The day my kid went punk

1987 ABC Afterschool Special. You might recognize Doc from The Love Boat as the father of the wayward teenager.

IMDB page.

Akron Beacon Journal - Oct 21, 1987

Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 11, 2019 - Comments (5)
Category: Music, Television, 1980s

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie

The Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 08, 2019 - Comments (2)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Antisocial Activites, Bums, Hobos, Tramps, Beggars, Panhandlers and Other Streetpeople, Disasters, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, 1980s, Fictional Monsters

Spanish for the California farmer

First published in 1981. It included translations for phrases a farmer might need to communicate with his workers, such as, “Clean up your camp. You live like a f**king pig.”

One of the authors noted: “This is a practical book. This is not a grammar book. If you want to have beautiful Spanish, you can get your grammar books and go to school. If you want to be practical in a farm case, you have to know the slang. People use the language.”

The book is available on Amazon, though listed as “Out of Print — Limited Availability.”

Wilmington Morning News - Jan 9, 1983

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 28, 2019 - Comments (7)
Category: Languages, Books, 1980s

Mystery Gadget 70

What is this tool used for?

Answer is here.

Or after the jump.

More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 11, 2019 - Comments (2)
Category: Technology, 1980s

Juror spots stolen shoes

Either this was an ingenious way to get out of jury duty, or a truly random coincidence.

What I find particularly odd is that the shoes were obviously pretty crappy, with paint spots and frayed laces. So somewhat weird that someone would steal them in the first place, and then choose to wear them while serving as a witness at a trial... and then, by sheer chance, the owner of the shoes happens to be in the jury.

Fort Lauderdale News - Jan 18, 1986

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 07, 2019 - Comments (0)
Category: Crime, Shoes, 1980s

The Deaccelerator

Richard Schulman's solution to the problem of speeding: make it harder for motorists to step on the gas pedal. From the Chicago Tribune (Nov 20, 1986):


Schulman invented it in the mid-1980s, and even started a company, the Deaccelerator Corporation, to market it. As of 2005, he was still publishing about it, but evidently the idea met with resistance (pun intended) since I'm not aware of any cars equipped with the device. The people who need it most would be exactly the ones who would refuse to buy a car that had one.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 06, 2019 - Comments (6)
Category: Inventions, 1980s, Cars

The Last Resort

A nice slideshow about this era here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 19, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Regionalism, Documentaries, 1980s, Twentieth Century

Russian Version of Mary Poppins

Why rush to a crowded theater and pay fifteen dollars to see the new MARY POPPINS, when you can sit at home and watch the Russian version for free?

Unfortunately, embedding not permitted, so you must make the far journey to YouTube.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 12, 2018 - Comments (1)
Category: Movies, Fantasy, 1980s, Russia

Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold

I wonder what more-famous franchise inspired this turkey?

"Sharon Stone...was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress for this role, for which she lost to Madonna for Who's That Girl."

Wikipedia page here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 18, 2018 - Comments (7)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Literature, Movies, 1980s

How to make pineapple from zucchini

It's "zucchini pineapple." Info from Healthy Canning:


Basically you put zucchini in a can with some pineapple juice, lemon juice, and sugar. Seal it up for a while, and it turns into something kind of like pineapple.

Fremont News-Messenger - July 21, 1981

Posted By: Alex - Thu Nov 08, 2018 - Comments (6)
Category: Food, 1980s