80's Commercials - Where's Herb? (1985-86)

by Dave (Twitter: @80sReboot)

Welcome dear reader to your next installment of an 80's League cross over event. This month we got in our collective mind to talk about 1980's commercials. We discussed on the podcast, how in our modern lives we take full advantage of the technology afforded us with DVRs and will purposely record and start watching shows later than they originally aired for the sole purpose of fast forwarding through commercial interruptions. Back in our beloved 1980s, that technology wasn't available so we had to sit through and watch every painful commercial that was programmed in for us by the corporate giants that ruled the airways. But what do you say? Some of those commercials were really kinda cool and a staple of our childhood? Get back! Truth be told, there are some of those that have graduated to "beloved" status to this 80's child. This won't be a very long blog entry as I geeked out on 80's Commercials on the podcast with Rose and Scott and even gave a stirring rendition of the "Toys R' Us" jingle, so your job is listen to our podcast and check back with a comment below to let me know how I did. (Feel free to tell me to withdraw my application for The Voice.) 

There is one advertising campaign that I did casually mention on the podcast and want to go on the record to say even though it was an epic failure for Burger King and I had read somewhere that the "Where's Herb" campaign is taught as a cautionary "don't do this" to future advertising executives, I was a fan of BK and Herb in the mid to late 80's. Here is why. Growing up as most kids, I had a very (somewhat annoying to my parents) limited acceptable menu that I would approve eating. The world has gotten even with me, as my youngest daughter is much like her old man at that age (going on the record now to say I am humbly very sorry Mom and Dad). A plain hamburger with fries from Burger King was one of the very few meals that I would choose to digest when the family would opt to dine out. The family would choose to go to the local pizzeria and along the way Mom forced Dad to run through the drive thru at Burger King for that plain hamburger and fries so that I could eat that while they enjoyed pizza, that's right I didn't even eat pizza back then (story for another time my friends). 

So my burger tastes were definitely preferring the King over the Clown and everyone coveted the McDonald's offerings and we had an overload of campaign blitz from the wrong side of the tracks. Happy meals, McDLTs, and Big Macs ... how could my beloved Burger King compete against that? Enter a common man named Herb to stand up front and take on the power of the clown's empire. He had to succeed right? This was David against Goliath? Or better stated, Herb against Ronald and Clara Peller (Wendy's - Wheres the Beef campaign). I wanted Herb to be "epicly" triumph and stand up for those of us that have been Burger King devotees through the Hamburger Wars raging in the 1980s. But alas, Herb faded away into obscurity and while Burger King still exists there was not any thanks to my champion. As we have learned in this modern age, any "clown" can rise to power and once at the top it can be really hard to find a champion to dethrone him. 

Let's take a look at few of those Herb advertisements and I dare someone to walk into a Burger King now and say "I am not Herb" and see if the kid at the counter has any clue what you are talking about, feel free to experiment with that and post the reaction you get in the comments below. 

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Be sure to check out the rest of our 80's League podcasts and blogs on this wonderful topic.

Return to the 80's Blog and Podcast

Killer Kitsch Blog

Real Weegie Midget Blog

Rediscover the 80's Blog

Old School Evil Blog

80's Reboot Overdrive Podcast

#ThankfulForThe80s presents Kristy McNichol

by Dave (Twitter: @80sReboot)

My #ThankfulForThe80s journey continues with a brief discussion of my first memorable Hollywood star crush. I was born in 1970 and the late 70's and early 80's afforded me the opportunity to appreciate what we would describe as the "girl next door" type on the podcast. I think this is a misnomer in my latter life as the "girl next door" type has become the girl you wish lived next to you type, you know the type the wink-wink-nudge-nudge type, but Kristy McNichol was someone different to me. She was very cute and I indeed wished she lived next door as she seemed to be just someone very cool to hang out with. I would think more Winnie Cooper-ish girl next door type beauty and coolness, if that makes sense. If she came into my room and said let's play with your Empire Strikes Back action figures and you can be Han Solo and then later we can watch Thundercats, I wouldn't have to kiss her at that point as I would have been instantly in love forever. She just seems like a Hollywood star most likely to be cool with just hanging out with and wasting a day either geeking out or doing anything with.

I was all in with most of the movies that starred Kristy in the 1980's, kicked off the decade with Little Darlings as the tough yet sensitive Angel, Only When I Laugh as Polly Hines, The Pirate Movie as Mabel Stanley, Just the Way You Are as Susan Berlanger. I know those entries went chronological except my absolute favorite The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia as the absolutely perfect Amanda Child. Yes, I was jealous of Mark Hammill at the end of this movie, was it absolutely necessary to remove your uniform before driving off with my girl?

My favorite song from The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia? I am sure you would think "I Need You Strong For Me" or "Baby, Bye-Bye" but actually it was "Hangin' Up the Gun" a duet with Dennis Quaid. Even to this day, I still enjoy listening to this song and watching this movie scene. 

Bonus Video - Let's not forget this gem from The Pirate Movie

What is your favorite 80's moment with Kristy McNichol? Let us know in the comments below or email to 80sReboot@gmail.com

Time Capsule - The Year 1981

by Dave (Twitter - @80sReboot)

This time we move the time capsule target year up to 1981. As I spotlighted on 1980 Time Capsule we have a few podcasts that we have devoted to this year that we would like to share with you. Below our self serving advertisements for our podcast links we have some iconic videos that will give you a small glimpse of some news headlines, TV shows, and cartoon for this specific year. As I write this time capsule blog entry I notice that we posted the Movies of 1981 show 5 months ago, it is amazing to have started the podcast and witness the evolution of topics as when we started I couldn't imagine that we would have completed a Movies of series, let alone have Oscar Movies and Hard Rock / Heavy Metal albums through the years. Our ideas keep coming as we continue to find new topics and guests to talk about the greatest decade. We appreciate you reliving the 80s with us. 

Oscar Movies of 1981 
Matt and Jesse talk about the Oscar nominated movies of 1981 and their picks on what movie should have won.

The Movies of 1981
Dave, Scott, and Jesse talk about the awesome movies of 1981.

Top 3 Hard Rock Albums of 1981
Tim, Scott and Chris discuss their 3 most notable hard rock albums of 1981.

1981 News Headlines

1981 Television Shows

1981 Cartoons

I was ten years old for most of the year and I remember that on a somewhat frequent basis the family went to the local pizza shop in town. Being the picky eater that I was at the time, my Mom would have to stop by Burger King on way to the pizza restaurant to get yours truly a plain hamburger without ketchup with fries. I had some sort of aversion to red food, I wish I remembered what the deal was because I love pizza now but that is life of being a kid, finding new ways to ensure your parental units have to be short order cooks. At the pizza restaurant we would normally occupy a booth and I would routinely beg for quarters from my parents, then having to navigate under the table because my big sister's favorite phrase was "crawl under". Freeing myself from the confines of the booth while they waited for their pizza to arrive I would make my way out to the lobby to once again attempt to beat the sole arcade game there ... Defender by Williams Electronics. Defender would always win but I was mesmerized by the look and sound of this awesome game and even after losing I would watch the demo mode as if it would provide further insight on how I could finally conquer it. Job well done Mr. Eugene Jarvis on your design of this iconic game.

This year also blew my ten year old socks off in the realm of television. To this day "Believe It or Not" by Joey Scarbury ranks number one on my list of best 80s TV songs and hearing that music would stop me in my tracks to see the further misadventures of high-school teacher Ralph Hinkley, FBI Agent Bill Maxwell, and the lovely Pam Davidson. The fine folks over at Marvel also hooked me with their new cartoon Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, as I currently watch the intro I wonder why this version of Peter Parker had such an awesome techno setup when all other versions I am used to have him barely affording to eat? However, I don't need dig deep into this one but I am curious if anyone remembers off the top of their head? Was Firestar or Iceman well off to afford such a big New York apartment that would transform into an advanced techno computer room if they moved the trophy? 

Let us know your thoughts on 1981 in the comments below.

David Bowie Remembered

by Matt (Twitter - @MattMcLean73)

Well, 2016 is determined to kick off on a bummer note, isn't it? Like most of you reading this I was blindsided by the soft, quiet and casual announcement post Golden Globes that David Bowie passed away today, surrounded by his family after a lengthy, but private, battle with cancer.

As a child of the eighties, my first introduction to David Bowie was “Let’s Dance” and “China Girl,” as they both had steady rotation on MTV back when they still played music videos.  Neither song lit my imagination on fire, nor was I particularity fond of them.  They were pretty much innocuous “pop” songs to me, and frankly forgettable (only if they didn’t play non-stop it seemed like).  Not to bash the songs, but I didn’t realize until later in the 80s how much music David Bowie produced in his lifetime.

Back then I was huge Jim Henson fan (still am).  I watched and loved anything and everything that came out from the Henson Company.  So when Labyrinth came out, I was introduced to David Bowie the actor as Jareth the Goblin King.  To me, that is my first real introduction to David Bowie. 

There was something about his performance in that movie that struck me, entice me, entranced me, which I guess was kind of the point (also it was a little bit creepy at the same time). But it stuck with me, who was David Bowie?  One quick trip to the record store and suddenly I was introduced to all alterations of David Bowie.  To say I was hooked is an understatement; I was enthralled with all of his music.  The first album I purchased was Hunky Dory, which included such great songs Changes, Life of Mars, and Queen Bitch.  From there I indoctrinated myself to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane.  Then like an atom bomb, my mind was blown away by Low and Station to Station, which not only was a musical epiphany, but also a sound that I never heard before.

Bowie’s influence has been heard far and wide on all of the music in the 80s.  I personally feel if wasn’t for David Bowie, we probably wouldn’t have a lot of the pop music we all know today.  His influence is still felt.  I find it amazing he just released an album at 69, which by the way is amazing.  Blackstar is even more bittersweet now

There are very few celebrities that I felt a profound loss to.  In fact there’s only three: Freddie Mercury, Jim Hensen, and now David Bowie.  I’ll miss David Bowie greatly, but for now:

I will sit right down
Waiting for the gift of sound and vision

RIP David. Say hi to Ziggy for me.

Share your favorite Bowie memories in the comments below.

80's Reboot Overdrive January Contest

Welcome to the 80s Reboot Overdrive companion blog.

This will be yet another attempt at social media domination and our world take over effort. Ok, so maybe that is a little over stating things.  We might pass on the world take over option for a nice quiet area of the world, we will name something like Otisburg, it's an itty bitty town. In actuality, this will be just another format to share 80s retro stuff and extra content. Hope you enjoy the ramblings and keep checking back for new entries. 

Our first post will be the the first official 80's Reboot Overdrive contest.
Your part is simple just leave a very cool and creative review on iTunes for the podcast before January 24th, 2016. 

Here is a helpful link if you don't know how to do it. 

Here is the link to our podcast. 

Our co-hosts will review all reviews posted on iTunes the week of January 25th and we will pick the winner for the coolest and/or most creative review. The winner will be announced on January 31st, 2016. What do you get? Besides our complete and utter appreciation. How about a brand new unused Nerdblock? This one has been saved since it was received in May 2015. It is a must have for any of our Anime fans out there!

Nerd Block Ani-May contains the following:
My Neighbor Totoro Buttons
Cowboy Bebop Convertible Bandana
Neon Genesis Evangelion Graphic Novel
Attack on Titan Drawstring Bag
Mobile Suit Gundam T-Shirt (Large)
DragonBall Z Funko Pop (Piccolo)

Our only ask if you do not leave any method in the review to find you please shoot an email to 80sReboot@gmail.com with a copy of your review comments and we will keep track of those details if your review is chosen as our winner.

Here is the nutshell version:

You - iTunes review.  Be creative and cool with it if you want to win. leave it before January 24th, 2016. If you don't leave a way to contact you in the review, send a quick email to 80sReboot@gmail.com.

Us - Week of January 25th, 2016. We pour over all the applicants and pick a winner. We announce that winner on January 31st, 2016 and make contact to get mailing address. We ship the box. We ask the winner to send us a pic of the joy and happiness on their face when they receive and we post that pic on this blog.

What are you waiting for? Don't you have a review to write? Seriously, why are you still reading this? There really isn't anything else in this blog entry worth reading.

Self-realization. I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates, who said, "... I drank what?"