The Retroist

The Retroist, but on Tumblr

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Print ad for the James Bond Roleplaying Game from 1983.

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Six jaw crankin' feet of fum for you…not them!

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I think I have a great idea for a challenging Pitfall sequel. All Crocodiles, all the time.

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Heroes World in New Jersey was a childhood favorit of mine. I always thought the world needed more stores like this.

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Christmas Pro Tip: The very best kids will get uranium.

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Long after the initial wave of Cabbage Patch Mania, stores would make a big deal whenever they got new ones. They still sold well, but it was never like that first year.

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When I worked at Suncoast Video, I was tormented by seekers of the Deluxe Talkboy cassette recorder with voice changer, created for "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" by Tiger Electronics. I tell the full retail tale in my recent podcast about the movie that launched Toymageddon in a NJ back-alley:

https://retroist.com/retroist-home-alone-2-podcast/

But who could blame the eager would-be buyers? I mean, this toy had it all: Easy one hand operation! Voice change slow motion switch! Includes two-sided tape with "real" lines from the movie! Built-in retractable microphone! Fun to use!

“What kind of hotel allows a child to check-in alone?” A hotel fooled by a Talkboy. A great toy from a great movie. Get one today and start creating your own practical jokes with hilarious phrases from the movie!

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Don't forget to type SYS 32592 and hit the Return Key to start your adventure!

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I found all 4 of the Doritos with the Retro Packaging. Nacho is still my favorite, but I picked up a full set.

Collect 'em all!

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Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of "Thriller," Michael Jackson's 1982 masterpiece album, produced by the legendary Quincy Jones on the Epic label. It won a record-breaking eight Grammys at the 1984 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

Seven superb singles were released: "The Girl Is Mine," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Human Nature," "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," and "Thriller." Amazingly, they all reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, setting a record for the most top 10 singles from an album, with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" reaching number one.

By the end of 1983, 32 million copies of the album had sold worldwide, making Thriller the best-selling album of all time. In 1984, Thriller became the first album to become the best-selling album in the United States for two years.

Lastly, who can forget the amazing short film that served as the music video for the titular song. The "Thriller" video, directed by John Landis and narrated by Vincent Price, premiered in December 1983 and played on heavy rotation on MTV, which spurred further album sales. Gotta love those dancing zombies.

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The cab of the future in 1976.

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50 years ago, Atari released Pong and changed video games forever. A year later they innovated, taking Pong to the next level by putting it inside a barrel. As noted in the promotional flyer for arcades, Barrel-Pong is "a low-key cabinet conceived for the better-type bar."

Have you played Atari in-a-barrel today?

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The Cover to the Manual of the Planes is amazing. I remember the first time I saw it on the shelf at the mall bookstore. I needed to have it.

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“How to Master The Video Games” and other books like it were heavily traded in my circle of friends when I was growing up. Outside of word of mouth and a few videos that would eventually get released, these were the sources for tip on how to play video games.

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Start a new holiday tradition and serve Cranberry Candles as your salad.

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Eighties arcade TV journalism.

Wait for it...

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How I felt as a kid and as an adult about Fraggle Rock.