“Evil” Garbage Pail Kids!
Wow, this is a neat find, and it backs up all of the Garbage Pail Kids anecdotes I’ve been spewing online for the past 15 years.
In this 1986 CBS News segment, no less than Dan Rather himself introduced the world to Garbage Pail Kids.
CBS was careful not to be dramatically critical, but all of the important bullet points are here, including my favorite piece of GPK lore: The fact that many schools banned them outright, ostensibly to keep kids focused, but really because they were naughty cards.
(Well, naughty stickers. They were kind of both.)
Tonight’s survey:
Were you ever a trading card collector?
Which sets did you collect?
Share memories, in the comments!
(I could spend all day answering this one. I collected everything. For now I’ll just say that I never collected any set “harder” than the first series of Marvel Universe cards, which I still 100% credit for the early ’90s comic book boom.)
Arcade Playthroughs!
Here are complete playthroughs of two of my favorite arcade games, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Simpsons:
I think I preferred watching strangers play these games to playing them myself. Hiding out in dark, dank bowling alleys and movie theaters, they were like free cartoons. I’d stand there with a pizza slice and a Snapple and just soak it in. It was like the mini golf course version of a drive-in movie theater.
Tonight’s survey:
Name some of your favorite arcade games — from the mega titles that everyone knows to the more obscure games that just needed a little love.
Remember, arcade games only!
Spill it, in the comments.
1990 Commercials from Stephen King’s It!
It’s been many years since I’ve seen It, the 1990 TV miniseries based on Stephen King’s novel.
I distinctly remember watching It back in November of 1990. ABC spread the movie across two long nights. I guess nobody else in the house was interested, because I watched both parts on my tiny bedroom television, all alone. Given that I was around ten years old, It hit me pretty hard.
Aside from Curry’s amazing performance, the movie hasn’t aged well. Still, between It being a rare example of first-run “hard horror” on network television AND the movie being so stuffed with familiar TV actors, I’ll always have a soft spot for this mess.
The full movie is on YouTube, but only if you’re willing to pay for it. Instead, here’s a collection of the many television commercials that aired during It’s two day rule over ABC. At this point, they’re probably worth more to me than the movie!
Tonight’s survey:
Tim Curry is a treasure. Name your favorite Curry character, in the comments!
(And talk about the commercials, too. There are so many good ones in that batch!)
Garfield & Friends!
Here’s a random episode of Garfield & Friends, and a survey to go with it!
I’d say that Garfield & Friends just narrowly beats out The Real Ghostbusters as far as shows that I most closely associate with Saturday mornings.
So, tonight’s survey:
What was the one Saturday morning show that you just HAD to see, every weekend?
Tell everyone, in the comments!
