495. I watched Ghostbusters II, and I have questions.

Hot take: I loved it.

When they fell on hard times in those five years, it made them more interesting to me. Although, it was never revealed what Winston did in those five years other than appearing at kids birthday parties with Ray. I know Red Letter Media didn’t understand why Ray and Winston dances to the Ray Parker Jr. Ghostbusters theme, but I totally get it. My theory is that in the Ghostbusters universe, that song was totally a novelty song that only played on NYC radio stations. My theory is proven more after I saw Frozen Empire and Paul Rudd’s character references it.

I do, however wonder why the kids wished He-Man was at their party instead .. I thought that Masters of the Universe/He-Man was more of a mid 80s craze?

I wanna know who Sigourney Weaver had ‘dat baby with! Was it the guy who was jealous of Peter in the original film when he waited for Dana outside of orchestra practice? I bet it was him.

Egon wanting to do a gynecological exam on Dana as part of the investigation. Egon totally did it with that slime.

No more smoking! I kinda miss the smoking. I loved in the original that the boys pretty much welcome Winston in by lighting up a cigarette for him in the basement while they discuss Twinkies.

Peter MacNichol! I didn’t even realize it was him until I was like forty minutes in. I love him, the only shining light from Ally McBeal! Did I miss why Dana was restoring paintings now instead of being in the orchestra? I guess it was because it was a day job so she could be with baby Oscar at night? I know at one point she tells Janosz that she’ll be leaving soon since the baby is getting older?

They are cute as buttons in their suits fighting those death row ghosts in court.

Speaking of cute as buttons, Janine’s glam makeover! She got that “return of Ghostbusters” paychecks now.

It’s weird that New Years Eve is brought up, and is a giant part of the plot, but other than them wearing the Santa hats in the montage, and the aluminum tree in Peter’s awesome apartment, that’s all the Christmas we get. Did the entire movie take part in that week between Christmas and New Years? This video tries to figure it out.

Ooo the green dress. Winston saw it in a deleted scene, and said “[Peter’s] not coming”. Was that dress in the suitcase Peter brings over from Dana’s apartment?

Speaking of the suitcase, that apartment scene before their dinner date, that scene felt like it was ten minutes long! I like Peter’s apartment, so I’ll let it slide.

Winston being scared of the ghost train is one of the best most overacted scenes ever. What was up with all the beheaded heads at the old Subway track?

Why did that scene involving Louis and Janine at Peter’s apartment awake something in me? I do have a thing for guys like Louis. I need to put those feelings back away. Y’all know I gave up on dating!

I mean THIS?! With the earmuffs?! I need a minute. Even if Louis thought he had to save the Ghostbusters, I think him and Janine did some things first.

When that cop said “the Titanic just arrived”, I felt the emotion in that line. He said it like it was real deal this really happened breaking news. Better Late Than Never.

Bobby Brown’s sad cameo where he just opens the door at Gracie Mansion and asks the boys where he can get some ghostbusters stuff for his brother. Yes his song “On Our Own” (which I LOVE) is playing in the background.

I don’t care about the Vigo stuff too much, the baby’s acting makes the scene bearable however. Those twins who played Oscar were really good baby actors!

Them controlling the Statue of Liberty with the positive slime and the big flat Nintendo controller is silly as heck, and I am here for it.

Now, I know the movie got a cool reception when it came out in June of 1989, especially since it came out the weekend before the biggest movie of the year, Batman. Ghostbusters II made the biggest three day box office record at the time — but Batman beat it the following weekend. I wanted to read some critic’s initial reactions to the movie.

Vincent Camby of The New York Times almost gives away the entire movie’s plot! I agree with most of his points, except for him saying the original was “overproduced and sloppy” the effects were made in 1984, what do you expect? On Christmas of 1988, NYT almost gives away the plot again in an article about the behind the scenes process of the film. (gift article)

I think Al meant a “junky” effect when he was referring to the Statue of Liberty walking around instead of a “junkie” effect, but I get what he’s saying, even if I loved the scene for its silliness.

(My local paper ran this review too, so that’s why you don’t see one from my paper. ) I saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire the other day, and I feel like this was finally Ernie Hudson’s chance to shine after being just the fourth Ghostbuster so so long. To me, each Ghostbuster has their own movie now: the original was Ray’s, Ghostbusters II was Peter’s, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was (ghost) Egon’s, and Frozen Empire was Winston’s.

I even found a newsgroup review from June of 1989. That is baby internet! Here is the archive, because I just feel like google groups is going to shut down the old newsgroup archives any day now. Wait, I just found another one (archive).

Here is an article about the press tour held at the newly renovated Plaza hotel in New York City. The press was already clamoring for a third movie. Of course, we wouldn’t get that until 2020, 2021, of course.

In closing, never forget the Hardees promotion, with the noisemakers that were recalled almost immediately because lil kids ate the batteries. I remember being about six? and was terrified that my parents were going to take away my Ghostbusters noisemaker.

494. Seventeen Magazine, March 1997

(1996)

So, story time. Right after I paid like, $30 for this issue on eBay, my Xterra’s engine block died. Boy did I feel foolish. Suffice to say, this issue will probably wind up on my Etsy shop soon. psst, I’m having a sale right now in honor of my dead car.

This was the last Seventeen prom issue I remember owning. I lost interest in fashion in 1998 when I was a freshman in high school and had to start wearing clothes from Lane Bryant. The plus size section at my local Deb was gone. I also knew by then that I was never going to prom because I was the ugliest girl at my high school.

This dress Duff is wearing gives vibes of that time Shirley Mansion from Garbage wore that all white dress at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards:

(source)

I mean if you’re dying your hair, don’t you want to go full on dying your hair? Why do you want to only half rear end it?

This beautiful messy curly look appears a lot in this magazine. Get ready.

So I still don’t know what Chelsea wore at her prom. This is the only photo of her we have at her pre-prom party :

Is that Marimekko?

I’m here to talk smack about this DIY bracelet. You know those beads fell off in 20 seconds.

By the time I knew what American Eagle was, nobody at my school was wearing lipstick that color with their AE. I remember the “smart” kids wearing AE in high school around 1999.

Jordache and White Mountain always had the most outdated clothing ads! That black and white outfit is straight out of 1994, 1995.

Every year when we look at the prom issue together, we find the same variation of a black and white dress.

This color was everywhere. I thought this was the issue that had my dream prom dress in it, but I think that was Teen‘s March 1997 issue. It was a shade a little darker than this and it was more of a ballgown. I can’t find it right now because looks like archive.org has removed all the issues of Teen.

Woah, this was the best LeAnn looked when she was a teenager. The staff did an amazing job on her. I feel like she kinda adopted this look after this shoot, right?

Maybe with the exception with the black and white dress on the right, JCPenney really dropped the ball. None of the prom looks in the actual issue matches the prom looks we see int the ads.

There’s that green again! This time on Jordana Brewster.

Moisturizer and translucent powder seems like a patchy mess? y/n?

OH HERE WE GO BBY OLD NAIL POLISH FROM THE BEST ERA OF NAIL POLISH: THE MID 90s.

There’s a great TikTok/instagram account called Vintage Dusties that showcases the most amazing 90s polish. I wonder what ever happened to Ripe brand polish? I saw it a few times in Seventeen, but I can’t find a bottle on eBay or a mention online anywhere.

Pastel was an icon, it was a legend, it was the moment.

(eBay user SOLDBYMP)

These potpourris from the Gap look redic. You know they lost their scent almost immediately. I found one on eBay.

Man, back when Urban decay was grunge. Miss those days.

Ok, why couldn’t Billy go to the prom with Michelle? Was he over 18?

I remember reading this as a thirteen year old, and thinking “yeah, nobody’s mom is gonna allow that.” I remember the doggy too!

It took me a few seconds to understand the cutting the straps off of life jackets and making belts out of them. Let’s hope that L.W. is using top coat to seal those letters. Thea R. discovered prison makeup!

Here’s the ketchup mustard and lettuce dresses we saw in last year’s issue, but longer this time.

Baby Spice Girls!

Baby King of the Hill! The show had only been on at a couple of months at this point.

We were all still living in 1997, but Chaweon was living in 1999 with that amazing makeup.

This was part of the School Zone section they ran every month. Everybody always messed up their $50 JanSport with patches.

This looks almost like the dress Jordana was holding up a few pages earlier.

As someone who wears tights several days a week, I would invest in those $34 ones.

I remember the Chris O’Donnell story! Just because I didn’t know what crew was back then. I thought a “crew meet” was Chris and his teammates setting up a stage set in record time. I was a very uncultured child.

This dress is so unique, definitely one of my favorite ones from this issue.

There’s that big curly hair I love so much again.

I didn’t know that that the nightgown look was still a thing in 1997. ‘Thought that was more of a Courtney Love/1995 sort of thing.

I love how this issue is prom prom prom, and then … potatoes.

This was part of an advertisement for post prom breakfast? Nobody is awake enough to make this after prom. Your date isn’t going to want to high five a pb&j with you.

aw, this was one of the final Airwalk ads I remember that was like this.

Really, Tom Selleck?

493. Super Bowl ads, 1994

(source) (here’s another volume that’s slightly different)

I don’t know why, but I never pictured the Pizza Hut Bigfoot Pizza surviving past 1993, but there she is in in 1994 Super Bowl commercial. Coach said “more meat!” I only had Bigfoot once, at my half sisters house. Even has a 10 year old, I thought its was dry, barely any sauce.

“That happened, and we all let it happen.” – Peter Griffin. Only lasted 19 episodes.

1994 was the launch of the Dodge/Plymouth Neon. That car was a big deal back then. We laugh at it now, but there wasn’t really anything like it on the road back then, replaced the K Cars. Lil ten year old me wanted one, I thought they were the height of sophistication. It said “hi”, it had eyes, it smiled.

It’s Bud Bowl time! I predict Budweiser will win this year!

Michael Richards is Kramer-ing it UP in this Pepsi commercial with Cindy Crawford and Rodney Dangerfield.

I didn’t realize Converse’s Grandmama Larry ads were running in 1994! I thought that was way into the mid 90s. Grandmama was played by NBA player Larry Johnson.

This is what Alamo Rent a Car thought the year 2028 would look like.

Steve Martin starred in a Nike commercial insisting that the recently retired Michael Jordan was now playing in the minor basketball leagues.

Diedrich Bader from The Drew Carey Show, Office Space, and American Housewife stars in a 7up commercial. Dude, 7up had enough money in 1994 to run a Super Bowl commercial?!

“Can I play?!”
“No!”

Man, McDonalds had the best commercials back in the day, and Larry Bird is one of the great commercial actors of our lifetime.

LILITH WAS EVEN IN A COMMERCIAL. This was still during season one of Frasier, so I guess this was our girl’s first appearance. My goal is still to be Lilith.

A baby Elijah Wood and a grown former Vice President Dan Quayle starred in a Wavy Lays commercial. Some said this was a bad Super Bowl commercial, I don’t think so, I mean its just ok. I mean of course he would do a potato chip commercial, since he spelled it wrong that one time.

There’s a dumb bit about the wind whipping up at the Bud Bowl. Game is tied at 14 points. At one point the stadium flew to a bar that was out of Budweiser?? And a customer grabbed a Bud off the field?? So Bud Light won?? 14 to 20?? Worst Bud Bowl ever.

The lead out show was The Good Life, a short lived show starring Drew Carey, I brought it up on my post Super Bowl Flops entry from a few years back.

452. Super Bowl 1986 Commercials (1/26/1986)

427. Super Bowl 1991 Commercials (1/27/1991)

405. Super Bowl 1990 Commercials (1/28/1990)

375. Super Bowl Commercials, 1989

341. Reebok Pump Bungee Jumpers Commercial + 1990 Nissan 300ZX Turbo Super Bowl commercial

173. TV bombs following the Super Bowl

457. More “Herb”

478. 93 things about 1993, part 5

(part 4)

26. G.I. Joe and Barbie’s voiceboxes get switched.

A group of performance artists switched the voiceboxes of about 300 G.I. Joe and Teen Talk Barbie. This was later referenced in the Simpsons episode Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy:

Poor Celeste.

27. Bill’s Half Brother

Leon died in 2009 at the age of 70. He and Bill met a few times! 1

28. The first dreidel in space

Spun by Jeff Hoffman.

29. Lawrence comes out in For Better or for Worse (April 10th)

Lawrence, Michael’s friend in the strip came out of the closet in the spring of 1993. Of course, people got mad and demanded the strip be pulled from their local papers:

In the next few weeks, Lawrence, who is 17, will also reveal his sexual orientation to his mother and stepfather. Reader beware; the next two sentences give away plot details. His mother will insist Lawrence is mistaken, and his stepfather will throw Lawrence out of the house. He will spend a lonely night in a doughnut shop until Mike locates him and brings him home for a reconciliation with his famiy.

The plot line has already proved too rich for some tastes. Universal Press Syndicate editorial director Lee Salem says about 20 of some 1,400 newspapers subscribing to “For Better or For Worse” have asked for backup material that can be substituted for the Lawrence strips, and eight have canceled the comic outright.

Lynn Johnston, the Canadian cartoonist who writes and draws the 14-year-old strip, says she knew she was entering a sensitive area, but she’s a little surprised by the scope of the negative reaction.

“What I wrote was kind; it was caring,” she says. “It explored both sides of the issue.”

[…]

Thomas Mitchell did. He’s the editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, one of the newspapers pulling the Lawrence panels in favor of backup material.

“We had a pretty little heated argument among ourselves,” he says.

Mitchell finally decided parents shouldn’t abruptly find themselves explaining the material to their children over the morning Rice Krispies.

“It’s the comics page, man. Give me a break,” he says. “It’s an interesting topic. Teenage homosexuality: How do you handle it; how do you talk about it?”

Mitchell says he wouldn’t object to a feature story on the subject, possibly illustrated by strips from “For Better or For Worse.”

Bob Hansen of Enfield probably wishes he was getting Mitchell’s newspaper. Hansen is a Courant subscriber who called the paper Monday to complain about the tack Johnston’s strip had taken.

“I’m very upset about it,” he says. “Comics, in the first place, comics are for fun.”

Hansen says he doesn’t object to homosexuals, but he objects to having homsexuality pushed at people who aren’t interested in hearing about it. In particular, he disliked Lawrence’s remark, in Monday’s episode, insisting he isn’t confused about his orientation: “Everybody else is confused.” 2

For the record, I obsessed over For Better or for Worse almost as much as I did Funky Winkerbean. Good to know Lawrence had a good ending as the strip wound to the end in the Summer of 2008.

30. Dana Carvey almost becomes the host of Late Night.

He said no when offered. 3

(eBay user 3d-ology)

31. Addy becomes an American Girl

There was some controversy among the company whether Addy would be “too real” for kids:

Indeed, the story of Addy may be too heavy for the frail shoulders of a doll, and it clearly represents a dramatic shift in the tone of these children’s books. While the other dolls face such traumas as wild bears, sailing during a storm or even choosing between loyalty to the crown of England or the patriots of the new Colonies, none can really compare with watching your brother being whipped by a cruel overseer because he “done run off.” In “Meet Addy,” the first of her series, she escapes from slavery with her mother, after they are forcibly separated from the rest of the family.

Pittsburgh novelist Connie Porter, who was hired to write the Addy books, is aware of the criticism. “Some people don’t want to see a character in slavery — that’s ridiculous,” she said. “You can run the risk of being so politically correct that you can lose whole periods of history. Children are more ready to talk about these things than some adults are.”

Porter, who met twice with the advisory board to discuss story content and the use of dialect, said that she has not trivialized slavery in any way. If anything, she has made it more real to a modern child than it might have been before, she said. “I tried to show how a black child would be treated during the day at the age of 9,” she said. “That she had a job like a grown person. Addy works all day worming tobacco plants. She also serves occasionally for the master, who treats her with indifference. At one point they treat her badly. She’s a piece of property.” 4

32. Krusty gets canceled, but marge doesn’t say anything. (May 13th)

Y’all Ever notice that Marge has no lines in the classic Simpsons episode “Krusty Gets Canceled”? She’s there, but no lines. According to the DVD commentaries, Al Jean said that Julie Kavner felt uncomfortable being in an episode with so many celebrity guests, describing it as “tasteless”. I guess she changed her mind through the years.

33. Lorena Bobbit copycats

In a four-month period, at least three men besides John Bobbitt had their genitals trashed by angry women. In April, a 29-year-old woman in Milwaukee partially severed her boyfriend’s penis after he announced that he wanted to break up, reported the Milwaukee Journal. In Waynesville, N.C., in July, Cynthia Mason Gillett, 28, was charged with setting her husband’s genitals on fire while he slept after an argument, reported the Charlotte Observer. In April, Jose Dogelio, 31, was shot in the penis by a woman he was “flashing” on a street in Dasmarinas, Philippines, according to the Manila newspaper, People’s Journal. 5

Cynthia was put on probation in January of 1994 because her husband refused to testify against her. She doused his genitals in nail polish and caught them on fire! 6 I could not find Jose’s condition.

When I was a kid and I’d see pieces about Lorena and John Bobbit on the news, I pictured Lorena cutting John’s penis off with scissors.

Barker, Jennifer, and Medianews Group. “Former Paradise Resident Ritzenthaler, Clinton’s Half-Brother, Dies.” Chico Enterprise-Record (blog), January 14, 2009. https://www.chicoer.com/20090114/former-paradise-resident-ritzenthaler-clintons-half-brother-dies/. https://archive.is/YqjO4 .
Hartford Courant. “COMIC TACKLES CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE AS CHARACTER ANNOUNCES HE IS GAY.” March 31, 1993. https://www.courant.com/1993/03/31/comic-tackles-controversial-issue-as-character-announces-he-is-gay/. https://archive.is/dZIGX
Carter, Bill. 1995. The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night. New York: Hyperion. 225-226.
Rosenfeld, Megan. “WHOLESOME BABES IN TOYLAND.” Washington Post, May 24, 1993. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/05/24/wholesome-babes-in-toyland/b4ed92ca-1571-4ec9-9290-4dfb4ded0b7b/.
Shepherd, Chuck. “1993: THE YEAR OF THE WEIRD.” Washington Post, December 26, 1993. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1993/12/26/1993-the-year-of-the-weird/cca1ec6a-5dc9-4be6-9087-e26abe3c657f/.
Tulsa World . “Woman Who Burned Mate Gets Probation.” January 22, 1994. https://1ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Ftulsaworld.com%2Fnews%2Fwoman-who-burned-mate-gets-probation%2Farticle_910a1d92-ff60-57f9-af48-af57d99ad8e2.html

492. Ed’s Party in Lockerbie (June 2, 1989)

Sometimes kids have ideas, and they should just stay ideas, you know? Sometimes we shouldn’t listen to the kids–but Pan American Airlines did.

Shortly after the December 21st, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, 14 year old Ed Blaus of New Jersey sent a request to Pan Am to send the children of Lockerbie Christmas presents. Seems weird that a 14 year old would ask an airline to do this, but ok. A small child, maybe, but a fourteen year old?

I’m sure he meant something like a gift drive for the kids in town who lost everything that Christmas. Pan Am would give presents to the kids that following Christmas, right?

No, there was going to be a party for all of Lockerbie, and boy when the victims families found out, they were pissed and were assaulting the airline in the press:

Susan Cohen, of Port Jarvis, N.Y., who lost her 20-year-old daughter Theodora in the bombing, said the party was ‘tasteless’ and charged it was a publicty stunt by Pan Am ‘to polish their tarnished image.’

‘We’re appalled by it,’ Theodora Cohen’s father Dan Cohen said of the party. ‘Right now the rock band should be playing on the soccer field about a block and a half from where 75 bodies were found — which is obscene. They should end their mourning but this is ridiculous.’ 3

[…]

“I’m outraged,” said a tearful Florence Bissett, whose 21-year-old son, Kenneth, was killed in the bombing. “How can they do something like that – picnic where bodies were found?”

Susan Cohen of Port Jervis, N.Y., said, “We feel Pan Am should be putting its money into security, not parties.”

Joe Horgan of West Point, Pa., a member of the Victims of Pan Am 103 group, was quoted by the Dumfries and Galloway Standard as saying, “It is good for them to have a party, but Pan Am’s involvement is despicable. We see this purely as a public relations exercise on their part.” 4

“Having this picnic is cruel . . .” said Lynne Fraidowitz of Staten Island, whose 20-year-old son, Daniel Rosenthal, was killed. “It would have been easier on me if they had just ripped my heart out.” 5

From what I’ve read in the scant articles I’ve found, Pan Am played a “he said, she said” with Ed and his idea. In one article, the airline stated that Ed conceived and raised money for the party, but also wrote the airline for help. The airline stated that they simply flew Ed and his family to Scotland. 1 However, a resident of Lockerbie said that PanAm had the idea of a “Summer Christmas”, but townspeople suggested it be a party instead.2 Originally, Disney was going to send some costumed characters to Scotland, but due to outrage from the families, this was redacted. Hebrew National who was to supply food for the party also backed out. 3

(Business Insider)

While families picketed outside of the PanAm headquarters in New York City, in Scotland the party went on with a concerts, bagpipes and food. 2 A football coach from Syracuse University (which lost 37 students in the bombing) came to give kids football lessons, which was a peculiar choice. Apparently there was no representation from Pan Am at the actual party.3

I found a Facebook post from the Annandale Herald and Moffat News on the 30th anniversary of the party. Most partygoers who were probably kids at the time, mostly remembered eating pizza.

Kinsey Wilson. 1989. “Kin of Jet Crash Victims Assail Plans for Party in Lockerbie: [NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition].” Newsday, May 21, 38.
Daily Press. “Reaction to Lockerbie Party Mixed.” June 4, 1989.
Deseret News. “CONTROVERSY DIDN’T DASH LOCKERBIE BASH,” June 4, 1989. https://www.deseret.com/1989/6/4/18809762/controversy-didn-t-dash-lockerbie-bash.
“Lockerbie Party Outrages Bereaved: [Final Edition].” Edmonton Journal, Jun 04, 1989.
Joseph W. Queen. “Party in Lockerbie, Outrage in NY: [NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition].” Newsday, Jun 04, 1989, Combined editions.

244. Big List of Favorite Commercials (part 17)

(part 16)

1985 Velveeta Extra Thick Slices “enough for the biggest cheese appetite” TV Commercial

This commercial is kinda sickening but I love that “extra thick” voice. That plastic cheese is too thick!

“Six Degrees of Separation” by John Guare at Lincoln Center Theater [1990]

“His shirt isn’t bleeding! HE’S BLEEDING!”

Frankie and Johnny’s Furniture: See the Special Man [1989?]

[grumbling] “Let her have it!”

Conan showed this old commercial from New Orleans on his show back in 2012.

Here is a news report on it.

Jane Lynch Roach Control Combat Commercial 1995

Doesn’t this look like a parody of a Combat commercial, and not a real combat commercial? Reminds me a lil of that SNL sketch with the roach killer that teared off their legs and then used the legs to beat the roach to death. However, this time Jane is the host of the episode.

New Coke Commercial (1986)

Next time I go out this week (which let’s face it will probably just be the Publix) I’m doing my makeup like this.

McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish – Commercial Classic 1985

This Minnie the Moocher x Filet O Fish mashup is a JAM.

Kraft Singles Tennis Cards Promo – Australian Commercial

We love you and your giant packs of cheese, Pam.

Little Shop of Horrors broadway play commercial 1983

Now, I’ve never seen Little Shop, I’ve only seen the parody on Family Guy of “Somewhere That’s Green”, and I just read the plot on wikipedia and it sounds sad. BUT but, this commercial has Marlene Danielle from Cats, pre her being with Cats through its entire original Broadway run.

1986 Snuggles Poison Contol PSA

Never ever ever…touch, taste or drink…bottles and boxes under the sink?
Such a clunky saying.

NBC Commercial – Thank You (1986)

I discovered this one from the Jaboody Show. Yes, they obsess over how bald Dennis Franz is, and how sexy John Larroquette is. This is a shorter version, I can’t find the long one where Jane Pauley says “z’thank you“.

491. It’s the December 1, 1990 salespapers, and I have lots of questions.

Pretty sure I got my Bart and Maggie dolls from Treasury Drug earlier that Summer. Treasury Drug was on the second level of Newmarket North Mall, a drugstore owned by JCPenney. I don’t remember them saying open for long after this sales paper. Probably died during the remodel at Newmarket, when nobody came back to the mall after its remodel.

all four of these are probably worth big $$$ on eBay now. Where is the Maggie Simpson bubble bath.

That pig is so wrong. He oinks at you when you open the fridge door, teasing you, making fun of you for wanting that extra Mountain Dew or milk for that 2am bowl of cereal.

I can’t imagine the neck pain that came from using something like the go-anywhere computer. You can’t prop it toward you (or can you?) or then you wouldn’t be able to type. So you hunched over it? Canon made a similar typewriter in the mid 80s.

I had those Simpsons slipper socks! They were so big on me!

Look at the Babs and Buster Bunny slippers!

They wanted $80 for this mostly cardboard Barbie house?!

Speaking of Tiny Toons, there they are again! The detail on the Hampton doll! I need him, Bart, a cat doll, and that playpen to put them all in, stat.

There would be a Ziggy for every holiday.

(eBay seller a2z4thee)

I begged for a class of 1994 one when I “graduated” from elementary school. Good thing, because by the time I graduated high school in 2001, Ziggy was long gone.

There were at least four mentions of Chex Mix in this coupon insert. This one has Ernest though! Did he do commercials for Chex?! Yes, yes he did .

Those buckets were a work of art. The Pepsi cans this year had that house motif too!

This was just a way to get you to sign your soul away to Fingerhut, that scammy catalog.

I would give so much to get my So Big Crayola bucket back in my life with the crayons. One of my favorite things growing up.

Floral clowncore at Upton’s. Why did we all want to dress like Olivia from The Cobsy Show?

The watch was the most expensive NKOTB merch I saw in these salespapers. $30 was a lot for a kids watch back then!

Now, Roses was bordering on a junk store, a giant dollar store, even back then. Check out how much space they devoted to potpourri and scented candles on this page. There’s the Bart socks again!

Why did so many people back then own drafting tables?! I even remember them sitting in a corner on sitcom sets back then.

How many aspiring architects were around in 1990?

What kind of Crock Pot is this?! I love her!

Look at the giant Ninja Turtle party wagon! $170! That would be about $400 today right?

Does anybody remember a store in Hampton, Virginia called Bargain city USA? That entire store was just this stuff. But if my grandma Rose gave me these, I’d cherish them forever.

Did you know that Lowes, the hardware store, used to sell televisions? I want to know what show they were trying to portray with the lady holding the two bouquets of flowers. A soap opera?

L’Efleur was having a moment at People’s Drug. Pretty sure it’s been discontinued.

A monitor? I could imagine using this out on the field as a monitor, but as your regular monitor?

I love this Australian coin necklace Service Merchandise had.

Very tiny though.

ooh the scary Joker motorcycle. Reminds me of that Lady Gaga album cover from a while back.

Baby dolls were wildin’ back then. Baby Shivers?! That’s so upsetting. Someone please put clothes on that baby.

I really don’t have any memories of Children’s Palace, it was at Coliseum Mall in Hampton, but my folks didn’t take me there back then. They sold parakeets and hamsters?! I just messaged one of my friends from high school to see if he remembers if they sold them at Coliseum Mall.

I’m getting my three great nephews who are still kinda babies lil Ninja Turtles this year. Suffice to say they are friendly turtles and not these angy turtles.

Speaking of my nephews, both him, my niece and I got these 110 cameras! He got the turtles and we got the neon pink Concords. Look how expensive disposable cameras were back then! That’s how much they are today!

You’re telling me Coffee Beanery had a salespaper?! Remember the Coffee Beanery?! Coliseum Mall had a nice one right before you got to the food court, it wasn’t open yet when this ad ran.

The one at Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News is still open! This is where we had fancy coffee for the first time!

490. The 1980 Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade (November 27, 1980)

(the whole parade is here, if you just want the commercials and highlights, it’s here)

Randy Hamilton from the soap opera Texas sings “Deep in the Heart of Texas” with a small child? Who is this small child. I want it to be a random child that they chose three minutes before turning the cameras on. Randy doesn’t have a Wikipedia page! Sadness.

Ahhh!! Is that a baby Mark Linn Baker in the GE commercial?!

I love the crowd whooping it up for the cast of One ‘Mo Time. I was wondering what was behind them — I think it was the broadcast booth for host Ed McMahon! Just … there with the saddest looking Woolworth decorations ever.

What a weird closing card (what do you call that?) for this Child World / Children’s Palace commercial that aired constantly. Ok, the bear didn’t fall on his butt? That was the best shot we could get?

For some reason Marilyn Michaels takes off her gloves while singing “Watching the Parade go Byyy”. That couldn’t of waited, Marilyn?

Todd Bridges sang a song about the Summer. I felt bad for Todd, he had no back up dancers, just dancing in the street. Was this a time filler? Loved the song!

A baby Glenn Close was there with the cast of Barnum. I feel like Ed is auditioning for the Star Search hosting gig with this parade. I love his energy.

I love the juxtaposition of Bryant Gumbel thanking the Museum of Natural history for letting people warm up in their building with Doodlebug.

Ed sang a song! When was the last time a host SANG.

I thought Cootie ran over a clown, but the clown deliberately laid down in front of him??

Just for us Hampton Roads girlies, Busch Gardens of Williamsburg had a Loch Ness Monster float! It’s still at Busch Gardens! The cast of Brigadoon was on the float.

Ed was trying to find a date for Happy Dragon. He said “I guess now that he’s 21, he’s free to go out in the evening and date whomever he chooses. So if you have an eligible dragon hanging around your house moping, we might be able to set them up and in the years to come, who knows how many dragons we might have in the parade!”

There was a float for everyone’s favorite box office flop, Popeye! I think that’s supposed to be Olive Oyl?!

1980 was electric football’s year. It felt like it was the only toy advertised!

“Tonka’s Bear in a Box! Everyone’s favorite!”

Finally, a game that looks like one of my dad’s vintage fire scanners.

Cowboys were HOT this year, due to the movie Urban Cowboy, and the TV show Dallas. Modern equivalent to this would be this past Summer’s Western Barbie! We even had Dean Butler from Little House on the Prairie sing “Don’t Fence Me In” while riding a tortoise. The Lone Ranger even showed up. Oh, and even the McDonalds commercial with Ronald was western themed.

While Snoopy couldn’t fly this year due to a leg injury, we had Underdog.

Can we discuss how a station wagon is pulling a float. Later on, I saw an Oldsmobile sedan towing the float with the Spinners on it.

This beautiful phone store.

I feel like by the time we were growing up in the late 80s/early 90s, Kermit had more bad days at the parade than good, but 1980 was a good year for him. Just look at him.

Casper is over here looking like the baby from Ally McBeal.

Bob from Sesame Street sang a song while Bert & Ernie danced. Even Oscar liked the song.

Unfortunately, the entire parade isn’t on YouTube. Looks like the recorder only set their VCR for two hours. One of the final things you see is Linda Ronstadt and the cast of The Pirates of Penzance. “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” slaps.

Related: previous thanksgiving entries.

489. General Foods International Coffee

(eBay seller dreamofthepast)

We all know thee lil cans. Some of them were probably out first forays into coffee, maybe our mom let us have some instead of hot cocoa on a cold day. No wait, this seems more like a drink your Aunt Patty n Selma would have at their house and drink every day. She let you have some to feel grown up.

Or maybe you shared a cup with your new Gothy roommate in the 80s?

Even the boys who played football enjoyed it!

and just maybe you sipped French Vanilla Cafe with your friends and joked “who was that waiter’s name in Paris?” “JEAN-LUC!” like in the commercial. (yes, I’m aware of the mad tv bit)

Although in an article about annoying commercials that ran in the Rocky Mountain News in 1992, reader Dennis Lancaster said of the ad: “The ad that really bugs the heck out of me is that General Foods International Coffee ads with the two ladies there and the French cafe coffee or whatever it is. I wish they’d have stayed in France.” 1

lil samples of Irish Cream Cafe was given out at Black Friday one year at Target!

I noticed that General Foods would advertise their instant coffee a lot in college newspapers in the 1980s.

See, even Corky on Murphy Brown dank it.

Before we had frappuchinos, there would always be the same recipe every year for a frozen or a cold coffee drink, just with a different flavor each year, it seemed.

(eBay seller dreamofthepast)

See what I mean?

(commercial)

In the late 90s, they came out with the Cappuccino Coolers drinks, which I adored back then. It was powder that you mixed with milk — so yeah, gotta be near the bathroom when drinking those. Maxwell House just discontinued these this year. By then they were called iced lattes.

(commercial)

My all time GOAT when I was a teenager however was the Kahula flavor. I miss it every day.

(commercial)

Anybody remember the variety packs? They were like, half a serving! Enough for a mouse! The Suisse Mocha design always reminds me of the Murder She Wrote logo.

(commercial)

(commercial)

General Foods International Coffee debuted in 1973 with these three flavors. Looks like Cafe Au Lait became Cafe Francais shortly after. You walk into the store today, and guess who is still there almost every time:

(Maxwell House took over around 2011)

I bought all three flavors in the last month and yup they all taste a lil watery. Maybe ‘cuz we’re just used to stronger coffee in 2023.

Maxwell House International Coffee Still Missing General Foods, Jean Luc

ABBOTT, KAREN. “‘FEMININE’ PRODUCTS SPARK MAJORIOTY OF READER CALLS.” Rocky Mountain News (CO), March 12, 1992: NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?
p=AWNB&docref=news/0EB4D9FC6ACBBE66.

478. 93 things about 1993, part 4

bloggif_652aeea82605d

(part 3)

(source)

18. ValuJet flies for the first time (October 26)

ValuJet’s first flight was from Atlanta to Tampa on October 26, 1993. By 1994, the planes with their silly mascot on them had made 15 emergency landings! 1 On June 8, 1995 one of their ancient planes had an engine fire on the tarmac in Atlanta.

We all know what happened to ValuJet just 2 1/2 years later.

19. Kenneth Junior French kills 4 because of “gays in the military”. (August 7th)

He got four life terms + an extra 35 years tacked onto his sentence.

Newsweek, February 8, 1993

20. Socks Mania

People went absolutely feral over Bill Clinton’s cat, Socks. There was merch:

Such as this Socks cat food container (eBay seller passalong)

This Socks watch that I still remember seeing at my local Kmart in 1996. Yes, the battery was dead. (eBay seller ha-340226)

This socks doll I also remember seeing at Kmart on a family vacation in Ohio that I desperately wanted. (eBay seller 13navybeans)

I don’t have the date on it, but here is a clip of kids petting Socks at Christmas.

21. Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett get married (June)

When Roberts returned to the set of The Pelican Brief following her wedding, the cast and crew (including co-star Denzel Washington) threw her a party in which they all wore shirts that read: “He’s A Lovely Boy … But You Really Must Do Something About His Hair” on the back. 2

They only lasted til 1995, but they were cute together.

22. Base Closings (March)

Growing up, I thought this was the first time bases closed in the U.S., ever. No, a whole bunch closed just a couple of years prior!

(source)

23. Florida tourists killed

The state government ordered that all company logos be removed from rental cars, and it abolished special license tags for such vehicles. Rental car agencies now give customers detailed safety brochures in English, Spanish, German and other languages, and they play tape recordings with similar messages over the public address systems in their rental offices every five minutes. 3

There was even a bit in the SNL episode (hosted by Shannen Doherty) where Phil Hartman played Disney’s Michael Eisner, alerting tourists that you’ll won’t get murdered in northern Florida where Disney is:

Hi, I’m Michael Eisner, speaking to you from the Magic Kingdom here in Orlando. You know, for the last few months, Florida has been victim to a terrible tragedy: the horrific murder of nine foreign tourists in Southern Florida. We here in Northern Florida express our sympathies.. to the families of those murdered hundreds of miles away.. in Miami, the capitol of Southern Florida.

8 tourists were killed in 1993. 4

24. Miller Clear

Faced with lackluster sales, the Miller Brewing Company has ended its market test of Miller Clear, the brewing industry’s first clear beer. “We’re not manufacturing it any longer for the near term,” Eric Kraus, a spokesman for the Milwaukee-based brewer, said on Tuesday. “We had a tremendous initial trial, but repeat business was not necessarily as good.” The beer that has been made will be sold, but no more will be brewed, Mr. Kraus said. In April, Miller began test-marketing its clear beer in Richmond, Minneapolis and Austin, Tex. 4

(there’s some more about it on Weird Universe)

25. Tonya Harding’s dress pops (January)

Earlier this year, a snap on her costume broke at the United States championships. At the 1992 Olympic trials, her blades were mounted slightly out of position, leaving her stranded with a broken axel. Skate problems also delayed her arrival at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, where she finished a disappointing fourth. By 1993, fourth was the best she could do at the United States championships. 5

“ValuJet – Airlinefiles.” n.d. Accessed October 13, 2023. https://airlinefiles.com/valujet?showall=1.
“TBT: Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts Got Married After Dating for Just a Few Weeks.” n.d. InStyle. Accessed October 14, 2023. https://www.instyle.com/news/tbt-julia-roberts-lyle-lovett-relationship.
Rohter, Larry. “Tourist Is Killed in Florida Despite Taking Precautions.” The New York Times, September 9, 1993, sec. U.S. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/09/us/tourist-is-killed-in-florida-despite-taking-precautions.html.
Clary, Mike. “Woman Confesses to Killing German Tourist, Police Say : Crime: She Reports Being Angered When the Couple Targeted for Robbery Would Not Stop Their Rental Car. A Third Suspect Is Held.” Los Angeles Times. September 11, 1993. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-09-11-mn-34072-story.html.
Longman, Jere. “FIGURE SKATING; For Harding, Not All Sequins and Music.” The New York Times, October 26, 1993, sec. Sports. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/26/sports/figure-skating-for-harding-not-all-sequins-and-music.html. https://archive.ph/G5T63