Space Jam Day!

This past weekend the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy debuted in theaters. I was a huge fan of Michael Jordan and in turn the original Space Jam movie. When it was released in 1996 I drug one of my New York Knick loving friends to a showing of Space Jam and he pretty much threatened to kick my butt if the movie sucked. We both left the theater and there was no butt kicking to be had. Needless to say, I was super hyped to see this new installment that took 25 years to make! Myself and my 3 kids decided we would head to the drive in this past Saturday and dub the entire day "Space Jam Day".

We started the day by watching the original Space Jam movie and chowing down on some Space Jam: A New Legacy cereal. The movie was great as usual and the cereal was pretty good too. It tasted like a not so sweet version of Boo-Berry.

Next, we had some chores that needed to get done around the house, so we put on the Space Jam soundtracks and got to work. The "Space Jam: A New Legacy" jams are actually not that bad, but nothing can standup to the greatness of the original which includes Biz Markie (R.I.P.).

Chores were done, so we busted out the Playstation and had a Space Jam: The Video Game Tournament! if you have never played this game before, it is sort of like NBA Jam with Looney Tunes characters. You can view a bit of gameplay in the video below.

It was no surprise that I ended up beating my youngest daughter in the championship game, but she put up a good fight and in her defense I've had 25 years of experience with this game.

After playing some video game hoops, it was time to go outside and play some real hoops. Me and the kids decided to play a modified game of horse where instead of spelling horse we had to spell "Space". After that game we played a game of "Jam". It was really hot outside, so we headed indoors after the game was over.

By this time, we were ready for lunch. My wife whipped up a few boxes of Space Jam: A New Legacy Macaroni and cheese with hot dogs and we drank some Kool-Aid Space Jammers! It was delicious!!

While settling down after lunch, I dug through my long boxes and found the kids my old Space Jam comic book adaptation from DC Comics. My son loved it and asked if he could read the Space Jam: A New Legacy comic, but my girls were quick to shut that down to avoid spoilers.

While my son was busy reading my girls made everyone in the family these rubber band bracelets in the Tune Squad uniform colors. We all wore them to the movie that night!

Later that evening we hit up McDonalds for some dinner. I got a Quarter Pounder with bacon meal, the wife got a spicy chicken sandwich and the kids each asked for cheeseburger Happy Meals!

The people working the drive through were nice enough to look for 3 different toys for the kids and they ended up getting Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Taz. These toys kept them busy for a while until we were ready to get packed up for the drive in!

We all threw on our Space Jam shirts...

packed up our Space Jam snacks and we were on our way!

We arrived at the drive in a little early to make sure we got a prime spot. There were a few cars in front of us, but while we were waiting the kids were getting primed for the movie by watching some old Looney Tunes cartoons I brought for them to watch on our van's DVD player.

Around 9:30pm, we were settled in, had popcorn and snacks in hand and the movie started. We all enjoyed it and some of the cameos in the movie were pretty cool to see. My favorite was the Michael Jordan scene. Overall it was entertaining, but not as good as the original Space Jam. If you were a fan of Space Jam or LeBron James, I would highly recommend you give this movie a watch. My kids actually want to go back to the drive in this weekend to see it again, but I'm thinking we will wait for the home release before we give Space Jam: A New Legacy a rewatch. What a great day full of fun, food and Fog Horn Leg Horn! Can't wait for Space Jam 3 to drop in 2046!!!

For more Space Jam goodness, check out these other posts from the past on 20 Years Before 2000!

SPACE JAM...ON VHS!

SPACE JAM...THE WEBSITE!

Throwback Jam of the Week: 3/30/20

Throw on your Oversized Clock and head to Strong Island as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...

Artist: Public Enemy

Song: Shut 'Em Down

Album: Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black (1991)

Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A

Bonus Fun Fact: This song was originally written as a way to fight back against major corporations profiting off the black community and not giving anything back in return. A version of this song was eventually used in a NIKE ad in 2018.

My 5 Favorite Extinct Gum Flavors

What kid doesn't love to chew bubble gum? It's delicious, chewy and you can play with it. I loved chewing gum when I was a kid and I can remember a lot of crazy types of gum that came out in the 80s and 90s. At that time a bunch of gimmicks were thrown at us to try and sell the sugary, chewy gobs of flavor. Everything from gum shaped like CDs to gum that would change the color of your mouth. I miss those days. Here are my favorite flavors of gum from the good ole days that you can't find on the shelves anymore.

1. Dr. Pepper Gum

Yes, you can still find Dr. Pepper gum on the shelves today, but it is completely different than what we had back in the 80s. The version we got tasted like Dr. Pepper on the outside, but when you began the chewing process BAM!!! you were hit with a juicy explosion of flavor! I have seen a few other versions of this "Soda Gum" online that include 7Up and Cherry 7Up flavors, but for me the Dr. Pepper variety was the best of the bunch!

2. FLEER Gatorgum

I loved Gatorgum! In my research I was surprised to read that it was available up until the early 2000s! The two flavors I remember were Lemon/Lime & Orange. Now check out this crazy Gatorgum ad and try not to be amazed by the special effects!

FANTASTIC wasn't it? When you put a piece of Gatorgum in your mouth it was like eating a chewy stick of Gatorade. The flavor was actually pretty close to the sports drink, but I don't really think it quenched my thirst very much. The closest thing to Gatorgum today is Quench Gum. If you miss Gatorgum, I say you give it a try. 

3. The Real Ghostbusters: Slimer Bubble Gum

I remember buying this squeeze gum in a tube at the registers of KB Toys. They always had great things at the front check out and this gum is a fine example. Myself and my brother each got one and we treated it like gold, only squishing small amounts of the gum like substance out at a time to make it last! The consistency was very gooey & grainy and the taste was super sugary, but it had Slimer on it, so by kid logic it tasted AMAZING!

4. Bubblicious Lebron's Lightning Lemonade

In 2005 Bubblicious' Lightning Lemonade flavor was revived, this time with the endorsement of NBA superstar Lebron James.

I remember chewing this flavor before it was discontinued in 2000, but something tasted a bit different this time around. Ah ha! Now it included raspberry flavoring!!! I actually enjoyed this improvement on the original. It added a bit of sweetness to the sour of the lemonade flavoring. I used to buy packs of this stuff at the Dollar Tree all the time, but like most good things it was not destined to last forever. Who knows, maybe they'll re-re-introduce this flavor in a few more years?

5. Bubble Yum: Checker Mint

This gum had everything going for it when it debuted around 1986! It looked cool with it's red & white checker pattern, the flavor was a nice blend of sweet and mint, the packaging stood out on the check out line shelves and there was this kick-ass commercial that aired every Saturday morning during our cartoon binges!

I hope you enjoyed this look back at old gum? What was your favorite flavor to chew back in the day? Let us know in the comments below!