Surveying the Gen X landscape and the origins of geek
Old Man Willow holds the wet bar and TV, folks, and the bed is “upholstered in gold crushed velour.” Those are real tree stumps leading up to the bed.
Here are two more specimens, with art and titles based on the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit animated movies of 1978 and 1977, respectively.
More custom vans here.
(Photos via Phoney Fresh, Pinterest, and Rollin’ Heavy)
Possibly the best photograph I’ve ever seen. Honestly, I’m not sure which shirt I’d rather have.
(Photo via Awkward Family Photos)
A better shot of the crew and their ramp is below. Both are from Bulldog Skates, where you can see more old school madness.
Looks like a 1974 model, but I’m guessing these two had been rattling around together for a couple of years before this shot was taken. My best bike was a 1981 Schwinn Scrambler with red mags. I’d ride it to the dirt ramp behind the nearby Stater Brothers and get schooled by the big kids who launched their sun-spangled rides into the inner atmosphere with lit Camels dangling from their lips.
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Anyway, I’m back. My mission hasn’t changed. Anyone who is interested in smartly reviewing/discussing/unearthing relevant cultural artifacts from the 1960s through the 1980s should drop me a line at 2warpstoneptune@gmail.com.
(Photo via The Selvedge Yard)
One of the more epic “big ticket” combos, via EyeSPIVE. That’s the U.K. version of the game, as seen here. There’s another Dark Tower Christmas, including some AD&D toys, here.
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That’s it for me until next year, kids. Thanks to everyone who follows the blog, and special thanks to all of you who have left comments (here and on Facebook) and sent me appreciative messages. Merry Christmas to all!
A little known playset for a well-done line that was gunned down when Mego went bankrupt. I remember the 2″ high, die-cast metal figures circulating on the playground before G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. There’s also a Remco Warlord figure in the shot.
The Eagle Island commercial is here, and I’m adding some better pictures of the set below.
Christine K and her Ewok friend (also made by Kenner) among the Imperial Shuttle, the B-Wing Fighter, the Dewback reissue, the Y-Wing Fighter, the Tie Interceptor, and a slew of figures. I also see a couple of 1985 calendars: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Duran Duran.
I forgot how big the cart boxes were for the 400/800. The console wars of the late ’70s and early ’80s were fought largely through package art and package design. Demo centers were few and far between, but we all saw the boxes faced out under glass counters or behind the registers. The 400/800 packages were bigger, Atari would have us believe, because the contents were more sophisticated. Pac-Man wasn’t just a game when played on the Atari 400 and 800. It was a “computer program.”
When I got my 800 in ’82 or ’83, it came bundled with Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.
(Photo via vigorito; box scan via Atari Mania)
Michael Paulus landed the greatest console of all time.
2 Warps to Neptune 