Monthly Archives: August 2021

Weekend Reading 08/29/21

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It’s time once again to dive into the retro and nostalgia-themed news, articles, and blog posts I’ve come across over the past week while surfing the interwebs. Pour yourself a cup of coffee (or tea) and get ready for some fun.

In the News

Retro & Nostalgia Reads

I want to take a little space to tell you about The Act of Discovery newsletter brought to you by the fine folks of The Retroist. If you’re reading this Weekend Edition, then you obviously like reading about interesting things with a retro and nostalgic slant, so I know you’d like the newsletter as well. I’ve been a subscriber for a little while now, and it has quickly become one of my five favorites things on the internet every week. You can head over to The Retroist and sign up to receive it each week in your email. It’s always been a great read, and best of all, it’s free! Check it out.

And before I get out of here, I want to give you a heads up about some stuff coming to Retro Ramblings this week. On Monday, stop by and check out the cool junk food we’ve already found for the 2022 Halloween and fall seasons. And on Wednesday the Retro Streaming Guide for September will be dropping highlighting all of the retro shows and movies coming to your favorite streaming platforms. And finally, on Friday be sure to check out the Friday Five post where I’m looking at some old McDonald’s tray lines. They’re awesome, and so are you. Thanks for reading this week, and enjoy the video of the week below before you head out!

Video of the Week

With the college football season starting, and some recent news about some major conference realignments, I thought it would be a good time to present to you the history of re-alignments in the sport. This is a really fascinating look at one of the more important aspects of the world of college football, and very appropriate for this point in time.

Some of My Favorite Saturday Morning Cartoons of the ’80s

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For today’s installment of Retro Ramblings, I’m you with a few of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons from the ’80s. I put a couple of stipulations on myself for this one. First, only Saturday morning cartoons. No before or after-school syndicated cartoons, so that knocked stuff out like He-Man and G.I. Joe. Second, all the cartoons on this list had to debut in the ’80s, so no Scooby-Doo either. I’ll tackle all of those missing cartoons at some point in the future, but for now, let’s get into these Saturday morning cartoons of the ’80s!

The Smurfs

To me, The Smurfs were not only one of my favorite cartoons, but I think the case could be made that it was one of the best cartoons to come out of the decade. I loved the medieval setting along with all of the forest stuff in it as well. For some reason, I was always a fan of seeing stuff get built, and The Smurfs had a lot of that. I remember when Handy had to get everyone together to build a dam. I’m sure I pulled out some LEGOs and tried to recreate that at some point during that Saturday afternoon.

Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears

A lot about why I loved the Smurfs also applies to why I loved The Gummi Bears. Medieval theme? Check. Lots of forest action? Check. Getting to see them build stuff? Check off that one as well. Beyond the Smurfs though, the Gummi Bears had such rich colors in its animation, and the lore behind it I found more engaging than that of The Smurfs. It hit on all cylinders for me and was a cartoon that I dared not miss on Saturday mornings.

Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling

Being into pro wrestling like I was, there was no way I wasn’t going to watch this one. I can remember knowing about it well in advance of its debut, probably from constant hyping on WWF Superstars if I had to guess. But even though most of the plots had little to nothing to do with actual wrestling, it was still a really fun cartoon. As much as I enjoyed the animated part, I believe I enjoyed the live-action comedy scenes just as much.

Mr. T

I didn’t know any boy at school around my age who didn’t watch The A-Team. And I also didn’t know any boy around my age at school whose favorite character on that show wasn’t B.A. Barracus played by Mr. T. We were all totally enamored with the guy. Hell, I still am. I even wrote a feature for The Retro Network about 12 Things You May Not Know About Mr. T. So the cartoon was just a natural extension for me. I don’t know how or why they landed on the concept of having Mr. T coaching a teen gymnastics team, but whatever, it worked. The stories were simple, but the action was fun. And much like Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling, I loved the live-action segments with Mr. T himself.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

My older brother had been into comic books since the late ’70s, and I would see his books and want to read them, but I was just at an age where they couldn’t hold my attention long enough for me to actually read them. So having this cartoon to watch at that time filled my need for comic book characters in a much easier-to-digest format. I loved it then for what it was, but now as an adult, I appreciate it even more when I go back and watch it because the show featured so many cool characters over its run. If you haven’t watched it in a while, I suggest you give it another look on Disney+.

That’s it for this edition of Retro Ramblings. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of more posts here for you to go explore.

Highlights From a Johnson Smith Company Ad

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While the name may not ring a bell to everyone, I’m sure you grew up seeing these ads in comic books and marveling at the wonders they promised. Let’s check out some of the items offered that intrigue me in this very weird edition of Retro Ramblings.

Click the image for a larger, full-resolution version!

These ads changed through the years as new products were introduced, but I don’t think they ever really discontinued many items. I would assume everything was pretty much always available because I seem to remember actual bound catalogs being available at some point. I always wanted things I saw in these ads, but could never save any of my allowances on weekends long enough to get a money order to get anything with. So let’s look at some of the things I found interesting through my younger years in this ad.

X-Ray Vision Glasses

Ok. So what red-blooded pre-teen boy wouldn’t want something like this? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what we would have in mind when ordering these. That little line there about being able to see-through clothes probably sold more pairs of these than anything else. But according to the fabulous book, Mail-Order Mysteries, these were just an optical illusion created by feather-like things between two pieces of cardboard with little holes in them. What a bummer. I wish I had never read that, as I had spent my whole life wondering “what if?”.

Pocket Spy Telescope

Now this is a cool little gadget. Imagine carrying around a telescope in your shirt pocket. I know it couldn’t possibly magnify things too much, but for something that small that fits in your pocket, it had to magnify enough to make it cool. It could have been the start of a budding spy career.

Secret Weapon Spy Watch

Speaking of a spy career, this watch seems like it would have been great for that schoolyard profession. Mainly because if you got caught spying, you could fire a shot at whoever caught you to allow you to get away without being actually apprehended. Surely this watch would have gone unnoticed by anyone as being anything other than a normal old watch.

Smoke From Your Fingertips

I always had this idea that I could use this stuff to make classmates fear me. I mean, wouldn’t that be scary? If you were swelling up against some kid in your class, and all of a sudden he popped a puff of smoke from his fingertips in anger, wouldn’t that make you take a step back? That’s what I had in mind when I wanted to get my hands on this stuff. Bud sadly, it apparently was just some goo that went between your fingers, and when you pulled them apart, it came apart in tiny strings that just kind of looked like smoke. Curses. Foiled again.

1001 Free Things

So this may very well be the best value on the whole page. I mean, it only costs $1.25, and you’re gonna find out how to get over 1000 things for free! Nothing else on the page can even come close to this kind of value. Maps, toys, games, jewelry, coins, stamps…c’mon, this thing is the mother lode. Of all the things I’ve highlighted here, I think this is the one I wish I could go back in time and order. Even if it was junk, I think it would provide days and weeks of cool fun as you browsed the listings, possibly sent away for some of the free stuff, and then waited anxiously for it to arrive. Simpler times.

Weekend Reading 08/22/21

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It’s that time once again for me to share with you all of the fun retro-themed news, stories, and posts I’ve come across in my travels around the web over the last week!

In the News

Good Reads

If you enjoy The Weekend Edition here on Retro Ramblings, I highly suggest you check out WestWeekEver.com and read the weekly Pop Culture in Review post. It’s got even more pop culture news and William Bruce West’s writing always brings a smile to my face.

I also wanted to take just a little space to bring to your attention a podcast that just dropped from The Retro Network and Wizards: The Podcast Guide to Comics. This marks the 30th anniversary of Wizard magazine, so the Wizards podcast crew got together lots of the old Wizard staff for a round table discussion that was FANTASTIC for those of us who used to love that magazine or just ’90s comics in general. Be sure to go check it out and give it a listen if you were into that world back in the day!

Wizards | 30th Anniversary Reunion Round Table

Video of the Week

For this week’s video, I’m sharing one of those old Saturday morning cartoon previews shows that would usually air in primetime on Friday the night before the new season of cartoons started. I’m doing this to get everyone pumped up a little bit because in this week’s Friday Five post here on Retro Ramblings I’ll be highlighting five of my favorite ’80s cartoons. Look for that at the end of the week, but for now, enjoy this preview show for NBC’s Saturday morning lineup for 1987 starring ALF!

Happy Meal Toys

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Besides all the great foods that McDonald’s has introduced through the years, I’ve got some fond memories of several of the toys that were included in various Happy Meal promotions. In this Retro Ramblings, I’m going to run through some of my favorites with you.

Dukes of Hazzard Happy Meal Boxes

These hit McDonald’s in 1982, and with their plastic bodies, the boxes were great for crashing into each other while re-creating scenes from the show.  You could crash them together and get some great dents in the cars, and then just pop them open and press out the dents and the cars were mostly like new again and ready for another go!

Construx Mini-Sets

I absolutely loved Construx and thought they were one of the best toys of the ’80s, and I certainly didn’t miss out on the free sets when they were in the Happy Meals in 1986.

Berenstain Bears Figures

In 1987, I was all in on the Berenstain Bear books and the cartoon that was on Saturday mornings at the time, so these were a natural fit for me.  These were probably the Happy Meal toys that I anticipated more than any other.

Halloween Jack-o-Lantern Pails

These have been offered around Halloween on and off for years ever since 1987.  I loved using these things to collect my candy while trick-or-treating on Halloween night. And beyond that, they were great for storing various small toys in like Micro Machines or M.U.S.C.L.E. figures.

Super Looney Tunes

I loved the idea of these things, as their costumes came off to reveal their alter egos.  Two toys in one!  The Tasmanian Devil/Flash was all kinds of cool. 

Weekend Reading 08/15/21

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Welcome back for another dose of The Weekend Edition. This is where I share retro-themed news with you and all the fun nostalgic-themed articles and posts I’ve come across throughout the week.. Let’s get to it!

In the News

Fun Stories and Posts I Saw This Week

Video of the Week

Over on the Retro Ramblings Instagram, I posted a short review of the new Ghostbusters cereal that you can check out. While eating the cereal, a wave of Ghostbusters nostalgia came over me, so I headed to YouTube to watch some old toy commercials. I found more than enough to satisfy my craving, and thought I would share the with you this week. So enjoy over 30 minutes of old Ghostbusters toys commercials!

Weekend Reading 08/08/21

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Welcome back for another Weekend Edition! This is where I share all the retro and nostalgia-themed links I’ve stumbled across while surfing the world wide web during the week. Settle in and check it all out!

Video(s) of the Week

I’ve got not one, but THREE videos that I want to share with you this week. The first one is a highlight/tribute video to “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton highlighting some of the things that made him so great. The second video features ZZ Top in their first live TV performance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson from 1986, and then to wrap things up, it’s the new trailer for Cobra Kai season four. I’m pumped for that to drop! So enjoy the videos, and we’ll come back and do this again next week.

Thoughts on Masters of the Universe: Revelation

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I finally got a chance to sit down and watch the new Masters of the Universe: Revelation series on Netflix this weekend. I had been under the weather all week and didn’t want to start the series until I was well enough to really pay attention to it and soak it in without being in a medicinal stupor.

While I managed to avoid actual spoilers all week long, I wasn’t able to avoid reading all the negative thoughts and comments on the series. I saw takes that decried how the property was now dead thanks to what Kevin Smith had done with it, and takes blaming the “wokeness” of the times taking over and causing the series’ focus to be changed, and takes on how the whole thing was one big bait and switch. But because I love the franchise so much, I was determined to watch it and decide for myself how I felt about it. And boy am I glad I did. For this edition of Retro Ramblings, let me share with you my thoughts on it.

*Spoilers Ahead*

First, let me just get my overall take out of the way… I LOVED it! I feel like some of the folks complaining about it are only upset that it didn’t fit their expectation of what they were wanting to see, and not judging it on what it actually is. What it actually is is a very well-conceived and executed next step in the Masters of the Universe mythos. Like, if you think of the original series and the 2002 series as an era in the history of Eternia, then Revelation is the next era, and it’s a really exciting and intriguing era. The beauty of it though is that it wouldn’t be near as enjoyable without all of the history we already know. If Revelation is your first foray into this universe, there’s probably not much that is going to stand out to you. But for longtime fans, there is so much greatness highlighted that every episode has numerous things that catch your attention. Here are some of the things I enjoyed most about the first five episodes:

  • The battle at Castle Grayskull in the first episode. So many warriors on each side made it look like a scene from a Lord of the Rings movie.
  • Learning that Castle Grayskull was just a facade put up to hide the Hall of Wisdom.
  • Having the power sword broken in half, bringing back the mythos of the two swords from the original mini-comics
  • Preternia being represented on screen by what the huge Eternia playset looked like
  • The conflict between backers of both magic and science and how the two are at odds. The original toy line and series was based on the fact that Eternia was where magic met science. I love this concept.
  • The alliance of characters that set out to find the two halves of the power sword. Blurring the lines of good and evil by putting them all together with great motives for being involved.
  • All of the characters that got screen time like Scareglow, Mer-Man, Clawful, Stinkor, Fisto, Roboto, Whiplash, and of course all of the usual suspects like Evil-Lynn, Beast Man, and the rest.
  • Portraying Man-at-Arms Duncan as the real most dangerous man in Eternia.
  • Tri-Klops as the leader of a science cult.
  • Orko finally getting to show what a badass he could have always have been.
  • Teela getting the spotlight.
  • Showing what a powerul and deep character Evil-Lynn really is.
  • And that scene when Prince Adam is calling down the power of Grayskull only to be struck down from behind by a returning Skeletor. That was certainly an unexpected by much appreciated moment.

As you can see there, I found a lot to love about this new series, and now I can’t wait for the next five episodes to drop.

If folks out there want to see more stories in the same mold as what we’ve always gotten featuring the struggles and battles between He-Man and Skeletor, I guess this probably does disappoint them. But we already have so many of those stories, and while there is probably a limitless amount of more of those stories that can be told, I genuinely appreciate this bold new direction. It’s like we’re no longer stuck in the endless loop of battle that we’ve seen so many times, and now we’re rocketing into the future with new and unexpected developments.

From all I’ve seen online, I guess this puts me in the minority, but I really dig this new series and look forward to seeing more of it. For the first time in many years, I have no idea what to expect from the Masters of the Universe, and that makes me feel like a kid again.

    Weekend Reading 08/01/2021

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    Here’s this week’s list of retro and nostalgia-themed stories and articles from around the web. Enjoy!

    In the News

    Stories, Articles, & Blog Posts

    From the Retro Ramblings Archives

    Video of the Week

    Today is MTV’s 40th birthday, and in celebration of that event, I’ve got not just a video for you, but a whole playlist of them! A while back, Jason Gross, Eric Vardeman, and I had gotten together on a podcast to discuss MTV. One of the topics that came up was our favorite music videos from through the years. Various videos kept flowing from our brains, so I went and made a playlist of all the ones we talked about. Carve out an hour or two for yourself and watch through all these glorious old videos to celebrate MTV’s milestone.