Essay
M.U.S.C.L.E. Toys
I dabbled in more toy lines than I could count as a kid. Transformers, G.I. Joe, He-Man…you name it, I probably had at least one figure rolling around in a …
80s
Time Capsule
1988 Kenner Action Toy Guide
Enjoy this complete scan of the 1988 Kenner Action Guide featuring their best toys of the year like The Real Ghostbusters, Bone Age, Silverhawks, Starting Line Up, and MASK!
Essay
KFC’s Chicken Littles Sandwiches of the ’80s
There was a time, long before artisanal buns and aioli sauces took over the fast-food landscape, when a humble little sandwich ruled my world. It was called the Chicken Little, …
Essay
The Excitement of Excitebike
There are certain sounds that live forever in the attic of memory. The whine of a two-stroke engine, the digital chirp of a pixelated crowd, and the unmistakable crash of …
Essay
Those Cups that Used to Come in Oatmeal
In this edition of Retro Rambling, I want to take you back to a small slice of nostalgia for me, and that’s back when I used to drink out of …
Essay
A Tribute to Nerds Cereal
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with food. I love it when it’s around, and I hate it when it’s gone. Nerds Cereal was one of those rare treasures that …
Essay
Memories From a Hot Wheels Childhood
Some kids had baseball cards. Others had action figures. Well, I had those too actually. But for me, growing up in the late ’70s through the ’90s, nothing beat the …
Essay
Del Monte Pudding in a Can
Every now and then, a memory sneaks up on me. Not a big one, just a flicker. A taste. A smell. A moment. And suddenly I’m eight years old again, …
Special Feature
My Virtual Christmas Tree
Way back in 2014, Matt at Dinosaur Dracula unleashed on the world an idea to create a virtual Christmas tree. It was an awesome idea, but I didn’t heed his …
Essay
Cobra, Construx, and Christmas Chaos
There are Christmases you remember vaguely…bits and pieces, a toy here, a family gathering there. And then there are the ones etched into your memory like carvings in old oak. …