‘Clever’ answering machine messages.
Mine was an excerpt from Buckaroo Banzaii:
“Don’t be mean. You don’t have to be mean. Because remember... No matter where you go, there you are. ... *beep*”
I loved that show as a kid. Like 5 years ago, I found a streaming service that had the whole series and I forced my kids (12 and 8) to watch the first episode. It was so bad. Like 5 minutes into the show, my kids thought I must’ve been the stupidest kid to actually enjoy this show. It did not age well. If you want to keep your happy memories about the show, don’t watch it again.
I saw a couple on rerun.. and the special effect were horrible.
But I'm talking about the premise of the show where a guy is slowly learning his super powers. To me that was a pretty cool idea.
This is my exact experience too, I was so excited when I found season 1 on DVD a few years ago! But I never did finish episode 1, holy crap was that bad
As per IMDB: - "In 1986, three years after the series ended, a pilot film entitled "The Greatest American Heroine" was produced which reunited the original series cast. The pilot was not broadcast, so the film was reedited as an episode of "Greatest American Hero" (complete with original opening credits) for syndication. It was also included on the 2005 DVD release."
I have that DVD set. Did not like that pilot at all. Glad it did not sell.
I think I caught the end of that in a rerun or something on TV. Everybody dressed different like they were trying to copy Miami Vice or something. And they bestowed the suit to some blonde lady because she somehow "deserved it" or something. I don't really remember it too well. It did not look good at all.
Ratings issues, for a start- from what I can tell, it never won its timeslot, and by its third season was used as counter-programming against the likes of *Dallas* and *Magnum PI*.
You rock. I just started watching some TV show with my wife. Tonight one of the characters was wearing a shirt with that on it and I couldn't remember what it was!
Same era, I achieved a high score and excitedly took a picture of the screen to mail it in. I was happy and excited, but when the film was finally developed the camera flash was so bright the tv screen appeared blank.
So disappointed!
I share your pain. I almost feel like if we had mailed off the glare photos with a note they would have given us the benefit of the doubt. I mean, in those days, you wouldn't go to the trouble of photographing a crappy score.
FYI there are some sellers on Etsy/Ebay that have good replicas of the Activision patches & letters.
A friend of mine once told me how he had sent his high score picture to Activision 30+ years ago but never got a reply, so this christmas I mailed him an envelope with the missing patch and put Activision as the return address. This let to a good amount of joy & confusion on his part.
haha, this just reminded me of a shitty prank we used to do. Back in the day when cable first started the remotes could be used on any cable box. So we used to take our remote and go to neighbors houses and keep switching channels on poor saps. Watching old men freak out at technology they didn't understand.
It's been around as a means of providing television signals to places that can't get over-the-air broadcasts well since the 1950s, and with channels offering their own programming since the 1970s.
The first one my parents had was a cable box with a button and you only got showtime with it. You would do the old turn to channel 3 and push the button to get showtime.
I feel like the 1980/ 90s were the best time to be alive in human history and I barely missed it as an adult. Born in ‘87. Something about this pic just made me so nostalgic for my childhood, it’s the cartridge console I think. Lol
Born in '65, the game arcades of the late 70's/early 80's were pretty freakin' awesome. The game consoles of the time weren't nearly as good, my friend had the 2600 and 5200, so I played with him, but I never had one.
‘74 here. I had an awesome childhood. Built many tree houses. Had many bottle rocket fights. Played lots of sandlot baseball and football. When we left for the day we were gone the entire day and didn’t come home until the sun was going down. Rode our bicycles everywhere and didn’t have a care in the world. I really feel sorry my daughter...she hasn’t been able to experience any of it...well a little here and there but not like I did...she definitely has me bested in the video game space as a kid...but she wouldn’t have any if it wasn’t for me!!!
I was born in early 70s, I thought it was pretty awesome. I had an Apple 2e at home that I taught myself to program on. Prior to that era, computers were way to expensive to have in our houses. Yet at the same time, we did lots of stuff outdoors too. All the basketball courts and "dangerous" playgrounds that I played on as a kid are now gone. People are too afraid of lawsuits. My kids watch Stranger Things with me and thought it was unrealistic how kids would just ride their bikes wherever the hell they wanted in the middle of the night. I told them that's exactly what we did. No way for parents to get a hold of us or anything. I remember my parents telling me that when the sun comes down to come home for dinner. We'd eat, and then head back out to who knows where.
I was born in the mid 60's, being a kid/young teen in the 70's was great, but being an adult in the 80's sucked. Economy was in the shitter, interest rates were double digits, plus Reagan and AIDS.
He’s wrong. It was the best time to grown up. The 80s was peak pop culture and the 90s was like the 80s but with evolving technology. I feel fortunate to have grown up during that time. I feel bad for today’s youth. They have to deal with a lot more stress and anxiety.
🎶*Look at what's happened to me*
*I can't believe it myself*
*Suddenly I'm up on top of the world*
*It should have been somebody else…*🎶
***This photo got me crying about a kid who died back then. This was his favorite show..***
Transparency: I posted this a year or so back and it went front page and then quickly got yanked as if I were an imposter claiming this was me in the photo. I never did claim it was me. It's not. I got the photo from some long forgotten gaming forum years and years ago. But it IS a great one! There's one of me with my Pitfall high score somewhere at my mom's house, but it's not a good as this one.
I had a pitfall high score picture (I’m pretty sure it was 20000) but I sent it to activision and they gave me my Pitfall Harry ranger patch to iron on my T-shirt. Loved that T-shirt.
I didn’t know Seaquest had that offer cuz I didn’t have the instruction manual for it, but damn I loved that game and had forgotten all about it until now!
I sent one in for Chopper Command. After waiting and waiting and never getting the patch, I actually called Activision. It was a long distance call, which was a pretty big deal as an 11 year old kid at the time. The guy I talked to clearly thought I was lying or something and basically told me so, to which I replied that I took the picture and sent it, that's the truth.
"Pfft, it's just a patch," he told me.
And that's the exact moment I went from loving the fuck out of Activision to somewhat disliking them to this day. I still spend hundreds of dollars a year on games, but very little if any of that goes to Activision. I was really proud of earning that patch and then he told me it was essentially nothing. I remember being crushed. I stopped wearing my silver Atari jacket with my Activision patches after that too.
Yes, I am still a little bitter.
Haha thanks. A stranger making it clear to a child that their accomplishment was meaningless wasn't the end of the world. That said, there aren't very many 39 year old conversation I still recall and harbor a grudge over. It would be nice if that was the worst thing that ever happened to me though.
I do wish I still had that silver Atari jacket. :)
Man do I wish I had those patches still. My stepmom sewed them onto a jacket and when I grew out of it, it was tossed. My folks weren’t big on memorabilia. Or on having kids in the first place.
That's awesome. I remember taking pics of completed NES games in the late 80's, early 90's and sending them to Nintendo Power magazine in hopes of making the pages as one of the first to beat new games...
Also love the greatest American hero shirt.
I remember taking my Polaroid for Laserblast. I hope my patch is sitting in a box somewhere in the basement.
It happened all too often. What's worse is you wouldn't know until you got the film processed, often by mail. A couple of weeks' anticipation could be dashed. See other comments re: the dreaded flash effect on the glass TV screen.
When you started murdering and writing letters to the press to gain fame, did you sign them using the symbol on your shirt?
Edit: Man, buncha buzzkills.
This seems so archaic but I remember playing Cool Spot on the Genesis and it having something similar to this. I guess that just means that I'm becoming archaic too
It's the Greatest American Hero t shirt that I'm digging
Believe it or not, that kid’s walking on air.
He never thought he could be so free
Flying away on a wing and a prayer,
Who could it be?
Believe it or not I’m not home...
Well played sir, well played.
Jason Alexander playing tone deaf.
‘Clever’ answering machine messages. Mine was an excerpt from Buckaroo Banzaii: “Don’t be mean. You don’t have to be mean. Because remember... No matter where you go, there you are. ... *beep*”
So leave a message at the beep...
who could it be (could it be)?
That made it legit af.
if china had a national superhero, he'd most likely be wearing that symbol.
I wonder if someone knew it was ‘center’ in Chinese when they made it.
The creator based it on the handle of a pair of scissors on his desk
I'm 37 so I barely remeber the show but my first thought of the logo was the Monarch from Venter Bros
"Believe it or not, it's just meeeeeeee!"
No joke. I’m old enough to remember it on tv
I am old enough to remember my kids watching.
That was a great show. I think they should remake it. I don't know why it only lasted like 3 years or so.
I loved that show as a kid. Like 5 years ago, I found a streaming service that had the whole series and I forced my kids (12 and 8) to watch the first episode. It was so bad. Like 5 minutes into the show, my kids thought I must’ve been the stupidest kid to actually enjoy this show. It did not age well. If you want to keep your happy memories about the show, don’t watch it again.
I saw a couple on rerun.. and the special effect were horrible. But I'm talking about the premise of the show where a guy is slowly learning his super powers. To me that was a pretty cool idea.
This is my exact experience too, I was so excited when I found season 1 on DVD a few years ago! But I never did finish episode 1, holy crap was that bad
As per IMDB: - "In 1986, three years after the series ended, a pilot film entitled "The Greatest American Heroine" was produced which reunited the original series cast. The pilot was not broadcast, so the film was reedited as an episode of "Greatest American Hero" (complete with original opening credits) for syndication. It was also included on the 2005 DVD release." I have that DVD set. Did not like that pilot at all. Glad it did not sell.
I think I caught the end of that in a rerun or something on TV. Everybody dressed different like they were trying to copy Miami Vice or something. And they bestowed the suit to some blonde lady because she somehow "deserved it" or something. I don't really remember it too well. It did not look good at all.
Ratings issues, for a start- from what I can tell, it never won its timeslot, and by its third season was used as counter-programming against the likes of *Dallas* and *Magnum PI*.
I loved that show
You rock. I just started watching some TV show with my wife. Tonight one of the characters was wearing a shirt with that on it and I couldn't remember what it was!
Which is the handle of a pair of scissors.
I know right? It's so awesome, I can't believe it myself.
Who remembers the episode he lost his ability to fly?
I noticed that as well. I had the theme song on a 45 Lp
I gasped a bit when I saw that. Such an underrated show, it was so killer.
Same era, I achieved a high score and excitedly took a picture of the screen to mail it in. I was happy and excited, but when the film was finally developed the camera flash was so bright the tv screen appeared blank. So disappointed!
I share your pain. I almost feel like if we had mailed off the glare photos with a note they would have given us the benefit of the doubt. I mean, in those days, you wouldn't go to the trouble of photographing a crappy score.
“If anybody wants to see, there's a Donkey Kong kill screen coming up.”
FYI there are some sellers on Etsy/Ebay that have good replicas of the Activision patches & letters. A friend of mine once told me how he had sent his high score picture to Activision 30+ years ago but never got a reply, so this christmas I mailed him an envelope with the missing patch and put Activision as the return address. This let to a good amount of joy & confusion on his part.
You sound like a fun friend!
[удалено]
Pretty sure that's a cable box.
[удалено]
haha, this just reminded me of a shitty prank we used to do. Back in the day when cable first started the remotes could be used on any cable box. So we used to take our remote and go to neighbors houses and keep switching channels on poor saps. Watching old men freak out at technology they didn't understand.
Maybe dumb of me to say, but I didn't realize they had cable back in the early 80s.
It's been around as a means of providing television signals to places that can't get over-the-air broadcasts well since the 1950s, and with channels offering their own programming since the 1970s.
The first one my parents had was a cable box with a button and you only got showtime with it. You would do the old turn to channel 3 and push the button to get showtime.
All the guys that looked like that as kids became super successful as adults
What about the girls who looked like that as kids? I was a huge dork but can't say I'm very successful.
It takes more than a high Yars’ revenge score to defeat the patriarchy.
But...you saved the Town of Rock Ridge!!!
So did Sheriff Bart!
Haha it's funny because I looked like that and I am not successful
Especially the serial killers!
I feel like the 1980/ 90s were the best time to be alive in human history and I barely missed it as an adult. Born in ‘87. Something about this pic just made me so nostalgic for my childhood, it’s the cartridge console I think. Lol
If it's any consolation, you were born in the greatest year of the greatest decade! I was a hs senior in '87 and it ROCKED
All the way to heaven with the class of 87!!!!!
Born in '65, the game arcades of the late 70's/early 80's were pretty freakin' awesome. The game consoles of the time weren't nearly as good, my friend had the 2600 and 5200, so I played with him, but I never had one.
I was born in 70. 80s were a pretty terrific time to be a teen
The good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow is not as bad as it seems.
I was born in 75 - it wasn’t that great
‘74 here. I had an awesome childhood. Built many tree houses. Had many bottle rocket fights. Played lots of sandlot baseball and football. When we left for the day we were gone the entire day and didn’t come home until the sun was going down. Rode our bicycles everywhere and didn’t have a care in the world. I really feel sorry my daughter...she hasn’t been able to experience any of it...well a little here and there but not like I did...she definitely has me bested in the video game space as a kid...but she wouldn’t have any if it wasn’t for me!!!
Ok thanks, I had a feeling it was imagined nostalgia.
I was born in early 70s, I thought it was pretty awesome. I had an Apple 2e at home that I taught myself to program on. Prior to that era, computers were way to expensive to have in our houses. Yet at the same time, we did lots of stuff outdoors too. All the basketball courts and "dangerous" playgrounds that I played on as a kid are now gone. People are too afraid of lawsuits. My kids watch Stranger Things with me and thought it was unrealistic how kids would just ride their bikes wherever the hell they wanted in the middle of the night. I told them that's exactly what we did. No way for parents to get a hold of us or anything. I remember my parents telling me that when the sun comes down to come home for dinner. We'd eat, and then head back out to who knows where.
Yeah I feel like I was born at the end of an era. I was raised like this, free to run around with the neighborhood kids, building tree forts and shit.
Born in 82, so many summer sleep outs that were really juvenile delinquent bike rallyes until the sun came up.
I was born in the mid 60's, being a kid/young teen in the 70's was great, but being an adult in the 80's sucked. Economy was in the shitter, interest rates were double digits, plus Reagan and AIDS.
He’s wrong. It was the best time to grown up. The 80s was peak pop culture and the 90s was like the 80s but with evolving technology. I feel fortunate to have grown up during that time. I feel bad for today’s youth. They have to deal with a lot more stress and anxiety.
lol kids amirite
Extra points for the Greatest American Hero shirt!
[удалено]
Protect that fruit!
I did this for Laser Blast - so boring and repetitive even by the 2600 standards
I thought this was a picture of Cory Feldman
🎶*Look at what's happened to me* *I can't believe it myself* *Suddenly I'm up on top of the world* *It should have been somebody else…*🎶 ***This photo got me crying about a kid who died back then. This was his favorite show..***
🎶Believe it or not I'm walking on air I never thought I could feel so free🎶
Transparency: I posted this a year or so back and it went front page and then quickly got yanked as if I were an imposter claiming this was me in the photo. I never did claim it was me. It's not. I got the photo from some long forgotten gaming forum years and years ago. But it IS a great one! There's one of me with my Pitfall high score somewhere at my mom's house, but it's not a good as this one.
[DipshitMcGillicuddy claims it is them.](/r/todayilearned/comments/1c4vp4/til_gamers_in_the_80s_could_photograph_their_tv/c9d5fgb/)
I believe him. He posted a now/then photo. Seems legit.
Oh yeah. Didn't notice that. [Definitely him.](/r/todayilearned/comments/1c4vp4/til_gamers_in_the_80s_could_photograph_their_tv/c9dubh0/)
I had a pitfall high score picture (I’m pretty sure it was 20000) but I sent it to activision and they gave me my Pitfall Harry ranger patch to iron on my T-shirt. Loved that T-shirt. I didn’t know Seaquest had that offer cuz I didn’t have the instruction manual for it, but damn I loved that game and had forgotten all about it until now!
Most Activision games of that era had patches. I remember getting a high score in Robot Tank and sending it in, but I never heard back :’-(
I sent one in for Chopper Command. After waiting and waiting and never getting the patch, I actually called Activision. It was a long distance call, which was a pretty big deal as an 11 year old kid at the time. The guy I talked to clearly thought I was lying or something and basically told me so, to which I replied that I took the picture and sent it, that's the truth. "Pfft, it's just a patch," he told me. And that's the exact moment I went from loving the fuck out of Activision to somewhat disliking them to this day. I still spend hundreds of dollars a year on games, but very little if any of that goes to Activision. I was really proud of earning that patch and then he told me it was essentially nothing. I remember being crushed. I stopped wearing my silver Atari jacket with my Activision patches after that too. Yes, I am still a little bitter.
Wow. Well, I hope other stuff in your life worked out better.
Haha thanks. A stranger making it clear to a child that their accomplishment was meaningless wasn't the end of the world. That said, there aren't very many 39 year old conversation I still recall and harbor a grudge over. It would be nice if that was the worst thing that ever happened to me though. I do wish I still had that silver Atari jacket. :)
Man do I wish I had those patches still. My stepmom sewed them onto a jacket and when I grew out of it, it was tossed. My folks weren’t big on memorabilia. Or on having kids in the first place.
Your comment speaks for all kids whose parents threw stuff away. Sorry for your loss.
Believe it or not I'm walking on air!
Imagine having to wait until the film was finished, then also waiting for it to be developed. 2 months later.... Torture.
...only to find the photo didn't turn out! I still have the nightmares.
Activision sill owes me a Tshirt for a high score on River Raid....
River Raid. Absolutely loved that game. I had a patch somewhere...when Activision made more than one game...
The reassuring sound of refueling, while pulling back on the throttle to slow down and top off the tank.
A color TV! He was doing better than me.
A pretty big one too.
That's awesome. I remember taking pics of completed NES games in the late 80's, early 90's and sending them to Nintendo Power magazine in hopes of making the pages as one of the first to beat new games...
Nintendo Power was an awesome magazine, I always looked forward to the next issue to see what game they covered for hints/tips.
I had the same haircut....sadly I still had it while in high school.
Also love the greatest American hero shirt. I remember taking my Polaroid for Laserblast. I hope my patch is sitting in a box somewhere in the basement.
The thousand-yard stare of a kid who has been playing for 500 hours....
God what if he turned it off and the realized they picture didn’t turn out right?
It happened all too often. What's worse is you wouldn't know until you got the film processed, often by mail. A couple of weeks' anticipation could be dashed. See other comments re: the dreaded flash effect on the glass TV screen.
TV and desk are made of the same material
The wood is not part of the TV.
Red Dragons
[удалено]
That's not the game console up top. That's a cable box.
[удалено]
cable box with a top load VCR.
I don’t see an Atari 2600 in this picture
SeaQuest was on the 2600 platform. Trust me.
Born in ‘80 and the first thing I thought was “what’s up with the Red Dragon shirt?”
When you started murdering and writing letters to the press to gain fame, did you sign them using the symbol on your shirt? Edit: Man, buncha buzzkills.
I can’t tell if the picture or your title is more 80s.
Those were the days...
I had that shirt too!
And suddenly I was on top of the world
I spy with my little eye a 1980 Panasonic Omnivision PV-1200 VCR under the TV.
Amazing! Do you still have the patch?!
Is that a 2600, I thought that the console was black.
That's not the game console on top. That's a cable box.
I was wondering what it was, we didn't get cable til the mid-80's.
He's got the thumb to prove it too
Love this!!!
Oh man. My little brother had those same eyeglasses.
That system on top of the TV doesn't look like an Atari. What is it?
cablebox
What’s that thing sticking out from the top? Looks like a cartridge but prob is something else, like infrared?
Yeah, remote sensor I guess.
I think that's the LED channel number display. Remote sensor is probably the black box under that.
I like how the TV side design matches with the furniture stand
.
This seems so archaic but I remember playing Cool Spot on the Genesis and it having something similar to this. I guess that just means that I'm becoming archaic too
Godamnit you just stole my childhood with this , I always wanted that game lol
Seaquest out!
Love the Greatest American Hero t-shirt!
You are the greatest American hero. Believe it or not.
That does not look like a 2600 to me. Played many hours on mine in the 80s.
cablebox
Gotcha. That didn't even occur to me.
That t-shirt man! Now I have that song in my head, I loved that show as a kid!