Everything 80s Patreon Feed

Hey — I've never shared this with free followers before, but I wanted to give you a taste of what's available here on Patreon. For just a few dollars a month, the lowest tier (Marty McFly level) gets you the first access to new podcast episodes--ad-free--a few days before they get released on all the major podcast apps. The $5 Boba Fett and above tier gets you all that, plus the Everything 80s Mov...

It started as a He-Man spinoff, but She-Ra: Princess of Power soon became a pop culture force all her own. This is a look back at the creation, launch, and success of She-Ra, a toy and animated series that some in the industry thought was a huge risk. At this point in the 80s, many animated shows followed the "Smurfette principle," in which a male-dominated show had just one token female character...

So this is a bit of a niche/experimental episode. After seeing the IMAX release of Back to the Future, I began to think more about the experience of watching movies on real film--specifically 35mm and 70mm film--and about seeing movies the way they were meant to be seen. And it turns out that there's an old-school cinema in a city near me that is still showing real film, and even has one of the ve...

What do you get when you combine video games, Disneyland, and a coyote? You get the foundations for one of the most beloved restaurants of all time--and the dream destination for any birthday party. This is the history of Chuck E. Cheese, a restaurant with origins that go back to the early 70s. And do we have Atari to thank for its creation? But it's a story that goes pretty deep as in the 1980s,...

After years and years of speculation, and talks that seemingly went nowhere, a Beetlejuice sequel is about to hit theatres. Today. we go back to 1988 to revisit the original. But it was a bizarre project that no one was quite sure what to make of. Its director was coming off a pretty big surprise hit, but this was only his second feature film. Even the people starring in it were hesitant to be inv...

"Drop dead..."These were the words spoken by President Gerald Ford to New York City when they turned to the government for federal help. It was the mid-70s, and financially, New York was hanging by a thread. The city was full of crime, garbage, a crumbling infrastructure--and out of money. NYC was left to face things on its own, and as the 1980s began, the city faced a make-or-break period in its...

Summer vacation is still going, so why not look back at the ultimate vacation film and the beginning of the vacation franchise? Welcome to the Patreon-only, Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast and today we travel back more than 40 years to 1983 and revisit a comedy classic. Today, we'll do a full plot recap of this road-trip movie, look at all the difficult logistics that went into making it, what...

If you're a long-time listener (or know your video game history) you know all about the great video game crash of 1983. The crash took a multi-billion dollar industry down to just $100 million within a few years. This had a huge effect on Atari and it would take the NES to completely resurrect the dying industry that many big toy companies wanted nothing to do with anymore. One of the big reasons...

As the new decade began, SNL was hanging by a thread. It had only been five years since it first began, but the late-night sketch comedy show had already become a huge part of pop culture and made stars out of its cast. But things were about to change--big time...The 1980s was a make-or-break period for the late-night institution and today we look back on the tumultuous time period that resulted i...

This is a big one. When I started putting this episode together, I mostly wanted to focus on the success of the movie during the incredible summer of 1989.But the story goes so much deeper--all the way back to the very early days of comics. The story of Tim Burton's Batman is also the story of the comic book industry, the Batman TV series from the 60s, and how studios didn't want to touch comic bo...

It's been almost exactly 40 years to the day since one of the most important Summer Olympics in the history of the modern Games. The Summer Olympics were coming off two less-than-ideal previous editions and very few cities even wanted to host. 1976 in Montreal was a financial disaster and the 1980 games in Moscow were boycotted. So, a retaliatory boycott of sorts led by the Soviets created an air...

There are a handful of movies that may best represent the entire 1980s. Today, we look back at one of them. Welcome to the Patreon-only, Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast. This is just for members of the Boba Fett level and above, and today it's one of the most beloved classics ever made. We'll recap the plot of The Neverending Story then look back at the incredibly difficult production behind i...

One of the very first podcasts I ever recorded for Everything 80s was about Madballs. I took it down years ago because it was too short and didn't capture everything I wanted. I'm hoping this episode does. This is the full history of Madballs, the unique toy/ball that created quite the dent in the toy market (and on heads) when it was released in 1986.It was a time in the toy industry when gross-o...

When does performance art go too far? How long do you suspend disbelief before you start asking yourself whether what you are seeing is actually real? Or is that the whole point...When it comes to performance art, there may be no better performer ever, than Andy Kaufman. And in the 1980s, he took his unique brand of comedy to a wider audience than ever before. Borrowing from the world of professio...

1987 was a good one, and so was 1989, but summertime at the movies might not get better than the summer of 1984.Today we look back on that magical summer of '84, the summer that gave us some of the best movies of not just the 80s--but of all time. In 1984, it felt like the summer blockbuster season became fully established, and every weekend there were bigger and bigger releases. We got the sequel...

As big as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show were in the 70s, they were nothing compared to what Jim Henson had in store for us in the 80s. From two groundbreaking films to a third Muppet movie, the 1980s is when Jim Henson really shines. From a beloved children's series to a cherished cartoon, the 1980s was a decade of prolific creation by the iconic performer. And there was A LOT of it. Get ready...

Mario and Luigi were dominating the North American video game market. The NES had rejuvenated the industry after the great Video Game Crash of 1983, and the Sega Master System proved to be a worthy competitor. It seemed as if video games had peaked, and this new 8-bit technology had changed gaming forever. But just a few years after the release of the NES in North America, something was happening...

When The Dark Crystal came out in 1982, it horrified a lot of younger viewers. This was part of Jim Henson's intent, but after it wasn't a huge hit in theatres--he didn't want to make the same mistake. But he still wanted to make another fantasy film and push the boundaries of puppeteering. It took three years--and a lot of money--but he finally did it. Welcome to the Patreon-only Everything 80s M...

Add this to the list of episodes I can't believe I haven't made yet. When it first aired back in 1986, no one knew what to think of it; especially critics and parents. It was loud, bold, colorful, and crazy... and kids loved it. Pee-Wee's Playhouse was like nothing else on TV. As Saturday mornings and after school were being dominated by animation, along came a live-action show that looked like a...

Even if you're a hockey fan, you probably don't know the name Tony Hand. But that's understandable, as his connection to the NHL was very short-lived. But not because he wasn't good enough--not by a long shot...As we reach the mid-80s, the Edmonton Oilers are on top of the hockey world. And leading the best team in the world was the best player in the world: Wayne Gretzky. But as we entered the 19...

Not long ago, I looked back on 10 forgotten TV shows from the 80s. Today, we look at the forgotten movies. These are the ones that could have been huge hits--but just weren't. They feature great directors, actors, special effects, and stories, but had too many variables going against them. Between huge competition, inadequate marketing, or just bad timing, these are the lesser-known movies of the...

This was certainly a year for the books...Today, it's an all-new version of my review of 1983. Besides the new production and sound clips, there is a lot of new info about the movies, music, TV shows, cartoons, sports, and video games that make up a remarkable year.1983 is also the year that gives us two innovations in the world of tech. Two of the most important innovations in history that change...

Some of these surprised me. I could have sworn there were certain snacks that came out before--or after--the 1980s. But some of the all-time best did indeed come out during the 80s. This is a look back on the best snacks and junk food that the decade had to offer. We'll look at some candy, chocolate, snacks, and drinks that were a big part of growing up. Some of them are no longer with us, and som...

In September 1973, Martin Cooper from Motorola did something no human had ever done before. From the streets of New York, he made the world's first cellular phone call. It was just a prototype, but this kicked off a 10-year, and $100 million journey to get a true mobile phone on the market. The result? The Dynatac 8000x: the world's very first cell phone. This is a look back on not just the journe...

I feel the need, the need for a new Everything 80s movie review podcast...Movies of the 1980s don't get much bigger than Top Gun; today we look back on the biggest and most successful movie of 1986.This Patreon-only episode is for members of the Boba Fett level and above, and today, we'll do a full plot summary, and then look at the incredible logistics that went into making this astounding film....