Tag: Pac-Man

Nov262012 by Chris Holmes1 Comment
The Best Bizarre Christmas Album Covers Ever, Part 2

The Best Bizarre Christmas Album Covers Ever, Part 2

Album Cover of the Week, Music
I had to take a year off after the first gallery of odd Christmas album covers, but I'm back with a strange vengeance. Here's another set of Yuletide records sure to leave you saying, "Ho ho huh?" The Border Brass -- Tijuana Christmas (date unknown) So outrageous it can't possibly be offensive, right? From the back cover: Take the festive spirit of the Christmas season, spice well with the merry mariachi sounds & you have a wassail bowl full of the happiest holiday music ever! Nina and Frederik -- Christmas at Home with Nina and Frederik (1960) From the looks of Frederik, there's only one of four things he wants to do this Christmas. 1. Sex you up. 2. Chop you into little pieces. 3. Sex you up and then chop you into little pieces. 4. Chop you into little pieces an...
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Aug162011 by Chris Holmes1 Comment
Retrotisements — Breakfast Cereal Bonanza!

Retrotisements — Breakfast Cereal Bonanza!

Advertising, Retrotisements
Ah, cold breakfast cereal. A little bit of heaven in a bowl, yes? I subscribe to the theory that you're never too old to enjoy a big bowl of cereal. I also believe that all it takes to feel young again is to sit back and watch some vintage cereal commercials, so here we go! Lucky Charms Is it just me, or do kids usually come off as really obnoxious in these ads? Frosted Flakes That's Tony the Tiger as voiced by the legendary Thurl Ravenscroft, of course. Apple Jacks Ah! Can't sleep, giant Apple Head will eat me... Quisp & Quake I think I choose the one who doesn't sound like a really bad Catskills night club act. Cap'n Crunch Ah yes, those villainous Soggies. The last line of defense between this cereal and a shredded mouth. (more…)
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Mar182011 by Chris Holmes1 Comment
Retrotisement — Jordache jeans (with arcade game bonus!)

Retrotisement — Jordache jeans (with arcade game bonus!)

Advertising, Retrotisements
First I want you to look at this 1980s ad for Jordache jeans... ... and then I want you to ask, in your best Nigel Tuffnel voice, "How much more '80s could this be?" The answer is none. None more '80s. Because this is so quintessentially '80s, what with the stonewashed jeans (with zippers on the legs!), big hair, billowy denim jackets, and row of Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man arcade games. It's as if the photographer didn't want to drive across town to pick up his kid brother from the arcade after the shoot, so he figured he'd kill two birds with one stone. Related articles For The Ladies: Sessy Pac-Man Dresses (geekologie.com) Retro Arcade Furniture - These Classic Arcade Game Tables are Sure to Bring You Back (GALLERY) (trendhunter.com)
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Mar302007 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
“The Only Thing You Have to Do, Is to Shoot Humans…”

“The Only Thing You Have to Do, Is to Shoot Humans…”

Games & Toys
I've never played any of the Grand Theft Auto games, nor any of their supposedly ultra-violent brethren. Quite honestly, they don't seem all that appealing to me. And I'm too cheap to spring for an Xbox, PS3, or any other high-end gaming system. So while I don't care to enter the already heated debate about the impact of video game violence on kids, I guess I'm going to anyway. You see, according to my crack research staff violence in video games has been around for years. Like, many years. Take, for example, this little gem from 1986 -- Robert Pfitzner's Commando Libya. I played this game more than a few times on my beloved Commodore 64, and somehow didn't feel the urge to bring a machete to school. As you can see, the tone is pretty much set right away -- "Welcome to 'The Sadis...
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Mar232006 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Video Game Daze: Coleco Tabletop Pac-Man

Video Game Daze: Coleco Tabletop Pac-Man

Advertising, Games & Toys, Retrotisements
Growing up, I was never very much into arcades. When it came to whiling away the precious days and weeks of my youth, I preferred to play video games at home. And in the early '80s there were plenty of platforms to choose from. One of the most interesting was the series of tabletop arcade games produced by Coleco. Coleco's strategy for miniaturizing video games apparently involved three crucial elements - A satin jacket, oversized navigator-style sunglasses and some jiggly hands. Being only 7 years old in 1982, I lacked the jacket and sunglasses. Therefore I had to wait until my birthday to receive my own tabletop arcade game. I ended up with Pac-Man, the undisputed king of video games in the 1980s (until he was dethroned in a bloodless coup by a seemingly harmless Italian plumber)....
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