The Retroist

When I worked at Suncoast Video, I was tormented by seekers of the Deluxe Talkboy cassette recorder with voice changer, created for "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" by Tiger Electronics. I tell the full retail tale in my recent podcast about the movie that launched Toymageddon in a NJ back-alley:

https://retroist.com/retroist-home-alone-2-podcast/

But who could blame the eager would-be buyers? I mean, this toy had it all: Easy one hand operation! Voice change slow motion switch! Includes two-sided tape with "real" lines from the movie! Built-in retractable microphone! Fun to use!

I found all 4 of the Doritos with the Retro Packaging. Nacho is still my favorite, but I picked up a full set.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the release of "Thriller," Michael Jackson's 1982 masterpiece album, produced by the legendary Quincy Jones on the Epic label. It won a record-breaking eight Grammys at the 1984 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

Seven superb singles were released: "The Girl Is Mine," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Human Nature," "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," and "Thriller." Amazingly, they all reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, setting a record for the most top 10 singles from an album, with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" reaching number one.

By the end of 1983, 32 million copies of the album had sold worldwide, making Thriller the best-selling album of all time. In 1984, Thriller became the first album to become the best-selling album in the United States for two years.

50 years ago, Atari released Pong and changed video games forever. A year later they innovated, taking Pong to the next level by putting it inside a barrel. As noted in the promotional flyer for arcades, Barrel-Pong is "a low-key cabinet conceived for the better-type bar."

Eighties arcade TV journalism.