Pronunciations and enunciations are better than renunciations of almost every kind, even when the former are terrible.  But mispronouncing city names isn’t the only error.  Oh no!  The Spider-Pan from Neverland (podcast) catches the TechnoRetro Dads in another April Foolish prank from the tourism industry Down Under.  But after shazbazzar and JediShua get humbled by multiple corrections from the past couple weeks, the ‘Dads lunch into space for some alien felines.  You’ll want to be on the lookout for hairballs at breakfast and dinner today.  Ha!

In the NEWS

Hairlips or hairy lips, it makes little difference to the Flowbee, with Jay Hernandez playing Magnum P.I. in the upcoming reboot, we’re wondering if the classic mustache will be making a comeback in the new version.  Hopefully so!  Daniel and Johnny are back at it on the west coast in YouTube Red’s new original Karate Kid series Cobra Kai.  And the hype for Ready Player One kicks it up a notch with more puzzles, clues, and an opportunity to play Joust online.

We Love Our Cereal…

…but Lucky loves his newest charm — a mythical friend of the little leprechaun joins Lucky Charms cereal in disembodied form.  Your next bowl of Lucky Charms may be full of unicorn heads if you’re really Lucky.  Delicious!

And the HalfBowl of Cap’n Crunch Mystery gets some updates from one of our EarBuds as well as a peek into the TechnoRetro Bureau of Investigation.  Cicero D. Swampaluffagus thinks he may have seen King Vitamin fleeing the scene of the crime in Richmond, Virginia.  PLUS: Steve Glosson from the Big Honkin’ Show continues to help shazbazzar and JediShua in the cereal crime investigation.  If you have any information about this still unsolved mystery, let us know at our cereal crime hotline (209) 878-7323.

TechnoRetro Arcade

The mouse chases the cats in Mappy, a digital version of playing cat and mouse with a twist.  The mouse detective seeks to catch the Meowkies red-pawed by retrieving the goods stolen by the criminal felines.  And if that’s not enough to entice you, Namco added trampolines to the game play in order to give it a much-needed bounce.  If you’re looking for something different at the arcade, check out Mappy.

The Cat from Outer Space

After an alien life form crash lands on Earth, the military gets involved (including both Colonels from M*A*S*H) only to discover that we haven’t been invaded by little, green, squishy guys, but by a furry feline with a glowing collar.  Featuring Sally Duncan, Ken Berry, Harry Morgan, McLean Stevenson, and Ronnie Schell as Zunar-J-5/9 Doric-4-7 (Jake), this 1978 flick provides loads of fun with humor, comedy, and unlikely combinations as Boss Hogg and Cornelius show up for Disney’s sci-fi prelude to The Black Hole.  The Cat from Outer Space is a must-see for every fan of fun or fiction, especially since it seems to be a secondary inspiration for The Phantom Menace!

Saturday Mornings

Spacecats (not to be confused with the “Space Cats” episode of Heathcliff) was a short-lived (pronounced with a long “i” sound — thanks, Scott Ryfun) animated/puppet TV show from the early ‘90s.  Paul Fusco voices the leader of the Spacecats, Captain Catgut, in every episode’s introduction as a short, furry puppet.  Charles Nelson Reilly is the Disembodied Omnipotent Ruler of Cats (D.O.R.C) in a role that suited his Hollywood Squares personality.  In the cartoon segment, the voice talents of Townsend Coleman, Pat Fraley, and Rob Paulsen bring the two-dimensionally drawn Spacecats to life for a single season before the show didn’t last longer than a single fall and subsequent spring reruns.  Too bad, too, since we never really discovered that the real reason the Spacecats came to Earth was to investigate tales of an alien life form who threatened the indigenous feline population with his voracious appetite and complete lack of willpower. 

Feedback

Darth Taxus answers lingering questions about Garfield and Friends.  Steve Bennett (#TeamSteve) adds fragrance to our Olfatrix smell towers with a Hot Topic exclusive that shouldn’t expire until 2045 at least with Ready Player One “Gunter Life” cologne.  Speaking of Ready Player One, EarBuds went wild with comments about Easter Eggs in the official poster.  PLUS: Mark Reingrover, Jovial Jay, James Burns, and Mike MacDonald with fantastic feedback!

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, call-in with HalfBowl of Cap’n Crunch Mystery tips, and join discussion about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. And be sure to listen for hints and watch for clues for the TechnoRetro Dads’ Easter Egg with the ongoing TechnoRetro Egg Hunt.

Share and enjoy.

Share and enjoy.

From snowstorms up north to the feel of summertime in the south, the past week of the Winter Olympics have challenged both athletes and couch potatoes in more ways than one. But we’ll never ask you to choose between watching skiing or going skiing.  We will never push you into a conundrum of choosing between mowing the lawn and keeping up with the figure skating finals.  You can take TechnoRetro Dads with you wherever you can take your ear buds, EarBuds, as we remember Saturday morning cartoons enjoyed with a bowl of cereal, revisit the arcades of our youth, and reminisce about the best parts of being kids in the ‘70s and ‘80s.  So whether you are Farmers or freelance photographers, we’re your friendly neighborhood podcast — even if you don’t remember the glory days of GenX!

In the NEWS

As we anticipated, the upcoming incarnation of The Greatest American Hero features a female lead as Hannah Simone is cast as the next unlikely superhero to wear the red pajamas. We wonder who her counterpart will be. Before V was for vendetta, the Roman numeral signified visitors from another planet who have come to earth to feast on human flesh.  Creator of the original mini-series, Kenneth Johnson, will be directing a big screen adaptation of the iconic ‘80s TV show.  Whether Dar or Freddy Kruger will appear in the new version is unknown at the moment.  Doc Brown could soon find a replacement for the demolished DeLorean from Back to the Future 3 in Humble, Texas as brand new DMC-12s begin rolling off the assembly line next year.  Built from unassembled original parts from the early ‘80s, these DeLoreans will combine the classic look with updated and upgraded engines and electronics assembled on “x” frames.  Do we want them?  Yes!  Can we afford them?  Uh…no.  WarGames is making a comeback through a new game about hackers produced in collaboration with Eko.  Matthew Broderick?  We doubt it.

We Love Our Cereal…

…and so do burglars in Richmond, Virginia. Olivia Davis came home recently to discover her apartment had been ransacked, her toilet paper had been stolen, and someone had been eating a bowl of Cap’n Crunch on her bed…and left before finishing the bowl!  When the criminal is this smooth (or maybe not-so-smooth), there’s only one person we could call to make sense of this crime — Steve Glosson.  The host of the Big Honkin’ Show joins shazbazzar and JediShua to investigate the details of this very strange tale of missing cleaning supplies, tables of wigs, and a half bowl of Cap’n Crunch cereal.

TechnoRetro Arcade

Seems like sequels are the rage in early ‘80s video games.  Last week, we talked about Ms. Pac-Man.  This week, the success of Centipede gives rise to Millipede, a faster, more intense version of the rollerball shooter with more arachnids, insects, and dangerous mushrooms that might put you in a panic if you’re not expecting the onslaught of tiny creatures attacking your bug blaster in this fun and frenetic game that will get your heart racing.

Saturday Mornings

He’s orange.  He’s striped.  He loves lasagna.  He’s the iconic fat cat with a very Presidential name.  He’s Garfield.  If you’re a child of the ‘80s, you remember him, not only from the funny pages of your local newspaper, but from Saturday mornings on CBS from 1988 to 1995.  Garfield and Friends featured not only Garfield and Odie, but also several friends from the farm as Jim Davis’s creation gets animated on a weekly basis in this cartoon.  JediShua does discover that Garfield was inspired by the creator’s grandfather, a cantankerous man named James A. Garfield Davis.  Does the “A” stand for “Andrew”?  We just don’t know.

Feedback

Isaiah Caldeira tries Steve Glosson’s chocolate super cereal surprise and enjoys watching Animaniacs.  Jonathan Bell geeks out with his TechnoRetroGrandDad on the Input Junkie podcast.  Dave Atteberry sends us pics of his “super” man cave and we’re amazed because it’s spectacular.  The talents of Jimmy in Georgia and Uncle Ben Foster are on display with Jimmy’s Dungeons & Dragons art and Ben’s pen-and-ink drawings and musical repertoire.  Chef Armando is thoroughly enjoying The Toys that Made Us on Netflix and Twitter.  Jason from The Colony, Texas shares his thoughts and Darth Taxus embraces Flash Gordon with his whole family.  Michael Goldtrap tastes Nutter Butter cereal.  Jeffrey Fischbach suggests names for the Pac-Fam and The Neverland Podcast solves the mystery of Ms. Pac-Man’s name.  Ahh-choo!  

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, and lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. And be sure to listen for hints and watch for clues for the TechnoRetro Dads’ Easter Egg with the ongoing TechnoRetro Egg Hunt.

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As important as learning your ABCs, getting a fundamental education in the glory days of the ‘70s and ‘80s will prepare you for success in today’s pop-culture climate.  The TechnoRetro Dads continue to serve the public with 77 minute interstitials to reawaken the hearts and minds of GenXers while providing Millennials more than a basic introduction to the movies, music, TV shows, games, and toys that made these decades some of the best times to be a kid.  Who knows when you might have an opportunity to put the knowledge of timeless trivia to the test in order to win an OASIS of treasure (and free prizes) in a contest the likes of Ready Player One?  Make sure you’re tuned in every Monday morning for TechnoRetro Dads — just the thing to get your work week off to a great start.  Hurray!

In the NEWS

What do you mean Pluto still isn’t a planet? EarBuds from all over the world rapidly responded to the news from last week to let us know that, no, Pluto has not been reclassified as a planet.  Aw!  Maybe someday.  But things are looking up for TRON fans as construction begins in O’Lando for the Lightcycle Power Run.  If only they would start filming TR3N.  But the biggest news is about the star of Nintendo games, Mario!  Whether you’re talking about seeing the original “Jump Man” on the silver screen or seeing the popular plumber sans shirt, Mario is super at making headlines on the GRID!

We Love Our Cereal…

…and Post is boxing up bowls of great tastes, it seems.  Start looking for Great Grains Coconut Almond Crunch, Grape Nuts Trail Mix Crunch, Double Chocolate Brownie Crunch, Cinnamon Dino-Bites, Golden Honey O’s, and MOM’s Best Crispy Cinnamon Rice.  With two cinnamon additions to cereal aisle shelves this year, it looks like things are heating up for your taste buds, EarBuds!

Vinyl Scratchback

They may go “Crazy on You” if you’re a “Magic Man”, and that might not be a bad thing.  Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been the thrumming heartbeat of Heart for the past four decades with loads of familiar songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s, even as the band’s sound developed alongside the times as the heavier beats and guitars gave way to cleaner, pop-centric synthesized choruses that matched well with high school dances (and even movies about high school dances). PLUS: JediShua discovers a Heart-shaped cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”.

TechnoRetro Arcade

How do you follow up a hit video game?  With a sequel that’s not only more colorful, faster, and smoother, but wrap it up with a big bow — on top of the main character’s head.  Ms. Pac-Man debuted in the States in 1982, with cut scenes showing how Pac-Man met Ms. Pac-Man, their fast-paced love affair, and (with implied promises of a third game in the series) Pac-Man, Jr.  Bouncing fruit added to the challenge of the game as gamers guided Ms. Pac-Man around mazes to avoid colorful ghosts (monsters), eat up fruit (and pretzels), and chomp down on the power pill that lets her eat up her enemies.  Ms. Pac-Man is the perfect game for this Valentine’s Day!

Let’s Go to the Movies: Young Love

He’s the everyman, the dork, the kickboxer who keeps getting kicked in the face by love.  From the iconic image of the lonesome lover hoisting his boombox over his head in Say Anything to a cross-country road trip to find The Sure Thing, John Cusack became the face of teen romance movies and rom-coms of the ‘80s.  Remember Lane Meyer fleeing from the persistent paperboy in Better Off Dead?  This budding cartoonist brought burgers to life in his “real job” before nearly killing himself skiing the K12 in hopes of finding love (from France).  Retaining his role as a teenage cartoonist in a warmer season, Cusack played Hoops McCann in One Crazy Summer with Bobcat Goldthwait playing Godzilla in a movie about a boat race that helps our hero win love, yet again.  Not to be forgotten is Danny, Lauri’s slacker boyfriend who ends up saving his girlfriend’s family from psychotic killers with the help of some mellow islanders and an off-kilter boat captain with a penchant for Robert Louis Stevenson.  Hot Pursuit, directed by Steven Lisberger, may indeed be shazbazzar’s favorite romantic comedy of all time.

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. And be sure to listen for hints and watch for clues for the TechnoRetro Dads’ Easter Egg with the ongoing TechnoRetro Egg Hunt.

Share and enjoy.

It's all over! The month of January, the lunar eclipse with a blue and blood super moon, Groundhog Day, and the Super Bowl are all behind us, but shazbazzar and JediShua keep the action going with New York Jets Quarterback Flash Gordon, digital Xs and Os on a black-and-white screen on a cocktail table version of football from Atari, paper triangles on lunchroom tables, and an explanation of the first week of the TechnoRetro EggHunt by Matt Marks. This episode of TechnoRetro Dads will transform your winter blues with warm feelings of nostalgia, humor, and perhaps some deceptive humor for the next 77 minutes of your life.

In the NEWS

Scientists admit their error (sort of) by reclassifying Pluto as the ninth planet of the Solar System because...popular opinion? We discover that Mr. Rogers will be represented on screens, not only in documentary format, but in a full movie starring Tom Hanks as everyone's favorite neighbor in You Are My Friend. Indiana Jones 5 is slated as Steven Spielberg's next project and should hit screens sometime in 2020. Crocodile Dundee gets lost in the Outback in a new trailer for the fourth movie in the franchise. And thousands of baby names from 2017 may sound as if they've arrived from a galaxy far, far away.

TechnoRetro Arcade

Ratchet up your rollerball arm for some seriously cool game play from 1978 with the cocktail table head-to-head arcade hit Atari Football when a quarter could buy you 90 seconds of play time to get your Os past your opponent’s Xs to score a touchdown on the black and white scrolling screen. By choosing your formation from an onscreen menu and then controlling your players by spinning the rollerball with some hot rod moves. Run, pass, tackle, and intercept as you see the “players” move smoothly across the digital football field. The game keeps players going from huddle to huddle as gamers take brief breaks for their right arms. Although a few four-player versions were produced, the two-player tables were the most popular machines in arcades in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.  Some of these are still around and would be great for next year’s Super Bowl party at your house!

Toys in the Attic

Sometimes the toys we remember best were those we made ourselves. Back in school, we all learned to fold paper into various shapes for passing notes, but we also learned how to transform leaves of wide-ruled paper into hefty triangles to compete with our friends in the school cafeteria or at home on the kitchen table. Tabletop football was popular among kids in the ‘70s and ‘80s because with a single piece of paper, an entire game of football was possible. If you could “flick” your football to the opposite edge of the table without falling off the side, you could score a touchdown.  Then set up for the extra point by “kicking” the paper triangle through your opponent’s goal posts and you were on your way to winning the game. It was fun then, and its fun still.  Just the thing to keep football season alive in the off season.

Flash Gordon

Ming the Merciless is set on destroying Earth — for fun! But Dr. Zarkov is prepared for this attack with his homemade rocket — if only he could find someone to help him blast off.  When Flash Gordon and Dale Arden arrive at his front door (well, through his front door, on their crashed airplane), he got more than he bargained for.  The three heroes find themselves in the weird and wild world of Mongo on a psychedelic trip into a 1980 version of Flash Gordon with an unforgettable soundtrack by Queen.  This cult-classic continues to thrill audiences today as parents introduce their kids to this crazy, campy sci-fi, comic-book movie that seems more than a little disjointed. With loads of actors from a galaxy far, far away, this space opera owes a lot to the popularity of Star Wars, just like Star Wars owes its existence to Flash Gordon.

Feedback

JediHolmes chimes in with his memories of The Last Starfighter and Beastmaster 3.  Andy Lindemann asks about Atari comics, remembers Dungeons & Dragons, and totally relates to the Cylonic appearance of K.I.T.T. in Knight Rider. Adam O’Brien is back with some memories of Dungeons & Dragons, as well, as he recalls a show from his childhood called Boris’s Breakfast Club.

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. And be sure to listen for hints and watch for clues for the TechnoRetro Dads’ Easter Egg with the ongoing TechnoRetro Egg Hunt.

Share and enjoy.

Call me.  Call me Ishmael.  Call me Horatio.  I don’t care what you call me, as long as you call me for breakfast.  Speaking of which, it’s Monday morning, and that means it’s that time again — so grab a box of cereal, pour it into your favorite bowl, add the milk, pick up a spoon, and enjoy your morning meal with your ear buds, EarBuds, because TechnoRetro Dads is part of a good, balanced breakfast that will get your work week started right!

In the NEWS

Etsy has become a place to find some really cool #TechnoRetro gadgets, like a Blu-Ray/DVD player disguised as an Apple Floppy Disk Drive.  Totally awesome!  Superman dons the red underwear for Action Comics #1000, and we’re pleased to see the classic design back in action. The New York Times publishes a complete compilation of the publication’s Star Wars coverage over the past 45 years.  Yes.  45 years.  From 1973 to today.  So cool.  PLUS: Ready Player One continues to make news with a Virtual Reality peek into Aech’s garage.  It might make you run out and buy a PS4.

We Love Our Cereal…

…and so do our EarBuds!  Although we have no new reviews and no new news about cereal, @Im_Goobs chimes in on the Cinnamon Toast Crunch “puffs” that we’ve been hearing about.  According to his research, yep, it’s crunchy.  Michael Goldtrap expands the discussion of cereal-flavored milk with three jugs of “Cereal Milk” at Wal*Mart.  it looks like a #TechnoRetro trend is on like TRON at the supermarket!

Vinyl Scratchback

“The Tide Is High”, and we’re not talking about another Alabama championship.  The Videodrome queen, the Angel that Omar loves, Deborah Harry captured our hearts with her unique voice and Blondie’s disco-punk sound from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.  We take a spin on the turntable with some memories of Blondie through the years and discover that the band is still together after all this time.  And you thought they had a “Heart of Glass”.

TechnoRetro Arcade

Though not exactly a “home console” game, Zork was a text-based computer game highlighted in Ernest Cline’s best-selling novel, Ready Player One, where Gunters could get the Jade Key by blowing a specific whistle after assembling the full collection of trophies in the case located inside a dilapidated old house on the planet Frobozz.  Like other text-based games, Zork relied on brief commands to move to the next section of the game as players tried to solve the game in a computer-simulation of a role-playing adventure game like Dungeons & Dragons. 

Saturday Mornings

Combining cartoon characters from different titles to create a new show was not an original idea in 1978, but by setting this Wacky Race-styled cartoon in space with a Star Wars-esque font was.  Well, maybe not original or unique, but it was pretty cool. Yogi’s Space Race capitalized on the space-craze of the late ‘70s by pitting Yogi, Scare Bear, Quack Up, Huckleberry Hound, Jabberjaw and more against each other in weekly races between teams on their speedy space ships hurtling through a space race course.  In case you never saw it, Yogi’s Space Race was exactly what you’d expect: Cartoon Captains led their crews toward victory against other teams while avoiding the treachery of the rotten villains of the program.  Everyone should check this out for 22 minutes of good ole fun every now and then.

Ladyhawke

No, it’s not deja-vu. We have covered Ladyhawke before, but it’s been a while since we talked with Michael Witwer: The Last Gen-Xer (Empire of Imagination) about this romantic tale of fantasy, magic, and shape-shifting soul-mates starring Matthew Broderick, John Wood, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer set in middle-ages France to the tune of synthesized music from Alan Parsons.  You can listen to the episode from three years ago here after listening to this week’s show if you want to hear more.

Prime Time: Captain America 

Before The First Avenger, before the Winter Soldier, before Civil War, there was a wacky and wild attempt at another superhero show on prime time television with the made-for-television movie event, Captain America.  To no one’s surprise, this pilot didn’t get picked up for a season.  We said everything good we could think of in a very short Prime Time segment this week.  

Feedback

Radio Free Endor is using the 1979 Star Wars calendar this year.  Geeky Dad finds the Fall Guy plane from Tonka.  Eric from The Neverland Podcast reminisces about The Last Starfighter before Adam O’Brien talks about a possible sequel to the 1984 film, The Lost Starfighter. Chris from Arvada gets in a few words about Queen after hearing last week’s episode of TechnoRetro Dads.

Don’t forget to contribute to Cure Childhood Cancer through the Annual GOLiverse Marathon by making your tax deductible donation to GeekOutOnline.com/cure by January 31st.  Then, feel free to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. And be sure to listen for hints and watch for clues for the TechnoRetro Dads’ Easter Egg with the ongoing TechnoRetro Egg Hunt.

Share and enjoy.

Whether you’re thawing out from a southern ice storm or you’re just waking up to piles of snow in your front yard, you’re in for a special treat this medieval Monday morning on TechnoRetro Dads as we plunge into dungeons, plow through dragons, embark on a quest for a queen, and even watch a dark Knight ride a bird into battle — a TransAm Firebird, that is — as shazbazzar and JediShua watch Knight Rider.  The Eighties are turned up to eleven for seventy-seven minutes of #TechnoRetro fun!

In the NEWS

The Incredibles 2 is likely to be the first Pixar movie to become a LEGO game and we think that’s just incredible!  Ralph Breaks the Internet with a single piece of concept art from Wreck It Ralph 2 with ads, avatars, and cat pics.  Childhood neighbor Fred Rogers earns a tribute with an upcoming documentary chronicling the life and legacy of Mr. Rogers.  Nintendo’s Game Boy is coming back, and Nintendo isn’t the one making it!

Vinyl Scratchback

This brand new segment takes the ‘Dads back to the ‘70s and ‘80s with recollections from their record collections as they recall their musical memories from Queen.  From “Another One Bites the Dust” to “Who Wants to Live Forever”, Queen thrilled audiences with front man, Freddie Mercury, on stage, on screen, and on the radio.

TechnoRetro Arcade

Adding to the “home console” section of the ever-growing imaginary TechnoRetro Arcade, the legendary Atari series Swordquest comes under scrutiny as shazbazzar and JediShua dive deep into Waterworld, dig into Earthworld, burn through Fireworld, and soar with the storks in Airworld.  Although Atari was unable to complete the intense, imaginative contest, the concept is an unforgettable part of the history of Atari games.

Saturday Mornings

Dungeons & Dragons continues to occupy the ‘Dads’ minds as we return to the short-lived series that began as an amusement park attraction based on the beloved role-playing game.  This time, shazbazzar and JediShua think about which characters from the cartoon best emulate who they were (or wanted to be) in the ‘80s.

Prime Time: Knight Rider 

David Hasselhoff played a man who did not exist in Knight Rider, an hour-long episodic action-drama on NBC that began in 1982.  Michael Knight championed the oppressed, the down-trodden, and the helpless each week as he rode around in a talking car with an indestructible, molecular-bonded armor shell.  The Knight Industries Two-Thousand (K.I.T.T.) looked like a nice, new Pontiac Firebird TransAm with a cylon visor on its grill, but it was actually crime-fighting supercar with an A.I. brain.  Knight Rider thrilled car-loving kids week after week as Hasselhoff drove the car, beat the bad guys, and got the girl in almost every episode.

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. And be sure to listen for hints and watch for clues for the TechnoRetro Dads’ Easter Egg with the ongoing TechnoRetro Egg Hunt.

Share and enjoy.

The hunt for the #TechnoRetro Easter Egg has begun, and though we have no idea what the ultimate reward will be, we’re sure it will be fun to play along the way, with creepy-kooky puzzles that could confuse even a Duke’s son.  So listen carefully, whether you’re a cultured sophisticate, an elitist intellectual, a nerdy geek, or even a bumbling barbarian.  

In the NEWS

Tetris player Jonas Neubauer (NubbinsGoody on Twitch) inadvertently broke a record while trying to set an entirely different record on the classic Russian block game.  Thanks to observant watchers of his Twitch stream, he found out he’s better than even he thought he was!  Holy Hollywood!  Los Angeles welcomes a museum devoted to the 1966 Batman movie and TV show with Adam West and Burt Ward.  It’s got everything from heroes to villains to (you guessed it) merchandise.  Mark your calendars for another eclipse this year, America!  The blue moon eclipse will hit skies near you at the end of the month.

We Love Our Cereal…

Steve and Chip from Too Much Scrolling find their way back in time to our present with a largely positive review of General Mills’ successful trolling of Kellogg’s with its challenge to make Frosted Flakes better — by combining sugar-coated corn flakes with the iconic Lucky Charms dehydrated marshmallows.  The guys from Too Much Scrolling will make your mouth water for a milk-filled bowl of Lucky Charms Frosted Flakes.  PLUS: The Emperor of RetroZap.com turns us on to a new brand of milk: Bottom of the Bowl Milk is just what you would expect: the remnants of great cereals flavoring the milk from the bottom of the cereal bowl.

Saturday Mornings

Although cartoons are no longer just Saturday morning fare, we still link sugary cereal with Saturday mornings and cartoons since that’s how we did it in the old days.  Back in the early ‘80s, a futuristic barbarian with his knock-off Wookiee counterpart and well-educated princess take down the baddies every week in a post-1994, cosmic-disaster Earth that borrows the TechnoRetro mysticism that captured pop-culture in 1977 and has maintained a healthy share of the market for the past forty years.  Thundarr the Barbarian wields his sunsword as Princess Ariel figures out how to defeat evil wizards and their minions on Saturdays as Ookla the Mok attempts to speak.  We think Ookla’s lack of communications skills is what causes him to resort to violence so often.

The Beastmaster 

The son of a king born of a cow (no, that’s not a slam on the queen) is gifted with the ability to communicate with animals in a very insightful way as he strives to defeat an evil priest who has seized power on an alien world.  Dar, played by Marc Singer, teams up with a black tiger, two ferrets, and a golden eagle to confront Maax in Rip Torn’s breakout role as a villain.  Tanya Roberts comes along for the ride as the token scantily-clad female in The Beastmaster, another iconic movie from 1982.

TechnoRetro Arcade

“He’s hooked! He’s hooked! His brain is cooked!”  Before the song, there was the game.  Space crabs, squid, and various other invaders invaded spaces in bars, retail outlets, restaurants, and arcades in the late 1970s with this challenging and colorful game that was designed to get your heart beating faster and faster as you successfully eliminate enemies from outer space.  It’ll make you want to drop a quarter in the slot and grab a joystick when you hear the sound effects and music and remember the smell of popcorn at Hills Department Store…well, shazbazzar does.  Space Invaders may be the TechnoRetro Dad of all arcade games.

Feedback

Jonathan Bell discovers Pumpkin Spice at a local Steak N Shake.  Geeky Dad tries to tempt shazbazzar to try Kellog’s Frosted Flakes with pics of boxes of Chocolate Frosted Flakes.  SpiderShan gets blue with Cap’n Crunch when his wife brings home a box of Cap’n Crunch’s Blueberry Pancake Crunch.  Darth Hound discovers Freddy Krueger was almost played by Sark (from TRON, another great movie from 1982, Dave Dollar).  And speaking of TRON, the dark-side dog continued on Twitter with a chuckle about the computer jargon noted by Flynn.  PLUS: voice mails and voice messages from Darth Taxus and Adam from Wisconsin.

So send in your feedback, play along with the Ready Player One contest, and please don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Cold, cold, cold.  Well, what do you expect in winter?  But even for those who prefer it 80, 90, or 100 degrees, there are lots of things to love this week and look forward to in weeks to come.  Like spring.  And Ready Player One.  JeduShua and shazbazzar turn up the funmeter even when the thermometer drops with cereal, Atari games, and The Last Starfighter.

In the NEWS

Bill Finger gets credit for his part in writing the dark detective who dresses like a flying mammal as New York dedicates a street in the name of the co-creator of Batman.  Fledgling Star Wars composer John Powell will get some help from the original oxygenator of that galaxy far, far away as John Williams is tapped to score the theme of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Maybe Disney thinks this will help make up for the fans’ growing disillusionment with Lucasfilm in the modern era.  Maybe they just think John Williams is awesome and realize he should be the one to provide an iconic motif for the most lovable scoundrel in the universe.

We Love Our Cereal…

Super Mario cereal finds its way to JediShua’s pantry as Cinnamon Toast Crunch Blasted Shreds fill shazbazzar’s bowl with sweetness for their tastebuds.  Hey EarBuds, let us know which cereals you’re enjoying during this cold snap.

Ready Player One 

Although the ‘Dads have already discussed the official trailer for Ready Player One, shazbazzar and JediShua dig deeper into the trailer by comparing screen shots to scenes they’ve envisioned from the book and discover something interesting: this movie will not be spoiled by reading the book.  It’s almost entirely rewritten.

The Last Starfighter 

Ernie Cline’s second novel might have more in common with Jonathan Betuel’s screenplay for 1984’s The Last Starfighter, but when you have a video gamer stepping up a level to save the world, especially when he’s from a trailer park, you have to see the similarities.  JediShua and shazbazzar revisit The Last Starfighter and still like it.  Even though the coifs, clothes, and cars are definitively ‘80s, the storyline is timeless and endearing every time you watch it.

TechnoRetro Arcade

From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, first person space shooters took control of home video game consoles with the likes of Star Fire, Star Raiders, and StarMaster.  Though lacking the quality of the Starfighter game featured in The Last Starfighter, these games kept fans of Star Wars and other sci-fi/space fantasy films engaged between movies.  

Feedback

Shane seems to think that General Mills is trolling Kellogg’s with the new Lucky Charms Frosted Flakes cereal we talked about last week.  Armando reminisces about his days as a barber, trimming hair of all colors at the Fuzzy Pumper Barber Shop.  You could get birthday cake cupcakes with Fruity Pebbles at the Sprinkles Cupcake Shop last week, according to John.  Han’s dice and Rose’s Resistance ring from The Last Jedi will soon be available on Etsy.  Thanks, Dan!

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. And get ready to play for the TechnoRetro Dads’ Easter Egg with the upcoming TechnoRetro Egg Hunt starting next week.

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The last two weeks of the year are always loaded with enough activity to keep shazbazzar and JediShua running hither, thither, and yon, so the first January 1st episode of TechnoRetro Dads is the perfect time to slow down and take stock of the things that really matter.  Fix yourself a bowl of your favorite cereal — maybe even two — and take a break on the first holiday of 2018 by kicking back in the recliner, plugging in your earbuds, and tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads.

We Love Our Cereal…

…and General Mills is doing their part to keep it that way.  The Big G is making Frosted Flakes magically delicious, providing aging fans of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with the shredded wheat they need in their diet, and Cheerios that are “peachy keen”.  PLUS: JediShua’s family makes a cameo appearance on The Daily Blast live from The Cereal Box, Inc.

Feedback 

TRON gets some shout-outs (and interesting ideas) from EarBuds Chris in Arvada and Hasan.  SuperFriend Chris Hamilton adds another audio audition for The Voice with a Christmas song with #TechnoRetro flair.  Andy Lindemann spots The Star Wars Holiday Special in Supergirl. The Deucecast’s own Michael Nipp uncovers an animated feature from the ‘80s.  Original EarBud Kermmit the Frog (Jeremiah) sends an audio message of gratitude.  The Cereal Connoisseur posts some Star Wars Christmas gifts.  Mike Tarkin of The Sandcrawler watches Christmas morning home movies.  SpiderShan pieces together cereal in an exciting way.  Twitteriffic Darth Hound gives more insight into Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber from Return of the Jedi.  ObiRothKenobi chimes in from the Mixlr Zoo Crew about Magnum P.I. and the Cap’n’s Christmas Crunch.  Jeremy, the Spider-Pan from Neverland, reminisces about when E.T. came home on video.  And the ever-present Chef Armando makes our mailbag tasty as always.

Coming Soon to Theaters

As 2018 rolls out, new movies will be hitting the theaters.  From space pirates to superheroes to video games, the number of truly #TechnoRetro movies will keep you in the dark (seated in your favorite seat) all year long.

The new year has begun, EarBuds, and we’ll do our best to bring memories of the past and hope for the future all wrapped up in the present on TechnoRetro Dads.  Thanks for listening.

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. 

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Who is a Star on 45?  You know.  Today is shazbazzar’s birthday, and it’s time for a trip back to when the ‘Dads were 5 and 6 in the final seven days before Christmas as the anticipation became unbearable!  After all, seven days to kids is like a year to forty-somethings.  For the next 77 minutes, sit back and enjoy bad puns, sad jokes, mad banter, and virtually endless drivel.

In the NEWS

Speaking of “virtually endless drivel”, the virtual realm is where everyone lives in 2045 (are you seeing a trend developing in the numbers, yet?).  A second trailer for Ready Player One has been released, and the hype is in full force with the first one sheet poster.  And that’s not all.  Ernest Cline has signed on to pen the sequel to Ready Player One and we have all the details here on TechnoRetro Dads.  Find out whether the sequel will be called “Ready Player Two” or “Game Over”.  PLUS: The Dark Crystal is returning to theaters in February.  Be on the lookout for listings in your area.

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas 

A washboard, a washtub, a broom handle, a cigar-box banjo, a kazoo, and a tub all come together to create Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band in the 1977 Jim Henson special on HBO.  Back in ’77, more than a few of us were interested in putting another hole in another washtub to string up a cable to a broomstick and get famous like the woodland creatures along the riverside in Frog Hollow.  Mama and Emmet both want to win a talent contest to give the other a gift for Christmas, but a late entry from Riverbottom surprises everyone with a hard-rocking tune that clobbers the competition.  It’s forty years old, so the spoiler statute of limitations is right out by now.  It’s about family, friends, and a fish that likes to spit during rock concerts.  It’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.

Aftershocks of 1977: Christmas Toys

It’s the last week before Christmas, and in 1977 that usually meant that Christmas lists had been finalized long ago and there was no more time for late additions.  Still, the anticipation for what might be under the tree in a week grew more and more as we continued thumbing through the JCPenney Christmas catalog and the Sears Wish Book.  From actual houses to leisure suits, the Sears catalogues had long been the standard for mail-order shopping.  JediShua and shazbazzar check out the catalogs from 1977 and remember the toys they got that year straight from the mail-order maestroe

Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com. 

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