REPLIES: 134 comments
Woo! 80's Commercials! Loyalty!
Chestnuts roasted by Warx @ 03/06/2005 01:57 PM EST
All right! I was wishing for some new commercials the other day! Mr. T and the Hulk, you can't beat that! Rock.
Chestnuts roasted by kidneyboy @ 03/06/2005 02:00 PM EST
Ah yes, 80's commercials. They always bring me back to the good old days of being young, not having much responsibility, and getting the most awesome toys. Those were the days! Now people just look at me weird when I talk about toys and when I buy them for myself.
Chestnuts roasted by Andrea @ 03/06/2005 02:12 PM EST
all I gotta say is that liquid stuff was very sexual!!
Chestnuts roasted by IHAQ @ 03/06/2005 02:28 PM EST
Whoa Miss Pac-Man sounds like a drag queen!
Chestnuts roasted by Pat @ 03/06/2005 02:35 PM EST
hulk link isn't working for me. Anyone else have this problem?
Chestnuts roasted by pig-malien @ 03/06/2005 02:59 PM EST
That hulk link kept sending me back to the home page. Anyway, I think the slime in a garbage can with EYES was definitely the coolest toy of that lot. Remember how, during Halloween, Jello would sing "J.E.L.L.O. it's aliiiive" as their jingle? Halloween is so ultra64 awesome that we should all get the Ghoul-Aid vampire tattooed on our faces!! Think of how impressed chicks would be 
Chestnuts roasted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 03/06/2005 03:01 PM EST
Hulk link has been fixed.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 03/06/2005 03:02 PM EST
Closest to 1st I've ever been!
I want a fist full of rage.
Chestnuts roasted by DrVilovski @ 03/06/2005 03:25 PM EST
I had forgotten all about those gloves. I had a pair, I remember a red heart appeared on them when they were cold. I think it might have said I (heart) snow or something.
I also must say "adult" toys have certainly changed over the years.
Chestnuts roasted by maglizrd @ 03/06/2005 03:36 PM EST
Ooh, I didn't know that veteran Saturday Night Live announcer Don Pardo also lent his voice to Atari ads back in the day! Also, is there an obscure technical reason why the Atari Pac-Men ate dashes and not dots? Does the command to display dots really take up that much more memory on the cartridge than the command to display dashes did?
Also, I was around 10 at the height of Transformer mania (84-85) and I live in Canada, so you'd think I'd remember Freezy Freakies, but, nope. Either they didn't sell them around where I was or they just weren't popular at my specific elementary school.
By the way, the link at the end of the article goes to the entry with the movie reviews.
Chestnuts roasted by Steve Brandon @ 03/06/2005 03:41 PM EST
We don't get snow or anything resembling "cold" compared to what you guys deal with, so I don't think the Freezy Freakies has such a monumental impact in my neck of the woods. We had all the 'changes color in the sun' crap though.
The radio controlled Hulk and T doll strike me as really great props that a wacky therapist could use to get their patients to roleplay. Like, you could talk through Mr. T to work on your anger management issues, and use Hulk to give voice to your frustration about not being taken seriously during family discussions or something. The possibilities are endless!
Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 03/06/2005 04:49 PM EST
Man I could watch these commercials all day long. If only I had the time/knowhow to put all of my commercials onto my webpage. Oh well
Chestnuts roasted by Czar Matthew @ 03/06/2005 04:55 PM EST
That a classic song that Ms. Pac-Man is singing.
KB went out of business here. We still have a couple of Toys R Us left and I hope they survive.
That is a weird He-Man commercial, saying that it's a set but everything is sold separately. Strange.
I wish I remembered the things in this article besides Q-bert and Ms. Pac-Man, mostly cause they're timeless.
Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 03/06/2005 05:13 PM EST
Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T! Mr. T!
Chestnuts roasted by Darth Monkey @ 03/06/2005 06:05 PM EST
I remember having that Mr.T doll. That is all.
Chestnuts roasted by Overlord @ 03/06/2005 06:30 PM EST
Very nice even though I didn't have any of those things (or even remember the commercials and that includes the Talon Fighter). My parents were weird about that. I had tons of figures (MOTU, StarWars, etc.) but outside of GI-Joe, I never had any vehicles or playsets. No Castle Greyskull, no Millenium Falcon, no X-Wing, and certainly no Eternia. The only reason I probably had GI-Joe is because it was one of the few things my older brother and I played with together. I got his SW hand me downs and he was too old for MOTU.
Thanks for the commercials anyway. That MS. PACMAN is 5 star!
Chestnuts roasted by The Manimal @ 03/06/2005 06:50 PM EST
I was a slave to the Freaky Freezies fashion trend. I wanted a pair soooo much, but my mom (in true uncool mother style) refused to see reason and would not buy me a pair. As I lived out in the country on a farm, I didn't even have the recourse of walking to a local store with hoarded birthday money to buy my own. This totally unreasonable denial of my basic need for hand-coverings that became 100 times cooler in the cold is probably at the core of my many issues today.
Chestnuts roasted by Ripley26 @ 03/06/2005 07:46 PM EST
i've been lookin for somethin and was wonderin if u guys could help:
does anyone remember a sort of digital etch-a-sketch? u could draw little pixilatd pictures and then animate it...i think it had white casing with a black n white screen
Chestnuts roasted by gerv @ 03/06/2005 09:24 PM EST
"all I gotta say is that liquid stuff was very sexual!!"-IHAQ
Well, I was going to make a joke about "fluid fantasies" that I always have to clean up the next morning, but I think they gave us something better to work with when they said, "Fluid Fantasies, an adult toy." Yeaaaaaaah . . .
Chestnuts roasted by Predacon Warlord @ 03/06/2005 09:34 PM EST
The Freaky Freezies mittens are about the only item out of that batch I remember today. We did see the commercials, but they were expensive, and it rarely gets cold enough this close to the ocean to need such puffy hand coverings.
Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 03/06/2005 09:41 PM EST
Gerv,
I do believe the item you are searching for is the "Etch-a-Sketch Animator" circa 1988. I DID have one of those proving I wasn't totally deprived.
http://www.inthe80s.com/toys/etchasketch.shtml
If not, then I have no clue.
Chestnuts roasted by The Manimal @ 03/06/2005 11:04 PM EST
My Hobbies:
Theatre
Film
Writing
Reading
NES
Collecting obscure videos and games
Pee Wee Herman
The list could go on, but what I have here tells you all the genralities. Anything else you want to learn about me can be surmised from my various posts here on X-E.
And now to read that article...
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 03/06/2005 11:06 PM EST
80's commercial articles are the best.
I had a pair of those gloves. But mine had rainbows that would appear. I can't remember, but they might have been Care Bear ones. Haha, I hope I didn't wear them past kindergarten.
As far as hobbies go, I buy a lot of 90's alternative and punk CD's.
Chestnuts roasted by Dean @ 03/06/2005 11:18 PM EST
I recall seeing a similar Ms. Pac-Man commercial that did feature the singing cartoon Ms. Pac-Man, plus a few other elemnts from the commercial in this article. However, it also had these kids discussing a date with Ms. Pac-Man that one of the fortunate children had. He talked about how unbelievable she was.
My God. Kids getting horny over Ms. Pac-Man? And actually believing that they had sex with her? And people say that today's video games are corrupting our children's minds.
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 03/06/2005 11:36 PM EST
Say, Matt. You oughta hunt down that commercial. It'd make a great addition to your next installment of old-school ads.
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 03/06/2005 11:38 PM EST
Hobbies? Well, my website.. first and foremost. Also; reading books, skateboarding, and checking out X-E. I also enjoy indulging in quality conversation in late night diners.
Chestnuts roasted by Review the World @ 03/06/2005 11:56 PM EST
Matt, please consider putting links for the commericial reviews in the 80's Ad section.
Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 03/07/2005 12:05 AM EST
well SINCE Gerv asked...I have a question too.
There were these toys I used to covet when I was very small. Maybe around four. It would have been 1988 or ‘89.
They were stuffed animals, faintly popple-esq, and they had clear plastic domes for noses. (I think it was noses)
Inside the dome there was a toy or a mechanical thingamajig, and when you pressed on the nose, a mechanism would work the toy inside. Each stuffed animal had a different nose.
This is by far one of my earliest toy-related memories, so it might well be a hallucination. I Just wanted to make sure. It's an absolutely retarded concept, but in the eighties they tried to sell stuffed animals with tear ducts, so I can't quite dismiss it as a false memory.
Anyway. Been reading this site for almost a year, and it just gets better. BRILLIANT stuff.
Chestnuts roasted by Katherine @ 03/07/2005 12:34 AM EST
Too bad I missed out on some of those toys (I spent '85 being born and what not). Some of those look familiar, though. That Mr.T doll would have made a adequate Uncle Phil in a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air playtime re-enactment.
My Hobbies:
-Writing (I'd give an arm, an leg, or an ovary if I had one to write for television and film some day. For now, I keep the hope alive.)
-watching movies/tv (Look above. My humour is John Hughes/Wes Anderson-ish so I like, but don't limit myself to those types of movies. For TV, think Arrested Development and Scrubs...making sweet monkey love to each other.)
-video games (Nintendo, ya heard?)
-retro/vintage things (Jukeboxes and pinball machines. I want them.)
-sports (Not so much now, but I like basketball. I'm not 20 feet tall, but I'm decent. Soccer too.)
Chestnuts roasted by Dr. Acula @ 03/07/2005 01:33 AM EST
I hope Freezy Freakies make a comeback sometime soon. I desperately need a pair.
Also, it sounds so geeky, but I crochet and knit. I also play the guitar and read. And I like freshly outdated things, like the song "Party like it's 1999" and "Best of 19 blah blah's" compilation CDs.
Chestnuts roasted by jc @ 03/07/2005 01:34 AM EST
There's nothing on the planet that is cooler than Mr. T. It's a scientific fact.
I'm going to grad school for my hobbies, heh. I'm an MFA student for fiction.
Sadly, I still have yet to completely break the nerd habit of magic. I still play in tournaments every couple months or so.
Chestnuts roasted by Jeff Mack @ 03/07/2005 02:05 AM EST
Nate: that version of the Ms. Pac-Man ad is already on the Internet; I downloaded it somewhere....wish I could remember where that somewhere WAS so I could link it to you.
"Fluid Fantasy" is just a freaky ad, and it's made worse by being a lava-lamp ad viewed by bad TV reception seen through a pixilated internet video file. It just doesn't work, but it's probably here for the classic line at the end.
Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 03/07/2005 02:09 AM EST
Outside of reading and watching TV and internetting? I'm trying to learn crocheting. I write. I collect shot glasses and autographs (that last one's slow getting started but I'm working on it). So far I've got Michael J. Anderson, Tim DeKay, Adrienne Barbeau, Clea Duval, Carla Gallo, Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown (all of Carnivale) Alton Brown (of Good Eats) and Jhonen Vasquez (of Johnny the Homocidal Maniac, Squee! and Invader Zim, though I didn't get this one in person).
Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 03/07/2005 02:29 AM EST
"Comes in it's own garbage can, complete with two plastic eyeballs." BEST SLOGAN EVER.
Chestnuts roasted by Ed @ 03/07/2005 02:47 AM EST
adding hobbies:
Horror is my biggest; i have a website that reviews horror movies. Real Horror movies, like italian horror and exploitation.
Another hobby is i put action figures in cups of water then freeze em. When you take them out they look like they're frozen in icebergs! Cereal is another big hobby, because its pretty much all i eat. Pets are kind of a hobby. I watch a lot of cartoons. I play DDR and paper mario 64. Sporadic girlfriends. Breathing. Guitar/Keyboard. I guess college fits in there, somewhere...
Chestnuts roasted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 03/07/2005 03:40 AM EST
#@$*#*
Chestnuts roasted by Cyanyde @ 03/07/2005 03:44 AM EST
When I saw that Fluid Fantasy commercial I remembered getting one for Christmas when I was little. So I rummaged through my old toys and sure enough there it was. Sadly, the liquid was all gone out of it, so I guess no $100,000 for me.
Chestnuts roasted by Simon @ 03/07/2005 03:50 AM EST
Hobbies:
My pets - fish, birds, dogs, ferrets
Reading - horror, sci-fi, historical
Movies - horror, sci-fi, comedy etc...
Outside stuff in summer - hiking n' immature things like fort building, exploring the woods, tag in the dark (I should be too old for that shit - when is the official break for creepy old people playing kid games?)
Watching cartoons
Jeff - don't be too harsh - I play Magic semi-regularly too. Nerd habits are hard to break (even for a girl)!
Chestnuts roasted by Ripley26 @ 03/07/2005 08:49 AM EST
My main hobbies are sewing and quilting, but I also love reading, baseball, and drawing. Hooray for articles!
Chestnuts roasted by B-Dawg @ 03/07/2005 09:17 AM EST
I had a different pair of Robot Freezie Freakies that were much less cool than those. I think I still have them somewhere.
Chestnuts roasted by Lou @ 03/07/2005 09:19 AM EST
Katherine, those bears with the dome noses are called Nosy Bears by Playskool. I've got one with a basket ball game for a nose. Got him at the ol' thrift store...which leads us to my hobby!
My hobbies are thrifting and making comics about fighting crime and solving artsy mysteries which I'm told are, allegedly, funny.
Chestnuts roasted by Kennef @ 03/07/2005 09:51 AM EST
Review the World Dude:
I don't mean to bring negativity to the site, but man, you're copying X-E -- right on down to pagiarizing my most favorite X-E article ever: The amazing incredible bag-o-crap. Tsk Tsk
Great Article Matt. I love the looks back even though it makes me feel old.
Hobbies:
Collecting bootleg Cure concert CDs
The Icy Hot Stuntaz
Surfing
Reading/collecting Fantastic Four comic books
Visiting NYC dive bars
Campy 70s and 80s dubbed Kung Fu movies
Tobacco enthusiast
Watching Duke b-ball
Chestnuts roasted by Pedro @ 03/07/2005 10:25 AM EST
Hobbies
Wrestling tapes...seriously...waaaay too many wrestling tapes I can watch wrestling all day long and I don't know why.
movies
everyone comes to me for what is good and bad
writing
live journal
midgets in my basement
Chestnuts roasted by thejyav @ 03/07/2005 11:01 AM EST
Oh Yeah I had the robot freezie freaks...I dont remember them making me cool though...
Chestnuts roasted by LordSorrow @ 03/07/2005 11:43 AM EST
I had that Mr. T. It got thrown away one time when I was 5 or 6 and Mom decided I had too many toys, so grabbed some stuff at random and tossed it out. I got him out of the trash. ^_^ Then he got lost in a housefire with like... 100-bajillion He-man figures... now I'm sad... I miss it. *sobs*
Chestnuts roasted by Blaine @ 03/07/2005 11:50 AM EST
Oh BTW... When the themesong sang "Mr. Teeee!!!", am I the only one that follows it up with "I'm gonna liiiive forever!! I'm gonna learn how to fly!!" ... thought so.
Chestnuts roasted by Blaine @ 03/07/2005 11:52 AM EST
Another sweet haul of ads.
Chestnuts roasted by Dragonrider @ 03/07/2005 01:18 PM EST
"Another hobby is i put action figures in cups of water then freeze em."--Eddie Lightning Frog
I used to do that all the time. Then, I'd unthaw them in the sink because I always forgot why I froze them in the first place. I was usually playing with toys, and the guy would get frozen, and I figure I was going to have him rescued later, but I'd forget.
Chestnuts roasted by Predacon Warlord @ 03/07/2005 01:23 PM EST
Didn't the slime actually say this is a toy on it? always thought that was strange, but then again I bought several cups of that stuff, what did we do with it?
Chestnuts roasted by RAS @ 03/07/2005 02:23 PM EST
The Ultimate Jason Voorhees Movie
Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 03/07/2005 03:23 PM EST
I actually had a pair of those Freezie Freakies. I have cheerleader ones (the pom-poms faded in and out). Ironically, I never was a cheerleader. Hehe.
Ahh commercials, the aspect that gives this page tons of redeeming value...along with the crazy articles and humor.
Matt, as always, GENIUS!!!!!!!!
Chestnuts roasted by Allison @ 03/07/2005 04:44 PM EST
I'm possibly too late, but the bear that you're referring to, Katherine, is "Nosey Bears." I swear that's the name.
I had one of those. You pushed the stomach, and voila!! something cool happened inside the nose. I had a basketball one, when you squeezed the tummy, the baksetball would go into the hoop. sometimes it missed. there was three basketballs in the nose, and it was filled with water.
Ironically, I never played basketball either. Thought you'd be enlightened by this information.
Chestnuts roasted by Allison @ 03/07/2005 04:55 PM EST
I'm a bit young for some of those toys, but I certainly remember the slime buckets and Q*Bert. The slime buckets seem to have held on pretty continuously, I still see them around.
Lets see, hobbies...I make jewelery, a side effect of working with a blacksmith for a year. As she says, "you'll never starve if you can wire wrap". Yes, I said "she", how's that for feminism?
I've recently picked up the blog virus, click my name if you're the kind of person that actually reads those things...
I'm an architecture student, that takes away a lot of my hobby time...I play guitar...take naps with my boyfriend...the usual.
Chestnuts roasted by Mara @ 03/07/2005 04:56 PM EST
No offense, but I am GOING TO KILL ALTON BROWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm kidding, but seriously, I can't stand him. My mom puts on his show to torture me.
Chestnuts roasted by Allison @ 03/07/2005 04:58 PM EST
Thanks, Matt, for another round of 80s commercials. I hope to see more soon.
Freezy Freakies! I totally remember those. I never had a pair though. Was the commercial for those gloves the one with the two penguins going inside and outside to demonstrate the cool features with the polar bear and seal adding in commentary? I remember that anime-style commercial even to this day!
Chestnuts roasted by Bert Raccoon @ 03/07/2005 05:11 PM EST
crescent fresh again man,
I live on Staten Island also matt, and can you believe that Kay Bee in the mall still doesnt sell the new garbage pail kid sets! That slime stuff rocks, only in the 80s could my unlimited desire for slime be surpressed when it was offered in a pink garbage can with 2 eyes and in huge volume. For some reason alot of crescent fresh things came in garbage cans in the 80s, like candy, trinkets, and slime.
CRESCENT FRESH
Chestnuts roasted by SKYNET1984 @ 03/07/2005 06:30 PM EST
I'd like to see a toy review of those toys from the early nineties...they were called "sky racers" or something and featured remote-controlled cable cars racing on suspended wire...they were nearly impossible to set up correctly and were basically the biggest toy dissapointment of my childhood
Chestnuts roasted by Ant @ 03/07/2005 07:10 PM EST
As to hobbies, I'm a writer. Nothing published, mostly short stories or fanfiction for various fandoms. I like to take walks; helps me think. I read a lot, mostly mysteries and anything related to movies, musicals, animation, or 20th century history in general. I collect stuffed animals, and toys related to favorite cartoons (like Sailor Moon or Care Bears). I can't do as much of the latter as I'd like; I live in a very small apartment and have no money.
Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 03/07/2005 07:58 PM EST
Was that Mr. T action figure part of the A-Team line of figures or was it an individual attempt? I know I had a "Face" action figure and perhaps a Mad-Dog Murdoch. I don't know why I didn't have T.
Chestnuts roasted by Pig-Malien @ 03/07/2005 08:42 PM EST
Well, I'm spring break now (thanks goodness I do not have to take four tests this week)and I'm please you update just in time for this week. Most of these commerical I do not remember (hmmm may be its because I'm was born in 1984), but I'm enjoy watching these commerical. For you survey, my hobbies are playing videogames and drawing.
Chestnuts roasted by Beta-Theta @ 03/07/2005 09:17 PM EST
As a side note, I just realized that I still have one of those "nosey bears". Except mine is a purple rabbit with little easter eggs in it's nose.
Chestnuts roasted by Dean @ 03/08/2005 12:36 AM EST
for the record, they make windows media player for mac
Chestnuts roasted by maxjenius @ 03/08/2005 02:21 AM EST
i like to play paintball. it's an expensive sport (unless you don't mind playing one on one matches), so i haven't been out in a while, but that's going to change. also, i like to play baseball.
computers used to be a big hobby for me. now that i do it professoinally, i hate them.
Chestnuts roasted by Big Jerm @ 03/08/2005 09:55 AM EST
Hmmmm..hobbies, eh?
1. Reading (Stephen King especially)
2. X-Men Comics
3. Taking pictures
4. Hapkido/going to the Gym
5. Writing
6. Guitar
7. Learning Korean
7. MOVIES...it almost physically hurts me to be here in Korea, where the newest film in theaters is "The Aviator"!!! Ow...it hurts
Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 03/08/2005 11:13 AM EST
Nicely done!! It is refreshing to see that I am not the only one obsessed with 80s nostalgia, and likewise a real pleasure to read the well-written prose that weaves your pages together. The Q*Bert commercial was a real flashback... Coincidentally, I purchased a Q*Bert video game watch from 1983 (by Nelsonic) recently on eBay, and it works perfectly, just like the one I had when I was 10 years old. Additionally, if anyone still likes video games, a new Transformers video game was released for the PS2 that stays pretty true to the original series, features Optimus Prime and is a real blast to play... Anyway, please keep up the good work with this website. Where else would lovers of Skeletor and Swatches congregate????
Chestnuts roasted by Patrick @ 03/08/2005 11:20 AM EST
I had Freezy Freakies! I believe mine were pastel colors - mainly blue and white, but when you got out in the frigid temps - Ohh, flowers of all colors bloomed on my gloves!
My hobbies:
- Art. Anything to do with paint, clay, etc., I'm there.
- Reading. (Anne Rice-aholic, here)
- Cleaning. (I know it sounds lame, but I'm a Virgo and can't help myself)
- Writing fiction, or going crazy with my journals.
- Playing video games.
- Watching movies.
Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 03/08/2005 11:51 AM EST
Lions Gate's Films Head to Sony PSP
Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 03/08/2005 11:53 AM EST
BCI to Distribute He-Man Series
Mastering The Universe: He-man And The Rise And Fall Of A Billion-dollar Idea (July 30, 2005)
Chestnuts roasted by ME @ 03/08/2005 12:00 PM EST
everytime i try to open the 80's commercial link, I get some stupid spyware ad filling the whole page. it's for spyspotter. I hate them now.
it's over-riding your link.
Chestnuts roasted by bitsy&roary @ 03/08/2005 12:41 PM EST
Anyone else think the producers of the A-Team commercial decided to use the riff from "Beat It", then considered the legal consequences and changed a couple notes?
Chestnuts roasted by DAve @ 03/08/2005 12:47 PM EST
Anyone else think the producers of the Mr. T commercial decided to use the riff from "Beat It", then considered the legal consequences and changed a couple notes?
Chestnuts roasted by DAve @ 03/08/2005 12:48 PM EST
D'oh. Sorry for the double post.
Chestnuts roasted by DAve @ 03/08/2005 12:49 PM EST
Is that William Shatner doing the voiceover on the Fluid Fantasy commercial? Listen to the end again.
Chestnuts roasted by jimcognito @ 03/08/2005 01:05 PM EST
Wow! I'm finally online again, and I gots to catch up on a lot of things. Once again I can post from work after the iMac has had it's mind changed. I missed the X. Adjectives fail me.
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash is back! @ 03/08/2005 02:57 PM EST
I also remember having that Mr. T ACTION FIGURE (Matt I can't call it a doll)as a kid and losing it a few years later. Damn, I've lost a lot of action figures (He-Man, Mr. T, Rambo, etc.)!
I'm glad we can finally buy He-Man DVD sets soon it's about time!
Chestnuts roasted by J-Dog @ 03/08/2005 03:23 PM EST
Hobbies? Reading (SF mostly with a strong base of Fantasy), Japanese animation, robots, reading Shonen Jump with my nephew and trying to do all the voices, X-E, Fark, Marx Bros. movies, Pac-Man, Atari 7800, Dr. Who, Star Trek, and of course, sneaking up behind you. Like right........ NOW!
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 03/08/2005 05:31 PM EST
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my itnerests in anime and all things that happen to be obscure. Man, what a dumbass I am! How could i forget to mention such things?!
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 03/08/2005 07:38 PM EST
That pac-man animation in the beginning of the Ms.Pac Man Commercial was freaky looking!
Chestnuts roasted by Charlie @ 03/08/2005 08:38 PM EST
Woo Klash good to see you're back up for good! My internet was down all of yesterday and I was bugging like mad.
Allison, no offense but you're tripping. Alton Brown rules. You must be thinking of Bobby Flay 
Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 03/08/2005 08:59 PM EST
I can't believe I haven't posted here in MONTHS, and what do I come to find?! The MR. T doll that I still have at home that my Grandma loved! She liked it so much, I bought it for her and after she passed, I took ownership back. He's still complete with stick in feather earrings! Thanks for the good memories as always Matt - it's nice to be back!
Hi, I'm Troy McClure, & I'll leave you with what we've all come here to see - Hardcore Nudity!
Chestnuts roasted by MUGZY. . . @ 03/08/2005 10:31 PM EST
Harry Potter 6 cover(s) revealed
The Rock to star as Johnny Bravo. Yes, that Rock. Woah, momma.
Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 03/08/2005 11:43 PM EST
Hobbies, eigh? Are we talking stamp collecting-type hobbies, sport-type hobbies, or boarderline obsessive/stalker type hobbies? Well, whatever the case may be, here goes:
Music: listening to, playing, making...I'm actually a clasically trained choral singer, but like to play guitar and bass and was proficient in another half dozen instruments at some point in my life. Funny thing is, my favorite type of music these days is emo/pop-punk/whatever you want to call the crap. I love it.
Sports: Snowboarding, playing phrisbee (any type!), volleyball and soccer; watching: soccer, hockey, and extreme sports.
NOT reading...books, at least. (I can read magazines and other things of interest for hours. Me like pretty pictures!) Was I the only Xer out there totally brainwashed by TV?
Cooking
Movies
Playing with Electronics, Toys, Dogs.
Oh, and driving! I love me some horsepower!!!
And finally, posting comments that are WAY too long in X-E!
Chestnuts roasted by Mad Cow @ 03/09/2005 07:11 AM EST
Windows media files usually play fine on the mac, dude.
Ms. Pac-Man is sexy(not necessarily this commercial). So is Bugs Bunny in drag.
Chestnuts roasted by starc @ 03/09/2005 10:29 AM EST
X-E is great, but when I see some of the stuff on this site, I wonder if I was ever a kid in the 80s at all. I don't remember even a quarter of this stuff.
Chestnuts roasted by Niq @ 03/09/2005 11:03 AM EST
Not to pick nits, but is Ms. Pac-man really Pac-man's wife? I always assumed, despite the popular marriage belief, that they were brother and sister. I mean, she's "Ms. Pac-man" and not "Mrs. Pac-man", right? I know Family Guy suggested a divorce, but then why'd she keep his name?
Chestnuts roasted by St. Mikey @ 03/09/2005 11:20 AM EST
Thanx fer the welcome back, The Gumdrop has been upgraded to X, and I'm still kicking the tires and enjoying the new OS smell. It's like going from the Mazinger with the hovercraft control pod to the Mazinger Z with the kick-ass jet pod. Don't believe "Drawn Together" on the Ms. Pac-Man thing. They understand the character as much as Noah from "Wayne's World" did. Blasphemy!
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 03/09/2005 12:25 PM EST
My hobbies are mostly boring and average ones like playing video games, writing reviews of metal cds for online publishing, watching too much anime and so forth, etc. All of the KB Toy stores in my area (about four of them) all have gone out of business in the past year. It's so weird because I remember going to those to buy video games especially on launch day when the jerks at Gamestop wouldn't sell me whatever new title was out because I didn't preorder. I'd be like "Screw you guys....I'll go to KB" which was in the same plaza but now that its gone I guess I cant do that anymore. I do hope that Toys R Us stays in business here though because I remember the joy and wonder of being in a store of that magnitude filled with JUST TOYS when I was wee..and I want my daughter to experience the same.
Chestnuts roasted by Kittycatgirl @ 03/09/2005 02:35 PM EST
I agree Squee (I'm a poet, and I don't even know it), Alton Brown rules!! And I hate that damn Bobby Flay...so cocky and full of himself. Ugh!
Chestnuts roasted by Y2JB78 @ 03/09/2005 03:40 PM EST
Perhaps Ms Pac-Man's his spinster mother? Or his daughter? It's hard to tell the age of the Pac-Man family. Now that I'm on it, why is he not Mr. Pac-Man? Is "Pac-Man" a hyphenated last name from some long ago joining of the Pac and Man clans or is his first name "Pac" and we've all been writing it wrong all this time? But then there couldn't be Ms Pac-Man, unless in the Pac-Man world, "Ms" is considered a first name, and for her "Pac" is her middle name. No, that can't be it.
Maybe I just have too much time on my hands.
Chestnuts roasted by jhnnywalkr @ 03/09/2005 04:26 PM EST
Anyone remember "Spit Balls"? I think they were made by LJN. They kinda looked like mini Madballs that you could fill with water and squirt.
Matt? Any info?
Chestnuts roasted by Lou @ 03/09/2005 05:10 PM EST
Hi. Just wondering if anyone knows where I can find the 80's commercial for "Muzzy"? Muzzy was a BBC language corporation video that was used to teach kids French. That commercial has been playing over and over in my mind. I've just gotta see it. Can anyone help me out?
Chestnuts roasted by Marlene @ 03/09/2005 05:16 PM EST
Man, way too much stuff to talk about. I'm not too sure about all the Mr. & Ms. Pac-Man stuff, but could this possibly be better understood at examining the cartoon? All I know is that it'd be pretty freaky if they were anything but husband and wife 'cause they had their little Pac-Baby. Matt is probably the best expert to weigh in on this.
Muzzy...I think that's where my hate of the French language began. Stupid BBC couldn't just let me sit and enjoy my Mr. Wizard without teaching me to count to "trois"!
And Bobby-freaking-Flay! I'd beat his cocky rump roast down if I ever had the chance. I always secretly hoped that Emeril would put the BAM on him.
Chestnuts roasted by Mad Cow @ 03/09/2005 07:01 PM EST
They still play that Muzzy commercial every once in a while..
Chestnuts roasted by springsprite @ 03/09/2005 08:08 PM EST
Muzzy didn't just teach French. They had other languages available. I had no idea it was British product. The commercial I remember seeing had American kids watching a Muzzy video and speaking French. Then the hostess of the commercial, who was American, would explain that these children weren't French but American. So the commercial was no doubt American.
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 03/09/2005 10:48 PM EST
I had Muzzy for German, though in retrospect they were probably not all that necessary since I learned German while I learned English-as a toddler. I suppose it helped with the writing skills a bit. That, and it was MUCH more entertaining than it probably should have been.
Chestnuts roasted by Mara @ 03/09/2005 10:58 PM EST
Hobbies:
Model Railroading.
Lego
Nintendo (both collecting and Gaming)
BAND
Chestnuts roasted by Cameron T. @ 03/09/2005 11:08 PM EST
My hobbies are:
Comics (G.I.Joe mostly)
PC gaming (love the online bargains)
Collecting G.I.Joes (Mostly just the new stuff) BTW they're going on hiatus for those who don't know.
Cooking (I love testing out new recipes)
Hey Matt, you should do a review of The Monster Squad
Chestnuts roasted by Heathtown @ 03/10/2005 02:00 AM EST
I make a comic. I spend way too much time on it for it to really be a hobby, but I don't make any money from it, so I guess it counts. It's at www.beaverandsteve.com
Chestnuts roasted by eruditebaboon @ 03/10/2005 06:52 AM EST
So yeah I remember Freezy Freakies...but I also had a pair of Freezy Freakies EARMUFFS. They were made very briefly at the end of the line's run.
And yes..."Fluid Fantasy"...umm...that could be one of the most bizarre commercials ever. And the immortal final words just completes it.
Chestnuts roasted by EmperorBinky @ 03/10/2005 09:21 AM EST
Awww, Beaver and Steve is a cute comic. I'm going to add it to my list of daily sites to look at 
Chestnuts roasted by Kennef @ 03/10/2005 10:33 AM EST
Holy shit, I forgot about Muzzy until now.....what an awful commercial that was...it played over and over....
Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 03/10/2005 10:53 AM EST
Hobbies:
Music - playing guitar and listening to all different kinds of music
Video games - RPGs are my favorites
Comics - mostly Marvel. I read about 15 monthly titles.
Star Wars Kubricks - I collect all these little guys. They are quite expensive though, since they're made in Japan
Chestnuts roasted by mattbrand @ 03/10/2005 10:55 AM EST
You want an odd desk toy? There was one called "Magic Window" that had two different-colored sands in an oval of plastic. You could turn it over and the sands would shift and sift through each other. From Wham-O. Cool to look at, but didn't last long in the stores. I think the sands got all mixed together or something.
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 03/10/2005 12:03 PM EST
I had a several pairs of those "Freaky Freezy" gloves which may or may not have just been cheap knock offs. Only one I can really remember vividly was the last pair my rents gave me that had football related grpahics on them tho I know I went through at least half a dozen pairs. Why? cuz I liked watching the grpahics appear and dsappear so much that I forced the change for the sake of amusement and eventually wore them out to the point where they were in the permanant "On" position and were worthless and then I would demand a new pair.
Chestnuts roasted by The Krypt Angel @ 03/10/2005 01:29 PM EST
MATT, WASN'T IT YOUR BIRTHDAY FEBRUARY 6??!!! IF SO HAPPY B-DAY!! I was surfing some old articles and found this http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0868/.
HOW FUCKING DEPRESSING IS IT THAT NONE US REMEMBERED YOUR B-DAY? SORRY, MAN
Chestnuts roasted by Pedro @ 03/10/2005 01:50 PM EST
Actually, I believe he mentioned it in one of his blog entries. The one announcing the article with the V, Couch Potato, Archie Bunker's grandson, and Steve Urkel dolls. Although I must admit, I don't think I said happy birthday to him.
Chestnuts roasted by jhnnywalkr @ 03/10/2005 02:09 PM EST
Oh, so happy belated birthday if I didn't say it before. Geez. How rude of me.
Chestnuts roasted by jhnnywalkr @ 03/10/2005 02:10 PM EST
Am I the only one who noticed this in the Hulk ad?
"Available at all Heck's locations."
I can't help but chuckle at that.
Chestnuts roasted by Chris @ 03/10/2005 02:26 PM EST
"All Heck's locations?" Is that how Evil The Cat made his money?
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 03/10/2005 03:35 PM EST
Hey Matt, I don't know if you updated us on these, but did you ever get those alien creatures from the Froot Loops cereal you ordered?
Chestnuts roasted by jhnnywalkr @ 03/10/2005 04:45 PM EST
Ever wonder if Matt gets google eyes from the people behind the counter and these toy stores? At least one of them has to know this site and maybe know I sold him that toy he's having so much fun with. Could there be a prouder moment for a CSR.
Chestnuts roasted by RAS @ 03/10/2005 05:18 PM EST
Yes! More 80's goodness! Just what I've always wanted!
Chestnuts roasted by Gwa @ 03/10/2005 08:41 PM EST
please tell me you won this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30&item=5960283685
Chestnuts roasted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 03/11/2005 02:22 AM EST
hey dude, macs run windows media files fine. they've made windows media player for mac for years now and VLC will play any video file ya throw at it so ya don't gotta worry about us
Chestnuts roasted by Rychiar @ 03/11/2005 09:01 AM EST
That's excellent news! Many Mac users must not realize this.
Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 03/11/2005 09:28 AM EST
Wil Wheaton was in the NY Times today! Since 'Stand By Me' is my all time favorite movie, I was happy to see he's finding success on the internet at http://www.wilwheaton.net- he's turned into a "real writer someday" after all! Plus, I guess he was on CSI the other night, but being in Korea I will never get to see THAT!
Thought some of you might be interested.
Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 03/11/2005 12:14 PM EST
The Second Annual Totally ’80s Convention this weekend in Hollywood.
Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 03/11/2005 07:59 PM EST
Haven't posted in awhile, but had to drop a few words about my fond memories of the He-Man Talon Fighter. After seeing my new brother at the hospital for the first time, waaaay back in 1984, I was treated to the toy of my choice and I chose the Talon Fighter. I was more excited about the new addition to my He-Man collection than I was the new addition to my family. That Point Dread thingy was actually made to fasten onto the top of Castle Grayskull... and now you know.
Chestnuts roasted by Goggles Pisano @ 03/12/2005 01:07 AM EST
Here I was afraid that Goggles Paisano had hung up his Goggles! The Talon Fighter was kick-ass. Wish I had one.
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash @ 03/12/2005 11:39 AM EST
WTF, Matt! Where's this new X-E! You're killin' me!
OK, so i still love X-E. But that's does't pardon you, Matt. You even said there'd be a couple of new articles over last weekend. However, I only saw one. One. And you still have the X-mas theme up. Tsk tsk. How many readers have you lost by now, Matt?
Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 03/12/2005 07:08 PM EST
I think that last bit was unnecessary. Extremely. And only thing about the Xmas layout I'm really tired of is hearing again and again that it is, in fact, still up.
Matt, did you see the article about the "Mini Loch Ness Monster" that washed up on a British beach? The photo is majorly freaky, and absolutely looks like a Baby Nessie. Of course killjoy biologists are playing the "decomposed baby porpoise" card. Which is just no fun at all.
Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 03/12/2005 07:55 PM EST
I don't want to give any details, as it's absolutely none of our business anyway, just I have become vaguely aware of something that might be weighing heavily on Matt's mind right now, so I suggest everyone cut him some slack about not updating much, at least for the next week or two, okay?
Please?
Chestnuts roasted by Steve Brandon @ 03/13/2005 05:02 AM EST
All right, hobby time...u can't touch this!
Playing trombone and sax for city band
Reading: Stephen King = #1! also I like Dean Koontz(although he can be formulatic). I like reading lots of different things. It's just that now there never seems to be any time alone to read.
Musik: I like downloading Pink Floyd concerts, and I also trade Phish shows. There's just something crazy about having a recording of a show that you were actually at. I also have a copy of a Ministry show I was at where Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick came onstage and played Supernaut with the band!
Chestnuts roasted by kidneyboy @ 03/13/2005 05:55 PM EST
As someone who's been racking my brains for decades to remember the bridge to the Mr. T doll commercial, I had to pop my head in and say thank you for posting this! The beginning of the commercial was cut off, though: I distinctly remember the first line being "Mr. T! He's got legs that move, he's twelve inches hi-iigh..."
So, yeah. Both his arms and legs move. Thanks, Galoob.
Chestnuts roasted by Suzanne @ 03/13/2005 09:15 PM EST
Dear Matt,
Howzabout making us another XE forum? I bet you wouldn't get any more complaints about lack of articles if we had somewhere to hang out in the meantime.
Chestnuts roasted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 03/14/2005 01:44 AM EST
Matt, isn't your name Caracappa? I just read that two former New York City cops have been indicted on murder charges and claims that they were Mafia hitmen, and one of them was named Stephen Caracappa. Any relation?
Chestnuts roasted by Hellpop! @ 03/14/2005 01:49 AM EST
you mean you still have italian mafia in NY????
Wow, oldies never die!
BTW, my talking parrot has been sick all week because there's no new stuff for him to read...sniff!
so we made a voodoo puppet of you matt...we know we can't hurt you cause we ain't have no hair of yours...so it's both violently fun and harm free, which is what most of us aim in our boring life
rock on and come back soon hehehe
Chestnuts roasted by melonian @ 03/14/2005 07:54 AM EST
We need at least another poster survey, like: Name a music group/artist you hate, and name one song by them you like. Or, anything interesting happen at the last concert you attended?
Chestnuts roasted by kingklash heard it, he heard it, heard it on the X. @ 03/14/2005 11:30 AM EST
Ms. Pas-Mac sounds just like Ethel Merman. Oh well, Intellivision is better anyway.
My hobbies: writing, rock music, sports (especially football and hockey), video games (particularly my Gamecube)
Chestnuts roasted by mjf7583 @ 03/15/2005 11:10 AM EST
I just found this Japanese Zelda 3
Commercial. Ph33r the Z3lda Rap!
http://www.zeronews-fr.com/flash/zeldaaaaaa.php
Chestnuts roasted by Blue Eagle @ 03/15/2005 03:35 PM EST
oh yeah mjf7583 I was just going to say that I think it really was Ethel Merman...I mean- I feel like as a kid I saw some story on Entertainment Tonight or some such crap saying that she did that voice. Then again, that was so long ago I could be crazy. My favorite Ethel Merman thing is in Airplane...I think it might be Airplane 2? Not sure- where they are in the hospital and there is a crazy patient that thinks he is Ethel Merman and then they show him and it is really her saying "you'll be swell, you'll be great!" then they sedate her and she trails off....I love that... Jesus I am wordy today...anyway my hobby is drinking and surfing the web while a wee bit tipsy... in case you could not tell...
Thanks for the commercials...I dig seeing stuff like that! Does anyone remember a video game commercial for some game that had to do with pigs and it showed a big bad wolf with pig back-up singers singing "say oink"? Anyone??
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue...heheh
Chestnuts roasted by JG @ 03/21/2005 09:14 PM EST
Regarding updates -
Since it's a free site, I think we should give the caretaker some slack here. It's not like we can demand our money back.
Chestnuts roasted by scuba steve @ 03/22/2005 11:34 PM EST
Hey, Matt! What about Captain Power? Remember that one - where you bought the toys and the show's bad guys shot back at you? If you got hit, your action figure out be blown out of the cockpit of the ship you were holding like a gun.
Oh, and the toys worked one-on-one, too, like pre-Lazer Tag.
The show was done by the guy who did B5. And really, the whole concept was before its time!
Chestnuts roasted by Chase @ 03/25/2005 05:52 PM EST
Well, hello there. Long time no see. As a reward for your loyalty, I present another fine batch of 
