Sept 10: Alex Trebek, Super Mario Bros., Yakko's World
Plus a survey to decide the future of The Retro
The Retro
by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
September 10th, 2021 • Issue 64
Please take this short but CRUCIAL READER SURVEY to decide WHERE THE RETRO SHOULD GO in the future. Podcast? Daily? Stop publishing? Media empire? YOU tell ME…
This week in nostalgic history
September 10th
36 years ago, on September 10th, 1984 - Alex Trebek’s first episode as Jeopardy! host aired in syndication.
There’s little eulogizing for Alex Trebek that hasn’t already been done since he passed away last year. If anything, the long and now farcical search for his replacement has reiterated — if not even grown the mythology of — just how much he brought to the table as the host of Jeopardy!
Trebek had the ability to make you believe he would’ve know the correct answers (aka “questions,” I know, I know) even if he didn’t have said information printed on the cards in his hand. That aura trickled into the rest of the presentation, too; there was always the slightest undercurrent of condescending disappointment accompanying the “No” he gave an incorrect answer. This vibe fit the show (or, at least, its target demographic) with perfection. While people at home would yell at the TV in disbelief of a contestant’s error, Trebek subtly let them all know he was right there with them. He was also eternally awkward when it came to interviewing the (mostly) awkward-er contestants, adding to the show’s unique position in the entire TV and game show landscape of casting for brains, not teeth.
When Trebek took over on this day in 1984, Jeopardy! looked and felt largely the same as it does today. Yes, the sets have become flashier and digital, the dollar values have doubled, and multimedia elements like a roving band of clue readers bigfooting landmarks and museums are now a daily feature. But under Trebek’s steady hand, there was never a need to do much else to try to “improve” Jeopardy! — he always let you know it was perfect just the way it was. Awkwardly, judgmentally, authentically perfect.
Also on September 10th: Inspector Gadget premiered (1983)… Michael Sembello’s single Maniac hit number one (1983)… Apple’s Macintosh 512K was released (1984)… Voltron premiered (1984)… Steffi Graf won the grand slam in tennis (1988)… Guns N’ Roses’ single Sweet Child O’ Mine hit number one (1988)… Deion Sanders made his NFL debut after hitting a home run in an MLB game five days earlier (1989)… The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air premiered (1990)… The New Adventures of He-Man premiered (1990)… Nirvana’s single Smells Like Teen Spirit was released (1991)… Howard Stern appeared as Fartman at the MTV VMAs (1992)… Lamb Chop’s Play Along premiered (1992)… True Romance hit theaters (1993)… The X-Files premiered (1993)… The Tick premiered (1994)… Everlast’s single What It’s Like was released (1998)
September 11th
20 years ago, on September 11th, 2001 - Four U.S. airplanes were hijacked by terrorists and intentionally crashed, killing 2,977 victims in the deadliest terrorist attack in world history.
The 20th anniversary of 9/11 seems unbelievable — like it couldn’t have been that long ago. It’s beyond reason that, somehow, now half of my life (and, for most readers, probably somewhere in that range has well) has been in a post-9/11 world. The seemingly endless war (that just came to a jarring, inconceivably failed end). The performative security enduring at airports and not-performative but even more unwelcome surveillance and police militarization. The journey from a unified country following the attacks to one today that’s being torn apart from within more than any external force could do. Domestic terrorism growing to be a far greater threat than external terrorism, a fact only fraudulently ignored by those with financial or political stakes in xenophobia. It’s a changed world, and while the September 11th attacks aren’t the one and only turning point, they were certainly a major turning point that brought with them permanent societal change — and sitting where we are today, it’s hard to see any of it as change for the better. The pendulum is more than overdue to swing in the other direction.
Also on September 11th: The Atari 2600 (aka the Atari VCS) was released (1977)… Chicago’s single Hard to Say I’m Sorry hit number one (1982)… Pete Rose collected his record 4,192nd hit (1985)… reggae star Peter Tosh was shot and killed by home invaders (1987)… Prince’s Paisley Park Studios opened (1987)… Jesus Jones’s single Right Here, Right Now was released (1990)… Sneakers hit theaters (1992)… Mariah Carey’s single Dreamlover hit number one (1993)… Legends of the Hidden Temple and Saved by the Bell: The New Class both premiered (1993)… Andre Agassi won his first U.S. Open (1994)… Rounders hit theaters, as did Simon Birch (1998)… Jay Z’s album The Blueprint was released on an unfortunate release date (2001)… Nick Nolte was arrested for drunk driving and took an infamous mugshot (2002)
September 12th
38 years ago, on September 12th, 1983 - G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero premiered in syndication.
The G.I. Joe toy line originated long before the TV series, during the 1960s as 12-inch, realistic action figures. #wellactually, as “dolls for boys,” though that phrase was Voldemort-esque at the time and would’ve instantly tanked the line. During the Vietnam War, when military toys fell out of favor, Hasbro decided to make the line a bit more cartoonish. They added the famous “kung fu grip” and had G.I. Joe change focus to battling an equally toyetic group of bad guys: a band of caveman aliens. As one does.
The toy line fizzled after that and remained in a fizzle state until the early ‘80s. And this time around, Hasbro had a new plan: An animated series that totally, surely, absoultely, 100% wasn’t just an advertisement for toys. Hasbro teamed up with Marvel to launch a toy/cartoon/comic book revival of G.I. Joe. And the plan manifested in earnest on this day in 1983, when the TV show premiered.
The show lasted two seasons and 95 episodes, essentially the standard run of a toy-inspired cartoon in the ‘80s. Like all ‘80s cartoons which built a fan base, there have been numerous attempted revivals over the years, none of which could capture the popularity of the original.
However, there’s one major difference between G.I. Joe and other toy commercial cartoons of the ‘80s: G.I. Joe action figures have never gone away. Hasbro has produced them continuously since 1982, creating more than 500 figures to this day.
Also on September 12th: The Smurfs premiered (1981)… Linda Rondstadt and Aaron Neville’s duet Don’t Know Much was released (1989)… Life Goes On premiered (1989)… NBC canceled Saturday morning cartoons to focus on live-action shows (1992)… California Dreams premiered (1992)… Lois and Clark premiered (1993)… Party of Five premiered (1994)… Netscape Navigator launched (1994)… Mariah Carey’s single Fantasy was released (1995)… the Harlem Globetrotters lost a game to a team featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1995)… The Game hit theaters (1997)… the Cleveland Browns 2.0 made their debut (1999)… Farm Aid ‘99 took place in Virginia (1999)
September 13th
36 years ago, on September 13th, 1985 - Super Mario Bros. was released for the very first time.
It would be tempting, in the mythology of Mario, to say the debut game was a surprise hit. But that wasn’t really the case. When Nintendo released Super Mario Bros. for the first time ever today, debuting it in Japan for the Famicom video game system (aka Japan’s NES), they pretty much knew they had something big on their hands.
The game took three years to develop, realizing the world of a few characters from Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. It was more than just putting those characters in a new setting, though: Super Mario Bros. served an introduction to the concept of platform games for most video game players. Every detail of the game was meticulously calculated, from the bright colors to the escalating difficulty of the levels to the secrets and easter eggs to the earworm 8-bit soundtrack. World 1-1 was designed to be both a level of the game and a de facto tutorial; it wasn’t challenging, but it could teach a player how to run, jump, stomp on enemies, collect items, and more.
So no, it wasn’t a surprise that Super Mario Bros. was a hit. Perhaps it was a surprise it was one of the bestselling games of all time and launched a franchise worth hundreds of billions of dollars — it’s hard to set expectations at that level. But overall, Mario was good and Nintendo knew it was good. And today, we’re officially 36 years into everyone else in the world knowing it was good, too.
Also on September 13th: Pee-Wee’s Playhouse premiered (1986)… Double’s one hit, The Captain of Her Heart, peaked at number 16 and Berlin’s single Take My Breath Away hit number one (1986)… Law & Order premiered (1990)… Animaniacs, the Ricki Lake Show, and Conan O’Brien’s Late Night show all premiered (1993)… Notorious BIG’s Ready to Die was released (1994)… Blues Traveler’s album four was released (1994)… The Drew Carey Show premiered (1995)… Tupac died less than one week after being shot (1996)… Everybody Loves Raymond premiered (1996)… Elton John’s Candle in the Wind tribute to Princess Diana was released (1997)… The Weird Al Show premiered (1997)… Mariah Carey’s single Honey was released (1997)… Blind Date premiered (1999)
September 14th
28 years ago, on September 14th, 1993 - The song Yakko’s World debuted on the second-ever episode of Animaniacs.
The first episode of Animaniacs, an after school cartoon which debuted on September 13th, 1993, established the show’s three main characters but little else. The episode set the stage for the three Warners, their wackily antagonistic relationship with their Freudian psychiatrist, and their penchant for breaking out into song and/or breaking of the fourth wall.
But the second episode of Animaniacs, which aired the following day, actually set up what people would come to adore about the show. The episode embraced its cartoon variety show style, featuring a shorter skit with the Warners as well as the first introduction of Pinky and the Brain. But leading off the episode was a song that was different than any other song on any other children’s (or, more accurately, ostensibily children’s but clearly more for adults) TV show ever.
Yakko, one of the three main characters, sang a song to the tune of Jarabe Tapatio, also know as the Mexican Hat Dance, where he named every country in the world. (Almost. But we’ll spot them the few they missed.) Not only that, everything rhymed and flowed geographically from continent to continent. Regardless of the age of the viewer, it was evident this was a master class in lyrical composition. And it was also evident Animaniacs was going to try things no after school cartoon had tried before.
After Yakko’s World, however, the bar for original songs was set so high the show would arguably never touch it again (although later songs like Wakko singing about all 50 state capitals or the three siblings singing about the U.S. presidents in order were also impressive entries in the “lyrical encyclopedia set to public domain melodies” genre).
Those songs, like virtually all of the songs in Animaniacs, were created by a member of the writing staff named Randy Rogel. He’s continued to write for primarily animated shows to this day, including his work on the Animaniacs reboot last year.
Also on September 14th: Entertainment Tonight premiered (1981)… TV held the first VMAs (1984)… The Golden Girls premiered (1985)… Care Bears premiered in syndication (1985)… the famous Duck Tails NES game was released (1989)… LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out was released (1990)… Tiny Toon Adventures premiered (1990)… Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. hit back-to-back home runs for the Seattle Mariners (1990)… Paula Abdul’s single The Promise of a New Day hit number one (1991)… MLB commissioner Bud Selig cancelled the World Series in the strike-shortened baseball season (1994)… Primitive Radio Gods’ one hit, Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth, peaked at number 10 (1996)… TRL premiered (1998)… US magazine changed its name to USWeekly (1999)… Windows ME was released (2000)… the Nintendo Gamecube was released in Japan (2001)
September 15th
28 years ago, on September 15th, 1993 - Meat Loaf’s single I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) was released.
I started writing this blurb for The Retro but I’ve erased it because, about four sentences in, I realized I already once wrote about everything Meat Loaf will and won’t do for love. I wrote it 7+ years ago for my website, 11 Points.
Fortunately, that allows me to cite myself as a source. And since I really know that source’s methodology, I feel I can trust it implicitly.
During my investigation, I found Meat Loaf says there are are 19 things he would do for love and around six to eight he wouldn’t do (it got complicated when he lumped multiple things into one sentence). I concluded the most magic-necessitating things Meat Loaf would do for love are: Run right into hell and back… make it all a little less old… build an emerald city with these grains of sand… cater to every fantasy I’ve got… and hose me down with holy water if I get too hot.
Anyway, I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) was actually Meat Loaf’s only number one single and only Grammy award win. So chalk those accomplishments up on the list of things he would do for love. Or wouldn’t. It’s not totally clear.
Also on September 15th: The first issue of USA Today was published (1982)… Muppet Babies premiered on CBS (1984)… the final Apple II computer, the IIGS, was released (1986)… L.A. Law premiered on NBC (1986)… Captain Planet and the Planeteers premiered (1990)… Wilson Phillips’ single Release Me hit number one (1990)… TQ’s single Westside was released (1998)… American Beauty hit theaters (1999)… Almost Famous and Duets hit theaters (2000)… the summer Olympics began in Sydney, Australia (2000)
September 16th
25 years ago, on September 16th, 1996 - Judge Judy premiered in syndication.
It’s possible Judge Judy is the most low key successful TV star of all time. 25 years, 6,200+ episodes, and several hundreds of millions of dollars in salary after she debuted, it’s hard to think of anyone comparable. Stars like Oprah and other various long-reigning TV personalities are high profile successes. Other low key TV stars with longevity (e.g., Walton Goggins, Lance Reddick, Linda Cohn, all the adults on Sesame Street through the years) haven’t had close to Judy’s level of success. Judge Judy reigns supreme.
Before she was Judge Judy, Judy Sheindlin really was a family court judge in New York City. She saw the opportunity to jump into a TV gig when The People’s Court — the stalwart of televised court shows until the early ‘90s — was struggling and decided to drop Judge Wapner. Daytime television had a “go-to judge” void and Judy, the recent subject of a Los Angeles Times profile and 60 Minutes feature for her notoriously no-nonsense work, caught their eye.
And the casting worked. Daytime TV as a whole was red hot in the ‘90s (from Oprah to Springer and everyone in between) and Judge Judy reinvigorated the TV courtroom show, making it a viable alternative to the onslaught of talk shows trying to draft off the Oprah/Springer success.
Then… Judge Judy just kinda stuck around. Tons of other court shows popped up, but she always remained at the top of the genre and was paid a fortune in the process. (As of last year, Judy’s approximate net worth was $440 million.)
Her show officially ended on July 23rd of this year with little fanfare (I didn’t even realize it was done until I started writing this), which fits Judge Judy’s quarter century as TV’s low key powerhouse.
She has a new show coming out on November 1st called Judy Justice exclusively through streaming. On IMDb TV, oddly enough. Making it big on that platform might constitute her biggest courtroom challenge yet.
Also on September 16th: Rappers Delight by Sugarhill Gang went on sale, becoming the first rap song on vinyl (1979)… Webster premiered (1983)… Punky Brewster premiered (1984)… Miami Vice premiered on NBC (1984)… Gloria Estefan’s single Don’t Wanna Lose You hit number one (1989)… Frasier premiered (1993)… Timecop and Quiz Show both hit theaters (1994)… the Jackpot wedge debuted on Wheel of Fortune (1996)… twelve years to the day he resigned from Apple, Steve Jobs was rehired and named CEO (1997)… Big Brother aired for the first time, in the Netherlands (1999)… Madonna’s single Music hit number one (2000)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
Teddy Ruxpin is getting a movie and an animated series from the company that made the Sonic the Hedgehog movies.
Cindy Crawford recreated her famous 1992 Pepsi commercial for charity.
The Wall Street Journal has an article about the rising trend of VHS collecting. It’s in their news section, not their editorial page, meaning it’s a good article and not embarrassing and brand-destroying garbage.
Doogie Kamealoha, M.D., the Doogie Howser, M.D., reboot, is out on Disney+.
The Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody now has a release date of December 23rd, 2022.
In honor of the 25th anniversary of Blue’s Clues, original host Steve posted a video on Nick Jr.’s Twitter about how he left the show.
Radiohead is releasing a new album of unreleased material in honor of the 21st anniversary of Kid A and Amnesiac. The new album comes out November 5th.
The BMW in which 2pac was murdered is on sale for $1.7 million in Las Vegas.
Pinball machines are getting modern upgrades like player tracking and achievements via app.
Throwbacks and recommendations
The official trailer is out for The Matrix Resurrections. Does The Matrix franchise fall under the purview of The Retro timeline-wise? I guess?
Here’s a quick look from Jezebel at the ‘90s MTV Beach House and how it was the “original influencer house.”
REMINDER: Please take this short SURVEY to determine the future of The Retro…
Thanks for reading!
-Sam