Olympics, Animalympics, and the magic of Tug of War
Do you have Olympic fever yet?
This week I released my final podcast of the season, which was about the first Olympic Games that I have a strong memory of, the 1984 Summer Olympics. These games introduced me to a lot of great athletes, dazzled me with spectacle, and made me feel hopeful about the future. What it didn’t do, which was a shame, was introduce me to the animated version of Sam the Olympic Eagle that ran in Japan in the year leading up to the games.
It’s okay, though, because I had an amazing Olympics-themed cartoon that was made a few years earlier, Animalympics. Made by the same studio that would give us TRON, this cartoon made it into regular rotation on cable TV. After that, thanks to the miracle of the VCR, I was able to record my own version and watch it again and again.
(If you have retro finds you would like for me to share, I want to hear them. What old useful website are still lurking on the web? Some old TV show streaming online? Old tech being brought back? Let me know.)
ONE COOL VIDEO
While earlier footage of the Olympics exists, I think this video showing various events from the 1908 Games in London is more interesting. Capturing things like pole-vaulting, the long jump, archery and diving, it gives us a glimpse at a very different time in sport. My favorite part is Tug of War at the 1:15 mark.
They only did the Tug of War in the Olympics from 1900 to 1920. So I never got to see it performed by modern Olympic athletes. I did however get to see often on Battle of the Network Stars.
TEN THINGS RETRO
📺 Television - Have an extra $100k lying around? A big fan of Star Trek? Might I suggest you take a look at an upcoming auction for a phaser and communicator from the Original Star Trek TV Series.
⚙️ Technology - Were you a fan of Winamp, but wished it came in its own box? Well, wait no longer. Rodmg has built Linamp, a Raspberry Pi-powered physical music player inspired by Winamp 2.91 and retro hi-fi gear.
🍕 Pizza - Are you a big fan of Showbiz Pizza and Chuck E. Cheese? You might want to browse this archive of company newsletters, The Pizza Times. Filled with interesting behind-the-scenes information, it really captures an exciting time at an interesting company.
🕹️ Video Game - Driving video games have come a long way in the last few decades, but it is always fun to look back at the games that blazed a trail. Especially ones we might not have gotten to play when they were released, like Tranz Am for the ZX Spectrum.
🦈 Toy - Just when you thought it was safe to play with Lego. Nearly 50 years after it was released, Lego is releasing a Jaws playset in that will let you replay the final showdown on Quint’s boat. They even released a short Lego Jaws movie that I want to be a full length motion picture.
✈️ Travel - Any plans to travel to New York? Love Retro style? The landmark 1962 TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport has been turned into a 512 room hotel. I want to swim in that rooftop pool and watch the planes takeoff.
📚 Book - In 1989, SimCity was released, and the gaming world was changed forever. The book, Building SimCity, uses the development and legacy of the game to help explore the history of computer simulation.
📈 Stats - A lot of us grew up in an era of movie stars. Where a film’s fortunes could be dictated just by the presence of one famous actor who carries the film. Recently, people have been talking a lot about how that system had been disappearing, but has it? Is movie stardom really in decline?
⚙️ Technology - In 1989 in Japan, Sony introduced the largest CRT ever built, the KV-45ED1, also known as the PVM-4300. These hand-built sets retailed for $40,000 in 1990, during a recession, and they probably didn’t sell too many. Still, with 43 inches (1.09 m) of visible television, it must have been something to behold.
📖 Magazine - For a long time, People Magazine was a popular and well-liked publication. It was a go-to place for celebrity news. Then things changed. So what exactly happened to People Magazine?
FROM THE RETROIST ARCHIVE
Let's take a moment to look back at four posts from the Retroist's past. I have been at this a long time.
One Year Ago…
Five Years Ago…
Ten Years Ago…
🙂 Grins & Smiles & Giggles & Laughs Cereal
Fifteen Years Ago…
📺 The Mr Belvedere Theme Song in its Many Wondrous Forms
"Animalypics" was an amazing idea, and I felt they exercised it well. There was an extra layer of interest if you knew that the sportscaster were all meant to be parodies of the crew at ABC Sports (Jim McKay, Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson etc.), which dominated sports coverage on TV from the '60s right into the '80s.
Great post, I remember so many of the Olympic events from the 80s, especially Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton events!