Forty years ago Debby Boone was lighting up the charts for her tenth week in the number one position with “You Light Up My Life”.  Forty years later, she could be singing “You Light Up My Lightsaber” as the final days leading up to the widespread release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi rapidly approaches.  This week on TechnoRetro Dads is (understandably) Star Wars oriented as shazbazzar and JediShua enjoy the hype before the movie spoils all the speculation — and we all know how Shua hates spoilers (tongue-in-cheek).

In the NEWS

Joe Dante’s infamous Christmas movie is now showing at select theaters across the country.  If you want to see it, you have to follow the rules: (1) no exposure to sunlight, (2) don’t get them wet, and (3) don’t ever feed them after midnight.  And you’ll probably want to check out gremlinsrulebreakers.com to find out where you can see it over the next few weeks.  Columbia outer wear takes you to Hoth with their new line of winter gear in the stylings of Han, Luke, and Leia from Echo Base.  Disney has Star Wars options at the Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique, including dress-up play for adults! 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and Nintendo games.  Super Mario Cereal is coming soon from Kellogg’s.  Kellogg’s, by the way, is the cereal company who carried the notorious C-3POs with “double-os” from the mid-eighties.  And we remember C-3POs cereal with fondness (and trading cards).

TechnoRetro Arcade 

Nothing says “Christmas at the Arcade” like the classic Atari Star Wars arcade game from 1983. With music, sound effects, and vocal clips from the original movie, this vector-graphic first-person flight simulator still beckons gamers to immerse themselves in Star Wars as they engage TIE Fighters in dogfights, try to knock out turbolaser emplacements and towers, and destroy the Death Star (over and over and over again) in an effort to restore freedom to the galaxy and score millions of points for bragging rights among your friends at middle school. 

TechnoRetro Speculations

With fewer than four days from the “early” premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, shazbazzar invites JediShua (and all EarBuds) to speculate about several unanswered questions which have arisen since The Force Awakens began this new era of Star Wars movies.  From Rey-Buns to Snoke’s Smokes and every color of “You Light Up My Lightsaber”, this fast-paced discussion might finally shut shaz up about bringing Mortis into the film franchise.

Aftershocks of 1977: Christmas Toys

Remember Christmas 1977?  We do — sort of.  Stores were well-stocked with toys.  From RC cars to skateboards to electronic games, kids were looking forward to waking up to something amazing under the tree.  But merchandise from the hottest movie in theaters was not well represented.  The unprecedented popularity of Star Wars enabled Kenner to successfully sell an empty box and a promise to Santa’s helpers across America as kids awakened on Christmas morning to discover that Santa’s elves can’t always deliver everything by December 25th.  Although the actual toys weren’t available, the promise of four figures arriving in as soon as six to eight weeks was sufficient to launch perhaps the most powerful toy franchise in the galaxy.  PLUS: shazbazzar and JediShua talk about all the Star Wars toys kids can’t get for Christmas this year.  (Father, Son, and Daughter from Mortis are on this list yet again.)

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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December has arrived and JediShua’s excitement is contagious.  The Christmas hype is in full force even with questions about the Force hyping everyone up about The Last Jedi.  From jingle bells to lights strung along the eaves, the season is festive and shazbazzar gets bit by the bug, as well.  Join TechnoRetro Dads all month for nostalgia-laced travels through the past four decades week after week!

In the NEWS

Can you believe that ABC reported 40 years ago today that the files on the JFK assassination were about to be released?  And still, we wait.  But that’s old news.  The new news surrounds three fantastic fantasy franchises!  The Lord of the Rings will be televised — sort of — in a new streaming series coming soon.  The Chronicles of Narnia will begin filming The Silver Chair next year with Joe Johnston at the helm for his last directing gig before retirement.  The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has commenced filming, promising to be a return to the mysticism and magic of the 1982 movie.

We Love Our Cereal…

…and cereal socks.  From “Odd Socks” to stylish old man colors, cereal is moving up on the sock market, it seems.  But we’re not just talking about cereal boxes represented on footwear.  It’s December, and that means it’s time for some Christmas cereal.  The ‘Dads are on the hunt for the best seasonal cereals in stores this year.  From Cinnamon Vanilla to Hot Cocoa to Gingerbread Spice, the Christmas flavors are flowing with milk and cereal this month!

TechnoRetro Arcade 

After Hallowe’en games and a Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot, it’s time to open up another section of the TechnoRetro Arcade with a fun game from the early ‘90s — Lemmings.  Nope, make that Xmas Lemmings. It’s just like the original game, but more festive with snow, Santa hats, and seasonal tunes.  PLUS: shazbazzar wants to add something he fantasized about back in 1977… a home-version, stand-up pinball machine — The Fonz.  Ayyyyy!

Bob Hope All Star Christmas Comedy Special (1977)

One thing that a Bob Hope special was sure to do for families in the seventies and eighties was to assemble families in the den to watch these fun, filmed-before-a-live-audience productions.  This special does not disappoint with Perry Como, Olivia Newton-John (who repeats her singing performances from three years before), the Muppets, and Mark Hamill.  Of course, having Mark Hamill on the show means there will undoubtedly be a Star Wars parody.  Yep.  Scar Wars with Barf Vader and Luke Sleepwalker.

Aftershocks of 1977: Christmas Toys

Remember Christmas 1977?  We do — sort of.  Stores were well-stocked with toys.  From RC cars to skateboards to electronic games, kids were looking forward to waking up to something amazing under the tree.  But merchandise from the hottest movie in theaters was not well represented.  Never fear, Pooh Bear is here — in the form of an egg-shaped piece of plastic that likes to wobble but won’t fall down.  The ‘Dads remember Weebles from 1977, specifically shazbazzar’s Winnie-the-Pooh Hunny Tree.  JediShua would not be outdone, though, calling back to a classic retro game that has made its way back into stores this year: Mattel’s Electronic Football.  This handheld LED game continues to confuse and thrill players forty years after its interception, er, uh, inception.

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 knows what’s on the menu this week after a weekend of stuffing themselves like turkeys—or hobbits—over the weekend.  TechnoRetro Dads is a jumbled mess of T-Day leftovers with a few nuggets of fun and ideas for geeky dads and those who love them.

We Love Our Cereal…

JediShua discovers that Quisp cereal can be found at Cereal Box and shazbazzar finds a box of Cinnamon Vanilla Lucky Charms — so they give it a review.  PLUS: a question from @livetheforce needs answering.  Help us EarBuds, you’re our [only] hope.  

Cyber Monday 

If you’re taking the morning off to check out online deals today (or even if you’re checking them out while you’re “working”), be sure to tune in to TechnoRetro Dads while surfing the web and discover some gems for the geeks in your life.  

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Steven Spielberg’s classic science-fiction story is forty and has had more revisions and editions than Star Wars (believe it or not)!  JediShua and shazbazzar look back at Close Encounters of the Third Kind with an eye for how well it holds up with the next generation and comment on some of the behind-the-scenes nuances that came together to tell this amazing story.

Aftershocks of 1977

Not only did Close Encounters of the Third Kind cause ripples on earth for forty years and counting, but the Rankin/Bass TV rendition of The Hobbit has continued to produce waves of fun for pop-culture to ride for more than a generation.  Two fine musical examples are sure to get your toes tappin’ with Moosebutter’s Star Wars and High Adventure’s Knocking on the Stone.

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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Greetings, PROGRAMS!

We’re talking turkey this week with stories about seeing family during Thanksgiving, tuning in for some tunes (both new and old), discovering odd clips from 1977, and an early Christmas present for JediShua from an old friend.  Don’t miss these 77 minutes!

In the NEWS…

Disney dominates the news with announcements about their online streaming service and some Star Wars comments that have opened the floor for discussion all across the galaxy far, far away.  

TechnoRetro Arcade

According to the future as envisioned in 1984, a turkey blight overruns the nation in 1989, turning unsuspecting humans into giant turkeys that team-up for a life of crime and it’s up to you, PLAYER ONE, to put an end to it.  Roast those turkeys on Williams Electronics’ Turkey Shoot!

Thanksgiving Specials (1977)

JediShua remembers Barney Miller, What’s Happenin’, and more from Thanksgiving 1977.

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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Figs and Flagons?  No.  Jigs and Wagons?  Nope.  Pigs and Dragons?  Exactly.  That’s what’s on the ‘Dads’ minds this week as they dive into 77 minutes of fun from 1977 (and other days of youth) for memories and laughs on this week’s episode of TechnoRetro Dads. 

In the NEWS…

There’s a new Hershey bar coming soon and it’s gonna be gold!  IDW comics chronicle the further adventures of Jules Verne, er Jules and Verne Brown in a new Back to the Future miniseries.  Disney Infinity isn’t over after all!  Though the game is now defunct, the stylized characters will be repurposed for a new cartoon.  

We Love Our Cereal

You might call her the “Queen of Cereal”.  She’s certainly royalty, and she begins her day with a bowl of cereal with fresh fruit.  Who is she?  Tune in and find out!

Aftershocks of 1977

Captain Link Hogtrob, First Mate Piggy, and Dr. Julius Strangepork first boarded the Swinetrek in November 1977 during the second season of The Muppet Show as the “Pigs in Space” segment was introduced.  The success of the segment secured it’s reappearance on the variety show thirty-one times over the next four years plus spots on an album and even launching into space on the Space Shuttle Columbia.

TechnoRetro Arcade

Although it was never a coin-operated video game, the Atari rendition of “Pigs in Space” launched in 1983 as the last game in Atari’s children’s line.  The game was divided into three parts, one for each of the main characters aboard the Swinetrek.  Link Hogthrob fought off “Chicken Invaders” in a stylized version of “Space Invaders”.  First Mate Piggy had to navigate her way back to the Swinetrek through lanes of noodles and meatballs in “Pastaroids” which more resembled “Frogger” than “Asteroids”.  Dr. Julius Strangepork pilots the Swinetrek through an abandoned pizza mine guarded by weirdos in “Escape from the Planet of the Gonzoids”.  The games are fun, but tough to get going on a computer ported version.

Pete’s Dragon (1977)

One of the first movies the ‘Dads ever watched in theaters was Pete’s Dragon, a Disney musical that combined an animated dragon with live action actors in an anachronistic adventure of unbelievable proportions.  With the combined talents of Mickey Rooney, Helen Reddy, Red Buttons, Jim Dale, and Jim Backus, this tale of an orphaned boy and his protective dragon engaged the imaginations of ‘70s kids everywhere.

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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After catching the latest Marvel Studios movie in theaters, shazbazzar and JediShua thought it might be fun to slam another mix tape in Shua’s cassette player he just happens to carry under his cape for a truly TechnoRetro Awesome Hero Mix full of heroic tunes from the past and nearly present.  (Yes, it fits on a Memorex 90 minute tape.)

The Tunes:

“Comic Book Hero” (The Tearjerkers)

“Superpowered Superhero“ (Chris Hamilton)

“Legion of Doom Roll Call“ 

“We Are Number One“ (from Lazytown)

“Arkham Asylum” (High Adventure)

“The Joker Is Wild”  (Jan and Dean)

“Joker’s Song” (Miracle of Sound)

“Mwahaha” (Ookla the Mok)

“Call the Roll” (Songs and Stories of the Justice League America)

Super Powers (Ookla the Mok)

“Plastic Man Theme” (Sounds and Stories of the Justice League America)

“Metamorpho Theme” (Sounds and Stories of the Justice League America)

“Superman” (R.E.M.)

“Kryptonite” (Three Doors Down)

“The Escape” (Burgess Meredith)

“The Riddler”  (Frank Gorshin)

“Catwoman”  (Shakespeare’s Sister)

“Love Theme from Superman”  (MECO)

“Superman’s Song”  (Crash Test Dummies)

“Superman (It’s Not Easy)”  (Five for Fighting)

“Comic Book Heroes”  (Rick Springfield)

“I’m Your Superman”  (Rick Springfield)

“The Batusi”  (Neal Hefti)

“Miranda”  (Adam West)

“Boy Wonder, I Love You”  (Burt Ward)

“Flight of the Batmobile”  (Jan and Dean)

“Batman to the Rescue”  (Lavern Baker)

“The Mind of the Bat”  (Miracle of Sound)

“Hero of the Day”  (Iron Horse)

The Tropes: 

Like any cartoonish superhero serial or comic, once our heroes have gained their powers, evil versions of themselves from another dimension appear and make a mess of things.  Of course, the trope in this troupe is that the ‘Dads’ “twins” are as bumbling as the ‘Dads themselves.  Neither pair gets the recognition (or notoriety) they feel they deserve, but our hometown heroes are pleased that, in the end, they land a place among the real heroes as sidekicks.  As for their evil counterparts…well…   

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.

Learn the origin of Gargoyles.  Discover the amazing cartoon from 1994.  Taste the hardened taffy goodness (?) of peanut-butter “chews” from the Hallowe’en pillowcase.  Try to determine why Stretch Armstrong may actually be a gargoyle.  It’s all here in this Hallowe’en Eve edition of TechnoRetro Dads.

In the NEWS…

Who is the best movie character ever according to fans?  Here’s a hint, his alter-ego is Han Solo.  Ready Player One gets a LEGO treatment.  Australia gets recognized for something other than strange and venomous creatures — big and scary animatronic creatures!  Stretch Armstrong gets the Saturday morning treatment.  Magnum P.I. will be rebooted with some interesting alterations.

Hallowe’en Candy 

Every decade has its own flavor of candies, especially when Trick-or-Treaters come to your door.  JediShua and shazbazzar recall some of the best and worst candy memories from around 1977.  Which ones would you keep and which ones did you always trade away?   

Gargoyles (1972)

Swamp Angel’s suggestion for a Hallowe’en movie earns an Emmy as well as the appreciation of the ‘Dads as shazbazzar and JediShua watch the really weird but cool made-for-TV movie, Gargoyles.  The effects are certainly pre-Star Wars, but the story, music, and other aspects make this a retrotastic movie worth checking out — and it’s on YouTube!

Gargoyles (1994)

Although uncredited as creator for Gargoyles in its first few episodes, Greg Weisman created and wrote this inventive serial style cartoon while working for Disney in the mid-nineties.  Although this series all but escaped the ‘Dads’ notice back then, a rewatch of the first season reminds shazbazzar and JediShua that this series earns its position in the modernization of cartoons during the ‘90s.  

Aftershocks of 1977

We know him as Wesley Crusher, but did you know that Will Wheaton was a Star Wars fan before he ever knew about Star Trek?  At age five, he donned a Ben Cooper Darth Vader costume for Hallowe’en and his geekiness began in earnest.

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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They’re creepy.  They’re kooky.  They’re mysterious.  They’re spooky.  But their Halloween special from 1977 is altogether ookey.  What is “ookey”, anyway?  And how do you spell it?  We don’t know, but we do know how we feel about Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Grandmama Addams, Wednesday, Pugsley, and their junior counterparts.  Junior counterparts?  Yep.  Just you wait for our discussion on Halloween with the New Addams Family.

In the NEWS…

If you recognize the names Tag and Bink, and you see Ron Howard tweeting them, you might think there will be some tongue-in-cheek humor in the next movie under the subtitle “A Star Wars Story”.  And the movie gets a name.  No surprises there.  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will celebrate its fortieth anniversary by returning to its roots with an all new chapter in the saga as a radio drama.

We Love Our Cereal…

…and the prizes inside, or on the box, or as part of mail-away premiums.  How long have cereals contained prizes for kids?  While it won’t surprise you that it precedes 1977, it’s been a lot longer than you may expect.   

TechnoRetro Arcade

This week we bring another “analog” game into the Hallowe’en room of the TechnoRetro Arcade.  Haunted House is a shooting gallery styled arcade game from 1972 that uses levers, belts, and 8-Track tapes to entertain gamers in the early ‘70s.  Whether it’s a scary cat, a wailing witch, or a grave-digging monster from the underworld, you get to shoot them with the electronically wired rifle attached to the upright machine.  So bring your reading glasses and prepare to fight the fiends of the Haunted House.

Halloween with the New Addams Family

What could possibly reduce the confident, charming Gomez Addams to a shadow of his former self?  His little brother Poncho.  This is just the beginning of the two-hour special that aired on NBC on Hallowe’en Eve 1977.  Halloween with the New Addams Family is a heist with a poltergeist as the family reunites to celebrate the arrival of the spirit of Cousin Shy in a very, very merry oddity of ‘70s comedy with a familiar family from ‘60s television.  Is it funny or sad?  You decide.

TechnoRetro Feedback

We finally get to more feedback this week with a Goonies poster from New York Comic Con, thanks to Jovial Jay.  Chris in Arvada finds monster cereals and it sends him into a rageless rant.  Artist Wes puts Puff N Stuff on a Huffy and it looks great!  Swamp Angel thinks the show is good…so far.  Chris Hamilton spotted Teen Wolf at a convention.  Hasan expresses his adoration for Altered Beasts on Sega.  And Darth Hound and @skymauler tweet about the Grinch’s Halloween special.

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.  Be sure to tune in to Geek Out Loud at GOLiverse on Mixlr for live rewatches of Stranger Things as we get ready for Stranger Things 2.  PLUS: Steve is blogging about the #TeamSteve experience at geekoutonline.com.

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From a Watcher in the Woods, to a spooky cemetery, to a creepy, creaky haunted house, shazbazzar and JediShua crank up the frights to 6.7 as the ‘Dads continue to celebrate the fun of Hallowe’en all month long.  Then, Steve Glosson of Disney Vault Talk, Geek Out Loud! and The Big Honkin’ Show comes along and amps up the zaniness with memories of Disney’s freak-fare of 1980, The Watcher in the Woods.

In the NEWS…

John Rhys-Davies wants another crack at Sallah in the fifth feature of the Indiana Jones film saga.  Zak Penn says his upcoming Matrix movie is neither a reboot nor a continuation.  Well, then, what is it?  Last I checked, it was just a red pill and a blue pill.  I’m starting to think Zak Penn may be a little yellow (not really, it just fit).  Back to the Future gets the kids’ book treatment by Quirk Books, in the same stylings as the E.T. book we talked about earlier this year.

We Love Our Cereal…

Europe imports American-style cereal in a Spanish cereal cafe.  Once the crazy colors and high sugar content hits the 40something crowd in Spain, everyone will be after that little leprechaun’s Lucky Charms!   

TechnoRetro Arcade

The spring is stretched.  The knob is released.  The ball bearing is launched into an inclined plane filled with bells, buzzers, lights, and magnets while a demon announces, “Me Gorgar. Me hurt you!”  Williams Electronics released the first talking pinball game in 1979 to both thrill and terrify arcade-goers in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.  The ‘Dads needed to have this classic contraption in the Hallowe’en room of the TechnoRetro Arcade simply because of shazbazzar’s memories of his first real pinball game, Gorgar.

Disney’s Halloween Hall O’ Fame

While this 1977 Hallowe’en special isn’t completely animated, the frame story featuring Jonathan Winters as a night watchman at Walt Disney Studios is sufficiently outrageous to be called “cartoony”.  Like other seasonal specials of this time, Disney’s Halloween Hall O’ Fame features excerpts from three classic Disney cartoons: Trick or Treat (1952) pits Donald Duck against his nephews who are aided by Witch Hazel in a “trick or trick” war.  Pluto finds himself in the claws of demon cats in Pluto’s Judgment Day (1935).  Finally, the Headless Horseman chases Mr. Nose-in-Book, himself, in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” portion of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). 

The Watcher in the Woods

SuperFriend Steve Glosson joins shazbazzar and JediShua to have his childhood fears drawn out like a being from another dimension being pulled from his world during an eclipse as he exchanges positions with a teenage girl in perhaps the freakiest live-action Disney movie ever, The Watcher in the Woods.  This cult classic is cultish in every sense of the word.  From ghost story to science fiction with seances and (in some versions) trans-dimensional worlds tiled in hexagons, The Watcher in the Woods scared (and scarred) many children of the ‘80s.  And now, The Lifetime Channel is remaking the movie as directed by Melissa Joan Hart.  But the 1980 film with connections to Ice Castles, James Bond, Escape to Witch Mountain, and Stranger Things is one of the two things Steve fears above all else. It will premiere this weekend.  So whether you couldn’t look away or couldn’t bear to watch, The Watcher in the Woods would mesmerize, hypnotize, or paralyze with its Bette Davis Eyes!

TechnoRetro Feedback

Michael Heicken sends in a vintage pic of three boys in Ben Cooper Star Wars costumes from 1977 with him, his brother, and his friend as Chewbacca, a stormtrooper, and Darth Vader.  Bernadette Marie suggests playing phantasmagoria in a cold, dark basement for enhanced experiences.  Joseph Fuller is interested in collecting Star Wars trading cards and asks for some advice.  

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.  Be sure to tune in to Geek Out Loud at GOLiverse on Mixlr for live rewatches of Stranger Things as we get ready for Stranger Things 2.  PLUS: Steve is blogging about the #TeamSteve experience at geekoutonline.com.

Before the Grinch stole Christmas, he was averted from completing his plans to scare Whovillians on Halloween in a prequel from 1977 that neither of the ‘Dads remember seeing.  With ghoulish jokes, great feedback, and Din’s first appearance on TechnoRetro Dads with F-105’s single “Rebel Girl”, this episode will make your Monday morning more than bearable, it’s gonna put a smile on your face and a spring in your step this fall.

In the NEWS…

Oxford (University, not the Kindergarten in Oxford, Mississippi pretending to be a University) physicists discover that we, according to their scientific acumen, are not living on the GRID.  However, since the science on the GRID would necessarily be limited to the scope of the computer, their findings are above suspicion.  Thanks to T-Bird for this bit of science news that doesn’t prove we aren’t living in the world of TRON.  The X-Files take the jump into children’s books with The X-Files: Earth Children Are Weird.  Epcot turns 35.

We Love Our Cereal…

Star Wars premiums return to General Mills cereals with color changing spoons as a promotional for The Last Jedi.  Thanks to Justin LaSalata and JediNews for the heads-up! Post is suing General Mills over bagged cereal displays.  Michael Nipp reminds us of green milk as Halloween Crunch returns to shelves this month.   

Aftershocks of 1977

Who did you want to be forty years ago this Hallowe’en?  Luke Skywalker?  Darth Vader?  If you were one of the lucky ones, you found one of the first Ben Cooper costumes back in October 1977.  This initial run was short on supply and big on demand, which led to some great fan creations.

TechnoRetro Arcade

Continuing the ongoing theme of October, JediShua suggests a Hallowe’en Room for the TechnoRetro Arcade with Sega’s Altered Beast.  Become a lycanthropic hero in ancient Greece to rescue Athena, the daughter of Zeus, by fighting zombies and monsters.  Just the thing for a game this time of year.

Halloween Is Grinch Night

Back in October 1977, the green-furred Grinch returned for a prequel as he sought to torment the Whos of Whoville when the sweet-sour wind started howling in Halloween is Grinch Night.  A slow-burn for a thirty-minute cartoon special, this very, very seventies animated Seussational trip through wacky weirdness goes on a psychedelic trip the likes of which only a honey-drunken Pooh Bear can relate to.  (Yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition.)

TechnoRetro Feedback

JediMasterJBell tweets a picture of a Fruity Pebbles treat bar from Buccees (and we’re baffled).  Shane in Grand Rapids shares the newest cereal spice with a pic of Life Gingerbread Spice.  Steve shares his military school memories of cereal breakfasts that we will never forget.  “Shrapnel grenade!”  

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. 

Share and enjoy.