Everything 80s

Yule logs, candy canes, and our favorite films; it's the holidays and that means movie-watching time. Regardless of how many new holiday movies come out each year, we always resort to our favourites--and Eighties options are some of the very best. Even if you've seen them a Ridiculous number of times, it Doesn't matter as these movies have become part of our holiday tradition. Relax, grab some for...

If you're listening to this episode the day it's released, it marks 50 years to the day when the world first met Atari. From there, the groundbreaking company forever changed what home video games could be. Today, I cover the history of the iconic company, how they made the home video game market a billion-dollar industry, and take a deep dive into some of the most beloved games. We also look at h...

On the hundredth anniversary of Coca-Cola, the iconic beverage company decided to shake things up. And boy did they ever. They shook things up by taking away their classic cola and introducing a whole new one: New Coke. This is a look back on a decision that enraged the public, caused severe backlash, and forced the company to bring back the original formula--in less than three months. But was thi...

There's a good chance you're reading this on your phone right now as our devices obviously provide us with portable entertainment. But before cell phones, iPods, and MP3 players, there was one device that forever changed the way we consumed music: The Walkman. For the first time ever, the Walkman allowed us to take our personal music anywhere we went. It became a symbolic image of the 80s, sold hu...

It's hard to imagine, but there was a time when video games were dying. It was 1983, and because of the Great Video Game crash, many companies wanted to distance themselves from video games. Enter a nearly 100-year-old company from Japan. Nintendo would not only rescue the video game industry but take it to heights never thought imaginable. So ready player one, press play and let's journey back to...

It was a classic battle between good and evil and it gave us one of the greatest toys of all time. Today, we journey back to revisit the history of the iconic Transformers. From their early days in Japan to dominating TVs and toy shelves in North America, this is another defining 1980s toys franchise that was also a masterclass in marketing. So hit play and let's roll out! Support the show and get...

If you were a kid in the 80s, you were probably blissfully unaware of what was happening with the tumultuous economy. But this crazy financial world created the 80s as we know it. This is really a story in three parts: It starts low, soars to dizzying heights, only to come crashing back down. It was the time of Reaganomics, recession, deficits, vast wealth, and one of the darkest days in the histo...

Where were you in '82? If you're old enough to remember October 1982, you may recall the widespread panic of the Tylenol Murders. In Chicago, seven people were now dead after consuming poisoned Tylenol. How did this happen? How much more was out there? How safe were any of our everyday products? This episode is part true crime story, but as much about how the news media could spread fear quicker t...

Is your head hurting, too? I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that these 15 incredible albums are now over the hill. Today, we head back to the year 1982 which may be one of the most astounding years for music ever. 1982 gave us not only some of the best albums of the 80s--but in music history. It's a year that combined classic rock, pop, new wave, heavy metal, folk, and a new mus...

If you grew up in the 1980s, you know how sacred Saturday morning cartoons were. But as we got older, they faded away, and our interests changed. Would anything be able to fill the void of that beloved TV-watching ritual? Enter TGIF on the ABC network. Though it may feel more like a 90s institution, TGIF began in the late 80s with roots going all the way back to 1985. This episode looks back at th...

No matter what our feelings are about the Royal Family, we've been living through historical times. And, for the Royals, there may be no era more significant than the 1980s. This was a decade where--thanks to the growth of media, cable, and networks--awareness of their every move was at an all-time high. The 1980s gave us two royal weddings, four royal births, multiple threats to the Queen, and a...

What are your memories of 1986? Depending on your age, they may be quite vivid. Or you may only remember bits and pieces. But how do you sum up a year that had many amazing moments, but also some terrible setbacks? If you had to describe the year 1986, it may be one step forward, two steps back. Today, we look back on all the great movies, TV shows, technology, sports, and music that 1986 gave us-...

Whether you grew up in the 80s or not, MTV has probably impacted you at some point. Even though the all-music channel debuted way back in 1981, it continues to influence pop culture to this day. This is a look back on a risky idea that went on to define the entire 1980s and changed the way we consume music. In this episode, we'll look back at the origins of MTV (that involves New Zealand and The M...

What stores do you remember best from your childhood? If you're Canadian, one such store may be Zellers--which looks to be making a comeback--but you no doubt have your own favorites. However, this episode is about so much more than a classic Canadian store; it's about how many of our retail favorites are no longer with us. It's about the changing retail landscape that is drastically different tha...

Are you old enough to remember Halley's Comet? If you are, I'm sure you remember what a big deal its return was in 1986. For kids of the 80s, it was astounding to be able to see something that last appeared in 1910. And if you were of a certain age, there's a chance you'll get to see it again, as Halley's Comet will make its return in 2061. But the story of Halley's Comet is about much more than j...

What's your favorite video game ever? Quite often, they're the beloved games from our childhood. If you grew up in the 1980s, some of the classics probably come to mind. The 80s was a golden age of video games, and it gave us some of the most iconic--and important--video games ever created. The advancement in video games from 1980 to 1989 was truly night and day. The games at the end of the decade...

What does a superhero look like to you? Your image may come from the pages of a comic book or a movie screen. But what if there was a real-life superhero that existed among us? That's what Terry Fox was. If this is the first time you're hearing this name, this is a look back at a person who, in 1980, would run across Canada on one leg to raise money and awareness for cancer research. This is the a...

On February 10th, 1976, the only banned episode of Sesame Street ever, was aired. This episode featured Margeret Hamilton reprising her role as the iconic Wicked Witch of the West. The episode created such a backlash that Sesame Street and the Children's Television Workshop were forced to pull the episode. Going into the 80s and 90s, the legend of this episode began to grow, and it would become on...

The 1980s gave rise to the summer blockbuster. Before then, the summer wasn't seen as an effective time to release movies. That definitely changed, and this was mainly thanks to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. But which summer had the best movies? In this look back at one of my favorite episodes ever, I rank every 1980s summer to see which one was the very best. How does 1985 compare to the jug...

The 1980s ushered in a new era of cartoons, toys, and action figures the likes we had never seen before. But what made this era so different? And why did we love the toys that we did? What makes for a good toy? Is it functionality? Backstory? Interaction? Marketing? Or the fact our friends had them? This is also a look at the government deregulation, trade embargos, capitalism, and even war that h...

After an epic four hours of Stranger Things: Volume 2, it's time to recap episodes 8 and 9 and then wrap up what was a truly remarkable season. For both episodes, we will break down the plot, and look at all the themes, observations, and 1980s references. We look ahead to what may be in store for the 5th season, and how season 4 could not have come at a better time for Netflix. Chrissy, this is fo...

People sure were scared of the devil back in the 80s. As the fear of Satanic cults grew, one simple role-playing game became the spokesperson for all the evils facing youth: Dungeons and Dragons. How did this game that appealed to creative people become blamed for so many terrible events? This is a look back on the rise of Dungeons and Dragons and the fear that swept through the nation. A game tha...

Was 1985 the best year of the decade? If it's not, then it's pretty damn close. In this review of 1985, we'll look back on all the notable movies, TV shows, cartoons, technology, music, sports, and world events that made up a pretty astounding year. 1985 is also the year of one of the biggest marketing disasters in history, some of the most significant films of the decade, and a new source of ente...

You may not know the name Rax, but they played a significant role in the fast-food game during the 80s--and you've no doubt seen their influence in the industry to this day. The company goes back to the 1960s but rose to prominence during the 80s. In the 80s, they started to add a huge amount of items, changed their decor, and aimed to be the "champagne of fast-food restaurants." Heading into the...

Whoa nelly, this has been a doozy. I'm going to recap everything that went on during Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 4. We will do a plot summary breakdown of what transpired over the last 7 episodes, explore some of the deep themes used this season, look at the movies that influenced it (one horror movie, specifically), look at the importance of music during this season, and uncover all the Ea...