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Archive for July, 2014
Kids Riding Big Wheels, 1973
Published July 30, 2014 '70s Decor/Design/Fashion , Big Wheel , Marx Toys/Playsets , Photography 1 Comment
They’re getting ready to hit the gas at a motocross event in Mission Viejo, California. I would much rather watch this than the motocross.
(Photo via Calisphere)
The Slush Puppie Video Game Game Card (1982)
Published July 30, 2014 '80s Music , Intellivision , Promotions/Contests/Sweepstakes , Video Games Leave a Comment
Grand prize: Intellivision video game unit, 34 game cartridges, Intellivoice and 3 voice cartridges. Second prize was Mattel’s Synsonics Electric Drums. With some tweaking, these things made some very cool sounds, and synth artists still use them today. Check out the commercial and a demo below.
(Images via Atari Age)
Wizards and Warriors: The Complete Series (1983) Now on DVD
Published July 29, 2014 '80s Movies/TV , Fantasy Movies/TV 5 Comments
All eight episodes of Wizards and Warriors, the fantasy-comedy (or vice versa) I first talked about here, are now available on DVD from Warner Archive. The synopsis, according to Warner:
TV’s first real foray into the realm of high fantasy was a truly ahead of its time combination of awesome adventure and witty self-awareness. Prolific sitcom writer Don Reo (The John Larroquette Show, Two and a Half Men) had a different vision in mind than previous grim and gritty attempts at the genre as seen in cinema – a vision underscored by the show’s own opening titles, which frame the action as comic book panels. Jeff Conaway (Taxi, Babylon 5) stars as valiant Prince Erik Greystone who, along with his strongman sidekick pal Marko (Walter Olkewicz), battles evil Prince Dirk Blackpool (Duncan Regehr, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and malevolent magic-user Vector (Clive Revill) for control of the continent of Aperans and his country of Camarand. And for the hand of fair, spoiled and leather pants-obsessed Princess Ariel (Julia Duffy, Newhart). Now the time has come to heed the call of adventure – and comedy!
I don’t think the show was very witty or ahead of its time, but it is historical and worth watching at least once if you’re interested in the evolution of the sword and sorcery genre and/or the ’80s fantasy boom.
Music Videos: Fingers – `Video Games’ (1982)
Published July 29, 2014 '80s Music , Music Videos , Records (LPs) and Cassettes , Video Games 1 Comment
New Jersey band Fingers released one EP (AXO Records, 1982), and this is the title track. I listened to the whole album on Spotify and enjoyed it—straight ahead power pop with some catchy melodies. The message here is pretty obvious: video games have changed the nature of youth and young love. Or have they? Separated at first by our hero’s addiction to the games, boy and girl are reunited in the end—when girl succumbs to the allure of the arcade and their respective games are over (and all the quarters are gone).
“You knew that I was different from the start. You look inside and see Space Invaders in my heart. It’s never been the same since video… It’s never been the same since video… It’s never been the same since video games.”
I can make out Pleiades and Armor Attack cabinets in the arcade.
Toy Aisle Zen (Circa 1976): Matchbox Display and Ideal’s Evel Knievel Super Jet Cycle
Published July 28, 2014 Department Stores , Evel Knievel , Toy Stores/Toy Aisles/Toy Departments 1 Comment
J.C. Penney, somewhere in Baltimore, is the store in the first photo. Toys are on the left.
(Images via eBay, Evel Knievel Stunt Toys, and Yesterville)
Inside J.C. Penney and Montgomery Ward, 1973
Published July 28, 2014 '70s Decor/Design/Fashion , Department Stores , Shopping Malls 2 Comments
Women’s clothing
Main aisle at housewares
Housewares, featuring power tools and the `cook ‘n shop’ section
Camera department, with sportswear in the far background on left
Sporting goods and toys
Men’s suits
Furniture department with bar sets
I found the photos at News Tribune Attic, an archive of the Duluth News Tribune. Miller Hill Mall opened in 1973, anchored by J.C. Penney (above) and Montgomery Ward (below). JCP is still there. Ward was replaced by DSW Shoe Warehouse, Barnes & Noble, and Old Navy in 2001.
What I noticed right away was the lavish amount of space, not just in the aisles but in the respective sections themselves. The mall wasn’t just a warehouse of merchandise, but a place of comfort, a journey into the fantasy of the American Dream.
I wish the photos enlarged. The toy section in the fifth shot down stretches out on both sides of the aisle, and I can’t make out a damn thing.
My obsession with shopping malls goes back a ways.
Food court/’buffeteria’
Sporting goods. The sailboat is on sale for $499.88.
Juniors (‘Reflections’) and women’s clothing departments
Clash of the Titans Lunch Box and Thermos (1980)
Published July 25, 2014 Clash of the Titans , Lunchboxes , School Supplies Leave a Comment
Mattel’s Clash of the Titans Toys: Pegasus the Winged Horse (1980)
Published July 25, 2014 Clash of the Titans , Mattel Toys 2 Comments
No coloring, hair, or articulation whatsoever. The wings were rubber and flexed—that’s about it. The color and hair aspects would be rectified when Mattel reused the mold for Arrow, from the Princess of Power line (1985 – 1987). Pegasus also came packaged with Perseus.
The infamous Kraken figure is here, and I’ve since added some new pics of the box. I’ll post photos of the carded figures next week. The only thing special about the line, in my opinion, is the eye-popping packaging.
(Images via eBay and he-man.org)
Father and Son Playing Intellivision, 1981 (Part One)
Published July 24, 2014 '70s Decor/Design/Fashion , Home Consoles , Intellivision , Video Games 2 Comments
The box on top, and the game they’re playing, is NBA Basketball. The game on the bottom belongs to the Strategy Network (Intellivision cart boxes were color coded according to game type). I bet it’s Utopia, one of the first sim games and a favorite of mine.
(Photo via Adam Pratt/Flickr)
2 Warps to Neptune 