It's a battle that's been going on for well over a century featuring two of the biggest brands of all time. But in the 1980s--the war really heated up...

Today we look back on the battle between Coke and Pepsi during a transformative time for not just the two colas, but for society in general.

It's the story that involves some of the most iconic commercials of all time, a nationwide taste test challenge (that may have been unfair), a whole new generation, and the King of Pop.

The Cola Wars of the 80s also include a war within a war, as the diet cola market (thanks to the shady approval of one of the most controversial food additives in history) grew bigger than ever. 

It's the story of cocaine, brand identity, buying a feeling, the incredible importance of being "cool," and one of the biggest corporate blunders in history... and it all played out during the 1980s.

• Get access to new episodes early and ad-free: Patreon.com/80s

No matter how many times you've seen it--you've probably never seen the whole thing...

This is a deep dive into the original Back to the Future to cover specific moments, Easter eggs, and many hidden things that may not be obvious. 

This episode is also an experimental one as it's a hybrid watch-along. If you're able to put the movie on,  I'll be sharing the specific time stamps of the moments and scenes we're covering. So when I share the specific time, you can pause me, jump to that point in the movie, and then unpause me to check out what I'm discussing. 

If you are only able to listen, no problem as I'll still describe the exact moments and scenes we're covering here today. There may be a few hidden Easter eggs that are obvious, but also many brand-new moments you'll see for the very first time...

The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s

It's the toy and cartoon that may best define the entire 1980s, a toy that goes back to the 1960s but re-created for a new era.

This is the complete history of G.I. Joe, and in this episode we look at:

• The two fashion dolls from the 1950s that helped inspire it
• Why two simple words were so important in its initial success
• The impact of the Vietnam War and oil embargoes
• How Star Wars walked so G.I. Joe could run
• The changing era of government regulations and advertising to children
• How the cartoon series became must-see TV for kids of the 80s
• How G.I. Joe became the perfect brand during one the most explosive periods in the history of toys and cartoons

Get early access to new episodes, ad-free: Patreon.com/80s

It's been more than 35 years since the 80s ended, but the decade continues to be with us as much as ever--especially when it comes to our entertainment.

In this year-in-review special, we look back at all the 1980s-related movies, TV shows, Netflix series, and documentaries that came out in 2024. And there was a lot...

Unfortunately, over these last 12 months, we also lost many people with connections to the 1980s, and we look back at some of those notable names. 

To finish, we look back on the podcast itself, including where you're all listening from and your favorite episodes over the last year. 

The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s

By 1987, Jim Henson had already provided us with so much great entertainment from all his remarkable creations--including some pretty wonderful Christmas specials.

But his best was yet to come... this is a look back on A Muppet Family Christmas that first aired on ABC on December 16th, 1987. 

We'll look back at one of the best holiday specials of the decade and why it came from a period when everything to do with the Muppets was firing on all cylinders.

This show was the ultimate crossover, but some legal issues did emerge and if you weren't watching on that night back in 1987, you probably never saw the true, original special...

• Check out the latest movie review at Patreon.com: Santa Claus: The Movie

It's time for a very 80s Christmas as we travel back to revisit the holiday season during the 1980s. 

In this episode, we look back at the holiday movie that was a surprise hit and then the story of a beloved TV special that didn't come from the 80s--but was adopted as our own.

Next, we look back at the creation of a modern classic Christmas song and finish with the unlikely story of a group of children that managed to dethrone John Lennon...

So warm up the cider and toss another Yule log on the fire; it's time to travel back to Christmas in the 80s.

The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s

Some of the all-time great TV Christmas specials go all the way back to the 1960s. But it's easy to forget how many memorable ones came from the 80s.

Today we look back at ten of the best specials the 80s had to offer. Some of those shows include:

• Two separate specials based on a few of the hottest fads of the decade
• A sadsack comic strip character (not the one you're thinking of...)
• A powerful brother/sister duo teaming up for a holiday special
• The return of a beloved icon after 30 years
• A Christmas special with one of the most bizarre collection of guest stars you'll ever see

Get access to new episodes early and ad-free: Patreon.com/80s

If you grew up in the 80s, you grew up in the era of physical media. Our videotape collections allowed us to watch our favorite movies and TV shows over and over, allowing us to develop a deep appreciation for the things we loved.

But how did we get here, and how did it all end up changing so drastically? Today we not only revisit the origins of the VCR itself but look at the VHS/Betamax format wars of the 80s and the worthy third competitor: Laserdisc.

We also look at the growth of home video, the time when the VCR was under attack by Hollywood, and the progression of the VCR to DVD, Blu-Ray, and then streaming.

This episode is also a look at how physical media has become a bit of an endangered species, but why it still has an important place in our modern world.

• Planes, Trains & Automobiles movie review: Patreon.com/80s

It seems funny to think, but in the early 80s, a gigantic industry almost came to a grinding halt...

Video games--and arcades--had grown so quickly,  and on such a wide scale,  that many began to ask if it was ok for our kids to be playing them so much. 

This is when video games and arcades became under attack as parents, watch groups, and entire cities started to crack down on them. From the U.K. to Canada, to America, regulations began to be put in place to limit young people from even stepping foot into an arcade.

The attack on video games even went all the way to the Supreme Court, and a generation of kids didn't realize how close they got to losing something they loved--forever...

• Movie Review: Planes, Trains & Automobiles 

In late 1985, Disney had just set the record for the most helium balloons ever released. As a way to kick off their 1986 United Way campaign, the city of Cleveland thought breaking this record would be a great way to draw attention to the fundraising event.

But the balloon release didn't exactly go as planned... This is a look back at Balloonfest '86 when an impending storm caused 1.5 million balloons to play havoc with traffic, waterways, and an airport. 

Besides spreading all the way to Canada, the balloons also caused issues during a search for two missing boaters on Lake Erie. Balloonfest '86 became pretty infamous, but was it really the "deadly disaster" that various outlets have reported it to be...?

• The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s

On September 22, 1982, a new show debuted on NBC. It felt like a throwback to the family sitcoms of yesteryear, but, at the same time, felt like a big risk...

The early 1980s seemed to be a time when the family sitcom had disappeared. Primetime TV at the time was all about dramas, and the popular sitcoms were shows like M.A.S.H and Three's Company.

The new NBC show came out to little fanfare and barely had an audience in its first season. It was the same thing for the second season. But in the third season, things were about to explode...

Thanks to a renewed interest in family sitcoms--not to mention its young breakout star from Canada--primetime network TV was about to change forever.

Full House, Growing Pains, Who's the Boss, Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, Home Improvement--they might not have ever happened if it wasn't for this show...

Get early and ad-free access to new episodes: Patreon.com/80s