Remember When...

[Zagnorch]

I recalled yet another amazing bit of 1980s nostalgia when I heard this used in Good Bad Flicks's YouTube review of Krull:





A part of me is bummed that they never teased out this jingle into a full song; it woulda made the Billboard Top 10 for sure.

Of course, Krull is a bit of 1980s nostalgia in its own right, featuring the coolest melee weapon this side of a lightsaber:




Oh, and here's the Good Bad Flicks YouTube review (the absolutely awesome Nestle commercial reference starts at 5:12):




And speaking of lightsabers, I just can't get enough of these two musical numbers from the Bad Lip Reading edition of The Empire Strikes Back:







The 1980s just won't quit, lemme tell ya...


...'Late

[shaggy]

Oh man, I totally forgot about that Nestle commercial!!  Remember the big "Where's the beef" run that Wendy's had??

[Zagnorch]

I honestly don't recall the Wendy's "Where's the Beef" commercials too clearly. Either my area's TV stations didn't have much interest in running the ads, or I was watching shows where the spots didn't play all that much.

That having been said, does anybody here remember the Army Ants toys Hasbro put out around 1987ish? I managed to collect them all... which wasn't hard to do, as they made only one series of 40 figurines.




This short-lived toy line would be overshadowed by the slightly-more-memorable Food Fighters, featuring one of my all-time fave goofy cartoon names, Dave Grohl Mean Weener!

There goes my hero, watch him as he goes... down the ol' gullet.

BTW when I went searching for pics of Mean Weener-- heh, Mean Weener-- I came across pics from an eating establishment called the Mean Wiener:








Methinks I just found my next vacation destination. It's located in a place called Highwood Park in Illinois, halfway between Chicago and the Wisconsin state line, right off of Lake Michigan. I wonder if ol' Norv would be willing to travel a bit for a meet-up there some time...


...'Late

[shaggy]

Methinks I just found my next vacation destination. It's located in a place called Highwood Park in Illinois, halfway between Chicago and the Wisconsin state line, right off of Lake Michigan. I wonder if ol' Norv would be willing to travel a bit for a meet-up there some time...


...'Late

That just may work.  Give me some leeway time and I may be able to make it work.

Here's a "where's the beef?" commerical


I totally forgot about, and now remember, both the Army Ants and the Food Fighters.  I never bought any but I remember them.

Anybody remember these?

[Zagnorch]

Hey, you know what? I remember Army Ants and Food Fighters, but I'd completely forgotten Barnyard Commandos!






ANYway, I went back to YouTube and found another Nestle "sweet dreams" spot:




...'Late



And then I discovered that Faith No More performed a cover of the freakin' thing:





BTW my search for more '80s commercials led to my discovery of this little gem, featuring "man-sized wads" :





And in case you're curious, here are a couple network TV featurettes about how BLC came into existence, and how it's manufactured:

[shaggy]

I remember them Barnyard animal thingies.  And Big League Chew!

[Zagnorch]

Buckle up, ya whippersnappers, 'cuz we're headed back to the 1980s yet again!

I'd almost forgotten about this show, but thanks to YouTube's recommendations, I've rediscovered yet another childhood fave: Fight Back!, hosted by consumer journalist David Horowitz, who was part of the KNBC 4 news team down in L.A. throughout the 80s and early 90s. Sadly, he passed earlier this year at the age of 81. 


My fave segments were his commercial challenges, which tested the credibility of the claims made in TV spots for such products as Palmolive liquid detergent...





...Spic-&-Span's no-scratch guarantee...





...Orville Redenbacher popcorn...





...the "two scoops" claim by Kellogg's Raisin Bran...





...and the iconic Krazy Glue "hardhat glued to an I-beam" stunt:





There's plenty more Fight Back! video segments that can be viewed on the show's official YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c...GnhmA0wXa1WERgZGaA/videos



Ironically, with at least three video reviews each for just about every product ever made, YouTube has made TV consumer-advocacy shows like Fight Back! all but obsolete.

But probably the most interesting thing Mr. Horowitz was involved in had to be in 1987, when a crazed gunman barged into the KNBC studio during a news broadcast, and "requested"  Horowitz to read his written statement on the air. Horowitz' calm and collected demeanor during the incident was downright unreal.





So... anybody else remember Fight Back! with David Horowitz?

[shaggy]

I remember Food Fight!

[Zagnorch]

Ever since I picked up the BanDai Soul of Chogokin release, I've been geezin' on Voltron. And when I say "Voltron," I mean the REAL DEAL, and not that pathetic pentagon of leonine losers:

Even better, Bandai Spirits' YouTube channel now has all the episodes of Armored Fleet Dairugger XV-- the show that was eventually adapted into the Vehicle Force series-- available to watch for free:





Check it out if you're curious...

[shaggy]

I remember when I had all the Voltron toys from the mid 80's.  There was a recall on them because they had lead paint so my mom left the choice up to me to return them for the money or keep them.  Man, I wish I didn't return them.