Generation Exiles

(Me in probably 1979 rocking the AQUAMAN Underoos shirt) UNDEROOS were one of those things that when you look at them historically, it makes you wonder why no one thought of it until 1978? Intended as children's sleepwear or underwear, they immediately became a costume, or at least the basis for one. Children's play costumes didn't really exist, and dressing up as a hero was makeshift at best. Even Halloween costumes in those days were a one trick pony. They might survive a few days after Halloween, but in general they disintegrated quickly. I recently saw upon browsing eBay that the AQUAMAN set is quite rare and fetches a good amount on the secondary market. So even underwear can be collectible? I guess it's something to be said about our generation and what we held dear.  In this day and age, if you go into any children's clothing section it is absolutely brimming with licensed merchandise. But not back then, not yet anyway. Even STAR WARS clothing for kids was...

A great photo taken in Wisconsin 1988 of the A&W Bear. This bear is my personal favorite fast food mascot. He was the first I remember.

  Here I am in either 1979 or 1980 wearing a T-shirt from my favorite movie at the time Walt Disney Presents....The Black Hole Critics be damned! I still love that movie.

  If we're being totally honest, I would rather see this than any movie they want to make these days. There's something to be said for old school entertainment and the talent to pull this off. You can see what this looked like on YouTube here 1977 Sea World Superheroes Water Ski Show

We were the last generation to really see the old movie serials regularly on television. Even then they were on the way out, but they were there. Sometimes it was on a grainy UHF channel, sometimes on the syndicated stations, sometimes they still got shown at drive-in movie theaters before the feature presentation. And at the very end of the 1980s, they began showing up on home video. Cheap home videos that is, in the first budget bins of the medium.  This is how I was introduced to this in probably 1986 or 1987? My mom came home from K-Mart one day with this Batman serial on VHS for me. My mind was blown that there was live action Batman going back this far. As I had not seen the Superman serials with Kirk Allen, I assumed the George Reeves Superman television show was the earliest live action Superhero fare. The serials I had seen up to this point were mostly science fiction, westerns, and that Captain America one where he has the gun, no shield, and isn't Steve Rogers. I had ...

In 1973 Mego Toy Corp introduced their line of action figures for 20th Century Fox's Planet Of The Apes .  This line would run successfully for almost three years and longer in some foreign markets focussing on characters from the movies and the television series. These fully articulated action figures were in the 8-Inch scale and featured good sculpts and tailored cloth outfits with accessories. First sold on Type 1 bodies in window boxes, and then on Type 2 bodies on blister cards. The line consisted mostly of Apes, but three human characters were also included. Among the Apes were the main bad guys of Doctor Zaius, General Ursus, and General Urko with the (army builder) Ape Soldier. Scientists Cornelius and Zira then rounded out the primates. This was an interesting choice to include so many villains and only a couple heroes, something rarely done in this time period. Without Charlton Heston's likeness available, a generic astronaut figure was issued first, then ...