th, the Powerline will be availa...

https://retroist.com/nintendo-powerline/

The holidays are quickly approaching. Soon we will be decorating our homes. As you make your list for holiday decorating needs, might I suggest you add Spray Snow to that list. Spray Snow has had...

https://retroist.com/spray-snow/

A few years ago I cut the cord. After years of trying to wrestle with my increasing cable bill, I went cold turkey. At first I regretted it. I missed my old stations. Especially the well-curated ...

https://retroist.com/watching-comet-tv/

Ah, Autumn in New York. With crisp air and beautiful changing leaves, who wouldn’t want to visit the Empire State this time of year? Oddly enough, a lot of people. That is why New York ran its ...

https://retroist.com/autumn-new-york-ad-campaign/

Did you ever wonder what the world would be like if ALF ran for President? Sure we all have had those thoughts. Picture the countless commercials, the ALF for President signs, and bumper stickers...

https://retroist.com/vote-alf-president/

When I call people nowadays, very rarely does anyone pick up the phone. People who know me will often text me back very quickly with an answer after listening to my message. We are living in a wo...

https://retroist.com/remember-att-telephone-tunes/

Welcome to the Retroist Mazes and Monsters Podcast. On today’s show, I start off by talking about my encounters with the film, but more importantly how my family reacted to it. As it turns out,...

https://retroist.com/retroist-mazes-monsters-podcast/

It took me a while, but I am finally releasing the Retroist Xanadu Podcast. In this episode, I start off talking about how I liked to enjoy this film as a kid. This leads to an encounter with one...

https://retroist.com/retroist-xanadu-podcast/

In the late 1980s, Ralston came up with a brilliant idea. People love to read the funnies while eating their morning breakfast, so why not combine the two? To that end, they created the short-liv...

https://retroist.com/remember-morning-funnies-cereal/

Once I started playing Dungeons & Dragons as a kid, I voraciously consumed anything related to the game. One of my “holy grail” items was a copy of Mattel’s Dungeons & Dragons Computer Laby...

https://retroist.com/dungeons-dragons-computer-labyrinth-game/

The music from cartoons, especially the stuff made in the 60’s and 70’s is criminally underrated. Many big time talents made beautiful tunes that set the mood for low quality animation, often...

https://retroist.com/listen-to-the-background-music-from-star-trek-the-animated-series/

When I first stumbled upon this commercial for a 1-900 number for crying, I thought, “This is amazing!” Mostly because I am not sure what to make of it. When you called this 1-900 number do y...

https://retroist.com/was-there-really-a-1-900-number-for-crying/

The world was an interesting place in the early 2000s. Taco Bell had ended its very popular Taco Bell Chihuahua ads (RIP Gidget) and was looking for a fresh face to help sell its various incarnat...

https://retroist.com/remember-when-amazons-jeff-bezos-appeared-in-a-taco-bell-commercial/

The music from the 1967 Spider-Man animated series is jazzy and catchy. Unfortunately, the music has never been released in a format that would allow us to enjoy it completely. I often wondered w...

https://retroist.com/listen-to-over-an-hour-of-background-music-from-the-1967-spider-man-animated-series/

The MS-DOS 5 Promo Video with its memorable visuals and music stylings is pretty close to perfect as advertising. Now you might laugh at the notion, but consider this one important fact. It is de...

https://retroist.com/this-is-how-you-sell-an-ms-dos-upgrade/

The Burnin’ Key Car concept was pretty simple. You get a small toy car and a key. Put the key in the small car. Give it a squeeze. Watch it go. If you loved toy cars in the eighties, you probab...

https://retroist.com/knight-rider-burnin-key-car/

Welcome to the Retroist Buckaroo Banzai Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the film classic, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. I start off talking about how lucky ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-buckaroo-banzai-podcast/

Flying for most people is not enjoyable. It is cramped with little room to move around and most of the time you are just counting the seconds until you can get off the place. That was not always ...

https://retroist.com/continental-airlines-club-and-pub-because-air-travel-used-to-be-amazing/

While most of us remember how magical and painful the Water Wiggle was, we don’t talk about Water Wiggles slightly less painful cousin, The Fun Fountain. This “fountain” consisted of a clow...

https://retroist.com/fun-fountain-wham-o/

While we never had an arcade, several locations in my hometown when I was growing up had video games. Off the top of my head I can name six of them, although I am sure there were more. I made my ...

https://retroist.com/konamis-track-field-or-how-i-failed-as-a-video-game-athlete/

Ark II is an American live-action science fiction series, aimed at children, that aired on CBS, beginning on September 11, 1976 and ending on December 18, 1976. The show’s opening monologue fol...

https://retroist.com/ark-ii-1976/

In 1963, TV legend Rod Serling, was interviewed on Australian radio. In the interview he does talk about his legendary creation, “The Twilight Zone“, even setting the host who had not seen th...

https://retroist.com/i-could-watch-animated-rod-serling-be-interviewed-all-day/

The image above is from an ad for a series of a well-loved, but somewhat forgotten game line. They ran in a lot of comics trying to get people excited for the amazing Questprobe line of games fea...

https://retroist.com/how-do-you-sell-marvel-themed-computer-games-in-1984-put-on-some-costumes/

Johnson did not really want to go to the 1983 Amusement Operators Expo. Sure he liked video games as much as the next person, but his job working at a game maker was only a step on his path to bi...

https://retroist.com/1983-expo-photo-qbert/

Have you ever had an awkward handshake that revolved around a greeting or departure? Maybe you led with the wrong hand or your handshake was too firm or too limp? Perhaps your experience was even...

https://retroist.com/do-you-know-the-official-atari-handshake/

Back when Pac-Mania was sweeping the nation, the Pac-Man marketing machine was in full swing. Cranking out quality items like coloring books, t-shirts, flying discs, kites, sneakers and of course...

https://retroist.com/did-you-own-any-pac-man-collectible-arcade-figures/

Many weekends during my childhood were spent dragged from our home to our family cabin nestled in the Wallowa Mountains in Eastern Oregon. Many a morning I’d wake up and find a thin layer of ic...

https://retroist.com/marshal-mallow-cocoa-mix/

Do you remember your first glow stick? I got mine one fine Halloween in the 1980s and to say I was fascinated with it would be an understatement. My mother had bought it for me for “safety reas...

https://retroist.com/the-magical-world-of-view-master-lite-up-light-toys/

I have always been more of a Marvel reader, but I am aware of the relative strengths of the various DC superheroes. Because of this, I have a hard time believing that Captain Cold would think tha...

https://retroist.com/captain-cold-vs-superman-and-superman-hot-cocoa-mix/

Welcome to the Retroist BJ and the Bear Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the classic TV show trucking with a chimp comedy, “BJ and the Bear”. I start off talking about my experience w...

https://retroist.com/retroist-bj-and-the-bear-podcast/

Like many people, when I find a food I enjoy, I want to eat it all the time. Nowadays, I realize that what I am going to get in the “home” version, will never be as good as what I get out. So...

https://retroist.com/in-the-eighties-i-had-a-serious-steak-umm-addiction/

There she is, your quarry. You have hunted her from one side of the house to the other. Creeping along silently, waiting for the perfect moment to pull the trigger on your toy gun. The problem is...

https://retroist.com/kenners-gun-that-shoots-around-the-corner/

When Gary Burton decided to pick up a new phone for his classic eighties car, he thought, “Why not add the ultimate eighties car accessory, the cellphone?” So he hit the antique mall and pick...

https://retroist.com/mobile-phone-pricing-plan-from-the-1980s/

Browsing old magazines and newspapers, it is amazing to see just how many people were using the United State’s 200th birthday as a flimsy excuse to sell something. I am sure they seemed like a ...

https://retroist.com/the-bicentennial-stereo-is-the-last-stereo-you-will-ever-need/

If you enjoy the TV show, Mr. Belvedere, you might be surprised to learn that the show that we came to love in the eighties was actually the 4th attempt to bring the characters to the small scree...

https://retroist.com/we-almost-had-a-mr-belvedere-tv-show-in-the-1950s-and-1960s/

For those who grew up in the Eighties, you probably have some memory of the yellow domed Tomytronic version of Pac-Man. While not a completely faithful port of the original game, this beautiful h...

https://retroist.com/tomytronics-pac-man-appears-on-the-tv-show-magnum-p-i/

Before R. L. Stine began dominating bookshelves with his famous Goosebumps books, he wrote lots of fun books for young people, including a run on the Indiana Jones “Find your Fate Books“. The...

https://retroist.com/did-you-know-the-r-l-stine-wrote-indiana-jones-books/

I am not sure if Board Game is the right term for Screech. It was more of a version of concentration, but a 1000 times more amazing since you played it in the dark and with a toy owl. In this 197...

https://retroist.com/screech-owl-board-game/

While strolling through the dairy section of my local supermarket last week I stumbled upon something a product that I had never seen before. An alliance of chocolate and marshmallow flavor in li...

https://retroist.com/easter-peeps-milk/

While I am a fan of using original hardware to play my Atari games, sometimes I have a hankering to play when I am not at home. When that happens I usually fire up an emulator, plug in my usb old...

https://retroist.com/a-review-of-atari-vault-on-steam/

Do you see that button above? Hard to resist right? I first saw one of these when I was a kid and my father took me to work. The machine was impressive, but that button…oh that button was irres...

https://retroist.com/what-does-the-big-red-button-on-ibm-mainframes-do/

If you have not seen or heard of the Sixties toy “Sixfinger”, you are in for a real treat. It is a toy finger that does very un-fingery stuff like a substitute for a pen or a can be a finger ...

https://retroist.com/sixfinger-the-most-amazing-toy-ever/

In 1982, Detroit’s Count Scary (portrayed by Detroit, Michigan-area radio disc jockey Tom Ryan) broadcast a 3-D TV special featuring the classic film, “Gorilla at Large”. Since everyone did...

https://retroist.com/ger-your-3-d-glasses-for-the-count-scary-3-d-party-at-wendys/

Welcome to the Retroist Duck Hunt Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the seminal video game shooting classic, Duck Hunt. I start off talking about my early experience with Duck Hunt and how...

https://retroist.com/retroist-duck-hunt-podcast/

I spend a lot of time at the Internet Archive. Any why wouldn’t I? They have music, podcasts, newspapers, magazines, video games and so much more. Recently my attention has turned to their vast...

https://retroist.com/vintage-pulp-magazine-archive/

I have always thought eggs were pretty cool, but when people started getting concerned about cholesterol, eggs were listed as a “sometimes food”. The Egg Industry did not quietly accept this ...

https://retroist.com/commercial-late-eighties-eggs/

If you go to flea markets or garage sales on a regular basis, you start to see recurring items that fire your imagination. With smartphones, it is pretty easy to find out what something is (and o...

https://retroist.com/a-green-smurf-no-it-is-an-astrosnik/

In the 1980s McGruff the Crime Dog was a force to be reckoned with. He made appearances in countless PSAs and if you were in school during this period you were probably shown videos featuring thi...

https://retroist.com/did-you-ever-get-your-mcgruff-the-crime-dog-mask/

The first 2-liter bottle of soda was released by Pepsi in 1970. The decision to size-up the beverage was pulled from market research led by John Sculley, who would eventually go on to lead Apple.

https://retroist.com/when-did-you-start-buying-soda-pop-in-2-liter-bottles/

My cousin had multiple slot car racing sets and every time I visited we would spend hours aggressively racing one another until rooms reeked of ozone and/or the cars were destroyed from flying of...

https://retroist.com/a-team-action-slot-car-racing-by-tyco/

A few years ago, The Verge did a story about two guys who created a modern hotline for Hall and Oates. I called that hotline a couple of times and told my friends about it, but then forgot about ...

https://retroist.com/need-a-pick-me-up-call-the-hall-and-oates-hotline/

In the early Nineties the video, “The Agony of Defeat” swept through the video store I worked at like a hurricane. People could not get enough of these insane, life-threatening sports blooper...

https://retroist.com/craig-t-nelson-hosts-and-narrates-the-agony-of-defeat/

Welcome to the Retroist Newhart Podcast. On today’s show I talk about the eighties’ sitcom hit, “Newhart”. I start off talking about how I would and still do run a good catchphrase into t...

https://retroist.com/retroist-newhart-podcast/

Original titled The Art Baker Show, You Asked for It was an early American TV show that original aired between 1950 and 1959. The concept of the show was great, which is probably why they have tr...

https://retroist.com/crooked-carnival-games-explained-early-1950s-television/

For those of you who grew up watching “The Price is Right” in the eighties and nineties, you might be surprised to learn that the format of the show shifted its formula only a few years after...

https://retroist.com/price-is-right-showcase-showdown-rainbow-wheel/

I remember heading over to New York City in the 1980s and riding on the subway. It was a memorable and somewhat scary experience, where I never felt in danger, but just felt what I can only descr...

https://retroist.com/a-new-york-city-train-ride-to-coney-island-in-1987/

In the not too distant past, litter was a real problem. I am not talking about the problem we have now with litter, but comically serious. People would toss stuff from moving cars, into oceans an...

https://retroist.com/star-trek-the-animated-series-wants-you-to-keep-america-beautiful/

Welcome to the Retroist RAD Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the 1986 epic BMX-themed masterpiece, RAD. I start off talking about my short-lived bike helmet, then I move onto the movie. I...

https://retroist.com/retroist-rad-podcast/

My sisters, like many people who like to rock, were a big fan of STYX. They saw STYX in concert, wore STYX shirts, and played their music incessantly. As someone who was slow to open up to differ...

https://retroist.com/styx-rocks-in-this-epic-1978-world-tour-promo/

Battle of the Bullies a.k.a. Revenge of the Nerd is near and dear to my heart. I watched this one a number of times in 1983. Incidentally, it is considered one of the better known CBS Afternoon P...

https://retroist.com/battle-of-the-bullies-a-k-a-revenge-of-the-nerd-1983/

When you think of slot car racing, I am sure just one thing comes to mind… Thunder…Thunder… Thundercats Ho! In the mid-eighties, at the height of ThunderCats fever, Tyco released the Thunde...

https://retroist.com/slot-car-racing-with-the-thundercats/

Why do companies invest so much money in buttery-voiced spokespeople who try to lure us in with their melodious voices when a monotone robot is scientifically proven to be 6 times more effective?...

https://retroist.com/giant-toys-r-us-robot/

The internet is a magical place for fans of nostalgia. Not only can it allow you to relive great moments from your past, but it can expose you to things that you never got to experience first-han...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-mr-pop-by-lakeside/

It doesn’t make sense that a gravely voiced man talking about cakes should be so comforting, but if you grew up within the selling range of Carvel Ice Cream and its peculiarly voiced founder To...

https://retroist.com/carvel-ice-cream-santa-claus-christmas-cookie-puss-cakes/

Long before social media and viral videos, people relied on old-fashioned print or TV advertising and word of mouth to help sell their products. Most of the time word of mouth was dependent on pr...

https://retroist.com/and-they-told-two-friends-how-faberge-organics-shampoo-explained-virality/

When asked my opinion on the colorization process, when they take old movies and add color to them, I will often say that they should not tamper with the original. That being said, I not so secre...

https://retroist.com/see-the-munsters-opening-credits-in-color/

A few years ago, I made a desktop wallpaper that was a minor hit. I am happy to bring you a new version made by a friend of mine. Enjoy, We Come in Peace (Christmas edition).

https://retroist.com/enjoy-this-christmas-edition-of-the-we-come-in-peace-desktop-wallpaper/

Welcome to the Retroist Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Podcast. On today’s show I talk all about the holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I have tried to release this episode during past ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-charlie-brown-thanksgiving-podcast/

This commercial is wonderful. Not only is it filled with the promise of technology that is now retro, but it combines the talents of Monty Python’s John Cleese and Star Wars legend and R2-D2 bu...

https://retroist.com/john-cleese-makes-a-wonderfully-silly-robot-in-this-1980s-sony-commercial/

You save and save to send little Jimmy off to college. He was an honors student and captain of the varsity bowling team. Everything seemed perfect on paper. So why did little Jimmy fail during th...

https://retroist.com/kids-fail-in-college-but-not-with-a-commodore-home-computer/

I feel like fish today. Whenever my Mother said those words while piling into the car, I would get excited because sometimes, but not all the time, it meant that we would be going to a fast-food ...

https://retroist.com/burger-kings-whaler-sandwich/

In the seventies, Henry Kloss invented the Advent Video Beam Television. It was a CRT TV projector that allowed you to watch TV on a projected screen. This wasn’t the standard projector size we...

https://retroist.com/videobeam-and-novabeam-televisions-and-henry-kloss/

The gas station in my town growing up, at least the one everyone went to, was an Exxon station. It was a hub in the town and for a very long time inspired a brand loyalty in the Exxon brand that ...

https://retroist.com/enjoy-this-radio-ad-that-celebrates-the-transition-of-esso-to-exxon/

In this commercial from the later part of the eighties, we see world-famous Chef Paul Prudhomme making some of the food that made him famous AND enjoying an ice-cold Pepsi. I never saw this comme...

https://retroist.com/pepsi-the-choice-of-a-new-southern-generation/

Released in 1982, “Demons to Diamonds” is an Atari title I acquired during the console’s original release. When I spotted it in a catalog I quickly put it on my Christmas list because I lov...

https://retroist.com/have-you-played-ataris-demons-to-diamonds-today/

When eBay was launched, I was an early buyer and went hog-wild buying Atari 2600 games and hardware. It was total wish-fulfillment. I wanted every game that I didn’t get in eighties and it was ...

https://retroist.com/james-bond-007-for-the-atari-2600/

I am nutty about robots. As a kid, I always wanted one, and as an adult, I have kept a close eye on the robot world looking for a bot that will finally be the electronic best friend I have dreame...

https://retroist.com/rb5x-the-personal-robot/

I have mentioned my infatuation with novelty phones a few times on the site, but for those who have not read some of my past rantings on the subject here is a quick summary. I wanted colorful qui...

https://retroist.com/phone-centers-the-business-of-the-80s/

When I was an impressionable young lad I remember I really loved scary stuff. As with many kids, Halloween was my favorite time of year! I don’t remember when my parents picked up Famous Ghost ...

https://retroist.com/famous-ghost-stories-with-scary-sounds/

Did you ever wish that you had snake-skinned shoes, but were terrified that those shoes could somehow bite you? This seemed to be a problem that needed addressing in the past and luckily Simco wa...

https://retroist.com/this-might-be-the-finest-retro-commercial-for-fake-snake-shoes/

Welcome to the Retroist Halloween Special VI Podcast. Today’s show is all about Halloween memories! That’s right it is time for the 6th Annual Retroist Halloween Special. It was a fun show to...

https://retroist.com/retroist-halloween-special-vi-podcast/

In late 1982, Cosmic Kids from Chef Boyardee hit store shelves. This pasta dish filled with oddly shaped noodles, meant to resemble aliens, robots, and UFOs, was a culinary masterpiece to me.

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-chef-boyardee-cosmic-kids/

Welcome to the Retroist House on Haunted Hill Podcast. On this episode of the show, I talk about the Vincent Price/William Castle horror classic, “House on Haunted Hill“. I start off by discu...

https://retroist.com/retroist-house-on-haunted-hill-podcast/

As a kid, any day at school where we got to watch a movie or a video of any kind, was a good day. I had a Math teacher who was obsessed with the Space Program and the Shuttles in particular. He w...

https://retroist.com/enjoy-some-1978-space-fun-with-this-episode-of-nova-final-frontier/

I grew up loving Madballs and didn’t think they could improve on the monster-faced ball genre of toys, but in 1992 they came out with Blurp Balls and things got very interesting. Not only did t...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-blurp-balls/

I was browsing the web last night, something I do often, when I stumbled upon this ad for Golden Dream Fashion Face Barbie. If you haven’t seen a Barbie Fashion face, the commercial should teac...

https://retroist.com/scary-barbie-fashion-face/

Welcome to the Retroist Blob Podcast. In this episode of the show, I talk about the horror classic, “The Blob”. I start off by discussing the way that different generations can enjoy the same...

https://retroist.com/retroist-blob-podcast/

I do enjoy shopping online, but when I was a kid, stores like Sears and Kmart were my family’s one-stop-shop for everything. I especially love Sears, where while my Mother did her shopping I co...

https://retroist.com/remember-the-sears-electronic-showplace/

I have seen English Leather in stores, but I have never used it, and for good reason. According to many ads I have seen over the years, this cologne won’t just make you smell might fine, but wi...

https://retroist.com/english-leather-will-turn-you-into-a-half-manhalf-lion/

At the Five and Dime in my hometown, one of the things near the front of the store, right near the register was a display of Play-Doh cans. Because of this, I found that I almost always had a fre...

https://retroist.com/did-you-have-the-kenner-play-doh-construction-set/

In 1972, Hawaiian Punch would donate money to the US Olympics effort for every can sold. At the same time, they ran the “Hawaiian Punch Munich Olympics Contest.” Where they would send the win...

https://retroist.com/hawaiian-punch-munich-olympics-contest/

Growing up in the New York area, I was exposed to all sorts of local advertising that will occasionally pop back into my brain. Recently I saw an ad for a local Renaissance Faire and it immediate...

https://retroist.com/i-never-made-it-to-the-new-york-renaissance-faire/

Welcome to the Retroist Summer Rental Podcast. On today’s show, I start off by talking about how my family would change completely when we took longer vacations “down the shore” and why I t...

https://retroist.com/retroist-summer-rental-podcast/

I love plums. Growing up we had a beautiful plum tree that would flower every spring and as the too-small fruit ripened, I knew that it meant that much fatter and much tastier plums would start a...

https://retroist.com/my-first-and-last-glass-of-prune-juice/

You are facing an ancient stump covered with faint writing. A path leads N. That’s how the game starts! Before you lies a high-rez landscape of…mucky green and baby poop brown. You move nort...

https://retroist.com/transylvania-for-the-apple-ii/

Welcome to the Retroist Desperately Seeking Susan Podcast. On today’s show, I start off by talking about how mysterious and dangerous I found New York City as a kid and how my sister would risk...

https://retroist.com/retroist-desperately-seeking-susan-podcast/

Gamescience started releasing dice several months ago, but recently Lou Zocchi and his legendary dice company have started to release the classic colors and professionally inked numbers that have...

https://retroist.com/gamescience-dice-are-back-in-production/

A lot of news outlets jump whenever McDonald’s tries to make their menu healthier. Because of this, you might think this is a new phenomenon. It is not, the fast-food giant has repeatedly attem...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-when-mcdonalds-went-lightn-crispy/

If you were alive in 1983, you’ve probably heard of The Day After. the television movie released on Sunday, November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. The film postulates a fictional war...

https://retroist.com/the-day-after-1983/

New York Deli Potato Chips still exist. Sadly I do not live in the Wise distribution area, so I will only speculate that they are good as I remembered back in the 1980’s. Even if they are not, ...

https://retroist.com/new-york-deli-potato-chips-my-purple-passion/

In the early seventies, Toyota tried its hand at creating a car that I still dream about. One that combines the ease of driving of a station wagon, with some of the convenience of an RV. Their fi...

https://retroist.com/who-wouldnt-want-a-toyota-rv-2/

Delirious was released on HBO on August 30, 1983 and boy was it a big deal. People in my neighborhood, who didn’t have HBO, would go over to other people’s homes on the night it was released ...

https://retroist.com/remembering-eddie-murphys-delirious/

Let’s take a minute to define absurd: ab·surd, adjective: (of an idea or suggestion) wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate.“the allegations are patently absurd”synonyms: prepost...

https://retroist.com/benji-takes-a-dive-at-marineland/

I have noticed that certain McDonald’s locations are very popular among the senior citizen crowd. One near my house would almost exclusively be filled with people over 60 between the hours of 6...

https://retroist.com/senior-citizen-love-mcdonalds/

This ad and the campaign around still gets talked about and shared on the internet often nowadays. It is pretty great, a simple family scene with everyone happy and some Burger King on the table....

https://retroist.com/the-mysteries-of-having-it-your-way-at-burger-king/

My Grandmother was a great person, who could be as quiet as the sphinx and then suddenly explode with opinions about the oddest subjects. Be it her opinion on TV detectives (they should be male a...

https://retroist.com/my-grandmother-and-haagen-dazs-ice-cream-scam/

During the waning hours of Thanksgiving eve 1971, a Boeing 727 leaves Portland bound for Seattle. This plane and its passengers will become the most infamous skyjacking in American history. A man...

https://retroist.com/in-search-of-db-cooper/

Welcome to the Retroist Berzerk Podcast. On today’s show, I start off by talking about how after breaking an Atari joystick while playing Berzerk, I grew closer to one friend and further apart ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-berzerk-podcast/

The Dungeons & Dragons Choose your Own Adventure Sticker Book was published in 1985. A product of the United Kingdom, it was written by Allen Sharp and illustrated by John Storey. What makes it s...

https://retroist.com/the-dungeons-dragons-choose-your-own-adventure-sticker-book/

A few years ago I found some old audio recordings I did back in 1981-1982. One was my 11 year old self singing this particular commercial. I forgot about the recording, but was just as pleased to...

https://retroist.com/aw-gottza-da-mozza/

What a commercial! Catchy futuristic computer beep beeping. Super serious naration. Sci-Fi looking vehicles. Super eighties man and woman. Tron-style digital grid. This one has it all! I desperat...

https://retroist.com/the-new-dress-digitals-from-timex/

Here is a book I can’t suggest enough if you’re looking for detailed reports about Bigfoot sightings. The Bigfoot Casebook was released in 1982 and was a favorite of mine since then. I first ...

https://retroist.com/the-bigfoot-casebook/

As a way to promote Wrestlemania, and just because they were awesome, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T were brought on to host Saturday Night Live on March 20, 1985. This was a great time to be a wrestling f...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-when-mr-t-and-hulk-hogan-hosted-saturday-night-live/

I am a lifelong player of RPG games, but I must admit for most of that time, I have hardly used miniatures for the actual gaming. While they help the players get an idea of setup and logistics, I...

https://retroist.com/my-gaming-session-wasnt-complete-without-my-grenadier-miniatures/

I love butter. I always have and I always will, but it was difficult when I was young because growing up in my house, margarine was king. My Grandmother just preferred the stuff and since she was...

https://retroist.com/be-healthy-and-start-all-your-days-with-margarine/

In 1982, Connecticut’s Metacomet Software released a program aimed at Cubing enthusiasts called “The Programmable Cube”. The program allowed you to explore the various ways to solve the cub...

https://retroist.com/metacomet-softwares-the-programmable-cube/

Having lived in an era before ABS I can tell you that it could be pretty terrifying not having it. My family had more than a few close calls where a better braking system might have spared us som...

https://retroist.com/an-early-informational-commercial-about-anti-lock-braking/

I had visions of treadmills in my head when I was growing up, mostly from ones I spotted in TV and movies. They were the modern version of the treadmill. One that moved on its own power, like the...

https://retroist.com/this-early-eighties-treadmill-ad-brings-back-memories/

Mini-series TV was a big deal in my family’s house when I was growing up. So when they announced Columbus in the mid-eighties I was very excited. I knew we would be watching it and this subject...

https://retroist.com/columbus-the-mini-series-presented-by-ibm/

Despite my deep affection for sugary cereal, I do not normally eat the chocolate-themed ones. This is probably because, during my formative years, when a chocolate cereal was in the house, it was...

https://retroist.com/breakfast-cereal-and-nostalgia/

I grew up in the shadow of Manhattan and back then the New York Times was a mysterious and seemingly “high-end” publication. Therefore it very rarely made an appearance in my childhood, but I...

https://retroist.com/this-eighties-family-really-loved-the-new-york-times/

Welcome to the Retroist Black Hole Podcast. On this episode I talk all about Disney’s late seventies science fiction classic, “The Black Hole”. I start off by talking about how films like �...

https://retroist.com/retroist-black-hole-podcast/

My first computer language book should have been BASIC. That is really the only type of language I was capable of understanding, but for some reason, it was not the first book that came into my p...

https://retroist.com/which-computer-language-will-you-grow-up-to-speak/

J. English Smith narrates the first part of this fantastic Sasquatch documentary; I say the first part because the documentary is abruptly split into two halves. After a quick flight over a heavi...

https://retroist.com/bigfoot-man-or-beast-1972/

Alright, I am back from Day 2 of the 2015 Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show and I am still in a bit of a daze. Mr. Do! broke today, which was a bummer, but it is amazing that so many games were k...

https://retroist.com/day-2-of-the-2015-northwest-pinball-and-arcade-show/

Well, I just spent many many hours at the opening day of the 2015 Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show and I had a great time. I met Matt again this year, who continues his amazing work as a Game Me...

https://retroist.com/day-1-of-the-2015-northwest-pinball-and-arcade-show/

In 1985, Bugs Bunny attempted to help the Trix Rabbit finally get his beloved cereal. Sadly, not even the disguise skills of the world's most famous cartoon rabbit can get that silly rabbit his T...

https://retroist.com/did-bugs-bunny-help-the-trix-rabbit-finally-get-some-trix/

In the eighties, I realized that at some point I would like to make an attempt at being a video game designer. Being a naive kid, with no real understanding of how to proceed, I did what I usuall...

https://retroist.com/an-eighties-vision-of-the-video-game-designer/

My family had a “Christmas Train”. It was a train set that we kept with our Xmas decorations and we would run it around the tree every year. I am not sure where it came from, but it was a sim...

https://retroist.com/my-first-model-railroading-set/

Welcome to the Retroist Stripes Podcast. On this episode, I talk all about the eighties comedy classic, Stripes. I start off explaining why I would watch movies dozens of times when I was younger...

https://retroist.com/retroist-stripes-podcast/

It happened very quickly. One day the corner store near my elementary school had a shelf filled with cupcakes and brownies, the next day it was gone and in its places was a rack filled with books...

https://retroist.com/my-elementary-schools-battle-with-cliffs-notes/

Photos is the closest I have come to seeing an Atari 1200XL Computer being used. What I know of the system mostly comes from its bad reputation as a “closed system” that was not adequately ba...

https://retroist.com/the-atari-1200xl-computer-in-action/

As a kid I would attempt to make my own Tiki-style drink creations out of anything even vaguely Hawaiian. So when Ocean Spray's Mauna La’i hit the market, it became my go-to fancy beverage.

https://retroist.com/tropical-dreams-and-ocean-spray-mauna-lai/

The corner store near my house had three arcade games that they rotated every few months. One of the games that survived a few rotations, probably because I pumped so many quarters into it, was B...

https://retroist.com/bump-n-jump-memories/

Buster Brown was the one company that could get me excited to go shopping for new shoes. Not only did they offer swell Care Bear themed shoes, but they also had ET Shoes. I must have begged for t...

https://retroist.com/et-shoes-from-buster-brown/

They made a lot of memorable Sprite commercials over the years. But this ad from 1985, which features aliens with light-up Spock ears has always stuck with me.

https://retroist.com/even-aliens-prefer-the-winning-taste-of-sprite/

Welcome to the Retroist Small Wonder Podcast. On today’s show, I talk all about the eighties cult sitcom, Small Wonder. I start off talking about how I often enjoyed this show during its initia...

https://retroist.com/retroist-small-wonder-podcast/

I have vague memories of a Peanut Butter hard candy called “Duets” from my youth, but when I went to search for it online, the results were unexpected. I found a commercial for an “Adults O...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remeber-duets-candy/

Since McDonald’s has a pretty robust menu, it might not surprise you to hear that starting the late seventies McDonald’s began selling a Chopped Beefsteak Sandwich in select locations. The Mc...

https://retroist.com/mcdonalds-chopped-beefsteak-sandwich/

Milk Mate was a liquid chocolate flavored syrup that billed itself as a better alternative to Nestles Quik. My family was already divided on our chocolate milk when this was introduced into our c...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-milk-mate/

Fruit Strip Gum has a reputation for losing its flavor quickly. When I bought a pack as a kid (and most of the time now), I usually just shotgun piece after piece trying to keep that painted on f...

https://retroist.com/the-truth-about-fruit-stripe-gum/

Welcome to the Retroist Gauntlet Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the 1985 arcade classic, Gauntlet. I start off talking about how this game helped me save face when I had some misgivings...

https://retroist.com/retroist-gauntlet-podcast/

Board games were a regular part of my life growing up. We had a little more than a handful of games that everyone I knew also seemed to have. Games like Monopoly, Life, Sorry, Trouble, Pay Day, a...

https://retroist.com/remembering-board-game-careers/

They were both tied to posts in the bedroom of Indiana’s newest nemesis, the villainous fifteen-year-old girl Tiffany. A teen as mean as her complexion was bad. Marion and Indy had spent the be...

https://retroist.com/raiders-of-the-lost-jar-of-oxy-clean/

Remember the good ol’ days? When you spent your summer days hanging down by the river? You had a Mountain Dew in one hand and a rope in the other. No one could swing across that River like you ...

https://retroist.com/diet-mountain-dew-for-the-mature-soda-drinker/

Nowadays it does not seem all that important, after all, most people are getting away from even using pens, but in my school in the eighties, ink that could be erased seemed like magic. It was es...

https://retroist.com/the-magic-of-the-the-erasable-pen/

Welcome to the Retroist Just One of the Guys Podcast. On today’s show, I start off talking about my time working at the video store (again). And about how videotape pausing was not restricted t...

https://retroist.com/retroist-just-one-of-the-guys-podcast/

When I was a kid, I had a friend who was really into sports. Not playing them, just watching them, collecting stats and playing games about them. I imagine wherever he is now, a lot of Fantasy Le...

https://retroist.com/that-one-time-i-played-subbuteo-table-soccer/

Lawn care on my block when I was growing up was serious business. I am not sure why, because people only had what amounted to a postage stamp of land to care for, but many took it very seriously....

https://retroist.com/sadly-my-family-never-owned-a-weed-eater/

Despite having seen hours of commercials for nail repair and press on nail kits, I still have no idea how they really work. When I was a kid though, I had a teacher who wore the press-on kind, I ...

https://retroist.com/lee-nails-and-press-on-nails/

Despite really enjoying the burgers at Burger King, they could never seem to match the flavor and consistency of the french fries they served at McDonald’s. It was a constant complaint of every...

https://retroist.com/burger-king-fries/

I will not argue that Cracker Jack is a great snack. Individual-sized boxes were sometimes bought as a treat in my house when I was growing up and I still indulge in a box from time to time nowad...

https://retroist.com/i-want-a-snack-cracker-jack/

Before Apple Slice, PepsiCo distributed another apple-flavored soda. It was called Aspen and it was available from 1978-1982. I do not have any memory of trying Aspen, but I have heard that it ta...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-aspen-soda/

Zenith made some very cool televisions back in the day. My Grandmother swore by them and wouldn’t buy another model. My earliest exposure to a remote control TV might have been on a Zenith. At ...

https://retroist.com/the-zenith-space-phone/

Welcome to the Retroist Voyagers Podcast. In this episode of the show, I talk about cult time travel TV classic, Voyagers! I start off talking about my love of history in books and why this TV sh...

https://retroist.com/retroist-voyagers-podcast/

Rice Krispie Treats were a delicious and fairly common weekend dessert at my family home when I was growing up. Sadly they never lasted long. We would cut them into nine squares and we would figh...

https://retroist.com/i-loved-golden-graham-smores/

As I have mentioned on the site before, I am a big fan of Mr. Do! I even did a podcast about this game which I love so much. When I mention a game or suggest people play it, I like to think that ...

https://retroist.com/mr-do-like-you-have-never-seen-him-before/

Welcome to the Retroist Breakfast Club Podcast. On this episode of the show, I talk about the 1985 John Hughes classic, “The Breakfast Club”. I start off talking about how surprisingly pleasa...

https://retroist.com/retroist-breakfast-club-podcast/

Call me overly cautious, but the idea of strapping an engine on my bike and reaching car-like speed never really appealed to me. I had friends though who were real speed demons and saved their mo...

https://retroist.com/who-wants-to-go-35-mph-on-their-bicycle/

At some point in the 1980s, my friend who owned an Apple computer picked up an interesting “game”. It was called RobotWar and when I heard him tell me the title over the phone I don’t think...

https://retroist.com/remember-programming-your-robot-in-robotwar/

Before it was an amazing bouncing ball by Maui Toys, Skyball was a net and ball set that I could never seem to get the hang of in the late eighties. Here is how I came to try it out. A friend of ...

https://retroist.com/skyball-never-let-it-hit-the-ground/

Welcome to the Retroist Bionic Woman Podcast. On today’s show, I talk all about the seventies sci-fi action TV series, The Bionic Woman. I start off talking about how the Bionic Woman added ext...

https://retroist.com/retroist-bionic-woman-podcast/

Ever wonder how they test the durability of those jeans you wear? Well according to this JC Penney’s commercial from the mid-seventies, it is all done by a humanoid robot named Super Dennis. On...

https://retroist.com/jc-penneys-robot-super-dennis/

When handheld video games were popular, I remember gathering around any kid who brought one to the schoolyard and jealously cheering them on as they ate ghosts, scored touchdowns or konged donkey...

https://retroist.com/mattel-electronics-computer-chess/

For a while Burger King had a dessert taste sensation I could not get enough of, the Burger King Spooner. It was a simple treat. You got some soft serve ice cream in a cup and they put Oreo cooki...

https://retroist.com/bring-back-the-burger-king-spooner/

In the early 1980s, a “novelty” song started getting a lot of play on the radio around where I lived. It was by the US/Australian artist Joe Dolce and it was called “Shaddap You Face”. Th...

https://retroist.com/joe-dolces-shaddap-you-face/

I have talked about my infatuation with Gatorade and their fancy glass bottles a couple of times here on the site. Today I would like to tell you about the time I finally was able to convince my ...

https://retroist.com/the-first-and-last-time-my-family-bought-powdered-gatorade/

My record collection when I was younger was riddled with K-Tel Records. My Mom was a big fan of “Greatest Hits” albums and back in the day, no one did it better than K-Tel. While I have many ...

https://retroist.com/k-tel-records-music-machine-robby-robot/

The first Thursday of every month means free entry for many museums in the city of Seattle. Since the first Thursday fell on January 1st this year, I thought that most of the museums wouldn’t b...

https://retroist.com/starting-the-new-year-at-seattles-living-computer-museum/

I was like most kids, you put me in front of a game and I will play it. So it doesn’t really surprise me that when I look back on my early computer gaming, I had some very positive associations...

https://retroist.com/i-loved-the-game-wall-street-by-ce-software/

In the Eighties, Post tried to revive its once popular cereal brand Crispy Critters. Unfortunately, it didn't take, but it did give us the adorable spokes-character, Crispy. I say it is time to b...

https://retroist.com/it-is-time-to-bring-back-crispy-critters-cereal-again/

In my family, if you wanted to eat, you had to be quick. Food went fast, especially things like frozen waffles. If we were lucky, we had one box, and that box was supposed to somehow last all mon...

https://retroist.com/the-early-bird-gets-the-eggo-waffle/

In 1983 one of my favorite candy bars, Twix added a new variety, the Peanut Butter Twix. I am not sure how long it took for me to get my hands on one, but when I did, I liked it a lot. So for the...

https://retroist.com/do-you-miss-peanut-butter-twix/

I was browsing through a 1980s computer magazine when I found this photo that accompanied an article about a wave of spiritual-themed software that was coming to computers in 1982. It reminded me...

https://retroist.com/biblical-home-computing-in-1982/

My family spent what often felt like decades doing food shopping. We would inch down every aisle, looking for deals while scratching stuff off a list that was supposed to last all month. After a ...

https://retroist.com/why-is-the-fonz-crying-the-star-magazine-has-the-answer/

I watched a lot of Saturday Morning Cartoons and the Public Service Announcements they ran during them really worked on me. I always listened to Timer and never Drowned my Food, so it should not ...

https://retroist.com/dont-skip-breakfast-listen-to-this-late-seventies-psa-and-have-a-quickfast/

This commercial is nothing all that special, except that it captures a small slice of life that many of us can relate to, waiting in the car while someone else shops in a store. In this ad from K...

https://retroist.com/waiting-in-the-car-while-your-family-shops/

Above is a Christmas ad for Empire Strikes Back toys and figures I found in an old magazine and used as my Christmas Card this year. It is pretty quiet here on the site, as it should be since tod...

https://retroist.com/i-hope-you-have-a-merry-and-retro-christmas/

When the time came to replace my old BMX bike with a ten-speed, I tried to stay brand loyal and asked for the Baja. I had not heard the term “mountain bike” at this point, but this bike seeme...

https://retroist.com/the-murray-baja-was-the-bike-i-wanted/

When I was younger, a trip to the Hardware store was always an important part of the holiday season. It usually happened right before my parents decided they were going to put up the tree and kno...

https://retroist.com/happy-holidays-from-your-local-hardware-store/

Welcome to the Retroist National Lampoons Christmas Vacation Podcast. On this episode of the show, we talk about the holiday classic, “Christmas Vacation.” I start off talking about my memora...

https://retroist.com/retroist-national-lampoons-christmas-vacation-podcast/

I have always associated M&M’s with the holiday season. Even before they started selling bags of just green and red M&M’s my family would stock up on them and put out a bowl for our holiday p...

https://retroist.com/christmas-time-is-a-great-time-for-mms/

I am not a big coffee drinker, but I come from a family where coffee was prepared multiple times per day. So I find the smell of coffee being prepared to be very satisfying. When I was young that...

https://retroist.com/joe-dimaggio-christmas-and-mr-coffee/

My family had a pretty decent sized record collection, sadly we didn’t take great care of them. I personally was probably responsible for the death of dozens of our albums through my poor treat...

https://retroist.com/protect-your-records-with-the-record-vacuum-by-ronco/

Welcome to the Retroist Karate Kid Podcast. On this episode of the show, I talk about the eighties martial arts dramedy classic, The Karate Kid. I begin by talking about a friend of mine who was ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-karate-kid-podcast/

I was what we used to call a garbage picker when I was a kid. I would go out on junk days or trash days and cruise the neighborhood looking for treasure. One of the stipulations my mother made ab...

https://retroist.com/brunswick-bowling-ball-ad-1982/

It might not surprise anyone who reads this blog to learn that I went through a Yo-Yo phase. I had a green Duncan Butterfly that I inherited from my sister that I carried around with me for about...

https://retroist.com/which-duncan-yo-yo-did-you-want/

“From the beginning of his time on earth, man has always been fascinated by monsters. Real or imagined…” Once again I’m here to gladly give you the run-down on another fascinating episode...

https://retroist.com/in-search-of-the-abominable-snowman/

Maybe I would have liked the Wispride cheese spread, but it was long gone when I discovered the discarded crock and started using it for my storage needs. It served as a home for my dice, pens an...

https://retroist.com/i-loved-the-wispride-cheese-crock/

Every December my family would gather in the kitchen to make Christmas cookies. We always made these same butter cookies that would turn hard as a rock if not eaten in 48 hours. Which meant eatin...

https://retroist.com/get-your-holidays-going-with-some-pillsbury-christmas-cookies/

When I was a kid, my Grandmother one time casually mentioned that she remembered when kids used to Trick or Treat on Thanksgiving. When I pressed her for details about it, she was vague, and it m...

https://retroist.com/trick-or-treat-thanksgiving-ragamuffin/

As you can see in this promo image for the Pontiac P-Car from 1982, they still weren’t even sure what the name of the car would be. The promo speculates the evocative “Sunfire”, but that na...

https://retroist.com/coming-soon-the-pontiac-p-car-fiero/

A lot of the smells of my childhood bring a smile to my face, but are difficult to replicate. I just can’t manage to capture that morning winter breakfast smell that would permeate the house wh...

https://retroist.com/i-love-the-smell-of-crayons/

Seeing commercials for the Pollenex Splash Dance Shower Radio might have been the first time I had seen a radio in a shower. Naturally, I wanted one, so that I could rock out and splash around. M...

https://retroist.com/the-splash-dance-shower-radio/

After the long slow decline, I am happy to see that new Roy Rogers restaurants are starting to open. In the 1980s, they were pretty popular in New Jersey and my family went a couple of times a ye...

https://retroist.com/slow-down-for-roy-rogers-fried-chicken/

This show, which ran from 1981-1985 was hosted by Dick Cavett and was a follow-up to the series “Time Was”. Each episode took a look back at a time in history or an event and used footage, ph...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-the-hbo-series-remember-when/

In the 1980s my sister dated a guy who fancied himself a car expert. He spent many weekend either working on or driving one of his three sports cars and I imagine he spent most weekdays talking a...

https://retroist.com/add-a-sunroof-to-your-car-with-the-funroof/

Welcome to the Retroist Carnival of Souls Podcast. On this episode of the show, I start off by talking about how my entire family discovered the film Carnival of Souls together. While not exactly...

https://retroist.com/retroist-carnival-of-souls-podcast/

As a kid I dabbled in sports. I wrestled, ran track, played little league baseball and a local recreation basketball. At most of these things I was horrible, but it didn’t stop me from trying. ...

https://retroist.com/my-quest-to-perfect-my-hook-shot/

The High School I went to did not have an open lunch program. That meant that you could not leave school grounds to eat and that the school cafeteria had a lock on lunches if you didn’t brown b...

https://retroist.com/school-lunch-and-the-amazing-magical-slush-puppie-machine/

The Lots-a-Lots-a-Leggggggs Caterpillars has a revival in the late 1990s, but I would like to focus on the ones that were produced in 1984/1985. I did not own one, but I did see the commercial th...

https://retroist.com/lots-a-lots-a-leggggggs-caterpillars/

Sticklets were a gum made by Wrigley in the 1980s. Taste-wise it wasn’t anything special, but it had an interesting gimmick and a decent ad campaign to make it stand out. Its gimmick was that t...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-sticklets-gum/

Welcome to the Retroist The Last Man on Earth Podcast. On this week’s show I talk all about the 1964 cult film classic, “The Last Man on Earth”. I start off talking about how the movie put ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-the-last-man-on-earth-podcast/

Oh how I miss Slice Apple Soda. When I was going through my Slice drinking phase in the 1980s, I was briefly smitten with their Apple flavor and it set me down a life long path of drinking apple ...

https://retroist.com/slice-apple-soda/

My choice in bubble gum was already Bubble Yum when they ran this instant win contest featuring Masters of the Universe toys as prizes. So I jumped into the Bubble Yum Masters of the Universe Ins...

https://retroist.com/the-bubble-yum-masters-of-the-universe-instant-winner-game/

Welcome to the Retroist Fat Albert Halloween Special Podcast. On this episode of the podcast, I start off by talking about a much-missed Halloween pal from years ago. Then I talk about one of the...

https://retroist.com/retroist-albert-halloween-special-podcast/

Did you have a store when you were a kid that always seemed very far away? For me growing up in New Jersey so close to New York I would see commercials for the supermarket chain Waldbaum’s almo...

https://retroist.com/waldbaums-always-seemed-so-far-away/

Glad Baggies were introduced in the 1960s, so I did not get to see how they completely revolutionized how people stored items, but I did get a lesson from my Grandmother about their convenience e...

https://retroist.com/remember-glad-baggies/

I make it no secret. I am a big fan of Monster Cereal and I believe that if it was available all year long, anytime would be a good time to eat it. But with the limited supply available to me, I ...

https://retroist.com/the-things-i-will-do-for-monster-cereal-this-time-of-year/

I always thought that Barbie & the Rockers was just a ripoff of Jem and the Holograms, but from what I have read online the relationship between these two properties is much more interesting. It ...

https://retroist.com/barbie-the-rockers-now-with-ken/

Welcome to the Retroist Night of the Creeps Podcast. In this episode, I talk all about the eighties cult classic, “Night of the Creeps”. I start out by talking about the magic of working at a...

https://retroist.com/retroist-night-of-the-creeps-podcast/

Welcome to the Retroist Tales from the Darkside Podcast. In this episode of the show, I start off talking about how my earliest exposure to Tale from the Darkside was through the too-thin walls o...

https://retroist.com/retroist-tales-from-the-darkside-podcast/

When I first started watching, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I thought the creator of the show and the guy who plays Mac, Rob McElhenney, looked really familiar. I looked him up online the...

https://retroist.com/rob-mcelhenney-from-its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia-does-a-nineties-anti-smoking-psa/

The G.I. Joe Commando Attack board game by Hasbro came out in 1985 and it was on all my circle of friends’ Christmas lists. My friend who lived around the corner got a copy and it became an obs...

https://retroist.com/g-i-joe-commando-attack-board-game/

Welcome to the Retroist Square Pegs Podcast. In this episode, I talk all about the short-lived 1980s sitcom, Square Pegs. I start off talking about how my sister turned me onto a lot of great tel...

https://retroist.com/retroist-square-pegs-podcast/

Attack of the Mutants was a board game published by Yaquinto Publications. They also published the stellar The Ironclads in 1979 as well as the Dallas board game. Attack of the Mutants was a slig...

https://retroist.com/are-you-ready-to-play-attack-of-the-mutants/

Sooooo…you think you’ve seen ALL the Castle Wolfenstein games, eh? Do you remember the one that STARTED IT ALL? Castle Wolfenstein was released by Muse Software in 1981 initially for the Appl...

https://retroist.com/castle-wolfenstein-by-muse-software-1981/

When we went to Burger King as a family, we always went to the same one. It was a great location, clean, unchanging, and of course beautifully decorated in shades of brown. Then one day in 1984 t...

https://retroist.com/remember-the-burger-king-salad-bar/

Welcome to the Retroist Club Paradise Podcast. In this episode of the show, I talk all about the 1986 Robin William’s comedy, “Club Paradise”. I start off talking about how I can’t believ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-club-paradise-podcast/

When the Intellivision was released it held the promise of a future component that would turn the Intellivision into a fully functional home computer. This much-delayed accessory had reliability ...

https://retroist.com/intellivision-keyboard-demonstration-cassette-video/

Pillow People and Pillow Pets were a line of stuffed rectangular toy pillows with faces designed on them that started around 1986. I would not say they were a huge hit, but for a year or two, the...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-pillow-people-and-pillow-pets/

I grew up in a house with two older sisters and a mother who were not immune to the fitness crazes of the 1980s. Normally I would just watch from afar and giggle at them as they did their aerobic...

https://retroist.com/crystal-light-made-a-splash-in-our-house-in-the-eighties/

My family went to Cooky’s Steak Pub after repeated viewings of these commercials and I don’t remember a thing about the main course. What I do remember is that they had a dessert bar and that...

https://retroist.com/cookys-steak-pub-memories/

I have never been to a Petland Discounts store in my life, but due to their seemingly robust advertising budget, I am very familiar with the chain and especially their mustachioed president and f...

https://retroist.com/remember-these-commercials-for-petland-discounts/

Carvel is a chain of ice cream stores that was very popular with my family. We not only stopped in for the occasional ice cream treat on the go but would also go there for their crunchy-heavy ice...

https://retroist.com/carvel-ice-cream-had-hug-me-the-bear-and-cookie-puss-dolls/

My family was bargain-conscious. Our cart during a food shopping excursion was stacked with generic brands, which according to my Mother, were just as good as the brand labels. She had a few cave...

https://retroist.com/my-choosy-mom-chose-jif-and-now-thats-all-i-choose/

In season 7 of Facts of Life back in 1985, in an episode titled “Men for All Seasons”, the gang is dealing with push back from Langley College when they decide to sell a male pinup poster fea...

https://retroist.com/the-jello-pudding-pop-makes-an-appearance-on-the-facts-of-life/

I had just seen “Strange Brew” on VHS when Pizza Hut started running these commercials featuring heroes of the Great White North, Bob & Doug Mackenzie. My friends and I were smitten with the ...

https://retroist.com/bob-and-doug-mackenzie-for-pizza-hut/

This rare but amazingly great documentary covers all the big ones (pun intended)! Bigfoot! The Yeti! The Loch Ness Monsters! All coming at cha in grainy 70’s drive-in goodness! The year was 197...

https://retroist.com/the-mysterious-monsters-1975-hosted-by-peter-graves/

One of my friends, when I was a kid, had a father who traveled for work a lot (especially to exotic California) and whenever he came home he would bring a gift with him. Since he was gone all the...

https://retroist.com/personalized-records-for-kids/

Did you know that in the made for TV movie The Love Boat II they mention that the Captain, Gopher, Isaac, and Doc all served together in Vietnam? This pretty much blew my mind and since hearing t...

https://retroist.com/their-leader-in-war-and-love-the-dashing-captain-stubing/

When I was in elementary school, I loved science class. Not just because I enjoyed the subject, but because we had a very engaging teacher who was constantly challenging us and making science fun...

https://retroist.com/memories-of-fischertechnik-toys/

The Bergen Mall opened up in 1957 and it was a favorite of my family long after much larger malls had eclipsed it. Now know as The Outlets at Bergen Town Center, the place is hardly recognizable ...

https://retroist.com/some-retro-photos-of-the-bergen-mall-in-paramus-nj/

I had only a passing interest in roleplaying in the old west until a friend of mine took it upon himself to try to get a Boot Hill campaign going after he bought a set at a garage sale. The sessi...

https://retroist.com/roleplay-in-the-old-west-with-boot-hill/

Pillsbury Pudding Pockets we a sublime treat that took boxed homemade cupcakes to the next level by putting pudding in the center to improve them. I think about them way too often.

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-pillsbury-pudding-pockets/

Although I had my heart set on an Apple IIc, my father thought that IBM was set for some success with their line of PCs. So, our first computer was an IBM PCjr (still running – thanks IBM!) and...

https://retroist.com/kings-quest-a-classic-adventure-returns/

Before I started seeing these memorable ads starring John Hillerman, who played Higgins on Magnum P.I., I had never even heard of Macadamia Nuts. But since the first commercial, I have always ass...

https://retroist.com/magnum-p-is-john-hillerman-for-mauna-loa-macadamia-nuts/

While I would never want to take screen time away from McDonaldland’s Captain Crook, the Filet-O-Fish Mermaid makes a pretty good mascot for the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich. The McDonald...

https://retroist.com/mcdonalds-filet-o-fish-mermaid/

Welcome to the Retroist Cannonball Run Podcast. On today’s show, I am going to talk about the cult comedy classic, “The Cannonball Run”. I start off talking about how much I enjoy driving a...

https://retroist.com/retroist-cannonball-run-podcast/

I tend to obsess over a particular food once I discover it. Say a new type of soup hits the stores and I taste it and like it, I will have that soup for weeks afterward. This is a family trait th...

https://retroist.com/so-much-suddenly-salad/

Sometimes you make big mistakes in your life and the results will haunt you. Other times you will make a small mistake and for some reason, the people in your life will make it haunt you. I can s...

https://retroist.com/the-great-dole-pineapple-orange-juice-mistake/

Last night I received a link from a friend to memorabilia related to a restaurant called “Burger Queen.” The restaurant chain, which launched in 1963, stayed as “Burger Queen” up until 19...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-burger-queen/

In 1971 the world was introduced to Wallace the Waffle-Whiffer. Wallace embodied Waffle Obsession. While he might be largely forgotten today, he is fondly remembered by those who were growing up ...

https://retroist.com/wallace-the-waffle-whiffer/

Welcome to the Retroist BurgerTime Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the 1982 arcade classic, BurgerTime. I begin the show by talking about how I worked out a system to get free credits on...

https://retroist.com/retroist-burgertime-podcast/

When you think of the stylish Sasson Jeans from the 1970s and 1980s, you probably think of disco or the famously hard-to-find Elton John commercial where he basically parodies “Sad Songs (Say s...

https://retroist.com/sasson-jeans-and-the-new-york-rangers/

I miss when Department Stores actually had a lot of departments, not just different categories of clothing. It made exploring them a lot more enjoyable. Up until 1983, J. C. Penney still had an a...

https://retroist.com/jc-penney-car-battery/

On a trip to Disney World in the 1980s, my Grandmother came along and she came prepared. Not just for herself, but for the entire family. When it started raining she reached into her bag and pull...

https://retroist.com/who-is-that-super-cool-kid-wearing-the-granola-bar-windbreaker/

It’s time to discuss another one of my all-time favorite Bigfoot movies as the summer of Sasquatch continues! Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot is the complete and only true story of Bigfoot eve...

https://retroist.com/sasquatch-the-legend-of-bigfoot/

This past week marked the anniversary of the passing of Frank Goodish, better known to the wrestling community as Bruiser Brody. Born in Detroit in 1946, Goodish was a standout athlete at Warren ...

https://retroist.com/dark-shadow-the-life-and-death-of-bruiser-brody/

Growing up in New Jersey, we had a selection of shore towns to visit during the summer. Where you went was largely based on where your parents had been taken as a kid. My parents were both Asbury...

https://retroist.com/mid-1980s-jersey-shore-seaside-heights-commercial-with-bonus-footage/

I grew up in a generic brand facial tissue household. So I had no idea that there were alternatives to the sandpaper-like single-ply nonsense I had always used until one day in the 1990s when I w...

https://retroist.com/puffs-tissues-have-been-around-since-the-1960s/

I am a proud supporter and follower of the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. I enjoy their daily posts on Facebook, especially their Throwback Thursday ones. Yesterday’s post was a real winner...

https://retroist.com/pacific-science-center-finds-a-piece-from-the-1962-worlds-fair-in-their-underground-tunnels/

Welcome to the Retroist Silent Running Podcast. On this week’s show I talk about the 1972 Sci-Fi classic, Silent Running. I start off by talking about how I miss the act of discovery and random...

https://retroist.com/retroist-silent-running-podcast/

In 1993, TSR released a board game based on Dungeons & Dragons called, DragonStrike. The game was well put together and was to serve as an introduction to roleplaying and more importantly the Dun...

https://retroist.com/you-must-watch-this-tutorial-video-for-the-1993-tsr-game-dragonstrike/

Grins & Smiles & Giggles & Laughs Cereal by Ralston was another one of those products that I sadly never got to try, but was raved about my older sisters (who loved to say the name over and over ...

https://retroist.com/grins-smiles-giggles-laughs-cereal/

Like many people who were alive in the 1980s, I went through a “Slice” drinking phase. Since Slice replaced, Teem, which I enjoyed, the move was a natural. But my drinking of it didn’t heat...

https://retroist.com/anyone-else-miss-cherry-cola-slice/

Welcome to the Retroist Atari 7800 Podcast. On today’s show, I start off by talking about how my Atari buddy and I kept waiting for the Atari 7800 and how a love for Atari turned him against Ni...

https://retroist.com/retroist-atari-7800-podcast/

The Awful Green Things from Outer Space is a great game two-player board game created by Tom Wham. Whalen created lots of great games and gaming material. While am a fan of a lot of his work. One...

https://retroist.com/awful-green-things-from-outer-space/

Way back in the summer of 1979, some 35 years ago, a wrestling faction was formed by the most unlikely trio of guys, maybe ever. They were young and liked to party way too much, they were crass a...

https://retroist.com/the-boys-are-back-the-fabulous-freebirds/

Ever since Warpo announced its upcoming Legends of Cthulhu Retro Action Figure Toy Line, it is all we can talk about here at Retroist HQ. We love the styling of the figures, the back story of War...

https://retroist.com/qa-with-legends-of-cthulhu-retro-action-figure-toy-line-company-warpo/

Welcome to the Retroist Fast Times at Ridgemont High Podcast. Aloha! On today’s show, I talk all about the classic 1980’s comedy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I start off with a story about ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-podcast/

This weekend I had the great pleasure of attending the 2014 Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show in Tacoma, WA. This 3-day event is a glorious all-you-can-play extravaganza that, as I think you will...

https://retroist.com/my-visit-to-the-northwest-pinball-and-arcade-show/

Ramblin’ Root Beer was a delicious, but now defunct root beer made by The Coca-Cola Company, starting in the 1970s. I do not drink root beer often, but when I did as a kid, I preferred the tast...

https://retroist.com/ramblin-root-beer-was-something-more/

The X20R was an average bike. Not remembered all that fondly by many people, but it is important to me because the X20R was the bike that I rode throughout my entire youth. It was a bit heavier t...

https://retroist.com/introducing-the-team-murray-x20r/

I never had a summer camp experience when I was a kid. Frankly, I never had much interest in the traditional summer camp activities. But when I started seeing these ads for Atari Computer Camp in...

https://retroist.com/atari-computer-camp/

The town I grew up in was lousy with warehouses and large companies. When I started to get into computing and made friends with like-minded folks, I found out that a lot of great, but slightly ol...

https://retroist.com/computing-in-amber/

Welcome to the Retroist Heavy Metal Podcast. On this week’s show I start off by talking about how a cool Uncle can sometimes do uncool things by showing young kids confusing films. Then I move ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-heavy-metal-podcast/

I have been playing Dungeons & Dragons again lately and the books have migrated from a closet to a prominent shelf in the living room where they belong. This has increased the amount of time I sp...

https://retroist.com/1st-edition-advanced-dungeons-and-dragons-cover-art-without-text/

Jerry O’Neil Lawler is one my favorite figures in wrestling history. He is both beloved and hated by fans and wrestlers alike, sometimes in the same conversation. The unquestioned “King of Me...

https://retroist.com/all-hail-the-king-jerry-lawler/

Portable Coleco Arcade Games were the thing of dreams when I was growing up. Their portable version of Pac-Man was a favorite of mine back then. The problem was, I never owned one. Luckily for me...

https://retroist.com/coleco-arcade-games/

My first encounter with Popeye’s was in the 1980s on a trip to Florida. I cannot say I was smitten with the food at that point, but I really liked the branding of the place. I loved the Popeye ...

https://retroist.com/popeyes-comic-strip-glasses/

I have a generic can of air near my computer that I use from time to time to keep the dust away from important computer parts. When I use it, I don’t think much of it, but in the 1980s, when I ...

https://retroist.com/my-first-experience-with-dust-off/

While I loved my Atari 2600 and it was perhaps one of the greatest toys I received as a kid. I still had great affection for dedicated systems like Coleco’s Telstar ‘Combat!’. Sure they had...

https://retroist.com/colecos-telstar-combat-video-game-system/

Welcome to the Retroist Godzilla the Animated Series Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about how the 1978 Godzilla Animated Series. I begin by talking about how my angelic singing voice got me i...

https://retroist.com/retroist-godzilla-the-animated-series-podcast/

My house, when I was growing up, had a mailbox right at the front door. For most of my neighbors, their mailbox was an actual hole in their door. So mail fell right into their house. As a kid who...

https://retroist.com/support-the-revival-retro-mid-century-modern-mailbox/

My father worked at the phone company when I was a kid and would occasionally bring home fun things for us to play with (or maybe we just grabbed stuff out of his bag?) The multi-colored wires, w...

https://retroist.com/bell-system-telephone-company-transfer-stenciling-kit/

This particular Brut commercial is laser-etched into my brain because it ran constantly. I remember asking my Mother if this was normal behavior for women in love with a “Brut man” and her an...

https://retroist.com/brut-cologne-and-my-sisters-dream-of-a-gender-swap-commercial/

Welcome to the Retroist Frogger Podcast. On today’s show I talk about the arcade classic, Frogger. This is a game I have always adored, so I am happy to finally be covering it in a podcast. I s...

https://retroist.com/retroist-frogger-podcast/

Up until the recent release of Pepsi Throwback I had always been more of a Coca-Cola drinker. Not that I didn’t like Pepsi, but my Mother was extremely brand loyal when it came to soft drinks. ...

https://retroist.com/burger-king-he-man-comic-strip-cups/

Growing up on the east coast, I had no idea that people went to Palm Springs for Spring Break until I spotted this video artifact on YouTube. It consists of footage of people on what looks like t...

https://retroist.com/home-video-of-spring-break-in-palm-springs-in-1990/

Welcome to the Retroist Wizards and Warriors Podcast. On today’s show, I talk about the short-lived fantasy TV show from 1983, Wizards and Warriors. I start off by talking about how pleasantly ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-wizards-and-warriors-podcast/

Robbinsdale is a small town in Eastern Minnesota. Founded in 1893, it is a perfect example of small town America. Its population has never reached 15,000, and crime is pretty much non-existent th...

https://retroist.com/the-original-power-plant-robbinsdale-high-school/

I had a small record player when I was a kid. It was a dull-looking plastic grey suitcase that I inherited from my sister and I toted it everywhere. I just loved staring at the record when it spu...

https://retroist.com/the-close-nplay-phonograph/

When I was a young teen, my friend and I decided to head into Manhattan for the day and took a ride on the subway. About 30 seconds after we left the station a guy sitting across from us stood up...

https://retroist.com/the-guardians-angels-had-a-comic-book/

Welcome to the Retroist Jewel of the Nile Podcast. On this week’s show, I talk about the 1980s romantic action-adventure comedy sequel, Jewel of the Nile. I start out talking about how HBO coul...

https://retroist.com/retroist-jewel-of-the-nile-podcast/

Over a period of 2 decades, The Our Gang Comedies assembled a legion of America’s most talented children, and laid hundreds of short films to print. A few of these child stars had successful ca...

https://retroist.com/meet-the-our-gang-cast/

It’s no secret I love the wrestling business. People laugh and think that somehow makes me an idiot because of it, but I don’t care. But I am a realist, and as much as some of the guys in the...

https://retroist.com/memories-of-owen-hart/

We had a bunch of outlet-type stores in my hometown. This made for some really interesting dumpster diving for me and my friends. Sometimes what you found was useful right away, like a working po...

https://retroist.com/remco-crayon-play-cosmetics/

In the mid-1980s, Wrinkles the talking dog puppets hit the toy scene. They were in the same vein as cabbage patch kids in that no two were supposed to be alike and you “adopted” them, but Wri...

https://retroist.com/remember-wrinkles-the-talking-dog-puppet/

We did not have a chain convenience store in my town, but we had an independent one that I thought was a magical place. It had nearly floor-to-ceiling shelves and refrigerators filled with snacks...

https://retroist.com/get-involved-in-the-revival-of-clearly-canadian/

Welcome to the Retroist Romancing the Stone Podcast. On this week’s show, I talk about the 1980’s romantic action-adventure comedy, Romancing the Stone. I start out talking about my naive tac...

https://retroist.com/retroist-romancing-the-stone-podcast/

I can only imagine what must have been going on at companies like Milton Bradley during the video game craze. How can we compete with these blasted video games! Well for many companies, the strat...

https://retroist.com/lets-play-arcade-mania-the-board-game/

I come from a fairly sensible family when it came to buying clothes. My Mother planned ahead. Knowing I would outgrow pants and shirts and would often size up so that I had room to grow into thin...

https://retroist.com/every-kid-wanted-this-hot-wheels-belt-buckle-back-in-1983/

This Sunday, WrestleMania XXX takes place at the Superdome in New Orleans. It’s amazing if you think about it, 30 years of WrestleMania. And on this monumental anniversary, the special celebrit...

https://retroist.com/drive-determination-demandments-hulk-hogan-part-1/

A few years ago I met a guy who enjoyed making music with old electronic toys. He would go goodwill and haul away just about anything that beeped or blooped and would take it home and try to make...

https://retroist.com/melody-madness/

The wrestling faction, or stable, from the Horseman to X-Factor (remember them?) has long been a part of the business. In this post, we will examine the best and worst of these groups and what th...

https://retroist.com/a-look-at-wrestling-factions/

I was out this past weekend at a street market. It was a really nice day and I managed to snag a bench to watch the crowds go by and enjoy the sun. I was sitting there for maybe 2 minutes when I ...

https://retroist.com/a-modern-encounter-with-the-lil-lady-bug-stroller/

In just under 2 weeks, 5 former WWE Superstars and 1 celebrity will be forever enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, none of them is Randy “Macho Man” Savage, but I think I’ve m...

https://retroist.com/wrestlemania-moments-of-the-2014-hall-of-fame-class/

Welcome to the Retroist Blues Brothers Podcast. In this week’s show, I talk about the timeless musical comedy classic, The Blues Brothers. I start by talking about my first exposure to The Blue...

https://retroist.com/retroist-blues-brothers-podcast/

I eat a good amount of popcorn. Mostly I like to use air poppers when possible. I had one as a kid and I just like the sound and the smell of using one. Despite that, I am no stranger to microwav...

https://retroist.com/orville-redenbacher-frozen-popcorn/

Welcome to the Retroist Cosmos Podcast. On today’s show I talk about the 1980 education science classic, Cosmos. First, I discuss my first exposure to this wonderful series. Then, I talk about ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-cosmos-podcast/

At some point in the 1980s my family became obsessed with places that has Salad Bars. Being younger than everyone else in my household, I was not yet completely on board the “vegetables are awe...

https://retroist.com/get-shakeys-pizza-salad-bar-for-99-cents/

I have never been much of a fan of the sun, but the rest of my family loved it! This was of course before skin cancer concerns became all the rage. This was back in the day when a natural tan was...

https://retroist.com/sea-ski-baby-oil-suntan-oil/

We had an Acme market at the heart of my town when I was growing up. For many years it was our go-to place for groceries. I loved going to the supermarket and browsing the aisles with my family, ...

https://retroist.com/acmes-econo-buy-products/

Here is another restaurant I have only heard about from their commercials, Boston Sea Party. The chain of seafood restaurants no longer exists, but they got their start and delicious pun of name ...

https://retroist.com/boston-sea-party-was-a-celebration-of-sea-food/

Growing up, I had a friend with who I loved to play Battleship. We played it at least once a week together for a year. Naturally, when we heard about Electronic Battleship, we both put it on our ...

https://retroist.com/electronic-battleship/

In the 1990s, I was often on the go and I DID need a beverage holder for my fast-paced lifestyle. Sure I had tried taping a can of soda to the front of my bike, but once I opened it after a rough...

https://retroist.com/summer-go-sports-from-long-john-silvers/

The basement of my childhood home was not huge, but it did have a few nooks and crannies that made it both an interesting and frightening place to be. In addition to several old wooden wardrobe c...

https://retroist.com/baby-carriages-can-be-a-terrifying-thing/

Welcome to the Retroist Hawaii Five-O Podcast. On this week’s show, we talk about the long-running police procedural drama, Hawaii Five-O. I start off talking about my early exposure to the sho...

https://retroist.com/retroist-hawaii-five-o-podcast/

The Crayola Caddy mighty not seem like that big of deal, but for me they seemed like the height of fanciness. As a kid I enjoyed art time with crayons and I kept my crayons as in as good a condit...

https://retroist.com/crayola-caddy-with-lazy-susan/

Ahh the Perm. My sisters and mother all went through a strange perm phase and I am not sure why. I never considered myself a good judge of hair, but their hair looked a lot better before they put...

https://retroist.com/lilt-softperm-lasts-for-months/

I loved my Atari. It was one of my favorite childhood gifts and one I would return to throughout my life. That could have gone horribly wrong if not for the timely intervention of my Mother back ...

https://retroist.com/what-is-inside-your-atari-vcs/

When I was on the small side, I remember going to a family friend’s house for some birthday party. I was younger than everyone else, so I was really bored. That was, until the presents were ope...

https://retroist.com/quickfire/

We had an Acme market in our downtown when I was growing up. On the aisle right next to the tiny floral section, among some canned goods, they would hang the object of a childhood obsession, the ...

https://retroist.com/i-miss-my-krazy-straw/

My childhood bedroom was rife with clowns. I am not sure what my family was thinking, but nearly every inch of my small darkly paneled walls had some sort of clown on it. When I was ill with even...

https://retroist.com/want-to-inspire-a-lifelong-fear-of-clowns-in-your-child-how-about-a-crib-clown/

So almost a year ago I wrote my first “retro-wrestling” piece here. That first little look back, entitled From Man to King – The Rise of the Macho King Randy Savage was uploaded on Februa...

https://retroist.com/the-madness-of-king-randy-savage/

Welcome to the Retroist RoboCop Podcast. On this week’s show, we talk about the 1987 sci-fi classic, RoboCop. I start off by talking about clearance toy stores and the value of older sibling gu...

https://retroist.com/retroist-robocop-podcast/

I love a good fast-food hamburger and I will go out of my way to try one from a chain or independent I have never tried before. So wherever I have lived, I tend to be a connoisseur of the local f...

https://retroist.com/yankee-doodle-dandy-they-were-more-than-just-hamburgers/

Frankie Avalon was kind of a big deal in our house when I was growing up. I watched a lot of his movies with my mother and when his now-classic, “Back to the Beach” came out, we saw it in the...

https://retroist.com/frankie-avalon-for-sonic-drive-in/

When my family decided to go out to eat, which we did not do that often, we had a bunch of restaurants and diners to choose from. But at some point in the 1980s, and I was not sure why at the tim...

https://retroist.com/the-ground-round-was-our-family-fun-place/

As someone whose favorite pastime is retro television, the internet has made my hobby a lot easier. Often I just use it to catch up on shows that I loved as a kid, but on other occasions, I am in...

https://retroist.com/discovering-the-game-show-three-on-a-match/

One particularly nondescript Sunday, my family was out for a stroll and stumbled across a yard sale. While fumbling through a box of toys I found something I had always wanted since I saw it at a...

https://retroist.com/if-you-need-me-i-will-be-having-fun-in-my-fun-l-tun-l/

If I needed another compelling reason to go to Hardee’s in the 1980s, the Marvel Comics 3-D Theatre Kids Meals would be it. You get your Theatre with the purchase of a kid’s meal and it came ...

https://retroist.com/hardees-marvel-comics-3-d-theatre-kids-meal/

One of my cousins has this space-age-looking Buck Rogers Electronic Target Game. During one Christmas holiday party, I think I spent the whole party in a darkened room shooting at light with ligh...

https://retroist.com/buck-rogers-electronic-target-game/

I was walking down the aisle in the Supermarket yesterday when I spotted the Snack Puddings on a really good sale and decided to pick some up for old time’s sake. Back in elementary school, one...

https://retroist.com/hunts-snack-pack-pudding-was-school-lunchtime-gold/

I still have my Mattel Electronic Football. When I was a kid, a friend of mine had the Coleco version and compared to my version it had a ton of features. That was cool for someone who was really...

https://retroist.com/are-you-ready-for-some-mattel-electronic-football/

Welcome to the Retroist Facts of Life Podcast. On this week’s show, we talk about the longest running sitcom of the 1980s, The Facts of Life. I start off by talking about how I met a future roo...

https://retroist.com/retroist-facts-of-life-podcast/

I have never owned a sleeping bag. I thought that I would need one when I started going to my friend’s house for sleepovers, but my anxiety about sleeping in someone else’s home limited my sl...

https://retroist.com/retro-nfl-sleeping-bags/

A few weeks ago, I was going through some fast food premiums when I discovered a toy that did not look like it belonged with the rest. For the life of me, I could not remember the name of the toy...

https://retroist.com/nerfuls-are-a-ball-to-be-around/

A couple of years ago, my Mother asked me to clean out an area of her basement we referred to as “the closet”. It was this partially walled-off area in our unfinished where we shoved large it...

https://retroist.com/my-tiny-disney-magic-kingdom-slide/

Oh, Suckerman! What a tremendous garage sale find you were. They wanted 75 cents and I offered a quarter and they took it! I took you home and immediately tried sticking you to stuff. You stayed ...

https://retroist.com/glow-in-the-dark-suckerman-takes-a-lickin-and-that-disgusted-my-sisters/

In the 1980s, my family took a memorable trip to Niagra Falls. We stayed on the Canadian side and in three days managed to pack a week’s worth of attraction into our itinerary. One of the place...

https://retroist.com/feeding-the-deer-at-niagara-falls-marineland/

I would not count myself in the legion of raisin based cereal eaters, but as a young person I was constantly exposed to the stuff and I quickly developed an opinion about which was my favorite. M...

https://retroist.com/bring-back-crispy-wheats-n-raisins/

I might not have been able to get out to Disneyland as a kid, but I tried my best to keep up on what was going on there. In 1985, the park was celebrating its big 30th anniversary and they were g...

https://retroist.com/disneylands-30th-anniversary-car-giveaway/

The McDonald's Roast Beef Sandwich nearly went nationwide in the late Sixties. While it was ultimately a failure, it did teach the growing food giant important lessons on research and logistics.

https://retroist.com/mcdonalds-served-roast-beef-on-a-roll/

I would have loved anything CHiPs related as a kid, but if I had gotten either of these dream CHiPs Cycles (with Sirens!), this is what would have happened in my house. I wake up on my birthday a...

https://retroist.com/chips-cycles-for-kids-with-sirens/

A few years ago my mother and her good friend were having an argument about an ad campaign that they both remembered vaguely. The thing was, they couldn’t remember the product or the exact word...

https://retroist.com/calgon-take-me-away/

Welcome to the Retroist X-Files Podcast. On this week’s show, we talk about the iconic, sci-fi, horror TV show, The X-Files. I start off by talking about what sort of a UFO nut I was as a kid a...

https://retroist.com/retroist-x-files-podcast/

A couple of years ago, when I went to visit my mother, she had a giant box waiting for me to go through. I thought it would be a mix of retro stuff that I accumulated over the years. It was retro...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-the-dairy-queen-nfl-drink-cups/

My family loved the work of Bing Crosby in both film and music. The “Road to” films are still some of my favorites and it really doesn’t feel like Christmas in my home unless Bing is crooni...

https://retroist.com/bing-crosby-for-minute-maid-orange-juice/

Welcome to the Retroist Planet of the Apes Podcast. On this week’s show, we talk about the greatest film about a world run by apes, 1968’s “Planet of the Apes”. I talk about how easily di...

https://retroist.com/retroist-planet-of-the-apes-podcast/

I enjoy a nice cold glass of milk with certain foods. Anything with chocolate is perfect and I love it with pastries. I do not fault people who enjoy it with other foods, even if I do not underst...

https://retroist.com/what-good-things-go-with-milk-according-to-people-in-1978-everything/

I have a loose box of cereal and fast food premiums that I keep in my closet. Unsurprisingly the box is almost immovable since it was packed so tightly. When I tried last week, the bottom started...

https://retroist.com/mcdonalds-mcnugget-buddies/

Keebler Pizzarias were the first nationally available snack chip made from pizza dough. They were also the closest we came to a true pizza snack. It has been decades since they disappeared and th...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-keebler-pizzarias/

I imagine their heat-retaining qualities are similar, but since you will be warmed by the dozens of compliments while wearing this amazing Spider-Man mask, that is the one that will keep you warm...

https://retroist.com/which-ski-mask-will-keep-you-warmer-spider-man-or-the-hulk/

My cousins took a trip to a far off land called “California” in the 1980s. It was a place I only glimpsed in TV and movies. When they returned they regaled me with tales of this magical land....

https://retroist.com/the-legend-of-a-restaurant-called-sizzler/

At some point in the 1980s, my family got cable and not too longer afterwards we got the Disney Channel. Back then their programming was not as robustly originally as it is today. So they would s...

https://retroist.com/i-would-look-good-in-this-walt-disney-davy-crockett-jacket/

I got on the Smurf bandwagon pretty early on and then I rode that wagon well past the socially acceptable age. I am not sure what it was about these little blue guys, but their gravitational pull...

https://retroist.com/smurf-cereal-memories/

I spent many summer weekends with my cousins in the far northern wilds of New Jersey. Then during autumn and winter, they would have often come and visit us. I remember one year in the 1980s goin...

https://retroist.com/are-you-hot-enough-to-play-with-journey-on-your-atari/

Welcome to the Retroist Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas Podcast. On this week’s show, we talk about the Muppet holiday classic, “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas“. I start off by talki...

https://retroist.com/retroist-emmet-otters-jug-band-christmas-podcast/

Welcome to the Retroist How the Grinch Stole Christmas Podcast. On this week’s show we talk about the 1960’s animated holiday classic, “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” We co...

https://retroist.com/retroist-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-podcast/

My cousins who lived nearby had an amazingly ornate cardboard fort that their parents bought for them at Sears. It was set up in their finished basement and once I played in it, I would not shut ...

https://retroist.com/remember-cardboard-playhouses/

Welcome to the Retroist The Secret of My Success Podcast. On today’s show, I talk all about the 1980s cult classic, The Secret of My Success. I begin by talking about my time in corporate Ameri...

https://retroist.com/retroist-the-secret-of-my-success-podcast/

My sister had a 45 of this song that she never listened to, which intrigued me (plus it had a purple label and a pumpkin on it). When I asked her about it, she told me to stop going through her r...

https://retroist.com/moon-unit-zappa-performs-valley-girl-on-solid-gold-in-1982/

Growing up with older siblings could lead to a lot of envy, especially when they would brag on products I never got to try. Both of my sisters knew I loved breakfast cereals and they would regale...

https://retroist.com/grapefellow-cereal/

I remember visiting my sister when she was in High School. She showed me the gym, weight and exercise machine room. I guess the stuff was cutting edge when the school first opened, but to me at t...

https://retroist.com/nothing-like-early-1980s-exercise-equipment/

The other day in the Retroist forums, Drahken brought up Nerf Pool, which is something I had not thought of in years. My cousin owned a set and we would play it in the basement on a table next to...

https://retroist.com/lets-play-some-nerf-pool/

Growing up in New Jersey, one of the TV stations I counted on throughout my youth was WPIX. They broadcast a great number of shows and movies that I recall fondly here on the site. One of the bes...

https://retroist.com/as-a-kid-i-watched-star-trek-on-wpix-channel-11/

Perhaps memories of Post Fruit & Fibre are not exactly noteworthy, but that is probably because you did not live with a family who went through a fiber obsession phase. I do not remember the exac...

https://retroist.com/memories-of-post-fruit-fibre-cereal-why/

Welcome to the Retroist Electric Dreams Podcast. On today’s show, I talk all about the 1980s cult classic, Electric Dreams. This is one of my favorite movies and probably the finest example of ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-electric-dreams-podcast/

It is getting harder and harder to remember a time when a TV station had a proper “sign-off”. I was a constant “stay-up-late” sneak as a kid and would watch with pride as whatever station...

https://retroist.com/early-1980s-hbo-sign-off/

Welcome to the Retroist Snorks Podcast. On today’s show we talk all about the 80s cartoon, The Snorks. Despite what people might say, this is not JUST a pale imitation of The Smurfs. During the...

https://retroist.com/retroist-snorks-podcast/

If you ever spend time with young people and computers, you might notice that they disappear into the digital world pretty quickly. This is not a new phenomenon. As you can see in this photo from...

https://retroist.com/notice-the-intense-focus-in-this-1980s-computer-lab/

They were selling the Play-Doh Microscope Set for about 10 bucks at the local 5 and 10 when I was a kid. Since at that tender age, I had decided I wanted to be involved with science as an adult, ...

https://retroist.com/i-never-did-get-that-play-doh-microscope-set/

Welcome to the Retroist Halloween Special V Podcast. Today’s show is all about Halloween memories! That’s right, it is time for the 5th Annual Retroist Halloween Special. It was a fun show to...

https://retroist.com/retroist-halloween-special-v-podcast/

Welcome to the Retroist John Carpenters The Thing Podcast. On today’s show, we talk all about the horror sci-fi classic, John Carpenter’s The Thing. We talk about the cast, the plot, the peop...

https://retroist.com/retroist-john-carpenters-the-thing-podcast/

When I was younger and we shopped at Sear of Kmart, it was often a multi-hour affair. So my Mom would let me wander the store while she and my sisters shopped for whatever it is we needed at the ...

https://retroist.com/1984-rca-product-demo-video-loop/

When I was a kid, my eldest sister got a job at a dentist’s office. It seemed like a pretty cool job for her and it made going to the dentist a lot less stressful. As a strange side-effect of h...

https://retroist.com/the-play-doh-dr-drill-n-fill-did-not-make-me-a-dentist/

I am happy to say that I am a lot better organized then I was when I took this photos. I guess this was around 1996 or 1997 based on some of the toys on my desk. The computer pictured was with me...

https://retroist.com/my-computer-setup-in-the-mid-1990s/

I love sugar, especially in my drinks. I always have. So whenever an artificial sweetener hits the market, I have rushed to try it in the hopes that I could take in fewer calories and be able to ...

https://retroist.com/discover-equal-sweetener/

I remember the first time I heard the word “diamelle”. It was in a TV commercial much like this one for the horseshoe ring. The word struck me as funny, but I had no idea what a diamelle was,...

https://retroist.com/get-your-sparkling-diamelle-horseshoe-ring/

Welcome to the Retroist Twilight Zone Podcast. On today’s show, we talk all about the Sci-Fi TV classic, The Twilight Zone. I talk about the show’s creator, its writers, the people in front o...

https://retroist.com/retroist-twilight-zone-podcast/

In 1979, The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t premiered on television. I did not catch it at the time, but like many people, I caught it on the Disney Channel where it would be broadcast l every Oc...

https://retroist.com/the-halloween-that-almost-wasnt/

I think we need a lot more toys where you stick your fingers into the mouths of monsters. I only have vague memories of playing this brilliant game, but seeing this commercial makes me want to se...

https://retroist.com/i-vant-to-bite-your-finger-by-hasbro/

If you plan on being anywhere near Portland, Oregon this upcoming weekend (October 5-6) and you enjoy retro video games, I suggest you drop everything you are doing and head over to the Portland ...

https://retroist.com/head-to-portland-this-weekend-for-retro-gaming-magic-at-the-portland-retro-gaming-expo-2013/

As a kid, I had Mr. Wizard’s Experiments in Electronics and it was one of my favorite things to play with. The set came to me second-hand, from some neighbor who gave it to my Mom to give to me...

https://retroist.com/mr-wizards-experiments-in-electronics/

If you are a regular on the site, you probably know already that it is hard to shut me up on the subject of Monster Cereals (especially this time of year). Well all my crowing and Boo Berry costu...

https://retroist.com/the-retroist-is-featured-in-a-general-mills-blog-post-about-monster-cereal-fandom/

The town I grew up in had a reputation for its plentiful animal slaughterhouses before I was born. By the time I came along, there were very few left, but the ones that did exist allowed you to p...

https://retroist.com/friday-meant-it-was-time-for-shaken-bake/

Welcome to the Retroist Back to School Podcast. On today’s show, I talk all about the Rodney Dangerfield comedy classic, Back to School. On this show, I talk about the people behind and in fron...

https://retroist.com/retroist-back-to-school-podcast/

Nothing about what am about to write is exactly “retro”, but I wanted to share a show I enjoyed. I am a big fan of television and I am always looking for a show that gets me excited for the m...

https://retroist.com/why-i-like-netflixs-new-ricky-gervais-show-derek/

We had the game Perfection in my house growing up. I it picked up for a dollar at a local garage sale. Throughout my childhood, I had a love/hate relationship with the game. I knew every piece an...

https://retroist.com/superfection/

My family did their food shopping once a month and it was an event. We would spend hours in either Pathmark or ShopRite, strolling up and down the aisle, looking for sales, and wading through a p...

https://retroist.com/a-cold-coke-in-a-paper-cup-made-for-a-wonderful-supermarket-treat/

We are pretty big fans of the Monster Cereals here at the Retroist and have been waiting and hoping that they would one day resurrect Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy. When they announced the r...

https://retroist.com/my-first-taste-of-the-re-released-monster-cereals-yummy-mummy-and-frute-brute/

We used to have a sticker on the back of our cable remote control that listed all the channels. After about 2 month, it would get gross and gnarly looking and would slowly begin to peel off. Afte...

https://retroist.com/cable-channel-guide-telaction/

Welcome to the Retroist Fast Food Memories Podcast. This week I am joined by a large crew of folks who are here to share their memories about fast food. I hope you enjoy the show and that it trig...

https://retroist.com/retroist-fast-food-memories-podcast/

If You Had Wings was an attraction at Walt Disney World that was open from June 5, 1972, to June 1, 1987. It was a two-person dark ride in Tomorrowland that was sponsored by Eastern Air Lines. Th...

https://retroist.com/how-walt-disney-worlds-if-you-had-wings-traumatized-my-nana/

The Sears catalog was a staple of American shopping for a very long time and for most of that time, it was virtually unchanged. Sure, they added color photos and you could eventually use the phon...

https://retroist.com/shop-sears-via-laserdisc-yes-with-the-sears-tele-shop-catalog-laserdisc-1981/

I remember my sisters went through a flavored lip gloss phase at some point. I remember because I went into their room and got in big trouble, not for trying on their lip gloss (which I did), but...

https://retroist.com/mego-lip-gloss-lockets/

For the longest time, I have been waiting and watching the store shelves. Waiting for the “lost” Monster Cereals, Frute Brute, and Yummy Mummy to return. I have to admit, a few times my hopes...

https://retroist.com/frute-brute-and-fruity-yummy-mummy-are-returning-to-store-shelves-this-fall/

Welcome to the Retroist Snorks Podcast. Welcome to the Retroist Road Trip Memories Special. On this week’s episode, Robot Voice and I hit the open road. Along the way we listen to many talented...

https://retroist.com/retroist-road-trip-memories-podcast/

The gum business in my elementary school was booming and Bubble Yum was the gum that brought in the most money. How do I know? Because I was an illicit gum seller. I peddled Bazooka gum at a dime...

https://retroist.com/confessions-of-an-elementary-school-gum-peddler/

Curt Hennig was born in Robbinsdale, Minnesota on March 28th, 1958. The son of wrestling legend Larry “The Axe” Hennig, there was little doubt what career path he would take. He trained under...

https://retroist.com/perfection-is-attainable-memories-of-curt-hennig/

Welcome to the Retroist Head of the Class Podcast. On this week’s show I talk about the 80s sitcom classic, Head of the Class. I start off talking about my time in school and how my mother was ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-head-of-the-class-podcast/

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman themed frozen french fries from your grocery store!

https://retroist.com/fries-of-steel-the-superman-french-fries-story/

I grew up in a town with a lot of pizza parlors. Pizza was such a common occurrence that we very rarely bought the frozen variety and we did it was usually some cheap rectangle pizza. I would see...

https://retroist.com/for-the-love-of-french-bread-pizza/

I have always loved novelty music. When I would get my hand on an LP as a kid, I would put it on the giant console stereo we owned and would lay on the floor with my dog and listen and usually be...

https://retroist.com/tony-randall-and-jack-klugman-sing-youre-so-vain/

I had a friend who went to visit family in Houston back in the 1980s and he came home with many tales of the Amazing Six Flags “AstroWorld”. We had our own Six Flags in New Jersey. It is call...

https://retroist.com/sadly-i-never-got-to-visit-astroworld/

Clowns, some call them funny, friendly, kind of creepy, and just damn scary. I’m not sure what Vince McMahon was thinking when he created the character of Doink the Clown, but I wish he had rec...

https://retroist.com/everyone-loves-a-clown-the-doink-story/

Weird Paul Petroskey continues to put up wonderful original content from his youth on his Vlog. This week he posted a video of something he mentioned a couple of days ago, a homemade Star Wars Ca...

https://retroist.com/did-you-make-your-own-star-wars-catalog-back-in-1983-this-kid-did/

I am not from Missouri, but I would like to think if I was, I would have been a fan of Pete Parisi. He created this wonderful show called World Wide Magazine that ran from 1986 to 2001 on Public ...

https://retroist.com/downtown-maplewood-has-everything/

Nothing like heading over to the old Pizza hut for a 10″ single topping thin & crispy pizza for $1.59. Feeling like you need to treat yourself to something more substantial? How about a Thick &...

https://retroist.com/what-were-the-lunch-special-at-pizza-hut-in-1976/

Not only is Ally Sheedy a talented actress but she also wrote two books. The 2nd book was a book of poetry in 1991, but her first book was an interesting tale about a mouse who witnesses history ...

https://retroist.com/a-young-ally-sheedy-on-to-tell-the-truth-in-1975/

Welcome to the Retroist Galaga Podcast. On today’s show I talk about the video game classic, Galaga. I begin by talking about my experiences with Galaga. After that, I talk about the game itsel...

https://retroist.com/retroist-galaga-podcast/

I had a Digger the Dog that I inherited from my sister. I dragged that thing everywhere I went, through the yard, down the street, and all around the house. Digger though was not the only dog in ...

https://retroist.com/digger-the-dog-was-the-only-friend-i-needed/

I would not have either, except in the 1980s my family went on a trip to Canada and I was blown away not just by the Chip selection and the novelty of the brands. One that really stuck with me wa...

https://retroist.com/remember-hostess-potato-chips/

In the late 1980s I picked up my first “The Might Be Giants Album” after hearing them on a local radio station. I found their music to be both fun and novel and I listened to them a lot. Even...

https://retroist.com/my-first-they-might-be-giants-concert/

We live in amazing times. I can walk into any convenience store and get a single serving fountain drink that is 64 oz. But it hasn’t always been like that, I can remember a time when 64 oz was ...

https://retroist.com/in-1977-the-new-64-oz-pepsi-was-the-boss/

Welcome to the Retroist Dobie Gillis Podcast. On this week’s show I talk all about the legendary sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. I talk about the characters, the cast, being alone with ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-dobie-gillis-podcast/

Do you like technology? Are you in Seattle or are you planning a trip to Seattle? Do yourself a favor and add The Living Computer Museum to your itinerary. The Museum which is located on 2245 1st...

https://retroist.com/in-seattle-love-computers-visit-the-living-computer-museum/

In 1983 Vlogger Weird Paul wrote dozens of programs for his C64 and saved them to a disc. That disc was lost for decades, with one of those decades spent under some couch cushions. It's a miracle...

https://retroist.com/as-an-adult-paul-finds-a-c64-disc-filled-with-his-programs-from-1983/

According to one commercial from Atari, if you have a tough boss to beat in a video game, all you got to do is call a very large person to take them on. It is scientifically proven that only mono...

https://retroist.com/need-help-with-vanguard-on-the-atari-2600-call-luther/

Welcome to the Retroist On the Right Track Podcast. On this week’s show, I talk all about the Gary Coleman comedy classic, On the Right Track. This film was very popular on cable TV in the 1980...

https://retroist.com/retroist-on-the-right-track-podcast/

I do not remember McDonald’s Onion Nuggets, but members of my family were big onion ring fans. So much so that they would only go to fast food places that had Onion Rings when I was a kid. They...

https://retroist.com/remember-mcdonalds-onion-nuggets/

Armourcote commercials are a perfect example of a type of ads you just don’t see as much as you used to, and when they do, they are never this detailed. Although perhaps infomercials are just e...

https://retroist.com/armourcote-ii-because-you-cant-cook-a-chicken-on-a-diamond-ring/

In 1983, for the second series of 3¾” G.I. Joe action figures, a silver-headed villain started showing up in TV ads. His name was Destro and I had to have him! Metal-domed and bare-chested, De...

https://retroist.com/destro-jumps-out-of-my-tv-and-into-my-heart/

A tragic tale indeed, but the Von Erich family story is one that everyone should know. Maybe a brighter future is ahead for the 3rd generation, they sure deserve it.

https://retroist.com/tragedy-in-texas-the-sad-story-of-the-von-erich-family/

Welcome to the Retroist Ms Pac-Man Podcast. On this week’s show I talk all about the legendary video game, Ms. Pac-Man. This is one of my favorite arcade games and I thrilled to finally get to ...

https://retroist.com/retroist-ms-pac-man-podcast/

A few months ago my friend Chris brought up this commercial. It had taken me a quarter-century to get “Yonkers” guy out of my head, but he is back and in full force. Now I am saying it non-st...

https://retroist.com/1986-new-york-lottery-ad-the-one-with-they-guy-from-yonkers/

I was surfing the web this morning when I found an image of this long-forgotten watch, The Seiko Data 2000. I never owned one, but when I was in school I had a friend who was really into gadgets,...

https://retroist.com/the-1983-sieko-computer-watch-the-data-2000/

UPDATE: You can now order shirts here. Good news for the fans of the site who have been asking me for a Retroist t-shirt or were interested when I made the post last week. The shirts are in! I wa...

https://retroist.com/order-your-very-own-retroist-t-shirt-today/

This ad is from 1978 and it caught my eye because of Elvis, but it is so much more interesting when you look at the details. Almost 100 bucks for an Elvis film is a lot of cash, but pretty normal...

https://retroist.com/get-your-elvis-movie-cartridges/

Welcome to the Retroist Retroist Leave it to Beaver Podcast. On this week’s show I talk all about the classic TV sitcom, Leave it to Beaver. The show begins with me talking about comfort televi...

https://retroist.com/retroist-leave-it-to-beaver-podcast/

Ricky & Robert’s popularity caused the formation of the Midnight Rockers, without whom, Shawn Michaels wouldn’t be the great star he is. So, take a load off and enjoy the trip back into the 8...

https://retroist.com/the-rock-n-roll-express-a-tale-of-bandannas-bad-hair-and-babes/

Over the years I have had a bunch of requests for some sort of Retroist t-shirt. I have been looking into it for just about as long and I think I am finally going to pull the trigger and get some...

https://retroist.com/the-retroist-t-shirt-plan/

The department store known as Two Guys got its start in Harrison, New Jersey. The discount chain, which was originally called Two Guys from Harrison founded by Sidney and Herbert Hubschman in 194...

https://retroist.com/do-you-remember-two-guys-department-stores/

As you might have noticed from the website, I am a bit of a throwback. I enjoy devices that might have often been replaced by newer technology. One of those things is radio. I know I can listen t...

https://retroist.com/rediscovering-radio-with-the-geneva-worldradio/