Mon, 24 December 2018
The gifts are all purchased and wrapped, the food is mostly prepared (to be further prepared), the bags are packed for the trip to Gramma’s, and everything is ready for Christmas. But don’t discount the joy of pre-Christmas hype on Christmas Eve. Join shazbazzar and JediShua for a final 77 minutes of #TechnoRetro in 2018.
We Love Our Cereal… …and so do our EarBuds. On Christmas Eve, the kids are already excited and might get up before Mom and Dad are ready to take on the day. What are parents to do when the kids are up at 5 AM and really hungry? Direct them to the cereal shelf in the pantry with a bowl, a spoon, and milk, and tell them to make their favorite Christmas Eve combination of cereals and watch cartoons.
TechnoRetro Arcade Remember when you played last year’s Christmas gift (Atari, Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation, Game Cube, etc.) on Christmas Eve to get your mind off what might possibly be under the tree in the morning? JediShua and shazbazzar take a peek back at several video games with snow themes and snow screens that are perfect for a “Sleigh Ride” with “Jingle Bells”.
EarBuds Toy Catalog: Mixed Bag The results of the fourth bracket of the EarBuds Toy Catalog are in and some of the retro toys challenge the newer products. From Speak and Spell to Whirly-Wheels, from Bop-Bags to Magic 8-Balls, the toys are as hot as Hot Wheels, bigger than Micro Machines, springier than a Slinky, and less talkative than Teddy Ruxpin. Remember, even though it’s Christmas Eve, it’s never too late to give hints to loved ones. Maybe you’ll get your winner tomorrow morning. Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! We’ll be back next year, but if you’re looking for more content before then, check out some older episodes on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, or at TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merch 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. |
Sat, 22 December 2018
UnScrooged is what the Doctor would prescribe (if only he knew about it) for relief from holiday anxiety, reversing persistent frowns, rejuvenating old bones and muscles, and reviving memory centers. This special 99-minute bonus episode is the longest UnScrooged to date, and perhaps the most potent. You need to take a full dose today -- repeat as necessary during the winter holidays this year and every year. There is no expiration date.
WARNING A full dose of UnScrooged 2018 will likely cause some, if not all, of these side effects:
If these symptoms are present in yourself or a loved one, do not panic -- simply help them find favorite toys, take them to a real video arcade, and encourage them to sing on key. Who knows? Maybe your loved one will be featured on a talent-seeking reality show and win a million dollar contract!
SuperFriends in UnScrooged 2018
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Mon, 17 December 2018
Yule love this week’s show, even if you’re a Humbug! Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol takes on an eighties upgrade with Bill Murray and Bobcat Goldthwait in Scrooged. Don’t wait for three ghosts to make you regret your choices today — tune in to TechnoRetro Dads early this morning, share, and enjoy all the fun and fandom with family, friends, and EarBuds for 77 minutes.
We Love Our Cereal… …and the cereal companies like special cereals for Christmas. From the Cronut creator’s Christmas Morning Cereal to Lucky Charms Chocolatey Winter Cereal to Strawberry Krispies, the seasonal flavors are ready to be enjoyed by the spoonful (#ChillYourBowl). Perhaps the reason Ebenezar Scrooge was so grumpy is the notable lack of Christmas cereal in his day.
TechnoRetro Arcade Our super-sized celebration of Superman’s 40th (80th) anniversary last week left out a very important element: video games. Superman’s video game debut was for the Atari 2600 console in the 1979 super-pixillated classic Superman. Six years later, Superman: The Game (see what they did there?) was released for home computers. To provide picky, pestering Scrooges with something worthy of complaint, the NES Superman game only had a vague resemblance to Superman in 1988. That same year, a full-sized arcade version of the Man of Steel was released by Taito. Best of all, the ultimate Superman video game has yet to arrive!
Scrooged Frank Cross (Bill Murray), a television network executive with more dollars than sensitivity, faces a long night of regrets, repentance, and redemption with visits from three time-traveling ghosts. It’s A Christmas Carol for the ‘80s with a healthy, heaping spoonful of meta as life and fiction intersect on a live broadcast that’s likely to reduce at least one of the ‘Dads to tears — like, Niagara Falls!
EarBuds Toy Catalog: Creative Toys The results of the third bracket of the EarBuds Toy Catalog are in as retrotastic toys that engaged the mind in creative ways went head-to-head in physics, chemistry, and engineering matchups that challenge the brain, hands, and eyes. Knobby flat screens like Etch A Sketch faced the colorful three-dimensional Tinker Toys. Artistic minds that need to knead found fun in yellow cans of Play-Doh as the modeling compound squared off against another drawing toy — Magnadoodle. Tune in to see who won!
Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! While you’re waiting for this year’s UnScrooged, be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, vote in the EarBuds Christmas bracket, get TechnoRetro merch 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. Share and enjoy. |
Mon, 10 December 2018
Faster than shazbazzar driving through Atlanta. More powerful than JediShua’s art pen. Look! There, up in the sky, it’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Superman! Standing for truth, justice, and the American Way, Superman continues to inspire the best in people — at least the 1978 version of Superman does.
Feedback EarBuds both new and old (experienced?) send in their feedback to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com with comments and questions about TRON, animated giant robots in Force Five, and a discovery about JediShua’s weekly introduction.
EarBuds Toy Catalog: Action Figures The results of the second bracket of the EarBuds Toy Catalog are in as four sets of “action figures” of times past go head-to-head against each other (via EarBuds’ voting). Madballs, Micronauts, Mego Superheroes, and Mattel’s He-Man and She-Ra lines face off for the EarBuds’ favorite. With many more participants this week, the challenge was more intense. Find out if the ‘70s or ‘80s take the prize in this episode! Sadly, the Mego Superheroes (including Superman) didn’t make it very far in this round, but you can always be a part of the brackets as these rounds continue over the next two weeks. Keep checking various social media outlets for updates and ways you can vote for your favorite toys in the EarBuds Toy Catalog contest.
Superman (the Movie) Christopher Reeve filled out the blue spandex (“That is one bad outfit!”) in 1978 as Superman is pitted against arch villain Lex Luthor in a real estate scuffle that brings out the best in Clark Kent. Standing for truth, justice, and the American Way, the orphan from Krypton becomes the altruistic hero we all love as he saves the day for Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and everyone else in California when Otisville nearly becomes a reality.
Vinyl Scratchback: Superman Soundtrack The score for Superman helped make this movie iconic, branding Superman with the John Williams theme that can be recognized almost anywhere — even when sung a bit off-key! In an era when disco was driving everyone wild, another orchestral score turned out to be a hit among movie goers.
Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! While you’re watching Superman, be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, vote in the EarBuds Christmas bracket, get TechnoRetro merch 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.
Share and enjoy. |
Mon, 3 December 2018
It’s been over a week since Thanksgiving, and we’ve just awakened from the full-belly naps we’ve enjoyed over the holidays. As college football season closes and anticipation arises for upcoming bowl games (Outback Bowl in Tampa, anyone?), the season’s greetings turn towards trees, snowmen, reindeer, and Santa Claus! Don’t worry, we’re sure that Ernest Saves Christmas just in time (like he has for the past three decades). In the NEWS Looks like there’s something strange in the neighborhood for the third time according to Dan Aykroyd. Ghostbusters 3 is confirmed to be a sequel to the original Ghostbusters movies from the ‘80s. Great news! Sadly, however, Bikini Bottom mourns the loss of SpongeBob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg who ended his fight with ALS. He was 57.
EarBuds Toy Catalog: Games The results of the first category of the EarBuds Toy Catalog brackets are in as four games of times past go head-to-head against each other (via EarBuds’ voting). Hungry Hungry Hippos, Trivial Pursuit, Battleship, and the Nintendo Entertainment System face off for the EarBuds’ favorite. Perhaps the ultimate winner isn’t all that unexpected. But you can always be a part of the brackets as these rounds continue over the next two weeks. Keep checking various social media outlets for updates and ways you can vote for your favorite toys in the EarBuds Toy Catalog contest.
SuperFriend Hunter Wahl Laika’s newest addition to their amazing stop-motion features is coming this April, and SuperFriend Hunter Wahl joins us to tell us about the movie and gives us insight into behind-the-scenes activities that go into making a stop-motion feature in the 21st Century. Missing Link will premier on April 12th of next year and we’re excited to see this movie.
Ernest Saves Christmas Hunter (who was, at least in part, raised by a TechnoRetro Dad) sticks around for some fun chatter about Ernest Saves Christmas as Ernest P. Worrell helps Santa fulfill his mission to pass the torch (or magic sack) to the next Santa to carry on the tradition and ensure that Christmas continues. Ernest Saves Christmas turns 30 this year as the iconic ‘80s character invented and portrayed by Jim Varney appears in what some consider his best movie role.
Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! While you’re watching Ernest Saves Christmas, be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, vote in the EarBuds Christmas bracket, get TechnoRetro merch 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.
Share and enjoy. |
Mon, 19 November 2018
Thanksgiving is a time to remember and confess the things for which we are thankful, and thankfully, you’re still listening to TechnoRetro Dads even after this past Saturday’s Holiday Special! Thanks for tuning in, EarBuds! There’s enough in this episode for a full meal with leftovers to boot. In the NEWS It’s Thanksgiving week, so don’t forget to defrost that turkey NOW! Laika discovers the Missing Link in an upcoming film (Hunter, one of JediShua’s former students, worked on this movie). Fettmatic on Discord spotted the animated Dungeons & Dragons characters in maquette form through Iron Studios. Jim Henson’s Christmas specials (Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas and The Bells of Fraggle Rock) are coming to theaters in December.
We Love Our Cereal… …even if the Golden Girls cereals are never gold. Funko announces more colors for their very popular offering coming soon. The Roving Spoonster (Shane in GR) has more bowls of cereal news this week, too!
TechnoRetro Arcade Hunters and gamers could find common ground on Thanksgiving in 1984 with Nintendo’s release of Duck Hunt in arcades and at home. An effective light-sensing zapper allows players to shoot digital ducks and pixelated clay pigeons on CRT monitors in a fun (and sometimes frustrating) game that everyone can play. However, the dog can be a jerk.
Thanksgiving Television From the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning to the holiday specials (nope, not that Holiday Special — see last Saturday for that one), while Gramma works in the kitchen, the kids and dads watch TV with traditional programming that marks the fourth Thursday in November. Dallas and Detroit are sure to play and Bugs plays “Diet Doctor” in a Looney Tunes special.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Thanksgiving is about spending time with family, but when you’re out-of-town trying to get home to be with your loved ones and transportation problems threaten your relaxing holiday, you may have to team up with a stranger to make everything work out. Steve Martin and John Candy star in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, a John Hughes film. Everyone has met “that guy” — just a common, ordinary guy who doesn’t seem to have everything figured out as much as he thinks he does. He means well and has a positive attitude, but his optimism doesn’t always work out. Settle down for raucous laughter with family and friends for a gut-busting good time this weekend with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! Be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, vote in the EarBuds Christmas bracket, get TechnoRetro merch 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.
Share and enjoy. |
Sat, 17 November 2018
Forty years ago today, 17 November 2018, The Star Wars Holiday Special aired for its one and only appearance on television. For years, fans have sought out black market copies of the program in order to see it for themselves. As for the TechnoRetro Dads, they have adored this heart-warming story for four decades.
Today, thanks to a discovery in Ralph McQuarrie’s personal items in 2012, shazbazzar and JediShua present a rendition of an early story treatment of the Star Wars Holiday Special as made available on StarWarsHolidaySpecial.com.
We hope you will share and enjoy this audio tribute to the “Could’ve Been but Wasn’t Actually the Star Wars Holiday Special”.
Special thanks to: High Adventure “Light the Sky on Fire” and “Happy Life Day” Supernova “Chewbacca” Donny & Marie Osmond Kevin Rubio TROOPS Battlestar Galactica CHipS Mork & Mindy Wheel of Fortune WKRP in Cincinnati
Starring:
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Mon, 12 November 2018
Hobbits, a Dragon’s Lair, and The Lord of the Rings make for a great Dungeons & Dragons campaign in the ‘70s and ‘80s as shazbazzar and JediShua take a trip back 40 years (and more) into the past for this episode of TechnoRetro Dads. Feedback From the Misfits of Science to pumpkins, from snowmen to bubblegum, and a brand new mini-store from the people who brought us Toys ‘R’ Us — several EarBuds send pics and electronic-Ms about several things we’ve been talking about (and should be talking about).
The Lord of the Rings (1978) Animator Ralph Bakshi committed J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to film in 1978 with a combination of animation styles from traditional cels to rotoscoping to make a very ‘70s movie that challenged young viewers and made an imprint on impressionable young minds. Even Peter Jackson was not immune to the magic of Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings, evident in his 2001 version of the first third of the story with scenes derived from this mind-blowing masterpiece that kept kids coming back for more.
Vinyl Scratchback When JediShua introduced shazbazzar to “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins”, the younger ‘Dad sought out more music from Leonard Nimoy, and shazbazzar discovered the album Spaced Out featuring Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner. With original songs and covers of popular tunes, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock got groovy in the late ‘60s with an album that boldly went where no record had gone before.
TechnoRetro Arcade Sword and sorcery continue in the arcade with the impressive and challenging Don Bluth cartoon video game Dragon’s Lair. For only two quarters, gamers could control Dirk the Daring in his quest to rescue Princess Daphne from the Dragon’s Lair.
Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! Be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, vote in the EarBuds Christmas bracket, get TechnoRetro merch 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.
Share and enjoy. |
Mon, 5 November 2018
The pumpkins have fallen out of fashion, Christmas commercials invaded televisions the day after Halloween, the smell of peppermint is in the air, and it won’t be long before there’s enough snow on the ground to build a snowman. Do you want to? You know… build a snowman?
In the NEWS A YouTube channel has compiled “all” Ready Player One references in one gigantic video list. You can soon build your own virtual reality bedroom (Ready Player One style) will memorabilia, movies, TV shows, and even classic video games! Beetlejuice is now a musical stage production on its way to Broadway.
TechnoRetro Arcade Star Wars landed on home game consoles everywhere in 1982 with the release of The Empire Strikes Back, a scrolling shooter that pitted players’ snowspeeders against AT-ATs on the march towards Echo Base. The low-resolution game (hey, it was 1982) did not diminish game play in the least. The walkers looked like walkers. The snowspeeder looked like a snowspeeder. The snow-covered terrain looked like snow-covered terrain. And the FORCE… Well, it was multicolored flashing and had cool music. The Empire Strikes Back on Atari may not have been “winnable”, but it sure did provide hours of fun reliving the “Battle in the Snow”.
Saturday Mornings In 1985, Bill Watterson brought the dark imagination of a small boy to life in the funny papers under the title Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin, a bright, energetic, and playful boy, teamed up with his striped friend Hobbes to remake the world as they wanted it to be. From transmogrification to snowmen in somewhat disturbing positions, Calvin and Hobbes kept parents on their toes as the pair (?) delivered joy to newspaper subscribers every day as the paperboy completed his neighborhood route. JediShua and shazbazzar recall some memorable “snowman” strips from the ‘80s and ‘90s. (Thanks for the idea, Russ!)
They Live Evil-Lynn returns from Masters of the Universe to fill her role in this John Carpenter film from thirty years ago. They Live is a creepy look at ‘80s culture through the eyes of the filmmaker as Carpenter warns his audience of the dangers lurking beneath the surface in our capitalistic economy. But theater-goers weren’t as interested in the underlying message of the director (who claimed the film is a documentary), they just wanted to be entertained by the likes of pro wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. From muscles to mullet to mouthing-off, Roddy Piper drew in audiences to see this sci-fi thriller about friendship, aliens, magic glasses, and street brawling. Featuring Roddy Piper, Keith David, and Meg Foster, They Live is an essential part of ‘80s pop culture.
Feedback
Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! Be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merch 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. |
Mon, 29 October 2018
He’s the ghost with the most: a moldy, decaying, concoction of phlegm and philandery who is eager to help rid your home of those pesky living people who can make your death a living hell. Michael Keaton’s portrayal of Beetlejuice in the 1988 film rapidly became a staple of late ‘80s pop culture and continues to be recognized today. From the film to television to the toy aisles, Beetlejuice wormed his way into our homes and lives in one way or another (or all three). In the NEWS Warner Brothers cuts Six Billion Dollars in upgrades as the anticipated and updated Steve Austin movie gets yanked from their release schedule. News from Thra continues to enthrall fans of The Dark Crystal as producers confirm that the upcoming Netflix series will be free from computer generated effects. That galaxy far, far away draws ever nearer as China plans to build an artificial moon (“That’s no moon.”) and NASA floats the concept of Cloud City on Venus in future plans. Christmas presents are already being anticipated with Target’s Big Book, an announcement about a Toys ‘R’ Us reemergence, and a Kurt Russell Christmas movie. There is a lot to talk about in the world of #TechnoRetro goodness!
We Love Our Cereal… …and the Roving Spoonster has bowls full of sweet breakfast goodies to share with a unique cereal cup, Golden Girls cereal, a Canadian pop-up cereal cafe, and the first Christmas-based cereal to hit store shelves.
Beetlejuice Tim Burton’s 1988 Halloweenish movie (released in March of that year) introduced movie-goers to a disgusting and deadly creature from the other side who enjoys scaring the life out of the living in Beetlejuice. Stinky, filthy, and foul-mouthed, Beetlejuice specializes in his own brand of haunting in this unique and oddly funny addition to the ever-growing library of movies you might enjoy around Halloween. If you’ve never seen Beetlejuice, take a trip down to your local video rental store and grab a VHS for viewing this Wednesday. Parental guidance definitely suggested.
Saturday Mornings From the silver screen to the small screen, kids could get in on the fun of Beetlejuice in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, too. The animated version of the green-haired weirdo from who-knows-when engaged younger viewers who may have missed the Michael Keaton version when they turned on their TVs on Saturday mornings. Voiced by Stephen Ouimette, the titular antagonizer isn’t quite as villainous as his live-action counterpart, but the grodinous of the character isn’t a far cry from the 1988 version.
Toys in the Attic Not enough Beetlejuice for you, EarBuds? Perhaps you remember the action figures that featured Beetlejuice in various outfits from the film as well as his “friends” in the netherworld. From film to television to plastic, Beetlejuice continued to entice the unsuspecting world to call out his name three times so he could wreak havoc on the land of the living.
Feedback We’re able to dip into the mail bag for some great pics of Jack o’ Lanterns created by our EarBuds. You can view them on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds! Be sure to subscribe on iTunes or Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merch 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.
Share and enjoy. |
Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast
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