When Mr. Carlson gets his next hair-brained idea for a Thanksgiving promotional for WKRP, someone please remind him of what happened last time.  Especially if he thinks he can use the Omegahedron to create some gobblers to save the world from the evil witch Serena.  Maybe it would be better to stay in and watch Gary Coleman’s appearance on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on Turkey Day.  It might avoid another Turkeypocalypse.

In the NEWS
Ron Howard and Warwick Davis have a promising future on Disney+ with an upcoming Willow series. 

We Love Our Cereal…
…and the Roving Spoonster gives us more reasons to love coffee with news of Cinnamon Toast Crunch Coffee-Mate.  PLUS: you can enjoy a bowl of Oreos cereal in a new, comfy Oreos onesie (or with a friend in a Double Stuf sweater).

Prime Time on Thanksgiving (1979)
After the football games, you might have enjoyed these prime time programs with your family on Thanksgiving 1979: The Waltons on CBS, Laverne & Shirley on ABC, or enjoy Gary Coleman’s appearance on NBC’s Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.  Can you guess what we were watching?

TechnoRetro Toy Catalog
The first round of wish book wishing has finished with the ultimate action figure for EarBuds in 2019, but there’s more to come this week as creative toys hit the brackets next.  Be sure to check our social media pages every day for your chance to cast your votes.

Let’s Go to the Movies: Supergirl
SuperFriend Steve Glosson (The Big Honkin’ Show, Geek Out Loud, Disney Vault Talk, and Forceology) brings his depth of superhero (superheroine) knowledge to TechnoRetro Dads.  Now that Supergirl has earned her own ongoing television series, it’s a good time to look back at her big screen appearance thirty-five years ago this month.

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord 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 your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Perhaps you remember seeing Chewbacca’s family on your TV that fateful night in November of 1978, but it’s highly unlikely that you knew about the sequel to The Star Wars Holiday Special before today.  We have rediscovered the promo for The Star Wars Holiday Special Strikes Back and think we know why the program was shelved before its release.  Tune in for a bonus-sized, early release of TechnoRetro Dads on the 41st anniversary of The Star Wars Holiday Special.

In the NEWS

Hey, hey, the Monkees (well, half of the Monkees) are going on tour again this April.  

We Love Our Cereal…

…and Twinkies, too!  Beware of speeding to the store to find Post Hostess Twinkies cereal, though.  The police are watching for people who eat cereal and drive — they may be impaired.

TechnoRetro Toy Catalogue 

The brackets begin this week as we scour the pages of our old toy catalogues for the action figures we want most for Christmas this year.  Be sure to watch our social media pages every day this week to vote for the toys you want Santa to put under your tree this year — or last year — or in 1984…

The Star Wars Holiday Special (Strikes Back)

On November 17, 1978 at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, lucky kids across the nation were treated to two hours of indistinct chatter (and growls) from Wookiees, threats from Imperials, music, magic, and mania that was The Star Wars Holiday Special.  And for the past six years, shazbazzar and JediShua have been celebrating Life Day this time every year in honor of the television special we thought we would never see again.  But this year we have rediscovered the nearly unknown sequel, The Star Wars Holiday Special Strikes Back.  Thankfully, we have the promo for the unaired special on cassette tape, so strap in for excitement and entertainment from a galaxy far, far away with Yoda and the Wookiees as we play the tape for you this week!

The Mandalorian

Chris Luby, cohost of The Geek State Podcast, joins the ‘Dads for an extended discussion of the first chapter of The Mandalorian and speculation about future chapters and seasons of this instant hit series on Disney+.

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord 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 your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Take a walk in a field of clever with shazbazzar and JediShua this Veterans’ Day as TechnoRetro Dads eat cereal, a magic dragon eats homework, and everyone peruses the menu of Disney+ to see what’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner tomorrow.

We Love Our Cereal…

…and the Roving Spoonster continues to share the love:

• Google brings back prizes in boxes of cereal?
• Hershey Kisses cereal doesn’t look appetizing
• Shelf Elves get sugar cookie cereal

Puff the Magic Dragon in the Land of the Living Lies

He’s your big, green buddy who teaches life-lessons in television specials featuring sing-a-long songs, imaginative animation, and Mickey from Rocky.  Puff the Magic Dragon in the Land of the Living Lies is the sequel that aired one year after The Star Wars Holiday Special.  The second of three Puff the Magic Dragon TV specials featured Sandy who had a penchant for telling whoppers to get attention and/or get out of trouble, so Puff the Magic Dragon selflessly sacrificed himself to teach her the sad truth about lying.

The Wonderful World of Disney+

JediShua and shazbazzar talk about the movies and programs they’re looking forward to watching on the new Disney+ service that kicks off tomorrow.

Star Wars Scrapbook

The Rise of Skywalker discussion continues with the scene of C-3PO with his “friends” that was seen in the final trailer for the final film in the Skywalker saga.  The Elton John soundtrack is not included in this episode.

Feedback

Discord goes to the dogs with feedback from Joey, Laffy, and others on the RetroZap Discord TechnoRetro Dads channel.

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord 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 your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Open up a bottle of LaCro IX or StCro IX and kick back with the TechnoRetro Dads and other EarBuds as we speculate about Star Wars and reminisce about celebrity dogs in movies and on television.

In the NEWS:

• Reno Pop Culture Con
• Disney+ for Verizon customers
• The Mandalorean posters

Saturday Mornings Go to the Dogs

From cartoon canines like Astro, Clifford, Dino, Droopy, Mr. Peabody, Pluto, and Scooby Doo to movie mutts like Benji, Beethoven, Cujo, K-9, Hooch, Otis, and The Shaggy D.A., Saturdays have often “gone to the dogs”.  Tune in to see which barkers you remember from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and beyond.

Star Wars Scrapbook

The Rise of Skywalker is just weeks away, and we’re hyped with more discussion from the final trailer for the movie.  JediShua and shazbazzar talk about the voice-overs and speculate about what each of them might mean as the Star Wars Skywalker saga ends with Episode IX.  TEASER: JediShua is drinking LaCroIX.  

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord 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 your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

It’s the last Monday before Halloween, the National Peanut Festival, November, and the return to standard time.  Oh, yeah, and the first Monday after the last trailer for a Skywalker saga Star Wars movie.  Yep.  There’s lots to talk about today.  PLUS: jokes from our friends and fellow RetroZap celebrities.

In the NEWS:

Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas is being rewritten, rescored, and remade…maybe.

We Want Candy!

Get out your plastic pumpkins and pillow cases; trick-or-treat is almost here!  We remember some of our favorite sugary treats from Halloweens past as we scrounge around in our closet floors and find remnants of forty-or-so years gone by.  This year’s top treats are also in the mix.

Creative Costumes

EarBuds and SuperFriends share memories of trick-or-treating in costumes from boxes, costumes made of boxes, and costumes created by moms, dads, and kids and kids-at-heart.

Star Wars Scrapbook

With the final trailer of the Skywalker saga available for viewing, rewinding, and viewing again and again (slow-motion and pause enabled), shazbazzar and JediShua start speculating in earnest based on what little has been shown so far.  Let the hype begin!

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord 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 your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Halloween is coming soon and robots on screen can be the most terrifying creatures ever invented.  The sights and sounds of robots in movies, TV shows, and video games can get your heart beating faster while sitting absolutely still (which you want to do if they haven’t seen you, yet).

We Love Our Cereal…

…and so do Michael Nipp, Ron Lafontaine, and the Roving Spoonster.

• Froot Loops Pop Tarts
• Saturday Morning Cartoon Cavalcade and Cereal Extravaganza
• Funko Pops cereals
• Star Wars cereal returns

Space Camp

JediShua enjoyed his journey to Mars after a day’s training to be an astronaut in Huntsville, Alabama.  From learning more about the history of the space program and NASA to hands-on experience, Space Camp was well worth the money spent on this thoughtful gift.

But Space Camp isn’t just a weekend adventure; it’s a campy movie from 1986!  The ‘Dads talk about the movie that likely suffered from the Challenger tragedy that struck just a few months before its release — it’s plot, odd geography, and big name actors in this oft-forgotten flick.

Scary Robots

From theaters to living rooms to arcades, robots can be scary.  Remember these films, shows, and games? 

• Terminator
• Lost in Space
• Alien
• Blade Runner
• Logan’s Run
• The Black Hole
• Westworld
• Superman 3
• Ex Machina
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Small Wonder
• The Six Million Dollar Man
• Battlestar Galactica
• Robotron 2084
• Berzerk
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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 (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Share and enjoy.

It’s Monday, but we’re talking Wednesday as Pugsley realizes that Thing on his back might just Fester.  When you Add(ams) it all up, it’s a creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky family that is rooted in the early 1930s.  And with a new movie out in theaters, The Addams Family is the epitome of #TechnoRetro.

In the NEWS:

The confetti king, the props meister, the triumph of the toupee Rip Taylor leaves this world after marking it with his flair for flamboyance.  Picard is coming and the new trailer is the next generator of discussion in the science fiction community.  PLUS: Netflix’s Lost in Space will continue on Christmas Eve!

We Love Our Cereal…

…and the Roving Spoonster has some ‘80s style updates as Honeycomb and Super Golden Crisp bring wrestlers back to cereal boxes in your supermarket.  Cheerios add yet another flavor to the classic cereal with coconut.  We don’t think the texture will accompany the flavor, though.

Let’s All Go to the Movies (and television shows)!

The Addams Family is rooted in Charles Addams’s 1930s comic strip, but has been in pop culture through the 1960s television show, a ‘70s variety pilot (which thankfully didn’t get a green light), a ‘70s cartoon series, a made-for-TV movie on ABC in 1977, two movies in the ‘90s with Raul Julia, Anjelica Houston, and Christopher Lloyd, a ‘90s era cartoon on television (with Rip Taylor), and now an animated movie in theaters.  After a great first weekend, The Addams Family is doing well at the box office, but hasn’t put Joker in a Lurch.  We cover decades of wealthy weirdos in this mid-October episode of TechnoRetro Dads.

Star Wars Scrapbook

From Ben Cooper boxes of cheap plastic masks and vinyl coveralls to homemade costumes of varying screen-accuracy and craftsmanship, Star Wars costumes have been part of our lives since 1977.  Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Yoda, and Ewoks are fondly remembered by shazbazzar and JediShua as well as some memorable costumes from several EarBuds.  It’s all in this week’s Star Wars Scrapbook memories.

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord 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 your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Who will dare to enter the haunted house first?
Why is there an arcade and theater in there?
What is a “fun scare”, anyway?
Will JediShua ever wear pants?
While all the answers to these pertinent questions will not be solved in this episode, you’ll have a ghostly good time wondering who is holding Jovial Jay’s hand. 

TechnoRetro Arcade: Horror or Horrendous?

From the pre-digital days of arcade games to full-scale cabinets and even home consoles, Jovial Jay, JediShua, and shazbazzar share some TechnoRetro games you might remember.

Let’s All Go to the Movies!

The Professor of Film, SuperFriend Jovial Jay, lends his cinematic expertise to the show (and adds at least some credibility to all the silliness) by explaining why some horror/suspense/thrillers stand the test of time and introduces his “31 Days of Horror” series on RetroZap.com. 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord 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 your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

What do Frankenstein, a French octopus, and frightening frogmen from the Soviet Union have in common?  They are all mentioned on this week’s TechnoRetro Dads.  Tune in for 77 minutes of fun as September ends and the month of monsters begins. 

In the NEWS…

• The answer to everything is solved!
• TR3N may be in the news?
• Captain Kirk celebrates Kringle Klaus.
• Triple Force Friday is days away.
• Casting news from Jurassic World 3.

We Love Our Cereal!

Halloween cereals are spotted in Walmart (with “Spooky Marshmallows”)!

TechnoRetro Arcade: King of the Monsters

Somewhere between Street Fighter and Rampage lives a NeoGeo game from the early ‘90s that pits enormous beasts (with odd names) against each other over a backdrop of Japanese cities.

Let’s All Go to the Movies!

Sticking with the theme of monsters, shazbazzar and JediShua look back at some movies from the ‘80s and the monsters that might have plagued our nightmares (or just lived under Fred Savage’s bed).

TechnoRetro Feedback

• Ska Geek recalls the Time Killers arcade game.
• Fettmatic and Michael Nipp mention more time travel movies/shows.
• Shane in Grand Rapids finds a VW camper that reminds us of the A-Team van.

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Go online for more TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RetroZap.com, or TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Pick up your TechnoRetro Dads merchandise at TeePublic.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord 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 your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Although we’re all a bit down about losing musical icons like Eddie Money and Ric Ocasek, this morning also features some good news about a specific SuperFriend and some exciting TechnoRetro shows on NBC’s streaming service, a peek at some spooky cereals, terrific (or terrible) autumnal jokes, timely arcade games, informative science lessons, and feedback.

In the NEWS:

• SuperFriend Michael Price receives an Emmy for writing “Mad about the Toy” episode of The Simpsons!
• The Far Side is returning.  The time is near.
• Peacock to stream TechnoRetro shows like Battlestar Galactica, Punky Brewster, Saved by the Bell, and A Brave New World.

We Love Our Cereal…

…and so do Disney and Funko.  Maleficent, Oogie Boogie, and four more Disney villains get mini-pops in the continuing Funko cereal series this October.

Vinyl Scratchback

Eddie Money and Ric Ocasek debuted in the ‘70s with hit tunes and continued their popularity into the ‘80s and beyond.  With recent news about their recent deaths in mind, we remember some of their hits from our youth.

TechnoRetro Arcade

• Hologram Time Traveler
• Time Pilot

Science Lesson

JediShua teaches various theories about time travel and how they work and how they don’t work.  You can decide which theory or theories you think might be possible.

Feedback

Jovial Jay discovers digital assistants’ rap crossover.  Onkl Mawks has an entire collection of Elton John records for shAbbeyzzar.  And Wes loves to ride his Mongoose (bicycle).