It’s another Sunday morning and time for another Weekend Edition. Before I get into the links for this week I just wanted to say that from looking at the stats here on the blog, it appears that quite many of you click on a lot of the links I feature each week. That’s very cool, as it shows that a lot of us like a whole lot of the same stuff. So since that’s the case, let’s go ahead and get to this week’s batch of cool stuff I’ve found recently.

One of my favorite wrestlers of the ’80s, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff passed away much too soon this week. A couple of months ago I wrote a feature for The Retro Network detailing one of my favorite memories of him called Saturday Night Suspense: The Night Hulk Hogan Fought Paul Orndorff in the Cage! Go check it out and relive some of what made Mr. Wonderful so damn great.

In more sad news, legendary rapper Biz Markie also passed away this week. Probably his most iconic work was his music video for the song ‘Just a Friend’. Take a second and watch the video in memory of a great.

The new Black Widow movie has been all the rage around the theaters in the last week, but here’s 10 Made-for-TV Superhero Movies Everyone Wants to Forget.

For more comic book nostalgia, check out 10 Facts About DC Comic’s Swamp Thing.

You’ve probably heard that there’s a Wonder Years reboot in the works, but fans of the original version may sometimes ask themselves, Whatever Happened to Jason Hervey?

McFarlane Toys has consistently made some of my favorite action figures over the last 20 years, and now they may have topped themselves with the news they will be releasing 1966 Batman figures!

And as usual, here is the weekly link to Plaid Stallion’s 5 Awesome Things on eBay This Week.

I had a very busy week and didn’t have very much time to surf the web this week and as a result, I didn’t get to dig up as much cool stuff for you as usual. But what I did have time to do this week was post every day here on Retro Ramblings. So in case you didn’t get a chance to come around much, here’s what you’ve missed…

• Product of the Past: A Line in the Sand Board Game
• Nintendo Nostalgia: Excitebike
• Forgotten Food: Dino Pebbles Cereal
• Masters of the Universe Model Kits From 1984
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Coverage of Super Cards ’87

Video of the Week

For this week’s video, I’m giving you a fun movie to watch that most of you have probably never heard of called Comrades of Summer. It came out in 1992 as an HBO film, that features Joe Mantegna as disgraced manager of the Seattle Mariners baseball team, who finds work in Russia running their Olympic team after the fall of the Soviet Union. While dealing with culture shock and the harsh reality that the team is far from being a great one, he somehow manages to get the players into fighting shape — while also settling into his new life abroad. It’s a good summer flick that I saw when it first hit the air back in the day. I think you’ll find it entertaining.

Welcome back to The Weekend Edition! It’s been a long week for me, but one of my favorite things to do is put this together every Sunday morning while having my coffee. I bookmark fun things I find throughout the week and then unload them all on you in hopes that it all helps bring you some relaxation and enjoyment. Let’s get to it!

• Since this is going up on 7/11, here are 11 facts about one of your favorite convenience stores…7/11!
• And while we’re on the topic of facts, in case you missed it over on The Retro Network last week, here are 5 Fun Facts About the Movie Independence Day. I put that together myself, btw.
• The gang over at CBR take a fun look at 5 Power Rangers Monsters Godzilla Should Fight.
• The Retro Dad recently decided to compare which is the best old school frozen pizza when he pitted Red Baron against Tombstone, and re-tried them both. His reviews actually made me crave some frozen pizza so much I went out and picked up one from the winner. You’ll have to check out his post to know which pizza I purchased.
• From the ‘strange but true’, files read about how Danny Trejo Recalls When Charles Manson Asked Him for Protection.
• And another list of facts…this time it’s 12 Futuristic Facts About Escape From New York! Snake Pliskin is so cool.
• Speaking of Escape From New York, here is a fantastically written review of the 1981 film from John Kenneth Muir. I really enjoy his style when it comes to reviewing movies and TV shows, and I think you will as well.
• Jumping ahead 10 years to 1991, check out the latest podcast from Box Office 30 looking back at the movies of July 1991 with an extended review of T2: Judgement Day. When you’re done listening, hop over to Twitter and show @boxoffice30 some love by telling them what you though of the episode.
• You know I love old comic book ads, and it’s always a fun time when my friend Gary over at TRN puts out another edition of his fabulous Check Out Those Ads feature, and this time out he’s looking at the ads from Hawk & Dove #25 from 1991. There are some great ads featured here, with the WCW Wrestling game for Nintendo being my favorite.
• Right behind my love for old comic book ads is my love of old comic book covers. Pop Culture Safari shows off some beautiful ones from fifty years ago this month. That Spider-Man cover featuring the debut of Morbius is a beaut.
• If you’re a wrestling fan, then you probably know the story of the Montreal Screwjob. But Pro Wrestling Stories have outdone themselves with their recent feature…Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt – The Original Wrestling Screwjob.
• One of my favorite reads everyweek is the Plaid Stallion’s “5 Awesome Things on eBay This Week” post, and this week’s edition was a great one. I really dig that old Planet of the Apes swimming pool.
• The great Richard Donner passed away recently, so I thought it was a good time to mention his favorite film of mine, The Goonies! Go check out the 5 Fun Facts About the Goonies feature I done a while back for The Retro Network.

And finally, since I’ve professed my love for Tubi many times, let me give you my “Tubi Pick’s of the Week“…

• County Line … a movie starring Tom Wopat as a sheriff in one county that avenges the murder of his best friend who is the sherriff of the neighboring county. It’s a newer movie, but Tom Wopat is still one of my favorite actors from way back in his Dukes of Hazzard days. Click here to watch for free.
• Mister T Cartoon … if you don’t remember this from back in the mid-’80s, youre in for a treat! It’s a great way to be taken back to your childhood on a Saturday morning. Click here to go the episodes list.
• Wargames … the classic ’80s movie that probably started my fascination with computers and the like. Click here to watch for free.

Video of the Week

To celebrate 7/11 on its adopted birthday of 7/11 here is their first commercial to appear on television!

Welcome back to The Weekend Edition! I’ve been tied up for the last couple of weeks tending to some family health needs, so the site hasn’t had it’s normal updates. But with this being Independence Day weekend, I didn’t want to let the opportunity to pass me by to do a Weekend Edition highlighting some fun retro and nostalgic articles and posts from around the web. Enjoy!

Independence Day Nostalgia

• Top 10 Retro Movies for Independence Day (The Retro Network)
• Revisiting the Classic Weber Kettle Grill (Art of Manliness)
• 18 Vintage Photos of People Celebrating Independence Day (Mental Floss)

Other Good Retro Reads

• Reebok Has Introduced a New Power Rangers Footwear Collection (Reebok)
• Top 10 Eerie Predictions That Foreshadowed Celebrity Tragedy (Listverse)
• Why Do We Have Summer Breaks? (Sporcle)
• TMNT: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Shredder (CBR)
• Showdown at Shea: The History of WWE’s First Supercard (Pro Wrestling Stories)
• A Quick Guide to Restore the ’80s Tradition of Family Game Night (Rediscover the 80s)
• Treasure Hunting From Home: Disney Flair! (The Retro Network)
• The 1980’s Cap Gun: A Time When Boys Could Be Boys (Retro Dad)

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.

• A Brief History of Father’s Day (Art of Manliness)
• Beer Nuts: A REAL Retro Dad Snack (The Retro Dad)
• The Influence of the ’80s on the Modern Gaming Industry (Rediscover the 80s)
• 5 Awesome Things on eBay This Week (Plaid Stallions)
• How John Wayne Almost Went Broke During the Height of His Career (Do You Remember)
• Sid Meier’s Pirates! (Retroist)
• Discontinued Candy I Want Back, Part 2 (20 Years Before 2000)
• Disney+ Will Premier “The Beatles: Get Back” Documentary Series This Thanksgiving (Cord Cutters News)
• Top 10 Episodes Banned After They First Aired (Listverse)
• 19 Iconic Songs That Were Actually Almost Sung by an Entirely Different Person (BuzzFeed Rewind)
• 10 Nintendo Games That Need a Film Adaption (CBR)
• The Late Great Ned Beatty (A Shroud of Thoughts)
• Look Back at Caboodles, Sassaby, and Other Retro Beauty Organizers from the ’80s and ’90s (Click Americana)
• Sandman and the ECW Incident That Went Too Far (Pro Wrestling Stories)

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.

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

• Top 10 Failed Fad Diets (Listverse)
• Can Batman Lift Thor’s Hammer? (CBR)
• 9 Facts About Toys ‘R’ Us (Mental Floss)
• When Boy Meets World Met Big Van Vader in the ’90s (Pro Wrestling Stories)
• Best 1980’s TV Game Shows (Rediscover the ’80s)
• Opening a Pack of American Gladiators Cards! (Horror Movie BBQ)
• A Look Through the 1992 G.I. Joe Terror on the Tundra Catalog (The Retro Network)
• Discontinued Candy I Want Back (20 Years Before 2000)
• Star Wars: The Making of the Movie 1980 (AEIOU and Sometimes Why)
• 5 Awesome Things on eBay This Week (Plaid Stallions)
• 11 Things You Might Not Know About ‘Momma’s Family’ (Decades)

From the Retro Ramblings Archives

• Tom & Jerry’s TBS Funhouse Halloween Special
• Highlights From a 1988 Toys ‘R’ Us Sale Paper
• Product of the Past: Hypercolor Clothing

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.

Here is this week’s curated collection of some fun retro and nostalgia themed articles from across the web this week. I hope you can find the time to sit back, relax, and take a few strolls down memory lane with what I’ve found for you this week.

Curated Links

• This may be a little morbid to start the Weekend Edition with, but this is an interesting list of Mysterious Celebrity Deaths from through the years.
• Have you ever wondered why we only met Jesse’s step-brother once on Saved by the Bell? And what about Chuck Cunningham…whatever happened to him? Well here’s a huge list of television characters that just disappeared and was never heard from again.
• PlutoTV has launched what it’s calling its Popcorn Summer Movies and is adding new movies in June, July, and August to keep you entertained. Check out the lineups.
• Admit it…you loved that tingling sensation when Pop Rocks hit your tongue. We all did! Read all about their origin and just how big of a hit they were when they launched in the ’70s.
• You wanna see something really cool? Check out the 1984 Marvel Secret Wars Toys catalog in all its glory!
• If you’re here at Retro Ramblings, then I think it’s safe to say that you enjoy old comic book ads. Check out the latest ones Gary has highlighted in his most recent edition of Check Out Those Ads.
• And finally, here’s 10 Things You Probably Never Knew About TJ Hooker.

Here’s this week’s collection of nostalgia-themed articles and stories from around the web for you to relax with this weekend. Whatever you’re doing for the holiday, I hope you enjoy it and stay safe. And hopefully, you have time to check out some of these fun articles!

This Weekend’s Best Reads

• These days, a lot of folks enjoy a Memorial Day filled with grilling burgers and welcoming summer. And most take time to observe the ultimate sacrifice made by our servicemen and women. Take a minute and learn the origins of Memorial Day…back when it was originally known as Decoration Day.
• In kind of keeping with the military theme, take this quiz and see if you can remember the military ranks of some classic TV characters.
• Have you ever been watching The Price is Right, saw someone win a brand new car, and get jealous of how lucky they are? Well, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Learn what happens when someone wins that new car.
• We all loved Nickelodeon when we were kids, and one of the best shows on there was Mr. Wizard’s World. Here are some fond memories of why we loved it so much!
• If you’re a little too young to fully remember the uproar when New Coke was launched in 1985, or if you never really knew the story in the first place, then relive all the hysteria and learn the conspiracy theory surrounding it.
• Did you know we’re getting a new Oregon Trail game? I bet that’s a link you’ll click on!
• Looking for some new/old kicks to sport around town in? Well, check out these vintage 1980’s Nike shoes…from regular retro sneakers to classic Air Jordans.
• You know I love to talk about food and old fast-food restaurants. I just learned that Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips is going to be making a comeback. Hopefully, we’ll get one in my area one day.
• I don’t remember it, but PEZ used to sell a candy-shooting gun to kids.
• I used to read the comic strips in my local paper every morning while eating breakfast before school. Now I’m being taken back to my childhood with these reviews of books that collect the strips from B.C. and Wizard of ID.
• If you’re taking a road trip this holiday weekend, make it go back quicker by listening to Jason and myself talk about the movies of 1996 in this episode of the TRN Time Machine podcast.

Highlights From My Blogging Friends

• 5 Awesome Things on eBay This Week (Plaid Stallions)
• Kool-Aid and Mutants! (20 Years Before 2000)
• Star Wars – The Making of the Movie (AEIOU and Sometimes Why)
• The Once and Future College Bowl (It’s About TV)
• The Post About Nothing (Cards Over Coffee)

Here’s this week’s collection of nostalgia-themed articles and stories from around the web for you to relax with this weekend.

• Looking for something new/old to watch on television? Well, check out the 12 fan-favorite series that are getting the reboot treatment this year.

• The World Video Game Hall of Fame has four new inductees including a personal favorite of mine, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. See all four of this year’s inductees.

• Disney+ will be the home of a new mash-up as The Muppets will be visiting The Haunted Mansion in an upcoming special.

• The Goonies was one of my favorite movies as a kid, so naturally, I wanted to play The Goonies II game for Nintendo. It may have been a bust, but here are a few more ’80s movies that got sequels via video games.

• I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve enjoyed a “super-size” meal from McDonald’s. But did you know that you have Jurassic Park to thank for that?

• I’ve always been an Old Spice man myself, but maybe you remember these popular perfumes from the ’90s.

• In these modern times of music streaming, you really don’t have a need to pirate music. But back in the day, a lot of us engaged in the hobby. Here’s 11 facts about the granddaddy of them all, Napster.

• If you’re not an old-school wrestling fan you won’t recognize the name, but the world lost Mid-Atlantic great Don Kernodle last week. RIP to the “Pride of America”.

• Speaking of wrestling, did you know that one of the largest pro wrestling shows in history took place in 1995 in communist North Korea featuring a lot of your favorite wrestling stars?

• You know that I’m a Pizza Hut fiend from way back, but if you’ve ever wondered about some of the reasons why, give this Pizza Hut podcast a listen from the Retroist. It sums a lot of it up.

• Pizza Hut wasn’t the only great pizza place in the ’80s, as Dominos had its share of fans too. But you had to avoid The Noid to enjoy it. Our friend Tim took a great look back at some of the classic Noid commercials.

• For those of you who have lamented the lack of any new Care Bears lately, news recently broke about a new Care Bear named Togetherness Bear.

• And last but not least, something that gets me really excited. Carrying around an Igloo cooler in the summertime is for me like carrying around a cellphone is for most other folks. Igloo debuted a new retro mini cooler! Now I can finally replace mine that I’ve been carrying around for about 25 years.

Here’s this week’s collection of nostalgia-themed articles and stories from around the web for you to relax with this weekend. Pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, put your feet up, and enjoy these trips down memory lane.

Popeye Was Inspired By a Real Man Who Never Backed Down From a Fight (MeTV)

10 Stunning Facts You Never Knew About the Barbie Doll (Decades)

The McJordan Special: McDonald’s Served Up a Michael Jordan Burger in the ’90s (Mental Floss)

Remembering “Sports Cartoons” Animated Shorts From the ’80s (The Retro Network)

1983 LJN Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Toys (Plaid Stallions)

Here’s this week’s collection of nostalgia-themed articles and stories from around the web for you to relax with this weekend. Grab yourself a snack, settle into your favorite comfy spot, and enjoy these stories.

10 Best Comics With Less Than 20 Issues (via CBR)

Retro 1980’s Leg Warmers: Look back at the iconic fashion trend (via Click Americana)

A Brief History of Unsolved Mysteries (via Mental Floss)

What School Was Like in the ’80s (via Rediscover the 80s)

Top ’80s Cartoons That Deserve a Movie (via The Retro Network)

The Pop Culture Pub Podcast: Streaming Killed the Video Store (via Masked Library)

Here’s this week’s collection of nostalgia-themed articles and stories from around the web for you to relax with this weekend. Grab yourself a snack, settle into your favorite comfy spot, and enjoy these stories.

Free Printable Downloads of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Easter Egg Costumes (via Halloween Costumes)

A Tribute to Easter Eggs Hidden in Video Games Over the Years (via Rediscover the ’80s)

Top Ten Hollywood Blacklisted Stars (via Listverse)

When Fonzie Jumped the Shark on Happy Days (via Mental Floss)

The Story Behind 1990’s Movie Theater Carpets (via Neatorama)

Ring Raiders: Crashing on Take-Off (via The Retro Network)

Whatever Happened Lisa Lisa? (via 20 Years Before 2000)

5 Awesome Things on eBay This Week (via Plaid Stallions)

Here’s this week’s collection of nostalgia-themed articles and stories from around the web for you to relax with this weekend. Pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, put your feet up, and enjoy these trips down memory lane.

In the News…

Taco Bell is Bringing Back Fiesta Potatoes
https://www.brandeating.com/2021/03/spicy-potato-soft-taco-and-cheesy-fiesta-potatoes-are-back-at-taco-bell-2021.html
But not the damn Mexican Pizza…

Tubi Has Added New Retro Content
https://theretronetwork.com/tubi-is-a-great-source-for-retro-content/
I’ll be binging Buck Rogers for sure, and probably be giving Problem Child another watch.

Branded in the ’80s is…done.
https://www.brandedinthe80s.com/19437/branded-in-the-80s-is-done
It saddens me to share that for selfish reasons, as I’ve always been a big fan of Shawn and his site. But at the same time, I’m happy for him making the choices that make him happy.

Leisure Reading

Celebrating His Mad Fold-Ins on Al Jaffee’s 100th Birthday (via CBR)

Sniffing Around the History of McDonald’s ‘Cocaine Spoon’ (via Mental Floss)

Henry Winkler Says He Never Actually Rode a Motorcycle on Happy Days (via Do You Remember)

Snack Memories (via The Retro Network)

How Much Did a ColecoVision Cost in 1983? (via Retroist)

Photographs of Cheap Motels in 1970’s America (via Flashbak)

Remembering the Fat Boys (via Retro Dad)

Tony Shiavone Reveals the Behind-the-Scenes History of the Crockett Cup Trophy (via Mid-Atlantic Gateway)

10 Interesting Facts About Bill & Ted (via 20 Years Before 2000)