33 Things You Missed in Back to the Future
Everything 80s
No matter how many times you've seen it--you've probably never seen the whole thing... This is a deep dive into the original Back to the Future to cover specific moments, Easter eggs, and many hidden things that may not be obvious. This episode is also an experimental one as it's a hybrid watch-along. If you're able to put the movie on, I'll be sharing the specific time stamps of the moments and scenes we're covering. So when I share the specific time, you can pause me, jump to that point in the movie, and then unpause me to check out what I'm discussing. If you are only able...
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G.I. Joe: The Toy, the Cartoon & the Legacy
Everything 80s
It's the toy and cartoon that may best define the entire 1980s, a toy that goes back to the 1960s but re-created for a new era. This is the complete history of G.I. Joe, and in this episode we look at: The two fashion dolls from the 1950s that helped inspire it Why two simple words were so important in its initial success The impact of the Vietnam War and oil embargoes How Star Wars walked so G.I. Joe could run The changing era of government regulations and advertising to children How the cartoon series became must-see TV for kids of the 80s How G.I. Joe became the perfect brand during one...
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Everything 80s Year-in-Review
Everything 80s
It's been more than 35 years since the 80s ended, but the decade continues to be with us as much as ever--especially when it comes to our entertainment. In this year-in-review special, we look back at all the 1980s-related movies, TV shows, Netflix series, and documentaries that came out in 2024. And there was a lot... Unfortunately, over these last 12 months, we also lost many people with connections to the 1980s, and we look back at some of those notable names. To finish, we look back on the podcast itself, including where you're all listening from and your favorite episodes over the...
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A Muppet Family Christmas
Everything 80s
By 1987, Jim Henson had already provided us with so much great entertainment from all his remarkable creations--including some pretty wonderful Christmas specials. But his best was yet to come... this is a look back on A Muppet Family Christmas that first aired on ABC on December 16th, 1987. We'll look back at one of the best holiday specials of the decade and why it came from a period when everything to do with the Muppets was firing on all cylinders. This show was the ultimate crossover, but some legal issues did emerge and if you weren't watching on that night back in 1987, you...
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The Everything 80s Christmas Special
Everything 80s
It's time for a very 80s Christmas as we travel back to revisit the holiday season during the 1980s. In this episode, we look back at the holiday movie that was a surprise hit and then the story of a beloved TV special that didn't come from the 80s--but was adopted as our own. Next, we look back at the creation of a modern classic Christmas song and finish with the unlikely story of a group of children that managed to dethrone John Lennon... So warm up the cider and toss another Yule log on the fire; it's time to travel back to Christmas in the 80s. The Everything 80s Movie Review...
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The 10 Best 1980s Christmas Specials
Everything 80s
Some of the all-time great TV Christmas specials go all the way back to the 1960s. But it's easy to forget how many memorable ones came from the 80s. Today we look back at ten of the best specials the 80s had to offer. Some of those shows include: Two separate specials based on a few of the hottest fads of the decade A sadsack comic strip character (not the one you're thinking of...) A powerful brother/sister duo teaming up for a holiday special The return of a beloved icon after 30 years A Christmas special with one of the most bizarre collection of guest stars you'll ever see Get...
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From VHS to LaserDisc: The History & Importance of Physical Media
Everything 80s
If you grew up in the 80s, you grew up in the era of physical media. Our videotape collections allowed us to watch our favorite movies and TV shows over and over, allowing us to develop a deep appreciation for the things we loved. But how did we get here, and how did it all end up changing so drastically? Today we not only revisit the origins of the VCR itself but look at the VHS/Betamax format wars of the 80s and the worthy third competitor: Laserdisc. We also look at the growth of home video, the time when the VCR was under attack by Hollywood, and the progression of the VCR to DVD, Blu-Ray,...
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The War on Video Games: When Arcades Were Almost Banned
Everything 80s
It seems funny to think, but in the early 80s, a gigantic industry almost came to a grinding halt... Video games--and arcades--had grown so quickly, and on such a wide scale, that many began to ask if it was ok for our kids to be playing them so much. This is when video games and arcades became under attack as parents, watch groups, and entire cities started to crack down on them. From the U.K. to Canada, to America, regulations began to be put in place to limit young people from even stepping foot into an arcade. The attack on video games even went all the way to the Supreme...
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The Balloonfest '86 Incident
Everything 80s
In late 1985, Disney had just set the record for the most helium balloons ever released. As a way to kick off their 1986 United Way campaign, the city of Cleveland thought breaking this record would be a great way to draw attention to the fundraising event. But the balloon release didn't exactly go as planned... This is a look back at Balloonfest '86 when an impending storm caused 1.5 million balloons to play havoc with traffic, waterways, and an airport. Besides spreading all the way to Canada, the balloons also caused issues during a search for two missing boaters on Lake Erie....
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Family Ties: From Hippies to Yuppies
Everything 80s
On September 22, 1982, a new show debuted on NBC. It felt like a throwback to the family sitcoms of yesteryear, but, at the same time, felt like a big risk... The early 1980s seemed to be a time when the family sitcom had disappeared. Primetime TV at the time was all about dramas, and the popular sitcoms were shows like M.A.S.H and Three's Company. The new NBC show came out to little fanfare and barely had an audience in its first season. It was the same thing for the second season. But in the third season, things were about to explode... Thanks to a renewed interest in family sitcoms--not to...
info_outlineAfter the phenomenal success of Sesame Street and then The Muppet Show, it seemed as if things couldn't get much better. But as the 1980s began, Jim Henson was just getting started...
Two groundbreaking films, new Muppet movies, and one of the most beloved children's series of all time--these are just some of the amazing creations by Jim Henson in the 80s. But it goes even deeper: countless TV specials, a Sesame Street movie, a cherished cartoon show, and even a few holiday favorites.
For Henson, the 1980s were a decade of prolific creation, and we were the lucky ones who got to experience his unique form of magic.
The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s