We call out our top ten nostalgic franchises, and we run down the week in geek, including the anniversary of Alan Shepard’s sub-orbital flight, reactions to the new Conan trailer, the Green Hornet’s DVD release, and more.
I have to say that Thundercats was a good part of my childhood as can be seen by my 33rd Birthday cake that I’ve made.
I also made sonic shaped cookies so my desk at work was a retro based desk with:
The cake - Thundercats
Cookies - Sonic shaped cookies
Jelly Beans - Dr Robotnik mean bean machine
plus various other treats that people had when they were younger (Strawberry laces, sherbet dips, white mice)
I have to say that food and Nostalgia are real bed fellows
Snarf reminds me of the Neelix of the group - Means well but is really useless. Also what kid didn’t want to be as strong as panthero (as a black child, identified with him and I think he’s where I got my love of martial arts). Also who didn’t fancy Cheetera (and yes I do remember having Thundercat based dreams. The Thundertank was the BOMB!
I was also into Ulysess 31 - I loved the whole greek myths
MASK
Centurions
Visionairies
Dogtanian - My son loves the theme tune.
I’m also getting my son into Sesame Street and he loves Elmo. He hasn’t seen the muppets yet but I think he’ll love 'em.
BTW Sean - I know what you mean about being the translater for your child, my son is the same and it’s just uncanny that you can understand him with few words and gestures. It’s also funny to watch him jump but not quite leave the ground. He also has a mean throwing arm on him too.
In terms of the C64 - I loved that computer and really set me onto the field of being involved in computers. It cemented that I wanted to be a systems analyst when I grew up (I had no idea what one did, it just sounded cool). In effect, that’s what I am now (sorta). I still have it in my loft with the tape deck and tons of games (Remember the Ocean movie tie in games). I also have the C16 that still works. My first programming on teh C64 was to create the enterprise sprite that could move around the screen with the keys and joystick.
Talking about the NES, I was a megadrive guy and love that system to death with its games like sonic, road rash, etc.
Arcade games was a big part of my childhood with classics such as Toki, Suburan Commander, X-Men, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Streetfighter 2 and of course Mortal Kombat. Those were good times. Arcades have really gone down hill lately.
PC Games - My memories of the early PC games were the games in the Sierra family, the point and click, Ultima and of course games like Zork. I knew from back then that I was an RPG kind of guy.
Books - Fighting Fantasy: Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. Those were the days and it’s quite hard to find books like that these days. I also loved the fantasy type books and this genre has stayed with me for quite a well.
When I think of Smurfs, I think of Sunday afternoons where it would be shown, I would watch it as my mother would make the sunday dinner. It’s amazing what memories you have about certain things.
I am about 1/4 of the way through the cast, but I already have a comment:
“Full Frontal Minotaur” … that’s quality right there 
When mythology and pr0n overlap: one of the best rap songs ever, Buck 65’s “Centaur.”
In case you’re looking for the Conan trailer that Sean mentioned…there’s a thread for that
http://forum.galacticwatercooler.com/showpost.php?p=364288&postcount=7
Love your avatar. I bet some of the younger members of the forum don’t even get that.
“Its a beautiful bridge, and it’s gonna be up.”
“Always with the negative waves!”
“Why can’t you say something righteous, and HOPEFUL for change!” I use that quote all the time and nobody gets it.
Rock on homie!
Thanks thanks!
Kelly’s Heroes is a great Saturday afternoon flick, and available on Netflix Instant Watch now I think 
yup … rocking on right now
So yeah, here’s the Asteroids Galaxy tour song I was talking about:
and the acoustic version which is just about as good:
Lethal stuff. Love it.
Did someone say Muppet Show!!! I feel the Pigs in Space love…but this still kills me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbs64GvGgPU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auXrmn5uqOk
EDIT - Sean - think this is the guy who throws fish you were referring to
Commodore 64, lives again!
Betty Rubble is still hot!
I had a TRS-80 Color Computer, then later a Color Computer 3.
I loved mine. It has my baby. I wish I still had it. And I never called it “trash”. I always thought it had a better programming language and support behind it, but not as much commercial software as the C64 (which is why the C64 did so much better, much better software support). If you wanted COCO software, you had to go to Radio Shack or very little advertised 3rd parties. C64 stuff was everywhere.
Also, part of me is looking forward to the Thundercats reboot coming sometime this year.
I’m also getting a weird 2nd hand Nostalgia when young people I’m talking to online are talking about watching OLD Doctor Who episodes. 18 year olds hunting down (other means-ing) Hartwell-era episodes because they WANT to see them. (granted half the time it turns into MST3K but they still take notes of the story)
Like I mentioned when I called in to the 'cast a few weeks ago, my nostalgia from a kid has a ton to do with reading books. I definitely remember reading both A Swiftly Tilting Planet and the Hero and the Crown in elementary school (I think they were both on Battle of the Books lists at one point). That said, books that really would be super nostalgic for me? Matilda, and in terms of world-enveloping, though, Pern (the Harper Hall trilogy, I totally got Menolly) and the Darkover books.
Jonny Quest was great to watch as a kid, because my Dad was nostalgic about it. Doctor Who was another one that Dad loved, so I grew up “watching,” but only vaguely remember. It’s funny to see the older episodes now because there are definitely moments of OH YEAH REMEMBER THAT! among the huh what’s gonna happen-ness of it all.
Other things I’m vaguely nostalgic about, in terms of media consumption:
[ul]
[li]Fantasia[/li][li]Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles[/li][li]Sesame Street[/li][li]Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?[/li][li]Little House on the Prairie books[/li][li]Babysitter’s Club[/li][li]PBS Educational programming - I used to watch 3,2,1 Contact and Reading Rainbow and Square One. As I got older, I watched Ghostwriter and Bill Nye.[/li][/ul]
(Can you tell I’m a child of the 80s and early 90s? LOL)
Thinking about nostalgia as a construct, though, I have much stronger identification with place as a trigger for nostalgia - when I go back to somewhere I lived 20 years ago, or I smell a food that I used to eat at a certain period of my life, it hits me harder.
And I forgot to mention! Comptuer stuff.
When I was a wee lass, my parents had an Apple IIGS in the room across the hall from my bedroom. I remember having floppy disks and special time to play my games on the computer (like, um, Reader Rabbit and Writer Rabbit and there was some game with math and a wizard (I was 3 or 4 lol)).
I remember waiting for the modem to connect when I was in middle school… I still remember the number it would dial. 
I was only ever able to play NES at a friend’s house, but we got an SNES when I was 10 or 11 and we would play the games together as a whole family (with parents and siblings), which was great fun.
I make that comment at least thrice daily.
watched Conan trailer … and it looks awesome
it almost looks this dark … almost.
still it get’s my six fitty ( plus popcorn) matinee style.
r.i.p Frank
When Oddball posted about Kelly’s Heroes in the Space Voyage iPad thread, I whooshed over to Netflix IW. I saw that film a long time ago. I had forgotten about it. It was even better than I remember.
Ha! I saw you name and pic, Odd Ball but I didn’t put two and two together until Sean mentioned it. Love love Kelly’s Heroes. One of my fav movies.
I have it on VHS and have watched in many times. So many stars in it!
But, yeah, Donald Sutherland is an awesome character.