Everything 80s

It was a time of high tension, fierce back-and-forth, and a relentless pursuit to dominate the world--and that was just between Coke and Pepsi. When you throw the Cold War into the mix, not only do you get a tumultuous time period, but the Cola Wars ramped up to another level. For Pepsi, a way to compete against Coke was to gain a foothold in the Soviet Union. And that's exactly what they did--but...

What may seem like a novelty video game accessory from the 1980s actually has a much deeper backstory. The Nintendo Power Glove, a game controller you wore on your arm, came out in 1989, but its roots go back to the 1970s. Before it was the "baddest" accessory around, the Power Glove started out as the Data Glove, a high-end instrument used by scientists, MIT, and even NASA. What began as a $10,00...

From the beaches of California in the 1960s to the empty swimming pools of the 70s, the two board-based niche hobbies had really grown in popularity. But the 1980s took it to a whole new level--literally and figuratively.  Not only were surfing and skateboarding growing in popularity during the 80s, but they were beginning to have a major impact on music, fashion, movies, TV shows, and a lot of yo...

Hard-hitting, intense, and sometimes difficult to watch--but it was can't-miss TV. This was the world of After-School specials in the 1980s.  After being created by ABC in the 1970s, the after-school special continued to rise to prominence in the 1980s, where it became a television institution for an entire generation of kids. From its unique origins and the numerous awards to the breakout perform...

It may seem like you were just watching some of these shows yesterday, but they are now, somehow, forty years old. Today, we look back on the TV shows of 1985, a year that gave us some of the very best of the decade. They include several beloved animated classics, a few era-defining sitcoms, and one of the biggest action-adventure shows of the decade.  Extended episode covering 8 additional shows:...

It's 1984, and Apple Computers and its founder are on top of the world. Not only has Steve Jobs created one of the most remarkable machines of the 20th century, but he's also launched it in a way that will cause a ripple effect through society to be felt for years to come. And less than a year later, it would all come crashing down. Steve Jobs was a groundbreaking visionary, but he wasn't always t...

It was a decade of prolific creation, an era when the Master of Horror delivered some of his greatest works ever. Today, we look back at all the iconic and groundbreaking novels Stephen King released in the 1980s. We then switch over to the world of movies and TV shows associated with many of his famous books. It was a decade that gave us some of his most frightening stories ever, along with sever...

The 1980s was a changing time not only for McDonald's but for the entire fast food industry. Competition had become cutthroat--and that was just for burgers. But now, the Pizza industry, led by the big three; Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and Little Cesasers, has grown at an astonishing rate.  McDonald's had found success with a few new items, but one new burger turned out to be a pretty big flop. They nee...

The story of Mr. T is as much the story of the 1980s as during a rapidly changing time of pop culture, he touched all aspects of entertainment. The big screen, the small screen, radio, home video, and even our toy shelves; in the 1980s, he was everywhere.  From his early days as a bouncer, to protecting some of the most famous people in the world, this larger-than-life figure soon became one of th...

As the clock counted down on December 31st, 1989, it brought one of the most remarkable decades of the 20th Century to a close. A decade that--when it came to pop culture--may have been one of the most significant in history. Today, we look back on all the movies, TV shows, music, sports, tech, and video games that made up an extraordinary year. The 1980s were about to come to an end--but the deca...

It was a gigantic risk... a brand-new character and product line set to launch alongside some of the most popular toy brands in history. How would this new character--that no one knew anything about--be able to stand out in an increasingly crowded toy market? One way it would stand out was physically as a new era in toys was about to begin. But it was more than just the toy line, as a new animated...

As we close out Black History Month, today we look back at 10 of the most groundbreaking Black sitcoms of the 80s.  These shows not only helped define the decade but also had a huge impact on pop culture and changed television forever.  These ten shows (plus a few forgotten ones) include some spin-offs of other popular sitcoms, a few break-out stars, and some of the highest-rated TV shows in histo...

If you were around in the late 80s, he seemed impossible to miss... An anthropomorphic cartoon camel that quickly became one of the defining spokes characters of the decade--but one that came with endless controversy. This is a look back on the creation, popularity, and backlash of Joe Camel. It's also the story of the state of the tobacco industry coming out of the 1970s and heading into the 1980...

Not everything could be a hit... Even though the 1980s gave us some of the best video games of all time, there were others that just slipped by the wayside--and some of them deserve better than that. Today we will look back at ten forgotten video games covering the big three systems: The Atari 2600, The NES, and the Sega Master System. Since there are so many games that didn't even make a dent, we...

It was just supposed to be a regular safety test... but in the early morning hours of April 26th, 1986, something went terribly wrong... For those opposed to nuclear energy, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident was the nightmare scenario. But it took a while for the rest of the world to even find out. By the time they did, the effects of the explosion had spread shockingly far--and fast. Tod...

I've got a bad feeling about this... that was the thought that crept into people's minds back in November 1978. They were about ten minutes into the Star Wars Holiday Special--and it wasn't exactly what they had hoped for... Despite how bizarre the special was, one segment was universally praised; an animated feature called 'The Story of the Faithful Wookie.' Seven years later, Star Wars would onc...

It's a battle that's been going on for well over a century featuring two of the biggest brands of all time. But in the 1980s--the war really heated up... Today we look back on the battle between Coke and Pepsi during a transformative time for not just the two colas, but for society in general. It's the story that involves some of the most iconic commercials of all time, a nationwide taste test cha...

No matter how many times you've seen it--you've probably never seen the whole thing... This is a deep dive into the original Back to the Future to cover specific moments, Easter eggs, and many hidden things that may not be obvious.  This episode is also an experimental one as it's a hybrid watch-along. If you're able to put the movie on,  I'll be sharing the specific time stamps of the moments and...

It's the toy and cartoon that may best define the entire 1980s, a toy that goes back to the 1960s but re-created for a new era. This is the complete history of G.I. Joe, and in this episode we look at: The two fashion dolls from the 1950s that helped inspire it Why two simple words were so important in its initial success The impact of the Vietnam War and oil embargoes How Star Wars walked so G.I....

It's been more than 35 years since the 80s ended, but the decade continues to be with us as much as ever--especially when it comes to our entertainment. In this year-in-review special, we look back at all the 1980s-related movies, TV shows, Netflix series, and documentaries that came out in 2024. And there was a lot... Unfortunately, over these last 12 months, we also lost many people with connect...

By 1987, Jim Henson had already provided us with so much great entertainment from all his remarkable creations--including some pretty wonderful Christmas specials. But his best was yet to come... this is a look back on A Muppet Family Christmas that first aired on ABC on December 16th, 1987.  We'll look back at one of the best holiday specials of the decade and why it came from a period when every...

It's time for a very 80s Christmas as we travel back to revisit the holiday season during the 1980s.  In this episode, we look back at the holiday movie that was a surprise hit and then the story of a beloved TV special that didn't come from the 80s--but was adopted as our own. Next, we look back at the creation of a modern classic Christmas song and finish with the unlikely story of a group of ch...

Some of the all-time great TV Christmas specials go all the way back to the 1960s. But it's easy to forget how many memorable ones came from the 80s. Today we look back at ten of the best specials the 80s had to offer. Some of those shows include: Two separate specials based on a few of the hottest fads of the decade A sadsack comic strip character (not the one you're thinking of...) A powerful br...

If you grew up in the 80s, you grew up in the era of physical media. Our videotape collections allowed us to watch our favorite movies and TV shows over and over, allowing us to develop a deep appreciation for the things we loved. But how did we get here, and how did it all end up changing so drastically? Today we not only revisit the origins of the VCR itself but look at the VHS/Betamax format wa...

It seems funny to think, but in the early 80s, a gigantic industry almost came to a grinding halt... Video games--and arcades--had grown so quickly,  and on such a wide scale,  that many began to ask if it was ok for our kids to be playing them so much.  This is when video games and arcades became under attack as parents, watch groups, and entire cities started to crack down on them. From the U.K....