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A College Halloween With Friends, Pizza, and VH‑1

A college Halloween turned into costumes, candy, pizza, and Rocky Horror in a friend’s basement, creating one of the most unforgettable nights of my freshman year.

Spice Up Your Halloween With This Hot ‘n Devilish CHex Party Mix Recipe From 1988

Chex Hot ’n Devilish brings spicy retro flavor to Halloween night, delivering a fiery 1988 snack mix that pairs perfectly with candy, costumes and classic spooky fun.

MeTV Announces “A Very Merry MeTV” Holiday Programming Schedule

MeTV kicks off the season with “A Very Merry MeTV,” a holiday programming event packed with classic sitcoms, movies, animated specials and festive favorites from Thanksgiving through Christmas Day.

Collectors Corner: Starting a Candy Wrapper Collection

Candy wrapper collecting is a fun, accessible hobby for retro fans, turning everyday treats into colorful pieces of pop culture you can preserve, catalog, and display.

The Devil Made Us Do It: Inside the Satanic Panic

If you grew up in the 1980s, odds are somebody decided at least one thing you loved was dangerous or even downright evil. Heavy metal could lead you to Satan. Dungeons & Dragons was accused

‘A Nightmare on My Street’ by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince

One song I always remember in particular this time of year is “A Nightmare on My Street” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. I had already been a fan of the pair from their 1987 debut

Halloween on Home Improvement

When I think back on my childhood, the sitcoms of the 1990s depict how I wished Halloweens could have been. Everyone was dressed in cool Halloween costumes and attended parties with elaborately decorated houses full

DTV Monster Hits: When Rock & Roll and Disney Came Together To Make Halloween Magic

In the golden age of TV specials, when Halloween was more about mood than merchandise, Disney delivered a rock-infused treat that still haunts the memories of fans who caught it live: DTV Monster Hits. Originally

The 80’s Halloween Video Countdown

The 80s delivered spooky music videos that were more camp than terror, but always unforgettable. From plague masks to werewolves, here are the decade’s creepiest, corniest, most entertaining gems.

How the 1982 Tylenol Poisonings Almost Canceled Halloween

The 1982 Tylenol murders sent shockwaves through the country and turned Halloween into a season of fear, reshaping safety, packaging, and childhood traditions overnight.

The Night the Grinch Stole Halloween: A Forgotten TV Treat from 1977

In the golden age of television specials, when families gathered around glowing screens for animated holiday magic, one curious entry slipped through the cracks of collective memory: Halloween Is Grinch Night. Airing on CBS in

The Wild and Wonderful Chaos of American Gladiators

American Gladiators turned weekend TV into a loud, colorful spectacle where everyday contenders faced larger‑than‑life warriors. Equal parts athleticism and pure ’90s chaos, the series remains a wildly entertaining slice of retro competition culture.

License Plates in John Hughes ’80s Movies

The films of John Hughes from the ’80s are a big part of my love of the decade. I feel like Hughes came along at the perfect time and made some seemingly perfect movies for

The Birth of a Universe: Star Wars and Its Endless Impact

Star Wars didn’t just debut in 1977. It exploded, sending kids back to theaters again and again and launching a pop‑culture universe of toys, books, sequels, and memories that never stopped growing.

Duff’s Smorgasbord and the Golden Age of Buffets

Duff’s Smorgasbord turned a simple rotating buffet into a beloved dining ritual, serving comfort food, value, and a little bit of spectacle to families across America.

How Slime Became a Toy‑Box Icon

Slime went from a simple green goo in a plastic trash can to a full‑blown pop culture icon, shaping decades of toys, TV, and childhood messes.

Review of the Horror-Themed 90s Sitcom ‘Stark Raving Mad’

Stark Raving Mad was a modern “Odd Couple” sitcom from the end of the 1990s starring Neil Patrick Harris as a book editor named Henry McNeeley. Henry’s boss assigns him to horror novelist Ian Stark,

Toy of the Week: Le Clic Camera

I can hear the hobby and professional photographers gasping for breath. No worries. I know a camera isn’t technically a toy. LeClic cameras were so much more than a camera and because I used mine

My Christmas Memories: 1980

1980, the beginning of the most awesome decade in pop culture history. Ronald Reagan just began his first term as President. Disco’s popularity had pretty much come to an end and music was getting ready

I Want My (Network) TV! – Music Video Premieres in Prime Time

This past Wednesday, while I was listening to The Retro Network’s WIZARDS podcast, something in the “Wave Rider” segment tickled my eardrums with recognition. It also reminded me of a big trend that occurred primarily

Misheard Lyrics: “Everybody Wants To Boogaloo”

Next up in the misheard lyrics dictionary is one of my favorite all-time songs (not just from the ’80s.) On the heels of their global mega-hit “Shout”, Tears For Fears released the third single from

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