Dec. 13, 2025

Holiday Chaos, Gen X Toys

Holiday Chaos, Gen X Toys

Want to weigh in? Send us a text! We are back! Schedules - what can we say? Glad you're here to enjoy this little walk down memory lane! We are also happy to report we have made 4 of our six donations for the year! The final two are in process. Thanks to those of you who helped make this possible through your monthly membership and merch sales! The holidays bring out our best rituals and our strangest stories, so we leaned all the way in—burned-out schedules, half-dressed trees, and the...

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Season 2

Want to weigh in? Send us a text!

We are back! Schedules - what can we say? Glad you're here to enjoy this little walk down memory lane! We are also happy to report we have made 4 of our six donations for the year! The final two are in process. Thanks to those of you who helped make this possible through your monthly membership and merch sales! 

The holidays bring out our best rituals and our strangest stories, so we leaned all the way in—burned-out schedules, half-dressed trees, and the secret rules of outdoor lights—before heading straight to the toys that defined a generation. We revisit the Cabbage Patch craze with clear eyes: the handmade “Little People” roots, the mall stampedes, the classifieds side hustles, and the often-overlooked contribution of folk artist Martha Nelson Thomas, whose work shaped the look long before it became a juggernaut. It’s a lesson in craft, credit, and how scarcity turns a simple doll into a cultural moment.

Then we geek out on Teddy Ruxpin, the soft-spoken marvel engineered by former Disney Imagineer Ken Forsse. A cassette with two tracks—one for story, one for motor control—let Teddy sync his eyes and mouth like a tiny animatronic at home. We talk marketing smarts (ABC specials, a full animated series, and a safety partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children), plus the infamous sidekick Grubby and why some accessories never quite make it. Along the way, we thread in lightning-struck Cookie Monsters, Tom Selleck mustache nostalgia, and the way small rituals carry us through seasons that are equal parts joy and ache.

If you grew up watching adults chase the “it” toy or felt the thrill of finding one tucked on a back shelf, this conversation will hit home. We celebrate the makers, name the mess, and honor the memories—because the magic wasn’t in the plastic, it was in the people who showed up for us. If this episode sparks a memory, share it with a friend, subscribe for the next drop, and leave a review so more Gen X ears can find their way here.

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00:00 - Cold Open And Holiday Catch-Up

02:20 - End-Of-Year Burnout And Busy Lives

07:40 - Decorating Wins, Fails, And Aesthetic Rules

15:30 - Visual Merchandising Brain And ADHD Tangents

20:55 - Nostalgic Holiday Episode Setup

24:20 - Who Died, Music Legends, And Memory Gaps

30:40 - Magnum P.I., Mustaches, And Teen Crushes

37:10 - Sponsor Break: LYLAS Community

39:20 - Big-Deal Gifts We Actually Had

42:10 - Cabbage Patch History, Hype, And Dark Side

51:30 - Family Stories, Grief, And The Craze’s Impact

01:00:10 - Pre-Internet Scalping And Resurgence

WEBVTT

00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:01.679
I'm Megan Bennett.

00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:02.720
I'm Lesley Meier.

00:00:02.959 --> 00:00:06.320
And this is Gen X Women Are Sick of This Shit.

00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:08.880
Hi, Lesley.

00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:09.919
Oh, hi.

00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:11.039
Are we starting right now?

00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:11.519
Right now.

00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:11.919
I don't know.

00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:12.400
We could start.

00:00:12.640 --> 00:00:13.439
Yeah, we can try it again.

00:00:13.759 --> 00:00:14.560
We're we're here.

00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:16.399
No, I think this is a great beginning.

00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:17.440
Let's just keep it this way.

00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:18.480
I think that's fine.

00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:21.120
Happy holidays, Lesley.

00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:23.679
Happy holidays.

00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:25.359
How the hell are you?

00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:26.559
I'm pretty good.

00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:26.800
Yeah.

00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:27.920
I'm a little weary.

00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:30.320
The end this end of the year is weary.

00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:33.359
It's just hard because there's so much going on.

00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:35.840
So I feel bad because we missed a podcast date.

00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:37.119
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:38.719
It's our first ever fall miss.

00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:42.479
And we talked about doing a repost, and I thought about that.

00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.439
Honestly, like I did not even have time to like do it.

00:00:45.679 --> 00:00:46.560
It's just life, man.

00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:49.439
And I was like, they'll be okay.

00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:53.200
Maybe they'll be like, oh,

00:00:53.200 --> 00:00:54.159
I can't live without them.

00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:55.439
But I didn't get any emails.

00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:56.719
So I think you can.

00:00:56.719 --> 00:00:58.159
They're emails.

00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:00.960
I didn't get emails, so I think we're gonna be okay.

00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:03.759
But we are we really are here and coming back.

00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:07.120
Did we mention that we both have full-time jobs?

00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:10.879
Full-time jobs, this is and family siss.

00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:12.000
Oh my gosh.

00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:12.959
Zero hobbies.

00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:15.920
Outside obligations, zero hobbies.

00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:16.959
This is the hobby.

00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:17.920
This is the hobby.

00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:19.840
Puppies and kitties.

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You know, you know, listening audience, you're all fucking busy too.

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We get it.

00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:24.799
Yes.

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You get it.

00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:26.319
Yes.

00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:27.359
And here we are.

00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:27.840
Hi.

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And in theory, some people spent some time with some family members over the past.

00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:37.120
They had some Thanksgiving, if that is something that you celebrate.

00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:37.760
Yeah.

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Which is a, you know, it's toss-up these days.

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It's tricky.

00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:41.920
Interesting.

00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:44.799
I mean, if you're listening from Europe, you're kind of like, What?

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What with a gathering?

00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:52.000
You had Guy Fawkes Day instead in the UK.

00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:52.560
Mm-hmm.

00:01:52.560 --> 00:01:52.959
Mm-hmm.

00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:55.680
Which is pretty, pretty fucking cool holiday, actually.

00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:56.640
Fair point.

00:01:57.840 --> 00:01:58.959
Kind of wish we had that.

00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:02.079
We could have just done that for ourselves, really, I guess if we'd wanted to.

00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:05.120
Let's co-opt some other holidays from other countries.

00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:09.120
Borrow your Guy Fox holiday and just have a big bonfire and burn some shit.

00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:09.919
Thanks.

00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:10.560
Yes.

00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:12.800
It's it might just get there all by itself.

00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:14.080
Remember, remember.

00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:15.439
Cool.

00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:19.120
So we've got holiday stuff on the mind.

00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:20.960
We've got shopping that we're doing.

00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:23.599
We've got decorating that's happening.

00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:24.960
Your house is done.

00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:27.039
I it was warm.

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Early November.

00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:28.639
Yeah.

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Mid-ish November.

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It is not now.

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And that we had a single weekend Saturday that was available.

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And I was like, we're fucking doing Christmas lunch right now.

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Yeah.

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So we did festive up the fuck of the outside of the house.

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Nice.

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And then the inside is mostly done.

00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:48.159
The tree is up.

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There are not, there's like 10 ornaments on it.

00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:50.800
I gotta finish that.

00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:51.919
It'll probably be this weekend.

00:02:51.919 --> 00:02:52.479
It's fine.

00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:55.360
It's just for that big woo Christmas day.

00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:57.919
And then after the first year, it all comes back down.

00:02:57.919 --> 00:02:59.199
But I like it cozy.

00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:02.000
I like it just the lights more than anything.

00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:03.840
I just drape lights everywhere, really.

00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:06.159
And so glitter and I agree.

00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:11.759
We went, we did, we were gonna do everything the I was actually gonna do it before Thanksgiving, and I didn't.

00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:14.800
And so then I was like, well, we'll do it after.

00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:23.280
And I got everything out, had you know, the husband pulled everything out of the garage and I brought everything inside, and we've got a we've got a fake tree.

00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:31.199
And it was all pre-lit and everything, except this year where the top lit and the bottom lit, but the middle not so much.

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So that that bad boy went to recycle force, so it will be stripped and all the pieces recycled.

00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:39.039
Oh, bright.

00:03:39.039 --> 00:03:40.159
And which is great.

00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:43.120
And we went immediately and bought a new tree.

00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:44.800
This one not lit.

00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:45.199
Yeah.

00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:52.159
So I can have it be colored lights, or I can have it be white lights, or I can have it be red lights, or I can have it be whatever, purple.

00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:52.960
I don't care.

00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.520
So this year it is multicolored lights.

00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:57.919
Ah, that's very, very pretty.

00:03:57.919 --> 00:03:59.039
Very festive.

00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:04.639
Do you do you put any shit shit out in front of your house?

00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:06.400
I got very few words right now.

00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:08.560
I got no shit in my yard.

00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:15.759
Uh so we have, I kind of I really want some like, I don't know, over-the-top Christmas decorations in my front yard.

00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:16.879
I think that'd be really fun.

00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:17.680
Super fun.

00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:19.519
I just haven't found the thing that it is yet.

00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:20.240
Understand.

00:04:20.240 --> 00:04:22.000
Like, I feel like there's, I don't know.

00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:26.639
Have you seen the giant inflatable Christmas bucky beaver?

00:04:26.959 --> 00:04:28.319
I would be okay with that, I think.

00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:32.480
I saw one of those that's driving somewhere and I was like, that's funny.

00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:32.800
Yeah.

00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:33.439
I might do that.

00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:34.399
That's pretty funny.

00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:46.000
We have some lanterns that are hanging on our porch very pretty that have little battery candle lit up things, and they they're on little timers, so they turn on when it gets dark.

00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:46.879
And oh yeah.

00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:47.519
It's nice.

00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:49.360
So we don't have to go out and do anything with them.

00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:50.000
But that's fun.

00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:53.519
And a lot of times I'll put lights on the bushes and stuff, but it got fucking cold.

00:04:53.519 --> 00:04:54.079
It did.

00:04:54.079 --> 00:04:55.279
It got too cold too fast.

00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:58.160
We weren't gonna do more, and it just was like dumb.

00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:02.639
By the time Thanksgiving hit, I was like, I think uh we didn't good enough.

00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:03.600
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:05:03.600 --> 00:05:04.879
Yeah, my kids.

00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:07.040
Oh, nobody cares about this.

00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:09.040
Let me think about it.

00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:10.000
Okay, it's fine.

00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:11.519
We did this project this summer.

00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:14.959
I was like, how far down this ADHD rabbit hole do we want to go right in?

00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:16.240
We did project this summer.

00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:19.600
We tore a chunk of our garage off and like rebuilt the original doors.

00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:21.199
And they are barn doors.

00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:22.399
Yeah, they are barn doors.

00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:23.680
We built it's very cute.

00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:29.759
So, like before it got cold, I had to like get primer on all of the raw wood and it's white and it's so cute.

00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:35.759
And so then I was like, Oh, I have to get like real pine garland so that it looks like a barn, right?

00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:40.399
And I put a real pine wreath out there, it's also in the front, and I put lights around it.

00:05:40.399 --> 00:05:44.639
And so my daughter comes home for Thanksgiving and I was like, Look, look, look.

00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:49.439
She's she's like, What in the Joanna Gaines Hellscape is this?

00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:54.399
And we like put lights in the back because we look at it, it's really pretty to look out in the backyard because we see it all the time.

00:05:54.399 --> 00:06:00.000
And then she's like, Mom, you only got like the white paint like six inches out around the door.

00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:02.879
And I was like, Fuck you, god damn it.

00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:04.800
I was like, Yes, yes.

00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:07.279
I didn't get the whole garage painted.

00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:09.759
Thanks for noticing, but it is really cute.

00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:14.560
And I go in and out there to get to my car, so I do feel like I'm like, I'm going to my barn.

00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:17.040
You know, it's I live in the city, let's be clear.

00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:18.000
That's pretty funny.

00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:22.879
I I'm always a little bit, I have I've got very little space in my yard.

00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:24.000
It's a pretty small yard.

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Three three little bushes.

00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:29.199
Like it would really not take me very long to put stuff on.

00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:29.839
Sure.

00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:34.399
But I'm a Gemini, so you would think it wouldn't bother me.

00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:35.040
Okay.

00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:38.079
But I am so anal retentive when it comes to lights.

00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:40.480
Like everything has to be spaced the same amount.

00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:41.279
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:45.600
You can't mix, like you don't, you just don't mix your colored lights and your white lights.

00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:49.199
That is just fuck what kind of crazy bullshit is that?

00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:50.160
Yes.

00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:52.000
So it's a lot of work.

00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:52.639
It is.

00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:55.360
Like I go out there and if I it's not just throwing lights up.

00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:56.079
No, no, no.

00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:57.120
That'll make me nuts.

00:06:57.360 --> 00:07:02.639
Do you ever do the blankets, the light blankets, or is that too no, because they're too evenly spaced.

00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:03.439
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:05.279
They don't look natural.

00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:06.959
No, I totally feel this.

00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:07.759
So bad.

00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:08.720
I understand.

00:07:08.720 --> 00:07:09.680
It's it's a thing.

00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:11.040
It's a visual thing.

00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:18.319
And I'd worked in visual displays for like producer Tim is shaking his head at me, like, what is fucking wrong with you?

00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:22.160
And he's also going, that is exactly how Lizzie is.

00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:23.439
It's not wrong.

00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:26.720
I worked in visual display for Lazarus Macy's for a long time.

00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:29.360
So I have opinions about where shit goes.

00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:32.000
Yeah, like you have things have to be even.

00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:37.120
I did when I worked retail, they would send you the like the display.

00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:40.000
They just send you the stuff that was supposed to be in the main window.

00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:40.480
Uh-huh.

00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:46.959
And then you would have a piece of paper that came with it, and it would tell you exactly how everything was supposed to lay out.

00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:47.439
Yep.

00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:54.800
And I was always the one who was chosen to do it because I was just like, now, do I hang up my clothes?

00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:55.759
No, I do not.

00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:57.920
I have a those live in baskets.

00:07:58.160 --> 00:07:59.839
I have a chair in my bedroom.

00:07:59.839 --> 00:08:03.920
It is piled up to basically my height and clothes.

00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:05.040
ADHD.

00:08:05.120 --> 00:08:09.040
That's because that's the most boring, fucking repetitive, pointless task in the universe.

00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:10.000
Yes, it's awful.

00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:11.680
Maybe four times a year.

00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:14.399
But can I do a display in a window?

00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:15.439
Hell yeah, I can.

00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:16.879
You're the fucking Macy's.

00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:17.439
I'm right here.

00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:20.079
I'm just waiting for the call.

00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:21.439
Let's go.

00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:22.480
So funny.

00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:23.439
So here we are.

00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:29.439
We're gonna do a little like nostalgic holiday episode today.

00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:33.679
We did kind of like all the Christmas movies last year that we watched.

00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:35.279
Oh, and the TV shows.

00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:36.000
And yeah.

00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:38.879
We talked about decorations on one.

00:08:38.879 --> 00:08:43.759
It was a pretty, it's actually probably one of our most listened to episodes.

00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:48.879
I can't remember if we broke that up into two, but it is like almost two hours of just y'all.

00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:50.159
Do you remember?

00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:50.799
Yeah.

00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:52.159
Do you remember Rudolph?

00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:52.960
Hell yeah, you do.

00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:57.279
Like it gets, it's probably has the most downloads.

00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:08.960
So I I don't know if it's gonna be that much of a I don't know that it'll be that well received, but we're super glad you liked that one and we'll try to talk about something different.

00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:12.960
Yep, it sits at like 2,500 people in that episode.

00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:13.519
That's so fun.

00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:18.080
I'm glad I love well and I hope that you know I hope it brought back some memories for folks.

00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:19.200
Yeah, that's really good.

00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:25.519
The point I mean, I I hope we're mildly amusing and you remember things.

00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:26.000
Yeah.

00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:27.279
No, it's helpful.

00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:27.840
That's it.

00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:28.960
Just you and me talking.

00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:30.639
I'm like, oh shit, I remember that.

00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:34.080
Yes, you know, and that's really just to keep our our memories sharp.

00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:39.120
We are trying to not, yeah, have our brains just go completely dormant.

00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:42.159
I think that's totally true.

00:09:42.159 --> 00:09:47.679
But we should start these episodes like we often do.

00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:48.399
Sure.

00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:52.159
Which is sort of our who what happened recently.

00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:53.279
What happened recently?

00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:56.559
Who died this week, and what should are we sick of?

00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:57.200
Yeah.

00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:01.519
Oh, what happened on this day, you know, back in 1985, we talked about that too.

00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:03.200
So we're just gonna do like a run through of a few things.

00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:04.559
What do you?

00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:04.960
I don't know.

00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:06.559
We can uh I started at the beginning.

00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:07.600
The who died.

00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:13.840
We were having to do a deep dive because we were like, okay, I A, I haven't been on the internet and I haven't paid much attention.

00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.200
It was fairly quiet of the last few weeks, right?

00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:24.159
So calm before the storm of Christmas when we will lose in droves many famous people.

00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:29.840
So we actually turned from TV and movie stars to musicians.

00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:34.799
And I even had to like deep dive into this a little bit because I was like, why do I know this person?

00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:38.720
Steve Cropper, guitarist, member of Stax Records, Booker T and the MGs.

00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:39.600
Oh, Booker T.

00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:39.919
Yeah.

00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:40.399
Died.

00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:43.679
Not a young man, but no, he was 84.

00:10:43.679 --> 00:10:45.440
I think that was December 3rd.

00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:53.679
But the reason that he is sticks in my Gen X uh consciousness is that he played in the Blues Brothers band.

00:10:53.679 --> 00:11:01.600
You were an adolescent and you watched the Blues Brothers, that made a massive impression on you.

00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:07.440
And I was going to say lots of specifics about him that have all left my brain.

00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:08.879
But he's great.

00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:09.840
Yeah, yeah.

00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:13.759
Well, I love, I love that he because he also toured, didn't he?

00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:21.840
He continued to toured with the Blues Brothers with Belushi and Aykroyd in the Blues Brothers band and played with them.

00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:23.519
And in it was just awesome.

00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:24.080
That's cool.

00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:31.519
Well, and Booker T and the MG is what an awesome band, anyway.

00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:34.559
So that's so cool that he you know did all that for us.

00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:35.440
Absolutely.

00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:42.000
We also lost uh Jimmy Cliff, who uh reggae, reggae superstar.

00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:49.519
With if you didn't have Jimmy Cliff, you probably wouldn't have had Bob Marley, you wouldn't have had, you know, Peter blah blah blah.

00:11:49.519 --> 00:11:49.919
See?

00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:51.519
It's just me losing my brain, too.

00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:52.799
It's the worst.

00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:56.080
I said it'll come back to me and then I'll be like, oh yeah.

00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:59.200
I said all the like songs earlier.

00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:01.200
I was just like blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:02.559
And then it was all fucking gone.

00:12:02.559 --> 00:12:03.279
Just gone.

00:12:03.279 --> 00:12:06.320
Oh, created the famous guitar riff for their hit Soul Man.

00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:07.600
We're going backwards again.

00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:09.759
I mean, everybody knows that song.

00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:11.279
Green Onions played that.

00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:11.600
Yep.

00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:12.559
You were like, Do you know that?

00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:13.120
I was like, nope.

00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:14.559
And then you turned it on, and I was like, oh.

00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:18.639
Within within two notes, you were like super fucking that song.

00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:20.480
So yeah, there we go.

00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:21.200
Super cool.

00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:23.840
Oh about a half a brain between the two of us.

00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:24.799
It's yes.

00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:27.200
And as the year winds down, it'll be worse.

00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:28.960
It's the truth.

00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:32.320
It's the busier, like there's just less available space.

00:12:33.039 --> 00:12:37.039
At some point, there'll just be text between the two of us, and it'll just be dot dot dot dot.

00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:38.159
That's it.

00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:40.639
And it'll just be loading on no nothing.

00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:42.240
Do you know what I'm thinking about?

00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:45.440
It would be like, I do you remember what I was texting you about?

00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:48.960
And you'll be like, No, I don't know, but okay.

00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:51.039
But happy holidays, Leslie.

00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:52.799
Excited to hear from you.

00:12:53.200 --> 00:13:01.519
You did a little deep dive and like what happened, like oh, this day, this day in 1980.

00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:02.000
Yes.

00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:04.000
Because I was curious what it was.

00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:05.039
Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:06.399
It launched.

00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:10.720
It was the the premiere of Magnum PI.

00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:12.639
Oh, that's right.

00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:18.320
When nine-year-old me went, well, he's kind of hot.

00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:21.360
He said, old guys are hot.

00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:22.879
Old guys are hot.

00:13:22.879 --> 00:13:24.799
And I was like, how old was he?

00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:27.360
54-year-old me is like mustache, ride.

00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:29.120
Don't mind if I do.

00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:33.279
Nine-year-old me, not so much.

00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:36.639
No, but now I'm like, look, he's drinking.

00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:38.159
Old guys hot.

00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:40.799
And it turns out he was like 35.

00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:41.840
He was 34.

00:13:41.840 --> 00:13:42.320
Okay.

00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:42.720
Yes.

00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:44.639
But he was old to nine-year-old me.

00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:45.120
Hell yeah.

00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:48.480
Like now I look back and I'm like, okay, he was a he was a baby.

00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:50.399
And even looking at him, you're still hot.

00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:51.519
Okay, he's a baby.

00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:53.519
He's got an older look.

00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:55.600
I mean, it yes, you pointed that out.

00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:56.960
He simply looks different.

00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:08.559
I mean, I was I was sort of sitting with like the 20 somethings, 25, 28, 29, 30-year-olds now who are sporting like super mustaches, and we're getting close to like kind of 70s hair.

00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:10.320
And they have baby faces.

00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:12.399
Like it just is not the same.

00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:14.559
He was a very hairy man.

00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:15.200
Oh my gosh.

00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:17.519
I mean, he had some hairy chest.

00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:18.799
He had some hairy legs.

00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:20.639
He had a nice butt.

00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:22.879
And I I speak I'm speaking like he's dead.

00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:23.600
He's not dead.

00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:24.080
He's not.

00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:25.200
He's just over now.

00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:31.440
I mean, as of this recording, Tom Salek is still alive.

00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:31.919
Yes.

00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:40.559
But yeah, I I think nine-year-old me just was introduced to a very hot moustached man.

00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:42.559
Moustache.

00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:44.320
I'm so proud of you.

00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:47.039
I just part of my brain's like, what?

00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:48.879
And your nine-year-old psyche was like.

00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:50.960
I I think my well, I know my mom.

00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:55.279
I know my mom thought Tom Salek was sure mega hot.

00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:55.759
Okay.

00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:01.279
So there was like So there's probably that I probably rubbed off a little bit, but also he was mega hot.

00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:04.559
I mean, it just is what it is.

00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:05.120
I love it.

00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:07.279
And I loved him in Friends later, later.

00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:09.120
He was just very clever and cute.

00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:09.519
Yes.

00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:11.120
He actually got his start.

00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:20.159
He was doing commercials and then he he was he did two, I think it was two episode guest appearance in the Rockford Files in the 70s.

00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:21.919
Like the late 70s.

00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:22.320
Okay.

00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:26.559
And then got his own show because of how well he did in the Rockford Files.

00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:28.080
Based on two episodes?

00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:29.519
Well, he was well, he knew.

00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:30.480
He was pretty hot.

00:15:30.480 --> 00:15:32.320
I don't know if I mentioned that.

00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:34.080
I don't dear listen.

00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:46.240
Not sure if you if you caught that, but please rate Tom Sellick on a scale of one to ten from the perspective of your pubescent adolescence, pre-ad pre-pubescent self.

00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:51.200
But on the cusp, like on the cusp of puberty, like you are you're just right there.

00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:52.240
I knew what I knew.

00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:56.639
I didn't know much, but something was stirring inside of me.

00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:58.159
All that hair.

00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:00.960
You were like sexy.

00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:10.000
And I would say, like, I did not think as a teenager or a young adult that a mustached guy was particularly attractive.

00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:15.679
It was not like that was something that your, you know, your dad had lost right.

00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:19.279
Like you clearly can't get past my and I just can't.

00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:19.679
Right.

00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:20.320
Well, okay.

00:16:20.320 --> 00:16:21.200
Yeah, fair.

00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:24.320
I'm just like, he was also very nerdy.

00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:27.279
I mean, it was just not, they would not have been in the toms.

00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:30.559
Didn't have like dimples and the whole bit that goes with.

00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:36.720
But I think, you know, you mentioned like the kid, kids these days with their with their facial hair.

00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:40.080
It's just, I don't, they just can't grow that mustache, though.

00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:43.279
That's like it was oh full, right?

00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:47.919
Like it's there's no, but take it in the context in which it is meant.

00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:50.879
You need to see my 22-year-old's mustache.

00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:52.799
Oh my god.

00:16:52.799 --> 00:17:01.600
Seriously, if he was walking down the sidewalk, like towards the bar, and one of our friends said, Is that Tom Selleck?

00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:09.599
I'm not because his facial hair, like they said that he looked like I don't remember what it went, but it massive.

00:17:09.599 --> 00:17:11.759
He does have a gigantic upper lip.

00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.000
They thought he had like a cleft palate when he was born.

00:17:14.000 --> 00:17:15.440
He had this like really intense.

00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:18.240
So he's accentuating it with this mustache.

00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:22.960
Oh my gosh, he's just a facial hair heathen.

00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:27.359
It is, and it doesn't fit because he still has aspects of a baby face.

00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:37.119
My child will never listen to this, but maybe if one of his buddies listens, they'll clue him in because supposedly every once in a while they listen and just be like, dude, your mom is talking about you.

00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:38.960
She's talking about facial hair by young.

00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.640
Super fucking funny though.

00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:41.519
It's wild.

00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:42.880
Does he maintain it?

00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:44.960
Like he okay, yeah.

00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:48.799
I mean, yeah, like a 21-year-old is want to do.

00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:49.200
Okay.

00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:55.519
If it if it lingers until 35, we'll see if it, you know, I'll be much older.

00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:56.000
Yeah.

00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:00.400
It'll be some amount of years.

00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:02.079
Some years older.

00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:03.359
And we'll see how that goes.

00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.400
You'll maybe you'll feel comfortable being like, you know, it's time to shave that.

00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:08.960
We'll report back in the future.

00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:09.839
That's awesome.

00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:11.440
Anyway, enough of that story.

00:18:11.440 --> 00:18:13.680
We have, we have, yes.

00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:18.319
This day in 1980, we were introduced to Magnum PI.

00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:20.240
Go watch some reruns, friends.

00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:23.119
Listen to that theme song, have some fun.

00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:23.920
Yeah.

00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:25.119
There you go.

00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:28.960
Uh, should we take a little break and then we'll come back and hit it?

00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.640
Let's do that.

00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:34.240
Gen X Women Are Sick of the Shit is supported by Lilas.

00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:36.960
Love you like a sis, a Gen X women's social club.

00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:38.640
What's Lilass, Megan?

00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:47.519
Lilas is our uh off platform, off uh the Books of Faces, off all of the other traditional social media.

00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:54.240
Uh, it is our space and place for Gen X women to come together, have conversations, meet each other.

00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:55.359
It's a social club.

00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:56.400
It is a social club.

00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:58.000
It's a membership-based club.

00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:00.720
Memberships are $10 a month.

00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:05.279
Um, that does help support us in growing the platform.

00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:14.640
We purchased a platform that would host a network of women so that you could come together and meet each other in real time.

00:19:14.960 --> 00:19:22.640
In a safer space than a traditional social media platform and a much more personal space.

00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:24.960
So what do we do there, Leslie?

00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:37.839
We host movie nights where we live stream some of our favorites as they are available to us for group watches of films from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:41.039
We host a space for a monthly book club.

00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:43.519
We host trivia nights.

00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:45.759
Trivia nights once a month.

00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:47.759
We have a live text chat.

00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:48.880
Four prizes, even.

00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:50.000
Four prizes.

00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:51.119
That's true.

00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:58.559
Um, we the space is able to host like weekly text chats so that you can kind of check in in real time with people.

00:19:58.559 --> 00:19:59.759
I would say the critical.

00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:10.000
Difference between kind of what this space is and any other social media space that I've experienced is that it is active.

00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.880
You will have to engage in it or be engaged in it by other people.

00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:17.680
So it's not like a passive consumption thing.

00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:19.759
It's like making connections.

00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:20.079
Yep.

00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:27.599
And if that's what you're looking for, the opportunity to meet other people, to find people who are maybe in the same similar spaces as you are.

00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:36.079
Like-minded, same time phase of life, navigating all of those transitions, then this might be the right place for you.

00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:37.599
So check out Latty Last.

00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:41.519
You can learn more about it at GenXwomenpod.com.

00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:43.440
And we're back.

00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:46.319
Bang, bang, bang, bang to the future, future, future.

00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:47.759
We are back.

00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:48.400
I don't know.

00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:50.960
We took a little pause.

00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:52.000
Had a little chest.

00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:53.920
Had to look at some facial hair.

00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:56.079
We did have to look at some facial hair.

00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:00.880
And then we had to look at the things that we were talking about next.

00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:01.759
Yes.

00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:09.440
So we're gonna talk today about a couple of like the big gifts when we were kids.

00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:10.160
Yes.

00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:17.440
So the things that everybody was clamoring for, wanted to have, must have.

00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:26.480
And we picked gifts that we each had like personal experience with because there were lots of popular, popular toys.

00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:27.200
Absolutely.

00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:30.160
Like so we just picked one each, basically.

00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:35.359
Like I was watching a little video of just all the things that were hot in the 80s.

00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:38.400
80s was a consumerism nightmare.

00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:45.119
Well, I mean, depending on how you look at it, either a nightmare or a I don't know, a boon.

00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:45.920
Right.

00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:46.799
One of the two.

00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:49.200
Lots of fun things that we've talked about before.

00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:52.000
You know, the speaking spells and Rubik's Cube.

00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:57.920
Yes, and all the action figures, Star Wars toys, He-Man, Transformers, Go Bots.

00:21:58.319 --> 00:22:12.559
My mom reminded me of the Orby, the 1980s ball toy, the eight, the Orby, where you like it had a little ball on the end and like a little kind of bendy, I don't know, arms that were attached to it, and then streamers.

00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:13.119
Yes.

00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:20.640
And you could grab it by the little streamers and you could whip that sucker around and throw it, and it would go for like forever.

00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:21.119
That's all.

00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:23.039
So you could play catch with it and stuff like that.

00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:26.880
So she reminded me of that, and that it was a toy that I had to have.

00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:27.839
You were really excited.

00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:28.559
So yeah.

00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:31.759
And I completely forgotten about it, but I'm glad she remembered it.

00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:32.319
That was cool.

00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:33.359
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:35.039
So Orby.

00:22:35.440 --> 00:22:36.000
Orby.

00:22:36.000 --> 00:22:40.000
I remember I was a little bit old for the Care Bears, but I remember the Care Bears.

00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:40.559
Yeah.

00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:41.759
Rainbow Bright.

00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:44.960
I had some My Little Ponies, Smurfs.

00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:45.839
Oh, yeah.

00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:46.079
Yeah.

00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:46.960
Lots of Smurfs.

00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:47.359
Definitely.

00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:49.759
I have a suitcase, I think, still of some Smurfs.

00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:50.400
Do you really?

00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:51.039
Yeah.

00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:51.599
Like some origin.

00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:57.119
I'm sure they're in various states of shitty condition, but yeah.

00:22:57.359 --> 00:22:58.319
That's still kind of cool.

00:22:58.319 --> 00:22:59.599
I really liked the Smurfs.

00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:02.720
Kind of Smurfs.

00:23:02.720 --> 00:23:04.640
I mean, kind of liked them.

00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:09.440
They were now looking back, I'm like, how did I not be just completely annoyed by that?

00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:13.680
But you know, we were just raised in the water of misogyny.

00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:16.559
Like, why would we have just been sure?

00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:21.839
Of course, there's 50 little blue men, one old man blonde girl.

00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:28.559
Except for the dark haired girl, because there was one that was like the evil one.

00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:29.920
Yes, always.

00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:31.759
And she, of course, had the dark hair.

00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:32.480
Fuck that.

00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:33.119
Yeah, anyway.

00:23:33.119 --> 00:23:33.440
Yeah.

00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:34.720
The stereotypes.

00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:35.839
You'll wonder.

00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:42.160
She was created, I do believe, by Gargamel to like by another old white guy.

00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:45.759
Well, I think I I think Smurfette was actually created by him too.

00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:46.799
Oh, interesting.

00:23:47.279 --> 00:23:47.440
I think.

00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:50.400
Anyway, you get a deep dive on some Smurf.

00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:52.960
That's me.

00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:56.960
I'm just a vat of stupid knowledge of Smurfs.

00:23:56.960 --> 00:24:04.799
I was looking too at like some gifts from the 70s that I would have had, like, you know, in my pre-eight-year-old life.

00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:05.119
Uh-huh.

00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:08.000
And one that was on the list was the stretch armstrong.

00:24:08.000 --> 00:24:08.400
Yes.

00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:09.200
Do you remember that?

00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:09.680
Yes.

00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:11.119
I definitely have a stretch armstrom.

00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:11.680
100%.

00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:13.279
It was the best.

00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:13.680
Yeah.

00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:15.839
Like, why was that so cool?

00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:18.880
Because it was like, I'm sure, full of toxic goo.

00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:19.839
It was super fun.

00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:22.319
Stretch him forever.

00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:23.920
It was so good.

00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:28.000
And you couldn't help but wonder what was really inside that.

00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:34.640
Heck, if you had scissors in your hand, you'd know you had a moment of like, I really want to cut this thing open.

00:24:34.799 --> 00:24:35.039
Yeah.

00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:37.359
All of that is sitting in a landfill somewhere.

00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:38.640
I'm sorry, R.I.P.

00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:39.119
Earth.

00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:40.000
Right.

00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:42.880
Just just leaching into our soil.

00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:43.680
Okay.

00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:44.880
Here's what I want to know.

00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:50.000
If somebody has a stretch Armstrong from the 70s, I can't imagine they survived.

00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:50.799
I can't imagine.

00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:52.400
Like that rubber's going to break down.

00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:53.599
That's what I want to know.

00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:55.279
Is it still soft and pliable?

00:24:55.279 --> 00:24:58.160
Did it degrade and all the goo fall out?

00:24:58.160 --> 00:24:58.880
What happened?

00:24:58.880 --> 00:24:59.680
Or dry up.

00:24:59.680 --> 00:25:01.039
What is its condition?

00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:05.519
Could we send that off to the lab where you're you should tell that story?

00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:07.680
Oh, the speak and spell the speak and spell story.

00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:08.079
Yeah.

00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:15.680
If I haven't told it before, we had a speak and spell that I was truly just lost its mind.

00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:19.119
And it started speaking and making up fake words.

00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:22.799
And so it would be like spell gerba churka black.

00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:24.880
And you'd be like, what the fuck?

00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:25.599
What?

00:25:25.599 --> 00:25:28.160
And it totally was.

00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:32.480
I thought that maybe it was like a Russian sure.

00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:33.599
You know, like red dawn.

00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:37.759
The reds were coming and they were using my speaking spell to brainwash me.

00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:41.440
But this thing, it would, it would do a regular word and it would be fine.

00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:44.319
And then like the next word would be something completely made up.

00:25:44.319 --> 00:25:44.799
Okay.

00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:49.359
And so my mom actually had a friend who worked for Texas Instruments.

00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:49.920
Yeah, for Texas.

00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:50.960
Thank you for Texas.

00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:54.960
See, a full brain between the two of us, but for Texas Instruments.

00:25:54.960 --> 00:26:02.720
And he sent it basically to Texas Instruments and they took it apart and they went through all this work to try to figure out what was wrong with it.

00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:04.640
And they could not figure it out.

00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:07.440
They just sent it back to us and they were like, Well, good luck.

00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:08.559
That's amazing.

00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:09.759
I think that's amazing.

00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:16.960
Your mom, I was listening while she was telling you that story, and evidently they had like a great time with your speaking spell.

00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:18.960
Like they thought it was hilarious.

00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:21.440
Yeah, I mean, it was a complete mess.

00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:23.839
And then they were like, we don't know what's wrong.

00:26:23.839 --> 00:26:27.119
We it probably was supposed to be sent to Mars or something.

00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:29.440
It's it's speaking a completely foreign language.

00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:30.880
I think that's amazing.

00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:31.519
Yep.

00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:41.599
Well, I have a toy I'm gonna talk about and ironically enough, I didn't actually get it for Christmas right away.

00:26:41.599 --> 00:26:44.160
Eventually I got one for Christmas.

00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:45.599
It's it's a long story.

00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:47.519
I'll try to make it not so long.

00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:50.160
But I I we were talking about stuff.

00:26:50.160 --> 00:26:52.079
I want to talk about the cabbage patch craze.

00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:53.119
Oh my god, yes.

00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:58.400
Do you remember this experience of the cabbage patch kids dolls?

00:26:58.720 --> 00:27:00.400
Yes, yes, I do.

00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:13.039
I just remember there being a frenzy for them, there were riots, there were fights, there was all kinds of there was price gouging and all the things for a doll.

00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:14.079
Yeah.

00:27:14.079 --> 00:27:17.039
And I probably was right in there wanting one real bad.

00:27:17.039 --> 00:27:17.599
Of course.

00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:19.599
I had one, I remember having one, yeah.

00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:20.319
Yes.

00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:28.960
So the the cabbage patch doll came into my consciousness as a like probably seven or eight-year-old.

00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:31.359
That seems about right.

00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:34.720
And no, yeah, that's probably true.

00:27:34.720 --> 00:28:02.720
It was pre-10, I know that for sure, because someone that I went to school with, her family drove her all the way to I had to go and like dig through this to Babyland General Hospital in Cleveland, Georgia to get an original soft sculpted pre-mass market cabbage patch doll.

00:28:02.720 --> 00:28:03.759
That's something.

00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:07.039
And that's when I learned about rich people.

00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:17.839
And I was like, oh, people drive to other states to get a toy toys that are evidently very expensive.

00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:22.720
And it was like when they were, they were all handmade, they were hand painted.

00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:31.279
Xavier Roberts was like a pop star amongst the like fourth graders, third, fourth, you know, probably even younger.

00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:35.839
I would imagine, you know, its contemporary equivalent is like the American Girl Doll store.

00:28:35.839 --> 00:28:36.240
Yeah.

00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:41.839
Even though they're very different items, it was kind of like the beginning of that.

00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:42.240
Yeah.

00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:46.000
Well, because they had full, you could buy outfits, so many different outfits.

00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:51.680
You could buy, you know, cabbage patch shoes and and people make custom clothes.

00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:52.640
Oh, yes.

00:28:52.640 --> 00:29:00.240
Like many a seamstress, very happy, like making you know, adorable outfits and that kind of thing.

00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:08.559
So I do remember cabbage patch kids in the 80s, and they went to like mass market.

00:29:08.559 --> 00:29:10.559
They kind of started in the 70s.

00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:11.599
There's a little bit of history.

00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:15.920
It's actually every history's got some darkness in it.

00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:24.880
Supposedly, as a 21-year-old art student, Xavier Roberts rediscovered needle molding, a German technique for fabric sculpture from the early 1800s.

00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:30.480
He combined his interest in sculpture with quilting skills, passed down from his mother, and created this soft sculpture.

00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:32.240
So that was in 1976.

00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:36.480
It went on and like won an award at this Ossiola art show.

00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:42.799
He started making he started making these things called little people originals and exhibiting them at arts and crafts shows.

00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:47.599
And people were paying in the 70s $40 to adopt these things.

00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:54.480
So he won first place with one of them, and then it went on.

00:29:54.480 --> 00:29:59.519
Supposedly, there's there's of course a dark side to all this, which is the only reason I'm saying this part.

00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:04.559
Organized five school friends and incorporates original Appalachian Artworks, Incorporated.

00:30:04.559 --> 00:30:13.039
Xavier and his friends renovate the LG Neal Clinic, a turn-of-the-century medical facility in Cleveland, Georgia, and open Babyland General Hospital to the public for these things.

00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:26.000
So, of course, the dark side is what we think is he actually appropriated a product that was already being made by this woman who was an artist in Appalachia who did make something called Little People.

00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:26.559
Uh-huh.

00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:30.160
And there was a, of course, I've lost it.

00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:36.960
There was a court case and there was an undisclosed sum of money given to this woman who had actually.

00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:39.200
So she won, right?

00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:40.160
This this court case.

00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:41.759
It sounds like it did.

00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:45.440
And I please forgive me for not remembering your name right now.

00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:50.799
If you're still living, it is very important that you are known, but it is not in my brain right now.

00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:51.039
Yeah.

00:30:51.039 --> 00:30:53.279
But I was just like, of course.

00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:54.640
And you know, who knows?

00:30:54.640 --> 00:30:59.839
Who knows what went down, but it wouldn't surprise me if someone had already created something beautiful.

00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:01.759
And he was like, I can do that too.

00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:05.119
Well, and he had the marketing mind behind him too.

00:31:05.119 --> 00:31:07.200
Like and already figured that part out.

00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:12.480
So it kind of tracks that she would, you know, take the take the settlement.

00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:13.839
A you know what?

00:31:13.839 --> 00:31:15.759
I can't do what you're going to do.

00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:18.400
So, you know, have at, I guess.

00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:26.160
Or, I mean, it was just like that was never her intention, and he kind of like bought her out, basically, like that kind of thing.

00:31:26.160 --> 00:31:27.680
She did sue him.

00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:30.720
I'll Google it later, or we'll add it into a note or whatever.

00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:36.480
But they were like a big deal because they were cute babies and you could go adopt them and they're all unique.

00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:38.720
Yes, each one was different.

00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:43.359
You could get one that kind of looked like you, you know, it's all of those things.

00:31:43.359 --> 00:31:45.359
So they went to Mass Market.

00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:48.480
They were developed between 1982 and 1983.

00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:56.799
Roberts leased his concept to Coleco, which was a toy company that redesigned the dolls for large-scale production.

00:31:56.799 --> 00:31:59.680
And that's when they were named Cabbage Patch Kids.

00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:03.359
Before that, they had just been little people.

00:32:03.359 --> 00:32:05.680
And he liked signed each one.

00:32:05.680 --> 00:32:07.359
And you could go and meet him.

00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:10.880
I can't remember if the person that I knew that had one got to meet him.

00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:13.519
It's, I suppose, possible they got birth certificates.

00:32:13.519 --> 00:32:14.960
I mean, you remember all that.

00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:16.480
Yeah, you get the birth certificate.

00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:22.079
You could, I think you could send your birth certificate back in and rename the doll too if you wanted to.

00:32:22.079 --> 00:32:24.079
So I think mine was their name.

00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:24.480
Yeah.

00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:27.200
So mine was Pearl something or other, you know.

00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:33.440
And I could have sent that birth certificate in and said, no, no, no, I want you to name her, you know, something better.

00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:35.039
V-I don't know.

00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:35.680
That's whatever.

00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:37.519
I don't know.

00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:39.599
You wanted to do that.

00:32:39.599 --> 00:32:44.400
So it's it was just insane when they hit the market.

00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:47.440
Coleco, Coleco, am I saying that right?

00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:50.000
Because I'm thinking of ColecoVision every time I think that's right.

00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:54.640
Had them from like 82 to like 83 or 84.

00:32:54.640 --> 00:32:57.039
Oh, nope, lies making up shit.

00:32:57.039 --> 00:33:00.720
They went bankrupt in 88, then it went to Hasbro, and then it went to Mattel.

00:33:00.960 --> 00:33:01.279
Okay.

00:33:01.680 --> 00:33:05.680
So the ones that we knew were definitely produced by them.

00:33:05.680 --> 00:33:13.440
And for Christmas time, I mean, you just couldn't get them anywhere.

00:33:13.440 --> 00:33:14.240
Anywhere.

00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:25.119
And it was the first time I remember kind of like seeing on TV like people climbing over each other, like clips from like Sears or outside of Kmart.

00:33:25.279 --> 00:33:31.359
You'd have news crews that would be out in front of toy stores just watching people like tear the shit out of each other, just trying to get to a doll.

00:33:31.359 --> 00:33:31.920
Yes.

00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:36.640
And it ooh, like, what was going on?

00:33:36.799 --> 00:33:36.960
Yeah.

00:33:36.960 --> 00:33:46.799
My mom, when I was talking to her, she said that some I had one, my sister had one, and we would have gotten it on, you know, the that Christmas where it was impossible to find one.

00:33:47.039 --> 00:33:47.359
Yes.

00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:49.759
Apparently, she had gone to a lot of stores.

00:33:49.759 --> 00:33:52.880
She was looking, she was on the hunt like everybody else.

00:33:52.880 --> 00:34:04.079
And just happened to be at Toys R Us when a guy came out of the out of the back room, because she said she was in the back corner, like where they would be had any.

00:34:04.079 --> 00:34:05.759
Looking despondently.

00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:06.240
Yep.

00:34:06.240 --> 00:34:07.680
And he had six boxes.

00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:10.480
And she was like, Can I get two of those?

00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:12.639
And he's like, Yeah, pick out which two you want.

00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:14.480
And so she got very lucky.

00:34:14.480 --> 00:34:20.719
The fact that she was able to get back to the car without being mugged is pretty amazing.

00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:21.760
So that's awesome.

00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:22.079
Yeah.

00:34:22.079 --> 00:34:23.519
So that's when you got yours.

00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:25.599
That's when we got, yeah, my sister and I got ours.

00:34:25.599 --> 00:34:34.159
So the first Christmas of Cabbage Patch Kids, there was not a Cabbage Patch Kid under my tree at all.

00:34:34.159 --> 00:34:34.639
Yeah.

00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:39.519
And so this is where the story kind of like takes a Gen X turn.

00:34:39.519 --> 00:34:41.840
Because of course it's a dead mom story.

00:34:41.840 --> 00:34:47.119
So in the summer of 1984, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer.

00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:52.320
And we did all of the things that families do when you have someone a dying parent.

00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:55.920
We went on an extended vacation, if you're lucky enough to have them with you.

00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:57.519
And we had this insane Christmas.

00:34:57.519 --> 00:35:02.400
So on our extended vacation, we were in Florida and we'd been there so long.

00:35:02.400 --> 00:35:04.719
At some point, we had to run to the mall for something.

00:35:04.719 --> 00:35:07.440
I don't know, clothes, shorts, a toy.

00:35:07.440 --> 00:35:08.480
I don't know why.

00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:12.079
But my grandmother and I were like have this vague sensory memory.

00:35:12.079 --> 00:35:15.440
We were passing through like a department store toy department.

00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:17.360
So it's like up on an upper floor.

00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:17.840
Okay.

00:35:17.840 --> 00:35:24.559
And there were empty shelves and just kind of like on a back one that was more like at my height.

00:35:24.559 --> 00:35:26.239
So this is 1984.

00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:29.119
So I was 11.

00:35:29.119 --> 00:35:29.679
Okay.

00:35:29.679 --> 00:35:33.199
So they would have gotten mass market production in 1983.

00:35:33.199 --> 00:35:33.840
So it's 10.

00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:34.400
So 11.

00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:37.920
And I kind of like saw it there.

00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:42.639
And like, wait, I was like, you know, grandmother.

00:35:42.639 --> 00:35:44.480
Oh my gosh, there's a cabbage patch kit.

00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:51.119
And there's that box, and maybe like a box that had like had been punched in, you know, but it was like not the best doll.

00:35:51.119 --> 00:36:00.079
But this one was kind of tucked in and it was had kind of dark blonde pigtails and a blue and white kind of gingham checked dress.

00:36:00.079 --> 00:36:00.639
Yep.

00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:04.320
And I was like, they have a cabbage patch kit.

00:36:04.320 --> 00:36:06.000
And she was like, oh, is that important?

00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:07.840
You know, she wasn't whatever.

00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:09.599
And I was like, yeah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

00:36:09.599 --> 00:36:10.719
You know, you can't get them.

00:36:10.719 --> 00:36:11.920
I can't believe this is here.

00:36:11.920 --> 00:36:13.519
Nobody could get them at Christmas last year.

00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:14.400
Everybody was crazy.

00:36:14.400 --> 00:36:16.480
And she was just like, well, we're gonna buy that.

00:36:16.480 --> 00:36:18.639
And I think it was probably 25 bucks.

00:36:18.639 --> 00:36:19.039
Sure.

00:36:19.039 --> 00:36:19.440
Yeah.

00:36:19.440 --> 00:36:20.079
Yeah.

00:36:20.079 --> 00:36:22.000
So we bought that.

00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:25.199
And and I, that was how I got my cabbage patch kid.

00:36:25.199 --> 00:36:27.119
And you said you can't remember her name, right?

00:36:27.119 --> 00:36:28.400
No, I don't.

00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:32.079
Like it maybe Annabelle or Annabella or something like that.

00:36:32.320 --> 00:36:35.599
You know, Annabella, Annabelle is not a great name for a doll.

00:36:35.599 --> 00:36:39.199
Not, I mean it's always haunted and it doesn't go well.

00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:42.159
But I do feel like it was something like that, but I don't remember.

00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:43.920
And I had it for the longest time.

00:36:43.920 --> 00:36:49.280
It might be in a tote, but I for sure know that it doesn't have all of its clothes if it's in the basement.

00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:49.679
Sure.

00:36:49.679 --> 00:36:51.519
There's just no freaking way.

00:36:51.519 --> 00:36:53.519
So I got that one.

00:36:53.519 --> 00:36:57.039
Just the Gen X tragedy just keeps going.

00:36:57.039 --> 00:36:58.159
Super naked doll.

00:36:58.159 --> 00:37:00.159
So that in September I had that one.

00:37:00.159 --> 00:37:01.679
We came home, October, November.

00:37:01.679 --> 00:37:03.920
Then we had this obscenely large Christmas.

00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:08.559
I don't even know how much money my parents spent, all my whole family came.

00:37:08.559 --> 00:37:11.119
I mean, as a kid, it was the best fucking thing.

00:37:11.119 --> 00:37:11.920
Sure, of course.

00:37:11.920 --> 00:37:17.519
We woke up and there was Star Wars and Neon and like everything everywhere.

00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:24.800
My uncle's there, my aunts are down, but I'm not like everybody's staring at my mom because she's dying.

00:37:24.800 --> 00:37:26.400
Like, I don't know that, right?

00:37:26.400 --> 00:37:26.800
Right.

00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:31.119
So we have this amazing Christmas, and then my mom passed away in March.

00:37:31.119 --> 00:37:37.519
So what I believe happened next, and I don't know because I'm not a reliable narrator.

00:37:37.519 --> 00:37:51.599
In the best recollection that you can possibly have, pulled together from my child mind is that my my grandma, my dad's either that Christmas or it was the Christmas after my mom died.

00:37:51.599 --> 00:37:52.159
I don't know.

00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:53.519
It's one of the two.

00:37:53.519 --> 00:37:53.920
Sure.

00:37:53.920 --> 00:37:56.800
We all this Christmas experience.

00:37:56.800 --> 00:37:59.360
I hope someone else had Christmas like this.

00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:05.039
This was the the not as fun kind of grandparents.

00:38:05.039 --> 00:38:05.519
Okay.

00:38:05.519 --> 00:38:13.039
And there were just a lot of expectations.

00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:19.679
We walked in and there were like there were seven of us girls, and one of the girls was a lot older.

00:38:19.679 --> 00:38:21.039
So I don't know if she got one.

00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:27.519
So there were at least six of us, and there were wrapped boxes that were absolutely cabbage patch kids.

00:38:27.519 --> 00:38:27.840
Sure.

00:38:27.840 --> 00:38:35.119
And this was weird and unbelievable because we generally didn't get like good gifts from this grandma.

00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:38.320
It was like practical, like clothes that we didn't love.

00:38:38.320 --> 00:38:38.559
Yeah.

00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:42.480
I I honestly don't even remember like a itchy, itchy PJs and stuff like that.

00:38:42.480 --> 00:38:47.519
So the reason that we had those is because my grandma worked for Sears.

00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:48.079
Oh.

00:38:48.079 --> 00:38:58.079
And she had like really early and gotten them off the track and gotten them with her discount, but they were the babies, like the baldies.

00:38:58.079 --> 00:39:01.360
So it wasn't, you know, even then it wasn't like quite right.

00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:03.599
Like it wasn't quite the thing that you wanted.

00:39:03.599 --> 00:39:07.760
It wasn't itchy PJs, but it still wasn't the dolls.

00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:09.760
And there were so many itchy PJs.

00:39:09.760 --> 00:39:13.920
So that is my personal narrative.

00:39:13.920 --> 00:39:15.199
I think it's great.

00:39:15.199 --> 00:39:17.039
And associated memories.

00:39:17.039 --> 00:39:17.599
Yeah.

00:39:19.280 --> 00:39:19.519
Yeah.

00:39:19.519 --> 00:39:21.599
My my sister had one.

00:39:21.599 --> 00:39:23.920
I feel like hers had dark hair.

00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:30.000
I think mine had blondish, reddish, blondish hair, maybe.

00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:30.639
Okay.

00:39:30.639 --> 00:39:31.920
Yeah.

00:39:31.920 --> 00:39:33.519
Like they were fun.

00:39:33.519 --> 00:39:46.079
I thought they were, you know, I don't think in hindsight, you know, I don't know that there's a toy that has come out since then, before then or since then, with that kind of fervor.

00:39:46.559 --> 00:39:46.800
Yes.

00:39:47.039 --> 00:39:52.639
And you and I were talking too before we started recording about, you know, this is all pre internet.

00:39:52.639 --> 00:40:07.199
So when you think about like how people would have price gouged or, you know, hoarded and then Tried to resell, you know, they had to do things like put articles in or put you know classified in the newspaper.

00:40:07.199 --> 00:40:07.679
Yes.

00:40:07.679 --> 00:40:08.480
Right, right.

00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:10.880
Like I have four cabbage patch dolls.

00:40:10.880 --> 00:40:13.280
I'll let them go for a hundred dollars each.

00:40:13.280 --> 00:40:14.239
You know, that kind of thing.

00:40:14.239 --> 00:40:16.320
And you're just like calling people on their phones.

00:40:16.320 --> 00:40:16.800
Right.

00:40:16.800 --> 00:40:17.039
Right.

00:40:17.039 --> 00:40:19.360
Like on their wall phone.

00:40:19.360 --> 00:40:19.840
Right.

00:40:20.079 --> 00:40:21.280
The stretchy cord.

00:40:21.679 --> 00:40:22.960
Hi, Fred Smith.

00:40:22.960 --> 00:40:24.480
Person I do not know.

00:40:24.480 --> 00:40:28.320
I would like to give you $100 for a cabbage patch kit.

00:40:28.320 --> 00:40:29.119
No shit.

00:40:29.119 --> 00:40:30.559
I don't even care what they look like.

00:40:30.559 --> 00:40:30.719
Yeah.

00:40:30.719 --> 00:40:31.360
Or what?

00:40:31.360 --> 00:40:31.599
Yeah.

00:40:31.599 --> 00:40:32.480
Doesn't matter.

00:40:32.480 --> 00:40:33.280
Doesn't matter.

00:40:33.280 --> 00:40:36.559
So all that, you know, pre-ebay, pre all of that.

00:40:36.800 --> 00:40:37.440
Absolutely.

00:40:37.440 --> 00:40:38.639
Like the resale.

00:40:38.639 --> 00:40:45.840
So they fell out of my consciousness after the 80s, but evidently there was a bit of a resurgence of them.

00:40:45.840 --> 00:40:49.519
In the 90s, there was like a US Olympic mascot.

00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:50.400
Oh my gosh.

00:40:50.400 --> 00:40:52.639
And they were including like boys.

00:40:52.639 --> 00:40:55.760
You know, it's like it wasn't just, I think boys were always a part of it.

00:40:55.760 --> 00:40:56.159
Whatever.

00:40:56.400 --> 00:41:00.400
2000, there was like a oh yeah, you could get a little, it was a little boy or a little girl, right?

00:41:00.400 --> 00:41:01.360
Like from the beginning.

00:41:01.360 --> 00:41:02.079
I can't remember.

00:41:02.079 --> 00:41:02.960
I'm pretty sure.

00:41:03.199 --> 00:41:03.360
Okay.

00:41:03.360 --> 00:41:04.320
I'm pretty sure.

00:41:04.320 --> 00:41:07.280
And now they're evidently in a new place.

00:41:07.280 --> 00:41:08.559
I didn't know this.

00:41:08.559 --> 00:41:10.159
They moved in 2009.

00:41:10.159 --> 00:41:14.000
70,000 square feet of fucking plantation.

00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:15.039
Look at that picture.

00:41:15.039 --> 00:41:16.480
I mean, that says a lot.

00:41:16.480 --> 00:41:22.800
Magic Crystal Tree, where guests can watch the live delivery of a cabbage patch kid.

00:41:22.800 --> 00:41:23.760
Oh no.

00:41:23.760 --> 00:41:24.719
Yep.

00:41:24.719 --> 00:41:25.119
Okay.

00:41:25.119 --> 00:41:27.599
I didn't really look ahead this far, y'all.

00:41:27.599 --> 00:41:29.840
So I'm gonna have to do some extended research.

00:41:29.840 --> 00:41:32.000
Evidently, it's still hanging in.

00:41:32.239 --> 00:41:34.000
Can we please road trip to that?

00:41:35.119 --> 00:41:36.320
We'll take some photos.

00:41:36.320 --> 00:41:37.440
I want to go see.

00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:38.320
Let's do it.

00:41:38.320 --> 00:41:41.039
There's no admission fee because open daily to the public.

00:41:41.679 --> 00:41:45.599
Just be the most horrific and giant waste of our time possible.

00:41:46.000 --> 00:41:48.000
Oh, but it would be a really fun road trip.

00:41:48.000 --> 00:41:49.039
That would be fun.

00:41:49.039 --> 00:41:49.920
I'm on board.

00:41:49.920 --> 00:41:50.480
Okay.

00:41:50.480 --> 00:41:52.000
We'll figure it out.

00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:53.199
I'm gonna do some more.

00:41:53.199 --> 00:41:56.159
I'm gonna do some more research research.

00:41:56.480 --> 00:41:58.239
Those are quotation fingers happening.

00:41:58.320 --> 00:41:59.360
Oh my quotation fingers.

00:41:59.360 --> 00:42:00.159
Okay, so good.

00:42:00.320 --> 00:42:01.360
So that's my toy.

00:42:01.360 --> 00:42:02.239
That's good.

00:42:02.239 --> 00:42:03.119
Whatcha got?

00:42:03.119 --> 00:42:04.159
Whatcha got me?

00:42:04.159 --> 00:42:05.440
What was yours?

00:42:05.440 --> 00:42:13.039
My toy, and probably still to this day one of my favorites of all time was Teddy Ruxpin.

00:42:13.039 --> 00:42:14.000
Oh.

00:42:14.000 --> 00:42:16.400
I never had a Teddy Rexpin.

00:42:16.400 --> 00:42:18.159
I freaking love Teddy Ruxpin.

00:42:18.159 --> 00:42:22.079
So Teddy Ruxpin, talking plush like bear, right?

00:42:22.079 --> 00:42:24.400
Technically not a bear.

00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:26.880
So I learned this in my little research.

00:42:26.880 --> 00:42:34.559
It was an illop, which I believe is spelled L L L I O P Ilop.

00:42:34.559 --> 00:42:35.440
What is that?

00:42:35.440 --> 00:42:36.559
I I don't know.

00:42:36.559 --> 00:42:37.920
It's just that's what they said.

00:42:37.920 --> 00:42:40.320
It's a bear-like creature or an illop.

00:42:40.320 --> 00:42:41.519
Where are they from?

00:42:41.760 --> 00:42:44.079
Like, are they are they not based on a actual animal?

00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:47.920
Asking a lot of questions that I do not have an answer for.

00:42:47.920 --> 00:42:54.079
The the Teddy is described in lore as an Ilop from the land of Grundo.

00:42:54.079 --> 00:42:55.119
Oh, okay.

00:42:55.119 --> 00:42:55.360
Okay.

00:42:55.360 --> 00:42:56.880
And he is not not a bear.

00:42:57.039 --> 00:42:59.360
It's not like based on an animal from Australia.

00:42:59.360 --> 00:43:00.320
That was my guess.

00:43:00.320 --> 00:43:01.280
Oh no, no.

00:43:01.280 --> 00:43:03.280
They must be from Australia.

00:43:03.280 --> 00:43:04.079
I don't know why.

00:43:04.079 --> 00:43:05.039
Crikey.

00:43:05.039 --> 00:43:09.360
Yeah, no, he's he's apparently a so she's a fantasy.

00:43:09.360 --> 00:43:12.239
Fantasyland of bear, bear.

00:43:12.559 --> 00:43:29.920
Which tracks because the creator, the inventor of Teddy Ruxpin is a gentleman named Earl Kenneth Forcy, which you made think of if you if you think of the name Ken Forcy, it may make you go, okay, I kind of think I know that name.

00:43:29.920 --> 00:43:31.360
Yes, maybe a little bit.

00:43:31.360 --> 00:43:34.239
So he was an American inventor.

00:43:34.239 --> 00:43:36.800
He was a former Disney Imagineer.

00:43:37.039 --> 00:43:37.360
Oh.

00:43:37.760 --> 00:43:42.400
So he was actually created Teddy Rexpin.

00:43:42.400 --> 00:43:46.480
Um Teddy was first released in 1985.

00:43:46.480 --> 00:43:50.000
He was manufactured by a company called Worlds of Wonder.

00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:50.559
Okay.

00:43:50.559 --> 00:43:51.039
Yeah.

00:43:51.039 --> 00:43:56.239
So he was and he was advertised as the world's first animated talking toy.

00:43:56.239 --> 00:44:06.480
So Teddy, when he launched, was about $70 for retail, which if you did that now, it would be about $190 in today's money.

00:44:06.480 --> 00:44:12.880
So he was not a cheap toy, not like a not a you know spur of the moment kind of thing.

00:44:12.880 --> 00:44:14.800
You had to really think about buying that.

00:44:14.800 --> 00:44:21.280
And when he when you purchased him, you got a one cassette that came with him and a book.

00:44:21.280 --> 00:44:21.760
Okay.

00:44:21.760 --> 00:44:28.000
So those are the two things that came with probably the biggest popularity was 85, 86.

00:44:28.000 --> 00:44:34.000
So like Christmas of 85 was a real big, it was his big, I guess, debut, right?

00:44:34.000 --> 00:44:34.559
Okay.

00:44:34.559 --> 00:44:38.960
Sold roughly 8 million units.

00:44:38.960 --> 00:44:42.800
So 8 million Teddy Rexpins out there in the world.

00:44:42.800 --> 00:44:50.000
And that's across, you know, internationally and across different versions of Teddy Rexpin over the years.

00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:52.480
So but Ken Forcey.

00:44:52.480 --> 00:45:00.719
So what's cool about him, he worked in Walt Disney Productions and he worked on attractions like It's a Small World and Jungle Cruise.

00:45:00.719 --> 00:45:04.079
He also worked for Sid and Marty Croft.

00:45:04.079 --> 00:45:11.199
So like he he understood puppeteering, he understood like animatronics and all of that.

00:45:11.199 --> 00:45:12.400
That's cool.

00:45:12.400 --> 00:45:21.119
He actually brought, bought, I think, I think bought a the head of a bear animatronic from Disney.

00:45:21.119 --> 00:45:23.039
So it like something that he had worked on.

00:45:23.039 --> 00:45:23.519
Okay.

00:45:23.519 --> 00:45:26.000
And he bought it and brought it home.

00:45:26.000 --> 00:45:34.960
And he started like creating, like messing with the animatronics to create like basically this talking uh bear.

00:45:35.119 --> 00:45:35.440
Okay.

00:45:35.679 --> 00:45:37.679
Which is, I think, incredibly cool.

00:45:37.679 --> 00:45:51.440
Um, he wanted to be able to make this soft toy be able to not just, you know, have a moving mouth, but have moving eyes and be able to actually speak the words that were on the cassette.

00:45:51.440 --> 00:45:53.199
So that was that was pretty cool.

00:45:53.199 --> 00:46:01.840
So he partnered with a company called Worlds of Wonder to manufacture and distribute the toy for 1985 holiday season, which is pretty cool.

00:46:01.840 --> 00:46:08.880
Teddy had a cassette player in his back, basically.

00:46:08.880 --> 00:46:10.320
So you'd pop that open.

00:46:10.320 --> 00:46:24.880
What's cool is the the the tapes are not regular tapes, they were actually um they had two different streams of data on the tape, which I think is just really fucking cool for like 1985.

00:46:24.880 --> 00:46:25.679
Yeah, for sure.

00:46:25.679 --> 00:46:35.679
So two tracks, the left track was all the audio story, okay so you'd hear the audio story, but the right track had all of the control data that was going through it as well.

00:46:35.679 --> 00:46:45.519
So it was basically telling these little motors that were in the eyes and the mouth when to fire to go alongside the other track.

00:46:45.519 --> 00:46:48.480
So like everything I know, it's just the coolest thing.

00:46:48.480 --> 00:46:54.400
So and I don't know that like freak, I don't know that we have technology now that's like like that, right?

00:46:54.639 --> 00:46:57.360
I don't know what that toy equivalent would be.

00:46:57.360 --> 00:46:59.039
I in think of anything.

00:46:59.039 --> 00:47:07.679
Like I know there are things that like words come out and the mouth, like it's not synchronized, it just sort of has movement.

00:47:07.679 --> 00:47:08.239
Yeah.

00:47:08.239 --> 00:47:17.440
And there are like, you know, robo tracks and all kinds of things, but not it's not like here's a little Disney animatronic in your house.

00:47:17.440 --> 00:47:17.840
Right.

00:47:18.000 --> 00:47:21.679
Like here's your very own little, it's a small world critter.

00:47:21.679 --> 00:47:30.400
So the what was kind of cool is they had earlier versions and those had fewer motors, or they or I should say they had three motors.

00:47:30.400 --> 00:47:32.320
So they had the mouth and they had each eye.

00:47:32.800 --> 00:47:33.119
Okay.

00:47:33.360 --> 00:47:42.320
And then later they designed they redesigned it so that it just had two motors so that you didn't you basically had less opportunity for it to break.

00:47:42.320 --> 00:47:42.559
Right.

00:47:42.559 --> 00:47:44.480
And it was cheaper and cheaper to make.

00:47:44.480 --> 00:47:44.960
Sure, sure.

00:47:44.960 --> 00:47:45.519
To be honest.

00:47:45.519 --> 00:47:46.000
Okay.

00:47:46.000 --> 00:47:47.519
So that was pretty cool.

00:47:47.519 --> 00:48:00.159
They had replaceable batteries in them, you know, and then of course, when those would go bad, then Teddy would look a little look a little sad when I would start doing some things and start to slur his words a little bit.

00:48:00.159 --> 00:48:02.559
Teddy needs a nap now.

00:48:02.559 --> 00:48:03.760
So that was pretty cool.

00:48:03.760 --> 00:48:07.679
And then I don't know if you remember, he had a sidekick too.

00:48:07.760 --> 00:48:14.960
So Teddy had so I didn't until I saw like pictures and I was like, what the hell is this?

00:48:14.960 --> 00:48:16.079
What is that?

00:48:16.400 --> 00:48:20.320
So they sold a producer Tim is laughing.

00:48:20.320 --> 00:48:23.519
They sold an orange caterpillar, sure.

00:48:23.519 --> 00:48:28.320
That was his octoped companion, and its name was Grubby.

00:48:28.320 --> 00:48:29.599
Why not?

00:48:29.599 --> 00:48:31.920
Grubby the Caterpillar.

00:48:31.920 --> 00:48:33.360
Grubby the Caterpillar.

00:48:33.360 --> 00:48:33.840
Okay.

00:48:33.840 --> 00:48:35.599
Grubby, Grubby was cool.

00:48:35.599 --> 00:48:39.199
Grubby, Grubby didn't do shit on his own.

00:48:39.199 --> 00:48:39.920
Oh, okay.

00:48:39.920 --> 00:48:42.960
But you could have a little cable that you connect the two.

00:48:43.199 --> 00:48:43.519
Oh.

00:48:43.920 --> 00:48:47.440
And then Grubby would actually talk as well.

00:48:47.440 --> 00:48:50.000
And so like they could read a story together.

00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:51.360
Forever tethered.

00:48:51.360 --> 00:48:54.639
Forever tethered to your il yom.

00:48:54.639 --> 00:48:56.800
To life without Teddy.

00:48:56.800 --> 00:48:57.199
Nope.

00:48:57.199 --> 00:48:59.360
Grubby was once to exist.

00:48:59.360 --> 00:49:01.519
Grubby was just useless without him.

00:49:01.760 --> 00:49:04.239
I don't know why that makes me think of the movie Mannequin.

00:49:04.239 --> 00:49:05.280
I don't know why.

00:49:08.880 --> 00:49:10.480
I don't know why either, but I like it.

00:49:11.840 --> 00:49:14.559
Like she just in the department store.

00:49:14.559 --> 00:49:15.280
That's exactly right.

00:49:15.280 --> 00:49:16.960
Like, oh God.

00:49:16.960 --> 00:49:17.920
That's so good.

00:49:17.920 --> 00:49:25.440
And so I just imagine like millions of grubbies like alone on toys, like on like Goodwill shelves.

00:49:25.440 --> 00:49:26.480
No corn.

00:49:26.480 --> 00:49:27.760
No, no teddy rags.

00:49:27.760 --> 00:49:29.679
Because everybody kept their fucking teddy rags.

00:49:29.679 --> 00:49:31.199
Yeah, everybody wanted teddy, but Grubby.

00:49:31.199 --> 00:49:35.280
But they were like, somebody's gotta go.

00:49:35.280 --> 00:49:36.639
You know, and like Grubby.

00:49:36.639 --> 00:49:37.679
He's just out the door.

00:49:37.920 --> 00:49:44.159
Grubby goes in the donation box and he's in the land girl with stretch armstrong.

00:49:44.159 --> 00:49:45.440
RAP Grubby.

00:49:45.440 --> 00:49:46.079
R.A.P.

00:49:46.079 --> 00:49:46.480
stretch.

00:49:46.480 --> 00:49:47.760
Oh my God.

00:49:47.760 --> 00:49:48.960
So good.

00:49:48.960 --> 00:49:53.039
So the is what the other piece to this that I think is pretty interesting.

00:49:53.039 --> 00:50:02.960
And from as a marketing person, I find all of this super fascinating, but they actually created an ABC weekend special in 1985.

00:50:02.960 --> 00:50:03.920
Oh no shit.

00:50:03.920 --> 00:50:08.639
And that happened, of course, right before the holidays.

00:50:08.639 --> 00:50:18.480
So you want to stir up some people getting really excited and getting some kids really jammed, you know, juiced up about a talking teddy bear.

00:50:18.480 --> 00:50:22.719
You have an ABC weekend special to like really fire them up.

00:50:22.719 --> 00:50:23.280
Brilliant.

00:50:23.280 --> 00:50:23.599
Yep.

00:50:23.599 --> 00:50:24.400
I know, right?

00:50:24.400 --> 00:50:26.159
Like manipulation.

00:50:26.320 --> 00:50:27.360
No, not okay.

00:50:27.360 --> 00:50:31.039
But there was like it was like a Teddy Rexbin cartoon kind of vibe.

00:50:31.039 --> 00:50:31.360
Okay.

00:50:31.519 --> 00:50:31.760
Yep.

00:50:31.760 --> 00:50:32.159
Yep.

00:50:32.159 --> 00:50:33.679
So so they had that.

00:50:33.679 --> 00:50:39.679
And then afterwards, after the holiday, they had a 65-episode animated series.

00:50:39.679 --> 00:50:41.039
That I do kind of remember.

00:50:41.039 --> 00:50:42.079
Do you kind of remember that?

00:50:42.079 --> 00:50:47.440
So it was called The Adventures of Teddy Rexbin, and it ran from 1986 to 1987.

00:50:47.440 --> 00:50:50.239
So short-lived, but that's a lot of episodes.

00:50:50.239 --> 00:50:50.880
I know.

00:50:50.880 --> 00:50:51.840
Well in those two.

00:50:53.519 --> 00:50:58.559
I mean, I guess they're probably like 15, 21 minutes max, like with ads and stuff.

00:50:58.559 --> 00:50:58.960
Sure.

00:50:58.960 --> 00:50:59.679
Pretty brief.

00:50:59.679 --> 00:51:00.719
Yeah, I'm sure.

00:51:00.719 --> 00:51:02.960
We've always been watching short form content.

00:51:03.119 --> 00:51:10.000
I just know that there's like animators that are just like, you know, just working their little asses off to draw those pictures.

00:51:10.000 --> 00:51:10.880
Yes.

00:51:10.880 --> 00:51:11.840
Which was great.

00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:12.480
Yeah.

00:51:12.880 --> 00:51:13.199
Right.

00:51:13.199 --> 00:51:14.159
That's amazing.

00:51:14.159 --> 00:51:22.159
Anyway, so they also in 1985, this is kind of a cool little trivia nugget.

00:51:22.159 --> 00:51:26.960
Teddy Ruxpin was enlisted as the spokes bear, even though he wasn't a bear.

00:51:26.960 --> 00:51:28.239
No, he should have been the spokes.

00:51:28.239 --> 00:51:34.239
For the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

00:51:34.239 --> 00:51:44.639
So using his popularity, he was able to deliver child safety messages to keep kids, you know, this whole stranger danger message and street, street smarts, you know.

00:51:44.639 --> 00:51:45.199
Yes.

00:51:45.440 --> 00:51:48.000
Stay away from strangers and that kind of thing.

00:51:48.000 --> 00:51:52.559
Stay away from your Uncle Grubby Uncle Grubby.

00:51:52.559 --> 00:51:53.360
Uncle Grubbi.

00:51:53.360 --> 00:51:55.519
Stay away from Uncle Grubbby, also.

00:51:55.519 --> 00:51:57.920
That's so bad.

00:51:57.920 --> 00:51:59.440
That may not be a caterpillar.

00:51:59.440 --> 00:52:01.199
So you had a Teddy Rexbin.

00:52:01.199 --> 00:52:01.920
I did.

00:52:01.920 --> 00:52:03.599
I absolutely had a Teddy Rexman.

00:52:03.599 --> 00:52:05.920
Do you remember receiving Teddy Rexpin?

00:52:05.920 --> 00:52:07.280
How didn't that go down?

00:52:07.760 --> 00:52:07.920
Okay.

00:52:07.920 --> 00:52:08.559
I do not.

00:52:08.559 --> 00:52:09.360
I know.

00:52:09.360 --> 00:52:16.320
So we were always really spoiled at Christmas.

00:52:16.320 --> 00:52:16.800
Oh.

00:52:16.800 --> 00:52:29.199
Like not spoiled to the fact that we would go to Georgia to pick out, hand pick out a you know custom painted hand signed handsaver Roberts.

00:52:29.199 --> 00:52:30.719
Cabbage Patch Kid.

00:52:30.719 --> 00:52:33.280
Not that stuffed doll.

00:52:33.280 --> 00:52:35.360
But we had a lot of toys.

00:52:35.360 --> 00:52:37.920
There were a lot of things underneath the the tree.

00:52:37.920 --> 00:52:43.360
And I suspect that Teddy Ruxpin was one of those that you know showed up.

00:52:43.360 --> 00:52:46.719
And honestly, like I would 100% have one today.

00:52:46.719 --> 00:52:48.639
Like I think it is just the cool.

00:52:48.960 --> 00:52:49.199
Yeah.

00:52:49.360 --> 00:52:50.960
It's the coolest technology.

00:52:50.960 --> 00:52:51.679
It is neat.

00:52:51.679 --> 00:52:52.000
That's it.

00:52:52.000 --> 00:52:53.199
Just to be able to have that.

00:52:53.199 --> 00:52:54.480
I yeah, I love him.

00:52:54.480 --> 00:52:54.960
I love him.

00:52:54.960 --> 00:52:55.679
I love him.

00:52:55.679 --> 00:53:05.199
We had like, and I can't think of anything even remotely close to that that my daughter even had, like that was that tickle mielmo and crap like that, right?

00:53:05.440 --> 00:53:06.400
It was I remember.

00:53:06.400 --> 00:53:09.920
And like from a price point, as you were talking, I'm like, oh, okay.

00:53:09.920 --> 00:53:12.800
So it's kind of like the droid shop and Disneyland.

00:53:12.800 --> 00:53:13.920
Like you can buy droid.

00:53:13.920 --> 00:53:14.079
Yes.

00:53:14.079 --> 00:53:16.800
But it's not the same kind of this isn't it.

00:53:16.800 --> 00:53:20.000
That's you have to go there and it's very exclusive and it's a droid.

00:53:20.000 --> 00:53:21.679
So you expect it to be mechanical.

00:53:21.679 --> 00:53:24.159
It's not an adorable teddy bear that's talking to you.

00:53:24.159 --> 00:53:25.039
Right, right.

00:53:25.199 --> 00:53:26.800
And reading you stories and things like that.

00:53:26.800 --> 00:53:27.440
Yes.

00:53:27.440 --> 00:53:36.800
Yeah, but like the only thing I was trying to, I was just trying to brainstorm anything that Gillian had when she was little that, you know, would have, but nothing.

00:53:36.800 --> 00:53:46.159
And the only the only thing that came to mind was we had when she was really little, I was at home with her, and our house was actually struck by lightning.

00:53:46.159 --> 00:53:49.199
We lived, you know, a block away from here, by the way.

00:53:49.440 --> 00:53:51.599
So you got struck by lightning over there?

00:53:51.599 --> 00:53:52.159
Yes, yes.

00:53:52.880 --> 00:54:01.199
So we got struck by lightning, and the lightning actually bounced off of the flashing on our on our fireplace.

00:54:01.199 --> 00:54:01.599
Okay.

00:54:01.599 --> 00:54:11.039
And or on the roof, and like bounced to neighbors' houses and bounced all the way down the block and like blew out like yeah, washers and dryers and stuff a block away.

00:54:11.039 --> 00:54:11.760
Oh my gosh.

00:54:11.760 --> 00:54:12.719
Super wild.

00:54:12.719 --> 00:54:19.760
But it hit the way that it hit, it actually like burned up a bunch of our internal wiring.

00:54:19.760 --> 00:54:20.239
Okay.

00:54:20.239 --> 00:54:22.320
So we it was loud as fuck.

00:54:22.320 --> 00:54:31.440
We got out of there, we called, we called the 911, and then I called Jeff, called my husband, and I'm like, our house was just struck by lightning.

00:54:31.440 --> 00:54:32.639
You need to come home right now.

00:54:32.639 --> 00:54:35.280
And he's like, no, it wasn't.

00:54:35.280 --> 00:54:39.199
And I'm like, don't, are you fucking gaslighting me right now?

00:54:39.199 --> 00:54:41.199
I'm pretty sure I was in the house.

00:54:41.199 --> 00:54:41.599
Yep.

00:54:41.599 --> 00:54:43.119
And it was struck by lightning.

00:54:43.119 --> 00:54:48.559
And so he says that, and then he hears fire engines coming down the street.

00:54:48.559 --> 00:54:49.920
So he's like, I'll be right there.

00:54:49.920 --> 00:54:56.400
And and so I'm sitting out on the front porch and everything with my daughter and our dog who is traumatized.

00:54:56.400 --> 00:55:02.079
And we're just sitting on the front porch and the firefighters come in and they take care of everything.

00:55:02.079 --> 00:55:03.679
They make sure that nothing's on fire.

00:55:03.840 --> 00:55:04.079
Yeah.

00:55:04.320 --> 00:55:06.880
And they they track soot everywhere.

00:55:06.880 --> 00:55:08.880
And it's just, it was a nightmare.

00:55:08.880 --> 00:55:15.599
But they went into Gillian's room and they brought downstairs this cookie monster toy that she had.

00:55:15.599 --> 00:55:20.800
And this cookie monster toy was a firefighter spot attack.

00:55:20.800 --> 00:55:22.400
Yeah, because they were like, you gotta see this.

00:55:22.559 --> 00:55:23.519
I just want to be clear.

00:55:24.079 --> 00:55:31.760
So it was this battery, it was this battery operated thing that it would it would open its mouth and you could throw cookies like from a distance, right?

00:55:31.760 --> 00:55:32.800
Like a little game thing.

00:55:32.800 --> 00:55:37.440
Well, Cookie Monster was apparently like uh supercharged.

00:55:37.440 --> 00:55:42.079
And so they put they put this thing down.

00:55:42.079 --> 00:55:44.159
It's it is turned off.

00:55:44.159 --> 00:55:45.519
It is 100%.

00:55:45.519 --> 00:55:48.880
In fact, I don't think it had batteries in it.

00:55:48.880 --> 00:55:54.400
No, like it was just it was what you possessed.

00:55:54.400 --> 00:56:05.199
It's sitting there and it's sitting on the ground, and it opens its mouth and it's like, she is for cookie, and it's making this like horrific noise.

00:56:05.199 --> 00:56:07.599
And we're just like, what the hell?

00:56:07.599 --> 00:56:10.159
Gillian's just laughing her ass off.

00:56:10.159 --> 00:56:13.920
That's the closest thing to Teddy Rexman she ever had.

00:56:14.079 --> 00:56:17.360
That's very impressive, though.

00:56:17.519 --> 00:56:19.199
That's very impressive.

00:56:19.199 --> 00:56:20.559
Oh my god.

00:56:20.559 --> 00:56:29.920
I'm pretty sure that thing talked for a good two, three days before it finally lightning turned and charged itself.

00:56:30.239 --> 00:56:32.239
I mean, isn't that the plot of Frankenstein?

00:56:32.480 --> 00:56:33.280
Oh kind of.

00:56:33.280 --> 00:56:35.519
It's alive.

00:56:35.519 --> 00:56:37.679
It was definitely alive.

00:56:37.679 --> 00:56:38.079
Yeah.

00:56:38.079 --> 00:56:40.480
Were your appliances fried or were you okay?

00:56:40.480 --> 00:56:46.639
Everything was well, we lost a TV, at least a TV, and I think our dryer got fried.

00:56:46.639 --> 00:56:48.880
But everything else was pretty much okay.

00:56:48.880 --> 00:56:50.960
Just we did have to have Pokemon.

00:56:50.960 --> 00:56:51.360
Yeah.

00:56:51.360 --> 00:56:53.519
It blew, you know, of course, old house.

00:56:53.519 --> 00:56:53.760
Yeah.

00:56:53.760 --> 00:56:59.039
So it had, we had used to have like coal burning furnace.

00:56:59.039 --> 00:56:59.679
Yeah, yeah.

00:56:59.679 --> 00:57:04.639
And it's still, we had like this plate that was on the wall where they would have delivered coal and all that stuff.

00:57:04.639 --> 00:57:10.079
Well, that blew off, and it apparently had, you know, a hundred years worth of coal dust in there.

00:57:10.079 --> 00:57:11.840
So that went flying everywhere.

00:57:11.840 --> 00:57:15.760
So the basement was kind of fucked up for a while, but that's crazy.

00:57:15.760 --> 00:57:16.000
Yeah.

00:57:16.000 --> 00:57:20.400
And you could see all of the electrical wires in our walls because they had all burned.

00:57:20.400 --> 00:57:22.320
So that was pretty freaking weird.

00:57:22.320 --> 00:57:23.599
Yeah, we got lucky.

00:57:23.599 --> 00:57:24.400
We really got lucky.

00:57:24.400 --> 00:57:24.800
Yeah.

00:57:24.960 --> 00:57:27.199
I mean, I was just imagining what you're saying about your neighbors.

00:57:27.199 --> 00:57:28.400
So it's like, oh yeah.

00:57:28.400 --> 00:57:31.440
But you could there's a good reason to get all your wiring replaced.

00:57:31.440 --> 00:57:31.920
Uh-huh.

00:57:31.920 --> 00:57:33.519
Knob and tube, no mo.

00:57:33.519 --> 00:57:36.960
So if anybody has a teddy rux spin, keep it.

00:57:36.960 --> 00:57:37.679
Keep it.

00:57:37.679 --> 00:57:40.559
Or let Megan know, and maybe she'll buy it for me.

00:57:40.559 --> 00:57:44.000
Maybe I will because I love that little booger.

00:57:44.000 --> 00:57:45.199
That's great.

00:57:45.199 --> 00:57:52.079
I did do just a quick search for something because I thought it was important to go back and get this name.

00:57:52.079 --> 00:57:55.360
The folk artist was Martha Nelson Thomas.

00:57:55.360 --> 00:57:55.840
Okay.

00:57:55.840 --> 00:58:09.199
And that was the woman who sued him for copying her doll babies design, leading to a major legal legal battle that resulted in an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount, though Roberts continued to profit from the dolls.

00:58:09.199 --> 00:58:10.719
Yeah, he did.

00:58:10.719 --> 00:58:11.199
Yeah.

00:58:11.199 --> 00:58:12.719
So dealt a plantation.

00:58:12.719 --> 00:58:17.199
Roberts and the toy company Coleco for copyright infringement and unfair competition.

00:58:17.199 --> 00:58:24.880
So I I just, you know, a female folk artist in Appalachia felt it was important to like name her.

00:58:24.880 --> 00:58:26.079
No, I think that's great.

00:58:26.079 --> 00:58:32.960
And they uh so Teddy Rexpin beat the cabbage patch dolls in their it was the eight million their initial launch.

00:58:32.960 --> 00:58:33.920
I think that's right.

00:58:33.920 --> 00:58:34.239
Yeah.

00:58:34.239 --> 00:58:34.800
Okay.

00:58:34.800 --> 00:58:44.880
They uh the first in 1983, when everything was super crazy, three million dolls by the end of that year, but 65 million within the first decade.

00:58:44.880 --> 00:58:47.039
Oh wow by 1984 and 20 million.

00:58:47.039 --> 00:59:00.079
So I was just kind of curious, like what if that was like a growing insanity toy craze thing, like because Teddy was the next, like he would have hit in 85 and they hit like in 83, but you know, and it continued.

00:59:00.079 --> 00:59:02.800
So I was just kind of curious about like the stats on that.

00:59:02.800 --> 00:59:10.639
Like if all the sudden, yeah, well, like people were like, Oh, what's the n I think there was always that what's the next hot toy, but not on this kind of right.

00:59:10.960 --> 00:59:23.199
The moment you start having actual real life like, you know, fights in in toy stores for toys, then it's like, okay, now the gloves are no pun intended, off.

00:59:23.199 --> 00:59:28.320
And every, you know, every year you're gonna have another hot, hot toy.

00:59:28.320 --> 00:59:29.519
So I don't know.

00:59:29.519 --> 00:59:30.079
I don't know.

00:59:30.079 --> 00:59:32.719
I'm so out of touch now with what it might be now.

00:59:33.039 --> 00:59:33.679
I have no idea.

00:59:33.679 --> 00:59:39.599
I did know American Girl Dolls just because we went to the store, I think at some point when my child was young.

00:59:39.599 --> 00:59:41.199
I don't know if we actually bought her one.

00:59:41.199 --> 00:59:42.960
I think we just went to look at it.

00:59:43.280 --> 00:59:48.159
I remember buying my daughter one and wanting her to be really into it.

00:59:48.159 --> 00:59:49.840
And she was like, did not care.

00:59:49.840 --> 00:59:56.719
Because they were like, well, and they were smart, you know, they were like in historical history that went.

00:59:57.119 --> 00:59:57.519
Absolutely.

00:59:57.599 --> 00:59:57.840
Yeah.

00:59:57.840 --> 00:59:58.800
No, didn't really care.

00:59:59.360 --> 00:59:59.599
I don't know.

00:59:59.599 --> 01:00:02.400
I Haven't done toys in a long time.

01:00:02.400 --> 01:00:03.679
Other than grown-up toys.

01:00:04.000 --> 01:00:04.400
Yeah.

01:00:04.400 --> 01:00:11.840
Well, they had for Teddy Ruxpin, they the talking about the marketing with it and to kind of continue to build that hype up.

01:00:11.840 --> 01:00:17.280
What was the the actress's name who was in Family Ties?

01:00:17.280 --> 01:00:18.239
The mom.

01:00:18.239 --> 01:00:19.360
Judith.

01:00:19.360 --> 01:00:21.599
Meredith Baxter.

01:00:21.599 --> 01:00:22.800
Was that no?

01:00:23.119 --> 01:00:23.760
Family Ties?

01:00:23.760 --> 01:00:24.639
Family Ties?

01:00:24.639 --> 01:00:25.360
I think that's either.

01:00:25.360 --> 01:00:26.320
Is that Meredith Baxter?

01:00:26.320 --> 01:00:26.960
Oh no, you can't even.

01:00:27.119 --> 01:00:30.400
I thought it was Judith something or other.

01:00:30.400 --> 01:00:32.559
Anywho.

01:00:32.559 --> 01:00:34.480
Okay, we're Google it.

01:00:34.880 --> 01:00:37.519
Meredith Baxter was the mom.

01:00:37.519 --> 01:00:37.920
Okay.

01:00:37.920 --> 01:00:39.440
Justine Bateman was the sister.

01:00:40.000 --> 01:00:41.679
I feel like, I can't remember.

01:00:41.679 --> 01:00:45.920
There was somebody who was like the spokesperson for Teddy Ruxpin.

01:00:45.920 --> 01:00:52.400
It was like, if you want to be a good mom, you know, you buy your kids this Teddy Ruxpin.

01:00:52.400 --> 01:00:53.360
Really?

01:00:53.360 --> 01:00:53.920
Yeah.

01:00:54.400 --> 01:00:56.800
So I know you're Googling that shit.

01:00:56.800 --> 01:01:02.719
We'll we'll look and then and then we'll let you all go on with your afternoon.

01:01:02.719 --> 01:01:06.480
The spokesperson for Joanne Growing Pains.

01:01:06.719 --> 01:01:08.800
So yeah, Joanna Kearns from Growing Pains.

01:01:09.199 --> 01:01:12.239
Uh a little creepy.

01:01:12.239 --> 01:01:13.599
There she is.

01:01:13.599 --> 01:01:17.280
Oh, it's so manipulative.

01:01:17.280 --> 01:01:20.159
Oh, I remember this commercial.

01:01:20.159 --> 01:01:23.519
Okay, people, go look for the commercial, Teddy Rexman commercial.

01:01:23.519 --> 01:01:30.480
Okay, oh, this was posted in 2006, but it's an OG from like 1985.

01:01:30.480 --> 01:01:31.840
We'll probably get soon.

01:01:31.840 --> 01:01:33.039
But you could kind of hear that.

01:01:33.039 --> 01:01:33.599
Doubt it.

01:01:33.599 --> 01:01:34.400
It'll be doubted.

01:01:34.639 --> 01:01:37.840
They're probably thrilled if we're advertising their Teddy Rexpin dolls.

01:01:38.159 --> 01:01:40.960
So send us your stories if you have memories.

01:01:40.960 --> 01:01:45.280
Maybe you were lucky enough to go get your own soft sculptured.

01:01:45.280 --> 01:01:47.679
I mean, if you lived in Georgia, yeah.

01:01:47.679 --> 01:01:49.039
It wasn't a good vacation.

01:01:49.039 --> 01:01:50.800
Drive down the street and get one.

01:01:50.800 --> 01:01:52.960
You could have gone straight from the patch.

01:01:52.960 --> 01:01:57.039
If you've gone to the patch recently or the Crystal Palace or whatever.

01:01:57.039 --> 01:02:00.559
Please tell us what we should expect by going to the patch.

01:02:00.559 --> 01:02:03.360
If there's a Teddy Rexman museum, let us know.

01:02:03.599 --> 01:02:04.800
Oh, I would love that.

01:02:04.960 --> 01:02:05.679
That would be so fun.

01:02:06.079 --> 01:02:07.840
If they get struck by lightning, though, that'd be really fun.

01:02:07.840 --> 01:02:09.039
It would be terrifying.

01:02:09.599 --> 01:02:12.880
She fur cooked and curses.

01:02:12.880 --> 01:02:14.960
I'm Teddy Wrexman.

01:02:14.960 --> 01:02:18.800
We will, we should have one more episode before the end of the year.

01:02:18.800 --> 01:02:26.239
We're gonna try to get one more recorded and then we'll take a little pause in January, like we did last year, and figure out what the fuck we're gonna do moving forward.

01:02:26.239 --> 01:02:26.880
I like it.

01:02:27.039 --> 01:02:28.159
See how it goes.

01:02:28.159 --> 01:02:31.039
Alright, well, get your shopping done, lady.

01:02:31.039 --> 01:02:32.000
Done.

01:02:32.320 --> 01:02:36.159
You have been listening to Gen X Women Are Sick of This Shit.

01:02:36.159 --> 01:02:37.519
Hey Megan.

01:02:37.519 --> 01:02:38.639
Hey Leslie.

01:02:38.639 --> 01:02:40.960
What do people do if they want to find us?

01:02:41.199 --> 01:02:48.639
Well, we have a website that people can find us on, and that is GenXwomenpod.com.

01:02:48.639 --> 01:02:51.679
We also have a Facebook page.

01:02:51.679 --> 01:02:54.400
We have an Instagram account as well.

01:02:54.400 --> 01:03:00.719
We have a YouTube account where we put YouTube shorts and other little tidbits up there.

01:03:00.719 --> 01:03:02.239
We have a TikTok account.

01:03:02.480 --> 01:03:04.320
I don't talk the tick or tick the tick.

01:03:04.480 --> 01:03:05.360
I you know, tick the talk.

01:03:05.360 --> 01:03:09.760
I I barely talk the tick, but I did put a TikTok out.

01:03:10.000 --> 01:03:11.519
We're explaining the internet to people.

01:03:11.519 --> 01:03:13.280
That's okay though.

01:03:13.280 --> 01:03:13.760
It's great.

01:03:13.760 --> 01:03:15.440
We need to know how the internet works.

01:03:16.079 --> 01:03:17.440
Can people buy merch?

01:03:17.440 --> 01:03:18.559
They absolutely can.

01:03:18.559 --> 01:03:24.400
We have a merch store on the website itself, and we also have an Etsy store too.

01:03:24.400 --> 01:03:25.920
So it's just pretty easy to find.

01:03:25.920 --> 01:03:29.360
You it's just Gen X Women on Etsy.

01:03:29.840 --> 01:03:34.559
And if you are listening to this podcast, presumably you found it somewhere.

01:03:34.559 --> 01:03:37.280
And while you're there, give us a review.

01:03:37.280 --> 01:03:37.840
Yeah.

01:03:37.840 --> 01:03:39.360
Let us know what you think.

01:03:39.360 --> 01:03:40.719
Throw some stars at us.

01:03:40.719 --> 01:03:41.519
That'd be great.

01:03:41.519 --> 01:03:44.239
We'll pick one, two, three, four, or five.

01:03:44.239 --> 01:03:45.199
Ooh, five.

01:03:45.199 --> 01:03:45.599
Maybe.

01:03:45.920 --> 01:03:51.920
And and also make sure that you are hitting subscribe so that you're notified whenever a new episode drops.

01:03:51.920 --> 01:03:53.280
Most important.

01:03:53.280 --> 01:03:57.119
We also have a five minutes of fame that I think we should tell people about too.

01:03:57.360 --> 01:04:01.039
Hell yes! We want to know your stories, your five minutes of fame stories.

01:04:01.039 --> 01:04:13.760
You can send those stories in on the website, or you can call 1-888-GenX Pod and leave your story for us, and we will play it live in our next episode.

01:04:14.000 --> 01:04:14.719
Yeah, two or three.

01:04:14.719 --> 01:04:18.320
We'll listen to it on a little red phone, just like Batman.

01:04:18.320 --> 01:04:20.719
That'd be cool.

01:04:21.519 --> 01:04:22.719
Let's get a Batbone.

01:04:22.719 --> 01:04:24.000
A Batbone.

01:04:24.000 --> 01:04:25.039
I think that's it.

01:04:25.199 --> 01:04:26.320
I think great.