Branded in the 80s Podcast

The Branded in the 80s podcast is a show that remembers what it was like to be a kid growing up in the 1980s. Nostalgia, cartoons, movies, music, toys, junk food and all the fun stuff that we loved as kids.

18 - Random Toy Memories 04/17/2020

18 - Random Toy Memories On this episode of the show, I take a few minutes to relate of couple of vivid Star Wars toy memories that I've been thinking about of late. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/14018351

17 - The Ballad of Shuki Levy 04/10/2020

17 - The Ballad of Shuki Levy In this episode of the show I take a minute to dive back into the world of animation music attribution and talk about the some of the uncredited folks behind five of my favorite 80s era cartoon theme songs. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/13872338

16 - Michael Reaves Appreciation 04/06/2020

16 - Michael Reaves Appreciation On this latest episode I take a minute to give a little appreciation to one of my favorite animation writers, the great Michael Reaves. Though he may not be a household name, he worked on a ton of the cartoons of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, contributing some of the best episodes of each series he touched. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/13814375

15 - Nostalgic Bliss 03/31/2020

15 - Nostalgic Bliss On the latest episode of the show I take a few minutes to talk about the underlying happiness and oft ignored sadness of nostalgia, and try to relate a couple instances where my experience with 80s era junk has led to unadulterated bliss. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/13779131

14 - A Silverhawks Story 03/26/2020

14 - A Silverhawks Story On this episode of the show I take a second to tell a short story about one of my most vivid Silverhawks memories. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/13707647

Episode 13 - Star Wars Then and Now 12/19/2017

Episode 13 - Star Wars Then and Now On this episode of the show I take a minute to talk about the Star Wars films, in particular how the years of official canon affect how our perceptions of the movies and characters change over time. There are spoilers for Episodes 7 & 8, so proceed with caution. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/6059762

Episode 12 - Walter Kellog Cereal Detective 12/12/2017

Episode 12 - Walter Kellog Cereal Detective On the latest episode of the Branded in the 80s podcast I’m going to attempt to solve a mystery, a cold case 30 years in the making. It’s a twisted tale of deception, a famous advertising slogan, mistaken identities, and murder. Welcome to Cereal, presented by Branded in the 80s. This story is an obscure, mostly forgotten and dark period in cereal history. Breakfast cereal history. It begins with a beloved 80s commercial jingle and it will eventually uncover the death of a third tier cereal mascot and the cover-up that has slipped under the radar of a generation. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/6028912

Epsiode 11 - Refining the Quest to Collect 12/05/2017

Epsiode 11 - Refining the Quest to Collect In this episode of the show I switch gears from looking backwards to what it's like to be a collector in the modern age. How does getting older change the way I look at collecting, and how can I refine and focus my efforts to best accomplish my goal to reconnect with my childhood. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/5989526

Episode 10 - Passing Down the Matrix of Nostalgia 11/28/2017

Episode 10 - Passing Down the Matrix of Nostalgia The second season of the All New Branded in the 80s podcast continues with episode 10 where I talk a bit about passing the torch of nostalgia to the next generation. Having had the opportunity to babysit my nephew, a 10 year-old Transformers superfan, I got a chance to see how he reacted to the original generation of toys and cartoons. Does the old stuff still hold up for this new generation? And how weird is it that Transformers is now a generational fandom? /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/5975247

Episode 9 - Cartoon Liner Notes 11/21/2017

Episode 9 - Cartoon Liner Notes The All New Branded in the 80s Podcast returns for season 2 with an episode that takes a look at creator attribution behind the scenes of our favorite 80s cartoons. From voice actors to the musicians behind the theme songs, why is it so difficult to pin down exactly who helped create our favorite animation. In this episode I focus on why it's so hard to pin down attribution, in particular when it comes to the music we have burned into our heads for our favorite theme songs. I also give a shout out to a friend in the enamel pin community, Michael, and his site CulturallySignificant.com. Want to get in touch? E-mail me at [email protected]. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/5959985

Episode 8 - Unsung Heroes of the 80s 08/15/2016

Episode 8 - Unsung Heroes of the 80s On this episode of the All New Branded in the 80s podcast I take a look at a couple of documentaries that highlight some unsung heroes of the decade that had a vast influence on the pop culture of the day, Candyman, the David Klein Story, and The Rock Afire Explosion. This episode was brought to you by the fine folks at CanPants.com. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/4591588

Episode 7 - Nostalgia, the Weirder, the Better 08/07/2016

Episode 7 - Nostalgia, the Weirder, the Better On this episode of the All New Branded in the 80s podcast I spend some time talking about what it's like to be a nostalgia addicted guy in the world of pop culture collecting. Though I adore most all 80s nostalgic kid's stuff, these days it takes more than a tub full of Masters of the Universe figures or a wall of Nintendo NES cartridges to get me excited about collecting. No, to really make my head spin the stuff that I love to find has to be the kind of things that simply just should exist anymore. So join me as I talk about a few items I've stumbled upon in the wild that really made my eyes bug and gave me that metaphorical punch of nostalgia to the gut. If you want to chat about the show or other fun 80s junk, you can send me an e-mail to or hit me up on twitter or instagram @smurfwreck. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/4572523

Episode 6 - The Marty McFly Theorem 07/31/2016

Episode 6 - The Marty McFly Theorem In this week's episode of the All New Branded in the 80s podcast I talk a little bit about the Marty McFly Theorem, or how there are really two completely different Marty McFlys in the first Back to the Future film. If you want to chat about the show, send me an e-mail at [email protected]. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/4555063

Episode 5 - Thrashin' and Trashin' 07/17/2016

Episode 5 - Thrashin' and Trashin' On this week's episode of the new Branded in the 80s podcast I take a moment to make a confession. I was an 80s skateboarding poser. I talk a bit about my obsession with the skating culture, the boards I had as a kid, and how being a frightened poser affected my life as a preteen. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/4520945

Episode 4 - Thunder in Your Heart 07/08/2016

Episode 4 - Thunder in Your Heart In this episode of the All New Branded in the 80s podcast I dig a little deeper into one of my favorite 80s era anthems, the badass Thunder in Your Heart by John Farnham from the soundtrack to the 1986 cult BMX film Rad. I recently discovered that two of my other favorite 80s era anthem musicians, Stan Bush (who wrote and performs The Touch for the 1986 Transformers movie) & Joe Esposito (who performed You're the Best from the Karate Kid soundtrack) have also covered this song. I dig into the three versions, talk a bit about their similarities and differences and then play a new remix that consists of all three versions of the song. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/4492116

Episode 3 - The Ghostbusters Novelization 07/03/2016

Episode 3 - The Ghostbusters Novelization On this episode of the all new Branded in the 80s podcast I spend little time talking about one of my favorite 80s era collectibles, movie tie-in novelizations! I cover a bit of the reason why I love them as a concept before diving into some discussion talking all about the 1985 Ghostbusters: A Supernatural Spectacular novel. I cover some extended and deleted scenes as well as some all new material that wasn't either in the script or the finished film. If you have any comments or questions, you can e-mail me at or chat me up on either instagram or twitter at @smurfwreck. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/4489237

Episode 2 - Reconsidering Billy Francis Kopeke 06/23/2016

Episode 2 - Reconsidering Billy Francis Kopeke In this week's episode of the Branded in the 80s podcast I take a minute to talk about finding new perspectives on the pop culture that we know and love so much that it's started to lose some of its luster. To this effect I reconsider the character of Billy Francis Kopeke from the 1988 Penny Marshall film Big. After viewing the alternate director's cut of the film Kopeke becomes a much more nuanced character that not only has an expanded story, but it's one that changes the tone and overall theme of the film. If you'd like to chat, you can find me on twitter or instagram at @smurfwreck, or you can send me an e-mail to [email protected]. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/4466142

Episode 1 - Ecto Cooler 06/15/2016

Episode 1 - Ecto Cooler On this first episode of the new Branded in the 80s Podcast I talk a little bit about the 10th anniversary of the website, get excited about the return of Hi-C Ecto Cooler to store shelves, and discuss the power of positivity on the internet. I also give a shout out to LaserPins.com and talk a bit about the new enamel pins I just dropped. If you'd like to chat, hit me up @smurfwreck on twitter & instagram, or send me an e-mail to [email protected]. /episode/index/show/brandedinthe80s/id/4446067

Branded in the 80s Podcast

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