Sega Genesis and the 16-Bit Leap Kids Wanted
You didn't need a spec sheet to know the Sega Genesis felt like a real step up. One look at the screen, one blast of that crunchy music, one quick…
Posted inPop Culture Discontinued Treats Favorite Foods Food Saturday Morning Cartoons Toys and Games Trends
Fruit Stripe Gum and the Tattoo Wrapper Kids Loved
Some candies were good. Fruit Stripe Gum, the zebra gum with the striped packs, was a whole scene. You remember the pack first, don't you? The wild stripes, Yipes the…
Nerds Cereal, the Candy-Coated Breakfast Kids Begged For
If you were a kid in the 1980s, the cereal aisle could feel like a toy store with milk. Bright boxes shouted at you. Mascots grinned at you. Sugar pretty…
Posted inPop Culture Discontinued Treats Favorite Foods Food
Carnation Breakfast Bars and the Quick Breakfast Kids Really Ate
There was a special kind of school morning chaos in the 70s and 80s: one shoe on, a backpack half-zipped, the TV still on in the other room, and somebody…
Why The Facts of Life Became an After-School Sitcom Favorite
Some shows belonged to Friday night. The Facts of Life sitcom belonged to that strange, perfect stretch after school, when the backpack hit the floor, the snack came out, and…
Posted inPop Culture Toys and Games Video Games
Nintendo Entertainment System: The Console Kids Begged For In The 80s
Some toys got circled in the catalog. The Nintendo Entertainment System got underlined, starred, and brought up at dinner three times a week. If you were a kid in the…
Posted inPop Culture Discontinued Treats Favorite Foods Food
Planters Cheez Balls and the Orange Canister Kids Emptied
You didn't open a canister of Planters Cheez Balls and eat a polite handful. You popped the lid, heard that little snap, and suddenly your afternoon had a plan. For…
Posted inPop Culture Action Figures Toys and Games
Transformers Toys and the Robot Every Kid Swore Was Best
Every kid had a favorite Transformer, and they defended that pick like it was family business. Maybe you were an Optimus Prime loyalist. Maybe you went full chaos goblin and…
Posted inPop Culture Commercials Cult Classics Discontinued Treats Favorite Foods Food Movies Trends
Why E.T. Cereal Was the Movie Tie-In Kids Had to Try
Some 80s products didn't ask for your attention, they grabbed your sleeve in the grocery aisle. E.T. cereal was one of those. If you were a kid then, you already…
Posted inPop Culture Fads Fast Food Favorites Trends
Pizza Hut BOOK IT! and the Free Pizza Prize Kids Chased
You didn't need a treasure map. You needed a library book, a reading goal, and a teacher who signed the form. For a lot of kids, Pizza Hut BOOK IT!…