Few toys represent childhood to a generation of kids like the Ecto-1 did to children of my era. In the mid 1980’s Star Wars was already in the rear-view mirror, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had yet to arrive, and although pro wrestling was in the midst of it’s biggest boom period in the history of … More Ecto-1 (Kenner, 1986)
1995 was one of the biggest and most important years in the renaissance of the Star Wars phenomenon. I have spoken at length about several aspects of this year ranging from the re-release of the trilogy in THX on VHS, to Dark Forces on the PC, to one of the most hideous and frightening looking … More R2-D2 (Kenner, 1995)
2015 has been a nostalgic year for Star Wars. For most casual fans the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens later this month is the catalyst for the Star Wars nostalgia trip. For me however the waters run much deeper. True there is the long awaited non-George Lucas directed feature film coming … More C-3P0 (Kenner, 1995)
I’m not going to hold it back; I’m a mark for Return of the Jedi. The Empire Strikes Back is certainly the most critically acclaimed of the Star Wars films and the clear cut favorite amongst the serious Star Wars fanboys but Return of the Jedi has always had a certain appeal to me that … More Squid Head (Kenner, 1983)
The Real Ghostbusters was one of the most popular cartoons of the 1980’s and the action figure line produced by Kenner became a staple in the toy chests of boys the world over. Although the hit movie was released in the summer of 1984, the cartoon did not make it’s debut on ABC until the … More Ray Stantz (Kenner, 1986)
Kenner did a fabulous job with the vintage Star Wars action figure line. One of the great things about the series was that any cool looking alien that spent at least 3 tenths of a second on the screen would be immortalized by Kenner in the form of Chinese produced plastic. Today we’re going to … More Ree-Yees (Kenner, 1983)
Jurassic Park was my Star Wars. When it first appeared in 1993, I was 10 years old. As you can imagine, that Christmas I asked for, and received, many Jurassic Park toys. With the previously reviewed Electronic T-Rex, and other miscellaneous dinosaurs, something was missing. The Electronic Command Compound pretty much brings everything together. You … More Jurassic Park Electronic Command Compound (Kenner, 1993)
As a 9 year old in 1993, I was the correct age for Jurassic Park. When you’re that age, anything involving dinosaurs is cool. The idea that millions of years ago, these awesome looking animals roamed the earth was mind-blowing to a child. So when word first got out that Steven Spielberg was making a … More Jurassic Park Electronic Tyrannosaurus Rex (Kenner, 1993)
It was 20 years ago when Star Wars began it’s incredible resurgence in the public eye. After roughly a decade of taking a back seat to various other franchises such as Transformers, Ghostbusters, He-Man, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was time for the masses to rediscover the magic of that universe far far away. … More Princess Leia Organa (Kenner, 1995)
Columbia Pictures released Ghostbusters in June of 1984 and it was an immediate success at the box office. Fueled by a slick marketing campaign and a hit single with a popular music video that was constantly replayed on a then new MTV, Ghostbusters would become the most financially successful comedy of the 1980’s. That is … More Peter Venkman Screaming Heroes (Kenner, 1989)
Super RetroMania 