RetroNewsAds
@retronewsads
RNA! Vintage Newspaper, Comic and Magazine Advertisements, mostly for toys, cartoons and junk food, but really whatever I feel like. Curated by @afunghoul.bsky.social
From the “80’s Karen” department, here’s one who wants to talk to the manager about Garbage Pail Kids (News Journal, Mansfield, OH, 12/11/85)
The earliest mention of Garbage Pail Kids in American newspapers was this prize winning jack o’lantern that appears to be based on Corroded Carl (Austin Daily Herald, Austin, MN, 10/31/85)
-COBRA- Ferret makes tracks. Great price btw, I’ll take ten (Sacramento Union, 6/10/85)
Ever wonder why Moose left You Can’t Do That? Here’s some receipts (Kansas City Star, Kansas City, MO, 11/18/84)
Hubba Bubba’s Gumfighter commercials were so popular in the early eighties that they sponsored bubble blowing contests around the country, and even brought out actors Don Collier and Dub Taylor for live appearances (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8/18/82)
Neat little article on Russ Cochran reprinting the legendary EC Comics oeuvre. Rarely seen at comic stores of the era, I’d usually find them at mom and pop video shops (Springfield News-Leader, Springfield, MO, 10/29/90)
The Hulk Rage Cage is hands down one of the greatest toys of all time. Pump the Hulk full of air and watch him expand and burst out of his cage (Staten Island Advance, 4/22/79)
Remember when Pete and MJ got married at Shea Stadium? (The Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, NY, 6/2/87)
Crazy enough I have that quite rare FASA game, although I’ve never played it. Might have to grab a couple buddies and try it out
Now THIS is a in-store promo! Burdines teamed up with Universal Studios to offer customers the chance to be transformed into their favorite Monsters! And these weren’t just some kids doing the make up but pros the theme park! (Tampa Bay Times, 10/27/91)
Creative captions won free tickets to Ghosbusters for these lucky contestants (Press of Atlantic City, 6/10/84)
Both bizarre and awesome to see Masters of the Universe (very early on, mind you) positioned as a competitor to D&D, which was only a game at this point (Wichita Falls Times, Wichita Falls, TX, 11/21/82)
MotU always had the best looking print ads. Here’s one for a coloring contest and sale at Dillard’s (El Paso Herald Post, 8/2/84)
Here’s the file card in question. Seems harmless enough…what four year old even understands what paranoid schizophrenia is? As kids, we all LOVED Zartan, so real talk, if my Mom had said “stay away from him, he’s a paranoid schizophrenic”, I’d have thought “Wow that guys cool like Zartan!”😉
Used to think the controversy over Zartan’s filecard calling him a schizophrenic was purely an urban legend. Nope, it was a real thing (unless Hasbro drummed it up themselves for publicity like the Silent Night, Deadly Night protests but I’m doubtful) (Standard-Times, San Angelo, TX, 12/5/84)
You get one pick: what are YOU buying from King Norman’s Easter Sale? Here’s a shocker: Me, I’m passing on the Star Wars and grabbing a bunch of wind up Snorks (Fresno Bee, 3/20/86)
Shadowbox Collectibles, the company that made all those cryptid and alien toys in the nineties, was run out of the founder’s home! Never realized the Safari Ltd connection either (South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 7/5/97)
Speaking of Slimer, here he is hosting a Halloween party at Knott’s Berry Farm! (L.A. Times, 10/28/88)
Never been to Louisville, but besides wrestling, meeting Slimer and a Popple at a video store seems like a solid reason for a trip in 1987 (The Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY, 1/17/87)
Eternia on Tour! Meet Hordak and see holograms of He-Man and Skeletor battle before your very eyes! And holy crap, free Masters of the Universe posters too?!? (Omaha World-Herald, 9/11/86)
Jim Hanley’s Universe must’ve been doing well in 1990 to buy an 8 page catalog/insert in the Staten Island Advance! Some really neat stuff here (SIA, 12/9/90)
Dune had a staggeringly huge marketing push. Who here had a Dune themed birthday party? Somebody must have…Bueller…Beuller (Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, AZ, 12/21/84)