The Miser Brothers unite to proclaim that this definitely isn’t The Year without a Santa Claus, because Christmas is coming early with Rogue One at theaters everywhere this week, so shazbazzar and JediShua get into the groove with a few (more or less) Star Wars references.  So whether you think the newest addition to that galaxy far, far away is cool or HOT, TechnoRetro Dads have something refreshing for all EarBuds on this mid-December Monday morning!  

In the NEWS…

Fat Kid Apparel announces their Holiday Giving event and food drive.  Check their T-Shirt offerings at fatkidapparelco.com.  Plus, buckle up for more excursions with Scrooge McDuck on all new episodes of Duck Tales!

The Year without a Santa Claus

A few years ago, JediShua introduced shazbazzar to a Rankin/Bass classic, The Year without a Santa Claus. And, since every good deed deserves a return (or is that “no good deed goes unpunished”?), shazbazzar introduces JediShua to a 2006 live action television special remake of The Year without a Santa Claus with John Goodman, Michael McKean, and Jack’s son from LOST.  It’s worth a watch, if for nothing more than to see just how strange a remake can be. 

Toys in the Attic

Visual entertainment in 3-D has been around for ages.  One classic toy that still has a place in every toy box or shelf is the ViewMaster.  With a collection of picture discs and a viewer, young and old eyes can disappear into imagination for several minutes or even hours.

Star Wars Scrapbook and Speculation

With the red carpet premiere of Rogue One behind us and expectations of what we will all see later this week.  The ‘Dads remember some of the “sneak peek” figures from other movies, from The Empire Strikes Back to Revenge of the Sith, The Force Awakens, and Rogue One.  We talk about things we would like to see on the big screen on December 16th as well as speculate about possible surprises — including rumors about a CGI character from Star Wars: A New Hope (with a special surprise from a certain red carpet VIP from an older episode of TechnoRetro Dads).

Feedback

We choose two reviews from iTunes as winners of two free copies of Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons from author Michael Witwer.  Let us know about your memories of The Year without a Santa Claus, other Christmas specials, and especially Rogue One via voicemail at (209) 878-7323 or electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Share and enjoy.

December is here and in full swing, but before the release of Rogue One in just ten days, shazbazzar and JediShua take time to talk about some favorite Christmas memories as well as some ideas for making this year great.  And they invite all EarBuds to Tweet pics from Christmases Past (especially with Santa Claus) this week!  

In the NEWS…

Dan Trachtenberg turns Houdini into some sort of superhero in The Secret Life of Houdini.  Star Trek Discovery gets its captain and some crewmembers.  We will finally get to see Billy Dee Williams as Two-Face in a Batman movie!

A Very Brady Christmas

The ‘Dads felt it would be a fitting tribute to our favorite #TechnoRetro sitcom Mom by looking back at the first Brady Bunch special (1969) as well as watching A Very Brady Christmas (1988) for the first (?) time.  Florence Henderson will always be cherished in our memories and after watching an episode of The Brady Bunch, everyone is hooked on the show again!

Toys in the Attic

Iconic Christmas toys persevere even decades after their inception.  Play-Doh has been a fragrant favorite since… oh, before you were born.  JediShua and shazbazzar talk about the appeal of Play-Doh for all ages for generations.

Don’t forget to review us on iTunes to be entered for a one of two free copies of Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons from author Michael Witwer.  Let us know about your memories of The Brady Bunch or other Christmas specials via voicemail at (209) 878-7323 or electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Share and enjoy.

The Christmas season has officially begun.  Black Friday has passed, Cyber Monday is in full effect, and radio stations and TV channels are filled with holiday music and holiday specials. From National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation to A Charlie Brown Christmas with a plethora of movies featuring Santa Claus, elves, and reindeer, the season is in full swing for the next four weeks.  And we’ll be revisiting some of our favorites as well as some newer fare, as well. 

In the NEWS…

Ferris Bueller gets a video game casino style. It looks like Legendary Films is planning for a long run of new Dune movies and television shows.  The long-awaited sequel to The Dark Crystal is coming very soon, but in a format we weren’t expecting, but makes a lot of sense.  Lost in Space gets a doctor.  And, of course Star Tours is getting another upgrade this year with the release of Rogue One (by the way, did you get your tickets, yet?).

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

What could be more #TechnoRetro than some Rankin/Bass TV specials?  The holidays are incomplete without watching at least one of the toe-tapping, stop-motion musical features that have graced television screens for half a century.  We go back to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer replete with violence, greed, and annoying sounds from the heroes of the movie.  Follow the sadistic Hermy the self-proclaimed dentist and the glowing schnoz of Rudolph as they embark on a journey that leads them to the freakshow called the Island of Misfit Toys as the backstory to the familiar song is told by folk artist Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman. 

Toys in the Attic

With Christmas just around the corner, we’ll be recalling some iconic retro toys that kids have been getting under their trees for decades.  This week, we look at water games like the TOMY Waterful and wonder how the electronic age will adapt to these often challenging games that predate GameBoy and other handhelds.

Review us on iTunes to be entered for a one of two free copies of Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons from author Michael Witwer.  Let us know about your memories of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or other Rankin/Bass specials via voicemail at (209) 878-7323 or electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Share and enjoy.

With Thanksgiving approaching, we would like to say, “Thank You,” to all our EarBuds, SuperFriends, and contributors to TechnoRetro Dads.  We’ve had a lot of fun releasing podcasts and hearing back from you over the years.  Thank you for your support.

On this Monday sandwiched between Life Day and Turkey Day, shazbazzar and JediShua are feeling somewhat musically inclined (but you’ll have to be the judge of that) as the ‘Dads talk turkey, TV, and more.  Preparations are being made for family gatherings, and the Cranberries are at the top of everyone’s playlist (or, at least, they should be).  Just make sure you don’t get the canned cranberry sauce, because that would be bad.  Very bad.

In the NEWS…

JediShua discovers a new game: Battlestar Galactica Squadrons.  It looks like it may blend the original series with the remake — we’ll soon find out.  And the search for Mark Hamill has succeeded — the Master has been found on Comic-ConHQ.com with a geektastic program where he visits pop culture collectors’ hoards and documents their collections on Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest.  The first episode has already dropped, but to watch it, you have to subscribe to the online channel.

Thanksgiving Specials

Halloween specials are many.  Christmas specials are legion.  But Thanksgiving specials…well, they’re kind of forgettable, and there aren’t too many, anyway.  Garfield’s Thanksgiving gets the ‘Dads talking about T-Day cartoon specials featuring Underdog, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Animaniacs, and a surprising comic strip adaptation: B.C.: The First Thanksgiving.  That’s something we’re not sure anyone has ever seen!

Toys in the Attic

The Toy Hall of Fame has recently perused their large list of 2016 nominations and has welcomed three new inductees to the Toy Hall of Fame.  Dungeons & Dragons, Fisher Price Little People, and the swing have all earned their places among the iconic playthings of childhood (Who are we kidding?  We still play with toys!).  Some nominees who didn’t make the cut this year were Transformers, Care Bears, and bubble wrap.

Listen for your chance to get a free copy of Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons from author Michael Witwer.

Share and enjoy.

SuperFriend Sheldon and his trusty sidekick ShutterSpeed chase down the elusive Cinnamon Toast Crunch donuts from Country Style in Canadia.  Tune in for the hunt for delicious cereal covered pastries on today’s TechnoRetro Dads!  

In the NEWS…
JediShua looks forward to the opening of the Star Wars costume exhibit at the Denver Art Museum and chaperones his students as they get cultured with storytelling music featuring some of the Oxygen of Star Wars (Star Wars Oxygen is, or should be, a Trade Mark of Rebel Force Radio) with the “Imperial March”.  Discover the meaning behind the newly discovered ‘droid ND5-XGL and why we think that’s not a good thing.  PLUS: Young Justice finally gets a third season!

We Love Our Cereal
JediShua and shazbazzar fill your big breakfast bowl with the last box of Project 19 before a recently discovered #Retrospective of Disney Puppet Cereal. Star Wars cereal boxes continue to be hunted down by collectors of cardboard #newstalgia with Rey on Star Wars cereal and many more Star Wars crossovers with General Mills (of course, there are boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch involved).

History Lesson
TechnoRetro Dads have the ABCs in this week’s totally fictional History Lesson with Aliens, Lord Blackwood, James Cole, and Delta Fraternity all playing a part in this week’s history and future history that all EarBuds need to know.

Feedback
What’s better than Mr. McFeely making a speedy delivery to Mr. Rogers?  Tweets, posts, voicemails, and electronic-Ms from EarBuds!  We weren’t able to open them all, yet, but we will be sure to get to more of your Feedback over the next couple Mondays. Thanks for sending in your responses to the show as well as sharing cool #TechnoRetro pics and news for us to peruse.  Keep sharing your feedback on Facebook, Twitter, electronic-M (podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com), or voicemail by calling (209)878-7323. We want to hear from you!

Share and Enjoy.

Travel through time with shazbazzar and JediShua as they celebrate thirty-five years of Time Bandits with Fidgit, Randall, Strutter, Wally, Og, and Vermin. Star Wars costumes were back in full force last week,  

In the NEWS…

Sequels and reboots take center stage this week on TV and at the movies as rumors persist about Sky High, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Willow, The Incredibles, Muppet Babies, Wayne’s World, Paddington, and Captain Planet. Although sequels and reboots are nothing new in any sense of the word, some of these #TechnoRetro classics are sure to tickle the fancies of many EarBuds!

Time Bandits

Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin teamed up to make a “kids’” movie from a smallish perspective in 1981’s Time Bandits. Led by Randall (David Rappaport), rogue employees of The Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson from Dragonslayer [1981]) use a stolen map to travel through time in pursuit of wealth and the most fabulous thing in the world.  With Fidgit (Kenny Baker), Wally (Jack Purvis), Og (Mike Edmonds), Strutter (Malcolm Dixon, and Vermin (Tiny Ross), this little gang of time-traveling bandits encounter young Kevin (Craig Warnock) in an orchestrated effort to conquer Evil (David Warner from TRON [1982]). With cameos by John Cleese, Michael Palin, Sean Connery, Shelley Duvall, and Katherine Helmond, and Jim Broadbent, this satiric comedy is unsurprisingly like many Monty Python offerings.  JediShua and shazbazzar have long been fans of this movie and continue to sing the praises of Time Bandits, regardless of its potential to “freak out” young viewers in the early ‘80s.

Star Wars Scrapbook

Trading cards have been staples of TV and movie franchises for decades. Join Steve Glosson (Geek Out Loud, Big Honkin’ Show) and shazbazzar on the streets of Rome, Georgia for the second part of their recent trading card discussion as they play “need ‘em got ‘em” with the Star Wars: Rogue One Mission Briefing trading cards. Where else can you find two grown men getting giddy over pieces of cardboard in public?  Nevermind — that’s not unlike many other episodes of TechnoRetro Dads.  The discussion goes well beyond simply talking about the cards, though; shazbazzar and Big Honkin’ Steve talk about the saga itself and some of the scenes depicted in these cards.  For more of this discussion with Steve and shaz opening a box of TRON cards from 1982, check out episode 197 of Geek Out Loud this week. 

Pull out your trading cards before the Time Bandits make off with your collection  before you can say, “SARK really is Evil!”  And be sure to send us your feedback on Facebook, Twitter, electronic-M (podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com), or voicemail (209-878-7323). We want to hear from you!

Share and Enjoy.

Even if you’ve been tuned in to TechnoRetro Dads since the beginning, you haven’t heard a Spooktacular like this: From Charlie Brown to Orson Welles and lots of Halloweenish tunes from cartoons.  And since Halloween falls on a Monday, it’s a special trick and treat from shazbazzar and JediShua to get your morning started right.  With 77 minutes of truly #TechnoRetro tributes to the fun side of the spookiest night of the year, Spooktacular 2016 pumps up pumpkins, drags out Drac, freaks out Frank, and even takes a trip to Riverdale with Archie and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  Whether you’re bustin’ ghosts or groovin’ with ghouls, plug in your earbuds and you’ll be ready to hand out candy or take the kids around the block for a great day and night of kooky creepiness and wacky zaniness.

Top 13 Halloween Cartoons tunes:

13.  Theme from Archie’s Weird Mysteries

12.  Theme from Sabrina, the Animated Series

11.  “The Haunt of Room 402” 

10.  Theme from Groovie Goolies

9.  “Frightening Frankie, Dangerous Drac, and Weirdo Wolfie”

8.  “What’s in the Bag?”

7.  Theme from Big Wolf on Campus

6.  Theme from Ghostbusters

5.  Theme from Casper the Friendly Ghost

4.  “Lights Out”

3.  “Monsters on Parade”

2.  “You Can’t Hide from Me”

1.  “Go Away and Don’t Come Back”

History Lesson

Orson Welles made H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds real for thousands of listeners in 1938.  With cacophonous complaints and loads of lawsuits, it looked like CBS and Mercury Theater on Air were headed for disaster and Orson Wells thought he might have ended his career.  Today, the iconic radio show is an well-known example of how easily people will believe anything popular media corporations put on the air.  But what would it have been like for those who heard it for the first time?  Through the amazing method of time-travel taping, TechnoRetro Dads present a brief record of two listeners who were taken in by the false news reports of Martian invaders at Grovers Mill.  Listen to Shawn and Zeke as they sip on sodas and hear Orson Wells’ broadcast live.  This exclusive coverage can only be heard on TechnoRetro Dads.  Catch it today…while you can!

Why limit yourself to one Spooktacular, when you can listen to three?  Check out Spooktacular 2013 and Spooktacular 2014 at TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.

Share and Enjoy!

Thanks to our SuperFriends north of the border, Chris Hamilton and Mike MacDonald, we’ve all become aware of the ‘70s kids variety show The Hilarious House of Frightenstein.  With various segments of sketch comedy tempered with a few doses of educational material, HHoF entertained kids through the ‘70s and ‘80s and beyond — all from material filmed within a nine-month span of time.  Now, for the first time, shazbazzar and JediShua explore the corridors, crypts, kitchen, and radio station (?) of Castle Frightenstein with outbursts of gleeful surprise with this totally retro mix of kooky camp and inventive talent from Billy Van, Billy Van, Billy Van, Billy Van, Vincent Price, Billy Van, Billy Van, Fishka Rais, Billy Van, Joe Torbay, Billy Van, and more.  (Did I mention Billy Van?)  Cereal Connoisseur Sheldon Norton joins the ‘Dads to lend a Canadian point-of-view to the discussion.

History Lesson

From the present to the past and Back to the Future, this week’s history lesson involves remarkable firsts by Einstein the shaggy dog, the people from the Green Planet, Frodo Baggins, classy Classic X-Men, and Michael Myers.  PLUS: major thirds, augmented fourths, and a bit more time-traveling with Jean-Claude Van Damme.  Some of these tidbits of fictional facts are bound to stir your memories about things that happened in history this week.

So strap your monster on the operating table, get your latest, greatest invention, and dust the cobwebs off your library books for guaranteed fun with the Count, Igor, Gronk, Grizelda, Dr. PetVet, and the Wolfman (who may be a previous incarnation of Dave Filoni) for a return to brown couches, green carpet, and polyester double-knit leisure suits for 77 minutes of #TechnoRetro pleasure with Doublemint gum.

Share and Enjoy!

As pumpkin spicy as autumn has become, shazbazzar and JediShua still remember the reason the season is called “fall” — falling leaves!  TechnoRetro Dads remember that toys not only grow on trees, they fall from them and can be used to build mountains, forts, or soften jumps from tree limbs.  Plug in your ear buds, EarBuds for an audio excursion into the past with bits of nostalgia and a the possibility of bites from vampires and leave the raking to us!

In the NEWS…  

Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock is remastered and returning to HBO soon.  James Bond and Boba Fett would be proud of a current crowdfunding project by JetPack Aviation.  Take a peek at some incredible concept art from the original live action Batman series from the ‘60s.  ThinkGeek presses R2-D2 into action yet again with a coffee maker.  The Beatles live in a LEGO Yellow Submarine.  J.C. Reifenberg pops up with “Scum & Villainy” next spring.

Science Lesson

New York Comic Con was the place to be for Star Wars fans’ science questions about that galaxy far, far away.  Lightsaber tech (including Kylo Ren’s crossguard), hyperspace travel, and planet-obliterating suppressers are all discussed while the tougher questions about jet packs, rocket boots, and astromech communications are left up to the scientific ingenuity of our own JediShua.

History Lesson

Travel through time with DC’s Batman, Flash, and Watchmen.  Flashback to the forties with Highlander.  Flux your capacitor back a year with Back to the Future II.  

Get your work week started off right with 77 minutes of #TechnoRetro goodness and leave the raking to us! In the meantime, tell us your #TechnoRetro memories via electronic-M (podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com) or via voicemail at (209)TR-TRDAD.  We want to hear from you!

Share and Enjoy!

October has arrived, and black is the new orange…or something like that. JediShua and shazbazzar delve into a variety of topics and get sidetracked along the way in this witchy episode of TechnoRetro Dads. With input from awesome EarBud Armando and a massive Pumpkin Spice crossover with The Big Honkin’ Show with Superfriend Steve Glosson will ensure you are entertained in this Monday afternoon release. 

In the NEWS…  

Collegians from ASU New College artistically represent what Ready Player One means to them as production on the movie continues.  Jon Favreau directs Gnomes & Goblins, a virtual reality movie.  The Dark Crystal gets more love from Funko as ReAction figures.

We Love Our Cereal…

MrBreakfast.com continues to poll cereal lovers to discover the public’s favorite cereal.  In the end, we wonder whether favorites are truly favorites, or are they simply chosen because of nostalgic memories of childhood. Cinnamon Toast Crunch makes it to the top ten, but fails to secure the number one spot…so far. 

Family Circle

The ‘Dads try to get their kids to watch the very dated 1986 made-for-tv movie, The Worst Witch. With Tim Curry, Fairuza Balk, and Mrs. Garrett, the slow pace and lackluster green screen special effects make this first onscreen adaptation of Jill Murphy’s books less-than-ideal entertainment this October. Never fear, though, The Worst Witch has had various onscreen versions since 1986 and with a new Netflix series in the works for 2017, we haven’t heard the end of Mildred Hubble.

History Lesson

Creepiness continues with The Evil Dead, Prometheus, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.  PLUS: Take flight with Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Airplane II: The Sequel.

So strap on a witchy nose, glue on a wart, frizz your hair, adorn a pointy hat, grab your favorite flying broom, and tune in to TechnoRetro Dads.  In the meantime, tell us your #TechnoRetro memories via electronic-M (podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com) or via voicemail at (209)TR-TRDAD.  We want to hear from you!

Share and Enjoy!