02 - Spiral Zone Cartoon, Ep.1

From the opening sequence of Spiral Zone

We settle in for a nice podcast and break the ice with some weird tea references and Melinda describes what it’s like to bake a cake with a vintage Wilton cake pan. Aaron enjoys his new watch.

(11:40) This week we head into the zone – Spiral Zone. Melinda and Aaron each watched an episode (Holographic Zone Battle) of this twisted 80s cartoon and go through it, step by step.

(50:20) – How Did We Survive? Patrick describes playing rodeo and playing with flamethrowers. Richard crashes an ATV in Mexico.

References:

Collection dx Spiral Zone Toys by Bandai, 1985

01 - History of Cabbage Patch Kids

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Martha Nelson Thomas' Doll Babies (Left) and early Xavier Roberts design (Right)

We are thrilled to announce the inaugural episode of Dreamland: The RetroBlasting Podcast. Taking our name from the skating rink in Melinda’s childhood hometown, we plan to be the place where Gen Xers can hang out and talk about the things we love, while also learning some of the crazy stories from behind the scenes. It’s like RetroBlasting – now as a podcast!

(02:41) We kick this off with a journey into the world of Cabbage Patch Kids. From their early origins with creator Martha Nelson Thomas and her Doll Babies, to Xavier Roberts and Babyland General, to the Coleco years, and beyond, we give you the low-down on these wildly successful, iconic 80s toys. We honestly had no idea where this was going, and the roots went in crazy directions.

(54:21) – We start a fun tradition of closing the show with a segment called “How Did We Survive?” This week Aaron and Melinda each share their own story to start us off. Aaron had bike trouble and Melinda began her quest to get her superpower.

References:

Watch the Vice mini-documentary here: The Secret History of Cabbage Patch Kids