Review > Gizmo (Gremlins, LJN)

June 8, 2011 | Poe

Just a quick review today, of an oldie but goodie.

Frequently I find myself reminiscing about my childhood toys and remembering a specific toy. Within five minutes, I’ve searched for it on eBay, found it, and bought it. Such was the case recently with this Gizmo figure. Created by LJN, who created many an awesome 1980s toy, the figure was one of several tie-ins to 1984’s Gremlins. (more…)

Eternia, circa 1986

June 2, 2011 | Poe

Wow. The stereotype of the 1980s yuppie obsessed with technology, particularly the then-new technology of mass market video cameras, has paid off for us in spades, folks.

Some wise soul–specifically, the father of YouTube user sammyb7883–sacrificed a videocassette that could have been used to tape that night’s rerun of Cheers to give us He-Fans a glance into a world we thought was gone–namely, Eternia itself, replicated in miniature at a mall in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Watch the whole thing. The bored Hordak at the beginning is misleading. You’re soon taken into some sort of mystical cave featuring a gigantic Snake Mountain set. An announcer lists each new He-Man figure for the season, who gets a moment in the spotlight. And then–AND THEN–the battle begins!

Seriously, what is going on here? Is that a TV screen showing something filmed on a set designed to look exactly like the mountain? Holograms? Actual magic? I…I can’t tell.

Thanks to David O’Brien for the tip.

Vintage Toy Ads > My Buddy & Kid Sister

March 31, 2011 | Poe

Here’s my story about My Buddy. As a young kid I always wanted one of these–not sure why, I wasn’t lonely or anything, never had a desire for a brother. I wanted this mostly until I saw a My Pet Monster, and then I wanted that. But I digress–when I was five or six, my parents found a forgotten My Buddy just laying on the street somewhere. It was in decent condition except the head was a bit loose. My mom fixed it up and, despite my protests, gave it to Goodwill. I think it was intended to be some sort of lesson to me at the time, I don’t know. Anyway, I never did get a My Buddy.

Honestly, my favorite part of this ad is the ABC bumper at the beginning…I must have seen that a thousand times over the years. I miss those Saturday morning cartoon blocks. They seem to have gone the way of the dodo, thanks largely to the rise of all-day kids’ programming on cable channels like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.