It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Cross Colours, cut your hair in the fresh Cornrow style and slip on your Adidas as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Song: Summertime
Album: Homebase (Released 1991)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 4
Bonus Fun Fact: Summertime won the 1992 Grammy Award for "Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group"!
I have a fairly big collection of loose figures from the 80s & 90s. I would like to share a few of my faves with you at this time. These are a few of the toys I re-discovered while cleaning out my basement closet this past weekend. Here we go!
The Simpsons: Bartman (Mattel, 1990)
The first series of The Simpsons action figures from Mattel did not have many characters. You had the Simpson family, Nelson and of course BARTMAN! I had a Bartman poster hanging in my room, a Bartman pin and of course a Bartman shirt. I was a huge fan of the show from the start, but I remember one holiday shopping spree where I passed on these figures in favor of some Kenner Beetlejuice figures! So, when the opportunity came for me to purchase this Simpsons artifact from the golden years of the show, it was a no brainer. I had to have him in my collection!
Space Jam: Lola Bunny (McDonalds, 1996)
Basketball is my favorite sport, I like the way they dribble up and down the court! So when Space Jam was released featuring my favorite player, Michael Jordan, I had to see it. When I did I was hooked! I was buying everything that had MJ or a Looney Tune characters face on it, including these McDonalds Happy Meals! Lola was first introduced in Space Jam and she was a great character. It's too bad WB hasn't really done much with her since then.
Ask almost any kid from the 90s who their favorite bad guy was from the TMNT Playmates line and you'll most likely get the answer SLASH! He was so cool, like a mix of the Turtles and their arch nemesis the Shredder. When me and my brother played, Slash was stronger than the Turtles, but not as smart. He was brainwashed by the Shredder to do his bidding and when the mighty TMNT had to face this powerful foe, they had to use more than brawn...they had to use their brains. This led to many great battles and traps set up on our bedroom floor. Man I miss those days!
Ghostbusters: Slimer (Funko, 2014)
This Slimer POP was a gift from my kids and wife. They knew I love the Ghostbusters and they knew I liked Funko POPS, so it was an easy gift to get for me. To this date Slimer is the only POP I have removed from his box. I just think the way they used the Slime as his stand was brilliant!
Wild C.A.T.S: Void (Playmates, 1995)
I was a child of the comic book boom of the 90s and yes I had a few Wild C.A.T.S comics that I thought would be worth some money in the future, but I was never really a fan of this X-Men clone of misfits. This figure is from the short lived Wild C.A.T.S cartoon program. I picked this up for about $1 in the package at a yard sale. She was just too shiny to pass up! I never really watched the cartoon, but it actually looks pretty cool. Take a look at the intro below and enjoy!
It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Cross Colours, cut your hair in the fresh Cornrow style and slip on your Adidas as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: Kurtis Blow
Song: The Breaks
Album: Kurtis Blow (Released 1980)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 87
Bonus Fun Fact: The Breaks was the first certified Gold selling rap song and ranked #10 on VH1's top 100 Greatest Hip-Hop songs list!
This week the comic book I am most excited to read is... TMNT Urban Legends #1
This is it, fans! You demanded it, and IDW Publishing listened! The entire Image Comics TMNT run (a.k.a TMNT Volume 3) reproduced for the first time ever in full, four-color glory! Join creators Gary Carlson and Frank Fosco as they take the Heroes in a Half-Shell on some of their most amazing and dangerous and bizarre adventures ever... culminating in three brand-new issues (#24-26), written and drawn by original creators Gary Carlson and Frank Fosco, completing this long-beloved storyline at last! In this premiere issue, the TMNT and Master Splinter are attacked in their lair by a of group of cyborgs led by the female ninja called Pimiko. Before the attack is over, one family member will fall... and one will be lost! Don't miss your chance to get in on the ground floor of the entire TMNT Image experience! Colors by IDW TMNT veteran Adam Guzowski (TMNT Color Classics)! Featuring new cover art by Frank Fosco and TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman!
If your Toys R Us location is still open like mine is, you still have some time to stop by and grab some great retro toys at discounted prices. Right now our Toys R Us has slashed prices to discounts of 30%-50%! My daughter has a birthday coming up, so I picked up some stuff for her, but I also kept my eyes peeled for some future shopping for myself. Here is what I found this time around...possibly the last time around?
Super Soakers ($9.99 - $39.99)
When Super Soakers were released upon the public in 1991 it was the must have water gun for summer time fun! The advertising made it seem like you would be unstoppable in a water fight if you had one of these babies by your side. My Mom finally gave in to our begging and got myself and my brother each a Super Soaker 30! It was great until we learned our friend had a Super Soaker 100, DAMMIT!
Teddy Ruxpin ($99.99)
From everything I have seen, this new version of Teddy Ruxpin has not really caught on with the younger generation. That's sad to me. Yes the look is drastically different from the original and it has digital eyes and runs off an app, but the heart & sole of the toy is still there. You can still hear fun stories from your furry Teddy friend and that's what matters to me. I think the biggest drawback is the almost $100 selling point! If these guys go for around 50% of that price, I may just pick one up.
Tamagotchi ($14.99)
Released to the United States in 1997, these digital pets were everywhere! I did not have a Tomagotchi growing up, but my brother did have a Gigapet. I remember when he first got it. He would feed, wash and cleanup after that little guy around the clock...then he didn't. Kids quickly lost interest in this toy, but now they are back and I want one!
Strawberry Shortcake ($17.99)
I never owned any of the toys from this figure line, but my sister did and I can still remember the smell of these guys. Each figure was scented to represent their character. Strawberry Shortcake smelled like strawberries, Orange Blossom smelled like oranges, etc. I remember she kept them in a case together and when she would open it all the smells would emerge at one time, creating a crazy mix of delicious fragrances! I might just pick up this toy for her?
Mini Classic Video Games ($19.99-$29.99)
Ever since the Nintendo Entertainment System came home with us in 1986, I have been a video game junkie. Each night after we put the kids to sleep, I put aside at least an hour of my time to play video games! Right now I am trying to finish my NBA2k season with the Brooklyn Nets! No matter how amazing the new systems are, I always come back to the classics and mini versions of these games only make it cooler! I am hoping to pick up a few of these before Toys R Us closes.
Well, that's it! What could possibly be my last blog entry about Toys R Us! I hope to make a few more trips back to buy a few things, but who knows how much longer they will be open. As I've said before and I'll say again "I don't want to grow up. I'm a Toys R Us kid"!
It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your JNCO jeans, cut your hair in the fresh Bowl Cut style and slip on your Zips as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: Jermaine Stewart
Song: We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off
Album: Frantic Romantic (Released 1986)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 5
Bonus Fun Fact: Stewart started his career as a dancer on the show Soul Train and became a backup singer for Culture Club before getting his own recording contract!
This week the comic book I am most excited to read is... TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #82
"Kingdom of Rats," Part 2. Rat King's sinister influence spreads, and New York City's most vulnerable are at risk! The Turtles search out the Rat King's family in a desperate attempt to find a way to stop him!
(W) Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman (A) Brahm Revel (CA) Dave Wachter
One of the first comic books I ever received was an issue of the Archie published Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures. I loved that series! It was like we would receive new episodes of the TMNT cartoon every month. The artwork from Ryan Brown and Chris Allan was exceptional and the stories written by Dean Clarrain aka Stephen Murphy were captivating. I gazed at every inch of those issues and finally decided to write in to the Turtle Tracks page at the end of each book. And guess what? I got a reply postcard!!!
I of course told them how much I enjoyed the comic and was wondering where I could purchase some back issues that I was missing. Here was the response...
I was so excited to receive this from the TMNT team, I didn't even care what they had written! I still wonder why this card came postmarked from Northampton, MA and not from NY where Archie Comics headquarters were. Was Mirage handling the letters? If so, I wonder who wrote back to me? Was it one of the people who worked on the book or an office assistant? I will probably never know the answers to these questions, but I do know one thing...this is a prized possession in my Ninja Turtles collection! Still to this day I re-read those early Archie TMNT Adventures comics and it takes me back to a time when the Turtles were on top, to a time when TURTLE POWER ruled the world!
It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Levis jeans, cut your hair in the fresh Baldie style and slip on your Tims as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: Skee-Lo
Song: I Wish
Album: I Wish (Released 1995)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 13
Bonus Fun Fact: Kevin Hart did a remix of this song to promote his movie "Ride Along"! The video features Ice Cube, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul & Andre Iguodala.
This week the comic book I am most excited to read is...
VENOM #1
In the wake of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s collapse, an ancient and primordial evil has been awakened beneath the streets of New York, and with it, something equally evil has awakened in that most Wicked of Webslingers - VENOM! Still a Lethal Protector of the innocents in New York, this never-before-seen threat could force Venom to relinquish everything it holds dear - including Eddie Brock! Join two of the hottest creators in comics today, Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, for a VENOM adventure a thousand years in the making!
Saturday, May 5th is Free Comic Book Day! You can go to your local comic shop and choose from a variety of great comics from publishers like Marvel, DC, Darkhorse and more! If you want more info or need to know what shops are participating, check out the Free Comic Book Day website. Every year I take my kids out and make this day an event. It's something we look forward to every year. Here are my top five comics for the 2018 FCBD:
FCBD 2018 INVADER ZIM FLOOPSY BLOOPS SHMOOPSY
Remember that funny green alien you used to watch on TV? No, not that one. No, no, the other green alien. Okay, it's ZIM, alright? Invader ZIM! Well, ZIM sometimes watches TV too! And sometimes it's bad TV. Very, very bad TV. So now, you can watch ZIM watching a very bad show called Floopsy Bloops Shmoopsy! All 385 seasons! 24/7! Never stopping! Reprints Invader Zim #20.
FCBD 2018 BONGO COMICS FREE-FOR-ALL
Get in line for the foremost Free Comic Book Day four-color giveaway of the year! Bart goes in search of adventure one particularly hot and boring summer day; Milhouse exacts revenge on his bullies; Lisa, of all people, gets her own "...the Clown" show; and Kang and Kodos make an ill-advised alien abduction. It's a fabulous and frenetic funny book for the ages (all of them), and it's all free!
FCBD 2018 NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS ZEROS JOURNEY #0
When Jack Skellington's faithful pet Zero gets lost, the ghost pup must get the help of the residents of Christmas Town to find his way back. With Halloween plans on hold while Jack mounts a search, will they be reunited in time to save both holidays?
FCBD 2018 TICK 2018 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Foretold by Ben Edlund himself, in the now-legendary 1980's Tick trading cards set, comes a tale you never expected to read! Wandering into an ancient village on a one-eyed horse, The Tick must make a stand against dark magic, enemy hordes, incredible beasts and the unknown itself! His reward: ACTION! (And also a mysterious jewel the size of a truck.) From a lost Ben Edlund plot comes a story of swords, sorcery, and... spoons?!
FCBD 2018 INFINITY WATCH AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
New creative teams. New series. New directions. New beginnings. Fans will be able to read the first Amazing Spider-Man story from Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley in the Amazing Spider-Man/Guardians of the Galaxy Free Comic Book Day issue!
It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the Throwback Jam of the Week! These are the jams currently on my Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop & rap from the 80s & 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they get you off your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your parachute pants, get your hair cut in the fresh Gumby style and slip on your L.A. Gear kicks as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 Throwback Jam of the week...
Artist: Lucas
Song: Lucas With The Lid Off
Album: Lucacentric (Released 1994) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 29
Bonus Fun Fact: This Danish rapper's music video for this song was nominated for a Grammy Award!
This week the comic book I am most excited to read is... HARLEY LOVES JOKER #1
Paul Dini returns to the character he co-created to deliver the incredible two-issue wrap-up of the "Harley Loves Joker" flashback tale that ran as a backup in HARLEY QUINN last year! As far as The Joker's concerned, the new headquarters Harley built for them is absolutely perfect...but only she knows the whole place is rigged to come crashing down around them-and she doesn't know how to stop it! (W) Paul Dini (A) Bret Blevins (CA) Amanda Conner
SRP: $3.99
