Mr. Mouth Commercial (1979)

Toys R Us Commercials, 1980 & 1981

This is a bit of an experiment. In lieu of longform blogging for the time being, I'll just share quick, text-free bits of fun until I can get things going. Enjoy!

Long Live The Bat: Batman the Movie! Batman the Merchandising!

Like any highly successful movie that makes hundreds of millions of dollars, other products are going to find ways to make their money off of it, and Batman 1989 was no exception. Take a look at a tiny fraction of the products based on the film.

Behold--Batman the cereal!





The film was so big that it had not only one but two successful toy lines. The first one was by the small company Toy Biz, which also released other DC Comics characters in a separate line released concurrently with their Batman line. Ironically, the owner of the company was Ike Perlmutter, who now is the CEO of Marvel Entertainment.





The following year (1990), Kenner released The Dark Knight Collection, a larger line also based on the 1989 movie. Here are almost six minutes of commercials for the line.

I still have the Crime Attack Batman action figure from the line to this very day.




In addition to toys, you can always count on fast food restaurants to take part in blockbuster movie promotions. For Batman 1989, the fast food joint of choice was Taco Bell with these cool cups! Collect all four! Don't forget your cinnamon twists!





Finally, MTV held a "Steal The Batmobile" contest in 1989. Movie costar Robert Wuhl has all the details!





I'll bet you're now inspired to rush to Ebay and see if you can get any of this stuff cheap. Good luck!

Classic Christmas Commercials 2018 Edition

Today I present, later than I usually do in a season, a round of classic Christmas commercials. Some may not understand my fascination with TV commercials, as they are usually something people complain about, but there's something about an old commercial, especially with a Christmas theme, that takes you back to good memories and celebrations just like a TV program can.

Here's hoping this year's showcase does the same for you!

First up, this sweet spot for Burger King from 1976.

Next, a series of promos for various CBS Christmas specials such as Charlie Brown, Rudolph, and 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, among others.





I never thought to sing "Deck The Halls" with the name of M&Ms inserted, but now that's all I can do!





This may be the "hardest sell" Christmas commercial I've ever seen, and I just discovered it days ago. The first Tim Burton Batman film was the hottest selling VHS tape of 1989, and this commercial pulls no punches in emphasizing how urgent a gift this was!





Everyone is still lamenting the loss of Toys R Us this year, and their classic Christmas commercial is one of the all-time greats, but this commercial for the even longer expired toy chain Kiddie City isn't shabby either!





Finally, this last commercial is the most recent of the bunch, being from 2014, but it deserves to be noted as being as wonderful as ringing Hershey's Kisses or Santa sliding on snow on an electric razor. In this Apple Computers commercial, an infamous and lonely figure tries to make peace with the townsfolk by embracing the holidays with them. Things nearly go awry, but the magic of the holidays sets in. What a great commercial!





Thanks!

Welcome Summer 2018!

Beaches! Bathing suits! Sunburn! Humidity! Mosquitos! Camping! Ice cream! All this and more await us the next three months!

Welcome to Summer 2018!

Summer is the time of year for children to be out of school, people to take time off from work, and time to crank the A/C way high. The season has some drawbacks, but for the most part, it's a great time of year. Why not celebrate the first day of summer the Me and You way?

First up, the YouTube channel Defunctland does a great job celebrating beloved, and sometimes infamous, tourist attractions and amusement parks of days gone by. Here, Defunctland breaks down the notorious New Jersey water attraction Action Park!

Next up: the trailer to one of my favorite summer-themed movies, Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown. I wrote about the film as a Tuesday's Overlooked Film entry before, so I might as well put that link back up as well.




Speaking of older blog posts, one of my recent faves is my recap of classic summer water toys from the toy company WHAM-O! Please check that out too for some favorite summertime memories!

Back in the 80s and early 90s, Country Time Lemonade advertised their beverage with wistful, laid back commercials meant to evoke sulty, sleepy summer days and nights spent downing glasses of ice cold Country Time. Here is one of the original songs used as background in the commercials. Listening to it does indeed make me feel like sitting on my non-existent porch with Country Time in hand!



Lastly, my unofficial theme song of the first day of summer, "Are You Ready For The Summer" by the kids of the great summertime comedy movie Meatballs!



Have a great and safe Summer 2018, and stay tuned here for more fun in the virtual sun!

If you're thinking about purchasing something from Amazon soon, give my links a try. I appreciate your support!

Toys R Us, 1957-2018

The feels, the feels, the feels.

Halloween TV Commercials 2017 Edition Part 2

As promised, here are more spooky TV commercials to put you in that Halloween mood!

It wouldn't be Halloween without the involvement of McDonald's. Here is a Happy Meal commercial with the ever-popular McNugget Buddies!

Next, here are promos for CBS Saturday morning programs from 1981, as well as a promo for two long-forgotten Halloween specials, Bugs Bunny's Howl-O-Ween and Raggedy Ann and Andy and the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile (featured previously at this blog)!



I can't let a Countdown to Halloween go by without at least one mention of the Monster Cereals. Here they are pushing their monster-sized marshmallows!



Here is a fun ad for the defunct party supply store iParty involving zombies hungry for Halloween savings!



This is an awesome TV spot from 1980 for the first Friday the 13th movie. I see commercials for horror movies all the time today, but there's something about the older ones that seem to have more...something. I don't know what, but I think you know what I mean!



Vampires are tough. Vampires are ruthless. Vampires...can be stopped by a set of Audi headlights.



This commercial was recorded off of a camera pointed at a TV screen, but it doesn't make watching this ad for Play-Doh's Fuzzy Pumper Monster Shop any less fun!



Finally, here is a great one for T-Mobile. Dr. Frankenstein can be such a condescending bore!



Even better, outtakes from that same commercial!



Maybe--maaaaaaaaaaybe--I'll have one more installment of commercials for this year. I don't want to go this well too often, but I have such a large collection this year that I may not be able to resist.

Thanks!

Halloween TV Commercials 2017 Edition Part 1

Some of my favorite Halloween posts of all time have been my collections of Halloween TV commercials. They're society's way of recognizing that the season is upon us. I have a large amount of creepy commercials to share with you, so I'm showcasing them in multiple posts. Enjoy part one now!

This first quick clip features a promotion by Bonkers fruit candy for a Mad Balls rip-off called Ugly Balls. 15 seconds of pure creepitude!



In this next clip, the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz meets her match in the Energizer Bunny!



Snickers is always one of the most popular Halloween candies, and they're also one of the best advertisers around. This Spanish language commercial makes excellent use of a zombie in the workplace!



This next commercial may be the most elegant one I've ever featured in the Countdown. Using Lux bath soap may save your life!



Poor Phil the Vampire. He should have chosen a more understanding partner with whom to take to dinner at Sonic!



Vincent Price appeared in countless commercials and is a Countdown staple here and at many other blogs. He always performed in every commercial as if it were an Oscar-worthy production. Here he gives it his all as the spokesman for the Milton Bradley game Stay Alive. I'd be too scared to play against him!



Finally, this commercial from Hostess snack cakes features a tween boy bullying his sister's sweet-looking doll--a choice he soon regrets!


I'll have plenty more spooky commercials for you later this month. Stay tuned!

List O' Links for Friday, February 3, 2017

Welcome back everybody! I hope you all had a great holiday season (it's weird asking about your holidays when February has already started). It has been far too long since I've written here, and I only have time to show you some cool stuff at other sites, but I'm still worth your time, aren't I?

Oh. Well, here are some fun links anyway.

When I got into comic books heavily at the end of the 80s, I came across an awesome "choose your own adventure" style book featuring Batman; I still have it to this very day! Coincidentally, The Retroist has a brand new article about it. Check it out!

It's that time of year again--time for McDonald's to bring back the ever-popular Shamrock Shake! But they've kicked it up a notch this year. In fact, they've kicked it up three additional notches! This year, McDonald's is offering four versions of the shake! Bring on the calories!

If you love awesome toys from the 70s, then you'll love THESE awesome toys from the 70s! I totally had the green and black Roaring Hot Cycle!

I can never get enough foreign-made posters for popular America movies. Their outtake on our films are always both crazy yet full of insight that we Americans lose. Try these foreign movie posters on for size!

Finally, I have had the new Chocolate Strawberry Oreos, and they are goooooooooood! Don't believe me--check out the word of Stunt Zombie. He likes them too!

Have a great weekend!

Summertime Fun with WHAM-O!

Summertime! The season of cookouts, swimming pools, the beach, and other outdoor entertainment. One company that's aided us in our summertime amusement is legendary toy company WHAM-O! Here are just a few of their childhood-inspiring inventions!

Water Wiggle! Try not to get whipped and maimed by this thing.



In the same vein, and perhaps slightly less malicious, is the Fun Fountain. A more tame alternative to the Water Wiggle, this still could be traumatizing for those with a pathological fear of clowns.



Then again, if you prefer to live dangerously, what's more harrowing in your backyard during the summer months than ye olde Slip 'N' Slide?



Of course, not all summertime toys are water-related. Relive the simple fun of the classic Frisbee!



Here is WHAM-O's Super Balloon. I don't know if I recall anyone in my neighborhood having one of these, and I have a hard time imagining that users didn't get bored with this after five minutes. Feel free to prove me wrong in the comments!



Lastly, an all-time classic toy I've never been able to master for very long--the hula hoop!



Of course, all of these pale in comparison to everyone's childhood favorite--Log!



Now get away from whatever screen you're reading this on and GO OUT AND PLAY! IT'S SUMMER!

List O' Links for Friday, February 20th, 2015

If it's Friday, it must be List O' Links time! And boy do I have a fine selection for you this week!

This article presents some amazing outer space artwork from French comics published in the 1970s. Beautiful stuff, and something I want to see more of!

You guys! Star Blazers action figures from Japan!

Speaking of toys from Japan, here are oodles and oodles of Japanese TV commercials for the original Transformers toys. This was long before they came to America; they weren't even called Transformers at the time!

One of my most well-received articles for the blog is the one I wrote on Jaws movie posters, and how iconic the original poster is in pop culture. I've since been sorry to learn that the original painting by artist Roger Kastel used for the first paperback edition of the novel and movie poster has been missing for many years! For shame!

For ages I tried to find information on a kids show that aired on PBS briefly in the 80s that was a blatant rip-off of Nickelodeon's You Can't Do That On Television, but couldn't find anything--until now! Read all you ever wanted to know about the YCDTOT clone Don't Look Now!

Finally, to end on a positive note, enjoy these lovely superhero-themed inspirational messages courtesy of Imgur.

Have a great weekend!

List O' Links for Friday, November 21st, 2014

This is the last weekend of the year before the holiday season. There's something significant about that, even if I'm not exactly sure what that is. Regardless, here are some fun links to amuse you as you wait for the The Most Wonderful Time of The Year to begin!

The Den of Geek has done us all a favor and created a handy guide of as many Christmas movies and TV episodes as they could find. What a great holiday hook-up!

Would you like some cool Batman wallpaper for your desktop computer? Of course you would! Thanks to Neato Coolville for this!

The Peanuts Movie just released its first full-length trailer this week, and I couldn't be more excited about it. Here are some still images released from the film courtesy of Geek Tyrant, as well as the trailer itself. Coming to theaters November 6, 2015!

Automaker Honda is tapping into the fact that Generation X is now the breadwinner of America by using 80s-era (mostly) toy characters to encourage the purchase of their vehicles. Nicely done, and shrewd! The Skeletor one is my favorite.

Add this to the collection of holiday music sites worth visiting regularly--My Festive Fizzy Pop, poster of cool new Christmas songs!

Finally, Shawn Robare of Branded in the 80s blows our minds with his Back to The Future theory. Behold: The Other Marty McFly Theorem! Great Scott! This is heavy!

Have a great weekend. See you in the future!

Two Obscure Cartoons from the 60s That Are So Bad They're Awesome

I have to thank my good friend Peter Carley for bringing these two cartoons to my attention. He had posted last week the news about an upcoming movie based on the Hot Wheels toy franchise manufactured by Mattel. I commented that I thought it was a major stretch to base a movie on something like Hot Wheels. Peter in turn pointed me to a precedent to basing a media product on Hot Wheels.

And here it is...



Oh good Lord.

Hot Wheels, featuring the racing exploits of high school student (really?) Jack "Rabbit" Wheeler, aired for two seasons on ABC Saturday mornings starting in the fall of 1969. Two of the voice actors featured on the series were Casey Kasem and, of all people, Albert Brooks! (Un?)fortunately, the cartoon has never aired since, nor has it ever been released on home video.

But that's not the only gem I discovered from this conversation.

A buddy of Peter raised the stakes of bad cartoons by posting this glorious discovery:



Yes, that was Super President, the cartoon about the President of the United States having super powers. Powers that, apparently, were anything the writers wanted them to be if they moved the story along. At least it had awesome voice work by Paul Frees. The series aired on NBC from September 1967 through December 1968. The series was canceled due to criticism that portraying the US President, even a fictional one, as a superhero sent a bad message to the rest of the world. The series was produced by Depatie-Freleng animation studios, which produced the Pink Panther cartoons among many others; the studio would be acquired by Marvel Comics circa 1980 and become Marvel Animation Studios.

Just when I think I've learned about every TV cartoon series that existed, fun stuff like this comes along out of the blue and amuses me to no end. Great stuff!

List O' Links for Friday, December 13th--Christmas Edition!

Hello gang! Although today is Friday the 13th, no need to fear of bad luck today, not during the holiday season! You can feel lucky as you click on these fun Christmas-themed links this weekend!

Chris Sims takes a look at the various Santa Claus action figures out there.

The Coca-Cola company reclaims a bit of their advertising history by discussing their involvement in the creation of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Making hot cocoa from a package is efficient, but not necessarily the best cocoa ever. Here's a recipe for creamy cocoa made in a crockpot. I want to try it!

Speaking of holiday beverages, here is a list (albeit a year old) of one reviewer's Top 10 Beers for Christmas. Chug, chug, chug, chug!

Finally, although I've mentioned this site before, it warrants repeating. Santa's Working Overtime is an awesome place to find out the latest Christmas music releases as well as a clearinghouse for other great Christmas finds on the 'net. Think of it as a full time Christmas List O' Links! They're awesome.

Have a great weekend! Get some shopping and decorating done! Don't drink and drive! Stay safe!

Superman Week: List O' Links for Friday, June 14th, 2013--Superman Edition!

If it's Friday, it must be List O' Links! Being Superman Week, let's keep the theme going with these super links!

Here is the new Man of Steel movie's official site.

A great source for all things Superman is The Superman Homepage, a long running fan site that has tons of great stuff, including articles, images, podcasts, and more!

Here's a fun site devoted specifically to collecting Superman toys and other artifacts.

If you're a devotee of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, Supermania is for you! It's a tribute site for the four Reeve movies with all kinds of interesting facts and images.

Acclaimed comic book writer Mark Waid is an expert on all things Superman. Can you match your Superman kung fu next to his? Give it a try with this tough trivia quiz!

I posted some fun Superman images earlier this week, but Comics Alliance posted some great ones earlier this spring. Take a look!

Superman has a great supporting cast, including his female teenage cousin Kara Zor-EL, aka Supergirl. She has her own fans, such as the author of the Supergirl Comic Box Commentary blog. Check it out!

Finally, it's important to note how Superman's early popularity and influence was created by the classic radio series. You can listen to the very first episode here.

I hope you enjoyed Superman Week. If you see the film, feel free to post a (spoiler-free) review in the comments section of this post. Have a "super" weekend!

List O' Links for Friday, March 29th, 2013--Batman '66 Edition!

Today is Good Friday--and aren't most Fridays good, anyway?--but we can make it a great Friday--the Batman way. Specifically, the Batman '66 way!

DC Entertainment announced earlier this year that they've secured the rights to license a bevy of products based on the Batman TV series and feature film of the 1960s, and as a huge fan of the series, I couldn't be happier. Rumor has it, this could be the key to finally seeing the series released on DVD. One can only hope!

Here is a set of links celebrating the beloved series and announcing the new products soon to arrive in stores--and our hearts.

Graphic designer Dylan Todd created a series of 64 images celebrating the series called The Batman '66 Project. Check it out!

According to this old TV magazine from the 60s, "Batman Helps Bad Men Make Good."

So there was that time The Joker tried to beat Batman in a surfing contest.

Here they are! The first wave of Batman '66 action figures being released this July. Featuring Batman, The Riddler, and The Penguin, plus the best Batmobile ever!

And here's the best news: DC Comics has announced the first ever comic book based on the TV version of the comic book! It will be written by Jeff Parker (whom I interviewed about his Red She-Hulk series for Marvel last September) and penciled by Jonathan Case. The series will appear in digital format first and in print later on. Parker has a collection of the press he's done for the series at his Web site Parkerspace.

Finally, the song.

Have a great weekend!

List O' Links for Friday, March 8, 2013

"It's Friday, you ain't got no job, and you ain't go sh*t to do!" So why not spend it with these links?

Ten things you never knew about Barbie.

More cool behind-the-scenes material from the 70s Hulk TV show, courtesy of Al Bigby.

Here are some excellent covers from Detective Comics before the creation of Batman, to remind everyone that the title was really about detective comics.

Salon asks the question "What happened to Orson Scott Card?"

Finally, an article that made the comic book rounds like wildfire this week: legendary artist and writer Jerry Ordway laments his lack of attention from DC Comics and states his desire to be a major force in comics again. I hope someone gives him the opportunity.

Have a great weekend!

List O' Links for Friday November 16, 2012

It's the last Friday before the holiday season, so enjoy it now, because every weekend for the rest of the year will be consumed with shopping and holiday parties. Get in the groove with these loopy links!

I'm not sure what the hottest toys are this year, but if you want to know what some of the hottest toys were from 1952 through 1983, I can help you with that.

Here is some cool looking retro artwork of the original Star Trek crew.

Speaking of cool artwork, no one was cooler than Dr. Seuss. He even made advertising look great.

Instant Cosby's gonna get you, gonna look you right in the face.

So there was that time Yvonne Craig appeared on the Merv Griffin show in full Batgirl costume...

Finally, with the Hostess family of baked goods on the verge of disappearing, now is a good time to remember the joyous creations that were comic book ads for Hostess cakes and pies.

Have a great weekend!

List O' Links for Week of 4/27/12

It's been awhile, but List O' Links is back! And what a sweet lineup we have this week!

Comics Alliance presents 15 comic book TV shows that didn't make it to full series. Amazing Screw-On Head, anyone?

Fellow Adventure Time fans will get a kick out of this collection of 101 animated gifs from the series. Actually, its an even 100, as one of them is listed twice, but who's counting?

My blogging friend and high school alumnus Chris Nowaczyk professes why baseball is his religion.

Masters of the Universe characters created with Lite Brite pegs. Experience the power here and here.

Finally, Hero Complex, the online comic book blog published by the LA Times, featured this moving tribute to Jack Kirby by his son Neal.

Have a great weekend!

List O' Links For Week of 3/26-4/1

As you can tell the last few months, I haven't been nearly as prolific a blogger as in the past. But that doesn't mean I'm not on the Web--quite the contrary. I'm always coming across cool and interesting stuff, so much so that I'd like to start a new feature at the blog that showcases some of the things I find. I hope to do this weekly, but we'll see how it works out. Here we go!

At comic book journalism site Comics Alliance, staff writer Chris Sims explains in fascinating detail why Spider-Man is the best comic book superhero ever.

At the espionage in pop culture blog Double O Section, author Tanner educates us on the surprising antagonism between two British pop culture icons--The Beatles and James Bond.

At ComicBooked.com, writer The Ronyn explains why Michael Bay isn't to blame for desecrating the Transformers--Hasbro is.

Pac-Man is still a video game icon, even after 30 years. But you know who doesn't get credit--the Ghost Monsters. D.S. Cohen at About.com remedies that here.

Finally, Tuesday's Forgotten Film/TV has been one of the most important features sustaining the blog the last year or so, but that's not the only way to experience overlooked art. You should also check out the Monthly Underappreciated Music at Todd Mason's blog and Friday's Forgotten Books at Patti Abbott's blog.

Have a great weekend!