It was a classic battle between good and evil and it gave us one of the greatest toys of all time. Today, we journey back to revisit the history of the iconic Transformers.
From their early days in Japan to dominating TVs and toy shelves in North America, this is another defining 1980s toys franchise that was also a masterclass in marketing. So hit play and ... Show More
Jul 2023
1980s Britain: everything you wanted to know
Lucy Robinson responds to your questions on Britain in the decade of Thatcherism, Live Aid, Bananarama and the rise of the yuppie It was the decade in which the Aids pandemic transformed our relationship with sex and sexuality, MTV transformed the way we consume music, Princess D ... Show More
42m 13s
Jun 2024
Ridiculous Video Game Tie-ins, Part One: The Rise of Cool Spot -- and Fall of the Noid
Cast your memories back to the strange days of the 1980s and 1990s -- boy howdy, things were weird. At some point, marketing executives the world round realized that video games could be a new, powerful field of advertising. In the first part of this special two-part series, Ben, ... Show More
38m 18s
Jan 2024
The Story of How Star Wars Toys Revolutionized Movie Merchandising (Part 2)
On this episode of Our American Stories, the "Nostalgia Awakens" is a Star Wars action figure exhibit from enthusiast and museum curator Jarrod Roll. He's here to share the story of how Star Wars toys revolutionized movie merchandising, licensing, and even how children play.
Supp ... Show More
17m 58s
Jun 2021
That Seattle Muzak Sound
If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can binge the whole season of Decoder Ring right now, plus ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more.On this episode, we explore the misunderstood history of Muzak, formerly the wo ... Show More
44m 11s