The Keepinnit Reels is a collection of humor essays by author and poet Michael Pollick. They started out as writing prompts for FaceBook Reels with a 90 second time limit. The topics range from the joys of frozen custard to the sad fate of SuperBalls. The Keepinnit Reels collection continues to grow, and the first print and ebook companion is now available wherever these things are sold.
Many local TV stations had their own version of a campy horror show that showed grade-z monster movies from the 50s. In Cleveland, that job fell to a station manager named Marty Sullivan, who became better known as SuperHost.
1:17 | June 21, 2024
Thanks to a low-key but fascinating advertising campaign, every child in the 70s wanted a high-powered rubber ball called a SuperBall. SuperBalls performed almost too well, often spending their last few minutes bouncing down the road and into a storm drain.
1:11 | June 21, 2024
The earliest home videogame systems were a godsend for bored pre-teens in the 70s, but the star of the show was a handheld electronic game called Merlin.
1:24 | June 21, 2024
Libby's introduced a new dessert starter in 1973 called Fruit Float. The gelatinous contents of the can would be mixed with cold milk and allowed to set up in the refrigerator. The final product tasted a lot like what you hoped yogurt would taste like, but didn't.
1:16 | June 20, 2024
For just a few minutes every morning, a magical store opened up in a converted janitor's closet. It was the school bookstore, and a few lucky Student Council members actually had the privilege of working there.
1:09 | June 20, 2024
Even though mainstream comic books like Richie Rich and Archie were always available, discerning kids soon discovered the subversive joy of reading MAD or Cracked magazines and collecting Wacky Packages.
1:25 | June 20, 2024
While other kids with more disposable income spent their time browsing the expensive toy aisles, we could always count on the blister pack aisle to deliver the affordable stuff.
1:13 | June 20, 2024
While most cuts and scrapes could be safely disinfected with Bactine or hydrogen peroxide, there were times when Mom would break out the hard stuff: Mercurochrome.
1:08 | June 20, 2024
The cinnamon-flavored jawbreakers known as Atomic Fireballs became an alternative currency at elementary schools.
1:08 | June 20, 2024
One of the best jobs to snag in school was the audiovisual squad, also known as the Projector Sector. That is, until it was your turn to hold the rabbit ear antenna at an unnatural angle while everybody else watched Sesame Street.
1:08 | June 20, 2024
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, grocery stores across the country started putting third-tier foods with generic black and white packaging on their shelves. Let's just say quality was Job 4.
1:22 | June 20, 2024
Growing up 300 yards from a locally famous frozen custard stand wasn't always fun and games. Who am I kidding? It was ALL fun and games.
1:25 | June 20, 2024
My hometown of Stow, Ohio had a few secrets they would never mention on Chamber of Commerce brochures.
1:21 | June 20, 2024
Many suburban moms in the 1970s got heavily involved in crafting, from decoupage to plaster of pairs to chocolate molding. Their young assistants either enjoyed the candy or the contact high from all the fumes.
1:21 | June 20, 2024
Selecting the right breakfast cereal at the grocery store was more art than science for kids.
1:15 | June 20, 2024
The children's programming on public television ran circles around what the networks and local stations were feeding us. Shows like Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and ZOOM filled our growing minds with knowledge.
1:18 | June 20, 2024
NECCO wafers, those oddly flavored disks of chalky goodness, are often featured on lists of the worst candies ever made. I actually have a fondness for them, but it's not a hill I'm willing to die on.
1:23 | June 20, 2024
Ultraman and Johnny Sokko were two syndicated Japanese sci-fi series that local channels showed in the afternoon. Ultraman was generally the less cheesy of the two, but it had its moments. In one episode, Ultraman stayed in a battle far too long and nearly depleted all of his life force. It was a tough moment for young viewers.
1:17 | June 20, 2024
Our church's youth center was a converted tool and die shop, and we had three different sources of entertainment and competition on Friday nights: Bumper Pool, Ping Pong, and Foosball. Oh yeah, it was on like the original SNES Donkey Kong.
1:22 | June 20, 2024
One of the biggest must-haves in the Back-To-School ritual in the 1980s was a multi-functional folder called a Trapper Keeper. Trapper Keepers featured bold graphics, as well as a pocket or binder for every possible school day need.
1:17 | June 20, 2024
The terms of church membership almost always include a moral obligation to participate in at least one church-sponsored Nativity play or living object lesson. The basic ingredients for any such theatrical production are bathrobes, Halloween costume beards, paper plates, and coat hangers.
1:09 | June 20, 2024
Typing courses in high school often involve listening to monotonous instructors on vinyl, but my typing teacher allowed students to bring in their own music on Fridays. Instead of typing to "J.K.L. Sem" all morning, we were listening to AC/DC's "Back In Black".
1:23 | June 20, 2024
Many families in the 1970s couldn't afford high-end RVs, but they could manage camper shells designed to nest on a questionable pickup truck. Except for a handful of trips to local fishing holes or campgrounds, these camper shells usually remained in a carport, tethered to the house with an orange umbilical cord.
1:23 | June 20, 2024
School administrators routinely threatened to add even minor infractions to a student's "permanent record." If Leonard Nimoy were still hosting IN SEARCH OF, I maintain the search for the mythical "permanent record" would have been worth at least one episode.
1:19 | June 20, 2024