Retrofied Weekly Rewind - 4/26/24

All the retro news that's fit to print. Enjoy these retro links!

Apr 26, 2024

It’s Friday! And… deep breath… it was a doozy out there in the real world of “actual news.” Thankfully (for you), we here at Retrofied have buried our heads in the sand and are still partying like it’s 1999.

Before you dive in, do us a quick favor. Subscribe (if you don’t already)! Then share this week’s Rewind on your feed and with your friends. Your engagement helps us keep doing what we’re doing. Now, on with the show!

What you may have missed from Retrofied

We celebrated Earth Day on Monday, courtesy of The Golden Girls expert Claire Sewell, with a special look at all the times when Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia were environmentalists.

And then our resident Transformers fanatic, Anthony Karcz, plumbed the depths of the franchise’s CGI-heavy 90s with An Oral History of Beast Wars, the show that basically saved the brand!

Things You Read

In their quest to bring us ALL THE THINGS related to Jim Henson, Boom! Studios is collecting and reprinting a restored version of the 1983 3-issue comic book adaptation of The Dark Crystal (originally published by Marvel Comics).
The good news? Full-cast dramatizations/audiobooks (like old-timey radio plays) are still being produced. And this announcement that all 7 Harry Potter books will be getting the deluxe treatment promises a stellar listening experience. The bad news? I’m sure JKR will get a significant cut and continue to be awful.
Remember comic books in the 90s? Man, that was a WILD time. Remember when Marvel and DC decided to crush their universes together into Amalgam? No? You mean you don’t remember Doctor Strangefate, Spider-Boy, Thanoseid, and Bruce Wayne Agent of SHIELD? Well, they’re getting the omnibus treatment and Jim Lee just revealed his cover artwork. (Spoiler: The insides won’t be this magnificent.)

Things You Watch

The trailer for Ron Howard’s Jim Henson: Idea Man almost made me cry. I can’t even imagine what the film will do when it hits Disney+ on May 31.
In honor of 40 years(!) of stickin’ to the man through dance, Kevin Bacon returned to Payson High School in Utah, where Footloose was filmed. Now that entire school is only one degree away!
Who said physical media is dead? Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive might be coming to a 4K player near you!
I don’t care how many times you tell me The Fellowship of the Ring came out in 2001, I’ll never not be surprised. And now, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is returning to theaters. Again. But this time, it’ll be in their extended and upgraded forms. Fathom Events is screening the versions remastered in 2020 for the 4K Ultra HD release. Thankfully, it’s not a marathon, but it will be three days in a row. Fly, you fools!
Listen, we’re not ashamed to admit we LOVE 13 Going on 30 around these parts. But that Pantone puke Versace dress? Yeah… not so much.

Things You Play

The Lord of the Rings is having a moment, apparently, because now we’re getting an Animal Crossing/Stardew Valley-inspired farming sim based on the films! Tales of the Shire is coming to all your current-gen platforms courtesy of Weta Workshop!
Riven is getting remade. Again. And we’ll get lost in that masterpiece. Again.
We’re not too proud to link to other nerdy sites, especially when it’s totally in our wheelhouse. So go enjoy this deep dive into NBA Jam. Boomshakalaka!

Things You… Eat?

Were you a regular of the Hut during the 90s? Remember the Bigfoot? How about The Edge? The all-you-can-eat… dessert bar? Here are 13 Pizza Hut menu items from the 90s you totally forgot about.
Are you tired of blue milk yet? No? Well, in honor of May the 4th, TruMoo is bringing it out of Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge and to your local supermarket!
Listen, just because YOU might not want to eat 29-year-old Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers mac and cheese doesn’t mean there’s not some lunatic on YouTube who DOES. For the clicks, man. For the clicks.

Random Retro

It doesn’t get much more retro than a centenarian. Art Schallock, currently the oldest MLB player, just turned 100!
Remember how sad we all were when Voyager I finally went dark at the outer reaches of our galaxy? Hey, good news! V’Ger is back online!