This isn't Goodbye.

Many of you have noticed that my posts here on 20 Years Before 2000 have not been as frequent as they used to be. It's not that I've lost my love for retro goodness or that I've lost my passion to write about the good ole days, it's just that life has been getting busier as my family grows and I find less and less time to give to this site. I can't believe it's been about 7 years, over 1,000 posts and hundreds of thousands of views since I started this! I've met some great people and I will continue to add more, but it will just be sporadic or if something truly amazing happens to me or the retro community. I thank you all for your support and as the title of this post states, This isn't goodbye...

Wrapping Up Christmas 2022

Now that I am a parent Christmas is mostly all about making the kids happy and helping Santa get them the toys that were on their list. There is nothing like seeing their little faces light up on that special December morning...even if it's at 4am. I guess that's karma, but every year I still look forward to unwrapping my own gifts from my kids & wife. They always do a great job of getting me some sweet presents and this year they did not disappoint. I know it's a little late but let's look behind the wrapping paper and see what goodies were under the tree for me in 2022!

"The Last Folk Hero" and packs of sports cards

I have been a huge fan of Bo Jackson since I opened a pack of 1987 Topps baseball cards and found out that I had scored his "Future Stars" card. You know the one I'm talking about. The one with the sweet woodgrain border featuring Bo in the outfield. Once I found out this book was released a few months ago, I had to read it. I have read the great book "Bo Knows Bo", so I am interested in seeing how this book advances the story and digs into the folk hero that is Mr. Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson. In addition to this book, my wife picked me up a few packs of baseball and football cards. My favorite out of the packs had to be the Wild Card Garrett Wilson Rookie Card. He has been fantastic for my NY Jets this year and I hope to see his continued success in years to come.

DC League of Super-Pets and The Goldbergs Season 5 DVDs

Myself and my wife took our kids to see the DC Super-Pets movie back when it was released in theaters in July 2022. We all enjoyed the movie, and I can't wait to re-watch this one at home with the fam. The Goldbergs is one of the rare television programs that the whole family will sit down and watch. The first few seasons were the best and, in my opinion, captured what it was like growing up in the 80's. My kids chuckle at the jokes, and it gives them the opportunity to ask me and my wife about the things that happened during the best decade ever!

Masters of the Universe Mad Libs and Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid Switch game

Oh man, does my family enjoy Mad Libs! I'm sure everyone reading this has taken part in some crazy Mad Lib sessions and we all know how much fun they can be. The fact that this version is Masters of the Universe related makes it all the more fantastic. We've already done a few and if you are a MOTU fan, I highly suggest picking this up and taking part in the most powerful Mad Libs in the Universe! I was in my teens when the Power Rangers became a huge phenomenon, but my younger brother was big into the Rangers, so I have some fond memories of playing in some epic battles with him and his action figures. I had heard this game was pretty great from some hardcore Power Rangers fans at work and when I saw it at Walmart for under $20, I picked it up. I gotta say, I played it last night and it is so much fun! There are so many characters to choose from and the story mode is actually pretty dark. Power Rangers fans need to give this game a try!!

Hickory Farms Beef & Spicy boxed set

My wife picks me up one of these boxes of meat & cheese every year for Christmas. I don't know about you, but I love getting snack foods on Christmas. My Dad used to stuff our stocking with everything from Slim Jims to microwaveable Pork Rinds and that's where my love for salty snacks on December 25th started. I am so glad that my wife continues this tradition for me every year.

World's Smallest Blind Box figure

I was really surprised to find this in my stocking this year. I had never seen these blind boxes in stores, but my wife did and thought I would appreciate them. She was right! These blind boxes give you the chance to score a micro figure of either G.I. Joe, Ninja Turtles, Transformers or Masters of the Universe figures. Of course, I was hoping for a Turtle, but I was not disappointed with the Battle Cat that I received! These are no cheap Dollar Tree figures. These are fantastically sculpted; have points of articulation and you can even remove Battle Cat's armor! As a bonus, each blind box contains a micro comic and a magnifier so you can read the books. If I see any more of these in the wild, you better believe I'll be picking them up!

NECA Black & White Shredder figure

I received the NECA set of 4 Black & White Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles years ago as a birthday gift from my wife, so when I saw that NECA was releasing a Black & White Shredder to compliment those previous TMNT figures, I immediately added it to my "Want" list! Unfortunately, NECA made getting this figure a bit of a hassle. These were part of the "AutoT" series of figures. In order to get your physical Shredder, you needed to go to Walmart, find the AutoT package, buy the code, go to a website, enter the code and then wait weeks for NECA to send you your figure. Pretty convoluted, but well worth the wait. This figure is amazing, and I was happy to finally receive it on Christmas morning. One cool thing about the AutoT experience is the fact that everyone has the chance to receive an autograph from TMNT co-creator, Kevin Eastman. I did not get one of these randomly packed autographs, but hey, at least there was a chance.

Playmates Toon Turtles 4-Pack

I never had these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures when they were first released back in the 80's. By that point I had already amassed several variations of each Turtle, so getting these was not high on my priority list. Man did I miss out! I love the action features on these figures and the retro packaging really takes me back to perusing the toy aisle at our local department store, Toys R' Us, Child World or KB Toy store. The commercial for these toys really shows how cool they actually are! You can view that below.

It was another great Christmas filled with family, fun and of course presents. I hope you all had an AWESOME holiday and look forward to the new year. Thanks for reading!

Comic Book Pick 12/28/22

 The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II #1

(W) Ryan Parrott (A) Dan Mora (CA) Kevin Eastman, Freddie Williams II
It's been six months since the Teenagers With Attitude and the Heroes In A Half Shell teamed up to defeat the unholy alliance of Rita Repulsa and Shredder, but a new threat will force them to reunite in the crossover YOU demanded! Between an invasion from beyond, old enemies teaming up with unlikely accomplices, and a threat to the Rangers' powers themselves, will the two teams survive the onslaught, or will they need help from the most unexpected ally imaginable? Longtime Power Rangers architect Ryan Parrott (Rogue Sun) joins forces with superstar artist Dan Mora (World's Finest, Once & Future) to deliver the follow-up to the hit crossover!
SRP: $4.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Merry Christmas 2022!

Wishing everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS from all of us at 20 Years Before 2000! Hope it's full of great food, cups of cheer, awesome gifts from Santa and tolerable family appearances! Can't wait to see what 2023 brings to the table. Whatever it is...we'll be ready! As a gift to you, please enjoy some shots of Christmas' past below! Ho-Ho-Ho!!!!

Comic Book Pick 12/7/22

  The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
TMNT: ARMAGEDDON GAME #3

(W) Tom Waltz (A/CA) Vincenzo Federici
The TMNT and their new mentor, the Shredder, have quickly discovered their mission to recruit new allies to battle against Rat King and his minions (Baxter Stockman, Madame Null, and the newly minted MetalKrang) in NYC has its own set of perilous circumstances. In Dimension X, Michelangelo and the Neutrinos are forced to join the Nova Posse as would-be bounty hunters. Meanwhile, in Dimension Z, the Shredder and Dark Leo realize they must undertake a deadly rescue mission if they are to have any chance of bringing Cherubae to their side. And on Earth, Raphael is finding nothing ever comes easy when Old Hob is involved, while nearby, Donnie and Jennika have their fair share of dangerous problems, not the least of which is the mysterious Null Turtles!
SRP: $4.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

Throwback Jam of the Week: 12/5/22

  Throw on your Bandanna, grab your Bo Staff and head to the sewers as we take you back to the 90s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!

Artist: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Song: Splinter's 12 Days of Christmas
Album: We Wish You A Turtle Christmas (1994)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A
Bonus Fun Fact: This straight to VHS video features the first time the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rap!

Happy Thanksgiving 2022!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! I hope you are having fun watching football, enjoying some time with your family and stuffing yourself silly! Truly this is a year to reflect and be thankful for all of those that we care about around us. Have yourself a great holiday weekend!

From all of us at 20 Years Before 2000, thanks for visiting and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Comic Book Pick 9/28/22

 The comic book I am most excited to read this week is...
TMNT: ARMAGEDDON GAME #1

(W) Tom Waltz (A/CA) Vincenzo Federici
The Armageddon Game Has Begun! Under the leadership of the Shredder, the TMNT begin a dangerous quest to seek out allies against Rat King's trio of terror: LeatherKrang, Baxter Stockman, and Madame Null. It's a mission that will see the Turtles spread out across New York City... and across multiple dimensions! But they better hurry, because their enemies are already on the march, and things are not looking good for Mutant Town while most of our heroes are away. Desperate measures, false flag attacks, mysterious new villains, and unexpected alliances... It all starts here in the premiere issue of the biggest TMNT event of the year!
SRP: $5.99
Synopsis Provided By: PreviewsWorld.com 

New Retro Toy Store Discovery!

Recently a co-worker told me about a new retro toy shop that opened in town. You better believe that's where I took my lunch break that day. There was a ton of great stuff to look at and I had limited time to do so. I will have to go back and take a longer look at some of the stuff in this store. The prices were a little bit all over the place. Some things were priced too high and some were surprisingly affordable. In my haste to squeeze this trip in, I did find a few solid pick-ups in the comic book bins. Here is what I grabbed:

Gen 13 #1 (Image)

The Adventures of Kool-Aid Man #1 (Marvel)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #2 (Archie)

Ultimate Spider-Man FCBD #1 (Marvel)

I always love finding some sweet deals on new comic books and you know I couldn't leave without picking up a new TMNT item for the collection. I looked at their selection of vintage TMNT toys and saw a carded Venus for $150! The card was a little beat up and I already have the loose figure, so I passed this up and my wallet thanked me. As I continued looking around, I noticed randomly placed boxes of Non-Sport cards around the store, but something caught my eye more than the others...

Upper Deck Comic Ball Cards: Series #1

Upper Deck Comic Ball Cards: Series #2

Upper Deck Comic Ball Cards: Series #3

Upper Deck Comic Ball Cards: Series #4

Sealed packs of Upper Deck Comic Ball cards! I grabbed one pack from all 4 series for $1 each! I loved these cards as a kid. This was Space Jam before Space Jam existed. Once you collected the whole set, you were treated to a comic book style story that featured the Looney Tunes and some huge names from the 90's spots scene. Included were stars like Ken Griffey Jr., Reggie Jackson, Thurman Thomas & Jerry Rice to name a few. I remember pulling a Wile E Coyote hologram from one of these packs years ago and feeling like I was a Goonie that just discovered the Inferno! Loved these cards then and still love them now! Hopefully, I'll be back soon to see what other treasures I can uncover!

80's Day 2022!

80's Day was something I started 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 to do as a kid. The recreation may not be 100% faithful to what life was like back in the 80's, but I feel like we did the best we could with the resources we had available. Here's a re-cap of what we did in 2022!

We started the day as most kids in the 80's did, eating cereal in front of the TV while watching cartoons! Here is what the lineup consisted of: The Legend of Zelda, Popples, M.A.S.K. and Blackstar! Every year I pick a semi-obscure cartoon from my youth for my kids to view. Of course they know He-Man, Ninja Turtles and Transformers, but they were all scratching their heads when Blackstar hit the screen. As was the case with the Centurions viewing last year, I don't think I created any new Blackstar fans. They correctly identified it as a "Bootleg Masters of the Universe" that was done by the same company, Filmation. Anyway, you can view the episode we watched at the YouTube link below:

After cartoons it was time to throw on some of our best 80's licensed character t-shirts, so we could go out and hit the town! Represented in my kids' attire were the Care Bears and The Legend of Zelda. I chose to wear my Mirage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt and my wife had her Jem shirt on. 

Looking good and ready for some adventure! We hopped in the van and the soundtrack for the day would be a random assortment of CDs containing some of the biggest hits from the 80's! My kids favorite, which led to a car ride sing along, was "The Goonies 'r' Good Enough" by Cyndi Lauper!

Our first stop of the day was the local comic shop! I picked a Spider-Man book and let the kids each pick out an item. I know it's not 80's, but my twins each picked a pack of Pokemon cards and my oldest daughter grabbed a Stranger Things book. 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 and help with their overflowing Pokemon collection.

Next we went to the mall and hit up Gamestop to check out the latest games for our Switch and then we headed to the candy store. I let them each pick out a Pez dispenser and I grabbed some gummy bug candies. 

I love how the 80's was represented with everything from Warheads to Whatchamacallit candy bars to these awesome looking Golden Girls mints!

By this time we were ready for lunch, so we hit up McDonalds and the kids all grabbed cheeseburger Happy Meals, my wife got a spicy chicken meal and I got a Double Quarter Pounder Meal. Again, my kids were jumping with crazy joy to find out the toy this time around was Pokemon cards! Yay! More Pokemon cards!!! It was pretty cool that we did get the table with the video games built in though!

Usually we go home and play some retro NES, Super NES and Atari video games, but this year I asked the kids if they wanted to go to the local arcade. They rejected that idea, but they did suggest going to Chuck E. Cheese and playing some games there. Who am I to argue with that!

We actually had a ton of fun and they had some pretty cool games including Guitar Hero, Monopoly and of course Skee-Ball!

My kids had something like 5,000,000 tickets which was just enough for them to get a few Tootsie Rolls, some stickers and a small plastic Chuck E. figure. Next time maybe we'll stay for the show and grab some pizza!

Speaking of pizza, it was close to dinner time by the time we left Chuck's, so we stopped by an old 80's staple...PIZZA HUT!

We got a stuffed crust peperoni pizza and a traditional supreme pie. We were going to eat in the restaurant, but when we walked in we were told that due to the lack of staffing the dining area was closed! Oh well, I guess we'll take it home.

When we got home, we dished up and prepared for the night's feature presentation, the 1986 classic...Labyrinth! The kids had seen this movie before, but it had been a while and there was so much that they forgot about. They laughed and thoroughly enjoyed this masterpiece of a film by Mr. Jim Henson featuring catchy tunes by David Bowie. Overall it was another successful 80s day that was enjoyed by all. I know I say this every year, but hopefully next year we can make it bigger and better!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Motion Picture Soundtrack

The year was 1990 and "Turtlemania" was in full swing. The Ninja Turtles had a crazy successful action figure line from Playmates, the Ninja Turtles animated cartoon was must see TV and the comics by Mirage and Archie were fire! The next major hurdle for the boys in green to conquer was the big screen! I remember finding out about this mind blowing movie while reading the BK Kids Club magazine that was given out at Burger King in the 90's. We got our "1st Degree Ninja Badges" in our meals and poured over the single photo featuring one of the Ninja Turtles in all his live action glory!

When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie dropped on audiences in March of 1990, my Dad took me and my brother to see this cinematic masterpiece and we loved every second of it. That year and many years after we were fully immersed in the Ninja Turtle marketing machine. We played the video games, ate the cereal, slept under the warmth of the bedsheets and of course rocked out to the official motion picture soundtrack!

We never did call that 900 number in the ad above, but we did own the soundtrack on cassette tape. I still have my original copy and the exclusive sticker that was included inside the packaging still holds a special spot in my old sticker album right next to some other radical renderings of the Turtle Boys.

I never did own the CD version of the TMNT soundtrack when I was a kid, but a few years ago I remedied that situation and bought a brand new copy off ebay for around $5 and yes, it came with another copy of the exclusive sticker! 

Since you're all here, we might as well take a peak inside the CD booklet and see what's within it's pages. Here we go!

I loved when CDs or cassettes would include the lyrics to songs. It was a great way to sing along and learn the words for yourself. I can still see myself and my brother sitting in what we dubbed as our "Nintendo Room" playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game on our Nintendo Entertainment system as we listened to the Ninja Turtles soundtrack on our Walkman cassette players. We would swap the NES controller back and forth. While one of us was playing, the other was jamming out to tunes by M.C. Hammer, Hi-Tek 3 and Partners In Kryme while reading the soundtrack insert. Those were fantastic times spent with my brother and that is one of the main reasons why I love this soundtrack so much. It is filled with personal nostalgia and it also features some bangin' 90's jams! 

Do you have any memories of owning or listening to the TMNT movie soundtrack? Do you have a favorite song on the album? Let us know in the comments below and as always...Thanks For Reading!