90s
Eerie, Indiana
Imagine taking the quirkiness of a David Lynch-type series and applying it to a show for kids. The result might look something like Eerie, Indiana, which aired for a single season on NBC in 1991 and CONTINUE READING…
Retro Wiki
70s
Kolchack: The Night Stalker
While he will always be remembered as the perpetually grumpy patriarch (and proud owner of a certain long-legged lamp) in A Christmas Story, actor Darrin McGavin endeared himself to audiences as the frumpily dressed reporter, Carl CONTINUE READING…
90s
Street Sharks
The world of half-human, half-animal mutants got a little meaner with the release of 1995’s Street Sharks. These bad boys didn’t need any ninja training or rat sensais—they were buff, scary, and had a mouth full CONTINUE READING…
90s
OK Soda
Like Hypercolor clothing and Tae Bo, OK Soda was a cult invention that some people loved with a passion, but that never really caught on with everybody. In 1993, beverage giant Coca-Cola looked at Generation CONTINUE READING…
Gnarly '90s
Lethal Enforcers Arcade Game
The streets were filled with thugs, dealers, armed robbers, and other scum (even ninjas), and only two hard-nosed lawmen had the guts and the skills to take out the trash. They were Lethal Enforcers, stars of CONTINUE READING…
Junk Food
Jiffy Pop
Popcorn has been around since the first Thanksgiving celebrated by this country, a gift from the Native Americans that we embraced then and still do. A staple of movie theaters since the early 1900s, the CONTINUE READING…
90s
Camp Candy
Camp Candy was a summer sleepover camp owned and operated by John Candy. Like most camps, it offered activities like boating, swimming, and fishing; but unlike most camps, this one had a variety of crazy CONTINUE READING…
70s
Lawn Darts
Starting in the 1970s, people began to cast a suspicious eye on the safety standards used in making toys. Parents and lawmakers began voicing their concerns and this led to new legal standards for what CONTINUE READING…
90s
Tamagotchi
Few phrases strike more fear in the hearts of parents than, “Can I have a puppy/kitty/bunny/parakeet/lizard?” (for the record, those are separate pet options, not one horrible, genetically-engineered super pet). And with good reason. Mom CONTINUE READING…
90s
Cop Rock
When people who aren’t television fans are asked why they don’t watch, they usually answer with something like, “It’s just the same old stuff,” or “No one has tried anything new on television in years.” CONTINUE READING…
Junk Food
Adams Gums
It’s hard to fathom childhood without chewing gum. Nostalgia just seeps out of the stuff. Whether you recall the comic tales of Bazooka Joe, the stick of stale pink stuff in a pack of baseball CONTINUE READING…
Retro Wiki
Yahtzee
A bejillion years from now, when archaeologists are digging up the suburban dens of our buried civilization, amid all the broken down ColecoVisions and My Buddy dolls, a Yahtzee box will be reverently dusted off and carted away. CONTINUE READING…
70s
Mouse Trap
It may be time to revise the old maxim, “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.” The mousetrap in the board game of the same name may have CONTINUE READING…
70s
The Reggie! Bar
During the 1977 world series, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in game six, accomplishing something that had only been done previously by Babe Ruth. The feat earned him the title of “Mr. October” – CONTINUE READING…
80s
Risk
Lay out the board, parcel out the territories, build up the armies, and commence global conquest. Even people who “don’t play strategy games” know Risk. Simple enough for a young mind to grasp, yet elaborate CONTINUE READING…
