The Retro Dad

It felt like 1986 all over again. The Broncos pulled off a comeback for the ages, storming back from a 19-point hole in the fourth quarter to beat the Giants 33–32 in Week-7. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix led the charge with a burst of pure Mile High magic that had longtime fans flashing back to the Elway era. There are certain games that feel less like football and more like a time warp. Sunday’s Broncos–Giants matchup was one of those. A 33–32 finish that felt plucked straight out of the old Mile High highlight reels, back when John Elway used to make the impossible look routine. For three quarters, Denver looked absolutely cooked. Zero points on the board, the Giants cruising along, fans shifting in their seats and wondering if maybe it was time to beat the traffic. And then, out of nowhere, the kid turned into a legend. Bo Nix, the rookie who’s been quietly finding his footing all season, suddenly looked like a quarterback possessed by the ghost of Denver comebacks past. Two rushing to...

The Little Cars That Left a Big Impression The other night, I wandered into a car show in Kissimmee Florida, expecting the usual spectacle, muscle cars roaring, shiny sports cars glinting under the lights, Corvettes drawing crowds. And yes, they were all impressive, but none of them held my attention like something far more humble. I found myself spending a heck of a lot of time viewing a broad assortment of classic Toyotas and Datsuns from the '70s and 80's. It was a really nice surprise and not what you’d expect at a car show, right? But these old Corollas and other Toyota models have a story. They were reliable, affordable, economical, and built to last. In my experience, cars like Toyotas and Subarus give you the most bang for your buck, especially if you’re the type of person who holds on to a car for most of its life. Seeing these old Toyotas brought a flood of memories back to me. It’s funny: cars that were almost invisible in my youth because the...

🍩 The Simplicity of Donuts (and Getting Older) There was a time when I wouldn’t even look twice at a plain donut. As a kid, I wanted the biggest, gooiest, most sugar-packed donut in the case, the custard-filled, chocolate-iced Long John. If there was jelly or filling oozing out, even better. I wanted that sugar rush that made Saturday mornings feel like a party. A chocolate-iced donut with sprinkles? That was “plain Jane” to me. I’d only grab one of those if the case was picked over and the good stuff was gone. I wanted bang for my buck — flavor explosions, sticky fingers, frosting under my nails, and that feeling like I’d just pulled off the best trade in the school cafeteria. But time has a funny way of changing not just our tastes, but how we taste. These days, simpler is better. Ask me what my go-to donut is with a morning coffee, and I’ll tell you without hesitation, it’s probably a sour cream cake donut or a plain glazed cake donut. You know the kind: shiny, rustic-looking, a li...

Readers of my blog have seen many different incarnations of this site over the years. Somewhere along the line, I started listening to all the “experts”, the ones who said I needed to have a razor honed niche, a Twitter to accompany my blog, then an Instagram, a Facebook page, and eventually even TikTok. Somewhere in all that noise, I bought into it all and lost track of what blogging meant to me. It stopped bringing joy to my soul. And personally, when I’m not in a good place mentally for whatever reason, I’m simply not a very creative person anymore. Over a couple of stressful, tumultuous years, my blog slowly fell by the wayside.. quietly drifting off the radar of the World Wide Web. One night this past March, I found myself going through the old archives, scrolling backward through years of posts, trying to remember what used to make me tick back when life felt lighter. And then it hit me, the simplicity of blogging was what I’d lost. I made the decision right then and there to get...

Every old school Denver Bronco fan remembers 'The Drive'. It was the 1986 AFC Championship Game, Denver Broncos vs. Cleveland Browns. The Browns were ahead, the crowd was deafening, and victory seemed theirs for the taking. But then, with 5:32 left on the clock, John Elway and the Broncos took the ball on their own two-yard line and marched 98 yards down the field — cool, steady, and impossible to stop. When Elway threw that touchdown to Mark Jackson, the football world went silent for a second… then erupted. The Broncos had done the unthinkable. Cleveland’s playoff dreams vanished right there on their home turf, and helped Elway earn the moniker “The Comeback Kid.” And that wasn’t the only time Denver ended Cleveland’s hopes. Over the years, it became almost a cruel football tradition. Another season, another heartbreak for the Browns courtesy of the Broncos. The two teams might not be bitter rivals on paper anymore, but their history sure feels like it sometimes. ...

🍕 3 Great Old Shakey’s Pizza Commercials You Can Still Watch on YouTube If you ever went to a Shakey’s back in the day, you know there was just nothing else like it. The smell of the pizza, the wooden tables, the player piano.. it was a scene. Shakey’s wasn’t just a pizza joint. It was a night out, a family ritual, a place you told your buddies about. These old TV spots still do the job: they yank you back to those nights like nothing else. 1. “Shakey’s” — 1980 commercial This one’s pure 1980s energy. Bright, upbeat, and the kind of ad that makes you want to pile the family into the car and go right now. It nails the “fun night out” vibe that made Shakey’s special. 2. “Pizza Keeper” — 1978 spot This 1978 spot (the “Pizza Keeper” box bit) is comforting in a way modern ads rarely are.. honest, simple, and all about the food and family. Those little production touches bring back the smell of hot pizza and the chatter of a lively dining room. ...

You know how some people have comfort foods — mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, grilled cheese? Mine’s always been pizza. Any kind. Any time. I’ve had it in fine restaurants, school cafeterias, and gas stations that should’ve been condemned — and I’ve loved every bite. I eat more convenience store pizza than I probably should admit in public. But here’s the thing — it’s not bad. Some of it’s actually pretty good. We’ve come a long way since the days when “gas station pizza” meant a sad, chewy triangle under a heat lamp. These days, you can grab a slice at a mini-mart that’ll surprise you. Casey’s, for example — they’ve somehow turned “convenience store pizza” into an art form. But if I’m being honest, it’s hard for me to think of pizza that’s truly bad. In my entire life, I can’t remember ever putting down a slice and saying, “Nope, can’t eat this.” Sure, I’ve had better slices than others, and some I wouldn’t waste money on again. But to have a slice so bad I couldn’t eat it? Hasn’t ha...

This is a long overdue update/revisiting of my post:  RIP Hostess Raspberry Filled Powdered Donuts , one of my highest viewed blog posts of all time. Hostess Raspberry Filled Powdered Donuts were discontinued around 2013 following Hostess's bankruptcy and restructuring.  Despite some nostalgic demand, Hostess has not announced plans to reintroduce them. Fans have expressed their longing for these treats on various platforms, sharing fond memories and lamenting their absence from store shelves.  While no plans for their return seem to be on the horizon, I saw something at the store the other day that stopped me in my tracks for a few seconds.. Glazed Cinnamon Rolls are back, but not from Hostess When I first saw Glazed Cinnamon Rolls on the shelves again in this great retro packaging, I got excited thinking Hostess had brought them back. Then it hit me — Hostess doesn’t even own Wonder anymore. If Wonder still holds the rights to these Cinnamon Rolls, could the...

There was nothing quite like being a kid in the ‘70s and ‘80s and walking into a corner convenience store with a pocketful of change. The smell of bubble gum, the faint hum of a soda cooler, and the sound of the door chime — it was pure magic. You could spend 50 cents and walk out feeling like a king with a treasure trove of sugar. Here are my top five favorite candies from back in the day — the ones that made every trip to the store worth it. 🍫 1. Ice Cubes Every trip to the store wasn’t complete without grabbing a handful of Ice Cubes — those little foil-wrapped squares of creamy chocolate bliss. They came in those shiny silver or gold wrappers, and once you unwrapped one, it was game over. The texture was unbelievably smooth, almost buttery, and they melted the instant they hit your tongue. You didn’t chew Ice Cubes. You savored them. Recently, I stumbled across them again at a German market — the same brand, the same foil, the same melt-in-your-mouth magic. It was like time trave...

So just when I think I’m out… they pull me back in. McDonald’s is once again running their Monopoly game — something they haven’t done in ten years! And just like that, I’m back in line at the golden arches. Back in the day, I was going to eat breakfast at McDonald’s most mornings anyway. But when the Monopoly game rolled around? Oh, that changed everything. I’d head straight inside, grab one of those big paper game boards printed on the back of the placemats, and start peeling those little stickers off my Egg McMuffin wrappers, hash brown sleeves, and drink cups like a man on a mission. No, I never hit the million-dollar jackpot (still waiting, Ronald), but I did rack up my fair share of free burgers, fries, cookies, and pies. There was something electric about it — that mix of caffeine, breakfast grease, and the faint hope you might pull Park Place. It became a whole vibe I looked forward to every year. And really, what’s not to love? You’re entertained, there...

Going to the movies back in the ’70s and ’80s was an experience like no other. The smell of popcorn filled the theater, the screen seemed enormous, and the sticky floors crunched beneath your sneakers. But for me, no movie trip was complete without candy. From the convenience store on the way to the theater or straight from the lobby, these little treats were the icing on the cinematic cake. Here are my top five favorite movie candies from back in the day that still bring back those feel-good memories: 🍫 1. Milk Duds The king of chewy movie candy! These little caramel bites smothered in chocolate had staying power—a good-size box could last you through a long stretch of the movie. They weren’t just for nibbling on their own either; toss a few into your popcorn and let them soften a bit, and you got that perfect sweet-and-salty combo before it was even a thing. Milk Duds were simple, delicious, and made the theater experience just that much more magical. 🍬 2. Hot Tamales Before spicy ...

Google just rolled out a fresh version of their iconic ‘G’ logo. At first glance, it’s the same multicolored letter we all know and love, but now it’s got a brighter, more modern gradient. For a company that’s been around forever 'in internet years', even small changes like this get people talking. What’s interesting is that it sort of harks back to the Google logos of the past. There’s something about seeing those old colors pop in a slightly updated way that makes you stop and think, “Oh yeah, I remember that.” It’s a little retro, a little modern, and definitely Google. I’ve put a side-by-side comparison below so you can see for yourself. On the left is the last logo, the one we’ve all gotten used to over the years. On the right is the new gradient version — subtle changes, but enough to notice if you’re paying attention. It makes me wonder: do we really need all these tiny tweaks, or is it just fun to play around with nostalgia and branding? Either way, it’s kind of fun to ...

🗞️ The Morning Paper I Can’t Forget Not long ago, I was visiting friends in Washington, D.C. — the kind of people who still have The Washington Post delivered to their doorstep every morning. One lazy weekend morning, I grabbed their freshly folded paper, stepped onto the porch with a cup of coffee, and cracked it open. For a moment, it felt like I’d stepped back in time. The sound of rustling pages, the faint smell of ink, sunlight hitting that slightly off-white paper — it was pure nostalgia. My soul slowed down. The world felt quieter, simpler. Real. 🗞️ How It All Started: My Love Affair With Newspapers Back in the ’70s and ’80s, that’s where it began — a lifelong love affair with newspapers. At first, I was just chasing the comic strips. Spider-Man, Alley Oop, Ziggy, Family Circus — those were my early morning smiles before school. Then it evolved. I’d scan the movie listings, hoping to convince my parents to drop me off at the theater with friends. Once I started mowing lawns an...

Every once in a while, a random pop culture memory sneaks back into your head and refuses to leave. For me, that’s been the case with an Energizer battery promotion from the mid-1980s. If you were around a TV back then, you probably remember the loud, brash Australian guy who would yell at the camera with unfiltered energy and finish every commercial with a booming, “Oi!” That guy was Jacko — real name Mark Jackson — a former Australian football player turned accidental pitchman. His signature line was burned into our brains: “It'll surprise ya! The New Energizer! Lasts longer than all the rest! Oi!” It wasn’t slick, it wasn’t polished — but it was unforgettable. I distinctly remember catching him on The Arsenio Hall Show one night at the peak of his American fame. He had about five minutes of U.S. stardom thanks to those commercials, and he squeezed every ounce of energy out of it. On Arsenio, he went absolutely wild, shouting “oi oi oi oi” over and over with so much m...

This week, Cracker Barrel learned the hard way that you don’t mess with nostalgia. Their “simplified” new logo, stripped of its warmth and personality, sparked immediate backlash. The company quickly backpedaled and promised to restore the original. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this. Pizza Hut once ditched its iconic red-roof logo in favor of a bland, computer-generated look that nobody loved. Now, they’ve wisely leaned back into their retro design, the same way Burger King brought back its classic “bun sandwiching the name” logo. In my opinion, that’s one of the most clever and timeless fast-food logos ever created. These brands eventually realize that what customers are loyal to isn’t just food, but the memories and emotions tied to those logos. I understand the need for evolution—subtle updates like what Wendy’s or KFC have done over the decades make sense. But the current obsession with oversimplification feels like laziness disguised as “modernization.” When did ...