June 2026 - Page 5 of 8 - Retro Reminiscing Video and Pictures

Mighty Mouse: Here He Comes To Save The Day

Mighty Mouse Playhouse first aired on CBS Saturday mornings, beginning December 10, 1955. That date is important because the show helped put the idea of Saturday morning cartoons on the map.

Mighty Mouse had actually started earlier in theatrical cartoons from Terrytoons, debuting in the 1942 short The Mouse of Tomorrow. But TV is what made him a household name. CBS repackaged the older Mighty Mouse cartoons for television, and suddenly kids could see him right at home instead of at the movie theater.

The show had everything kids loved: a tiny hero with super strength, flying rescues, villains, danger, and that unforgettable theme line: “Here I come to save the day!” Mighty Mouse usually showed up just in time to save the helpless and defeat the bad guys.

Looking back, Mighty Mouse Playhouse feels simple now, but it was a big deal. It helped prove that Saturday morning could belong to kids, cereal bowls, pajamas, and cartoons.

The Time Tunnel: Friday Night Time Travel in 1966

If you were watching ABC on Friday nights in 1966, you might remember The Time Tunnel, one of those big-concept science fiction shows that seemed made for kids and adults who liked a little adventure with their history.

The series premiered on Friday, September 9, 1966, and ran for one season. It came from producer Irwin Allen, the same name behind shows like Lost in Space and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, so you knew there would be danger, dramatic music, flashing control rooms, and cliffhangers.

The story followed two scientists, Dr. Tony Newman, played by James Darren, and Dr. Doug Phillips, played by Robert Colbert. They become trapped in time after entering a secret government time-travel project. Back at the Time Tunnel control center, the scientists could see where they were, but could not always bring them home.

That was the hook. Each week, Tony and Doug landed in a different moment in history. Sometimes it was the distant past, sometimes a famous disaster, sometimes a war, and sometimes a future setting. For a young viewer, it felt like history class had been turned into an adventure serial.

The show only lasted 30 episodes, ending in April 1967, but it had the kind of idea that stayed with people. Two men lost in time, jumping from one crisis to another, while everyone back at the tunnel tried to save them.

Looking back, The Time Tunnel had that unmistakable 1960s TV sci-fi feel: colorful sets, serious scientists, dramatic countdowns, and a sense that anything could happen once the tunnel started glowing.

Did you watch The Time Tunnel when it first aired, or did you find it later in reruns? And did you ever think Tony and Doug were actually going to make it home?

Before Snoopy Was Shaving Ice, There Was Ice Bird

Before the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine became the one everyone remembers, Kenner had Ice Bird, a 1974 toy that promised kids they could make their own icy treats at home.

The idea was simple and very 1970s: put in the ice, shave it down, pack it into little balls, and pour on the flavored syrup. Suddenly, you weren’t just eating a frozen treat. You were running your own little snowball stand from the kitchen table.

The commercial made it look easy, clean, and exciting, which is exactly what a good toy commercial was supposed to do. But like a lot of food-making toys from that era, the big question is whether it worked as well in real life as it did on TV. Did the ice shave smoothly? Did the syrup go everywhere? Did you end up with a perfect treat, or just a sticky mess?

Still, Ice Bird had that great kid-powered appeal. It took something ordinary, ice from the freezer, and turned it into something that felt special. And for a kid watching Saturday morning cartoons, “make your own ice balls” sounded like a pretty big deal.

Did you have Ice Bird? And did it live up to the commercial?

It’s Thursday night in 1966/67. What’s on ABC?

It’s Thursday night in 1966/67. What’s on ABC? Bewitch at 8:30, Love on a Rooftop at 9:00 and That Girl at 9:30.

When Even Toilet Paper Had Style

Today, designers tell us how to fluff a couch, karate chop a throw pillow, stack coffee table books, and make a room look “curated.”

But somehow, we lost designer toilet paper.

Back in the 60s and 70s, bathrooms had personality. Pink sinks, blue tubs, avocado tile, fuzzy toilet lid covers, and yes, toilet paper that matched. You could buy pastel rolls and even printed patterns to go with the bathroom decor.

Nobody needed a TV designer to explain it. Mom knew. Grandma knew. The toilet paper matched the room.

Then colored toilet paper faded away. Concerns over dyes, perfumes, septic systems, the environment, and cost helped make plain white the standard.

Now everything in the house can be designer, except the one thing that used to quietly tie the whole bathroom together.

Maybe the 70s had it right after all.

Best Cracker Jack Commercial

This Cracker Jack commercial brings back so many memories for me personally. I was about the same age as the boy in the ad, and I’m pretty sure I had the same kind of treasures crammed into my pockets. Marbles, string, maybe a toy car, a whistle, or whatever else seemed important that day.

One of the best parts is the way Jack Gilford accepts the marble as partial payment. He doesn’t just take it and move on. He looks at it like it actually has value, which is exactly how a kid would have seen it. That little moment made the commercial feel warm and believable.

And then there’s the ending, where they remind us there were two sizes: regular and the pass-around-pack. That was such a simple way to sell it. A kid could remember it, repeat it, and probably ask for the bigger one because it sounded like something meant to be shared.

Cracker Jack already had the prize inside, the molasses-coated popcorn and peanuts, and that sense that you were getting more than just a snack. This commercial captured that perfectly. It wasn’t just about buying Cracker Jack. It was about being a kid, having pockets full of “valuable” stuff, and knowing that even a marble could be worth something in the right hands.

“Candy-coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize. That’s what you get in Cracker Jacks!”

Who had a Secret Sam?

With all it could do, there were still many other toys I wanted more. I remember seeing the commercials and thinking it looked impressive, but I wasn’t sure it would live up to the way it looked on TV.

Secret Sam was a Topper Toys spy set from the mid-1960s, right when James Bond, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and secret-agent gadgets were everywhere. The big item was the Secret Sam Attaché Case, a black briefcase that hid a toy gun setup inside. It could be used as a pistol, converted into a rifle, fitted with a silencer, and even fired from inside the case. Some versions also had a message missile and a small working camera.

So did it live up to expectations? Probably yes if you were deep into spy play and had a good imagination. But if you expected it to work exactly like a TV spy gadget, maybe not. Like a lot of toys from that era, the commercial did most of the heavy lifting.

Looking back, Secret Sam was the kind of toy that looked incredible under the Christmas tree, but the real fun depended on how much secret-agent adventure you could create around it.

Speedline Race Cars: The Hot Wheels Rival

Many of you asked about these when I posted the Hot Wheels advertisement. So now I have to ask: which did you have? Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Speedline, or all of them?

Speedline race cars were part of that late-19660s toy-car boom, when every company wanted a piece of the racing action. Hot Wheels had the orange track and wild colors, Matchbox had the more realistic little cars, and Speedline tried to get into the race with its own fast-looking cars and track sets.

They never became as famous as Hot Wheels, but that’s what makes them fun to remember. Some kids had the big names. Some had the off-brand or lesser-known racers. And honestly, when you were on the floor setting up races, it didn’t always matter what brand was stamped underneath. If the car was fast, it made the lineup.

For a lot of us, these little cars were more than toys. They were races across the living room, arguments over whose car won, and the beginning of a car collection before we even knew we were collecting.

So which ones were in your house?

Here’s Lucy

Here’s Lucy kept Lucille Ball on Monday night TV with the same kind of physical comedy, celebrity guest stars, and family-style chaos that made her a television legend. This time, Lucy Carter was a widow working for her brother-in-law Harry, played by Gale Gordon, while her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. played her kids.

The show had that familiar Lucy formula: a simple situation gets out of control, Lucy gets into trouble, Harry gets frustrated, and somehow the whole thing turns into comedy. It also became known for big guest stars, including classic Hollywood and TV names, which made each episode feel like a little variety-show surprise.

For fans, Here’s Lucy was not just another sitcom. It was Lucille Ball proving she could still carry a hit show after I Love Lucy and The Lucy Show, while bringing her own family into the act.

The Rookies: A Grown-Up Look At The Working World

As The Rookies came on the air, I was entering my teen years, and this mature adult show fit right in for Monday nights on ABC.

The series aired from 1972 to 1976 and followed three young police officers learning the job the hard way. It wasn’t just car chases and arrests. The show gave viewers a look at pressure, responsibility, danger, mistakes, and the working world that many of us never really got to see up close.

For me, that was part of the appeal. I was old enough to understand that there was a bigger world out there, but young enough that shows like this helped explain it. The Rookies showed people doing a difficult job, dealing with real problems, and trying to figure things out as they went.

Looking back, I can see how shows like this helped shape my interest in what happens behind the scenes in police work, emergency calls, and the stories most people never see. In its own way, The Rookies helped lead me toward becoming a reporter.