The Baby-sitters Fight Club

September 1987 was a hallmark month for 80s kids, thanks to the television premieres of Duck Tales, Full House, and My Two Dads; the emergence of teen pop icons Tiffany and Debbie Gibson; and the publication of arguably the first Very Special Episode of the Baby-sitters Club series, Claudia and Mean Janine. Brooke and Kaykay discuss all of this, as well as the most haunting images from the Guinnes...

In July 1987, Whitney wanted to dance with somebody, latchkey kids wanted to watch The Price is Right (but were stuck with the Iran-Contra hearings), and Watson Brewer and The Divorced Elizabeth Thomas wanted to have a shotgun wedding without paying market rate for childcare. Brooke and Kaykay discuss all of this, plus summer camp talent shows, preteen shopping sprees, conspiracy theorists, and th...

In May 1987, Ernest went to camp, Cutting Crew and U2 owned the airwaves, and a 12-year-old California transplant became an unwitting foster parent of a Connecticut family of four. In the fifth episode of The Baby-sitters Fight Club podcast, Brooke and Kaykay discuss the importance of personal boundaries, the emptiness of cultural hegemony, and the joys of approaching life like it's a Pizza R...

In February 1987, the Beastie Boys fought for their right to party, while the members of the Baby-sitters Club fought one another. In the fourth episode of The Baby-sitters Fight Club podcast, Brooke and Kaykay break down the patriarchal B.S. that threatens Mary Anne’s  oldest and newest friendships, wax nostalgic about all things Spencer Gifts, and celebrate female dynamic duos in pop culture. Vi...

In December 1986, the Bangles walked like Egyptians, Dolly Parton celebrated A Smoky Mountain Christmas , and America learned the truth about Stacey McGill’s diabeetus. In the third episode of The Baby-sitters Fight Club podcast, the OG BSC engage in a turf war with a cigarette-smoking rival babysitting crew, while Brooke and Kaykay explore both the value of remaining true to oneself and the book’...

In October 1986, Double Dare debuted, Bill Buckner biffed, and phantom phone calls terrorized the baby-sitting population of Stoneybrook, CT. In the second episode of The Baby-sitters Fight Club podcast, Claudia and the gang face the dual looming threats of jewel thieves and puberty, while Brooke and Kaykay take on rape culture, 1980s cable options, and circus peanuts. Visit us at our website , an...

August 1986 brought us so many things: Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Howard the Duck, and most importantly, the first Baby-sitters Club book, Kristy’s Great Idea . Brooke and Kaykay explore the feminist and queer subtext of the inaugural BSC text, discuss the respective merits of at-home perms, and bid a fond farewell to Wilford Brimley. DIABETUS! Visit us at our website , and follow us on: Facebo...

An editor and a therapist discuss The Baby-sitters Club, one book at a time, to explore what Ann M. Martin's classic series reveals about growing up female in 1980s America. Visit us at our website , and follow us on: Facebook Twitter Instagram Spotify