The Latchkey Kids

What would you do if your ex showed up on your front lawn in the middle of the night, wearing a trench coat and holding a boom box aloft while staring at your window? Call the police? File a restraining order? Of course not! You would fall madly in love, especially if that ex was the quirky and lovable Lloyd Dobler. It's part two of our series on romantic comedies of the 1980s, this week on The La...

Happy Valentine's Day, Latchkey listeners! Did your crush make you an extra special Valentine this year, complete with a heart next to their name and a small box of those godawful chalk-like Valentine's heart candies with "Be Mine" or "Luv You" written on them? If not, console yourself with a couple of classic rom-coms from the 1980s, straight from Dr. Amy's cinematic vault. 

Are you ready for P.E. class, everyone? Dr. Amy has her clipboard and her whistle, and she will be making sure you can climb the rope, do some jumping jacks, and throw a basketball through the hoop — and only then will you be allowed to experience the whimsical, colorful wonders of the P.E. CLASS PARACHUTE!!!

You take the good, you take the bad, you take 'em both and there you have THE GREATEST SITCOM OF THE 1980s! How badly did you want to attend the Eastland Academy in Peekskill with your pals Tootie, Natalie, Blair and Jo? On this week's episode of The Latchkey Kids, we take you back to Eastland, where you can roller skate around with George Clooney and Molly Ringwald until Mrs. Garrett solves every...

It takes Diff’rent Strokes to move the world, yes it does! Not only did this groundbreaking 80s sitcom eschew the second E in the word “diff’rent,” it also gave us the concept of the “very special episode.” Which was your favorite? Was it the one about the dangers of hitchhiking? The one where Arnold’s friends drink alcohol at school? Or how about the timeless classic “Just Say No” visit from Firs...

Do you wanna dance with somebody? Do you wanna feel the heat with somebody? Then listen to this week's episode of The Latchkey Kids, featuring the one and only Whitney Houston! We talk about the songs, the movies, the fashion, and the dramatic rise and fall of this superstar icon. Plus ... a TON of singing by Dr. Amy, who happens to believe the children are our future!

Whose poster did you have on your wall back in the day? Was it one of the Coreys? Cindy Crawford and and her perfect mole? Maybe you were like Aaron and had a taste for the tough and slightly dangerous Jo from Facts of Life. Whoever stole your heart, we have you covered on this week's episode of The Latchkey Kids. 

What's the quintessential car of the 1980s? Is it every kid's poster car — the Lamborghini Countach? The white Ferrari Testarossa from Miami Vice? KITT from Knight Rider? These are all iconic automobiles but according to Aaron And Dr. Amy, the ULTIMATE car of the 80s was The Tuna Boat, the powder blue Ford LTD Crown Victoria that prowled the suburban streets of Mesa, Arizona back in the day. Faste...

Who needs Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve when you can ring in the new year with Aaron and Dr. Amy? Just pour yourself a neon-colored cocktail with a sexually suggestive name and get ready to bang pots and pans in the streets at midnight — because tonight we're gonna party like it's 1999!

Get your decoder rings ready and prepare your Ovaltine, people! It's time to join little Ralphie Parker and his family as they prepare for the Christmas season with leg lamps, bunny suits, and Chinese food. Also, Aaron and Dr. Amy settle the debate over whether "Die Hard' is a Christmas movie once and for all. 

Every kid who ever wished their parents and siblings would just disappear got to see what that was like with the release of "Home Alone," the 1990 star turn for MacAulay Culkin that puts bratty little Kevin McAllister in that exact position. And it turns out ... it's kind of awesome? Along the way, there are lessons to learn, bandits to bully, and families to reunite just in time for Christmas.&nb...

Polish your sleigh bells and deck your halls with boughs of holly, people, it's time to get into the Christmas spirit! And what better way to do that than with the Griswold family, who never EVER give up on the dream of a perfect Christmas. Shitter's full!

It's a beautiful morning in Ponyville, where everyone's favorite ponies — Butterscotch, Rainbow Dash, Bluebell, and Darryl — are frolicking about, enjoying the rainbow-tinted sunrise over Happiness Mountain. All is well ... until the evil Galactic Empire shows up! Who will save the Ponies from the sinister Darth Vader and his super cool red light saber? Find out on this week's episode of The Latch...

If you're unlucky enough to live in tiny Cabot Cove, Maine — THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD — you basically have two options when it comes to the out-of-control murder problem: you can call in Jessica Fletcher to solve a few murders or you you can call in the A-Team to just blow everything up. Your call.  

Have you ever actually tried a Cap'n Crunch and Pixy Stix sandwich? Did it help you bond with the nerds, jocks, princesses, criminals and basket cases? And, most importantly — what on Earth did Dr. Amy do to get herself a real life Saturday suspension?! On this week's episode ... don't mess with The Latchkey Kids, you'll get the horns. 

The year is 1982 — MTV is in its infancy, Aaron is breakdancing in the driveway to "Eye of the Tiger" for some reason, and Johnny Cash is hosting Saturday Night Live with Elton John as the musical guest (TRUE STORY!). Relive all your favorite songs of 1982 (and listen to Dr. Amy sing most of them) on this week's episode of The Latchkey Kids. 

What was your favorite video game back in the day? Donkey Kong on the Atari 2600? Omega Race on your sweet Commodore VIC 20? Or were you plugging quarters into Frogger, Joust, and Karate Champ at your local arcade? On this week's episode, Aaron and Dr. Amy take you on a journey through video gaming's most important decade. 

Are you ready for Halloween, little goblins? Do your parents let you trick-or-treat on your own and then go hog wild eating as much candy as you want? Aaron and Dr. Amy's parents sure did! Hear how Halloween was different back in the day — on this week's episode of The Latchkey Kids. 

In this week's episode, Aaron and Dr. Amy continue their culinary journey through a sea of Cheez Whiz and a mountain of Sloppy Joe meat. Hear Dr. Amy's BRILLIANT solution to the frustration of Sloppy Joe slopping out of your hamburger bun. Plus, not one but TWO True Latchkey Confessions form Aaron. Bon appetit! 

What did you have for lunch today? Was it a slice of Oscar Meyer bologna, slathered with Cheez Whiz and piled on top of a slice of Hillbilly Bread? If not, you are missin' out. Tune into this week's episode of The Latchkey Kids for more culinary adventures from our childhood. 

Did lawn Jarts ever put you in the emergency room? What did you do with all your Shrinky Dinks? On this week's episode, Aaron and Dr. Amy remember all the bad toys of our childhoods — the disappointing, the creepy, and the downright dangerous. 

On this week's episode, let's play a game of "Count the Wows" as Dr. Amy loses her mind over the decades-long career of 1980s pop music icon Madonna. The Material Girl had her laced-glove fingerprints on all aspects of culture — music, fashion, movies, sex, and just about everything else. I mean ... wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow. 

If you could work ANYWHERE, which 80s sitcom workplace would you choose? Tending bar with Sam Malone in "Cheers?" Doing TV news with "Murphy Brown?" Maybe waiting tables at Mel's Diner with Alice and the gang? Whatever your workplace fantasy, we've got you covered on this week's episode of The Latchkey Kids. 

State and county fairs today are much the same as they were back in the 1980s — the fried food, the barfy rides, the smelly yet adorable livestock ... it's all still there! The only thing different back then was the lack of parental supervision. Tune in to Episode 56 to reminisce about going to the fair (and to hear Aaron's True Fair Confession). 

Even when they're chasing pirate treasure through a maze of underground caverns, "Goonies never say die!" Relive the magic of the classic 1985 film "The Goonies" on this episode of The Latchkey Kids. It'll have you walking the plank, doing the Truffle Shuffle, and chasing after One-Eyed Willie's lost fortune with your close-knit gang of friends.