retro

The cast of Cop Rock—in a rare moment of not singing about law and order.

There’s a time and a place for a jaunty Hall & Oates pastiche, but—as the creators of 'Cop Rock' discovered the hard way—it’s probably not in the middle of a self-described “baby merchant” getting caught in a child abduction sting.

Iron filings don’t seem like obvious playthings. They’re extremely unpleasant if swallowed, can cause great harm to the eyes, and are best not inhaled. Yet they are at the core of one of the world’s best-loved toys: Wooly Willy.

Recently unearthed footage shows a young Keanu Reeves covering the Canadian International Teddy Bear Convention as a corespondent for the CBC.

The Last Blockbuster on Earth is located in Bend, Oregon.

For the cost of a video rental, you can spend the night in the world's last remaining Blockbuster store, located in Bend, Oregon.

Fotomat locations promised speedy photo processing in the 1970s.

The tiny photo processing kiosks could be found everywhere in the 1970s and 1980s. And that was the problem.

Who let the dogs out? In 2000, it was the Baha Men—but the novelty song's origins could date back much further.

It's been 20 years since 'Who Let the Dogs Out' was released, and its impossibly infectious hook is no doubt still lodged inside your brain. But two decades later, we're still no closer to answering the question.

A scene from the Sunset Drive-In in Colchester, Vermont.

Nearly 90 years after the first drive-in movie theater opened, the al fresco cinema experience is officially in the midst of a comeback.

He's never gonna make you cry, unless you step on him with bare feet.

Brick Astley has all the ’80s swagger of Rick Astley, but with tiny, cylindrical hands and hardly any neck.

If you have a Rose, Blanche, Dorothy, or Sophia in your life, this is the perfect place to live out your golden years.

Tubby Baxter and Gary Gnu in The Great Space Coaster.

The popular kid's show 'The Great Space Coaster' ran from 1981 to 1986, won awards, and employed some of the minds behind 'Sesame Street.' So why is it so hard to find?

When the first Costco location opened in Seattle in 1983, a membership only cost $20 for the whole year.

In the late 1970s, ski resort owner Gene Mulvihill transformed a mountain in rural New Jersey into a one-of-a-kind amusement destination that left guests in charge of their own fun. Get the inside story on 'Class Action Park' from Mulvihill's son Andy and

The Steven Spielberg dinosaur blockbuster is still drawing crowds nearly 30 years after it originally opened.

Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina making some waves on the cover of 1973's "Full Sail" album.

Yacht rock began as a sendup of the late '70s and early '80s smooth jams to which many Millennials and late period Gen-Xers were likely conceived, then morphed into a beloved musical genre that has come to define the summer months.

Ozzie Canseco, the identical twin brother of baseball legend Jose Canseco, had all of the tools—but not nearly enough of the practice.

Care Bears were one of the great merchandising success stories of the 1980s.

The Care Bears were the result of Kenner wanting a unique teddy bear and American Greetings looking for a greeting card you could hug.

Bo Jackson and the "Bo Knows" campaign helped Nike finally overtake Reebook in the early 1990s.

The two-sport athlete slammed home runs in baseball and rushed for 950 yards in football, but it was an endorsement deal with Nike that made Bo Jackson a household name.

Back to the Future was the summer of 1985's big box office winner.

Four John Candy movies, one massive Disney bomb, and a New Coke with which to wash it all down. The summer of 1985 was one to remember.

"Once you get your hands on Bop It!, you're not gonna want to stop it!"

Bop It, the popular kid's toy, started out as something called Remote Out-of-Control that required players to pull, twist, or bop it. The last one stuck.

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Game night became fright night for players sitting around some of these forgotten board games, including one that "bit" players on the finger.

The Flowbee revolutionized the highly suspect idea of cutting one's own hair.

The Flowbee vacuum cleaner attachment became an infomercial sensation for promising to trim hair with the help of the household Hoover.

In the first edition of "Throwback," our all-new YouTube series, we take a deep dive into the bizarre history of Sea-Monkeys and Harold von Braunhut, the man who created them—then funneled the millions he made into illegal activities.

Soloflex ads were must-see television in the 1980s.

The all-in-one exercise machine used revolutionary marketing to convince consumers they could achieve physical perfection. Most people wound up using it as a clothes rack.

Slap Wraps bracelets swept the nation in the fall of 1990.

In the fall of 1990, kids annoyed teachers with slap bracelets that instantly curled around their wrists. They also resulted in instant litigation.

Cop Rock: How ABC Created the Strangest TV Musical Of All Time

The Magnetic Appeal of Wooly Willy

Before He Was John Wick, Keanu Reeves Was a Teddy Bear Reporter for the CBC

The World’s Last Blockbuster Has Been Transformed Into an Airbnb—and It Costs Just $4 Per Night

Overexposed: A History of Fotomat

Unraveling the 20-Year Mystery of How 'Who Let the Dogs Out' Became a Global Phenomenon

The 50 Best Drive-In Movie Theaters Across America

Brick Roll: LEGO Version of Rick Astley Is Never Gonna Give You Up in New Video

The Golden Girls House Is on the Market for the First Time Ever

Good Gnews: Remembering The Great Space Coaster

See What the First Costco Looked Like in 1983

Action Park: New Book Goes Inside America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park

Jurassic Park Topped This Weekend's Box Office—27 Years After Its Release

If the Yacht Is a Rockin': Riding the Yacht Rock Nostalgia Wave

Double Play: The Curious Life and Career of Ozzie Canseco

The Fur Trade: How the Care Bears Conquered the '80s

Bo Knows Everything: Remembering Nike's Legendary Bo Jackson Ad Campaign

15 Blockbuster Facts About the Summer Movies of 1985

A Twisty History of Bop It

7 of the Creepiest Board Games From Your Childhood

A Hair-Raising History of the Flowbee

The Unbelievable History of Sea-Monkeys

Flex Appeal: How Soloflex Conquered '80s Fitness

Slap Happy: The Slap Bracelet Phenomenon of 1990