Dino Drac’s Countdown to Xmas!
Welcome to Dino Drac’s Countdown to Christmas! This feature will be updated daily (or close to daily) through December 25th, with some kind of holiday-related thingamajig. You never know what might turn up!
This one’s really for the old schoolers who prefer blogs to algorithmic timelines full of ads for dicey hair products. I won’t be plugging it often off-site. If this is up your alley, remember to check back often! (And visit After Dark and the Xmas Jukebox, too!)
12/3: Christmassy Soda Ad! (1980s)
I’ve always associated Cherry 7UP with the holiday season. Before cranberry (and later pomegranate) sodas were widely available, that was a clutch choice for Christmas dinner. Between the color of the drink and the colors on the label, it seemed tailor-made for December.
Actually, all three sodas from this old magazine ad scream “Christmas” to me. Seven and Sevens were wildly popular in the ‘80s, and my family went through gallons of that shit on Christmas Eve. I’m not sure which cocktails the adults were making with Canada Dry, but as that was my personal favorite, they had to act fast if they wanted any.
And that punch! My family didn’t get on the holiday punch train until much later, but it’s still a nostalgic sight for me. Not just because it was in tons of my mother’s recipe magazines, but because of the many holiday-themed sitcom episodes where similar punches lingered somewhere in the background. (In particular, I remember one from The Golden Girls that looked JUST like that.)
12/2: A Very McDonald’s Christmas! (1980s)
This old photo of a McDonald’s restaurant soothes me. The glowy holiday vibes remind me of 1974’s Black Christmas, but here we’ve replaced the mass murder and scary eyes with Mayor McCheese and a large fries.
It looks SO good that you almost want to question the photo’s authenticity, but I promise you, this ain’t AI. Many McDonald’s restaurants really did tie giant holiday decorations to their roofs back then, which served as beacons to burgers for passing cars.
12/1: 7UP’s Countdown to Xmas! (1988)
Well, this certainly felt like a fitting thing to cover on December 1st! Longtime readers know how much I adore those old Countdown to Christmas posters – freebies from 7UP that were given away at grocery stores back in the late ‘80s.
After getting it home and tacking it up, you’d count the days to Christmas by gluing cotton balls over Santa’s beard. By December 25th, he’d look like an infestation of tiny albino Tribbles. It was a glorious sight, AND it gave us something to do every single day through the heart of the holiday season.
Shown here is the 1988 version of the poster, which was an obvious upgrade to the wild-eyed Santa of 1987. While the first poster did have slight branding, this one implied that Santa was both addicted to 7UP and ACTUAL FRIENDS with Cool Spot. Read More…
1985 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
The wait is over! With moments to spare before the stuffing hits the table, the Purple Stuff Podcast is ready to serve up this year’s review of an old Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
It’s our favorite annual tradition, and this year, we picked a hot one for ya. Join us for a long look back at the 1985 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, featuring He-Man, Rainbow Brite, the Cabbage Patch Kids, and whole lotta Bert Convy.
While we covered this parade’s surrounding years on prior shows, this one was definitely distinct, and deserved its day in the sun. Rue McClanahan dressed like Cinderella? A deflated Kermit balloon? Pat Sajak nearly set on fire by a gaggle of torch jugglers? In 1985, there was something for everyone!
Click here to listen to this month’s show!
…which you can also find on Spotify, or Apple, or wherever else you listen to podcasts.
Oh, and if you want to actually watch the 1985 Macy’s Parade, there are a few copies on YouTube. Here’s one that’s complete with commercials. In fact, below are links to let you jump directly to the segments discussed on the show!
1) The Cabbage Patch Kids!
2) Rainbow Brite Sings!
3) Masters of the Universe Float!
4) Toys “R” Us WWF Commercial!
5) Care Bears and Miss America!
6) Rue McClanahan as Cinderella!
7) Pat Sajak Dodges Fire!
8) Weird McDonald’s Commercial!
We hope you enjoy the new ep, whether you get to hear it before Thanksgiving or not! Read More…