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Retroist

@retroist.com

4.6K followers 585 following 3.2K posts

I host the Retroist Podcast and write the Retroist which focuses on nostalgia. I like slightly old stuff and I typo too much. You can find me at www.retroist.com & patreon.com/retroist.

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Reposted by Retroist

Consumer Time Capsule @consumertc.bsky.social · 19h

In 1974, select McDonald's in Cleveland OH gave away a set of McDonaldland Character trading cards promoting local educational landmarks. This set features some of the earliest giveaways of each character... it even refers to Grimace as "THE GRIMACE."

Reposted by Retroist

Walt Keegan @wjkcreations.bsky.social · 19h

My Shrinky Dinks! #vintagetoytuesday

Retroist @retroist.com · 29/09/2026

Over on Patreon I did a podcast about the history of Nerf. From a simple safe ball to a line of gun-like blasters, Nerf has been in our lives for decades. www.retroist.com/p/retroist-n...

Retroist @retroist.com · 29/09/2026

I had only one Manglor toy, Manglord, and my dog made short work of him. Still the concept of a toy you could mangle and put back together has always seemed cool to me. Here is a history of the short lived toy line. www.retroist.com/p/manglors

Retroist @retroist.com · 25/09/2026

In 1982, a World's Fair came to Knoxville, TN and it would be the last "successful" one in the United States. On today's Retroist Podcast I talk about the history, accomplishments, and controversies surrounding this early 80s event. www.retroist.com/p/retroist-1...

Retroist @retroist.com · 24/09/2026

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 13 of 54) Pac-Man Headquarters: Counseling Available. www.retroist.com/p/fleer-pac-...

Retroist @retroist.com · 24/09/2026

I wish that is what I meant and that it wasn't a typo.

Retroist @retroist.com · 22/09/2026

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 12 of 54) Pac-Man For President. This is one of my favorites.

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 12 of 54) Pac-Man For President.

Retroist @retroist.com · 22/09/2026

A few years ago, I got to go to the Funspot arcade in Laconia, NH. I got there early and for a litte bit I was the only one on this floor and I snapped this photo of paradise.

Funspot Arcade retro arcade floor with no one around. Just arcade games everywhere and a stairwell leading down in the center.

Retroist @retroist.com · 21/09/2026

I know a lot of use are going to buy too much Monster Cereal. Here is a great way to use it.

Retroist @retroist.com · 21/09/2026

I worked at an ice cream parlor as a teen and every morning I would mix and fill the beverage bubbler. I loved when I flipped the switch and the liquid started circulating.

Retroist @retroist.com · 21/09/2026

www.retroist.com/p/orange-and...

Orange and Yellow Flowers Paper Cups

In 1975, a paper cup design, “Orange and Yellow Flowers,” was unleashed upon the world. While not as well-remembered as the trendy “Jazz” design, it would be a staple in homes and restaurants.

Retroist @retroist.com · 21/09/2026

I can't wait to see The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth with its featured guest star the Orange and Yellow Flowers Paper Cup. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjEZ...

Retroist @retroist.com · 21/09/2026

Over 50 years ago, Carnation Breakfast Bars hit shelves and for decades afterwards they were used by many as breakfast on the go. I loved them because I thought I had found a "candy for breakfast" loophole. Let's look at their history. www.retroist.com/p/carnation-...

A carnation breakfast bar torn open artistically

Retroist @retroist.com · 21/09/2026

Oh! I haven't seen this version.

100

Retroist @retroist.com · 20/09/2026

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 11 of 54) Slide Out The Side Door & I'm Cookin’ Now

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 11 of 54) Slide Out The Side Door & I'm Cookin’ Now

Retroist @retroist.com · 20/09/2026

This art really flips the script on Pac-Man and the Ghosts. Here he is a nightmare monster gobbling cowering ghosts that stay "alive" inside his cavernous spherical body.

Pac Man looms over several frightened ghosts, his huge round body shown as a dark cavern where he appears to swallow them whole. One ghost is already trapped inside, while another cowers in his hand.

Retroist @retroist.com · 19/09/2026

Not including the VCR, it weighed 359 lb (about 163 kg).

Retroist @retroist.com · 19/09/2026

The GE Widescreen 1000 was massive.

Vintage General Electric magazine ad for the Widescreen 1000 color television, showing an enormous wood cabinet TV with a 25 inch screen beside a suited salesman. The ad promotes the television as having a picture three times the size of a standard 25 inch console and mentions VIR color adjustment, electronic tuning, remote control, and an optional GE VHS recorder.

Retroist @retroist.com · 18/09/2026

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 10 of 54) Waka! Waka! & Here Comes Jaws!

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 10 of 54) Waka! Waka! & Here Comes Jaws!

Retroist @retroist.com · 18/09/2026

That is what caught my attention. Then I watched the trailer and I knew I wanted to play it.

Retroist @retroist.com · 18/09/2026

The brief annual meeting of watermelon season and pumpkin season.

Watermelons and pumpkins displayed side by side outside a grocery store, marking the overlap between summer and fall.

Retroist @retroist.com · 18/09/2026

I picked up Forbidden Solitaire on Steam. A solid independent video game that is perfect for this time of year. Solid solitaire fun with a meta horror game story that unfolds as you play. greyaliengames.com/forbiddensol...

Forbidden Solitaire.

Retroist @retroist.com · 17/09/2026

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 09 of 54) Waka! Waka! Waka! Waka! GULP!

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 09 of 54) Waka! Waka! Waka! Waka! GULP!

Retroist @retroist.com · 17/09/2026

I would eventually own all of them, but it wasn't until the 90s.

Retroist @retroist.com · 17/09/2026

*Tootsie Roll *sigh*

Retroist @retroist.com · 17/09/2026

Every year Mr. Owl could dress up like a different monster!

Retroist @retroist.com · 17/09/2026

You are headed to Toys R Us after the release of Empire Strikes Back and can only pick 3. Which are you choosing?

Back of a vintage Kenner Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back action figure card showing a checklist of available figures, including Yoda, Lando Calrissian, Boba Fett, C 3PO, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, R2 D2, Chewbacca, and others. The lower section advertises the Hoth Ice Planet Action Playset, Star Destroyer Action Playset, and Darth Vader Collectors Case.

Retroist @retroist.com · 17/09/2026

I traced Vampire Mr. Owl for my new Halloween Avatar this year. I hope Tootis Roll makes a big deal about him. I could see myself picking up a t-shirt or more with him on it.

Retroist @retroist.com · 17/09/2026

Need a life of the party? Call Rent-A-Nerd (1987)

Retroist @retroist.com · 16/09/2026

Not sure how many people are thinking this when they do it.

Retroist @retroist.com · 16/09/2026

I had a co-worker who I would see doing this all the time and I asked them why eventually. They told me they only did it when they didn't have headphones because they didn't want to hold the phone that close to their head out of cancer fear.

Retroist @retroist.com · 16/09/2026

I always preferred chocolate as a kid, but it was finding outliers like this in my bag that was always the most memorable. They would also be the thing I would hold onto the longest.

Retroist @retroist.com · 16/09/2026

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 08 of 54) Never! & Let's Get Together

Fleer Pac-Man Stickers (No. 08 of 54) Never! & Let's Get Together

Retroist @retroist.com · 16/09/2026

Planning my Halloween Trick or Treats this year and I would like the Kool-Aid Ghoul-Aid Popping Candy in these sized pouches to be available in bulk. The smaller packs just aren't the same.

Kool-Aid Ghoul-Aid Popping Candy Pouches

Retroist @retroist.com · 15/09/2026

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6rH...

Classic Tootsie Roll Commercial - "How Many Licks"

YouTube video by Tootsie Roll

Retroist @retroist.com · 15/09/2026

How is Vampire Mr. Owl not a bigger deal?

Tootsie Pop Mr. Owl dressed as a vampire

Retroist @retroist.com · 15/09/2026

I also got mine on clearance. Always my favorite time to buy toys.

Retroist @retroist.com · 15/09/2026

Collect all your favorite Starriors characters!

Ad for Tomy Starriors toys.

Retroist @retroist.com · 14/09/2026

McDonald's Orange Drink dates back to the original restaurant, but the Orange Hi C served today is not the same drink they served for decades. On the Retroist, I look at the history of McDonald's Orange Drink and how it changed. www.retroist.com/p/a-history-...

McDonald's Orange Bowl Drink Dispense and Ronal McDonald cup (illustration)

Reposted by Retroist

Kris Naudus @lampbane.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

As a kid I always assumed they changed Janine (which I hated) to match Ghostbusters 2 not realizing the timeline didn't add up and they were just sexist assholes www.latimes.com/archives/la-...

Last season, Janine, the secretary on “The Real Ghostbusters,” produced for ABC by DIC Enterprises in association with Columbia Pictures Television, was a sharp-edged, miniskirted wisecracker with pointed glasses, dangling bracelets and a fountain of spiky hair. As a result of Q5’s input, she will have softer features, smoother hair, big round glasses and no jewelry. ABC will complete the package with a demure knee-length skirt.

ABC and Q5 believe that the new slant will make the show more accessible to children, especially to little girls who might find the new Janine more appealing. Q5’s work with writers included a separate seminar on the little-girl audience. “The fact that she is now warmer I think is fine,” Trias said.

Retroist @retroist.com · 13/09/2026

The Real Ghostbusters premiered 40 years ago today, on September 13, 1986.

The real ghostbusters...ready for action.

Retroist @retroist.com · 13/09/2026

The Krull arcade game isn't a masterpiece, but if you get the opportunity to play one, it is worth your quarters.

Krull arcade game.

Retroist @retroist.com · 12/09/2026

I am the Spirit of Snake Mountainnnnnnn

Vintage Masters of the Universe promotional image showing a child playing with Mattel’s Snake Mountain playset. The large purple fortress features its snake, monster face, bridge, and dungeon details, surrounded by Masters of the Universe action figures including He Man, Skeletor, Orko, and other heroes and villains. The words across the playset reads, “I Am the Spirit of Snake Mountain.”

Retroist @retroist.com · 11/09/2026

A lot of people bought a lot of music from record clubs. In the United States, the most successful club was Columbia House. It lasted for decades with offers that seemed too good to be true. On a new episode of the Retroist Podcast I take a look at its history. www.retroist.com/p/retroist-c...

Columbia House ad for 8-tracks. A person has a box of 8 tracks are exploding outward. She seems pretty appy about it.

Retroist @retroist.com · 11/09/2026

The superior game. I have these stickers somewhere. I should write something up about them and get them all online.

Reposted by Retroist

Will McKinley @willmckinley.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Alex Trebek hosted his first episode of JEOPARDY #OTD in 1984.

Alex sitting on the couch in the JEOPARDY office wearing leans, a polo, and tube socks.

Retroist @retroist.com · 10/09/2026

When you are a kid in school, you have to figure out things to do in your downtime. Pencil Fighting took my school by storm. I am not sure how it arrived or why, but for a few years pencils were for more than just schoolwork. They were an obsession. www.retroist.com/p/pencil-fig...

A pile of mixed pencils. These are not fighting pencils. Althought they could be. No, these are the pencils I put out when I play Dungeons & Dragons. So they get used in a different kind of fighting sometimes.

Retroist @retroist.com · 10/09/2026

I still have mine as well. Bought it at Sam Goody with my employee discount from working at Suncoast. The first few months I owned it, I listened to it non-stop.

Retroist @retroist.com · 09/09/2026

Beautiful!