You Are What You Were. Celebrate Retro Pop Culture At Retroland.
Ask your average kid to name a famous 13th century Venetian explorer and you are likely to be met with a blank stare. Instead, ask the same kid what their favorite swimming pool game is. More often than not, the answer will be Marco Polo. For generations, whenever a group of children (of all ages) gather for a swim, they inevitably end up playing this addictive little aquatic game of tag.
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Has anyone ever actually stopped to contemplate what he or she would be willing to do for a Klondike Bar? Perhaps only in the commercials, for most of us are fortunate to have a plentiful supply in the local frozen foods aisle. Why jump through hoops when you can simply toss a six-pack of the delightful, stick-less ice cream bars into your cart. And that’s exactly what millions of people have been doing for decades. It’s but a small price to pay to sink your teeth into one of those foil-wrapped delicacies, adorned with a familiar picture of the smiling polar bear wearing a red scarf.
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In the scorching heat of a summer’s day, few sounds beckon to a child like the playful jingle of an ice cream truck in the distance - gradually moving closer, block by block, until it finally turns the corner and heads slowly down their street. At the first notice of the approaching melody, kids scatter in all directions, making a mad dash towards the parents, begging for enough change to purchase a frozen delicacy. And for over eighty years, little white Good Humor trucks have done their part to ensure that ice cream is available to all, offering varieties of the very thing that made them famous almost a century ago - ice cream on a stick.
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The era of the modern summer blockbuster came riding in on the fins of a great white shark. Jaws was not only the most successful film of 1975, it was the most successful film the world had yet seen. With an unforgettable cast, a delightfully ominous musical score, and two hours of white-knuckled suspense, Jaws did for the beach what Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho had done for showers 15 years earlier.
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We can trace back many of our beloved comfort foods to the 50s, an era which introduced such pop culture staples as Jello Instant Pudding and Rice-a-Roni. The arrival of this innovative decade also brought a new fruity beverage in a big tin can, Hi-C. A perfect thirst-quencher on a hot summer's day, and (slightly) more healthy than soda, kids loved it right out of the gate and have continued to gulp down glasses of the sweet concoction for over 60 years.
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For any kid that ever played a game of neighborhood baseball, this is a film sure to tug at a few of those nostalgic heartstrings. Released in 1993, The Sandlot travels back to the summer of 1962, to tell the tale of a group of young friends who shared more than a passing fondness for the great American pastime.
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Jumping rope is one of those activities that knows no age or gender limits, no bounds, no rules, no wrong nor right – just good times, good fun and a great way to get the blood pumping. A staple of city streets and school playgrounds alike, it is a simple activity on the surface, but can become as complex or competitive as one's heart desires. Either way, it remains a beloved part of childhood, and it's sing-song chants have provided the soundtrack to many a summer's day in neighborhoods around the globe.
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The iconic collection of characters from Charles M. Shulz’s beloved comic strip, Peanuts, were certainly no strangers to the big screen. In 1969, they reckoned with a National Spelling Bee in A Boy Called Charlie Brown and in 1972, searched far and wide for everyone’s favorite pooch in Snoopy, Come Home. It was time for a new adventure in 1977 as the gang tackled the perils of summer camp in the feature film, Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown.
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Nothing says summer like a cold pitcher of powdered drink mix, ready to stave off dehydration and quench the thirst after a day of playing in the hot sun. At mere pennies a serving, these colorful and fruity concoctions have been a favorite of parents and kids alike for decades. Of course, we all know who the leader of the pack is, with their familiar mascot ready to burst through a wall at the first mention of his name, but even a star as recognizable as the Kool-Aid Man had to contend with a worthy competitor in the 60s and 70s, a fondly-remembered drink mix called Funny Face.
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Bill Murray found success as one of the iconic “Not Ready For Prime Time Players” on Saturday Night Live in the 70s. And like his cohorts, Chevy Chase and John Belushi, his next career step was films. His first starring role was as out-of-control camp counselor Tripper Harrison in the comedy Meatballs. Released in 1979 and directed by Ivan Reitman, (who had just finished producing Animal House) Meatballs wasn’t exactly a children's film. It was a bit too risqué for that, garnering a PG rating - but it was still managed to be seen by a heck of a lot of kids who still fondly remember the summer-themed film to this day.
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