retroist

Every parent’s worst nightmare.

Atari Desk from 1983. The Return of the Jedi Collector Glasses are my favorite detail.

Blocked.

I was already sold on the Zenith System 3, but then they added this gold remote control and, on some models, built a phone into the TV. This is what high luxury looked like to me as a kid.

Making Lincoln removable just strikes me as a poor design decision.

Silent Running is 54 years old today. A thoughtful, melancholy science fiction classic that still feels distinct all these years later. Bruce Dern carries so much of that lonely haunted mood, and its stayed with me ever since I saw it for the first time.

https://www.retroist.com/p/retroist-silent-running-podcast

The first time I went to Disney/MGM Studios, I was excited to see so many things, high on the list was the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater.

I wish the Nerds Tile Magnets had been an ongoing series. I want more of them.

If you ask me, we have too few shows on TV about kids turning into sports cars nowadays.

I did open the Memorex tapes I posted a few days ago. The package was getting thin. They have these fun side-hinged cases.

Its easy to get the weather forecast on your phone, but I have missed the WeatherStar experience I used to get on cable TV. Luckily some hardworking people have made solutions that mimic the original experience. I run it all the time.

https://www.retroist.com/p/weatherstar-4000-then-and-now

Time to fire up the Commodore VIC-20, but which game to play?

DeLorean - Live the Dream

https://www.retroist.com/p/retroist-delorean-podcast

My early attempts at self-promotion weren't very successful.

To promote the ongoing Planet of the Apes franchise, 20th Century Fox started “Go Ape for a Day,” a mega movie marathon that caught on and would be repeated in theaters and on TV for years. It was a fun piece of Apes history worth revisiting.

https://www.retroist.com/p/go-ape-for-a-day

Oxford Valley Mall in the 1970s. Its not just a compelling photo, malls used to be warm inviting places with lots of visual interest.

It's a strange world.

I wrote about Atmosfear, the VHS board game that started as Nightmare in Australia before becoming a 1990s hit. The game changed over time, but the part people still remember is the Gatekeeper yelling at them from the television.

https://www.retroist.com/p/atmosfear

16 chips per cookie??? Madness!!

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 try to recreate the original drink from memory.

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

I made a fake Family Ties ad in the style of The Day My Kid Went Punk.

Same worried parents, different kind of rebellion.

Do you have what it takes to get into the 1979 NBC Saturday Morning Cartoons Peacock Club? How many of these questions can you answer?

On the newest Retroist Podcast bonus episode, I am talking all about Turbo Teen. From it's creation, through production, and a good amount about its modern reputation. Which I have difficulty connecting with.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/retroist-turbo-159886518

In 1985, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus premiered the Living Unicorn, a surgically modified goat that drew crowds and controversy wherever it appeared. I saw it. Today I am taking a look at how a creature of myth was made and marketed to the public.

https://www.retroist.com/p/the-living-unicorn-at-the-circus

As summer approaches I have thinking about my times at the most exciting and dangerous amusement park in New Jersey, Action Park. Never got hurt there, but it's easy to see how other people did.

I was watching 90s Colombo last night and spotted this tombstone. The character who was killed in the episode was named Freddy and this is his apartment, but those look like Freddy Krueger style claw marks.

On a new Retroist Podcast I talk about Perfect Strangers. It is easy to remember it as Balki saying things wrong and Larry getting worked up, but the show is much more than that. It is part buddy comedy, part old school vaudeville act, and part eighties sitcom machine running at full speed.

https://www.retroist.com/p/retroist-perfect-strangers-podcast

Advertising the Hitachi VCR as an alibi machine in 1980. Get one and, according to Hitachi, you can get away with anything.

McDonald's gave pizza a real shot with the McPizza and McDonald's Pizza. In some places it lasted longer than you might expect, and one location still serves it today. Today I am digging into the history of the Golden Arches and their attempt to put pizza on the menu.

https://www.retroist.com/p/history-mcpizza-and-mcdonalds-pizza

Bring back the Skateboardin' Burger King!

In the 1980s, Dog Police released a strange new wave novelty song that found fans through its unforgettable MTV video. On the Retroist, I look back at this oddball canine cop anthem.

Woof. Woof. Woof.

https://www.retroist.com/p/dog-police

For Patreon I wrote about a 1976 insert made for the 20th anniversary of an LA McDonald’s, full of McDonaldland art, vendor praise, history, and a look at the restaurant’s unusual renovation, including its indoor carousel.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/158465882