80's Day 2020!

80's Day was something I started a few years ago to show my kids how cool the decade was. I share some of my favorite 80's music, movies, video games and food with them and they seem to really enjoy it! Typically we head out and take part in some activities that I liked as a kid, but of course this year we had to make some changes and I think we were able to pull it off and everyone seemed to have a good time. Here's what we did!

We started the day as most kids in the 80s did, eating cereal in front of the TV while watching cartoons! My son chose The Legend of Zelda, my daughters chose Gummi Bears & Muppet Babies and my wife chose Jem! My choice for the morning led to some head scratching as the kids and even my wife had never heard of the BIONIC 6! After all was said and done, I don't think I created any new fans to the sci-fi super hero series. If you haven't seen this cartoon for yourself check out the episode below. You may not like the show, but I think we can all agree that Bionic 6 has one of the best intro songs of the decade!

After cartoons it was time to throw on some of our best 80s licensed character t-shirts, so we could go out and hit the town!

My kids had on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars and Legend of Zelda. I chose to wear my Thundercats shirt and my wife had her My Little Pony shirt on. Looking good and ready for some adventure!

We hopped in the van and the soundtrack for the day would be some old school DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and the soundtrack from Ghostbusters II!

Our first stop was the local comic shop. I picked up a few Spider-Man, Batman and Ninja Turtles comics and let the kids each pick out a book. Their picks included Care Bears, My Little Pony and Duck Tales. It had been a while since I had taken them to the comic shop and they had fun perusing the shelves and looking for something new to read. Coincidentally, all of the books they picked were 80s related!

After the comic shop, we had to make a quick stop at Target which was within walking distance. Of course since we were there I checked the store for any NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures I could find and as usual I struck out! The main reason we went to Target was to pick up a classic movie for the night's main feature! Also checked for some My Little Pony CCG cards for my youngest daughter and bought a new soccer ball.

After all that shopping, the kids were hungry. What better place to stop than McDonalds. Growing up, they had some of the best Happy Meal toys like Fraggle Rock, Muppet Babies, Garfield and Berenstain Bears. This time around the Happy Meals featured plush toys from Disney/Pixar movies. Each kid got the main character from the new movie "Soul" and I got a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal. I just wish they still had that old school Orange Drink. It tasted so good, but for some reason always made my throat feel weird afterwards.

With all that delicious food in our bodies, it was decided that we needed to work some of it off. I pumped up the tires in our bikes and we rode to the kids' school for some RAD action! My son was riding like crazy and he rode around the school for a good hour.

The girls and I took a break from riding and shot some hoops in an epic game of H-O-R-S-E! Trick shots were aplenty, but somehow I edged out a win over my 8 & 11 year old kids. We drank some water, ate some fruit snacks and headed on our journey home.

It was almost 100 degrees out, so that bike ride really wore us out! What better way to cool off than with a Klondike bar? My kids loved them! I could have sworn we had these before, but they said they had never had them. As a kid, we never had the name brand Klondike bars, but it was always AWESOME when my Dad brought us home some knock-off "Polar Bars" from the A&P supermarket! Anyone else ever have these growing up?

We finally went inside and got away from the heat and the kids insisted we play some retro video games. Who was I to argue with them? We played many NES classics like Super Mario Bros. 2, Bubble Bobble, Contra and Adventure Island.

By the time we wrapped up our retro gaming session, it was time for dinner. The kids and I wanted pizza, but from where? The most 80s of all pizza establishments of course...PIZZA HUT! I loved our local pizza hut back in the 80s. It had a Rygar arcade cabinet and a juke box loaded with all the hits like "Burning Down The House" by The Talking Heads! Too bad this Pizza Hut didn't have any of that, but at least we got what we wanted.

Stuffed Crust Pizza loaded with pepperoni! We dished up and got ready to watch the night's main feature film. A film beloved by millions and never seen by my kids, a film called E.T.

This was the original cut, not the revised anniversary edition. I was surprised that Target had this for only $5. I swore that E.T. was on Netflix, but when I looked that morning it was no longer there which prompted our trip to Target to purchase the film. It had been decades since I had seen the movie and I was surprised at how little of it I remembered. It was almost like watching it for the first time. My kids enjoyed it and it was time for bed. Overall a pretty successful 80s day was enjoyed by all. Hopefully next year we can make it bigger and better!

Remebering DJ Kat & the Fox 5 Kids Club

Who doesn't remember running home from school in the mid 80s to mid 90s so they could watch cartoons? I know I do. Myself and my brother would get home from school and turn on our TVs by hand to watch such classics as Tiny Toons, Bobby's World, Masters of the Universe, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Ghostbusters and Duck Tales. Our Mom let us watch until around 5pm when Diff'rent Strokes starring Gary Coleman came on. 

That's when we knew it was time to crack the books and do our homework. To this day that theme song still conjures visions of math, social studies and English books ready for me to pencil in my answers. Then one day in 1988 we turned on FOX 5 and we were introduced to an afternoon cartoon host like no other, by the name of DJ Kat!

Now, unknown to me DJ Kat had been around for a few years prior on his own show during Saturday mornings from November 28th, 1987 - December 26th, 1987. His show was then moved to Sunday mornings until December 24th, 1988. Here is a clip of the show:

Myself and my brother never really paid attention to this show, probably due to us having our usually regimented Saturday morning viewing mapped out so we could see our favorite shows. So, this was something new to us when he debuted as the host of the Fox 5 Kids club.

DJ Kat was wisecracking, funny and cool by late 80s standards and most importantly of all, he helped me become a member of the Fox Kids Club.

When you joined the Kids Club it was something special. You really felt like you were a part of something big. To prove this you got your very own membership card with the Secret Code on the back so you could receive exclusive messages and in addition to this you also got...

a FREE subscription to one of the best kids magazines of all-time, Totally Kids Magazine! This thing was packed with games, puzzles, crafts, interviews, previews of upcoming cartoons, advertisements and exclusive comics featuring everyone from The Tick to Batman! It was amazing and I would re-read these all the time until every word had sunk into my brain making me ready for any Fox related conversations that may have broken out on the schoolyard. I may still have a few of these hanging around somewhere, man I hope I do. This magazine was AMAZING! If you ever had a subscription, you know what I'm talkin' bout!

But I digress, back to DJ Kat. I've read online that the original 1987 version of this character came off as abrasive and rude and that's what caused the show to be revived and revamped in 1988 with a new puppeteer by the name of Craig Marin and a new co-host to hang out with in his dank, urban clubhouse. No longer did he have Elizabeth Rose by his side, no, the DJ Kat I know and love had the bubbly and cute Jennifer Davis played by Carmen De La Paz. I may or may not have had a crush on her back in the day? Honestly, I can't remember?

Either way, DJ Kat was a fun character who introduced our weekday morning cartoons after school and he was the coolest guy because he introduced me to the Fox 5 Kids Club! By the way, I still regret not sending in my fan artwork of DJ Kat to the show. I really think it had a chance to be featured, but my brother said it sucked and I never sent it in. Let that be a lesson kids, don't listen to your brother when he says things suck! Now let's take a final look at DJ Kat as he takes on WWF Superstar Jake "The Snake" Roberts! I wonder who is going to win?

Side note: I will never forget when DJ Kat said the letters WWF stood for Weird, Wimpy Fakes! That must have really chaffed The Snakes tights!

My Favorite Old School WWF Wrestler

I don't really talk too much about wrestling here at 20 Years Before 2000. I was into the WWF back in the mid 80's and then lost interest in the sport until the 2000's when my Dad started watching WCW wrestling while he was working in Tennessee. I started to watch it too because it gave us something to talk about when I would see him. This was during the time of the NWO, Hollywood Hogan and Dennis Rodman in the ring. Although there have been many great wrestlers during the years I watched, one really stood out to me and became a favorite...Junk Yard Dog! 

 

He was so crazy and I will never forget his snarling face as he would enter the ring to the sounds of Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust” while barking at his opponent and swinging that badass chain around his neck. My introduction to JYD was in the form of the animated Hulk Hogan’s Rock N Wrestling cartoon.

Out of all the iconic characters in that show JYD just stood out to me and I was hooked. The one match of his that stands out more than any other to me is when he gave Macho Man a beat down to win the WWF Wrestling Classic in 1985. I didn’t see it live, but I had friends who were wrestling junkies, so I borrowed their VHS tape of the event.

Unfortunately I never got to see JYD wrestle in person and never will have that chance. In 1998 JYD was in a car accident and passed away thereafter. For his contributions to wrestling and the WWF/WWE JYD was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

This post was originally written as a submission to the Retro Round Table at the Retro Ramblings website. You can view the website by clicking HERE.

Top Cartoon Spin-off list!

The 80's & 90's were an amazing time to grow up! The freedom of being a kid, the delicious candies, the unbelievable action figures and of course the unforgettable cartoons. The majority of the toons on TV during this time were created to sell toys, foods and other awesome merchandise, but what do you do when the popularity of a franchise is wearing off? You introduce new characters and give them their own shows to create more toys, foods and merchandise. The shows listed below are some of my favorite spin-offs from some of the most iconic shows of my childhood. Let me know in the comments which ones you liked when you were a kid! 

She-Ra: Princess of Power

The character She-Ra first appeared in the animated film "He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword in 1985". After this introduction to the world of the Masters of the Universe She-Ra was given her own cartoon series that lasted 2 seasons from 1985-1986 for a total of 93 episodes. She-Ra was created so the MOTU brand could reach the female toy buying demographic and it succeeded. Not only was the toy line and cartoon popular with girls, but boys also enjoyed the new troop of bad guys, The Horde led by the evil Hordak! 

Extreme Ghostbusters

The premise of this series is pretty basic, after years of busting ghosts the Ghostbusters have seen little to no activity in the area. They all decide to go their separate ways, but Egon stays behind to monitor the containment unit, take care of Slimer and continue his studies while teaching a college course on the paranormal. So, when ghost activity picks up and Egon has no one to call for help, he recruits a team from his students. I really liked the new team of busters compiled of Kylie, Roland, Eduardo and Garrett. I thought their personalities and backgrounds really could have led to some interesting turns in the series, but unfortunately it only lasted one year in 1997 and ran a total of 40 episodes.

Pink Panther and Sons

I really liked this cartoon as a kid! So much so that I had Pink Panther and Sons bed sheets! The series focuses on the two sons of the original Pink Panther, Pinky & Panky. Panky is a toddler who was always getting into trouble and his older brother Pinky was the leader of the Rainbow Panthers Crew. This show had a close resemblance to Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, but with talking animals! Each episode contained a few Pink Panther shorts that would run before each Sons cartoon. The series had a pretty short run of 26 episodes and was on air from 1984-1985 on NBC before it switched networks to ABC in 1986.

Pinky and the Brain

Following the success of Tiny Toon adventures the show Animaniacs was launched in 1993 and ran until 1999. It was in this run of 99 episodes of zaniness that we were introduced to the lab rats turned would-be world dominators, Pinky and the Brain.  As many of you know, the Brain is obsessed with taking over the world and each night he creates more and more elaborate plans to do so. When these plans almost reach their goal, somehow someway Pinky, the clumsy sidekick, finds a way to ruin it! During the 66 episode run from 1995-1998 this dynamic duo never completed their goal. I think maybe it's time to bring these guys back so they can finish what they started all those years ago.

Darkwing Duck

This one may be a little bit of a cheat, but technically this show did spin-off from the extremely popular DuckTales cartoon. It even shares a few characters including bumbling sidekick Launchpad McQuack and super hero Gizmoduck!  This was one of my favorite cartoons at the time and we would go over to a friend's house to watch the episodes he recorded before we had to head to soccer practice. This series ran from 1991-1993 for a total of 91 acion packed episodes as we saw our hero Drake Mallard aka Darkwing Duck fight off the likes of Megavolt, Liquidator, Bushroot and Negaduck! This is an amazing series that I really don't think gets it's due as the other Disney Afternoon shows get. We took the kids to DisneyWorld a few years back and I was stunned at the lack of Darkwing Duck merchandise. Maybe that will change with his recent appearances in the new DuckTales reboot?

TMNT Storyboard

I had seen these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles original storyboards pop up on ebay from time to time and I always thought, maybe next time. Then it became maybe after this and maybe after that. Well, as you can see, I finally pulled the trigger and purchased one of these beautiful storyboard art pieces that were used in the production of the original Fred Wolf series of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoons. The price was not too crazy high at around $40 with shipping, so I chose one that I liked that included the Turtles in an action sequence.

The scene depicted on this sheet is from episode #181"The New Mutation" which first aired on October 7th, 1995. In this episode, the Turtles are seeking to let the world know Lord Dregg's true motives of world domination while also trying to clear their names. They are trying to do all this while dealing with their new secondary mutations that turn our heroes in a half shell into monstrous beats and while the green machine battles the slug-like creature called the Slorr! This scene the Turtles locking the Slorr in an empty closet on top of a building in New York.

After capturing the disgusting Slorr, Leo asks their new friend Carter for a Sharpie so he can add "the finishing touch".

Carter hands Leo the marker so Leo can scribble Lord Dregg's name on the door. This will let the unfortunate person who discovers the angry monster know this was the work of this new alien villain!

I know it's not a pivotal scene in the history of the Ninja Turtles, but it still is a piece that helped build one of my favorite cartoon series of all-time. I may look into getting some more of these if the artwork appeals to me and the price is right. In the meantime, I want to get this baby framed and on my basement wall so myself and my kids can admire it for years to come!

1991 Saturday Morning NBComics!

A good part of my comic book collection is dedicated to adaptations of 80s & 90s cartoon properties from Thundercats to Heathcliff. When I saw this comic for sale, it needed to be added to the long box. I loved watching Saturday Morning Cartoons as a kid and I still enjoy watching with my kids. Here's what was inside:

Wish Kid (September 14, 1991, through July 1992)

This comic was a Toys R Us giveaway that promoted NBC's Saturday Morning Lineup with stories based off some of their hottest shows at the time. The first story focused on the Macaulay Culkin
cartoon "Wish Kid". I never watched this show as a kid. By the time it hit NBC, I had already had my fill of Mr. Culkin and I am sure there were better viewing options on the other stations. The one positive is that Culkin provided his own voice to the show, unlike other cartoons that animated real celebs, but had someone else provide the voices!

 

Pro Stars (September 14, 1991 to December 7, 1991)

Pro Stars did just that! The show featured some of the greatest professional athletes of all time with Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and BO JACKSON! Of course since Bo was in it, I watched it. Like I said before though, the cartoon focused around these athletes, but the voices were provided by actors. It felt like us kids were cheated! Bo, Michael and Wayne were reduced to appearances in short commercial bumpers and a viewer Q&A session. I do own the series on DVD and watch it from time to time.

Yo Yogi! (September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14) – December 7, 1991)

This is another cartoon I did not watch as a kid. Yo Yogi was an attempt by Hanna-Barbera to try and update their old Yogi Bear franchise and characters. This new hipness did not sit well with viewers and the show only lasted for 13 episodes. I can honestly say the best thing about this short lived cartoon was the tie-in drink from Capri Sun...Yo Yogi! Berry!

 

Spacecats (September 14, 1991 - December 14, 1991)

This cartoon seemed promising when it came out in '91. It was created by Paul Fusco, best known as the creator and voice of ALF! Spacecats was also produced by Marvel Productions. The cartoon was about a race of alien cats from the planet Trygliceride-7 that come to Earth and help solve problems. There was even a portion of the show that involved puppet versions of the characters with a moral at the end of each episode. With all the talent behind it, the show only lasted 13 episodes.

 

Saved By The Bell (August 20, 1989 (1989-08-20) – May 22, 1993)

Do I really need to explain Saved By The Bell? If you grew up in the 90s you wanted to be Zack, Slater, Kelly or Lisa. Sorry Screech, nobody ever wanted to be you. But did you know that SBTB started off as an NBC pilot named "Good Morning Miss Bliss"? This show ran on The Disney channel for 13 episodes. Then it was cancelled. NBC picked up "Miss Bliss" and changed the characters around a bit and renamed it Saved By The Bell. You can find every episode currently streaming on Netflix. I'm so excited!!! There was even a Harvey comic book that ran for 7 issues!

And of course what would a Saturday Morning Cartoon promotional comic be without one of those classic lineup ads! Looking at this, I really wish they could have added a Captain N or Mario comic to the book. I'm sure the licenses were tied up with Valiant, who was putting out Nintendo comics at the time. Still, damn those were the shows I probably watched most out of this whole lineup! I can overlook this problem and still be happy this 90s relic is in my collection. What the hell ever happened to Chip & Pepper?

Enjoy these 1991 NBC bumpers!

Cookie Jar Halloween DVD

I bought this Cookie Jar Halloween Cartoon Collection about 2 years ago from K-Mart for $5. Our local K-Mart used to have great holiday collection DVDs like this one for cheap. Unfortunately, last month the store closed. A sad, lost relic of days past in it's own right, K-Mart just could not keep up with the Targets and Wal-Marts of the world. I have great memories of shopping there and eating at the K-Mart café in the Hackettstown Mall. Anyway, let's get back to the DVD!

This thing is jam packed with solid cartoons from the 80s & 90s. The Halloween Collection includes 10 episodes of Halloween fun including my favorites The Littles, Sabrina: The Animated Series and Mummies Alive! If that wasn't enough, there is a bonus episode of Hey Vern, It's Ernest included! My head just exploded! It's a nice collection of old school toons for a small price to enjoy during the spooky season! Now relax and enjoy the "Night of the Living Bread" episode of the 90s classic cartoon, Bump In The Night!