September 25: Nintendo 64, Carmen Sandiego, Princess Bride
Plus Biz Markie, ESPN2, Lego Adidas, and more
The Retro
by 11 Points
Modern perspectives on ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia
September 25, 2020 • Issue 14
This week in nostalgic history
September 25th
33 years ago, on September 25th, 1987 - The Princess Bride hit theaters.
The Princess Bride is an enduring classic and could be reasonably included on a “greatest films of all time” list without sparking an onslaught of the well actually mafia. The popularity is so enduring that much of the cast even reunited recently for a live table read.
I remember watching The Princess Bride with my parents, not in theaters (I would’ve been too young), so I guess after we got a VCR. It resonated with me as a kid, later as a teenager, and now as an adult. I look forward to showing it to my kids once they’re at an age when they will appreciate it; whatever age Fred Savage was during his interludes in this movie.
Random fact: Andre the Giant almost couldn’t film the movie because he had wrestling dates that conflicted, so Kareem Abdul-Jabbar auditioned for the role of Fezzik.
Also on September 25th: Silver Spoons premiered (1982)… Ace of Base’s album The Sign was released in the U.S. (1993)… Cypress Hill’s Insane in the Brain peaked at number 19 (1993)… Marv Albert plead guilty to biting a woman (1997)… Freaks and Geeks premiered (1999)
September 26th
31 years ago, on September 26th, 1989 - Biz Markie’s Just a Friend was released.
The “oh baby yoooouuuu” hook may be part of this song that has remained in pop culture vernacular for three decades, but it’s not what I appreciate most about this song. I’ve always loved the mundane story details Biz Markie peppers throughout the lyrics. In particular when he notes that he went to visit his girl at college and “I went to the gate to ask where was her dorm / the guy made me fill out a visitor’s form.” It seems like an absurd line to include, but it adds a healthy dose of realism — like, you really do believe he was dating someone, went to visit her, and caught her at college making out with another guy. How/why else would he think to include that “visitor’s form” detail ?
Also on September 26th: Crocodile Dundee hit theaters (1986)… the NC-17 movie rating was established (1990)… eight people entered Biosphere 2 (1991)… the Goo Goo Dolls single Name was released (1995)
September 27th
31 years ago, on September 27th, 1991 - Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire was released.
And 31 years later, I think we can all agree he was wrong, and his generation did start the fire.
Or, at least, they took the fire that was always burning since the world’s been turning and dumped 80 billion tons of gas on it to make sure the fire literally and figuratively engulfed the world.
Also on September 27th: Technotronic’s single Pump Up the Jam was released (1989)… Necessary Roughness hit theaters (1991)… The Ben Stiller Show premiered (1992)… Brandy’s self-titled debut album was released (1994)… O.J. Simpson tried on the glove and it didn’t fit (1995)… Sabrina the Teenage Witch premiered (1996)… the superimposed yellow first down line appeared on televised football games for the first time (1998)
September 28th
29 years ago, on September 28, 1991 - Michael Jordan made his one and only hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Michael Jordan, fresh off his first NBA championship a few months earlier, hosted SNL’s season premiere as part of his de facto victory tour. This was an SNL cast with a lot of heavy hitters (it was the Myers, Carvey, Spade, Sandler, Hartman, Meadows, Farley, Rock, Schneider crew). They were all on the trajectory toward becoming major stars, if not already major stars in their own right — but, stardom-wise, all were still magnitudes of order below Michael Jordan.
David Spade has even said it was difficult to rehearse during the week because of the line of people asking Jordan to sign things.
The show’s most enduring sketch may be Jordan appearing on Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley — a sketch that, like so many SNL sketches with athletes, played off Jordan’s stratospheric success.
Jordan would never host SNL again. It seems like he crossed it off his list and then, really, never needed to host again. Only two NBA players have ever been tapped to host since: Charles Barkley on a few occasions, and LeBron James one time.
Also on September 28th: Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered (1987)… Shai’s single If I Ever Fall in Love was released (1992)… Apple launched its Think Different ad campaign (1997)… Internet Explorer passed Netscape for browser market share (1998)
September 29
24 years ago, on September 29th, 1996 - The Nintendo 64 was released in North America.
The jump from Super Nintendo to Nintendo 64 may be the biggest leap between two consoles in the history of video games — at least until one day someone makes a four-dimensional video game.
The Nintendo 64 isn’t just remembered fondly — it’s, perhaps, remembered the most fondly of any of Nintendo’s consoles. While the NES has the greater legacy, the Nintendo 64 turned a generation into serious and lifelong video game fans. Even with its fragile, oddly-shaped controllers, stuck-in-the-past reliance on cartridges rather than discs, and obsession with having “64” in the title of the majority of its games, the N64 was took the NES’s mission of a console-in-every-pot and accelerated it. The system succeeded with fantastic games, a baked-in four-player experience, and the power of Nintendo’s first-party titles — many of which are considered the “best ever” in their respective franchises.
Also on September 29th: Microsoft Word launched (1983)… MacGyver premiered (1985)… Thundercats had its series finale (1989)… Stone Temple Pilots’ album Core was released (1992)… Magic Johnson announced his comeback to the NBA (1992)… Grace under Fire premiered (1993)… Jay Z’s album Vol. 2 Hard Knock Life was released (1998)
September 30th
29 years ago, on September 30th, 1991 - Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? premiered.
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? was a fine (perhaps even quite fine, but definitely not reaching the level of sorta good) educational video game. Few remember that — or care — because of how wonderful its spinoff show turned out to be. The show ran for five seasons and nearly 300 episodes, all Greek chorused by Rockapella in a decision borne of true creative magic, and all inspiring generations of kids to try to learn geography.
After all, imagine if you were on the show, made it to the final round, and got a brutal draw like Asia or Africa. I’m not losing a PBS game show just because I couldn’t find Tajikistan on a damn map. (Still can’t, though.)
Also on September 30th: Cheers premiered (1982)… the cartoon M.A.S.K. premiered (1985)… The Jerry Springer Show premiered (1991)… Snow’s single Informer was released (1992)… Tevin Campbell’s single Can We Talk was released (1993)… Silverchair’s one hit, Tomorrow, peaked at number 28 (1995)… Blackstreet’s single No Diggity was released (1996)… Next’s single Too Close was released (1997)
October 1st
31 years ago, on October 1st, 1993 - ESPN2 premiered.
I wrote about MTV2 in this newsletter several weeks back, and the essence of my ESPN2 take is the same: A powerful, popular cable network got its hands on a second band of the spectrum, named it with a “2,” tried a million different ways over the years to give it a unique identity, never really figured it out, and now just uses it for spillover from the mothership.
But hey, it’s still such a relief to find something you want to watch has been shuttered to ESPN2 and not the dreaded ESPN+. So it’s got that going for it.
Also on October 1st: The first CD player went on sale (1982)… the Power Glove controller was released for NES (1989)… Bette Midler’s single From a Distance was released (1990)… Cool Runnings hit theaters (1993)… Clarissa Explains It All aired its series finale (1994)… Matchbox 20’s album Yourself or Someone Like You was released (1996)… Three Kings hit theaters (1999)
Everything old is new again
A look at the reboots, revivals, throwbacks, retro insights, and nostalgia in the news.
General Mills has more or less admitted they ruined their cereals by eliminating things like artificial flavors and extra sugar by permanently reverting to “‘80s taste” recipes for Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams and Cookie Crisp.
A West Wing reunion will air on October 15th on HBO Max. It’s a benefit to get people out to vote.
McDonald’s is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the McFlurry by selling McFlurry pajamas. Sure, why not.
The creators of Spinal Tap have reached a settlement over the rights, which could enable them to make more movies (and songs, merchandise, etc.)
Adidas created a line of Star Wars-inspired sneakers in honor of the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. Adidas has also created Lego-inspired sneakers.
A documentary about the ‘90s battle between Nintendo and Sega called Console Wars is now streaming on CBS All Access.
Warner Bros. is rebooting Father of the Bride.
Throwbacks and recommendations
Rolling Stone updated its list of the top 500 albums of all time. Plenty from the time frame of this newsletter in there, including Prince, Nirvana and Lauryn Hill in the top 10.
The Full(er) House cast performed a song about golden retrievers and also showed off how the creator of the show lives in what must be a $50 million home.
An essay looks at how the not-exactly-beloved Super Mario Bros. movie was really a “love letter to New York.”
Thanks for reading!
-Sam