David Hasselhoff Cumberland Farms Ads

Don't "Hassle The Hoff" at Cumberland Farms

What kid in the '80s didn't love Knight Rider? What kid in the '90s didn't love Baywatch? David Hasselhoff, also known as "The Hoff", has become a household name among three generations of pop culture-lovin' youth. 

Knight Rider rocked!

This morning NPR announced that Cumberland Farms latest ad campaign has seriously "taken off" thanks in part to images of David Hasselhoff urging customers to enjoy a refreshing iced coffee. Cutouts positioned in about 570 stores throughout New England, California and Florida are such a hit with customers, they're stealing them. Who wouldn't want a life-size cutout of The Hoff in a tank top, sipping a delicious-looking iced coffee in their living room? I know I sure would love it. 

In California alone, 550 stores have seen the David Hasselhoff cutouts vanish from Cumberland Farms convenience stores. Is the company pissed? Hell no! "We want everyone to enjoy the Hoff," said their strategic marketing specialist, Kate Ngo. How cool is this? I love it. 

Scott Baio 1980s Afterschool Specials

Scott Baio as The Boy Who Drank Too Much
DVD available at http://brutallo.com/cult4.html

When you hear the name Scott Baio, you most likely think of Charles in Charge or Joanie Loves Chachi or perhaps that horrible VH-1 reality show, Scott Baio Is 45 and Single. I doubt many of you think of two early 1980s after school specials staring Chachi in Charge as a drunkard in The Boy Who Drank Too Much and as a pothead in Stoned. These specials were no joke -- Scott won an Emmy Award nomination for Stoned!

Don't believe me? Check out these classic video clips to see bad boy Scott Baio in action!

Here's Scott Baio as a high school hockey star headed down the wrong path in the 1980 after school special, The Boy Who Drank Too Much.

Here's Scott as a high school skateboarding druggie in the 1981 classic after school special, Stoned. 

NBC's That's One To Grow On!

Kim Fields in a PSA for "One To Grow On"

While watching our favorite morning television programs between 1983 and 1989, NBC provided us kids with informative PSAs called "One To Grow On," which they later renamed, "The More You Know." These helpful public service announcements focused on everything from safety and hygiene to ethics and morals. What's more, they came from our favorite '80s celebrities such as Family Ties' Michael J. Fox, Silver Spoons star Ricky Schroder and  Facts of Life's Kim Fields. 

I have always hated going to the doctor and dentist. Apparently I missed this particular helpful PSA from Punky Brewster star Soleil  Moon Frye telling us not to worry when it's time to see the doctor. 

Here's "One To Grow On" from my personal favorite teen idol, Jason Bateman reminding us to be courteous and keep our music down. Too funny. Check it out!

The Great Space Coaster | Cool 1980s Kid's Show

Back in the early 1980s, we had awesome TV shows for kids featuring wacky looking singing and dancing puppets. If you think about it, I'm sure you can name a few. One show I really enjoyed was The Great Space Coaster. 

This 30-minute show lasted for five seasons and starred characters such as Goriddle Gorilla and Edison the Elephant. And  of course, Who could forget Gary Gnu's "No gnus is good gnus show"?
To this day, 30 years later, I can still sing every word of the theme song... "It's The Great Space Coaster, Get on board.  On The Great Space Coaster, We'll explore. A comet ride of fantasy..." 


RetroJunk.com describes The Great Space Coaster as, "A kid's fantasy/variety show about three friends who leave Earth each day in their 'Space Coaster'. Each episode featured several musical numbers (usually dealing with the various issues and problems kids face every day), plus news reports from Gary Gnu and book reviews from Speed Reader."

Relive the memories with The Great Space Coaster theme song!





My personal favorite, Gary Gnu!