Get ready to kick off Season 16 as we flash back to the glorious chaos of Field Day! We're diving headfirst into the GenX end-of-year tradition that either filled you with the thrill of victory (and a coveted ribbon!) or the dread of impending physical exertion. We'll reminisce about the agony and the ecstasy of the tug-of-war (remember that glorious rope burn?), the awkward coordination of the three-legged race, and the surprisingly stressful egg-on-a-spoon relay. Join us as we learn why some of our listeners lived for the competitive spirit and sunshine and who is still salty about not winning a ribbon.

Kristin and Carolyn each share some exciting news, too.

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Tune in today as the topics of our Season 16 episodes are REVEALED! Consider this your TV Guide preview issue for the new season of The Pop Culture Preservation Society, full of pithy promos, clever hooks, and even a Season 16 theme song. Before the big reveal, Carolyn warms up the crowd with a walk through an actual TV Guide Preview Issue from 1979 (does anyone else remember Out of the Blue starring Olivia Barash? Or is it just Kristin?). The 1979 fall line-up was full of new shows and big changes -- the Hardy Boys closed up shop, the Ropers moved, and Laura Ingalls got rid of her braids -- and we hope the new season of the PCPS will deliver just as much drama and intrigue. Lace up your roller skates, it's time to get this season started!

Shop our link at bookshop.org to support independent bookstores and the PCPS.

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

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After a new opening conversation where we give a tribute to an non-M-named icon of our era, Linda Lavin, we are thrilled and honored to be talking to the trailblazing woman who wrote for some of the most iconic shows of the 70s and 80s, Susan Silver. Join us as Susan, the first female writer for The Mary Tyler Moore Show who opened the door for over 20 female writers after her, regales us with her start in the business, shares some juicy behind-the-scenes nuggets about the MTM episodes she wrote, and begs us to find her a husband! We’re also talking about the strong women in TV we grew up admiring and who became role models for we GenXers…thanks in huge part to this legendary woman.

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Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

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Today we’re saving our GenX prom, that "Night To Remember,” the one we wanted to have just "One More Night" to experience "Always and Forever” — the dresses, the themes, the music, and all of OUR memories … and YOURS! Who drank so much water that day to be able to fit into her dress that she had to pee all night? Whose prom was basically a mini-wedding ceremony? Who had a serious wardrobe malfunction in the car? And which of our listeners just threw her strapless bra in the trash when it kept slipping down as she danced? Listen now for all these stories (plus more!) and a brand new opening conversation about why we’re so, so glad we don’t have to “do” prom today!

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Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

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Our Sponsors:
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Which Sesame Street skits have been living in your head for the past 50 or so years? Rubber Duckie? Mahna Mahna? Ladybug Picnic? Grover screaming “FAAAAAR?” There are SO many classic, memorable skits we’ll never be able to get out of our brains — and we’re not complaining! Join us for an encore of one of our HAPPIEST episodes as we count down YOUR Top 10 (or 14) favorites! Which shockingly appears low on the list? Which was the #1 most memorable? And which one prompted a debate about Ernie’s nipples? Listen now to find out!

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Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

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We're back with an encore presentation of our tribute to Sesame Street with the added bonus of a surprisingly serious conversation inspired by a New York Times article about the demise of creative jobs for Gen Xers. If you went into a creative field as a young adult in the 90s, you have likely seen a tsunami of change in your industry, sometimes to the point of extinction. Once again, Gen Xers have to adapt and change and persevere with little to no help. Hashtag late stage latchkeyism.

And perhaps your creative dreams were fueled by Sesame Street in early childhood? If so, here's what you'll find in today's episode...

How do you get to Sesame Street? With us! Join us as we celebrate and honor the sunny days of Sesame Street — OUR Sesame Street — the OG!! We’re remembering those first years and all the things that have been living RENT FREE in our heads for decades: All the humans we loved (including TWO Gordons!) … the muppets … the kids … and the songs. And NEXT WEEK we’ll be ranking the top 10 sketches as determined by our listeners. It’s a two-week Sesame Street-palozza love-fest that will sweep all your clouds away!

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Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

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Send us an email at [email protected]

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire: https://armoire.style/PCPS
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Come with me, take my hand, and we'll ruuuuuuunnnnnn..... to Amherst, Massachusets for a gathering of PCPS listeners at the first-ever Free to Be You and Me museum exhibit and singalong at the Eric Carle Museum of Picturebook Art. It was .... how shall we say... EPIC? People have feelings about what could be the most important album for anyone born between the years 1965 and 1980. There was crying. Lots of it. PCPS listeners met each other and formed friendships, we held hands and sang our hearts out, and -- in a surprise plot twist -- we even sang those words side by side with the woman who created it all -- the legendary Marlo Thomas. In other words ... there are no words. Just listen.

The Inn on Boltwood

Caricatures by Dave Griffin

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Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

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The movie adaptation of Judy Blume's Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret came out two years ago this month and it's just starting to hit streaming services -- so we're bringing you an encore presentation of our episode reviewing/gushing over the movie. In addition to that, our new opening conversation includes an invitation to come see us IN PERSON for a book club discussion about Margaret at Anderson's Bookshop in Downers Grove , IL. Margaret is like Gen X core curriculum and if this goes well, we might just take The Margaret Book Club on the road to celebrate our generation's favorite book. Stay tuned! 

Here's more about what you'll hear in this episode:

The reviews are in and the Margaret movie is a smash hit! Especially if you call yourself a Gen Xer. After a special pre screening of the long-awaited film adaptation of Judy Blume's coming-of-age classic, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, the PCPS lets you in on their post-movie discussion and (thank God!) it did not disappoint (one more time: thank God!). We've been waiting for this moment since the Carter administration so our expectations were obnoxiously high. There was only one complaint but it didn't come from us; who was it from? And what does it have to do with babka? And in celebration of Margaret's debut on the big screen, our followers share some of their best, worst, weirdest and most humiliating #margaretmoments, those times in our lives when we felt just like Margaret. If you're sick of whispering the word "period," this episode is for you.

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Free To Be ... You and Me was our generation's manifesto, played in every household and every classroom across the nation until we all knew that it was all right to cry, and mommies are people, and Atalanta didn't have to get married if she didn't want to. Join us for a deep dive on the album's origin story and take our hands, come along as we r-u-u-u-u-u-n-n-n-n with our own thoughts and feelings about our favorite songs and stories. Which lyrics made Kristin cry real tears ON THE AIR? And, 50 years later, how far do you think we've come? You might be surprised at some of the responses!

*This is an encore presentation of Episode 55 with an all new opening conversation about the timeless importance of this anthem (and all the songs on the album), as we prepare to head to Amherst, MA for the “Free To Be” exhibit at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

Join PCPS at Anderson's Bookshop in Downers Grove, IL for a book club discussion about the GenX classic by Judy Blume, "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret." You can sign up here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at [email protected]

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire: https://armoire.style/PCPS
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use our code PCPS for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

No better way to prep for our upcoming visit to the Eric Carle Museum for Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts than to revisit one of our favorite episodes, "Where The Wild Books Are." Join us for an all new opening conversation where we share what we're most excited to see at the museum as well as our dismay over some Eric Carle books that have been banned.

Snuggle up close as we share our memories of our favorite children’s picture books! We’ll discuss the magic of these books, share our society’s long list of favorites, each give our top three childhood picks (which changes daily!), and Kristin will share which book prompted an impromptu cross-country journey to see the original illustrations!

Join us at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and the Free To Be…You and Me. Get your ticket here.

Join PCPS at Anderson's Bookshop in Downers Grove, IL for a book club discussion about the GenX classic by Judy Blume, "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret." You can sign up here

Follow the Pop Culture Preservation Society on Instagram, Facebook an TikTok

Support the PCPS by becoming a patron on Patreon. Check all the extra perks you get here.

Help the PCPS keep on truckin' by making a one-time donation here

Subscribe to the PCPS email newsletter, "The Weekly Reader" here

Send us an email at [email protected]

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Armoire: https://armoire.style/PCPS
* Check out Happy Mammoth and use our code PCPS for a great deal: https://happymammoth.com


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands