I Saw E.T. 14 Times - IN THE THEATER!

RE-POST FROM AUGUST 21, 2009



Remember when you were a kid, if you liked a movie, you had to see it over and over again. If you didn't, you weren't a true fan. You'd memorize every single line and could easily recite the script along with your friends. What happened to those days? Why doesn't this matter to most of us anymore?

I think back to the films I saw in the theater. Often it was summer cinema when school was out and movies were like $4 and popcorn was like $2 - and we thought that was pricey back then. Our moms would get rid of us for a few hours. Back then it was safe to just get dropped off at Sunrise Cinemas on Sunrise Highway. Today, not so much.

We'd brag about how many times we saw our favorite film. In my case, this was especially true for E.T., Karate Kid, Goonies and Footloose. Ironically, I had crushes on the lead kid in every movie from Henry Thomas to Ralph (he was from LI and we shared the same b'day!) to Sean Astin (I had an inhaler like his character Mikey!) and Footloose - Kevin Bacon - wow! Thanks to Footloose, I discovered hair mousse. I had read in Seventeen magazine about this brand new hair product called "mousse," you cold manipulate your hair to appear spiky, just like Wren's in Footloose!

For Christmas of 1982, I had to have an E.T. sleeping bag, sheets and bedding, snack tray, posters, figurines, the board game, cup and plate set, and much more. I still have some of those items. I loved them all so much. I remember counting all of my E.T. things, writing them down in a notebook and admiring them all for days over the holiday break from school.

I loved The Goonies more than any of my friends to the point where I even slipped a mini tape recorder into the theater with me. I recorded the audio and listened to it repeatedly for days and days until I had every line down pat, "...This is my dream, my wish, and it didn't come true, so I'm takin' 'em back, I'm takin' 'em all back!" I remember Corey Feldman's lines like it was yesterday. Too bad I didn't have a memory like that when it came to science and history. I'd be a top scholar!

As an adult, the only film I've seen an excessive amount of times would have to be Rushmore. I know pretty much every line, own the soundtrack and DVD, and I still laugh at all of the same scenes.


By the fall, I still loved ET and my mom threw me an ET Halloween birthday party complete with her best shot at an ET shaped cake. I dressed up like Gertie did on Halloween and went as a cowgirl.

Retro Weekend Rewind | Tears For Fears

Between the ages of 12 and 13 I was "head over heels" (sorry I couldn't resist) for this British band, Tears for Fears. Before you can comment that you don't remember them, it's most likely because you were born after 1985.

• Tears for Fears was started by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith in the early 1980s. 
• Singer Curt Smith tweets, follow him here!
• Tears for Fears albums I loved were: The Hurting, Songs from the Big Chair and The Seeds of Love
• Micheal Andrews and Gary Jules did an acoustic cover of "Mad World" which was included on the Donnie Darko soundtrack. 
• Tears for Fears are currently touring, I'd love to catch them at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey but decent seats are pricey and being unemployed, I just can't justify it. I miss the days of writing concert reviews and getting free tickets, backstage access and promotional CDs.
  

Remembering Gary Coleman | Diff'rent Strokes Star Dead

Gary Wayne Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010)

Friday, May 28, 2010 we Gen X kids said goodbye to yet another 1980s icon. Gary Coleman was taken off life support after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage. He was only 42-years-old.

It has been such a sad year for us '80s fans ...  We bid an unexpected farewell to John Hughes, Michael Jackson, Andrew "Boner" Koenig, Corey Haim and now Gary Coleman.  I want to say that my heart goes out to his family, but from the many news reports I've heard over the years, his parents were so awful to him, leaving him virtually penniless.

I remember hearing interviews with fellow cast members saying Gary always put up a great front as a child actor. As you know, Gary suffered from kidney disease that stunted his growth. Despite medications and dialysis treatments, he always worked his butt off.

My husband and I have such a love for Diff'rent Strokes. It's hard to believe the show debuted the day before my 6th birthday back in 1978. I watched faithfully every week. I knew the words to the theme song. Then again, who didn't?

My love for the Diff'rent Strokes TV show continued into adulthood. At one point we DVRed nearly every Diff'rent Strokes episode off BET. We loved the fashions. We loved the '80s references. We loved that the show covered such controversial topics for those days. Many episodes focused on serious topics like drugs, date rape, racism, bullies, kidnapping, sexual assault and child molestation.

Good-bye Gary, you will be missed.

Three Trivia Tidbits about Diff'rent Strokes



1. The theme song was written by Alan Thicke and his wife at the time Gloria Loring--some articles say Alan Thicke even sang the theme song.
2. The Gooch was this jerky bully whom though often mentioned, we never did get to see. 
3. The title of the show was originally 45 Minutes From Harlem.


 

The Rubik's Cube Turned 30 in March

Between about 1980-1981, the Rubik's Cube was all the rage. I know I'm once again dating myself, but hey, I didn't ask for all of these underage readers! These days it seems as if everything I once loved is aging. My teen idols have all grown up. Kirk Cameron, Jason Bateman and Corey Feldman are all dads now.

My favorite games and dolls are all celebrating 30 years of fun. I don't want to grow up along with them. I told you about Strawberry Shortcake and Pac-man turning 30, well add Rubik's Cube to the 30 club. In case you're clueless as to what the heck a Rubik's Cube is, Rubiks.com describes the puzzle as, "... a 3x3x3 plastic cube with different colored squares revolving around a central axis to produce around 43 quintillion different combinations with only one solution!"

Due to my suddenly busy schedule, I begged my husband to write a retro post. He declined. What did I expect from someone who has read about three of my blog posts? Instead he quickly told me about a time when he gave up trying to solve the Rubik's Cube and simply removed the stickers and reapplied them giving the impression that he had completely solved the puzzle.

Five Fun Facts About Rubik's Cube

1. The Rubik's Cube was developed by a Hungarian university lecturer, designer and engineer named Erno Rubik.
2. More than 350 million Rubik's Cubes have been sold since 1980 -- one million were sold between 1980-1981.
3. Rubik's hosts World Championships that gather hundreds of entries from all over the world who try to  solve the puzzle between 10 and 30 seconds, BLINDFOLDED!
4. The current World Record Holder for solving The Cube is Dutch teenager Erik Akkersdijk. In July of 2008, he solved the cube in 7.08 seconds.
5. Rubik's offers a variety of other puzzles such as the challenging 4x4 and 5x5 version  and even have their own YouTube channel.

The Andy Gibb Doll AKA Worst Christmas Gift Ever

At first I wanted to title this blog post, "The Andy Gibb Doll, AKA Worst Gift Ever" then remembered the two re-gifted items we received at our wedding. The gift-giver was kind enough to leave the Bloomingdale's tags on them for easy return. However, because the items were four years old--which coincidentally dated back to gift-giver's wedding--the item decreased in value and was only worth $4.

Anyway, I know 'tis not the season to be talking Christmas, but I had to get this off my chest. Like now.

Adam Rich from Eight is Enough

Today one of my close friends stated on Facebook that Andy Gibb was her very first crush. Truth be told, like Rick Springfield, he was much too old for me. That year I was sweating Adam Rich from Eight is Enough pretty hardcore and didn't have time for Andy. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Bee Gees just like every good '70s child, but didn't want to marry 'em.

It must have been Christmas of 1979. I was 7. We were celebrating Christmas Eve at Great Aunt Cee's house way up in Mountainside, New Jersey--a long, cold ride for a little kid from Long Island. She had a big, fancy, suburban home with an awesome basement bar and possibly even a disco ball. I would run around wild, downing ShopRite orange soda and stuffing my face with antipasto. It was great fun.

Aside from the glorious food, my second favorite perk of the holiday festivities were the gifts. The tree was surrounded by beautifully wrapped presents and a handful of them were for me. I counted the minutes to receive my two or three items. Seriously, I waited all night for them.

What did I unveil that Christmas, 1979? A damn Andy Gibb doll! There sat plastic Andy, staring at me from his shiny blue box, donning pink and white and his trademark winged 'do. What the what? I wasn't into Andy Gibb! I remember crying to my mom, "A BOY DOLL! WHAT THE HECK AM I GONNA DO WITH A BOY DOLL?!"

I loved Barbies, Baby Alive and Monchhichi. None of those items were under the tree with my name attached to it. Nope, I went home sulking in the backseat of our '77 Cutlass toting a horrible Andy Gibb doll. Too bad I didn't hold on to that crappy doll. It fetches a pretty penny on eBay today. 

Remember Stussy Retro Surf & Skate Wear

Stussy Secrets - Once A Must-Have, Now Vintage Surf & Skate Apparel

Was it spelled Stussy or Stüssy? Was it pronounced "Stew-Cee" or did it rhyme with "hussy"? Didn't matter! If you were a skater, snowboarder, surfer or raver back in the 1990s, you most likely owned something from the Stussy clothing line.

Created by Shawn Stussy, Stussy was for sure one of the coolest, hippest clothing brands between the late 1980s through the early 1990s.

I was somewhat surprised to discover Shawn Stussy is still bringing it. Gotta love our fellow aging hipsters. Although Shawn sold the Stussy brand to his business partner and old fiend, his S/Double Studio line of hip gear seems pretty freakin' cool for us mature, former ravers. Slick looks that are more J.Crew than loud. If I wasn't so financially conservative these days, I'd definitely order my husband some new jeans or shorts from S/Double--for now he's all Old Navy. Then again, why waste coolness on a man that doesn't care? Anyway...

Clueless about Stussy? Here are a few things you should know the '90s fashion phenomenon.



1. Shawn began his brand by selling shirts out of his car in Laguna Beach, California. At age 24, Shawn Stussy, an avid skater and surfer started his own surfboard company.

2. Stussy was possibly more popular in Europe than in the USA and continues to sell overseas.

3. In 1984, Shawn's old friend Frank Sinatra Jr. joined him in marketing his brand -- funny there's no relation between his business partner and the famous crooner.

4. Back in the early 1990s, my friends and I would head to Soho to visit the Stussy Store and load up on fashionable rave apparel.

5. Shawn Stussy has a blog right here on Blogger! Check him out here!

*Image from http://slamxhype.com/

Retro Texas Instruments Speak & Spell

Remember Speak & Spell?

Texas Instruments first introduced Speak & Spell in 1976. The educational toy sold well throughout the 1980s and may be best known as helping E.T. phone home. 

I find it very odd that my folks never bought me one of these nifty hand held educational toys considering they were teachers. Sure we lived at the library, played lots of fun flashcards and memory games, but damn Ma, where the hell was the Speak & Spell?

I located this awesome website that actually allows you to play Speak & Spell online to test out your spelling, which I won't lie, which continues to be somewhat of a weakness for me. Spelling Bees made me extremely nervous. Ironically I'm a writer by trade, but growing up I had to work very hard to pass spelling quizzes. Maybe if I had a Speak & Spell to practice with ... just kidding, Mom!

If you too didn't get to own this popular toy, hurry over to http://www.speaknspell.co.uk/speaknspell.html and put your grammar school spelling to the test!


Bill Cosby Speak & Spell Commercial From The Late 1970s

Weekend Retro Rewind | The Smiths

My high school yearbook quote was, "And if the people stare, then the people stare, I really don't know and I really don't care." It was taken from The Smiths song, "Hand in Glove" and is probably the most popular track they've ever released. Now, don't get me wrong, it's an amazing song, but not my ultimate favorite. Then again, it's hard to have just one favorite Smiths songs.

In class, most kids would doodle. I would jot down Smiths lyrics.

So many of them touched me like, "Ask me why and I'll die. Does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body? I dunno" ... "There are brighter sides to life and I should know because I've seen them, but not very often." So many lines I loved... "I know it's over and still I cling, I don't know where else I can go ... Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head." I can't forget about:  "I wear black on the outside, 'cause black is how I feel on the inside." Then there's,  "... and if a ten ton truck kills the both of us, to die by your side, well the pleasure and the privilege is mine."

My other yearbook quote was stolen from an interview I once read in an issue of Star Hits magazine in 1985. Lead singer Morrissey (Steven Patrick Morrissey) stated, "I was just the type of person everyone despises." He summed up how I felt all throughout my school years. The Smiths got me through grades 9-12 and then followed me into college. They guided me through late night writing assignments, weekend parties, crushes, breakups, heartbreak, kisses, late night drives and so much more.

I have always had a soft spot for British bands. I've loved The Smiths since 1986 and although they've been one of my all-time favorite bands, I haven't bothered to attend a Morrissey concert since the early '90s. I will never outgrow or tire of them.

The other day I stumbled upon this blog called The Smiths Project. This chick from California has the most incredibly angelic voice and does choral renditions of Smiths songs.  She even performs them live! Why does everything cool have to happen in Cali? 

I remember this Smiths video in 10th grade. I'm sure I taped it from 120 Minutes which was a two-hour late night alternative video series MTV aired on Sundays I think.

Happy 30th Anniversary Pac-Man

What sort of a retro blogger would I be if I didn't wish Pac-Man a happy 30th Anniversary? To celebrate, here's seven cool trivia tidbits I've learned this week about the only video game that truly captured my heart.

It is also one of the few things I have in common with my baseball-loving, seafood-eating, beer-brewing hubby. We realized this when it came time to pick a cool wedding cake topper. I found out he wasn't a fan of  Smurfs and wasn't really down with Dear Daniel and Hello Kitty (the famous Sanrio couple) -- my first cake topper ideas. We went with Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man bride and groom figurines purchased on eBay for $50 a few months before the wedding.

7 Things You Might Not Know About Pac-Man

1. Original name for Pac-Man was Puck Man, but fearing Americans would switch-up the "P" with an "F", Namco decided to change the name.

2. Pac-Man's simplistic shape was based upon a pizza pie missing one slice of pizza.

3. The game was developed with women and couples in mind. Most of the original video games at that time were male-oriented which focused on shooting, space, aliens, etc.

4. Designers felt that using food-munching as one of the game's objectives would attract female game players.

5.  An estimated 10 billion+ games of Pac-Man have been played worldwide.

6. "Pac-Man Fever" by Buckner & Garcia reached #9 on the Billboard charts and sold 2.5 million copies. Their record label was so impressed with Jerry Buckner & Gary Garcia's fun lyrics, they commissioned the Akron, Ohio duo to create an entire album consisting of video game songs. 

7. Ninety-four percent of Americans can identify the Pac-Man image, talk about amazing branding. 

It's funny, the sound effects and music associated with the Pac-Man game, instantaly bring me back to age 10 playing against my dad in arcades on Long Island. Happy 30th my little yellow friend.

'90s Slang | 10 Words & Phrases We Need To Retire

How funny is it to hear your mom say things like, "Oh, that burger place really is da bomb" ... On one hand you're relieved she didn't say, "da bomb diggity." However, on the other hand, you think to yourself it's cute she's trying to be hip--too bad she's about ten years too late ... On that note, I present you with more slang we truly need to retire, if we haven't already.

Guide To Uncool 1990s Slang

1. "Stud Muffin" as in "Hot Guy" ... now I myself have referred to hot guys as "stone cold fox", but come on, something '70s is obviously cool in the old-school sense. You just know it's being thrown around as a fun vintage word.  

2. "Phat" as in "Cool" ... this was a term that became popular during the early to mid '90s and although it's very rarely used today, I hated it back then because, well, ya know. My buddy Rob would see me at a rave and say, "Hey Al, phat shirt ya got on tonight!" referring to a cool t-shirt I picked up at a hipster shop on the LES. Said shirt most likely had a play on the Pepsi logo or something. In my mind I'd think, "Hellz yeah it's a fat shirt, it's an XL"  >:-(

3. "All that and a bag of chips" as in "Awesome" ... made famous, I'm guessing by 1990s TV talk shows and Austin Powers, but please if you're still saying this, I'm sorry.

Available for purchase at http://www.zazzle.com

4. "Talk to the hand!" as in "Don't even!" ... see #3.

5. "Really?" as in "No you didn't!" or "For real?" ... I've bitched about this on Facebook before. I'm so sick of this "Really" stuff. Like enough already.

6. "Homie" or "Homeslice" as in "buddy" or "friend" ... Does anyone even say this anymore? Lame.

7. "Not so much" as in "not very cool" or "lame"... I am going to give Borat credit for "Not so much". I think he popularized the phrase. It's time to retire this one along with "Really?" ... Even though it's from 2000-something, it's time.

8. "Shiznit" as in "Cool" or "It's the sh*t" ... Another slang word I hope we don't hear too much of, since it's very '90s. For some reason "shiznit" sorta reminds me of something Robin Williams would say as Mork on Mork & Mindy.

9. "What's the dilly?" variations:  "What the dillie?", "What the dealy?" or "What the dilly, yo?" as in "What's the deal?" or "What's up?" ... another phrase I am hoping none of you still utilize today. Very 1990s.

10. "Scrub" as in "A loser guy who thinks he's 'all that and a bag of chips'" ...  Big in 1994 and made famous by the '90s pop group TLC with "No Scrubs. Notice I said 1994.

Other words not included on this list are "cool beans" thanks to my friend Rene for that one, which reminds me of "coolio" meaning basically the same thing. The simplistic term "cool" will always be cool in my book, no need to add to it. Feel free to list your own personal favorites in the comment section.

Celebrating 400 Followers With A Video Blog!

Remember Heather O'Rourke From Poltergeist?

Yesterday, I blogged about Strawberry Shortcake and in my research I discovered an old commercial featuring child actress Heather O'Rourke. Most of my readers were born in the mid to late 1980s and are likely to comment that they don't remember her. It is my duty as a retro blogger, to introduce you to this adorable little actress. Sadly, little Heather died rather suddenly of complications due to Chron's disease on February 1, 1988. For the full story visit her official site here.

Yes, there are many urban legends about crazy curses that affected many of the cast members of all three Poltergeist movies. Not to take away from this post dedicated to Heather, I encourage you to read more about that over at TheBeyond.

Full Name: Heather Michele O'Rourke
Born: December 27th, 1975 in San Diego, California
Best Known For: Carol Anne in Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist, Poltergeist II and Poltergeist III.
Other Notable TV & Movie Appearances: Our House, 12 episodes of Happy Days, several episodes of Webster, CHiPs, Fantasy Island  


Heather's first appearance on Happy Days.


An original news broadcast from 1988 announcing Heather's death.

Ten Things About Strawberry Shortcake

It's no surprise to moms and collectors, that the Strawberry Shortcake character has certainly made a comeback over the past few years. I personally have never gotten over my love of the character. Although she doesn't rate as high as the Sanrio characters in my world, she's still aces just the same.


Thanks to Target, we own a Strawberry Shortcake pillowcase. I blogged about my obsession with fun 1980s bedding a while back. Sadly hubs made me remove the photo of him fast asleep on the Strawberry Shortcake pillow.


Back in 2000, I picked up some cute Strawberry Shortcake juice glasses on eBay. Like 'em?

Now to help keep you in-the-know about all things Strawberry Shortcake ... I've summed it up in 10 quick points below.

10 Things You Should Know About Strawberry Shortcake

1. Strawberry Shortcake is licensed and owned by American Greetings.
2. American Greetings Juvenile artist, Muriel Fahrion is the original designer of Strawberry Shortcake and her cat Custard from back in 1977.
3. The very first line of dolls were made by Kenner and released in 1979.
4. The first line of dolls had flat, outstretched hands and came with hair combs. They consisted of five dolls, each sold separately: Strawberry Shortcake, Huckleberry Pie, Blueberry Muffin, Apple Dumplin' and Tea Time Turtle and Purple Pie Man who had curved hands.
5. The very first Strawberry Shortcake dolls were rag dolls made with plastic doll heads. The heads were too heavy for the stuffed, soft dolls and were later developed to have soft heads.
6. Strawberry Shortcake dolls were scented to match their name. 
7. The character Plum Puddin', originally a male character, debuted in 1980, but wasn't made into a doll until 1984 and was released as a female character. 
8. From 1980-1985, yearly Strawberry Shortcake TV specials aired on TV.
9. As of June 2008, Hasbro owns and markets the Strawberry Shortcake line of toys. The characters have since been updated and no longer reside in Strawberryland. Today's characters live and work in Berry Bitty City.
10. Celebrate 30 years of Strawberry Shortcake on July 16 & 17 at Hasbro's Strawberry Shortcake Convention in Rhode Island. I wish I could attend, but it's hub's birthday weekend and we have a party for my grandma's birthday. 

 

If you're a fan of Strawberry Shortcake and want to make yourself sick with jealousy, check out this collector's stuff. If I owned a house and had lots of extra cash, I would so love to have a collection like that.

photo was snagged from LikeTotally80s.com

Check out Heather O'Rourke from Poltergeist and Happy Days fame in this Strawberry Shortcake commercial.  Sadly she passed away at age 12 in 1988. I'll do a post on her tomorrow. 

I'm Audra Lee (or Audra Levi)! See You Next Time on Kids Beat!

Remember Audra Levi & Kids Beat?

The other day, Jesse at NotWorthMentioning.com asked me if I remembered Kids Beat and Audra Levi. At first I was slightly confused, but a search on YouTube brought it all right back to me.

In 1983 (one of my most favorite years) TBS began airing teen and tween-produced short news bits during their morning TV show lineup. The news topics were kid-friendly which was important as it held our interest. The one thing that sorta got on my nerves though was the super peppy, kinda Jappy Audra Levi. Some wonder if she went by the name "Audra Lee" although maybe because of her hyper intonation "Levi" sounded like "Lee"? Whatever. She was a tad annoying.

I don't think it was Audra's fault. Hey, if I was a kid doing a weekly TV news broadcast, I'd be hyper and excited as well. I too was a child journalist, only I was behind the scenes doing kids reporting for New York Newsday? I would have killed to be on TV like Audra.  So yeah, I think she was just too "into" it or something, you be the judge.

Audra "Lee" Levi Today

The once Kids Beat anchor has since graduated from college (1997), is married (her new name is Audra Levi Priluck) and is apparently very involved in her sorority Alpha Chi Omega. You'd think someone involved in showbiz would easily make friends--sorry I'm so anti-sororities. The idea of forced friendships makes me sick.

Audra went on to do production work on TV shows including Mad About You, JAG and King of Queens,  So... stalker that I am... I found Audra on Facebook but don't worry I won't try to add her. I just thought it was cool and it kinda reminded me of this blog post I did a while back about celebs becoming regular people.

Weekend Retro Rewind | Men At Work

Men At Work Video For Be Good Johnny & Land Down Under

In 1982 I was 10. In 1982 I loved Top 40 music and Men At Work were one of those Top 40 bands. Men At Work are an Australian band got their name from the "Men At Work" sign when stuck on what to call themselves. With hits such as "Be Good Johnny", "Land Down Under", "Overkill" and "Who Can It Be Now?" Men at Work still sorta wow me today.

Wiki states that Men At Work are the only Australian band to ever have a #1 album (Business as Usual) and single ("Down Under") on the US charts at the same time. They were also a hit in the UK during that time period with a #1 single and album. This Aussie band took home the 1983 Grammy award for Best New Artist and have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

Lead singer Colin Hay has a solo career today and has appeared on several episodes of Scrubs. I have a theory that hottie, Zach Braff is a big fan of his seeing as Colin Hay was also featured on the Garden State movie soundtrack. The Garden State soundtrack is one of my favorite movie soundtracks next to Rushmore, ET and Karate Kid (first one).

Below are two of my favorite Men At Work songs from the old days, enjoy!

10 Questions About This Blogger

Please forgive me for not commenting lately, I'm totally swamped -- have had a crazy, busy week jam-packed with freelance writing projects. No time to blog even which bums me out a bit. Here's a quick and easy post. Ten Questions stolen from What's That? blog. 

1. What are you most excited for RIGHT NOW?

Sadly, nothing really. A few nights out planned with friends and a huge family reunion is planned for July in Virginia where it will surely be balls-hot. I do so love hotel rooms though.

 

2. Who is your style icon? What inspires your look? 

Nobody, I have no look. I'm anti-fashion and somewhat stuck in the '90s. I wear what I can afford and what fits. I do cling to my indie, hipster ways of my youth. Never wear heels, always wear Docs and skater style sneakers, dark denim and Paul Frank purses, that's about it. My MIL will always talk about boots or Uggs or skinny jeans or say "it's what all the women are wearing now" which are typically items I'd never be caught dead in.

3. If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would you invite?

Dead - I'd want all of my teen stars to hang: Corey Haim, River Phoenix, Brad Renfro, etc. but not Heath - I wasn't really a fan of his.

Alive - Jason Bateman, Jack Black and Corey Feldman

4. What did you dress up as for your first Halloween? 

I don't dress up. I slapped on some dumb black bob-style wig, gothic dress and false eyelashes. I looked like an idiot. 
UPDATE- I'm such a loser - I thought the question was LAST Halloween! My first Halloween I think I was a witch. I don't remember really.

5. What are you improving? Dieting and working out more, trying to enhance my writing and SEO skills for work purposes

6. What is the strangest compliment you’ve ever received?  I don't get compliments but once my college boyfriend's mom exclaimed, "Oh my g*d, you have a waist!" after I lost 60 lbs. She then told him he better start dieting before I dump his ass. He quickly lost 40 and dumped my ass before I could dump his :(   

7. What’s your little-known talent? 

I like to think I'm good at, um, never mind.

8. What do you obsessively search for on eBay?  It used to be these John Fluevog platform-ish shoes I once owned and LOVED back in like 1997, they made my feet look adorable. I could never find them again and gave up. I stay away from eBay for now. I used to search for Fred Perry shirts, Jadeite and other hard-to-find vintage stuff.

9. When you were a child, who did you worship & want to be like? So pathetic, but I worshiped so many male stars, I actually wished I was Jason Bateman or Kirk Cameron or one of the many teen idols I loved. I just wanted to be on a hit TV show and be famous and get lots of fan mail. I always swore I'd reply to every letter no matter how much time it took me. 

10. What was your palate band? Otherwise known as the first band you heard that made you realize the world of music was larger than whatever the Top 20 singles were!  Palate band? I have never heard that term in my life... Anyway, I guess it's New Order, Depeche Mode, The Cure and The Smiths as I discovered them all on the same day from an older girl I once knew.

Jonas & The Cupcakes

It must have been September, 1994. It's crazy that I somehow remember my college boyfriend G's birthday is September 13. I don't remember anyone's birthdays ever without checking my birthday datebook, yet G's is forever etched into my mind. Maybe it's something about the number 13.

I was obsessed with G. I was obsessed with making G cupcakes. G lived in the dorms and I transferred to a local private college after flunking out for partying too hard. I  insisted on hauling these cupcakes out there on a "school night" I think it was... I convinced my BFF and her boyfriend to come along. We schlepped an entire 54 minutes from Garden City to Stony Brook. When you live on Long Island, Western Nassau to Eastern Suffolk feels like forever, especially in an old "hooptie" (that was what we called old cars back in the '90s).

We're hanging out in the Stony Brook corridor-style dorms. It's all fuzzy to me now, but either he lived with this kid, Jonas or somehow we found our way into Jonas' room.One thing is for sure, Jonas did not want anyone eating any cupcakes in his dorm room.

At first we thought he was joking. Jonas wasn't joking. He grabbed the entire box of cupcakes and tossed them out the window and simply said, "I told you guys. No eating in my fucking room!" Guess we really were in his dorm room and why, I honestly don't recall. Did G room with him? I don't think he did. Maybe G's roommate had a girl over that night? I forget.

After my beloved cupcakes were thrown out the window, I threw a fit. Why? Because G let it happen and actually laughed hysterically over it. Ironically, this is the exact reaction my husband would have if this were to happen today.

Why didn't G stand up for me? Why didn't he kick that little nerdo's ass? Jonas wasn't a big guy. It was one of those times I wished I was a dude. If I were a dude that night, oh boy would I have given that little jerk a beat down.

So there you have it. Perfectly good birthday cupcakes tossed out the window. And no, they weren't homemade cupcakes "from scratch" -- just a $2 box mix from Pathmark. Damn you, Jonas! Damn you G! I'm think I may still harbor some hatred and anger about that night. I'm even mad at my husband knowing he might have reacted the same way.

Weebles Wobble, But They Don't Fall Down

Just call this '70s & '80s toy week here at FourthGradeNothing.com! I know I need to cover so many of our old favorites from Rainbow Brite to Strawberry Shortcake. Ian at Daily Dose asked when I'll feature Jams and Guess Jeans. I will get to it all eventually, I promise!

Today we reflect on the wonderful world of Weebles, you know, "Weebles Wobble, but they don't fall down!" Now forget about the newer Weebles--they made a comeback after 2000. I'm talking about the original 1970s, Hasbro Playskool version. They were plastic little chubby, shapeless characters resembling eggs and would "wobble" back and forth. I guess they were the chunky version of Fisher-Price Little People.

Ironically, what I remember most about Weebles,aren't the actual Weebles themselves, but the awesome houses, cars and other items that were of course "sold separately." In the photos, please note the tree house I so desperately wanted. I think we had that awesome toy in our Kindergarten class or maybe a kid on our block had one.

I remember my BFF Alison had the blue and red Mickey Mouse Club (see above image). I loved that little house, I was totally drawn to it. I wasn't even a bit fan of Disney characters, but something about toy houses captivated me and kept my attention for hours. Maybe the idea of "home" made me feel safe or something.

Doll houses, Little People houses, Barbie Dream Houses (I never had as you may recall from a previous post), you name it, I wanted it! I just wanted to climb inside and be as tiny as my plastic toy characters and play within a miniature world. Great, now you're going to think I'm a total loon. I guess I was and still am.

Sorry to my younger readers who have no idea what I've been blogging about all week... these are classic toys. I swear if I had a kid I'd pretend it was the old days and only provide him/her with retro toys purchased on eBay. What a freak that child would be!

Monchhichi Dolls By Mattel

Yesterday I versed you on the coolness of Poochie. Today we revisit Monchhichi, also by Mattel. Monchhichi, which is said to mean "happiness" in Japanese, were first developed in 1974. The dolls didn't hit stores in North America until about 1979. This makes sense since I remember being around 7 years old when I first discovered them.

Monchhichis were adorable little monkeys - a boy and a girl. The commercial jingle would stick in my head -- I recall running around the school yard singing, "Monchhichi, Monchhichi! Oh so soft and cuddly" over and over again. I remember having plastic Monchhichi figurines, much like Smurfs, although I only had a few -- had to keep my loyalty to Smurf collecting.

There was a Hanna-Barbera produced animated Monchhichi series, although I don't remember it--maybe it aired at the same time as Strawberry Shortcake? Who knows. I do know that I would love to have a Monchhichi today. Hello eBay?!


View the vintage commercial if you dare--the song will be in your head all day long!

Mattel Toys Poochie For Girls

In the early 1980s, I was smitten by a girlie white pup with pink floppy ears, pink paws and pretty pink sunglasses. She was the most adorable and glamorous dog ever. She went by the name of Poochie and the commercial had a lovely jingle that echoed "Pooooooochie, Poochie for girls!" Sadly that commercial doesn't allow embedding, so I couldn't include it other than including a link. Below is a different vintage ad just to give you a better idea of what Poochie toys looked like.

Mattel packaged Poochie with me in mind. I loved pink and blue--those were true 1982-1984 colors, which was the Poochie heyday. I was a sucker for stickers and stamp pads. I had such a thing for any type of stationary item including note cards, envelopes, you name it. I had to have it. About ten years ago I purchased a few Poochie items on eBay. I'd love to own more, but until we buy a house, our limited space does not allow for collectibles.

Passing Notes |Top Ten Things Girls Said

As a school girl, I was the queen of writing notes to my classmates. I can't recall when I began participating in such behavior, however I recall being busted time and again for passing notes. Sometimes they were short. Sometimes they were long. Sometimes they were filled with secrets about which boy I was crushing that week. Sometimes they were TO that boy I was crushing that week. Writing notes really got us through high school. They kept us from falling asleep and helped pass time in study hall. They truly were a survival tool for female students.


The other day I was exchanging Facebook messages with a friend and actually said the words, "Longer Letter Later" when it dawned on me, I hadn't jotted those three words down in eons. Do you remember writing such cutesy things like this? I sure do. I've made a quick list of the fun terms I loved using back then. Please feel free to add yours in the comments section.

1. L.Y.L.A.S = "Love Ya Like A Sister"
2. WB or WBS = "Write Back" or "Write Back Soon!"
3. Best Friends 4Eva  with the line in the 4 attaching to the E
4. LYL = "Love You Lots"
5. XOXO = hugs and kisses
6. Boys B4 Books
7. KIT = "Keep in Touch"
8. Wuz Hea 
9. SSS = "Sorry So Sloppy"
10. Buy Ya Bubble Gum = I added this one in as a joke. It's something my little brother and I would say to my mom before we'd go to bed every night. It meant "I love you"