TRN Archives Archives : Page 4 of 5 : The Retro Network

Rumble in the Cabbage Patch: The Cabbage Patch Kid Craze

One of the staple toy lines of the ’80s was Coleco’s Cabbage Patch Kids line. Every girl I knew as a kid had at least one Cabbage Patch Kid. I had a few, including an

Halloween on Roseanne

Jeff Sheldon

1990’s Sitcom television’s version of Halloween depicts how I feel Halloween should have been in real life. Dressed up in cool costumes, the characters on the show attended heavily decorated Halloween house parties and were

Ten Classic Halloween Commercials That Haunt Our Memories

Stacey

I love commercials. I always have. My mom told me that when I was a kid, I’d spend a lot of time during shows gathering toys to play with, but I’d run from my room

Fascinating Facts About Gilligan’s Island

Mickey Yarber

In September of 1964, the S.S. Minnow first set out on its fateful three hour tour, as Gilligan’s Island premiered on American television sets. Not many could have predicted the impact that the sitcom would have on

The Magically Delicious History of Lucky Charms Cereal

Mickey Yarber

Lucky Charms cereal has been a favorite of kids everywhere since it first hit store shelves in 1964. But even though the brand is almost sixty years old, most people don’t know much about it

Food

Country Music Stars Who Failed in the Food Business

Mickey Yarber

Having what it takes to become a star in the world of country music doesn’t necessarily mean you have what it takes to succeed in the food and restaurant world. Here are the tales of

10 Discontinued Fast Food Items We Still Want Back

Mickey Yarber

Fast food is as American as McDonald’s fried Apple Pies. The fast-food business constantly innovating, finding ways to turn chicken fingers into Chicken Fries and Chicken Rings. Yet for every smashing success like the McRib,

The Beginnings of MTV

Mickey Yarber

The earliest ancestor of the modern music video was the soundie, a black-and-white 16mm film recording of a musician performing before a live audience. The first soundies appeared in 1940, and all the big singing

When ’90s Sitcoms Went to Disney World

Jeff Sheldon

Growing up, I was lucky enough to go to Walt Disney World fairly frequently. My Mom’s parents lived near Lakeland, Florida, and we’d work in a visit to see Grandma and Grandpa for a day

8 Movies Adapted From Shakespeare’s Plays

Karen Flieger

Many English teachers or instructors might have a sculpted bust of William Shakespeare, but I’ve always liked the feel of plush toys. I call the fellow seen above “Squishy Bill”. I particularly like his velvety

Ring Raiders: Crashing on Take-Off

Brian Cave

I ended a previous article saying I’d rather take an Air Raiders cartoon over the Ring Raiders, and I feel the need to explain why. I didn’t find Ring Raiders, the toy or the cartoon,

Fascinating Facts About Hot Wheels

Mickey Yarber

Since 1968, Hot Wheels have been a favorite toy of kids and adults the world over. Even as popular as they have been for over fifty years, there’s probably a few things you still don’t

Footage from the 1990 Nintendo World Championships

Jason Gross

The Nintendo World Championships in 1990 was the first nationwide video game competition hosted by Nintendo. Throughout the year, the tournament visited 30 cities in America and gave players a chance to compete for a

Our Favorite Stores at the Mall

Mickey Yarber

Hey retro lovers, welcome to our first TRN Round Table. The Round Table is where several creators from the TRN Bullpen get together and share their thoughts on a common theme. In this first edition,

Saved by the Bell: Where did Kelly and Jessie go?

Jeff Sheldon

On November 25th, a new version of “Saved by the Bell” debuts on the NBC streaming service Peacock. In this new version, California Governor Zack Morris poorly plans the state budget and is forced to

Cable Television in the 1980’s

Karen Flieger

Most of my earliest memories of watching television are associated with my family’s move to Georgia in February 1983. I remember

A Salute to “Salute Your Shorts”

Jeff Sheldon

Camp Ana-wanna, we hold you in our hearts… As August begins and the summer heat builds to its peak, I find myself reflecting on the summers of my youth. I never went to a REAL