Everything 80s

Here's an idea: 5 robot lions that turn into a super robot. Sounds pretty simple and straightforward, doesn't it? But the story of how Voltron came to be was much more complicated.

It's a story that begins in Japan, involves multiple anime shows, and then goes through the ardous process of being transformed for a North American kids audience.

It's the show that caught everyone off guard when it became a surprise hit. This hit quickly spread worldwide, and the giant robot soon became a cornerstone of 1980s pop culture. This is the history of...Voltron.

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If you grew up in the 80s, there's a good chance that the very first computer you ever used or owned was a Commodore 64. And this is because it's the machine that changed home computing forever...

Today we look back on the history of the Commodore 64. It was the machine intended to be for the masses. A machine that was not only practical and usable, but above all: affordable.

The C64 is the computer that also changed the gaming industry forever, and quickly went on to become one of the most succesful--and best-selling--personal computers in history.

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What do you get when you combine Pong, the Disneyland Tiki Birds, and a coyote? You get the foundations for one of the most beloved children's restaurants ever.

Today, we look back on the history of Chuck E. Cheese, a restaurant that has had a tumultuous existence, but was always the ultimate birthday destination.

We'll look back on its origins, the various names it went through, the success, competition, downfall, and resurgance. We'll also take a look at Chuck E. Cheese himself, a spokescharacter with a more detailed--and emotional--backstory than you might realize...

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With a Beetlejuice sequel finally about to hit theatres, we revisit the original 1980s classic by traveling back to 1988. It was a movie that many weren't too sure of--including some of its cast.

Today we look back on the making of Beetlejuice, how the original version was going to look quite different from the version we know, and how the movie almost went by an entirely different name...

It was a film that one of its stars believed would ruin everyone's career, but it ended up becoming a cultural touchstone spreading into all aspects of pop culture.

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"Ford to City: Drop Dead..." These are the words that appeared on the cover of The Daily News in 1975. Financially, New York was hanging by a thread and the city appealed to President Gerald Ford for some federal help.

As the 70s came to an end, and the 1980s began, it felt like a make-or-break decade for the city that never sleeps. Today, we look back on a tumultuous decade for the Big Apple and how it started to turn the corner.

But a lot of amazing things came out of NYC in the 80s, and we also look back on the music scene, Broadway, and a lot of beloved 1980s movies set in Manhattan.

Special Guest: Greg Young (The Bowery Boys History Podcast)

National Lampoon's Vacation Movie Review: Patreon.com/80s

When you think back on the video game consoles of the 80s, I'm sure Atari, Nintendo, and Sega immediately come to mind--but there are many others...

The early 80s gave us an explosion of new video game consoles as many companies wanted a piece of the white-hot home video game market--but little did they know what was waiting for them in 1983... Today, we look back on some video game systems that came and went quickly, others that got caught up in all the competition, and a few that even gave Atari a run for its money.

The NeverEnding Story movie review: Patreon.com/80s

As a new decade began, the late-night sketch comedy show found itself hanging in the balance. The start of the 80s represented a time of massive transition for Saturday Night Live and the show underwent some major changes.

The 1980s became a make-or-break period for the late-night institution. Today we look back on this tumultuous time for SNL, how it managed to turn the corner, and then brought us some of the best performers, writers, and sketches in the history of the show.

The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s

It seems weird to think, but there was a time when Hollywood didn't look favorably at comic book and superhero movies. The original Superman from 1978 had been successful, but for comic book films, the 80s seemed like a string of flop after flop.

This all changed in 1989. Tim Burton's Batman was a project ten years in the making that no one believed in. Not only was Batman facing a giant uphill battle to get made, but the casting of the Caped Crusader created one of the biggest fan backlashes ever.

Despite all the challenges, Batman hit theatres--but then it had to compete during one of the biggest summers in movie history...

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It's been exactly 40 years since one of the most important Summer Olympics in the history of the modern Games. The Summer Olympics were coming off two less-than-ideal previous editions and very few cities even wanted to host. Add to this a Soviet-led boycott, and the 84 Summer Games faced serious uncertainty.

However, the Los Angeles Summer Games changed everything about the Olympics as we knew them. The technology, the presentation, the broadcast, and the corporate sponsorships transformed the Olympic games into the ones we're familiar with today.

But let's not forget the events. The 84 Summer Games gave us some astonishing sporting moments, drama, and history-making athletes and performances. It was one of the first big sporting memories for a new generation of kids, led to one of the biggest marketing blunders ever, and even inspired one of the most beloved sitcoms of the entire 1980s...

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What do you get when you combine Nerf with the Garbage Pail Kids? You get Madballs, one of the most memorable toys of the 1980s.

Madballs came out during a time when a big segment of the toy industry followed the motto, "If it's gross or smells, it sells." Madballs continued with that formula of gross-out humor and quickly made a dent in the toy market (and on heads...)

Today we look back on the creation, launch, and remarkable success of Madballs, along with the controversy that resulted in them getting banned in some schools.

The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s