80's High

It all started with a late night sketch meant to draw a few laughs, but little did Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird realize they had a wildly successful entertainment franchise at their fingertips. From the ink on the comic book page to the cartoon that launched a sprawling toy line, Turtlemania was everywhere in the late 80s and never really left us. They leapt to the movie screen, arcades, and vide...

Come along with the Snorks! Swim along with the Snorks! That's right, we're heading down to the ocean floor to revive the hidden animated gem that followed our plucky gang of thumb-sized creatures as they go on snorktastic adventures dodging oil drills, outwitting Dr. Strangesnork, and hiding from the ravenous Snork Eaters. Now you might be thinking this is an obvious Smurfs knockbuster, and well,...

Once upon a time, there was a boy who saw the world in stories, portrait, and sound. From his humble home movies of toy train wrecks and classmates at war, Steven Spielberg grew into the most commercially successful filmmaker of all time and a beloved creator of cherished movies from breakouts Jaws and Close Encounters, to E.T. and Indiana Jones in the 80s, then beyond to Jurassic Park, Schindler'...

Nothing says Halloween in the 80's quite like trick-or-treating late a night, running through a Jacycees haunted house, reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and bobbing for apples at school. But where did these traditions comes from? And why do we love them so much? In this episode, we bring back classmate Mikey to explore the traditions that have made Halloween endure. From an ancient Celti...

“Hey, snap out of it! Look around, or else you’re going to miss something incredible!” If Talking Heads frontman David Byrne could condense the wit, complexity, and ironic sensibility of their hit single off of 1980’s Remain in the Light into a 2022 Tweet, this would be it. Blending rock, synth, dance, Afrobeat, and even radio-broadcast preachers into a wholly unique New Wave sound, Once in a Life...

Whether during indoor recess or a weekend with friends, we couldn't get enough of those fun, silly, amazing, frustrating board games of the 80's. Whether commanding troops or sliding chutes, using our brains or leaving it to chance, we tear through the games of yore like hungry hippos, exploring the good, the bad, and the ugly. Games like Mouse Trap, Pictionary, Connect Four, Risk, Clue, Life, Mal...

When the bulldozers arrive and the goons start harassing, it seems all is lost for our group of tenants in their historic,  lone apartment building in the Lower East Side. What they need is a miracle. And who should answer the call but two little sentient spaceships hungry for metal, dying for power, and eager to start a family. The Fix-Its bring joy not only to our downtrodden residents but to us...

After taking his first accordion lesson at the age of six, "Weird Al" Yankovic catapulted from Lynnwood, CA to become one of the greatest parody (and accordion) artists of all time! Michael Jackson to Madonna, George Harrison to Nirvana, Weird Al flipped our perspective of cool on its head and gave us catchy, hilarious tunes that were sometimes better earworms than the originals. Just in time for...

In the 1980's, we would do anything to convince our parents to roll through the drive-thru just for the chance to snag the latest toy from our favorite cartoon or movie. Whether you longed for Barbie or Hot Wheels, McRobots or Boo Buckets, cruise on back with us to discover the hotly debated origin of kids meals, unlock the memories of your favorite prizes, and find out how the fast food chains ha...

When Gordon Shumway smashed through the roof of the Tanner's home 36 years ago, his blunt, sarcastic, comedic quips made him our favorite Alien Life Form. Whether you saw yourself as an ALF mocking humanity’s strange behaviors and beliefs or as a Willie trying to kick out that annoying family member LONG after the party was over, these four seasons had an undeniable impact on pop culture. We peek...

Join us as we set off on a globetrotting adventure, following a trail of discarded kettles, walking sticks, snorkels, and more in search of the most elusive champion of hide-and-seek to ever grace the pages of our childhoods. Whether you knew him as Wally or Waldo, Martin Handford’s incredibly detailed and delightful illustrations had us peering into rich scenes of Hollywood sets and epic pirate b...

Only the cleverest SCUMM could solve these puzzles! Grab two of your iconic friends - Bernard, Jeff, Michael, Razor, Syd, or Wendy - and boldly enter the kooky Edison Mansion to save your ensnared girlfriend, Sandy Pantz! We’re headed back to 1987 to explore the cult classic video game from LucasFilm Games, Maniac Mansion. This game is full of iconic music, foundation-building game systems, and en...

When something strange goes bump in the night, who ya gonna call? The REAL Ghostbusters! That's right, we're dusting off the Ecto-1 and traveling back to the cartoon spinoff that expanded the franchise in a bid to sell us awesome toys... and it worked! And we get into all the ghoulish details, from the rivalry brewing with Filmation's Ghost Busters to the controversial decisions to change the cart...

Every kid in the 80s remembers the craze that hit the schoolyards and drugstores overnight... the arrival of those colorful wax packs of Garbage Pail Kids. Adam Bomb, Nasty Nick, New Wave Dave, Phony Lisa... with misfits and mayhem on every card, the characters we came to love were reviled by parents, banned in schools, slapped with a lawsuit, and even turned into one of the worst movies ever. And...

Dust off your stereo and dig out those old cassette tapes, because in this episode we're going back to the lost art of making mix tapes (mixtapes). Whether crafting a message for your crush, mixing a sweet road trip playlist, or looking back on hip hop culture's influence on getting your DJ sets into the public, we reminisce on all the feels that made this phenomena so memorable and connect the do...

If laughter is the best medicine, get ready for a triple dose of humor revisiting the stand-up comedy of Elayne Boosler. She broke through the industry to become the first female comedian to have a one-hour cable special, then went on to create two more in the 80's alone. With charisma and candor, Elayne works through her material effortlessly and seamlessly, weaving comedy gold from single life,...

It was the dance fitness sensation that swept the nation--and the world! And we asked Jazzercise instructor Whitney to stop by and show us the moves that made Jazzercise a household name and a flourishing business, all thanks to the tireless energy of its founder Judi Sheppard Missett. And if you think this was an exercise craze of the past, think again! This episode is all about fun, community, e...

Ben & Chris share a sneak peek of a typical day at 80's High, along with a handful of episode highlights from 2021. Support the show by tossing us some lunch money at ko-fi.com/80shighpodcast . Write an 80's inspired note when you do, and we'll share it on the show!   -- Teacher's Pets --  Join the Class of 80's High: 80shighpodcast@gmail.com Follow on Instagram: @80shighpodcast and Twitter: @high...

When it comes to quintessential Christmas movies, who can deny the nostalgic tale of Ralphie and his memories of that one particular Christmas when all he wanted was a Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time. So let's take a fond look back at this holiday hallmark, chock full of brilliant scenes, witty dialogue and narra...

Come dream with us tonight, as we pop in our cassettes and tune into the magical world of Teddy Ruxpin, his pals Grubby and Newton Gimmick, and the world of Grundo. We learn all about Teddy's Disney origins, Nintendo connections, and spin-offs that include a cartoon, live-action show, Teddy 'n Chill, and a new doll design with eyes your nightmares won't soon forget. For extra credit, count how man...

Buckle up traveling listeners, we're taking to sky, rail, and road to relive the three-day misadventures of Neal Page and Del Griffith in this delightful John Hughes film. Is it a buddy comedy, road trip movie, or a Thanksgiving classic? The answer is yes! We laugh through the litany of F-bombs, near misses, slapstick antics, and memorable cast. We cry at the heartfelt moments Steve Martin and Joh...

Enter the magical world of Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, and Silly Creatures as we revisit one of the most beloved, charming kids series ever created that not only entertained your socks off but strove to achieve world peace and end war in the process. No, really! So grab your radish sticks, find a hole in the wall, and dance your cares away... we're going back down to Fraggle Rock. Support the show b...

The foulest stench is in the air, so we're dusting off the funk of 40,000 years with the iconic 14-minute short film/music video that changed every game in entertainment. Classmate Reagen joins us for a howling discussion of MJ's legendary Thriller album, track, and video, as well as musings on moonwalking, Ola Ray, popcorn gifs, werecat dating tips, and so much more. Can you dig it? Support the s...

It was a genre that defined a generation of horror, from every hidden stalker trope to the teens who just wanted to have fun. Movie aficionado and classmate Mikey joins us as we talk through how slasher films came into existence, hit a fever pitch in the mid-80s, and gave way to 90's horror and beyond. We hit the highlights--and many lowlights--that made these movies the unstoppable monsters they...

Join us for a sprawling conversation of a sewer clown, the Losers Club, Lovecraftian horror, the giant space turtle, and the "miasma of events" that brings this haunting tale to life! Author Allison Dickson, our resident Kingophile, sits with us to talk through the 1986 novel, as well as the 1990 miniseries, the 2017/2019 movies, the macroverse, and the man behind it all. Come down here with us, a...