This week in 1977, Debby Boone enjoyed her tenth week at the top of Casey Kasem’s countdown, parents searched in vain for Kenner Star Wars toys, and C-3PO was just a ‘droid, not a cereal.
JediShua and shazbazzar “Lightsaber Up Your Life” with 77 minutes of hope and hype about Star Wars: The Last Jedi as the hours are counting down to seeing the tenth episode in the Skywalker saga in theaters Thursday night.
Getting Ready for Jedi Nights
Forty years ago Debby Boone was lighting up the charts for her tenth week in the number one position with “You Light Up My Life”. Forty years later, she could be singing “You Light Up My Lightsaber” as the final days leading up to the widespread release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi rapidly approaches. This week on TechnoRetro Dads is (understandably) Star Wars oriented as shazbazzar and JediShua enjoy the hype before the movie spoils all the speculation — and we all know how Shua hates spoilers (tongue-in-cheek).
In the NEWS
Joe Dante’s infamous Christmas movie is now showing at select theaters across the country. If you want to see it, you have to follow the rules: (1) no exposure to sunlight, (2) don’t get them wet, and (3) don’t ever feed them after midnight. And you’ll probably want to check out gremlinsrulebreakers.com to find out where you can see it over the next few weeks. Columbia outer wear takes you to Hoth with their new line of winter gear in the stylings of Han, Luke, and Leia from Echo Base. Disney has Star Wars options at the Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique, including dress-up play for adults!
We Love Our Cereal…
…and Nintendo games. Super Mario Cereal is coming soon from Kellogg’s. Kellogg’s, by the way, is the cereal company who carried the notorious C-3POs with “double-os” from the mid-eighties. And we remember C-3POs cereal with fondness (and trading cards).
TechnoRetro Arcade
Nothing says “Christmas at the Arcade” like the classic Atari Star Wars arcade game from 1983. With music, sound effects, and vocal clips from the original movie, this vector-graphic first-person flight simulator still beckons gamers to immerse themselves in Star Wars as they engage TIE Fighters in dogfights, try to knock out turbolaser emplacements and towers, and destroy the Death Star (over and over and over again) in an effort to restore freedom to the galaxy and score millions of points for bragging rights among your friends at middle school.
TechnoRetro Speculations
With fewer than four days from the “early” premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, shazbazzar invites JediShua (and all EarBuds) to speculate about several unanswered questions which have arisen since The Force Awakens began this new era of Star Wars movies. From Rey-Buns to Snoke’s Smokes and every color of “You Light Up My Lightsaber”, this fast-paced discussion might finally shut shaz up about bringing Mortis into the film franchise.
Aftershocks 0f 1977: Christmas Toys
Remember Christmas 1977? We do — sort of. Stores were well-stocked with toys. From RC cars to skateboards to electronic games, kids were looking forward to waking up to something amazing under the tree. But merchandise from the hottest movie in theaters was not well represented. The unprecedented popularity of Star Wars enabled Kenner to successfully sell an empty box and a promise to Santa’s helpers across America as kids awakened on Christmas morning to discover that Santa’s elves can’t always deliver everything by December 25th. Although the actual toys weren’t available, the promise of four figures arriving in as soon as six to eight weeks was sufficient to launch perhaps the most powerful toy franchise in the galaxy. PLUS: shazbazzar and JediShua talk about all the Star Wars toys kids can’t get for Christmas this year. (Father, Son, and Daughter from Mortis are on this list yet again.)
Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, or lend your voice to our discussion about toys, cereal, games, or movies and shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback on voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us a message or mp3 via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.
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Join shazbazzar and JediShua each week for a look back at the ’70s and ’80s as they share the fun and also fandom of their youth with their families, friends, and EarBuds. Topics include TV, film, music, toys, and games of the ’70s and ’80s as well as franchises which have continued into the 21st Century, like Star Wars, TRON, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Hobbit. TechnoRetro Dads creates new stories as old legends are passed down from one generation to the next.
If you’re a TechnoRetro Dad, the child of one, or just appreciate the ’70s and ’80s, then this podcast is definitely for you!