Flashback City

Old Radio Ads

2008-06-16T23:14:00.004-04:00

After doing several searches today, I came across a nice website full of awesome radio ads from the '50s and maybe even '40s.

Click here to check out these old radio ads. My suggestions are the Pepsi ads and the Wrigley's Doublemint ad.

Swinging Emergency Broadcast System

2008-06-08T20:03:00.003-04:00

Wow, I haven't posted anything here since January! Oh well.

I just wanted to take some time out of my Sunday to post this very unusual way to conduct at test of the Emergency Broadcast System.

This was broadcasted on radio station WHEN in I think Syracuse, New York from sometime in the '60s. They actually sung it in a very hip '60s way. Although this would definitely not work today, I have to admit that the jingle is actually quite catchy.

Listen to this interesting find here.

Weather Channel Coverage of the 1993 Blizzard

2008-01-02T22:15:00.000-05:00

Wow! I haven't posted here since April!

Anyway, I found this on YouTube awhile ago and this retro gem shows how The Weather Channel dealt with the 1993 Blizzard as it was happening on March 13, 1993.

Drive-In Intermission Entertainment

2007-04-06T00:26:00.000-04:00

I really wish I could visit a drive-in theater someday.

Not So Great Moments in Weather History: 1993 Superstorm

2007-02-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

I've been spending my evening on the Internet studying famous storms. Although I'd like to forget most of these experiences like most people, I thought it would be nice to give you all an account of my experiences in certain storms.

The Superstorm of 1993 is my earliest memory of significant storms. This storm was dubbed "The Storm of the Century", and by looking at that radar image, I can believe that. The storm wreaked havoc as far south as Cuba and as far north as New England, including Greensboro, North Carolina. This was by the way, Saturday March 13th.

In Greensboro, it was basically a blizzard. The storm was so bad, WFMY News 2 was knocked off the air for awhile. This was back before they had back-up generators like they do today. I'm also assuming that Carolina Circle Mall was shut down. I had to work that mall in here some way.

I was 3 years old at the time. This is notable because I have no memories of the January 1996 at age 6. Anyway, back to 1993. I don't remember much about the conditions, but I remember losing power. Just like today, my grandmother lives two houses down from me. She was the only one near us who did not lose power. So I spent the night up there. I do remember that night eating ice cream in front of her TV and losing power for a few seconds. She got real mad!

That next day (Sunday, March 14th), I remember returning home. My house was still without power. I also remember one particular moment when my brother chased me through the house. Ha! Ha! Ha!

I would love to hear any accounts of this storm, especially if you were in Greensboro at the time.

You can read more about this storm here.

CBS Evening News from 1964

2007-01-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

Check out this CBS Evening News from November 18, 1964. It includes the original commercials including some surprises.

Click here.

The Price is Right Showcase 1972 Part 2

2007-01-26T22:41:00.000-05:00

The Price is Right Showcase 1972 Part 1

2007-01-26T22:39:00.000-05:00

A Full 1992 Family Double Dare Episode

2007-01-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

Oh '90s, you never let me down. Enjoy!

My Top 5 '90s Christmas Commercials

2006-12-17T14:57:00.000-05:00

I've been looking at some old '90s commercials over at Retro Junk and I've come up with 5 of my favorite Christmas commercials from the '90s.

5 (Chia Pet): Okay, this isn't really a Christmas commercial, but they usually only play these around this time of year. This one takes me back.

4 (Cookie Crisp): This was a pretty popular Christmas commercial back in the '90s. Unfortunately, I hardly remember it, but it's slowly coming back to me. Whatever happened to Cookie Crook? By the way, I recorded this and uploaded it to Retro Junk from my famous 1994 Rugrats marathon tape.

3 (Honey Nut Cheerios): Definately a classic commercial. This aired from the mid '90s all the way into the very early '00s. I remember this commercial 100% clearly.

2 (Hershey's Kisses): Another classic commercial that first aired in the early '90s and is still being seen on TV today (Not as often though). This would always be what would officially tell me that Christmas time was here.

1 (McDonald's Lindsay): Out of all the '90s Christmas commercials, this would be the most classic in my book. I remember seeing this commercial during the Garfield Christmas Special and various other specials. These are the kind of commercials that made McDonald's special back in the '90s. McDonald's has sure gone down hill with their advertising lately. Another McDonald's commercial that could have tied would be where Ronald McDonald makes a copy of a kid's snowman because it needs a friend. Unfortunately, I can't find a video of it.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my list and hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Crossin' Carolina at the Fair '94

2006-11-29T20:31:00.000-05:00

Alright just as I promised almost 2 weeks ago, we're going to step into the Flashback City Wayback Machine to 1994.

1994 was back when WFMY News 2 was still using their funky retro 2 emblem, Lee Kinard was still on, and aired a special occasional program called "Crossin' Carolina". I believe all if not most of them were hosted by Arlo Lassen and these programs would take you across Carolina.

At 7:30 PM on an early October evening in 1994, Crossin' Carolina came on the air at the Dixie Classic Fair. Arlo Lassen took the viewers all through the fair including other places.

I was fortunate enough to record this when it aired. And at about 9:00 PM on a mid November evening in 2006, this video tape resurfaced. On that tape included the full original program plus commercials.

I've encoded the video to the computer and we will now take a look at some screenshots of this program.

Here's the opening to Crossin' Carolina at the Fair. Now those are some awesome graphics.

Here's our host of Crossin' Carolina, Arlo Lassen. You'll be seeing plenty more of those awesome News 2 emblems as we proceed.

I actually remember when the ferris wheel and that swinging thing were next to each other. That ferris wheel is now multi-color now.

During the ride segment, Arlo showed us video clips of him at various theme parks. That's him on the Loch Ness Monster at Bush Gardens.

During the scenes with Arlo on The Hurler at Carowinds, they showed 2 clips of the movie Wayne's World, one of my favorite movies that that ride's based off of.

A little more local taste here. This is the Sky Coaster at Emerald Pointe in Greensboro.

Now we're back at the fair. Interesting story here. That same year, I tried to throw that football through that wooden Mike Hogewood. I didn't make it, but I got a magnet out of it that I showcased here. There are four News 2 emblems in this shot by the way.

I guess this thing is a carrot.

The winner of the crowing contest.

Here's Arlo talking with one of the midway game operators.

Arlo gave pieces of elephant ears to fair visitors he talked with.

And this brings Crossin' Carolina at the Fair to a close.

As a bonus, this quick promo came on at the very end of the video. This is for the 11:00 news talking about the weather. Does anyone know who this meterologist is?

New Video Gem

2006-11-17T22:02:00.000-05:00

I was going through some old video tapes this evening, and I came across an old 30 WFMY News 2 Crossin' Carolina at the Fair. It has Arlo Lassen at the Dixie Classic Fair reporting about the fair.

This tape is from 1994 and features old News 2 personalities and gems including everyone's favorite "Retro Funky 2 Emblem". Like my 8 hour Rugrats Marathon Tape also from 1994, it includes the original commercials like Food Lion, Coca-Cola, etc.

I'll post some screenshots here at Flashback City as soon as I transfer the video to my computer.

Vintage Sesame Street: Monsterpiece Theater

2006-11-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

I don't know what year or decade this is from, but it really takes me back. I remember Monsterpiece Theater.

PBS Glass Bumper

2006-11-08T22:28:00.000-05:00

Most of you should remember this. This PBS bumper was used from 1989 and throughout most of the '90s. This really takes me back and I'd like you all to join me.

What Would You Do? Intro

2006-10-14T23:48:00.001-04:00

This really takes me back. Enjoy!

Old School 4 Life

2006-10-13T23:33:00.000-04:00

I'd like to tell you about this cool site that I found called Old School 4 Life.

This site is very similar to my favorite old school website Retro Junk in that it has media and pictures that are hard to find.

Dixie Classic Flashback

2006-09-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

Dixie Classic Fair in 1961

In honor of the 2006 Dixie Classic Fair, I thought that it would be neat to take a look back at the fair's past.

The original fair started in 1882 as a grain exhibition in Salem before the town merged with Winston. After years of being at its original fairground, it moved into its more familiar current fairground in 1952. It was renamed the Dixie Classic Fair in 1956.

You can read more of its history and pictures here. Check out the 1995 aerial picture. After 11 years, this fair has not changed much unlike other pieces of the '90s.

1 Year of Flashback City

2006-09-21T16:57:00.000-04:00

The real date is September 20. But I'm making this a day early so I won't forget to do this.

Well, it was a year ago today when I started Flashback City on September 21, 2005. Blog number 3 of the Roadgeek BlogRing. It was also the only blog opening announced at Road City and Carolina Circle City. Now it's only Road City.

Nostalgia has always been an interest to me. What life was like in decades that are no longer. Unfortunately, nostalgia is too underappreciated. That's why I created Flashback City.

Alright, time to for a Flashback Flashback City. Here is a copy of the first post ever made at Flashback City:

"The Roadgeek BlogRing has obtained a new blog called Flashback City.At Flashback City, you can watch old commercials, look at old pictures, and more. Travel back to the 20th Century without the use of a Flux Capacitor or a Life Rewind Button.I have always enjoyed vintage advertising and items that are very hard to find nowadays. I even have a vintage toy collection. I would like to share some of these items and more with you at my new blog."

The roots of Flashback City can be traced back to August 22, 2005. That day, I started a new Road City feature called "Flashback!". The first Road City Flashback was a lot like the current "The Return of 1994". It featured two commercials from my Rugrats marathon tape.

The main decade that Flashback City focuses on is the 1990's. The 1990's, in my opinion, was a wonderful decade. It was the last good-feeling decade.

Flashback City doesn't get update a lot like it should. The problem is is that good nostalgia that's worth of being here comes around rarely. I only save the best nostalgia for Flashback City.

Before I leave you, just remember what Flashback City's slogan is. "Your Past is a Cherished Thing". Think about that.

Do You Remember the '90s?

2006-09-19T22:44:00.000-04:00

A nice little tribute to my favorite decade called the '90s.

Random Flashback: 8/26/06

2006-08-26T21:43:00.000-04:00

That's a video camera snapshot of me taken on June 11, 1995. I used to love to swim in inflatable pools. However, if you wanted me to go underwater, forget it. Of course, I've outgrown the fear since.

Also, one of my pools (Might have been the one in the picture) was blown across the street into the woods during a thunderstorm. My dad had to get the pickup truck and get it.

Lamb Chop

2006-08-18T15:45:00.000-04:00

This video's for all of you who grew up watching one of the greatest children's TV shows of the early-mid '90s.

Click here.

The (New) Price is Right Premier

2006-07-08T19:35:00.000-04:00

This clip is from September 4, 1972. This was when the first episode of The Price is Right aired. Not Bill Cullen, but the Bob Barker one we all know. Please enjoy this intro.

Tribute to the '90s

2006-07-02T23:20:00.000-04:00

You already know that I'm a huge fan of the 1990's. Well, I found this little video on the Internet about the early and mid '90s. I'd like you all to see it. You probably want to disable your firewall if you have one to view it properly.

Tribute to the '90s

Mega Flashback: Ronald McDonald's Debut

2006-06-25T00:46:00.000-04:00

In 1963, the famous Ronald McDonald made his debut on television. Notice how different he is from the Ronald McDonald of today. Willard Scott played this very early Ronald McDonald.

PS: Turn your computer's sound down a little. The audio is very loud.

Mega Flashback: Very Early Price is Right

2006-06-25T00:41:00.000-04:00

Not many people know this, but there are two versions of The Price is Right. Before Bob Barker, Plinko, and the Big Wheel, there was the original Price is Right.

Hosted by Bill Cullen, this original Price is Right aired from 1956 to 1965. The concept was pretty simple. It consisted mainly of bidding on items. That's right, no pricing games. Think of it as Price is Right with only Contestant's Row and Bill Cullen. This intro is from 1957 by the way.

Mega Flashback: Motorola Television

2006-06-18T13:18:00.000-04:00

This has to be the oldest TV commercial I've ever seen. This is from Christmas of 1951 when TV was still very new.

Mega Flashback: Mr. Clean

2006-06-18T13:12:00.000-04:00

This was the start of a legend. Around 1957, Procter & Gamble introduced Mr. Clean to the world. This commercial features the famous Mr. Clean jingle that is still used to this day.

Mega Flashback: Tide Detergent

2006-06-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

Normally, Flashback City focuses on the 1990's and sometimes 1980's and rarely the 1970's. But, I will now be adding a new feature known as the Mega Flashback where we'll take a look at 1960's and before. Of course, Flashback City will remain the blogging home of the 1990's.

I found this interesting old Tide Detergent commercial on YouTube. It appears to be from the early 1950's during television's very early days. Neat find.

Living in 1994-1995

2006-05-29T22:38:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned the site Retro Junk on here several times. Now, I've made a special contribution to that great site.

I wrote an article about my life as a 4-5 year old in the years 1994-1995. I explain why I like those years in the article. I hope enjoy reading this article about the early day Roadgeek.

Living in 1994-1995

Intermission Time

2006-05-21T14:40:00.000-04:00

Back in the '50s and '60s, movie theaters would have intermissions at the half way point in movies. They'd show films talking about what they serve at the concession stand and other interesting features.

I have created a playlist of my favorite intermission videos. A lot of them were from drive-in theaters. Sadly, I've never had the privelage to visit one. I heard there's one in Eden and Walkertown though.

Here they are:
Intermission Time

Flashback to PBS: Sesame Street

2006-05-11T21:43:00.000-04:00

Back when I was growing up in the early-mid '90s, I would watch PBS Kids every morning. I would watch shows like Sesame Street, Lamb Chop's Play Along, Shining Time Station, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, and many others. Occasionaly, I'd watch the Frugal Gourmet, This Old House, Woodright Shop, etc.

Tonight, we're going to take a look at the show Sesame Street. Today, it's still alive and kicking, but not as much as it was back in the day. I remember watching Big Bird, Elmo, Ernie, Cookie Monster, etc. I obviously don't watch it anymore, but I like to look back on it.

Below is a link to a video of the credits at the end of a 1992 episode I found on the Internet. The best part is the ending because it has all of the cool retro emblems like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the PBS bumper that was used back then. Prepare for a major nostalgia trip! You have been warned.

Sesame Street Credits 1992

The Return of 1994: 5/1/06

2006-05-01T22:28:00.000-04:00

Today's featured commercials are for K'Nex and a classic bumper for Nickelodeon.

The K'Nex commercial is I think very unique. Why? Well according to some research, K'Nex was released in 1993. Since this particular commercial was recorded in 1994, the budding building set was only a year old. My have you grown K'nex.

The second one is a Nickelodeon bumper that was used back in the early-mid '90s. I remember this commercial very vividly and I've always thought it was cool. A lot of other '90s nostalgia enthusiasts also agree that this is the best bumper Nick ever had.

K'Nex
Nick Bumper

Lee Kinard & the News (Literaly)

2006-04-14T00:07:00.000-04:00

Some of Lee Kinard's memorable moments were his "Weather Dances". I don't remember these because I was only 2 when he stopped dancing. But it's very entertaining to watch.

This clip is from 1992 of Lee Kinard dancing to Huey Lewis & the News. I guess the name fits. As usual, I recorded it in 1999 when he retired.

Lee Kinard & the News (Literaly)

Flashback City Commerates Lee Kinard

2006-04-12T22:50:00.000-04:00

For the next few days, Flashback City will be honoring a man who has been a staple of Triad television. He's a guy who I've always admired. His name is Lee Kinard. He was the guy who started WFMY's Good Morning Show back in I think 1957. He left the show in I think 1997 and finally retired in 1999.

Part of this commeration will be clips of the best of Lee Kinard from the special that aired in 1999 when he retired. But first I've got to get the clips together.

I actually saw him in person back in 2004 at the National Day of Prayer in Downtown Greensboro. He was the guy who introduced Pendle Hill (Then Friends) School. We sang "Let There be Peace on Earth" by the way.

The Essay

2006-04-09T23:28:00.000-04:00

For your reading pleasure, I wrote an essay the other day at school about the '90s. Please leave feedback.

On January 1, 1990, the decade known as the ‘90s began. This decade would be known (mainly by me) as the decade of all decades. It was also the last decade of the 20th century. Let’s take a look at the greatness of this decade. Because I can only remember as far back as 1992, it’s going to be hard to talk about events prior to that date.

The first major event of the ‘90s I remember is the Super Storm Blizzard on March 13, 1993. This storm stretched from Florida all the way up to New England. Of course, it was more like a hurricane in Florida. In Atlanta, the storm was bad; it canceled the NASCAR race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Here in North Carolina, the storm knocked out electricity for most of the state and also knocked WFMY News 2 off the air for a day.

The most ‘90s year would probably be 1994. This year included a lot of early ‘90s gems and a lot of mid ‘90s gems. It’s also my favorite year. 1994 was also the last year of the grunge fad. I also got a lot of information about the ‘90s from an old video tape I found last year that I recorded off TV in 1994 containing commercials. Times have definitely changed. 1994 was also a good year because I was at the height of my childhood.

In August of 1995, the mid 90’s really kicked off for me when I started my first year of school at Madison Elementary School. That year, I met a lot of very interesting people like my first semi-friend Philip. In December of that year, we also bought our first computer. It was a Packard Bell with Microsoft Windows 95.

The first half of 1996 was a lot like the second half of 1995. The thing I remember the most of that year would be the Packard Bell. I played so many games on there and I also became fascinated with the still growing Internet. As of today, I still play most of those original Packard Bell games.

Unfortunately it started to get a little rough in the second half of 1996 and the first half of 1997. In 1st grade, my ADD began to really kick in which prevented me from doing any work. What made it bad was that we didn’t know it was the ADD and we thought I was just being stubborn. I was grounded twice for no reason! Fortunately in 2nd grade, we found out about it.

The ‘90s came to a close on December 31, 1999. I remember a lot of people (including me), were afraid of the Y2K bug that would strike computers at midnight on January 1, 2000. Banks would lose all important information; telephones would go out, electricity would go out, hospital computers would go out, etc. We were all proven wrong at midnight on January 1, 2000 when nothing happened.

We are now in the decade known as the ‘00s. A few things have remained from the ‘90s, but a lot of things have been lost. There are now more adult themes on TV, more violence, no Carolina Circle Mall, and etc. The only thing I like about this decade is the technology.

I’d definitely say that the ‘90s would be my favorite decade because of television, fun, Carolina Circle Mall, and technology.

The Price is Flashback: Candy

2006-04-07T23:37:00.000-04:00

One of the many things I enjoy is checking out the flea markets, websites, eBay, and antique stores for retro items of interest. For the next few days, we will be taking a look at the many items you may find along the way.

A pretty retro thing I like is candy. Every now and then, I like to check out the Retro Candy & Nostalgic Gift Store. It contains retro candy from the 1940's all the way up to the 1990's. No, they're brand new, not old and stale. They also sell old advertising sign remakes. I have have one of their signs, even though I bought it at the beach last summer. I've never bought anything from there before, but I'm considering buying a 1990's candy gift basket for myself.

You'll be pretty amazed at the history behind this old American favorite known as 20th century candy.

The Return of 1994: 4/1/06

2006-04-01T20:12:00.000-05:00

Been awhile, huh?

The first commercial is for the Mall Madness board game. I'm not real sure how the game goes. I'm guessing you have to buy as much stuff as you can and get out of the mall first. This is mainly specialized for girls I believe, but I'd buy it if they had a Carolina Circle Mall Madness.

Now for something that's for both genders. The second commercial is for Apple Cinnamon Rice Krisppies. I like this commercial for two reasons: The cereal looks delicious and this commercial seems very '90s.

Here they are:

Mall Madness

Apple Cinnamon Rice Krisppies

Random Flashback: 3/26/06

2006-03-26T15:44:00.000-05:00

First of all, I'm pretty secure for a 16 year old, huh?

That's me in either late 1992 or 1993. This was before that merger with First Union and Wachovia.

Time Meets Flashback City

2006-03-24T22:22:00.000-05:00

Does something look different about Flashback City? Because if you've been viewing this blog for ages and you haven't noticed the new style, that's scary.

I thought this new style will give Flashback City a more retro 80's and 90's look to it. Sorry, I couldn't find a 50's style.

Also notice the new slogan. Flashback City is now the Time Machine in Blog Form.

Please enjoy this and watch your step.

The New Flasback City Commercial Collection

2006-03-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

I've put all of my 1994 commercials on a new website for viewing. Putfile's webpages were just too sloppy.

Even though I've added all of the commercials, I will still be "featuring" two commercials here at this blog occasionally.

Random Flashback: 2/28/06

2006-02-28T19:13:00.000-05:00

This was taken in December of 1990 on a Sunday morning. Believe it or not, a Remax Hot Air Balloon landed in our backyard. You heard it, in our backyard! Of course, I was only 1 year old and if you thought I can remember being 1 year old, you're crazy!

New Additions

2006-02-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

I went to the Antique Mall in Winston-Salem Friday and bought these two new additions to my antique toy collection.

The one on the left is a cool Chipmunks figure from 1983. It's the Super Alvin one. What makes it interesting is that I saw a commercial for it on X-Entertainment here. See if you can spot the Super Alvin one.

The one on the right is an old Sugar Bear Christmas Tree Ornament from I think 1993. I've always been a fan of Golden Crisp and I thought he'd fit well in my collection.

My Collection

2006-02-07T21:13:00.000-05:00

This is most of my antique toy collection as of December 2005. As you can see, it's a lot. I have some more off camera. Yes, the Pepsi One can and the Mountain Dew bottle are a part of my collection.

Site Review: TV Sign-Off's and Blast from the Past

2006-01-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

I only have about 10 minutes, so I'll try to be quick. This past week, I've found some new nostalgia sites I'd like to share with you.

The first one is a site with TV Sign-Off's for Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina including WFMY, WGHP, WXII, and etc. They're mainly from the 80's and 90's. I recommend the WFMY National Anthem clip from 1994.

The other site is Blast from the Past. It's basically Flashback City in website form. It contains a truck load of information about kid's TV shows from the 90's. It's still under construction, but it looks highly promising.

New Years 2000

2006-01-02T18:50:00.000-05:00

This is the video of the Milleniuum broadcast of the ball drop 2000. I hope you enjoy it.

This New Years ball drop is probably the most important one in history. It depends on how you look at things. Some people say the new milleniuum was in 2000 and others said it was 2001. I'd say 2000, but go with your opinion.

Also, the Y2K scare was in action. People (like me) were afraid that computers wouldn't be able to handle the year 2000. If Y2K happened, bank computers would fail, gas pumps would fail, electricity would fail, ATM's would fail, telephones would fail, cell phones would fail, and most computers would basically go down. Fortunately, every thing worked out perfectly and the 2000 change over went great.

Not only did the 20th century ended, the 90's also ended. At Flashback City, you've learned a lot about the 90's. Well, you'll now see this great decade come to an end.

I'm also going to post a link to a video of ABC-45 doing a Y2K test that aired just minutes after the milleniuum arrived. This was back when ABC-45 had a news broadcast. It ended earlier this decade. It came back for a short while for an evening news, but ended in late 2005.

Ball Drop 2000
ABC-45 Y2K Test

New Years 1999

2006-01-02T18:45:00.000-05:00

In honor of New Years (Late Though), I have added the ball drop in Time Square on the Internet to download here.

This one is for 1999. It was the first time I ever stayed up and watched it.

Please enjoy this video.

Ball Drop 1999

The Return of 1994 Christmas Edition

2005-12-24T00:26:00.000-05:00

Sorry, but no emblem today. I'm on my dad's laptop and for some odd reason, it won't allow me to post pictures. But who cares, you come for the commercials, not the scenery.

Today I give you 2 Christmas commercials. Because I recorded the tape during the Christmas season back in '94, it includes many Christmas commercials. I will show you my 2 favorites.

The first one is for Cookie Crisp. This particular commercial was made in 1992 and was shown during the Christmas season for many years throughout the 90's.

The second one is for LA Gear Holiday Lights. Basically, they were shoes that would light up whenever you would walk. I should know. I once had a pair of light up shoes back around '94.

To everyone in the land of Flashback City, the world of nostalgia, and the rest of the world, have a very Merry Christmas.

Cookie Crisp
LA Gear

2005-12-15T17:25:00.000-05:00

Today's featured commercials are the Nickelodeon Super Toy Run and the Harley Davidson Bikes.

My favorite one would be the Nickelodeon Super Toy Run. In the early-mid 90's, winning the contest was every kid's dream. Why? If you won, you got to run through Toys R' Us for 5 minutes and get everything you want for free. I actually wanted to enter this, but never got around to it.

The second one is the one for the Harley Davidson Bikes. Not the real thing. The Harley Davidson Bikes are the Harley equivalent of the Motocykes. This commercial features a classic computer from 1994. Also, notice that these same bikes were featured on the Super Toy Run commercial.

Super Toy Run
Harley Davidson Bikes

Buried Car

2005-12-12T21:28:00.000-05:00

Apparently, there's a car that was buried in 1957. It's expected to be unearthed in 2007. I've always been a fan of time capsules especially hard core ones like the 1957 car.

For more information, visit the official website called Buried Car.com.

2005-11-29T16:53:00.000-05:00

This is a very special edition of "The Return of 1994". Why?

The Flashback City Commercial Collection has now been launched. You now have better access to past commercials that I've posted. It's still under a lot of construction.

Anyway, today's commercials are the first commercial on my tape and the third one.

The first one is a Nickelodeon promo. It's basically a montage of scenes from the show's that were airing in 1994.

The second one is the Magic Ice Cream Party. I have no comment on this one except that the ice cream is very fake.

Nick Promo
Magic Ice Cream Party

The Birthday Paper: Western Sizzlin

2005-11-27T19:08:00.000-05:00

I believe Western Sizzlin was what Western Steer used to be. Not only did they have their location on High Point Road, they also had one on Battleground Avenue in 1989. The special on the day I was born was an 8 oz. chopped sirloin steak.

The Birthday Paper: People's Computers

2005-11-27T18:52:00.000-05:00

Emerson XT Computer: 8088 Processor, 640K RAM, 30 MB Hard Drive, Phoenix Bios 5, 1/4" Floppy Drive, 360K Mono Monitor, CGA Graphics Card, Parallel Port & Serial Port, Keyboard, and MS-DOS 3.3 installed. Price: $1,095.88

Emerson AT Computer: 16 MHZ, 80286 Processor, 1 MB RAM, 40 MB Hard Drive, VGA Color Monitor, VGA Graphics Card, Phoenix Bios 5, 1/4" Floppy Drive, 1.2 MB Parallel Port & Serial Port, 101 Keyboard, and MS-DOS 3.3 installed. Price: $2,295.88

Software: Ghostbusters II: $29.88 Tank Killer: $34.88 Die Hard: $29.88 Indiana Jones: $39.88 Tongue of the Fatman: $29.88 Spellicopter $29.88 Read and Roll: $39.88 Snoopy's Reading Machine: $29.88

Kraft Jotstick: $24.88

Mice: $59.88

Hewlett Packard Desk Jet Printer: $569.88

The Birthday Paper: Inside Edition

2005-11-27T18:48:00.000-05:00

I have no comment on this except that I enjoy the vintage WXII 12 emblem.

The Birthday Paper: Friendly Center & Forum VI

2005-11-27T17:54:00.000-05:00

The next few posts will include clips from the Greensboro News & Record from the day I was born (Monday, November 27, 1989).

This clip is an ad for the Christmas Tree Exhibit at Friendly Center. There is a currently closed mall mentioned in this ad. No, it's not Carolina Circle Mall. It's Forum VI. Just like Carolina Circle, it opened in 1976 and is currently closed. Today, it's now office space. Forum VI was nothing like your ordinary mall. It was very small and had limited stores.

Total Rewind

2005-11-23T19:32:00.000-05:00

Found this interesting site called Total Rewind. It has a detailed history of VCR's and VHS tapes.

Learn about how JVC was the inventor of VHS tapes, the history of video cameras, and etc.

Also, learn how video tapes are becoming obsolete and replaced with DVD's.

New Additions

2005-11-20T14:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I went to the Antique Toy Show at the Greensboro Coliseum. While I was there, I bought a few interesting toys to add to my collection.

The first thing I bought was this McDonald's Happy Meal and French Fry combination from 1989. I've always been a fan of classic McDonald's and I fell in love with this piece. Also, it's as old as me, so I was obligated.

The other thing I bought were these 10 California Rasin figurines from 1987 and 1988. The two in the back are from 1987 and the other ones in the front are from 1988. When I think of the 80's, I think of the California Rasins. They were very popular throughout the 80's so they belong in my collection.

2005-11-17T20:21:00.000-05:00

Today's commercials both start with "Mc". They are McDonald's and McGruff.

The McDonald's commercial features the entire McDonaldland gang. Unfortunately, many of them are no longer with us. Ronald McDonald is currently doing occasional commercials that have nothing to do with Happy Meals like 1 minute workouts for kids. But that's today's news. This is Flashback City. Let's talk about the old commercial that you're about to see. This commercial shows you how they put the so called "happy" in a Happy Meal. The toy featured is the Happy Birthday Happy Meal. This makes since for two reasons. One, that commercial aired on my birthday. Two, 1994 was the McDonald's Happy Meal's 15th birthday.

The McGruff commercial features his nephew Scruff "improving his mind" with a comic book. McGruff uses his "Magic Zapper" and seriously improves Scruff's mind. The free comic book advertised is Scruff's adventures. It tells you what to do about trouble on the bus, finding drugs, and much more. Scruff gets pretty annoying at the end of the commercial. You'll see why.

McDonald's Happy Meal Workshop

McGruff

Western Steer

2005-11-16T09:14:00.000-05:00

Western Steer in Sutton, West Virginia

Buffets have always been a part of my life. My favorite would be Golden Corral, but the Western Steer has a special place in my heart.

As of right now, the Triad doesn't have Western Steer's anymore. But back in the 90's, there was one on High Point Road in Greensboro and another on Stratford Road in Winston-Salem. The one in Greensboro is now a doctor's office and the one in Winston-Salem is now Sagebrush Steakhouse.

The format of the Western Steer was similar to Golden Corral. It was a steakhouse plus a buffet. However, the buffet at Western Steer was smaller than Golden Corral's. It always had that certain smell to it and I always think of country music when I think of the Western Steer.

The last time I ever went to Western Steer was in 1999 when I took a trip to Mount Airy. It was just like the Triad ones. I believe Western Steer still operates in Yadkinville and Mocksville.

The Return of 1994: 10/31/05

2005-10-31T20:02:00.000-05:00

Due to technical difficulties, I am unable to put the emblem in here. The word "Error" is a very sad word.

In honor of Halloween, these commercials advertise products that relate to the holiday.

The first one is a commercial for Big Frank. Apparently, he's a Frankenstine you could open up and fix his body like fix broken bones, fix his heart, and etc.

The second one is the Grosseries maker. It was a male version of an Easy Bake Oven which let you cook "Corn on the Slob", "Scream Cheese", "French Flies", and etc. This particular commercial advertises a "Meet the Power Rangers" contest.

I'm now using a new file hosting site that's better than the old one so you don't have to worry about all of those ads that are not 1994 commercials.

Big Frank
Grosseries Maker

Packard Bell Navigator

2005-10-23T14:58:00.000-04:00

As mentioned in a previous post, my old Packard Bell computer and my current Packard Bell computer came with a neat gadget called Packard Bell Navigator. As promised, here are the pictures.

Because Navigator is a virtual house, it includes life like rooms. The first room you enter is the Living Room. It includes the home electronics that come with your Packard Bell like your midi player, your fax machine, your phone dialer, speaker settings, CD player, and etc.

This is the "Software Room". It includes the games, accessories, utilities, and more that comes with your Packard Bell. As I mentioned, I used to play "My First Encyclopedia", "The Pirate Who Wouldn't Wash", and "Milly Fitzwilly's Mouse Catcher". Those games are present all over the computer including the Software Room.

This is the "Info Room". It includes the manuals, help files, and tutorials for your Packard Bell. It also includes Internet Provider Access for America Online, the now dead Prodigy, and the now dead CompuServe.

And of course, the Navigator map. It's basically an overhead view of the house. It looks bigger on the inside.

Later, I'll post pictures of the Arc Workspace and the Arc Kidspace.

Retro Junk

2005-10-16T22:21:00.000-04:00

I found this neat website yesterday called Retro Junk.

It has everything including a forum, commercials, TV show intros, movie trailers, and more. Here's the catch: It's all about the 70's, 80's, and 90's. If you're like me, check out the 90's sections. I even submitted a few of those 1994 commercials. I don't know if they'll make it in there, but stay tuned.

I highly suggest this site. Oh yeah, look for the Little Caeser's Pizza commercial. "Pizza Pizza". And the Pizza Hut face pizza ads from 1996.

December 1995: The Month I Got a Computer

2005-10-14T21:18:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken (By Me) sometime in 1997 which was about 2 years after we got our first computer. It was a Packard Bell Legend.

That day in December 1995, I was in bed sick (Don't Remember Why). My dad went to the newly opened Best Buy and bought the Packard Bell Legend while I was in bed watching Flintstones reruns.

I already had a little experience becuase my aunt in Winston-Salem and I been playing with her Gateway 2000 which had Windows 3.1.

Our computer featured a 2 gigabyte hard drive, 32 megabytes ram, Windows 95, cd-rom, and floppy drive. It also came with the very cool Packard Bell Navigator along with games like My First Encyclopedia (It really was my first encyclopedia), the Pirate who Wouldn't Wash Interactive Storybook, Milly Fitzwilly's Mouse Catcher Interactive Storybook, and even more.

Through out the years of the Packard Bell, other games were added to it like Freddi Fish, Putt-Putt (Not golf), Fatty Bear, the Incredible Machine (Great Music), and even more. I'll post a few screenshots of those games sometime.

Unfortunately in 1999, we bought a Hewlett-Packard with Windows 98 SE and around 2001, the Packard Bell was given away. :(

But in March of 2005, I bought another Packard Bell off of eBay that's similar to the original one.

As seen in the picture on the left, there are a few differences between my current Packard Bell and the original Packard Bell. The two obvious ones are the cpu design and the monitor. The cpu is a flat one unlike the original Packard Bell which requires the monitor to be ontop of it. The computer came with the original monitor, but due to shipping damages, the monitor was busted. So I went down to the O'Henry Flea Market and bought this $40 Dell monitor. This Packard Bell only has a 1 gigabyte hard drive unlike the original's 2 gigabyte and only 16 megabytes ram unlike the original's 32. Other than that, it is very similar to the one I grew up with. It comes with Windows 95, PB Navigator, My First Encyclapedia, Pirate who Wouldn't Wash, Milly Fitzwilly's Mousecatcher, etc. After all these years, I still have those games like Freddi Fish, Putt-Putt, Fatti Bear, Incredible Machine, etc. Since then, I've had to run those games on my Windows XP computer which is alright, but dosen't have that PB touch. I'll post some screenshots of those games and Navigator soon.

Well, that's all. I hope enjoyed this look into my early computer years.

Remembering the once Great Cable Network

2005-10-13T21:00:00.000-04:00

Today I'd like to do a little report on the cable channel Nickelodeon (That's Channel 32 on Guilford County Time Warner Cable and Channel 24 on Forsyth County Time Warner Cable).

My house started to get Nickelodeon in 1986 but I didn't start watching it until about mid-late 1993. My earliest memory of the channel would be Rugrats. Gotta love those dumb babies.

The channel first aired in 1979 as Pinwheel. That was also some sort of live action/cartoon variety show. The channel was renamed Nickelodeon sometime in the early 80's. At that time, Nickelodeon started showing the Cannadian import variety show called "You Can't Do That On Television". That show started the icon that put Nickelodeon on the map which was the green slime. (I still thank that's water with green food coloring). I've only seen one episode of YCDTOT and that was when Nickelodeon was showing some of their old shows during their 25th anniversary celebration back in June of 2004.

In 1986, the trademark and revolutionary game show called Double Dare aired. Beautiful show. Some mess, some questions, and an obstical course. I've only seen Super Sloppy Double Dare, my favorite Family Double Dare, and the poor excuse for Double Dare called Double Dare 2000.

The dawn of the 90's brought even more spectacular shows like Rugrats, Doug, Ren & Stimpy, Family Double Dare, Nick Arcade, GUTS, What Would You Do, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Clarissa Explains it All, Adventures of Pete & Pete, Rocko's Modern Life, and even more. Of course, I came very late in the 80's so all I can remember is the Nick of the 90's.

Let's talk about Family Double Dare. That was the Double Dare version I grew up with. Don't care much for the 1990 ones but love the 1992 ones. The format was the same as Double Dare but you added mom, dad, brother Bob, sister Ashley, and unfortunately not Rex the labador. This was one of two (maybe 3) game shows I'd watch me my mom on Sunday morings before church. Even though the website with Nickelodeon schedules stated that game shows wern't aired on Sunday mornings until 1995 and 1996, I'm positive I was watching them at that time and day around 1994. You just can't trust the Internet.

Let's talk about What Would You Do. What Would You Do featured Double Dare host Marc Summers. I don't remember much about this show except the theme song, some automatic pie/slime chair, and set layout. This might have been another Sunday morning show, but I'm not sure.

Let's talk about Nick Arcade. Another Saturday game show that I watched Sunday mornings. It was sort of like that 80's game show Starcade but with a touch of early 90's. Hosted by Phil Moore, the game featured a red team and yellow team. They would start out by playing a "Face Off" game which would decide who would first have control of Mikey (More on him later). The faceoff would either be a Pong ripoff or some mailman game. After that, they would go to their podeoms. The game featured a virtual gameboard featuring a kid named Mikey. You would have to get him to the goal without running into an enemy. The theme of the Mikey game and the enemy would change every episode. The control of Mikey was verbal so it featured no gamepad or joystick. The board consisted of squares that contained either a "Video Challenge", a "Video Puzzle", a prize, points, enemy, questions, and etc. A video challenge resulted in the team going to this row of arcade games. One person would play and the other would risk points. You had to meet the Wizard's Challenge. If you met it, the points the other person risked would be added to the score and control of Mikey would remain on that team. If you didn't meet it, the points the other person risked would be taken away from the score and control of Mikey would be transfered to the other team. Anyway, the Mikey process kept going until they met the goal or time ran out for the round. After the commercial, the process was repeated. Whoever won the second Mikey round would travel into the "Video Zone". The video zone consisted of 3 levels. A prize would be won for each level completed. What was cool about this part of the game was that they would actually go inside the game via some blue screen.

Let's talk about GUTS. The game is too hard for me to explain but I'll give you a link at the end of this post for information. All I can tell you is that this was my favorite game show. This game wasn't a Sunday morning one, but it was still a great one.

But the late 90's would be the end of the greatness. Since then, they've dumped most of the shows I grew up with and replaced them with garbage. No more Double Dare, no more GUTS, no more Nick Arcade, All That has gotten an entire new cast, and Rugrats ended in 2004. Most of the shows they have on there is ultra trendy and ridiculous. The only 3 shows I like are SpongeBob SquarePants, Fairly OddParents, and Drake & Josh. Just like Carolina Circle Mall, Nickelodeon has died. Well, it's still alive but in another terrible form. Just like the Great Bob Dylan once sang, "The Time they Are a Changin".

One of the worst things they've done in the past 5 years was that Double Dare 2000. I'm glad they canceled that poor excuse for Double Dare. The set was completely blech, Marc Summers was gone, the famous theme music was completely screwed up, and etc. Stay away from DD2k.

But don't give up on this network. Nickelodeon has launched a sister channel called Nickeolodeon GAS. It features most of the game shows from the 80's and the 90's including most versions of Double Dare, GUTS, Nick Arcade, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Finders Keepers (80's), and etc. I wish it had What Would You Do. It's on Guilford County Time Warner Cable Channel 110. It requires Digital Cable.

They also launched NickToons TV. I heard it has a few old 90's cartoons on it. Unfortunately, Time Warner Cable doesn't have it but stay tuned.

Here are some links to some websites that has more classic Nick info:

Antony's Nickelodeon Page
Joe's Double Dare Page
Nick Nostalgia Site (Mainly 80's)
Classic Nick
ClassicNick.com

2005-10-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

Today's commercials are for the Thomas the Tank Engine toys and the Wario Blast game.

My personal favorite is the Thomas the Tank Engine ad. Why? Because in 1994 I was a big fan of Thomas and all of his friends from the Island of Sodor. I remember back in Kindergarten (1995-1996), my dad and I would go to the Toys R' Us across from Carolina Circle Mall everyday after school to buy a Thomas toy. I remember also when he was on Shining Time Station. I got a few episodes of Shining Time Station on VHS for my 6th birthday.

The second one is for the Wario Blast game for Game Boy. I like this one because Wario acts like an idiot by hugging a lit bomb. We all know what will happen after the bomb goes blooey. Remember, this is when Game Boy was in black and white and their games won't become color until about 1999. My first Game Boy (which I still have) was a red Game Boy Pocket. My dad got it for me so I could play with it on the way to the beach in 1997. Waste of bringing that Game Boy along because back then my roadgeek interest was growing.

Thomas the Tank Engine
Wario Blast

The Birth Paper

2005-10-10T09:47:00.000-04:00

Once I get home (I'm at school right now), I'm going to post some pictures of the Greensboro News & Record from the day I was born which was Monday, November 27, 1989.

It has everything in it. Coincidentaly, it has a picture of Death Valley (I-85) on the front page. A computer with MS-DOS and hardly no hard drive cost about $1,000! You can probably get those off of eBay for $10 today.

Another thing it has is the TV schedule for that day. That was when you could watch Green Acres on every channel. Now you can only watch it at about 10:30 AM on Sunday's on one channel.

So once I get home, prepare for a treat.

emblem test

2005-10-06T22:23:00.000-04:00

X-Entertainment: Your Ticket to the 80's

2005-10-03T15:27:00.000-04:00

The 80's were an interesting decade. Unfortunately, I was only able to witness about a month of the decade.

X-Entertainment has a lot of articles and commercials from the 80's. Of course for me, I enjoy the commercial section. I have found this site a very good look at the 80's. Also, a lot of the things on that site have things that I remember. Even though I was born in November of 1989 and was only able to witness the 90's and 2000's, the 90's was a similar facsimile of the 80's.

Time to Wait Another Decade

2005-09-26T19:27:00.000-04:00

Those commercials I've been posting are from a video tape I recorded 11 years ago. I will now wait another decade.

Saturday, I recorded something on TV for about 4 hours. After that, I stored the new tape in the same spot I found the 1994 tape with a note saying "Do Not Open Until 2015". If I waited that long to watch that 1994 tape, I can survive waiting that long to watch that 2005 tape.

So 10 years from now, you'll be watching vintage commercials from 2005 here at Flashback City.

2005-09-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

Like the new emblem for this section? Just something I slapped together in my spare time.

Today's installment in the Return of 1994 Series, as usual two commercials.

The first one is for the portable Sega Game Gear. In the early years of portable gaming, things were still pretty primative. The graphics are unaccpetable to today's standards. Today, the PSP and the Nintendo DS have much better modern features. You can even watch movies on the PSP. As a matter of fact, I still own a Sega GameGear and it still works beautifully. The only flaw is a missing battery cover.

The second one is for Motocykes. I got one of those Motocykes for Christmas 1994. I remember walking through Montgomery Ward and seeing one of those babies. It was love at first sight. Press the button, and listen to the cool sound effects.

Sega Game Gear
Motocykes

Monopoly: Winston-Salem Style!

2005-09-23T15:57:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I bought this Monopoly game. But it's no ordinary Monopoly. Instead of The Simpsons, Atlantic City, and etc. this is Winston-Salem!

This game is from 1985 and has many vintage items from Winston-Salem. One of my favorite features is the card that says "Involved in an I-40 Fender Bender".

A lot of the stores mentioned in this game are no longer with us like Food Fair, Bargain City, and Z-93.

I'm not real sure what Z-93 was. Might be what Oldies 93 used to be.

Apparently back then, K&W Cafeteria had a different emblem and they used to have a location on Stratford Road. I believe that one night, there was a gas leak of some sort and the place exploded. It closed Interstate 40 (Now Business 40) down for the day.

This game was a really neat find and a great look at Winston-Salem's former years.

1994 Returns: 9/22/05

2005-09-22T18:55:00.000-04:00

A main feature here at Flashback City will be my truck load of commercials from November 27, 1994. That day, I recorded an 8 hour Rugrats marathon but was stored in the living room for about 10 years. But around March or April of 2005, I uncovered it. I had hit the motherload of vintage 1990's advertising.

And I would like to share them with the world. Every now and then, I'll post a few of those commercials.

Today, I have two ads. The first one is for Space Invaders for GameBoy. From what I have heard, that game was just like the old arcade game, but was given a 90's makeover.

The other one is for this cool little toy called Moon Shoes. It's amazing. Something as complex and technilogically advanced is no longer on the market as of today. Also notice at the end, it says that the stores you could buy it at are Toys R' Us, Target, and Fred Meyer. Back then, the area that I live in did not have a Target or a Fred Meyer. Target finally came here in 1997 but unfortunately there is still not a Fred Meyer around here.

These require Microsoft Windows Media Player and the file hosting site is VERY ad supported. Beware of impending pop-ups and if you're able to, I recomend a spyware scan. Also, there might be a 10 minute wait to download these. It's the only I could upload these.

Space Invaders
Moon Shoes

Welcome

2005-09-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

The Roadgeek BlogRing has obtained a new blog called Flashback City.

At Flashback City, you can watch old commercials, look at old pictures, and more. Travel back to the 20th Century without the use of a Flux Capacitor or a Life Rewind Button.

I have always enjoyed vintage advertising and items that are very hard to find nowadays. I even have a vintage toy collection. I would like to share some of these items and more with you at my new blog.