The 80s Club

I’m sitting here watching King of Queens, and it’s the episode where Doug’s (Kevin James) friend Spence (Patton Oswalt) becomes the houseboy for Doug’s other friend, Deacon (Victor Williams). And, all of the sudden, they do a bit where Spence is very Mr. Belevedere-like and play they theme song to the show. Very fun for me.
I was sad to hear that King of Queens will be ending this May. It’s had a good run, and has cracked me up for years. In a world dominated by reality shows, though, the sitcom seems to be …read more

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Have you seen these joystick games? I was so excited when walking through Target (I think it was) and saw the cute joystick with Ms. Pac-Man’s likeness pictured on it. I pointed it out to my friend and she said, “Oh yeah. I have a couple of games like that. All you do is plug it into your TV and there are several games that you can play.” Crazy. Apparenly, a few of my friends have these and are enjoying hours of 80’s reminiscence and fun and are not inviting me over to join …read more

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In honor of the Christmas Day passing of the late, great James Brown, I present to you (via my new addiction, YouTube) the legendary 1983 performance of Eddie Murphy in the legendary SNL sketch, James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party. I don’t think a week passes in our house with out someone shouting out, “Too hot in the hot tub!”

A fond farewell, Mr. James Brown.

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You think I’m joking, don’t you?
From azcentral.com:
Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora will soon have mini versions of themselves from Tempe-based McFarlane Toys.
Crazy, aye? Apparently, they aren’t the first musical figures from McFarlane Toys, but I still think it’s a bit odd. Go ahead and add them to your holiday wish list, for 2007. They’re not due out until July of next year. I’ll try to get a photo out here when they’re released.
I did love this album, though. Especially the record that my mom bought for my sister and me (how do you expect …read more

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I remember this game so well. It’s like I saw it yesterday…
Actually, I did see it yesterday, because my two year old was trying to play it! No kidding. I think this was my older brother’s first electronic game, along with the baseball version. He would play them for hours, never giving me a turn.
Somehow, it ended up in my house, and the crazy thing still works! (I can’t get a cordless phone that will keep a charge for more than 30 minutes, but this thing is still going strong!) I have a feeling …read more

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The year: 1980
The place: A galaxy far far away
The issue: The rebels are gaining momentum and The Empire must stop them at all costs.

The Star Wars saga continues. Anyone who doesn’t know by this point in time (2006) that Darth Vader is Luke’s father can only have been raised by wolves. For movie goers in 1980 however, the news came as a shock. Our hero, the hope of the Galaxy, is related to that guy who chokes his minions to death when they fail in their duties. Perhaps even more trauma-inducing for those …read more

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If it weren’t for my younger brothers, I would likely not remember Army Ants. However, my youngest brother was crazy about them. (I recall some sibling skirmishes wherein one of the others would ‘relocate’ his army ants, and wow, the yelling!) These little critters would probably be a big hit in today’s toy market too.

X-entertainment lists Army Ants on their list of Top 10 Most Obscure 80s Toys, at #1:
Army Ants were, well, ants. But they weren’t any ordinary ants – they were insectoid machines of mass destruction, each two-inch figure adorned with soldier helmets …read more

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There are plenty of people who will be quick to point out the Littles books, and the even earlier Borrowers books, but my acquaintance with The Littles was on Saturday mornings during the early 80s. They were little mice who lived under the floor/in the walls of the Biggs house. I really liked the toon and watched it religiously. So much so, that even now in 2006 I can still ‘hear’ the theme music.

The best thing about The Littles in my opinion, were the Mattel doll house furniture items produced about the same time. …read more

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In the 80s, a well-bronzed skin was the aim of every summer. I remember when the California Raisins made an appearance, partly because they were goofy, and partly because in one ad they are all sun-bathing and do this synchronized flip to sun their other sides. My husband remembers them because he collected the Raisins (but he’ll deny it if anyone asks).
In 1987 the advertising world was taken by surprise with the popularity of a group of animated singing raisins who pushed the goodness of sweet, juicy California raisins. Their trademark song “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” …read more

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I never had a Cabbage Patch doll.
You simply cannot realize the terror, the horror, the absolute grief of that statement unless you were a little girl in the 80s.
(Or of course, a little boy of the type so inclined to play with dolls, like my cousin Jesse. Jesse ended up, surprisingly, not as a female impersonator in Vegas, but as a rather successful porn star with the stage name Zeus Goldenrod, which pretty much makes him the most successful member of our family ever. But I digress.)
You have no idea how insane people were for these dolls. The …read more

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