What's In The Box Santa?

What if the toy aisle was actually a story engine? We crack open the sticker book of Gen X memory to uncover the real origins, marketing magic, and cultural chaos behind the 80s toys that defined a generation. From the sweet scent of Strawberry Shortcake to the riot-fueled rise of Cabbage Patch Kids, we follow the trail of how small design choices—fragrance, adoption papers, vinyl heads—became sparks for national obsession.

We dive into He-Man and She-Ra, the power duo that turned mini-comics and after-school TV into a moral universe where courage and friendship sat next to Castle Grayskull. Then we shift gears into Transformers, born from Japanese engineering and remixed by Marvel into Autobots, Decepticons, and a mythic home called Cybertron. Tech specs, decoder strips, and character backstories transformed plastic into personality. If you ever argued Optimus versus Starscream, this one hits home.

Not all icons roared; some clicked. The Rubik’s Cube started as a teaching tool and evolved into a global phenomenon and a speedcubing sport where algorithms and muscle memory meet. We also explore the sensory side of nostalgia—fidgets, stims, the snap of the snake puzzle—and how tasting color might actually be a thing. Strawberry Shortcake’s greeting card roots and Teddy Ruxpin’s animatronic storytelling widen the lens on how toys tapped smell, voice, and motion to make memories stick. We end by asking what screens have done to imagination and why tangible play still matters.

If Gen X toys taught you loyalty, logic, or the thrill of solving something with your hands, you’ll feel seen. Tap play, relive the mayhem, and then tell us your favorite 80s toy. Subscribe, share with a friend who traded Garbage Pail Kids, and leave a review so more nostalgics can find us. Autobots, roll out.

Send us an email

Support the show

#genx #80s #90s https://youtube.com/@likewhateverpod?si=ChGIAEDqb7H2AN0J

https://www.tiktok.com/@likewhateverpod?_t=ZT-8v3hQFb73Wg&_r=1

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_05 (00:00):
Whatever, whatever, sharing, or score weather.
We'll take you back likewhatever.

SPEAKER_02 (00:13):
Welcome to Like Whatever, a podcast for, by, and
about Gen X.
I'm Nicole, and this is my BFFFHeather.

SPEAKER_00 (00:22):
Hello.
So it's cold today.
It was cold yesterday.

SPEAKER_02 (00:27):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (00:28):
Yesterday was brutal.

SPEAKER_02 (00:30):
Really?
Because they said it was colderout today.
Was it as windy?
Okay.
There was no wind today.

SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
Yeah.
Yesterday that wind was justblowing straight through me.
Ugh.

SPEAKER_02 (00:38):
Yeah, man.
It's cold.
Yeah.
Um.
And let's see what else.
Oh, I start I be I did I I don'tthink last week.
Yes, I had.
I had started dashing.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
I really enjoy it.
It's it's pretty addictive.
It is.
I'm always like, I'll work tilllike five.

(00:59):
And then at five, I'm like, I'mstill ready to go.
And then it's also kind oftherapeutic because I don't have
to think.
Yep.
And I'm kind of going throughsome little stuff right now.
Um so it's nice to have thedistraction.
And I get a little extra cash inmy pocket.

SPEAKER_01 (01:17):
So And that's how I feel about it.
Because you can make you, Imean, you can make whatever you
want to make, um, how dependingon how hard you want to work.
Right.
But it's way better than havingto work in a restaurant.
Right.
Yeah.
Or an actual job, because thenyou get to pick when you want to
do it when you want to be done.

SPEAKER_02 (01:36):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So as I usually do with things,I'll do it until it's not fun
anymore.
And then I'll move on from it.
But for right now, I'm I'mloving it.
It's it's pretty fun.
Yeah.
It's super easy.
Yeah.
I had a couple of hiccups myfirst couple days, but then I
got it all worked out.
Yeah.

(01:58):
So did you watch anything goodthis week?

SPEAKER_01 (02:02):
I watched what did I call it, say it was Love and
Death?
Mm-hmm.
Man, that's craziness.

SPEAKER_02 (02:08):
It was a crazy, like everybody in that did such great
acting.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (02:12):
It was just, yeah.
She's nuts.
She's nuts.
Okay, here's my thing aboutspoiler alert.
It's the Candy Montgomery, Ithink is her name.
Sorry, anyway, it's true crime.
I know.
Weird.
Yeah, it's my thing.
I think it's most of our thing.
Yeah.
Um so I don't think she shouldhave gotten away with that.

(02:36):
I think she I think she pran I Idon't know that it was
pre-planned, but it was notself-defense.
Yeah.
Yeah, I agree.
I think that movie was alsoskewed a little bit to the only
side that was living.
Yeah.
Anyway, that's what we watched.
Yeah, it was good.

(02:57):
And some Christmas garbage thatI absolutely fucking hate, but I
have to tolerate it because themurder shows come on.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And our Eagles just I I don'teven have words for what
happened yesterday.
It was heartbreaking.

SPEAKER_02 (03:15):
You know, it's been since like 1978 that a
quarterback fumbled the ball ontwice on one play.
It's like that literally neverhappens.

SPEAKER_01 (03:25):
I just I don't know.
I'm not gonna talk aboutfootball because it hurt my
feelings, and my feelings arestill hurt about it.
Yep, yep, yep.
But we both stayed up late forit, so we're both tired today.
And cold being outside in thecold just zaps every piece of
anything out of me.
Oh yeah.
But we're gonna we're gonna ampit up.

(03:47):
I don't know how, but we'regonna do it.
Okay.
I brought um a few surprises foryou.

SPEAKER_02 (03:52):
Oh um, I was going through I was going through some
things this weekend and I foundthis, first of all.
Oh sticker size.
It's a sticker book.
It is, and apparently there's208 stickers in this book
because I mean no retentive.

(04:12):
And this 208 book.
Now 428.
This must have been.
And the 208 book.
This this is the 208 book.
169 of them are cats I havehere.

SPEAKER_01 (04:23):
I see that cats are written all over it.

SPEAKER_02 (04:25):
That is apparently something that has my name up
here in case I lost it.
I know who to return it to.
And you still sign your namethat way.
I do.
I do.
Yep.
So yes, some more a lot of cats.
Sparkly cats.
Some some some cats.
Cats with think bubbles abovethem.
Heathcliff.
Um more cats.
More cats.
I think these ones are fuzzy.

(04:46):
Yeah, these ones are fuzzy ones.
Remember fuzzy stickers?
Um, I'm gonna get to somethingreally cool though, after all
the cats.
Okay.
More cats.
And more cats.
A lot of cats.

SPEAKER_00 (04:59):
I didn't even know they made this many cat
stickers.
Oh, yeah.
I found them all.
More cats.
Look at that swatch though.

SPEAKER_01 (05:05):
Look at this.
Don't talk about this yet.

SPEAKER_00 (05:10):
Okay.
Are they stickers?
Yeah, they're OG.
Oh, they're stickers, huh?
Yeah.
Yep.

SPEAKER_02 (05:20):
That was I was really excited for that.

SPEAKER_01 (05:22):
I'll tell you about that in a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 (05:24):
Okay.
And then we'll talk about it.
Yeah.
More cats.
More cats.
Some swans.
Swans switched it up.
Different than cats.
Switched it up.

SPEAKER_01 (05:31):
Oh, those are the stinky ones.
Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 (05:33):
I wonder if they still smell.
No.
I didn't think so.

SPEAKER_01 (05:40):
Definitely not.
If they did, like you shouldprobably worry about your
safety.

SPEAKER_00 (05:44):
Couple Christmas ones.

SPEAKER_01 (05:46):
More cats.
Oh, there's penguins.
Penguins and ducks.
Hey, did you know that you canhave breakfast with penguins
over in Baltimore?
At the Baltimore Zoo.
That would be fun.
$75 to have breakfast withpenguins.
I want to have expensive andthat.
Well, no, it's your entrance tothe zoo.

(06:07):
It's breakfast.
And it's penguins.
Oh, and you get a plush.

SPEAKER_03 (06:13):
Oh.

SPEAKER_01 (06:14):
I know.
I decided that that was worthit.
100%.
We're gonna have to make it.
I would love to.
There were certain dates, soI'll look them up again.
Okay.
We'll have to.
Okay.
Yeah.
I don't know how we're gonna getthere because neither one of us
can drive over that bridge.
I'll have to drive around.
It goes a long way.
I wish they had a ferry thatpeople like us could take.
I don't know if they still oh,there's a great video.

(06:36):
So it's the Chesapeake BayBridge, if y'all don't know.
And if you're not from here, Iget it.
But you should Google it becauseit is a well-known that people
are petrified to drive over thisbridge.
It's terrifying.
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (06:49):
The sides are like a foot high.
Like if you have to swerve tomiss anybody, you're just going
over the side.
And people go off the sideoften.
Yes.

SPEAKER_01 (06:57):
Especially tractor trailers.
No, if you it's not theChesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel,
which is equally as scary, butit's the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Yes.
Um it is they have had showsabout it, how it's just and they
used to have a service where youcould call and pay somebody to
drive you over, which to me isworth whatever price we have to

(07:21):
pay for.
It really is.
Um it's it's a terrifyingbridge.
And the problem is that's theway to DC and Baltimore.
Baltimore.
So kind of stuck.
Add like three hours to yourkind of stuck on this side of
the bridge.
And then the so the big issue isis if it's a nice clear day,

(07:41):
it's fine if you get in themiddle lane.
And then definitely middle lane.
Yeah, you can pretend like it'snot really happening.
But if it's even slightlybreezy, which this time of year
it is always breezy, it is uhterrifying.
Yeah, yep.
There was a TikTok I waswatching the other day about a
poor lady on it, and she'scrying like hysterically.

(08:06):
And there's a cop had pulled herover and was like, Well, you
know, I and he knows when assoon as he walks up to the car,
not on the bridge.
Before she got, she hadn't evengotten to it.

SPEAKER_02 (08:16):
Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 (08:18):
And he's he, I guess she was on the side of the road.
I don't yeah, yeah.
And the cop is like, so and hecomes up and he knows what's
going on because I'm sure she'snot the first time.
So he's like, I'm gonna be rightbehind you.
I'm gonna put my my lights onand we'll go over.
And she's like, I I'm trying toFaceTime my kids so that they

(08:41):
can help me get over it.
He was like, I'm gonna be righthere.
And I'm just thinking, just youjust drive her over.
Right.
And get one of your littlebuddies to drive you back.
Yeah, it's just all it's anyway.
Yeah.
So penguin, there's a bigobstacle between us and the
penguins.

SPEAKER_02 (08:58):
Very big, very big.
Again, we need to start makingmoney for that private jet so we
can just fly over to helicopter,yeah.
Oh, helicopter would be.
Right out of ocean city.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Or Georgetown.
Yeah.
Literally.
A cruise ship.
I don't know.
I'll take anything.
I just don't want to drive achauffeur, especially because
that bridge in Baltimore justcrumpled into a thousand pieces,

(09:19):
like not that long ago.
So it's really tall.
Yes.

SPEAKER_01 (09:26):
The sides are not solid.

SPEAKER_02 (09:29):
No, they're not very high.
I mean, I exaggerate with afoot, but they might be three
feet.

SPEAKER_01 (09:34):
They're like a guardrail.
Yeah.
And they're open like aguardrail.
Yeah.
Except coming back, the onecoming back is a much better
bridge.
It is.
It's not as tall.
The sides are closed in, and itis only two lanes, but you can't
see over the side.
Right.
It's a much better.
And then, so it's three lanes,except sometimes they have two

(09:56):
lanes going one way and the onelane coming the other way, which
is horrible.
Horrible.
So you're up on top of thisginormous bridge, and traffic is
coming down, and there's no likeseparating them from you.
Mm-hmm.
And everyone drives stupid fast.
And then because they don't wantto get the hell off it.
And then just for funsies, theyput a curve in the end.

SPEAKER_02 (10:17):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
So true.
All right.
How was your week?

SPEAKER_00 (10:24):
What did you do?

SPEAKER_02 (10:25):
Um I put my tree up.
Oh, yes.
I saw the picture.
I did.
I saw the photo.
Yep, yep.
I put my tree up, I cleaned.
Um DoorDashed.
Yeah.
Watched some football.
Yeah.
It was great.

SPEAKER_01 (10:45):
Best week of my life.
Good times.
Yeah.
Well, I'm gonna try and pick up.
We're gonna pick it up.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We got a really fun topic today.
Yay.
Um as we know, uh I hateChristmas, but it is the
Christmas series season.
So I decided to fuck around andfind out about some of our

(11:09):
favorite toys.
Yay.
See, and I also figured this isa as a as a topic we could do
literally a million times sincethere's we really could so many
toys.

SPEAKER_02 (11:21):
I don't know how you picked.

SPEAKER_01 (11:23):
Well the the first one you'll see.
Okay, and it will also tune intoyour stickers perfecties.
Perfect.
All right, so um cabbage patchkids.
Of course, you know, BlackFriday.
Yep, yep.
Um, did you have one?

SPEAKER_02 (11:43):
No.
I no, no one ever bought me one.

SPEAKER_01 (11:46):
I had two.
Of course you did.
Well, here's why.
I won one in Wildwood.
Oh, okay.
And then after the whole thingdied out, my grandparents got
me, I had a redhead.
The brown haired, brown eyes oneI got.
I won, and then I had a redhead.

SPEAKER_02 (12:02):
I had a friend who had one because I was just
obsessed with the adoptionpapers.
Yeah.
And with the signature on thebutt.
Yeah.

unknown (12:10):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (12:11):
Um, so if you don't remember a cabbage patch kid,
what kind of brain injury didyou sustain?
Uh, these soft body dolls, eachaccompanied by an adoption
certificate, became a globalsensation, generating billions
in sales and sparking one of themost infamous toy crazes in
history.
Um, I feel like it was like thefirst frenzy frenzy over toys.

(12:38):
Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 (12:39):
I think Tickle Mialmo was another probably the
next biggest one.
Or Furby's.
I think to Furby's coverage.
Furby's Monchy Cheese.

SPEAKER_01 (12:47):
Oh, Monchy Cheese.
I didn't do Monchy Cheese.
I should have.
My sister did.
My sister loved Monchy Cheese,too.
Yeah.
They're the same age, though.
Makes sense.
Um, the true roots of cabbagepatch kids trace back to
Kentucky artist Martha NelsonThomas, who began crafting her
hand-stitched doll babies in theearly 70s.
Each doll was unique, sold atcraft fairs, and came with its

(13:08):
own birth certificate andadoption papers.
Here's the thing verycontroversial, the cabbage patch
kid.

SPEAKER_02 (13:16):
Oh, as I was just sitting here thinking that
that's pretty genius for just alittle grandma somewhere.
Well.

SPEAKER_01 (13:22):
All right, I'm ready.
In 1976, Georgia art studentXavier Roberts encountered
Thomas's dolls.
He initially Oh, okay.
So he was selling her, he endedup he took the idea and started
selling her dolls for her.

(13:44):
Initially he sold them in a giftshop, but after a pricing
dispute, Thomas stoppedsupplying him.
Roberts then began making hisown version called Little
People, adding his signature toeach doll's butt and tweaking
the design just enough to securecopyright protection.
Well, now I don't like thesignature on the butt.
Here's the funny part.
So I went to CabbagePatchkids.com.

(14:06):
Mm-hmm.
The history.
Mm-hmm.
Does not mention anything abouther.
Then there was a website, uh 2929 I pretty 29 secrets.
29 secrets, and there is thereshe was.

SPEAKER_02 (14:22):
And I was gonna say, I've I never heard that origin
story of them, but I also neverreally knew where they came.
I just thought a toy maker madethem.
Nope.
Wow.

SPEAKER_01 (14:32):
Um so he leaned into theatrical marketing in 1978.
Yeah, in 1978, he openedBabyland General Hospital in
Cleveland, Georgia, a whimsicalshowroom styled as a hospital
where dolls could be adopted.
Employees dressed as nurses anddoctors and customers were

(14:53):
invited to witness the birth ofthe dolls.
He soon realized Thomas, thelady, soon realized Roberts had
appropriated her idea, but bythen his dolls were gaining
traction.
So in by 82, demand outpacedRobert's handmade production.
He licensed the dolls to Coleco.
There's a name from the I know,right?

(15:16):
Which introduced mass producedversions with vinyl heads.
Each doll was unique thanks torandomized features like hair
color, dimples, and skin tone.
Coleco often also crafted afantastical origin story.
Roberts, as a boy, discoveredmagical bunny bees who
pollinated cabbages, givingbirth to the dolls.

(15:39):
This myth this mythology,combined with clever marketing,
set the stage for a culturalexplosion, which I didn't
actually know the story.

SPEAKER_02 (15:47):
Yeah, I know.
I guess I wonder if our parentsknew that.
Probably not.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (15:52):
I think everybody just wanted the fucking doll.
Yeah.
I know that well, I wanted it.
And my grandparents were stillalive at the time.
And I don't know why, but wewere up there visiting them or
whatever.
They had us.
And my poor grandfather andgrandmother.
It's I my grandparents died whenI was 10.
Went literally New Jersey,Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

(16:16):
I remember being in the car.
I remember going to every storein the tri-state area.
We probably even went toMaryland.
Like elked in the whole elk,yeah.
Could not get one, but they werehell bent on it.
And then I ended up going toWildwood and winning one after I
was told not to.
So you've always been good atcontests.

(16:36):
I've always been good atgambling.

SPEAKER_00 (16:38):
That's what it was.

SPEAKER_01 (16:40):
Yeah.
It was like one of those wheelslike they have in Atlantic City.
But instead of money wheel, theyhad like prizes.
Yeah.
One of them was a Cap Trad Kid.
Wow.
And that's my dad.
They had given me money and Iput it, I tried to win it and
didn't.
And then my dad was like, here'sone more dollar.
Don't go putting it on thatbecause you're not gonna win.

(17:02):
Blah blah blah.
And then I won, and he was like,Well, sometimes you win,
sometimes you lose.
And that's when my gambling lovebegan.
I think he said that's gambling.
Sometimes you win, sometimes youlose.

SPEAKER_02 (17:12):
Yeah, that's where you were started.
Mine started with nickel slotson the seaside.
Always New Jersey.

SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
It just comes down to New Jersey being the problem.
Yeah, yeah.
Uh the dolls debuted.
Here's also the dolls debuted at$35 to$45, which in 19 in in
today's money is$125.
Wow.

SPEAKER_02 (17:35):
Yeah.
I do remember they were veryexpensive.

SPEAKER_01 (17:38):
I did too, but I don't think they were like that.
Um they be quickly became themust-have toy of Christmas of
83.
Demand was so overwhelming thatstores couldn't keep up, leading
to riots and chaos across NorthAmerica.
Parents camped outside stores,fought in aisles, and paid
inflated resale prices.

(17:59):
News footage captured scenes ofshoving, trampling, and even
injuries all in pursuit of adoll.

SPEAKER_02 (18:05):
There are a lot of black and white photos of Black
Friday shoppers killing eachother over those things.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (18:12):
By the year's end, Coleco had shipped 3.2 million
dollars dolls, and in 1984,sales skyrocketed to 20 million.
Branded merchandise from Lexlunchboxes to betting pushed
revenues to a staggering$2billion in 1984.

(18:33):
So while Roberts basked in fameand fortune, Thomas, the lady,
pursued legal action.
Good.
I was hoping you would say that.
Claiming he had stolen herconcept.
The case dragged on until 1985when it was settled out of
court.
Though details remainconfidential, Thomas reportedly
said the settlement ensured herchildren could attend college.

(18:56):
I'm sure she.
Roberts later fought anotherbattle against Topps, whose
garbage pail kids, tradingcards, parried his dolls.
That case also ended insettlement.
That brings us to the discussionback to the sticker book.

SPEAKER_02 (19:16):
Yep, that was the surprise in my sticker book.
I have some OGAF garbage pailkids.
So we got Rob the slob.
He's down here.
Fat little bald kid.
Sitting in mud.
Um Baskin Robin, a melted icecream cone.

(19:40):
Oh, here's Catwoman.
Kitty litter.
He's not a pretty kitty.
Cheeky Charles has got nothingbut cheeks.
That looks like my daughter whenshe was born.
It kinda does.
You're not wrong.
Spittin Spencer.

SPEAKER_01 (19:58):
Smelly Shelley.
Oh no.
Sally smelly Sally.
Mad Max.
Joe Blow.
They're amazing.
They were I loved I love theGarbage Bell Kids.

SPEAKER_02 (20:13):
Yeah, I did too.
What a great idea.
Leaky Lindsay with snot allover.

SPEAKER_01 (20:20):
That one I distinctly remember.

SPEAKER_02 (20:21):
The snot ones were always the grossest.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (20:24):
I forget the much of the Heather one was.
I want to say it's like horribleHeather or heinous Heather or
hallucinating Heather.
Unhappy Heather.

SPEAKER_02 (20:38):
Chronically depressed Heather.

SPEAKER_01 (20:44):
So Coleco went bankrupt in 1988, and rights to
the dolls passed through Hasbro,Mattel, and others.
Though the craze cooled by thelate 90s, more than 95 million
dollars had been sold worldwide.
I didn't know the craze went onthat long.
So well, I remember then theyhad the premies.

(21:05):
Oh yeah.
That had a pacifier.
And then they had like dogs.
They had some that looked likepets.
I remember having one of those.
Um I think I have an em I havesome fun facts, but I'll let me
look.
Because the thing I remember andwhat I wanted why I wanted it

(21:30):
was for the smell.
So you didn't have one.
The smell was added to give themmore of a real baby feel and has
remained with the dolls as a wayto elicit a response of
nostalgia in adults and make thedolls more realistic for kids.
While some find the smelloverwhelming, it is also sold in
candles and perfumes, providingthat this marketing gimmick has

(21:54):
been effective.
Proving that just it also madeit easy to spot an off-brand toy
being sold under the cabbagepack kid's name as a bogus doll
because it lacked the smell.
So they smelled like babypowder.
But apparently, and I didn't putit in here because I don't know
what happened there.
Um it was from the fabric.

(22:15):
Whatever the fabric is smellsthat way.
Oh.
Yeah.
It has so weird.
It has a distinct baby powder.
I always thought they just addedbaby powder to it, but
apparently not.
It was like the actual um thing.

SPEAKER_02 (22:30):
I remember once a couple Halloween ago, we had um
everybody dressed up forHalloween in my office, and one
of the girls dressed as acabbage patch kid, and she made
a big cabbage patch box with thewindow in it out of cardboard.
She did an excellent job.
It was a really cool costume.

SPEAKER_01 (22:47):
Um, the lady Thomas passed away in 2013, remembered
fondly by fans who brought heroriginal doll babies to her
funeral.
Roberts, meanwhile, remains inGeorgia, attending Babyland
General Hospital, where newdolls are still born.
Today, over 130 million cabbagepatch kids have been adopted,

(23:08):
uh, proving that this quirkyblend of art, marketing, and
myth left an indelible mark onpop culture.
And it's really fucking creepynow because if you go to their
website, you can watch them beborn in the cabbage patch.

SPEAKER_02 (23:21):
Um, no thanks.
Yeah, it's a little weird.
Yeah, yeah.
It sounded weird the first timeyou said it.
It's weird.

SPEAKER_01 (23:28):
Uh so that's cabbage patch kids.
Nice.
And I'm telling you, and andthey had the diap, they had like
all the diapers and theaccoutrement.
Yeah.
And the shoes, the shoes werelike a weird plastic hoof kind
of situation.
I remember.
Um, so we can't, you know, leaveout the boys because I feel like

(23:51):
some of you maybe did havecabbage patch kids.
But there were boy ones.
Yep, there were.
Uh, in the early 80s, the toyindustry was undergoing a
transformation.
Star Wars had proven that actionfigures tied to a larger
narrative could dominate themarket, and Mattel was eager to
create its own fantasy-drivenfranchise.

(24:11):
Out of this ambition emergedHe-Man and the Masters of the
Universe, a property that wouldblend sword and sorcery with
science fiction, capture theimagination of millions of
children, and leave an enduringmark on pop culture.

SPEAKER_02 (24:26):
Yeah, my sister was a huge He-Man fan.
She had both uh um Castle GraySkull and the other one.

SPEAKER_00 (24:38):
Castle?

SPEAKER_02 (24:39):
Yeah, I only remember the Castle Grey Squall
by the power of there was a bigtan castle for He-Man and then a
big like dark gray castle forSkeletor.
I only like Skeletor for obviousreasons.
Right.
And she pretty much had everyaction figure, and they were the
coolest ones.
Like they would haveaccessories, they would have

(25:00):
like fuzzy on them, they wouldhave they were cats, there were
just their arms would pop off ortheir heads would spin around,
or you know, they everyone didsomething cool.
And we lived in a bi-levelhouse, so that we had one of
those basements that's halfwayabove ground, uh-huh.
And the steps that go down, youhit a landing and go back down.

(25:23):
And my sister would set thatwhole thing up.
It was impressive.

SPEAKER_01 (25:29):
My sister did that with Barbies.

SPEAKER_02 (25:31):
I did that with Barbies.

SPEAKER_01 (25:32):
She had a whole like the bookshelf would be like
different.
She made her own Barbie dreamhouse, basically.
And then her her BFF um is anartist.
And so she would make like thetables and they played Barbie,
like they were into it.
She had made like little rugsand like I used to make my own

(25:54):
Barbie clothes.

SPEAKER_00 (25:57):
I can't sew for shit.

SPEAKER_01 (26:01):
So the origins of the origins of He-Man can be
traced to Mattel designer MarkTaylor, who envisioned a
muscular hero inspired by pulpfantasy and prehistoric imagery.
His sketches evolved into thecharacter of He-Man, a
barbarian-like figure who wouldbecome the centerpiece of a new
toy line.
In 82, Mattel released the firstwave of Masters of the Universe

(26:24):
figures, including He-Man,Skeletor, Tila, Man at Arms, and
others.
Each figure came packaged with amini comic that provided
backstory, establishing theworld of Eternia, Castle Gray
Skull, and the eternal battlebetween good and evil.
The franchise truly exploded in1983.
It seems like everythingexploded in 1983.

(26:46):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (26:50):
It's a good time to be alive.

SPEAKER_01 (26:52):
I feel like it was a lot of cocaine.
Exploding.
When Filmation produced He-Manand the Masters of the Universe,
an animated series designed topromote the toys.
The show introduced Prince Adam,He-Man's alter ego, who
transformed into the mighty heroby declaring the now iconic

(27:12):
phrase I have by the power ofGray Skull.
I have the power.
And I have to hold my sword up.
Um, the cartoon ran for twoseasons and 130 episodes,
pioneering the model of cartoonsas extended toy commercials.
Yet it also distinguished itselfby ending each episode with a
moral lesson, reinforcing valuesof courage, honesty, and

(27:35):
friendship.
The success of He-Man led torapid expansion.
In 85, Mattel and Filmationlaunched She-Ra, Princess of
Power, a spin-off centered onHe-Man's sister, Adora.
This broadened the franchiseappeal, offering young girls
their own heroic figure whilemaintaining ties to the larger
masters of the universemythology.

(27:58):
That same year, the Secret ofthe Sword film introduced She-Ra
to audiences, cementing herplace in the canon.
By the mid-80s, He-Man was acultural juggernaut.
The toys were among thebest-selling lines in the world,
and the franchise extended intolunchboxes, clothing, board
games, and even a Christmasspecial.

(28:21):
In 1987, Hollywood attempted tobring He-Man to the big screen
with Masters of the Universe,starring Dolph Lundgren.
Though the film was a commercialfailure, it later gained cult
status among fans whoappreciated its campy charm.
I was gonna say, I imagine thatwith Dolph Lundgren, it became a
little silly.
Yeah.
The franchise faced challengesin the late 80s as toy sales

(28:44):
declined and children'sinterests children's interests
shifted.
Mattel attempted to revive thebrand with the new adventures of
He-Man in the night in 1990,which transported the hero into
a futuristic space setting.
You know, this is not the firsttime that we have seen that they
tried to send things to space.

(29:05):
I mean, I guess we still keeptrying to do it.
True.
You're not wrong.
Um, while innovative, it failedto compare capture the same
magic.
A more successful revival camein 2002 when Cartoon Network
aired a rebooted series withupdated animation and deeper
storytelling.

SPEAKER_02 (29:25):
It rebooted because in 2002 the kids who grew up
playing with it had kids.
Yes.
So genius timing.
Yep.

SPEAKER_01 (29:34):
Most recently, Netflix released Masters of the
Universe Revelation in 2021.
I guess or not most recently.
A continuation of the originalstoryline alongside a CGI robot
aimed at younger audience.
A reboot, not robot.
I don't remember that.
I don't either.
Despite ups and downs, He-Man'slegacy indoors, the franchise

(29:55):
pra pioneered the synergybetween toys and television,
influencing later giants likeTransformers and G.I.
Joe.
Its blend of fantasy and sciencefiction created a unique
aesthetic, while its morallesson gave it a sense of
purpose beyond mereentertainment.
He-Man was more than a toy, itwas a symbol of empowerment,
imagination, and the eternalbattle between good and evil.

(30:19):
I love it.
Evil.
I like Skeletor.
Yeah.
And I think my sister did havethe She-Ra doll.
I remember she had big boobs.
Mm-hmm.
Which is what female figures hadbig boobs last night.
Wow.
I guess that's why I'm not ahero.

(30:45):
Um, my next one.
The story of Transformers toysbegins not in the United States,
but in Japan.
Okay, so I have a it's not asecret.
I love me some Transformers.
And I'm gonna tell you all this.
Don't judge, don't at me.
I fucking love the Transformersmovies.

(31:06):
Me too.
I don't want to think aboutthings when I'm watching a
movie.
No, I don't want to be sad.
I don't I have a sad enoughexistence in reality.
I want my movies to be beyondmind-numbingly entertaining.
Yes, yes.
That is the epitome of thetransformers.

SPEAKER_02 (31:28):
It really is, and I think what makes it work so well
is they gave the each of theTransformers such great
personalities.
Yes.
Like they are very entertaining.
Yes.

SPEAKER_01 (31:37):
I like the first two.
After that, I think we went tothe room.

SPEAKER_02 (31:41):
Yeah, the first one's definitely my favorite.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (31:43):
The second one, I like the second one only because
there is this one scene, and Iwill skip to it every time, and
I get it.
It's all CGI.
I understand that because carsdon't actually turn into robots.
But there's a scene whereBumblebee and him are driving
down a highway, and they almosthit something, and Bumblebee

(32:05):
transforms and tosses him in theair, and then they're all still
moving, and then he transformsaround him back into the car.
That's my favorite fuckingscene.
That's come on.

SPEAKER_02 (32:17):
It's so badass.

SPEAKER_01 (32:18):
I mean, come on.
Yeah, yeah.
Now my cousin had um the OptimusPrime with the uh trailer that
you can put all the other onesin.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I did that.

SPEAKER_02 (32:31):
No, I think I knew somebody that had that, like
maybe a friend of mine's brotheror some little brother.
I'm still so jealous of that.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (32:39):
That's fucking awesome.
In the early 80s, the Japanesecompany Takara developed two toy
lines, Dioclone and MicroChange,that featured robots capable of
transforming into vehicles,machines, and everyday objects.
These toys were innovative,combining mechanical engineering
with imaginative play.

(33:00):
When American toy giant Hasbrodiscovered them, they saw an
opportunity to rebrand andexpand the concept for Western
audience.
In 1984, Hasbro introducedTransformers to the U.S.
market, forever changing thelandscape of children's toys.
What set them apart was not justtheir ability to change form,
but the narrative thataccompanied them.

(33:21):
Hasbro partnered with MarvelComics to create a mythology
that gave each toy a name,personality, and allegiance.
The heroic Autobots, led byOptimus Prime, stood against the
villainous Decepticons commandedby Megatron.
And I can just want to tell youthat as much as I love the
Optimus Prime, the me the umDecepticons were always better

(33:45):
looking because they were allblack.
Yeah.
But yeah.
True.
Too much color for you.
I mean, I like Bumblebee.
Of course.
Um the backstory transformed thetoys from mere playthings into
characters within a largeruniverse.
Uh, they weren't just playingwith cars or robots, they were
participating in an epic battlefor the fate of Cybertron.

(34:06):
The first wave of toys includediconic figures such as Optimus
Prime, Bumblebee, Soundwave, andStarscream.
Each game came packaged withtech specs that detailed their
abilities decoded with a redplastic strip.
This added layer ofinteractivity made the toys feel
more alive, as if each figurecarried its own dossier.

(34:29):
The toys were also tied directlyto the animated series The
Transformers from 84 to 87,which reinforced their
personalities and adventures.
This synergy between toy andmedia created a feedback loop.
The cartoon sold the toys, andthe toys kept the children
invested in the cartoon.
As the line expanded, Hasbrointroduced new gimmicks to keep

(34:50):
the brand fresh.
This is where it goes off therails.
Okay.
Dynobots transformed intoprehistoric creatures.
Well, the constructions combinedinto the massive Devastator and
Triple Changers offered twoalternate forums instead of one,
so they would like to fittogether.
Yeah, which was that's fine, butlike just come on with the

(35:12):
dinosaurs.
They're already from outerspace, I guess, so you can't
send them to space because thenyou have to do the next best
thing, which is dinosaurs.
The movie introduced newcharacters like Hot Rod and
Galvatron, ensuring that the toyline continued to evolve
alongside the narrative.

(35:33):
By the mid-80s, Transformers hadbecome one of the most
successful toy lines in theworld.
The 90s brought reinvention,sales had declined, and Hasbro
needed to revitalize the brand.
In 96, Beast Wars Transformersdebuted, reimagining the robots
as animals rather than vehicles.
The toys featured advancedarticulation, allowing for more

(35:55):
dynamic play, and theaccompanying CGI series
introduced deeper characterarcs.
No, this era proved thatTransformers could adopt to
change changing tastes andtechnologies, keeping the brand
relevant for a new generation.
The 2000s saw furtherexperimentation with lines like

(36:17):
Armada, Energon, and Cybertron,introducing mini cons and inter
interconnected storylines.
In 2007, Michael Bay's liveaction Transformers film
reignited global interestdriving massive toy sales.
I imagine it was all Gen Xersbuying those toys.
Trying to make their kids playwith them.

(36:39):
The design became became morecomplex, reflecting the film's
realistic aesthetic.
At the same time, Hart Hasbrolaunched collector focus lines
such as Masterpiece, whichoffered highly detailed figures
faithful to the original cartoondesigns and generations which
updated classic cartoon classiccharacters with modern
engineering.

(37:00):
Today, Transformer toys continueto thrive, balancing nostalgia
with innovation.
Collectors seek out vintagefigures while children discover
new iterations through rebootsand streaming series.
The toys have sold hundreds ofmillions of units worldwide,
generating billions in revenue.
More importantly, they havebecome cultural artifacts
embodying the tagline that hasdefined them since then since

(37:24):
1984 more than meets the eye.
And now we're gonna take amoment to go back back in time
to April of I don't rememberwhen 1984.
1984.

SPEAKER_06 (37:46):
Because I repeat your life, we're lucky a teenage
pike.

SPEAKER_02 (37:57):
So today we are at Saturday, April 7th, 1984.

SPEAKER_01 (38:01):
We can't have a substitute today, so that's good
news.

SPEAKER_02 (38:04):
Right.
Yeah to Saturday.

SPEAKER_01 (38:06):
I don't know how much more substitute.

SPEAKER_02 (38:08):
I know that mystery is just too deep.
Um, all right, so today, when wewoke up, we had to clean the
house.
Because it's Saturday.
And take care of stuff.
Yep, stuff.
Because we had to go to NewJersey because Aunt Gladys was
getting married.
She was marrying Brad.

(38:29):
They had a very little audience,and the reception was fun.
I had champagne like everyoneelse.
Oh it was fun.
And I spelled champagne S-HA-M-P-A-I-N.
I spelled it phonetically.

SPEAKER_01 (38:49):
Who let you have champagne?
Or you think it was sparklingapple cider or something?

SPEAKER_02 (38:54):
Who knows?
Maybe I snuck it.
If my dad was there, he wouldhave given it to me.
Um we got to put money in thejukebox and listen to music, and
we watched Uncle Brad, UncleDonald, and two other guys.
I don't know what we watchedthem doing.
But maybe dance.

SPEAKER_00 (39:15):
Maybe.

SPEAKER_02 (39:16):
Um they all had dinner and cake and Aunt Gladys
and Uncle Brad.
See, it I love how in thebeginning Aunt Gladys is
marrying Brad, and then afterthe ceremony, he's Uncle Brad.
Like I real quick made that madethat change.
Um let's see, dinner and cake,and Aunt Gladys and Uncle Brad
had matches with their names onit.

SPEAKER_01 (39:37):
Oh, that was a big thing in the 80s.
Matchbooks.

SPEAKER_02 (39:41):
Oh, yeah.
Then we came home and went tobed.
We got home at 12 30 a.m.
OM.
For real.
Gee.
So that's action-packed,Pee-wee.
Uh yeah.
So that's this day on Saturday,April 7th, 1984, in Nicole's

(40:03):
diary.

SPEAKER_01 (40:04):
That's so awesome.

SPEAKER_02 (40:06):
Champagne, champagna.
I know.
Dancing.
Right?
A wedding.
Yeah.
Somebody went from just a singlename to an uncle name.
Yeah.
It's crazy.
It's crazy out there.
Yeah, yeah.
It was a wild time.
It's even crazier as we droveall the way to Jersey.
Went to the wedding.

(40:26):
Why didn't you just stay there?
Yeah, who knows?

SPEAKER_01 (40:29):
I did I yeah, I don't know.
Who am I?
I mean, I would do that now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Especially because you were backby 12 30.
Yeah.
It's not even that late.

SPEAKER_02 (40:44):
No.
But they live like in Broadway.
That's like three, three and ahalf hours from now.
Oh.
Yeah, it was a ride.
Wasn't South Jersey or anything.
Yeah.

unknown (40:53):
All right.

SPEAKER_04 (40:54):
Yeah.
Um.

unknown (40:59):
Okay.

SPEAKER_01 (41:00):
The Rubik's Cube is more than a puzzle.
It's a cultural icon that hasfascinated generations.
Its story begins in 1974 whenHungarian architect and
professor now Rubik.
Yep.
Sought a way to help hisstudents understand
three-dimensional movement.

(41:22):
After months, everything startswith a fucking science lesson.
After months of experimentationwith wooden blocks, paper, and
elastic bands, he created aprototype of what he called the
Hungarian equivalent of magiccube.
At first, Rubik himselfstruggled to solve it, realizing

(41:45):
that the puzzle's challenge layin the staggering number of
possible combinations.
Over 43 quintillion.
Damn.
Yeah.
He patented the cube in 1975,and by 1977, small batches were
sold in Hungary.
The toy's popularity spreadquickly, but Hungary's
restrictive export policieslimited its reach.

(42:06):
That changed in 1979 whenbusinessman Tybor Lasky, no
Laxie, and toy promoter TomKramer helped secure
international licensing.
In 1980, the puzzle wasrebranded as the Rubik's Cube
and released worldwide by IdealToy Group.

(42:27):
Within months, it became asensation, winning Germany's
Game of the Year Award andappearing on magazine covers
such as Scientific American.
By the mid-80s, the Cube hadsold tens of millions of units,
cementing its place as thedecade's defining puzzle craze.
The cube's appeal extendedbeyond casual play.

(42:49):
Mathematicians admired itsconnection to group theory and
symmetry, while educators usedit to teach problem-solving
skills.
Books and guides on solving thecube became bestsellers,
offering step-by-stepalgorithms.
The craze even inspired art,music, and film references,
embedding the cube into popculture.

SPEAKER_02 (43:07):
I want to say I got a Rubik's Cube book to try to
figure it out.
Because I I I was pretty good atgetting one side.
And I think a few times I gottwo sides.

SPEAKER_01 (43:20):
I solved one because I took it apart and put it back
together.
That's not solving it.
It is.
It's not.
It's it's it is.
No.
Let me tell you why.
No.
It goes back to Star Trek.
Because the only pass personthat ever passed the Kobayashi
Maru was Captain Kirk because hecheated.

(43:44):
Because the test was unwinnable.
Okay.
Because that's the way it wasmeant.
It was meant to test yourability to lead in times of
trouble.
Right.
Right.
So he cheated and that's how hewon.

SPEAKER_02 (43:58):
And you think that's the same thing as taking a
Rubik's cube apart?
Okay.
That is exactly the same way.

SPEAKER_01 (44:04):
Well, then that's what we're going with.
As taking because the cubespopped off.
I guess.
Very easily.
Yes.

SPEAKER_02 (44:11):
I was never into cheating.
I was very in old 10 of when Iplayed board games.

SPEAKER_01 (44:15):
Like that's the only one I cheated at.
Probably, I don't know.
Um the mainstream popularitywaned by the late 80s.
The cube never disappeared,though.
In the 90s and 2000s, theRubik's Cube experienced a
revival.
The rise of the internet allowedenthusiasts to share solving

(44:37):
methods and a new sport, speedcubing.
Competitions organized by theWorld Cube Association founded
in 2003.
Those people are nuts.
They probably would frown uponmy cheating and taking it apart.
They it's crazy how fast theymove that thing.
Yes.
It drew thousands ofparticipants worldwide.

(44:57):
Records fell rapidly with solvesdropping from minutes to mere
seconds.
In 2023, Max Park set a worldrecord with a solve of 3.13
seconds, showcasing the cubesenduring challenge.
Okay, I've never seen any ofthis.
But how is it even how?
I mean, I get it, they're movingfast, but Okay.

(45:20):
How's your brain figure that'sright?

SPEAKER_02 (45:22):
Exactly.
Yeah.
It's funny because it really isstill popular because on the
days that I work from home I getto watch um Let's Make a Deal.
Uh-huh.
I love that show.
And this guy came up, and youalways have to say something
interesting about yourself.
Uh-huh.
And he said he could solve aRubik's Cube with one hand.
So Wayne Brady was like, Do wehave a Rubik's Cube?
And they were like, Yeah.

(45:43):
So they brought it out of theback for him.
And of course it's TV and theycan't give him time, but he did
in one hand.
He got to like four sides.

SPEAKER_01 (45:51):
Wow.

SPEAKER_02 (45:51):
But you know, they only had like 10 seconds to tie.
So they were like, okay, webelieve you, but oh my god, that
was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 (45:58):
Like three point that's three one hand.
Yeah.
One Mississippi, two,Mississippi, three Mississippi.
Done.
That's it.
Done.
Yeah.
Crazy.
I I couldn't do it withoutcheating.
I feel though, I feel likeprobably if you're very good at
math, I feel like there's a lotof math involved.

SPEAKER_02 (46:19):
And that would be another reason why I just
geometry type math.
Because I'm very good at mathand I'm terrible at geometry.

SPEAKER_01 (46:26):
So I feel like it's a math equation.
That's why I popped it apart andjust put it back together.
Because you were never gonna getit.
I was never.

SPEAKER_03 (46:36):
Nope.

SPEAKER_01 (46:37):
I don't even pretend like I could do math.
I know a lot of people feel badabout it.
I do not.
I do not care that I can.
Ever since we have been friends,I have just hand her money.
I'm like, I don't know.
She could have been ripping meoff all these years with no
idea.
Yep.

(46:59):
Um the Rubik's Cube began as ateaching tool, but evolved into
a global phenomenon.
Its blend of simplicity andcomplexity has ensured its
longevity, making it just notjust a puzzle, but a touchstone
that continues to inspireproblem solvings around the
world.
Um, I also had the snake, whichyou could not pop off.

SPEAKER_02 (47:21):
I love the snake, and I didn't tell you about my
recent snake story.
No, all right.
So yeah, we had the big fat onesand they were so much fun.
Oh my god.
Remember making the scorpion?
And I only made a ball.

unknown (47:33):
Oh, jeez.

SPEAKER_02 (47:34):
But but I was sitting in a um work thing one
day, and a lot of people I Iwork in the industry of people
with like disabilities andthings, so fidget type things
are common in people that notonly I work with, but
colleagues.
So anyway, we're sitting in thisthing, and I look over, and the

(47:56):
lady sitting next to me, who's afriend of mine, she's got um the
small little snake.
It was probably about eightinches long and skinny, and
she's under the table playingwith it.
I was like, oh my god, where didyou get that?
And she's like, Oh, I love thesethings.
Like she broke had broken likethree of them because she just
plays with them so much.
Always twist.
I was like, oh my god, that wasmy favorite toy.

(48:16):
So the next time I saw her, shegave me one.
Oh, I know.
Right now it's a cat toy becauseevery time I set it somewhere,
the cats put it on the floor andkick it, but they're not hurting
it.
But but yeah, it's green andwhite.

SPEAKER_01 (48:28):
Mine was black and white, black and cream.

SPEAKER_02 (48:30):
Mine was um purple and green.
Oh.
Mm-hmm.
Yep.

SPEAKER_01 (48:35):
I'm sure they had other like versions, but I only
remember the snake and the thecube.

SPEAKER_02 (48:42):
I feel like there were other things.
I just can't think of what theywere.

SPEAKER_01 (48:48):
I think what I remember most about it, A, is
because it popped apart soeasily, and you could rearrange
it.
But the noise that it made clickthe the hand like the creak of
it.
Um, we were watching TV theother night, my one of my murder
shows.
And um he looked at me and said,I just took a test for you, and

(49:12):
I think you're autistic.
And I went, Oh, you you fuckingthink?
I didn't need that test to tellyou that.
I know for a fact.
What gave it away?
The fact that I don't eatanything purple because it
tastes purple.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.

(49:33):
Speaking, because this thisactually does tie in.
The story of StrawberryShortcake is like she smelled so
good.
It's a quintessential.
She smells like red.
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (49:46):
There's something.
I recently watched a show, andI'm gonna have to look into
this.
It was a show where somebody,some girl, what was it?
She kidnapped somebody's kid.
She became a nanny, kidnappedthe kid because she swore it was
her kid, because she gave it upfor adoption.
And one of the ways they figuredout that it was her kid was that

(50:07):
he tasted things in color, andso did she, and it's extremely
rare.
Oh.
And um it's hereditary.
Does that mean my mom or daddoes?
I bet it's my dad.
Probably.
I bet a hundred percent it's mydad.
And I bet brown is his favoritecolor of chocolate.

(50:30):
I don't know.
I'll get you more information onthat.
I'll have to get away.

SPEAKER_01 (50:33):
Now that I think about it, like because when I
was thinking about this on myway here, because I I was
thinking about strawberryshortcake and how good she
smelled.
And I was also thinking abouttelling you about the autism
thing.
I don't eat purple because ittastes like purple.
Purple things taste like purple.
And I thought everybody knewwhat purple tasted like.

(50:54):
Um obviously orange tastesorange, but but red has always
tasted strawberry.
Like it's okay.
Red is like strawberry, nomatter what this red thing is.
Well, I mean, I guess Ishouldn't say no matter what,
but to me, if you held up thecolor red, I would think

(51:16):
strawberry automatically.
That it tastes, if I had to lickit, it would taste like
strawberry, not cherry, butstrawberry.
Obviously, orange tastes likeorange.
Um purple is purple.
Green is always lime.
Yeah.
You don't eat anything green.
No, I don't eat anything greenbecause it all tastes like lime.

(51:38):
And I don't like lime.
Guacamole doesn't, and I eatthat.
It's a weird green though.
It is.
And now that you say that, Imean brown does taste like
chocolate.
No.

SPEAKER_02 (51:54):
Yeah, I'll get you more info on that.
We'll we'll discuss this furtherlater.

SPEAKER_01 (51:58):
I don't know what blue would taste like because I
don't typically eat anythingblue either.

SPEAKER_02 (52:01):
You don't need anything blue.

SPEAKER_01 (52:03):
No.
You don't do like blue raspberryslushies or I mean if we're
gonna be perfectly honest, Ipretty much stick to like red
and white.
Yeah.
Brown, brown, brown, red, andwhite.

SPEAKER_00 (52:17):
Yeah.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (52:18):
I don't yeah.
I don't know.
I but now that you say that,it's funny because I I think I
do taste color.
Yeah.
I'm so excited.
I'm definitely gonna look intothis.
Especially if it's rare.

SPEAKER_03 (52:30):
Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 (52:31):
I I honestly, it's like when I found out that
people don't have an automaticlike store, like they don't have
that running in their head allthe time.
I was like blown away by that.
Because I was like, what is itjust empty in there?
Like you not hear anything allday?
Like, what happens?
You just hear the hum of the fanor yeah, what yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (52:50):
When I I I still don't believe that people don't
have running thoughts all thetime.
Okay.
Internal dialogue.
I I I literally never don't haveinternal ideas.

SPEAKER_01 (53:00):
I need to meet someone because I need to know
like what is happening.
I mean, do you just Is therejust nothing?
Yeah.
You just hear the sounds aroundyou?
Exactly.
Because like I very rarely hearthe sounds around me because my
I'm so busy in my head.

SPEAKER_02 (53:15):
Yes, I can't tell you how many times I'm watching
a show or a movie, and 30seconds later I have to rewind
it because my internal voice wastalking over the TV and I didn't
know what they said.

unknown (53:28):
I know.

SPEAKER_02 (53:29):
I was watching the TV, I just had no idea what had
happened.

SPEAKER_01 (53:33):
That's just crazy.
Uh-huh.
I I also have like a fidgetissue because like when I was
looking at the test that he tookfor me, um, I do have stims,
which I didn't realize that Idid, but I obviously do.
Like especially I get I I bouncemy leg all the time.

SPEAKER_02 (53:53):
I do that all the time.
That's my anxiety.

SPEAKER_01 (53:55):
That's my anxiety.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I also do it when I'm inpain.
I re I I feel like it helps me,like because I have tooth issues
and stuff.
And when I bounce my leg, itfeels better.

SPEAKER_02 (54:05):
Yeah, I typically don't know I'm bouncing my leg,
and then all of a sudden I'll belike, oh, I'm bouncing my leg.

SPEAKER_01 (54:10):
I've always known that I've hummed.
Like that.
My gr I know mygreat-grandmother did.
Oh.
Yeah.
She did.
And I catch myself humming alot.
Yeah, I do.
Especially when water isrunning.
I know.
And every time I say thesethings out loud, I'm like, oh my
God.

(54:31):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (54:32):
You need to write a a psych department, see if they
want to do a study.

SPEAKER_01 (54:39):
You'll do it for like 200 bucks.
Let's figure out what's wrongwith me.
And yeah, okay.
Strawberry shortcake.
Mm-hmm.
Um, her origin dates back to theearly 70s when American
Greetings, one of the largestgreeting card companies in the
United States, sought to expandits juvenile card line.

(55:00):
Artist Barbie Sargent firstsketched a character known as
Strawberry Girl for aValentine's card around 1972 to
1973.
The design featured a young girlin a bonnet decorated with
strawberries holding a daisy.
The motif proved popular, andAmerican greetings realized the
potential for expansion.

SPEAKER_02 (55:21):
I did not know that strawberry shortcake started as
a greeting card.

SPEAKER_01 (55:26):
No, I thought it was the other way around.
Yeah.
I knew they had greeting cards.

SPEAKER_02 (55:30):
They had everything, strawberry shortcake.

SPEAKER_01 (55:32):
I'm pretty sure.
I know, or was that that I knowone of us had uh strawberry
shortcake pajamas.
I want to say it was my sister.
Had strawberry, like it was anightgown.
Like whatever happened with thedo they still sell that shit?

SPEAKER_02 (55:48):
Like nightgowns, like I think they figured out
that those things like went upin flames instantly.
Because it was solid polyester.

SPEAKER_01 (55:57):
You remember those nightgowns?

SPEAKER_02 (55:58):
Oh my god, that's all I wore.

SPEAKER_01 (56:00):
My sister and I also had, and it was Annie.
I do remember, it was like thelittle orphan Annie.
She had the nightgown and I hadthe pajama set.
So I had pants that were like umjoggers now, I guess is what
they the kids call them thesedays.
And it was striped like abaseball uniform.

unknown (56:20):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (56:21):
I used to love feetie pajamas too.
I loved feetie pajamas too.
Until I got older and then myfeet got too hot.
Yeah.
Because I'm about to put mysocks on, take my socks off,
kind of girl, depending on whatmy parents are.

SPEAKER_01 (56:33):
I don't like my feet sweating.
Mm-mm.
And we had a wood stove.
Yeah.
So it was like Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (56:40):
And I'd rather my feet be cold than be sweating.
And me too.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (56:43):
Although not today.
No.
I was uncomfortable today.
Um and yesterday.
I mean sitting around the house.
Yeah.
I was uncomfortable.
I ended up yesterday because Ihad been so fucking cold all
day.
I ended up with under a blanketwith the dog, and uh, we don't
have a heated blanket, but wehave a heating uh a heating pad

(57:04):
for my back, and I had to putthat in my lap because it was so
cold.

SPEAKER_04 (57:10):
So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (57:11):
That's how I heat things.
Um by the late 70s, illustratorMuriel Ferha Fahering.
Muriel Muriel redefined thecharacter's look, adding her
signature strawberry hat andwhimsical details.
She also designed a supportingcast of friends and pets, each

(57:33):
with fruit or dessert nameinspired names, such as
blueberry muffin, huckleberrypie, and apple dumpling.
These designs were developed bythose characters from Cleveland,
American Greetings, licenseddivision, which specialized in
turning card characters intobroader franchises.
In 1980, toy company KennerProducts licensed strawberry

(57:56):
shortcake and released the firstline of dolls.
Each doll was scented to matchher name.
Obviously, strawberry shortcakesmelled like of strawberries,
lemon meringue of lemons, and soon.
The sensory gimmick made thedolls stand out in a crowd,
crowded toy market.
The dolls were accompanied byanimated television specials

(58:17):
beginning in 1980 with the worldof strawberry shortcake, voiced
by Russ Rucy Taylor.
Strawberry Shortcake became ahousehold name, and her world of
strawberry land captured theimagination of children across
North America.
I think we had the lemonmeringue one and the blueberry
one and strawberry shortcake.

SPEAKER_02 (58:38):
I don't think I had them, but my friends did.
I didn't get the good toys.

SPEAKER_00 (58:42):
You got Dollar Street, Dollar Tree stuff.
Yeah.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (58:45):
I went to private school, so my parents had to
give us the real stuff.
Otherwise, we got made fun of.
In the 80s.
The 80s were the franchise'sheyday.
Strawberry shortcake, dolls,clothing, lunch boxes, and
posters filled store shelves,while animated specials aired
regularly.
By the mid-decade, she was astaple in many children's toy

(59:08):
collections, rivaling otherpopular lines like Care Bears
and My Little Pony.
The franchise emphasized themesof friendship, kindness, and
creativity, aligning with thevalues parents wanted for their
children.
However, by the late 80s, thecraze began to fade.
Kenner discontinued the dolls,and Strawberry Shortcake slipped
into nostalgia.

(59:29):
Yet she never disappearedentirely.
In the 90s and 2000s, the brandwas revived with updated doll
lines and new animated series,including Strawberry Shortcake
Barry Biddy Adventures.
Ownership eventually passed toWild Brain, a Canadian
children's entertainmentcompany, which continues to
produce new content andmerchandise.

(59:50):
Today, Strawberry Shortcakeremains an icon.
She represents the toy andcartoon culture of the 80s, and
um I think.
That if you find one, I thinkthey still stink.
I think they still smell.
I think I found one somewhereand it still smelled.
So I don't know what the hellthey made it out of that stink,

(01:00:13):
but um I am I know we talkedabout this on our episode about
stickers when we were talkingabout stickers, but I really
think that is why we look soyoung because we smelled all of
this preservative, this weirdshit.
The stretch and stiff stickers,the strawberry shortcake, the

(01:00:36):
pens.
I mean, how many of those pensdid you shove up your nose?

SPEAKER_02 (01:00:40):
We were just sniffing regular markers.
They didn't even have to smelllike anything.

SPEAKER_01 (01:00:43):
How we do all have sinus issues as a reality.
I think that's what made us alllook new.
It gave us superpowers.
It made us preserved.
It preserved us from the insideout.

SPEAKER_02 (01:00:53):
Yeah, it's like my theory about like old rock
stars.
Like the drugs and alcoholclearly preserved you because
anybody else would have died.

unknown (01:01:01):
Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 (01:01:03):
In the mid-1980s, the toy industry was
transformed.
Oh, wait.
Okay, so we're done talkingabout stuff.
Oh, okay.
I didn't put in big enough spacein between there.

unknown (01:01:13):
Okay.

SPEAKER_01 (01:01:14):
This one I did not have, but my sister had.
And it was creepy.
In the mid-80s, the toy industrywas transformed by the arrival
of Teddy Ruxpin.
A plush bear-like creature thatcould talk, blink, and tell
stories.
Marketed as the world's firstanimated talking toy, Teddy
Ruxpin was the brainchild of KenForcy, a former Disney imagineer

(01:01:39):
who had worked on animatronicsfor theme parks.
That makes a lot of sense.
That's exactly what he lookedlike.

SPEAKER_04 (01:01:45):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:01:46):
He envisioned a toy that could combine storytelling
with interactive technology,bringing a new level of
engagement to children'splaytime.
Teddy Ruck's bin debuted inSeptember of 85, produced by the
company Worlds of Wonder.
The toy contained a cassetteplayer in its back with tape
specially designed to carry bothaudio and control signals.

(01:02:08):
The left track played the story,while the right track sent data
to motors and that animatedTeddy's mouth and eyes.
This innovation allowed Teddy toread stories aloud, creating the
illusion of a lifelikecompanion.
Children could collect differentstory cassettes, expanding
Teddy's adventures in themagical land of Grundo.
The toy was an immediatesuccess.

(01:02:30):
By late 85 and 86, Teddy Ruxpinwas among the best-selling toys
in the United States, retailingfor about$70.
That's$190 in today's money.
More than 8 million units wereproduced during its peak years.
Teddy was even named theofficial spokesbear for the
National Center for Missing andExploited Children, underscoring

(01:02:54):
its cultural impact.
The popularity of Teddy Ruxpinled to spin-offs.
In 86, an animated televisionseries, The Adventures of Teddy
Ruxpin, aired, expanding thecharacter's universe and
introducing sidekicks likeGrubby, an octoped companion toy
that could talk with Teddy whenconnected by a cable.
The synergy between toy andcartoon mirrored the marketing

(01:03:16):
strategies of other 80sfranchises like He-Man and
Transformers.
However, the success wasshort-lived.
Worlds of Wonder went bankruptin 1988, and the rights to Teddy
Ruxman passed through severalcompanies, including Hasbro from
91 to 96.
Yes, Entertainment from 98 and99, Backpack Toys, 2005-2010,

(01:03:37):
and Wicked Cool Toys 2017 to2019.
Each revival updated thetechnology, replacing cassettes
with digital cartridges ormodern electronics, but none
matched the frenzy of theoriginal launch.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:51):
Yeah, I never really wanted a Teddy UX bin.
They always did kind of creep meout.
The commercials were kind ofcreepy.
I knew somebody that had oneonce because I remember the
cassette tape and watching themand stuff, but even just
watching the commercial for it,I was like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:04:06):
My sister had one, and I think that it didn't last
very long because I think we allgot freaked out by it.
It was uh yeah, yeah.
But then you know, he made pavethe way for later interactive
toys like the Furbies.
I did have a Furby.

SPEAKER_00 (01:04:26):
Do do do.
I loved the Furbies.
I did not have a Furby.
Did your kids have Fur?
Did your kids have Furbies?
I'm sure they did.
I think they did.
Yeah.
They were yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:04:38):
My sister had a Furby because they interacted,
but they had to look at eachother and yeah.
And they would speak to eachother.

SPEAKER_02 (01:04:45):
And you could starve them to death.

SPEAKER_01 (01:04:46):
Yeah.
That was the creepy part to me.
It was like Sims.
Mm-hmm.
Although I just saw that there'sa new Sims out for your phone.
I know.
I was like, don't, don't evenyou used to be a Sims addict.
I know.

SPEAKER_00 (01:05:00):
I said don't don't do it.

SPEAKER_02 (01:05:03):
I tried Sims, but I just couldn't ever get into it.

SPEAKER_01 (01:05:06):
Oh man, I don't I think I have one that turned
into a vampire because I had theHalloween one.
I don't know.
I can't.
I don't have that kind of time.
I do, but I don't.
Um, so I just had a couple offun facts.
Okay.
Then I kind of gave up on thefun facts.

(01:05:26):
I only have two about theRubik's Cube.
Okay.
Um, the Rubik's Cube had anastonishing 43 quintillion
possible configurations.
This vast number illustrates thecomplexity of the puzzle
challenges.
Despite the seeminglyunsurmountable number of
combinations, mathematicians andcomputer scientists have
developed algorithms that cansolve the cube from any

(01:05:47):
position, often in 20 moves orfewer.
A concept known as God's number.
The Rubik's Cube has made itsway to the International Space
Station, where astronauts haveused it for entertainment and
stress relief during longmissions.
The cube's compact size andengaging nature makes it an
ideal pastime and the confinedenvironment of space.

(01:06:10):
And you know, it really I meanit will keep you entertained for
hours.
Right.
It's it for me anyway, because Icouldn't just put it down.
Like you just have to keep goingback to it and be like, I know I
can fucking solve this stupidaction.

SPEAKER_02 (01:06:26):
Exactly.
How do I get the screen fromthis side over here to this
corner over here?
Exactly.
Like I have the whole thingcleared or done except that one
little corner.

SPEAKER_03 (01:06:36):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:06:39):
I don't know.
I feel like they would make agood stem.
Mm-hmm.
Now.
Mm-hmm.
That's all I had.

unknown (01:06:47):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (01:06:47):
That's it.
I love it.
That was super fun.
Thanks.
Yeah.
I loved hearing getting theorigin stories because you hear
a lot about toys, but it's justthe regular stuff.

SPEAKER_01 (01:06:58):
Yeah.
Do you remember when you hadyeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:07:00):
Yeah, I didn't know the strawberry shortcake came
from a greeting card or that uhcabbage patch kids was stolen
from some poor little lady inthe Midwest just trying to make
a small business for herself.

SPEAKER_01 (01:07:10):
It's funny too, because when you go on the
cabbage patch, because that'swhere I went first.
I went to Cabbage Patch Historyon the Cabbage Patch Kids
website, and it did not mentionthat lady at all.
And then I went and there waslike an article like well, the
dark history of Cabbage Patch,and I was like, Oh hell yeah.
That sounds amazing.

unknown (01:07:32):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:07:33):
Very cool, thank you.
I had all of them.
Do you know what else I had?
And I don't know if you rememberit, because like nobody,
literally nobody else on that Ihave ever met has ever
remembered stompers.
They were little cars, then theyhad a battery in them, so they
drove themselves, but they werelike um, they were like monster

(01:07:57):
trucks, and their wheels werethis foam and they were really
big.
And I have not been able to findthem anywhere.
I have Googled.
I don't know if I just made thisshit up in my head.

unknown (01:08:10):
I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 (01:08:11):
I think one of my favorites too, which again, one
I didn't have, but a friend ofmine did, was fashion plates.

SPEAKER_01 (01:08:17):
My sister had those.
My sister had the off brand.

SPEAKER_02 (01:08:20):
Oh.
Yeah.
I could have played for dayswith fashion plates.
It was the best.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 (01:08:28):
And of course play-doh.

SPEAKER_01 (01:08:30):
I still sometimes buy silly putty.
I never played with silly putty.
Oh, I did.
I still sometimes buy umplay-doh just to smell it.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
It smells so good.

SPEAKER_00 (01:08:41):
Don't eat it.
It tastes gross.
It does.
It's salty.

SPEAKER_01 (01:08:44):
It is.
It's very, very salty.
That's what I heard.
So I figured when, you know,time to time we can throw some
toys in there.
Cause like, again, there'splay-doh and there's like all
kinds of.
But I was just thinking aboutthe stuff that like crit maybe
shit that I wanted, and Ididn't.
Heather's Christmas list.

SPEAKER_02 (01:09:05):
Well, it was all stuff I wanted, but at least one
of my friends had it, so I gotto experience it.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:09:11):
We had.
I don't know where in the hellthey got their money from.

SPEAKER_02 (01:09:26):
When you're a parent and you want to make the magic
of Christmas for your kid, youpull that money out of your ass.
I mean, you find it somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 (01:09:33):
That's what I've always wondered.

SPEAKER_02 (01:09:35):
I was always broke too, but I always made sure they
had just these huge piles.

SPEAKER_01 (01:09:41):
Yeah, because one year we got I got an Apple IIC,
which was like Yeah.
Stupid expensive.
And it was the only thing Iasked for.
And I remember it was it wasn'tunder the tree.
Because it was a ginormous box.
And so when we opened all thepresents, I was like, oh.

SPEAKER_02 (01:10:02):
Just I didn't get my computer.
Thanks for nothing.

SPEAKER_01 (01:10:05):
And then my dad was like, why don't you go get um
the trash bags?
And I was like, I don't want toget the trash bags.
And he was like, but I told youto go get the trash bags.
So when I went into the closet,there it was.
No.
Yeah.
So yeah.
That's sweet.
I figured we could just thinkabout toys.

SPEAKER_02 (01:10:25):
Mm-hmm.
It is the time of year.
It is.
Um, so yeah.
I saw this toy today thatbothered me.
So it was on like one of thosethings where they're trying to
sell you deals for the holidayson like a morning show or
something.
And um it was this thing wherewhile you're reading to your kid

(01:10:48):
at night, it will project thestory up on the ceiling for them
while you read.
And I'm like, the whole point ofreading is you use your
imagination, use Yes, and youfocus on the book, and maybe you
pick up a word or two as you'regetting read to, and things like
that.
And that's just more technologyto me.
Like, why there's nothing wrongwith just reading a book.

SPEAKER_01 (01:11:10):
So I wonder what the study is on kids, don't use
their imaginations anymore, Iwould imagine, because
everything's like right.
I mean, literally, if you thinkof something, you can put it
into chat GBT, and there it is.
Um so I wonder what that's gonnado long term, not using your

(01:11:31):
like I wonder what what evolvesout of that, not using your
imagination.
Yeah, it's so sad.
Like imagination's the best.
I we had to, I mean, on on theother side of it, I probably use
my imagination too much,daydream a lot, but we didn't
have van in the van, we didn'thave windows in the back.

(01:11:53):
So you missed unless you saw itout the front window, you didn't
see it.
So we would draw pictures andthen tape them, tape them to the
wall in the van that was like awindow and what would be outside
of the window, which is reallysad now that I say it out loud.

(01:12:15):
No, it's cool.
But yeah, that's what we woulddo.
We drew like cars and like alandscape and like what we
thought we would see.
Yep.

SPEAKER_00 (01:12:27):
It's weird.

SPEAKER_02 (01:12:28):
Okay.

unknown (01:12:28):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:12:29):
Now kids look at their iPads while they're in the
car and don't even look atwhat's going by outside.

SPEAKER_01 (01:12:33):
Yeah, and when they're playing with toys, are
they even actually playing withtoys or are they just Did they
even want toys?
Yeah.
Are they just going on the road?
I think that would be boring atthis point.
Yeah.

unknown (01:12:44):
I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 (01:12:45):
I mean Barbie still sells.
Yeah.
But is she just selling becauseshe's got, you know, this Barbie
and that bar like Harry PotterBarbie or President Barbie or
Yeah, I don't know.
Oh, also the cabbage patch.
I remember this one too.
I meant to write it down.
So the cat one of the cabbagepatch kids I had later, I got it

(01:13:09):
from my birthday.
I would get money for mybirthday every year.
My birthday is the end ofSeptember.
And around here, that wasliterally back in the 80s, that
was the end of the season.
Like that was when springfestwas, and after that, there was
nothing.
There was no winter festivallights.
Now they've really done a nicejob around here of boosting the

(01:13:31):
off-season.
Um, but back then, boom, end ofSeptember, that was that.
There's literally nobody around.
So for my birthday, um, we wouldgo wherever we wanted to do
dinner, except that was a liebecause they never went to the
place I wanted to go for dinner.
Donald.
Exactly.
My mother would say no, which isunfair.

(01:13:52):
Um anyway, there was a toy storedown on the boardwalk.
So I picked a restaurant downthere, and I remember and I saw
a picture of it when I was doingthis.
It was a cabbage patch kid in anastronaut uniform.

SPEAKER_02 (01:14:09):
Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 (01:14:10):
I know, and now I really, really wish I still had
it, and I wonder if it's in thishouse somewhere.
I bet it is.
Because she keeps literallyeverything.
And it can't, unless I took itand then tossed it, which is a
distinct possibility.
But yeah, it was like the whole.

unknown (01:14:30):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:14:30):
It's pretty badass.
When I saw it on there, I waslike, oh my god, I had that one.
And I remember buying it for mybirthday.
I had birthday money, and I waslike, I and it was like super
expensive.
I don't know where it is now.
Wish I still had it because Ibet it's worth a lot of fucking
money.
Uh-huh.
Oh, thanks for listening,everybody.

(01:14:50):
Yes, thank you.
Um, you can find us on all thesocials.
Yep.
At Like Whatever Pod.
You can visit our fancy danceywebsite.
Mm-hmm.
Likewhateverpod.com.
Um, we are killing it over onYouTube for whatever reason.
Yeah, for some reason.

(01:15:11):
We don't even have video up.
I don't know.
Yeah, I don't know.
Just wait till we do.
Yeah, we have a it's we're we'rekilling it over there.
Um, so thank you, YouTubelisteners.
Yes.
Um check us out on the YouTube.
Mm-hmm.
Find us on the socials.
Blah blah blah.
Like, share, rate, review.

(01:15:31):
Please.
Got rid of my script.
Like, share, rate review.
And you can send us an emailabout what Transformer was your
favorite to like whatever pod atgmail.com.
You can also send us a messageon our website,

(01:15:54):
likewhateverpod.com.
Or don't like whatever.
Whatever.
Bye.
Autobots roll out.