Did the USA Kids Club ever give that kid a Turbografx-16?

The good ol' USA Kids Club, part of the USA Cartoon Express, a block of cartoons that came on every afternoon (and even weekends) in the channels better days. Show your allegiance and touch your hand to the screen. The USA Kid's Club was a pretty well beloved institution at the time that usually had some sort of great promotion going on. Here in 1989, they had a kinda high concept contest.

You write Santa by way of the Kids Club and tell him what you want for Christmas, anything you want as long as it's less than five hundred dollars. Then if they pull your letter, that day they'll not only read it on air, but also say the secret password for your letter. Whomever answers the phone in your household MUST answer the phone for the rest of the day with said secret word in order for you to win. Sounds easy right? Yeah, right. First off, they literally didn't even have to call. Like, they could have outright and probably did lie.

Then you add in Grandma not even remembering your name blowing the whole ordeal by not only answering the phone with the secret word, but then yelling at the USA Kid's Club operator for whatever she thinks they're saying. What's the cut off age for thinking every phone call is some sort of criminal activity? Because every single Grandma hits that wall of paranoia. Grandpa? Grandpa don't care. He can't hear the phone ring. If he does, somehow he always manages to have to take his pill then and there. Remember kids, you're going to be a nightmare to deal with when your old. I look forward to thinking the governments out to get me by way of cable boxes.

I remember sending in a letter. I'm sure the day they read it was the one day my parents absolutely had something we had to do after school. I do wonder if that kid got his Turbografx-16. The system was released here in America at that time and I don't think I could imagine anything more amazing than Santa getting you one by way of crazy cable contest.

Robo Strux commercial

When I was a kid, Zoids were called Robo Strux. At least they were here in the U.S. I loved putting the cool robot dinosaurs together, winding up the little engines, and watching them walking around. Later they came back as Techno Zoids, and then just Zoids. It was around the Techno Zoids era that I learned that they were from a Japanese toy line called Zoids and there was more to these neat robot animals than just what I knew.

Hope everyone is having fun at TFCON USA

I couldn't make it this year to TFCON USA (and super jealous of all you lucky people that could!), hope everyone there has a super fun time!

Ninjas have particular steel

That would make a great Trapper Keeper.

The new Power Rangers show, Ninja Steel, is starting soon and I'm pretty excited for it. I've always been pretty casual fan of Power Rangers, but this one has me stoked. I've always been a fan of Godzilla and other giant monsters in movies. It wasn't until much later in life I learned the word kaiju, but damn I knew I loved them. Fortunately, TBS showed one practically every Saturday afternoon hosted by Grandpa Munster.

As I got older, USA started showing Dynaman late Friday nights. They dubbed the show with hilarious comedy and I loved it. Then a few years later, Ultraman started showing on local channels in the afternoon. By the time I was in high school and Power Rangers started, I knew I liked this kind of show that was like Godzilla. So, I watched Power Rangers every afternoon after school and eventually VR Troopers and Super Human Samurai Cyber Squad joined my viewing. I watched Power Rangers regularly up until the end of Power Rangers Zeo.

That was pretty much when it became a show I watched when it was on and I was in front of a tv, versus make time out for every day. I've pretty much been like that with Power Rangers and similar shows since then, if it's on when I'm watching TV, I'm watching. So, I fairly admit to being a pretty casual fan. I know of it's Japanese origins and have watched some of different toku shows in subtitles, but I just like good old cheesy Power Rangers. Regularly older episodes of different Power Rangers shows and similar shows would be on my cables in demand menu, so I'd watch them.

This past summer I finally became a regular Netflix user. Before I'd off and on have a membership, but the wife and I decided to use the service more regularly and oh hey... pretty much all those shows were now available all the time. So, my usual Saturday night routine of watching tv while working on a 6 pack of beer, has became watch old episodes of Power Rangers while I work on a 6 pack of beer.

I've bought toys from these shows off and on. Not a lot, just a few. I just enjoy watching the shows. Ok, I've pretty much gotten all the Imaginext Power Rangers, but can you blame me? They're awesome.

So when the various adverts for this new series starting soon popped up online, I was pretty interested. I like the way the show looks and dude, pretty much all the monsters are contestants on a intergalactic game show.  So I've decided to watch this one completely. Just like I used to, but instead of after school, it would be off my dvr instead of watching reruns of The Middle before work. I'm kinda looking forward to it. I like ninjas.

And there is no way I can't watch this little guy