If anyone had any doubts that science fiction could be an enormous success in prime time, those doubts were put to rest with The Six Million Dollar Man. The story of a man who, as a result of a devastating crash in the line of duty, is put back together with advanced technology, then goes on to work as a secret agent, kept viewers (mostly young ones) riveted to their television sets for four years.
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Today, we take a look back at a true classic, an educational toy that lives and breaths and burrows and scurries. For over fifty years, kids have stared intently through the clear plastic walls of their formicarium (the scientific term for ant farm), as their new ant friends labor intensively to construct a sand-tunneled utopia. Granted, anyone can build one of these observation instruments with a handful of easy-to-obtain supplies, but we have long put our trust into a man named Milton Martin Levine, known to millions of kids as Uncle Milton, to supply us with his special Ant Farms (ants included).
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With the 1969 release of Diana Ross presents The Jackson Five, featuring the #1 single, “I Want You Back,” the Jackson Five were breaking down color barriers and becoming enormously popular with their own brand of “bubblegum soul.” Soon, the marketing machine was in full force – stickers, posters, coloring books – and in 1971, their very own Saturday morning cartoon, The Jackson 5ive. Produced by Rankin/Bass, the show featured Michael and his brothers in various comic misadventures, centered around each other as well as Michael’s pet mice, Ray and Charles (get it?) and Rosie, a snake.
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Long before most of us were entrusted with things like paint and permanent markers, those wishing to explore their artistic talents were limited to the simple, non-toxic pleasures of crayons. And there is simply no other brand that ever came close to capturing this market like Crayola. With their rainbow of vivid colors, and an intoxicating smell that still lingers in the minds of many, Crayola is now synonymous with the crayon and, as such, accompanied just about all of us through our pre-adolescent creative endeavors. Today, we take a look back at one of the most iconic drawing tools ever to land in a child's hand.
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At the tail end of the Cold War, and with films like Top Gun and Iron Eagle enjoying enormous popularity, it only made sense to make the thrill of air combat available at the local arcade. Perhaps one of the most technologically advanced of these games was Sega’s Afterburner, released in 1987. Offering thrills like no other in its class, there were actually versions of the game that required the player to strap in for safety purposes. Now, that’s some serious gaming!
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Some illusionists have a penchant for pulling rabbits from a hat; others seem to enjoy sawing lovely ladies in two. But this guy had his own tasty tricks up his sleeve. He was the Houdini of all things Hostess and his name was Fruit Pie the Magician. And for over 30 years, his face graced each and every wrapper of Hostess Fruit Pies.
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Long before the ability to make friends globally via the World Wide Web was possible, there was a simple television show that focused attention on the planet in which we live and the variety of diverse people that call it their home. Big Blue Marble was an innovative and educational kid’s show well before its time, and it’s remembered by many a former kid.
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If you regularly watched television in the 80s, you couldn’t miss the cantankerous, yet lovable Clara Peller, the 82-year old star of a highly successful advertising campaign for Wendy’s restaurants. A diminutive lady with a husky voice, her three-word utterance of “Where’s the beef?” became of the most fondly-remembered catchphrases of the era. Let’s take a look:
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There are a number of candies that just seem like they have always been here. And that's because their invention far exceeds any of our lifespans. And if you ever wanted to know what the oldest continually-produced candy in America is, look no further than those powdery quarter-shaped wafers, known the world over as Necco.
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Our dear friends, The Muppets, regressed back to infanthood in 1984 for their first foray into the world of animation. Produced by Jim Henson, Muppet Babies was an instant hit and enjoyed a run in various incarnations for six years, proving that this collection of furry friends had the Midas touch no matter where they appeared.
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