When We Were Young - An 80s And 90s Pop Culture Podcast

In this "Boys' Toys" episode of our two-part TOYS OF SUMMER podcast, we revisit icons ranging from Zack the Lego Maniac to Sergeant Slaughter in remembrance of the toys we played with in the 80s and 90s that were marketed primarily to boys. As it turns out, some of our favorite cartoons from childhood were more than meets the eye - they were advertisements in disguise, created explicitly to get us to buy plastic playthings! The toy-to-TV-show trend kicked off with Hasbro’s relaunch of its G.I. JOE action figures in 1982, rebranded as the “Real American Hero” in a corresponding animated series. It was soon followed by action figure juggernauts HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE and THE TRANSFORMERS. Using bulging muscles, explosive hardware, and cartoon violence to appeal to young boys, these series often wrapped up with a wholesome life lesson to balance out the mayhem (before cutting to a commercial break encouraging us to buy the latest bazooka-toting action figures). Along the w