ABCs with Asteroids, Back-to-School supplies, and Cinema 1988

Whether you’ve been lost in Pine Apple, Alabama or busy blasting Asteroids in outer space, it’s time to get up, grab your supplies, and head out to school because summer vacation is gone — at least summer vacation 1988 is over.  But with kids returning to school, we thought it would be cool to recall some classic ‘80s essentials while trading tips about how to (and how not to) play Atari’s Asteroids.  All this and a look back at 1988’s summer cinema fare, too!  All it will cost you is 77 minutes — so tune in.

 

In the NEWS

Remembering Aretha Franklin and Charlotte Rae

Peter Weller may return as RoboCop.

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and our Roving Spoonster, Shane in GR suggests a popping-good time with his discovery of a Sea of Thieves styled “cereal cannon”, a collage of his daughters’ cereal tarts from his commercial, and a report of “on-the-go” cereals from General Mills and Nestle. 

 

TechnoRetro Arcade

JediShua fondly remembers Atari’s 1979 vector-based arcade hit Asteroids while shazbazzar flees the scene in inexplicable panic.  Asteroids, a rather simplistic game that is fraught with harrowing consequences from any false move, continues to challenge and thrill visitors to any video arcade.  Maybe shaz will learn to quit hitting the thrust button.

 

Let’s Go to the Movies

EarBuds chime in with their memories of movies from the summer of 1988:

Above the Law

Beetlejuice*

Big

The Blob

Bloodsport

Coming to America

Crocodile Dundee II

Die Hard

A Fish Called Wanda

Funny Farm

Police Academy 5

Poltergeist 3

Rambo III

Red Heat

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Willow

Young Guns

 

School Supplies

Gear for your feet, your Trapper Keeper, and your pencil box — and all of it was plastic!  Going back to school meant school supplies and in the ‘80s that meant stickers, shoes of the Jelly kind, shaped erasers, and more.  The ‘Dads remember some common school-day fare and fashion that made the end of summer a little easier to bear.

 

Feedback

From Garfield to Opus to Foofur, the EarBuds chimed in with their “Pooh Bears” and stuffies from childhood.  Find out what Glen Nelson, Mike MacDonald, and Mark Ham(All) have in common with JediShua before hearing an endearing tale of a love lost and gained with the help of a friend of Melmac thanks to Steven Chopchik and Gordon Shumway.  After all, we all want to know what happened to Alf after the final cliffhanger episode.  Maybe he was attacked by cat-shaped asteroids!

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes.  Then share with others on social media, and join us on Discord for discussions about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s.  While you’re at it, give the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at [phone] or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to [e-mail].