Weekend Reading 06/19/21

Here is this week’s curated collection of retro, geek, and nostalgia-themed posts and articles from around the web for you to relax with this weekend. If you know of something I should check out you can leave the link in the comments and I may add it to next week’s edition.

Video of the Week

While recording this week’s episode of the TRN Time Machine Podcast, Jason off-handedly mentioned the video he done at one point called Memory Jogger: The Movie. It’s a film he shot when he returned home a while back, and he and childhood Wyatt went back to all of their old haunts to check things out. I’m highly intrigued by it since I’ve heard a lot of Jason’s story and plan to watch it. I figured I’d make it the video of the week for this Weekend Edition so we could all watch it together. Enjoy.

Action Figure Appreciation

Toys have been in my life since I can remember. Of course, playing with them as a kid, then picking up what I thought were cool properties in my late teen years, hard-core collecting new stuff in my early twenties, and writing about them ever since. While I’ve always loved all toys, action figures have always been the backbone of my fandom. So with that as a premise, here’s a look at a few from my collection that I want to show love to in this edition of Retro Ramblings.


Torch
G.I. Joe – 1986

I’ve chosen to start with a figure from the G.I. Joe: A Real American hero line because G.I. Joe always was, and probably always will be my favorite action figure line. Hell, not just action figures…probably of any toy line. Once I got my very first Joe and Cobra figures, the battle started raging and has never stopped. I was one of the lucky kids who had a LOT of G.I. Joe stuff. Not as much as my friend Aaron, but still more than most kids I knew.

While I loved them all, the Cobra side of things seems to contain more of my favorite figures than on the Joe side. And within the ranks of Cobra, I think the Dreadnoks were my favorites. For some reason, while off on a trip with my Dad, my brother brought me home Torch, Ripper, and Buzzer to go along with the Zartan that I already had. I’m sure my Dad was actually behind it, but it was a cool gesture on my brother’s part anyway. Maybe my Dad saw in the Dreadnoks one of the things I saw in them…that they looked and acted like my uncles…Dad’s brothers. But he wouldn’t have known of their antics or attitudes having not watched the cartoon with me. Ol’ Torch here in particular looks like my uncle Randy. And was crazy like Randy now that I think about it.

But as for the figure itself, it’s hard not to love him since he sports shaggy hair, a bandana, and shades. A look that I myself have been known to sport from time to time. Hell, I even sported the same facial hair for a while back about ten years ago. Maybe this is where my inspiration came from, I don’t know. Add in the fact that he carries a flame thrower and isn’t afraid to use it doesn’t hurt his case either.

Chuck Norris in Kung Fu Training Gi
Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos – 1986

So Chuck Norris’ Karate Kommandos was a short-lived cartoon series back in 1985 and/or 1986, and like just about every other cartoon series of the time, got its own toy line. There were numerous versions of Chuck in the toy line, and somehow I ended up with this one. Maybe it was the only one on the shelf at the time, or maybe I just like his color scheme. Either way, he ended up coming home with me and was forced to do battle in the wrestling ring with the likes of Ric Flair from the old Remco AWA All-Star Wrestlers.

All of the figures from this Karate Kommando’s line had special action figures, and this had some kind of action kick that made him a little hard to pose and a little hard to play with actually. But surprisingly enough, this is still my very own original figure that I got way back when. I recently found him in an old box of stuff that I probably haven’t opened in more than twenty years. His nose is missing now. I think it makes him look even tougher.

Hulk Hogan 1984 Version
Hulk Still Rules 3-pack from WWE Classic Superstars – 2005 ish?

You know wrestling has been as big a part of my life as action figures have been, so I had more than my share of wrestling figures through the years. While I was never a Hulkamaniac, I can appreciate what he has meant to the business. Even though I’m not a fan, I still didn’t mind displaying the figures from this set.

And if I was ever going to be into Hulk Hogan, it would have been in the mid-’80s, as that is when he seems to have been the least aggravating. These figures were really nice for the time with the extra articulation and the little extras like the removable knee pads. But figures of today blow these away already with everything you can do with them. But I still rotate him in and out with other figures I have on display. It’s still too nice of a figure not to.

Well, there’s some appreciation for three old action figures. For some more action figure love, check out the post I did on some of my favorite Wrestling Action Figures of the Past.

More Old Comic Book Ads

The first time we looked at Some Old Comic Book Ads it was a hit, so it’s time to browse through some more and see what kind of nostalgia they stir up! I’ve said it before, but old comic books are like mini time capsules offering a glimpse into the past via the ads found inside. Here are five more to tickle your nostalgia bone in this four-color edition of Retro Ramblings.


Matchbox Cars Puffy Stickers (1984)

So toy cars like Matchbox and Hot Wheels have always been fun, and back in the ’80s, stickers were a huge thing. And some of the best stickers you could find to add to your collection were of the puffy variety. I put them up there neck and neck with scratch and sniff stickers. With that said, this ad really hits high for me because you could get both Matchbox cars AND puffy stickers in one fun package! That’s a lot of fun packed into one little package. I can just imagine going to Hills on the weekend and talked my folks into buying this for me. I’d have not one, but three Matchbox cars to play with, and have 25 puffy stickers to boot! That would go a long way toward making that weekend awesome.

Ski or Die Nintendo Game (1990)

Of course, you know I love all things Nintendo, and I was always fond of Ultra Games selection of titles. I had several of their offerings, but never this one. I don’t even remember this game from back in the day. But I guess stuff like that is to be expected due to there being so many games available, and my locations for purchasing games being so few back then. I really like the Skate or Die game, and this just looks to be another version of that but set in the middle of what they call a “nasty snow sport spectacular” where it’s the survival of the fastest, raddest, and baddest. That’s their spelling, not mine. The graphics shown in the ad actually look pretty good for old 8-bit Nintendo. I’ve gotta find a ROM for this game and fire it up later.

Risk Board Game (1984)

I think this ad does an incredible job of conveying its message, and that message is that you can take control of the strategies and moves that may win or lose a war. Just like the generals pictured in the ad do. Now while I’m not sure that portraying it in this way is healthy, it certainly is effective. I was first introduced to Risk at a sleepover birthday party at my friend Lance’s house. He busted that thing out later in the night, and none of us went to sleep as we just continued to play the game until daylight. I’ve been a fan of it ever since, but I sadly no longer own a copy of it. Until the last couple of years, my kids have not been old enough to understand or enjoy it, but now I might have to pick it up again and start a game with them.

Cracker Jack (1991)

Are there people still in this world that eat Cracker Jack? I don’t ask that question as a knock on it, because I still enjoy it. It just seems like you never see anyone eating the stuff. Not even at baseball games. Or at least not at the minor league games I go to. Sorry, I had to get that question out of the way. The real draw to this ad for me is the miniature Topps baseball cards that came in the boxes of Cracker Jack at this time. 1991 was right in the middle of my trading card obsession, so any time I had a chance to get my hands on some, I was in. And if that meant I got a tasty box of Cracker Jack to go along with them, even better. I no longer possess any of these miniature cards, but I had quite a few of them back then. A quick check of eBay shows that I can get 63 assorted cards from 1991 for just $10. I might have to do that.

Star Comics Subscriptions (1986)

Star Comics was a division of Marvel Comics and focused on producing licensed property comics. If you look at that listing of what was available, it’s a treasure trove of shows we loved as kids. If you could subscribe to three of these offerings, which three would you choose? My picks would be He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Ewoks, and Thundercats. That would be some quality reading time right there.

Weekend Reading 06/13/21

Here’s this week’s curated collection of fun retro and nostalgic posts and stories from around the world wide web that I’ve come across this week. And remember, if you know of something you think I would enjoy reading, then leave a comment with the link so I can check it out!

Curated

From the Retro Ramblings Archives

Video of the Week

Watching Chad open that pack of American Gladiators cards made me really nostalgic for the old show, so I headed over to YouTube to find a clip of the greatest moment of the series to share with you. It’s from the 1992 Grand Championship episode and features an incredible ending. The video only features the final Eliminator obstacle course so it’s not that long, but I promise, it’s worth your time to watch the climatic sequence.

A Tribute to Nerds Cereal

You know me and food. We have a love/hate relationship. I love it when it’s around, but I hate it when it’s gone. Just like Nerds cereal. Loved it from the moment I saw it…and have hated the loss of it since it left store shelves. It’s just one of many kinds of cereal I miss. Let’s pay it a little tribute here in this edition of Retro Ramblings.


The Nerds candy itself hit the market in 1983 and was an immediate hit with kids everywhere. Due to the huge success of the candy, Nerds cereal came along two years later.  It hit the market in 1985 and featured the same gimmick that made the candy popular by featuring not one, but two flavors in every box. And since you could get the candy in several two-flavor varieties, the cereal followed suit and offered two different, two-flavored options as well. You weren’t restricted to a lone new cereal on the shelf, oh no, you had your choice of boxes where one featured the dual choices of Grape N’ Strawberry, and the other box featured Orange N’ Cherry. 

If you take a good look at the two boxes pictured above you’ll notice another super-cool feature about Nerds cereal. So not only did you get two different cereals in each box, but you also got two different cereal premiums in each box! They were going all-in on the two cereal theme by putting a prize in each side of the box. And not only that but there were different prizes offered in each of the two boxes. That was a savvy marketing gimmick right there. I’m sure kids all over the country used the argument with their parents that they needed all four toys in an attempt to get more of this fantastic cereal.

It wasn’t just the fronts of the boxes that featured the premiums to be found inside as the backs of the boxes did as well. As a matter of fact, the pictures below show that each box featured a different back panel design for each of the cereals inside. They were truly treating this as two different cereals which just happened to be housed in the same container.

I do wonder about something though. Did both boxes of Nerds cereal come in the same case, or were grocery stores having to order a case of each? Based on my experience in the grocery business, I would think each set of flavors would have been ordered separately, but maybe this was different. If any of you reading this have any idea, please let the rest of us know.

And if all these fantastic features weren’t enough to make Nerds cereal memorable, Ralston and Nerds went even further to double-down on the dual variety theme when they introduced the special Nerds cereal bowl.

    For just a couple of proofs of purchase and fifty cents, you could send away and get the official Nerds cereal bowl.  That thing was so awesome.  It was divided into two different compartments so you could enjoy both flavors in the same bowl, yet still keep them separate.  But the sweetest feature of it was that it had a gate built into the dividing wall of the bowl!  You could raise the gate a little and let the milk flow between compartments.  Or you could raise it all the way and let both cereal flavors mingle together.  As far as main-in offers go, this one is in the top ten of my lifetime.

    I’m not sure if I had the bowl or not. Part of my brain seems to remember it, but the other half tells me I’m crazy because if I did actually have it, I would have never let it go. In the past, I’ve sat and stared off in the distance trying to dig into the deepest recesses of my mind searching for the answer to this question.

    Nerds cereal was perfect for its time. It had a great product that it was based on (the candy), it had several unbelievable gimmicks, and it had an eager audience waiting to eat it up (all of us 7-year-olds). In today’s much more health-conscious environment, I don’t know that Nerds cereal could get made. But I know one thing, if it did, I’d take the ride all over again.