A Woman Among Journalists - Godspeed Barbara Walters

This just it (and ending 2022 in a somber note, but I digress, more on that later),

Renown journalist Barbara Walters has died on December 30th, 2022. She was 93 years old. In a world of news, dominated by all male demographic, Ms. Walters was trailblazer that broke the glass ceiling when it comes to female journalists. 

Originally an independent journalist and writer, previously working with CBS and WPIX-11 in New York, Ms. Walters first gig was in NBC, at the Today Show in 1961 as a writer and researcher. When Frank McGee, the original host of Today, passed away in 1971, she became the first female co-host of the Today Show, among other things.

Years later, she joined ABC as co-anchor of the ABC Evening News (later renamed ABC World News Tonight) alongside Harry Reasoner from 1976 to 1978. It was not until 1979, she became the co-host of the longest running news magazine show on ABC, known as 20/20, alongside her former NBC turned ABC colleague, Hugh Downs. I remember watching 20/20 all the time back then in the 80s and into the 90s, especially in how the show starts, with Barbara saying the iconic line, "And this is 20/20". 

Ms. Walters in her long, hardworking career, interviewed everyone, from actors, to musicians, sports athletes, politicians including current and former presidents and yes, she even interviewed some of most vile, evil people on Earth. It takes a brave journalist to ask the hard-hitting questions to those who have no soul and still live to talk about it. Courageous to the end. Her interviews were so big, it couldn't be on 20/20, so from time to time, she does it on her own special, The Barbara Walters Special. Barbara Walters was as popular as all the co-hosts of Good Morning America combined.

The news wasn't the only thing was involved in. On August 11th, 1997, she co-created, and co-executive produced The View alongside Bill Geddie. The View was a daytime talk show, where the majority of hosts were all female, talking about Hot Topics of the day and having interviews with famous people at the same time. Ms. Walters stated while talking about The View, that this show is a forum for women of "different generations, backgrounds and views", hence the name, The View. 

Ms. Walters retired from both 20/20 and The View in 2004 and 2014 respectively and ended her career full time in 2016.

Barbara Walters changed the landscape of journalism forever. If it wasn't for her, there wouldn't be others like Joan Lunden, Meredith Viera, Tamron Hall, Savannah Guthrie, Connie Chung, Lisa Ling, Hoda Kotb, Robin Roberts and so many more that I can't put a full list on. Now, she is now with the other famed journalists like her former 20/20 co-host Hugh Downs, Peter Jennings, and the great Walter Cronkite.

As we end 2022, I say this. Let this New Year be without any more sudden deaths, sudden passings, overall bad stuff and start anew with so much good that needs to be done. And as long as we remember those who have passed and all the good they have done, they will never truly be gone. And this pioneer lady journalist is no different. Thank you for all the memories, especially all the times around Friday nights back in the 80s and 90s. Godspeed, Barbara Walters. Don't be a stranger.

(TAPS plays)

Barbara Jill Walters
(September 25th, 1929 - December 30th, 2022)

This has been a Retro Rebellion Special Report. See you in 2023.

2023

In 2023,Retro Rebellion will be going Full-On Nostalgia. Things will getting Old School all up in here. So expect Me,and my bud,Jason to turn up the Retro Attitude up a few notches.

See everyone in 2023. Stay Gold,Space Cowboys.

we are the borg....

prepare to be assimilated... 

resistance is futile...

We Are The Borg....

Prepare To Be Assimilated....

Resistance Is Futile....

We Are The Borg...

Prepare To Be Assimilated...

Resistance Is Futile.....

We Are The Borg!!

Prepare To Be Assimilated!!!

Resistance Is Futile!!!!

Let's Fail: Anime Jason vs. Discovery Family: Chapter 3: Where Everything Comes Together: The History of The Hub! - Part 2: Margaret Loesch: The Queen of Children's Television!

Before Peggy Charren gave us boring "Edutainment", Margaret Loesch was the face of Children's Television, who listens to the people and gives them what they want, especially when making our childhoods so awesome.

As Hasbro continues to expand with their catalog of toys, they decided to expand it even further with other media, particularly with television. Although Saturday Morning Cartoons wasn't new (which goes way back to the 60s or a little bit earlier than that), our government's Federal Communications Commission, or FCC for short, put a stranglehold on that media, forbidding companies and distributors of promoting their products, such as toys, through cartoons. All that changed in 1981, when then President Ronald Reagan appointed Mark Fowler as the commissioner of the FCC at the time. Thus, deregulating the strict rules the FCC placed, allowing the aforementioned companies and distributors to promote their product through other media, such as cartoons. From Filmation with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe to promote the toys from Mattel to World Events with Voltron promoting the Matchbox toys (which were imports of the Golion and Dairugger XV toys respectively), it takes Hasbro long to follow suit. Regarding toy-based shows like G.I. Joe, Transformers and My Little Pony, they relied on two famed animation studios, talented voice actors and writers, and most importantly, producers who became well-known names in the later years like Tom Griffin, Joe Bacal, Nelson Shin, Lee Gunther, Tom Tataranwicz and last, but certainly not least, the very person who truly became the queen of children's television for a span of 4 decades, the one, the only, Margaret Loesch.

(MK3 VS. Screen Fanfare)

Born on March 28, 1946, Margaret Ann Loesch started her career working for ABC in 1971 and then later with NBC in 1979. Around that time, she was vice president of programming, then later becoming executive vice present for the famed animation studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions, back when all cartoon characters, including then mascot Yogi Bear and friends, were treated equally and not treating Scooby-Doo like a god. It was not until 1984, that she reached a new high when she joined Marvel Productions as their president and CEO. Under her leadership, along with other important people I have mentioned before, she lead Marvel Productions, along with their counterparts at Sunbow Productions, to providence with some of our favorite cartoons, whether there from Sunbow or Marvel or a little bit of both like Muppet Babies, Jem and the Holograms, Inhumanoids, Dino-Riders, the animated version of Fraggle Rock, Defenders of the Earth, My Little Pony 'n Friends, Pryde of the X-Men (which was the pilot of a failed attempt to an X-Men cartoon), RoboCop: The Animated Series, and of course, the aforementioned G.I. Joe and Transformers, among other things.

After she left Marvel Productions, she joined FOX as president of the newly launched FOX Kids block on September 8, 1990. Just with the cartoons in the 1980s, when running FOX Kids, Loesch gave us even more animated goodness with shows like Bobby's World, Fox's Peter Pan & the Pirates, Tom & Jerry Kids, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Taz-Mania, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Eek! The Cat (later renamed Eek!stravaganza), The Tick, Spider-Man (1994) and of course, two of our favorite animated shows of all time, Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series (which eclipsed the failed Pryde of the X-Men pilot). And it wasn't just animation alone, they also got some live-action shows and anime with assistance from Saban Productions, such as Mon Colle Knights, Flint the Time Detective, the first anime Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Digimon (which was their answer to Pokémon, when it was aired on Kids WB!), Beetleborgs, Masked Rider (but I prefer Kamen Rider Black RX), and finally, the very show that became a "Morphinomenon" so to speak, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which combined American footage with those from Japanese Super Sentai or any other Tokusatsu show.

After her time there, she was president of the Jim Henson Television group for Odyssey Channel around 1998 until rebranding it into the Hallmark Channel (named after the famed greeting card company) in 1999. 

Other than her other business ventures, including forming The Hatchery, a family entertainment and consumer product company in 2003 alongside Bruce Stein, things for Ms. Loesch were slowing down. That is until she was hired by Discovery Communications around 2009, where she became the CEO of the very network that was launched a year later. By October 10, 2010, just like with her previous business ventures, Margaret Loesch brought everything, and I mean everything, together, when she ran the joint Discovery/Hasbro hybrid that became simply known as...The Hub.

(The Hub Network jingle)

To Be Continued...

In memory of:

Kevin Conroy

(November 30, 1955 - November 10, 2022)

Jason David Frank

(September 4, 1973 - November 19, 2022)

Next Time: Part 3: Slow and Steady: The Hub's Early Beginnings!

Jason's Gallery - Savage Jennifer Walters Collection

It is no secret that I am a fan of Jennifer Walters aka The Sensational She-Hulk. Having a blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner aka The Incredible Hulk, Jen went from a petite, shy young lawyer to a confident Amazonian goddess who is tall, lean and evergreen. But what if, what if Jen ended up stuck halfway between herself and being She-Hulk? Where am I going with this, you ask? Remember the two-parter from the 70s Incredible Hulk TV show called 'Prometheus'? You see in this one, after his exposure to a meteor that contain high amounts of Gamma radiation, David Banner ended up stuck in midtransformation between himself and the Hulk, which may fans referred to as the Demi-Hulk. Inspired by that two-parter and some of the artwork from a Deviantart user named Loki-667 and with the art of photomanipulation, I present to you my small collection of a savage, feral Jennifer Walters, stuck in midtransformation. Enjoy.

BEHOLD! Jennifer Walters, stuck in midtransformation as a savage, feral cavegirl-like creature!

Wild, untamed and almost unrecognizable, Jen has no control over herself.

While in hiding, the savage, feral Jen encounters her own father, Sheriff Morris Walters. Only this time, Sheriff Walters, aware of her savage condition, wants to help her, unaware of that in her feral state, Jen can't talk like a normal human being.

"GRRRR!! ARRRGH!! (What has happened to me!! WHY CAN'T I CHANGE BACK!!!)

Other heroes like Iron Man, Spider-Man, and even Mr. Fantastic are pondering about Jen's Demi She-Hulk form and how to reverse it before being stuck as a wild, feral cavegirl, possibly forever.

The Reaper's Legend Reaping Streak Continues! The Power Rangers Lose Their Face!

Damn!!!! The Reaper never rests. First it was Legendary Batman VA,Kevin Conroy,Then Legendary Comedian Gallagher,and now Another Legend has fallen. A person that we all thought was gonna live for a long time - Jason David Frank aka Tommy Oliver aka The Chuck Norris of Power Rangers.

JDF's death came as a shock to the world. Even more shocking is that he took his own life. Even I still can't believe that he's gone and that he commuted suicide at age 49. Damn!!!!! 

JDF is best known as Tommy Oliver,the face of the Entire Power Rangers Franchise. He was the Mighty Morphin' Green Ranger (one of the coolest rangers),The Mighty Morphin' White Ranger,The Red Zeo Ranger aka Zeo Ranger 5,The Red Turbo Ranger (for a very short time),and The Black Dino Ranger.

Due to his overall popularity,Tommy Oliver became the face of the entire Power Rangers Franchise. After Power Rangers and various failed acting gigs,JDF got into Mixed Martial Arts,where he won 4 armature fights and 1 pro fight. 

Martial Arts was the Man's passion,ever since he was young. JDF has an 8th Dan Black Belt in Shotokan Karate,a Black Belt in Wado-ryu Karate,a Black Belt in Taekwondo,a Black Belt in Judo,a Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,and an Ajarn Degree in Muay Thai.

Wow. what an accomplishment,huh?. He even created his own Martial Art,Toso Kune Do is an eclectic martial art and self-defense method. He even has his own Martial Arts Academy,The Rising Sun Karate School. 

JDF was one of the greatest Martial Artists in the World and a Hero to millions of Power Rangers fans. Retro Rebellion salutes the life and career of The Legendary,Jason David Frank. Thank You for everything,JDF. We will all miss you. 

RIP
Jason David Frank
9/4/1973 - 11/11/2022

Also,sinse Jason didn't cover him..I Will. Gallagher was a Fun Stage Comedian who smashed things (mostly watermelons) with his trusty wooden sledgehammer as the main part of his routine. Gallagher was most active during the 80's and early 90's,though he did some stuff after those years.  For more than 30 years, he played between 100 and 200 shows a year,destroying tens of thousands of melons with the sledgehammer he called the "Sledge-O-Matic".

Thanks for the laughs and memories,my friend. You were a true Entertainment Legend.

R.I.P.
Leo Anthony Gallagher Jr.
7/24/1946 – 11/11/2022

(10 bell salute for both Gallagher and Jason David Frank)

Honoring Our Vows - RIP Kevin Conroy: The Heart and Soul of Batman

This just in (and I thought I would not bring this up).

Character actor and voice artist, Kevin Conroy has died on November 10th, 2022, 20 days shy of his birthday. He was 66 years old. A Julliard scholar, he started his career in the early to mid 80s in both theater and in television. But it was not until 1992, he became the voice the very character he has immortalized for years to come, as the Dark Knight himself, Batman. His voice for Batman displayed the type of character he truly is, the playboy rich socialite womanizer of Bruce Wayne and the dark, brooding, determined Caped Crusader himself. From Batman: The Animated Series all the to video games like Batman: Arkham Asylum and the Injustice series, Conroy voiced the character for about 30 years (the very 30 years since he first voiced the character). So much so, many fans like myself consider him to be the heart and soul of Batman. Whenever we read comics with Batman, we would always hear his voice when he speaks. He died of cancer. He was survived by his wife. So long as I have my Batman poster hanging on the wall, I will always think of him. Godspeed, good sir. You truly are the vengeance and the night, for you are Batman forevermore.

"We all have to honor our vows. To the living...and to the dead." - Batman

Kevin Conroy
November 30th, 1955 - November 10th, 2022

This has been a Retro Rebellion Special Report

#RespectVoiceActors

Toon Ninja Reviews Halloween Special 2022 - Archie's Weird Mysteries

                   

The Main Cast: Jughead, Betty, Archie, Veronica, Reggie, Dilton and Hot Dog

Hiya Toonsters!

Halloween is just around the corner, and it is time for another review before All Hallow's Eve. Last time around, it was about Mummies Alive!. But now, we have gone from mummies to mysteries, WEIRD mysteries, that is, which is the subject of this review. Before that, let give a little backstory to the very cartoon and the characters that I will be talking about.

It is no secret that I am big fan of comics. Even though I am a big fan of comic superheroes, there is one comic series that I also like, and those are from the universe of Archie. Created in 1939 by John L. Goldwater and Bob Montana, the Archie comics revolves around teenage high school student, Archie Andrews, who has adventures (and sometimes misadventures) with his dear friends, including Jughead Jones, his best friend since their childhood, Betty Cooper, the girl next door, Veronica Lodge, the rich socialite, and Reggie Mantle, sometimes his friend, sometimes his rival. They have their fun and adventures in their hometown of Riverdale. Sometimes for a crazy adventure, or teaching Reggie a lesson after all the pranks he pulled or get together for a band, simply named The Archies.  Even though I don't have a big comic book collection, let alone those from Archie Comics, I was introduced to Archie, by means of television. My first introduction to Archie was in the late 80s with The New Archies, where Archie and his friends were 10-year-old kids, compared to the teens that we normally see. That's right, Archie had his share of animated adventures since 1968, with the Filmation Archie cartoons which included Dallas McKennon, best known for voice the iconic clay figure Gumby, as the voice of Archie and John Erwin, who later became the voice of the most powerful man in the universe, He-Man, as Reggie. It is because of The Archies that Sugar, Sugar became one of the most popular songs in the late 60s, especially being an Archie fan. Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself. My review is that of another Archie cartoon, but an Archie cartoon of a different sort. Unlike the other Archie cartoons, this one was leaning towards something out of Scooby-Doo, but without revealing the criminal behind the mask. This one is a little darker than all the previous cartoons combined, but not as dark as Riverdale a few decades later. Before the aforementioned Riverdale, this show was the precursor of things to come. So don in your trusty beanie and start typing on your laptop for the weirdness that is going to happen, and I mean, "Weird". This is Archie's Weird Mysteries.

Archie's Weird Mysteries is a 40-episode animated series, produced by Les Studios Tex and DIC Entertainment, released on October 2nd, 1999 (Why 40 episodes instead of either 13 or 65 episodes, I'll never know). This was DIC's first Archie cartoon since The New Archies back in 1987. Unlike the previous Archie cartoons, such as the Filmation cartoons and the aforementioned New Archies, Archie's Weird Mysteries takes it to a different direction, for this show borrowed elements from Scooby-Doo (minus the unmasking), The X-Files and everything B-Movie related, including movies such as Attack of the 50-ft Woman and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, among others. It could be science-fiction, it could be horror, it could be a mystery to solve. Either way, in a small town like Riverdale, things are about to get weird, in more ways than one.

Story: I know there isn't much in story, since the show is 40 episodes long, but according to some of DIC's promotional commercials, the only logical explanation is this. After a botched experiment at the Physics Lab in Riverdale High, strange, or more accurately, weird stuff is starting to pop all over the town. Riverdale itself is being overrun by ghosts, vampires, werewolves, aliens, sea monsters and everything in between. And it is up to Archie and his friends to overcome all the insanity around the town (as long as he has an article to finish for the Riverdale High News).

Premise: Since this show only lasted 40 episodes, the format goes as follows. We get a sneak peek of the episode in question, almost in the style of a "B" Movie. After the title intro, the usual weird mystery of the day begins, Archie and his friends try to solve (and sometimes done in multi part episodes) and it all ends with Archie writing the weird mystery article for the Riverdale High News, lather, rinse, repeat. Not much to say here, too. So, let's move on to the characters.

Characters: I know we got a whole lot of characters in Archie Universe, especially side characters like Mr. Weatherbee, Mrs. Grundy, Big Moose, Big Ethel, Pop Tate, and Hot Dog. The only characters I will focus on are the main characters themselves, starting with...

Archibald "Archie" Andrews: The main character of the Archie universe himself. The red-headed, freckle-faced teen of Riverdale High. For the majority of his life, Archie is a bright high school student who always get into crazy adventures. One minute he's trying to balance out between his studies and trying to go on a date with Betty or Veronica and the next minute, trying to teach Reggie Mantle a lesson after being pranked on, typical teen stuff. Not to mention, he is also the lead singer of the Archies. Not in this cartoon (to the best of my knowledge). Archie serves as the eyes and ears to every mystery that is popping up all over Riverdale. Archie does his Weird Mysteries column for the school paper at Riverdale High. With the exception of one episode, Archie's main outfit is a black t-shirt, blue denim jeans and a brown bomber jacket. Archie was voiced by voice actor and stage performer Andrew Rannells, who was best known for doing voice overs on the 4Kids anime dubs, including Yu-Gi-Oh, as the voice of Mako Tsunami aka Ryouta Kajiki aka "That Freaky Fish Guy!"

Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III: Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, but his friends call him Jughead, has been Archie's best friend since their childhood. Sometimes cynical but mostly laidback and smart, Jughead always helps out Archie when Arch has a problem he couldn't handle himself. Even though he is not a hopeless romantic like Archie, it didn't stop him from being friends with some, especially Betty and Veronica. He is sometimes accompanied by his sheepdog, Hot Dog. One of Jughead's favor things is eating some hamburgers, which he usually eats that Pop Tate's Malt Shop. In the comic, we usually see him with a squinty face. But in this show, his eyes are wide open. And he wouldn't be Jughead without his favorite beany crown on his head. His best moments in the show were not only overcoming the ghost of a deceased librarian in the episode, "The Haunting of Riverdale", but also resisting the temptations of that evil megamall to save his friends in the episode "Mega-Mall of Horrors". Jughead was voiced by Chris Lundquist.

Elizabeth "Betty" Cooper: The girl next door and another close friend of Archie since childhood. Bright, smart, caring and head of the cheerleading squad at Riverdale High, Betty was the ideal All-American girl. She is both best friends with Veronica Lodge, and she is also one of two possible love interest to Archie, the other being the aforementioned Veronica. Her appearance is that of a white blouse, red dress jacket, red miniskirt to contrast Veronica's blue dress and of course, her blond ponytail. Her moments in the show were befriending a cute alien, which turned out to be an intergalactic criminal in the episode, "Extra-Terror-estrial", learning from her mistakes due to her lack of judgment when doing good deeds in the episode. "Misfortune Hunters", and along with Veronica, saving Archie from the humanoid sea monster Dorsa Finn in the episode, "Green-Eyed Monster". Betty was voiced by actress, producer, director, writer and stunt performer America Young, who is best known being the second voice of Barbie, second only to Jodi Benson herself.

Veronica Cecilia Lodge: The rich socialite daughter of billionaire Hiram Lodge, Veronica (or Ronnie as she is called sometimes) can be a bit spoiled and self-centered sometimes. Despite her status as a spoiled, rich girl, Ronnie prefers to hang out with her otherwise normal, sometimes middle-class friends, including Archie, who she affectionally calls him "Archiekins." She is also a possible love interest to Archie himself, the other being her best friend/love rival, Betty Cooper. Where Betty is a blonde, Ronnie is a raven-haired brunette, and her blue dress is the contrast to Betty's red jacket/skirt combo. In the original Filmation cartoons, she spoke with a southern accent and in The New Archies, she sounded like a valley girl. But in this show, she speaks like the starlets of the Golden Age of Hollywood, including Lauren Bacall (Jessica Rabbit much?). Her spotlight moments on show were dealing with multiple versions of herself in the episode, "Me! Me! Me!", turning into an evenly spoiled giantess in the episode, "Attack of the 50-Foot Veronica", and trying to deal with love-struck zombies in the episode, "Zombies of Love", among other things. Veronica was voiced by Camille Schmidt.

Reginald "Reggie" Mantle: Sometimes his friend, sometimes his rival, Reggie Mantle is the Joker to Archie's Batman, but in a kid-friendly kind of way. He is sarcastic, mean-spirited sometimes, known to make practical jokes and when it comes to sports, especially at Riverdale High, Reggie is far better athlete than Archie. But his arrogance and his pranking often backfire drastically, whether it is from Archie playing back at him or by his own doing. Cases in point, being possessed by a cursed medallion and being obsessive over treasure in the episode, "Ship of Ghouls", being replaced by aliens with a duplicate of himself in the episode, "Reggie or Not", having his own Weird Mystery stories becoming real in the episode, "Compu-Terror" and being wrapped up in the situation involving a werewolf in the episode, "Fleas Release Me", among other things. In short, despite his inferiority complex and his narcissism, Reggie is just an innocent bystander/unwilling victim who always shows up at the wrong place, at the wrong time, especially being involved in some of all the weirdness in Riverdale. Reggie was voiced by Paul Sosso.

Dilton Donald Doiley: The smartest kid in Riverdale High, Dilton has an I.Q. of 198. Spending most of his in the science lab in Riverdale High instead of his garage, he sometimes helps Archie and his through a problem that is not normal for an ordinary human being, from trying to bring Veronica back to normal size to fixing problems from his experiments gone wrong. His catchphrase is "I'll be super-amalgamated!" Dilton was voiced by Ben Beck.

Animation and Music: Since being a DIC production and co-produced by Les Studios Tex, the animation is a mixed bag, some of it colorful (mostly in the daytime) and some of it dark, but the character designs stay true to how they looked in the comics and in the previous Archie cartoons. As for the music, mostly plays a spooky vibe to it, but nothing memorable, so we will leave it at that.

Differences with Riverdale

As we all know, Archie's Weird Mysteries pre-dates Riverdale 18 years. But the only difference between the two is while Weird Mysteries is a bit dark, but a bit kid-friendly, being animated and followed the guidelines of the E/I quota, Riverdale, as a whole, is much darker. While no one got hurt in Weird Mysteries, Riverdale, on the other hand, you get hurt, very badly or even worse. Dark cults, mass-murderers, alternate realities, this what separates this Archie show from the previous. Not to mention adding more characters that were never in the previous one, including Cheryl Blossom, who is in the comics (just to add tension in Archie's relationship issues), but never in any other Archie media until Riverdale. Cheryl Blossom became a show regular, mostly involved in many of Archie's escapades against all dark forces that threatened Riverdale, including the first season, which involved the murder of her twin brother, Jason Blossom. Unlike her comic counterpart, Cheryl isn't pining for Archie's affection like Betty and Veronica does. She is quite an enigma. One minute, she acts like a spoiled brat with an inflated Valley Girl-like ego, and the next minute, she becomes a pyrokinetic superheroine fighting evil. That girl is something else. Another difference is Veronica's father, Hiram Lodge. In most Archie media, he is just another rich socialite. But on Riverdale, he is rich, but he is mostly portrayed as a crime boss and archenemy to Archie, which cause some tension within the relationship with Veronica. Did I forget to mention that Ronnie and her family were reimagined as Latino, especially being played by Camilla Mendes and Mark Consuelos respectively? And one more example is Sabrina the Teenage Witch herself. Even though Sabrina Spellman had her own show and multiple cartoons, with the exception of the Filmation cartoons, she never joined up with Archie and his friends until appearing in the Riverdale universe, whether it's in her own spinoff, Chiling Adventures of Sabrina or appearing the in main show itself, especially when things go bump in the night and trying to help Archie stop a powerful mage from destroying Riverdale itself. Bottom Line, Riverdale's dark atmosphere makes Archie's Weird Mysteries look like another Scooby-Doo mystery. Very dark, indeed.

Overall, Archie's Weird Mysteries may have been different from the previous Archie cartoons but with a dark, 'B' Movie twist (and not so violent and gory), but if it wasn't for this, there wouldn't be no Riverdale. Indeed, that show was a sign of things to come. If you are a fan of Archie, or into anything related sci-fi, horror, mysteries and anything in between, this show is for you. Usually, I end my blogs simple and straight forward. But in this one, I will end it in a way that ends every episode of Archie's Weird Mysteries. Happy Halloween, Toonsters!

Archie: "Talk about a long, dark journey. In my quest for knowledge and recreation, I have stumble across many worlds as I go. Just like in the comics, my world has multiple realities that differ from one another. Whether it's in a happy reality where Sugar, Sugar was thing, a world where we are pre-teens, or in a dark, twisted reality, almost straight from a Nancy Drew story. Either way, no matter what reality we live in, one thing is for sure, strange things happen here...In a little town called Riverdale".

(Archie's Weird Mysteries End Credits Theme plays)

A Tale as Old as Time - Godspeed, Angela Lansbury

This just in.

Legendary stage performer and character actress, Angela Lansbury has died on October 11, 2022. She was 96 years old, 4 days shy of her birthday. A recipient to numerous accolades, including six Tony Awards, six Golden Globe awards and Primetime Emmy nominations, among other things, Dame Lansbury was best known for playing amateur sleuth, Jessica Fletcher in the CBS adventure mystery drama, Murder, She Wrote. Even though I wasn't much of a fan of stage, especially Gypsy, Sweeney Todd and The King and I, Lansbury appeared in many memorable movies, whether it's playing a villainous mother, Eleanor Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate to co-starring with Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii. However, there are two movies that introduced to me to this posh, elegant stage legend, and both were made by Disney. The first was Bedknobs and Broomsticks in 1971, where she played aspiring witch, Eglantine Price. I use to watch this movie very proudly, especially its musical numbers, including The Beautiful Briny, which, along with the underwater scenes, were the inspiration for the song, Under the Sea, for The Little Mermaid. Speaking of the Disney Renaissance, Lansbury was also best known for being the original voice of Mrs. Potts in the original animated version of Beauty and the Beast. Her elegant singing voice, when singing the title song, is as memorable as the movie itself.

In short, Angela Lansbury is the one actress I think of as my honorary grandmother. She will be missed. Thank you, Dame Angela. Thank you for helping me guide me to the age of believing. Believing in pure imagination is the greatest gift of all. Godspeed, ma'am.

(TAPS play)

Dame Angela Briget Lansbury
(October 16, 1925 - October 11, 2022)

This has been a Retro Rebellion Special Report.

Let's Fail!: Anime Jason vs. Discovery Family - Chapter 3: Where Everything Comes Together: The History of The Hub! Part 1: Hasbro - Rise of the Toy Giant!

Hasbro's current logo since 2008

In 1996, Discovery Kids became the gold standard for children's programming (for the most part). But due to all the politics and backstabbing, everything fell apart. From their block removed from NBC due to contract disputes to being a bit more repetitive with their programming, just like other channels like USA (before removing cartoons due to their paranoia and fears of regulations from the FCC), and it was like that for 13 whole years. But by 2009, everything changed. Discovery ended up with an unlikely partnership with the most unlikely of companies. A toy company that rivals that of Mattel, known for Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe and, of course, Barbie. And just like with their successes in the 80s, they decided to take another crack in television. And because of their partnership, by 2010, Discovery Kids became the very network that we all knew and loved. But before we talk about the very network itself, let us take the way back machine and talk about the history of the very toy company that brought everything together, Hasbro.

(MK3 Vs. Screen Fanfare)

Founded in 1923, in Providence, RI, formerly called Hassenfeld Brothers, the company was formed by the aforementioned brothers, Herman, Hillel and Henry Hassenfeld. Originally known for making pencils and pencil cases, they didn't become a toy company until 1942, when they produced modeling clay and doctor and nurse kits. It was not until 1952, when they created their first toy, Mr. Potato Head, back when they used actual fruits and vegetables as the faces when putting plastic eyes, ears, noses and mouths on them before using the plastic potato we use today. And then, by 1964, and as an answer to Mattel's Barbie, they gave us the first action figure for boys, G.I. Joe (more on that later). The name was shortened from Hassenfeld Brothers to Hasbro in 1968 and it's been like that ever since. Today, Hasbro is one of the biggest toy companies in the world. Not only with Power Rangers, Mr. Potato Head, Jem, M.A.S.K., the various Star Wars toys (originally from Kenner), and the various board games they got (which were originally owned by debunked companies like Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers), but also by their main three franchises that kept the company alive today, G.I. Joe, Transformers and My Little Pony.

Hasbro's Holy Trinity: Optimus Prime, representing Transformers, 1st Sgt. Conrad S. Hauser aka Duke, representing G.I. Joe, and Twilight Sparkle, representing My Little Pony.

G.I. Joe: Created in 1964, G.I. Joe was Hasbro's answer to Mattel's Barbie dolls. The first of many to be called action figures, just to avoid calling them dolls, just like Barbie. The name, G.I. Joe, was a form of slang for the military. That, or named after the movie, The Story of G.I. Joe. The first line were originally soldiers, each of them straight from the branches of the military, complete with camouflage, weapons and dog tags, among other things. The brand changed in the 70s, due to the unpopularity of the Vietnam War and G.I. Joe became an adventure team of sorts, just like Jonny Quest. Those figures included the now famous Kung-Fu Grip. Not even changing its brand didn't save this line. That is until 1982, when the G.I. Joe toys came back. Only this time, they weren't 13" action toys, they were shrunk to 3.75" figures, just to capitalize on the success of the Star Wars toys, among other things. Not only that, but the name G.I. Joe went from a name of a generic soldier into what Jackson Beck describes and I quote:

"G.I. Joe is the codename for America's daring highly-trained special mission force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world."

In other words, G.I. Joe is now a name of a team of soldiers fighting against the aforementioned terrorist organization, Cobra. And you can thank the likes of Larry Hama for giving us the comics from Marvel to give backstory to this relaunch, now officially dubbed as "A Real American Hero." It isn't just the comics, but it is also in the cartoon, as well, thanks to our friends from Sunbow and Marvel Productions. And to this day, although it is dormant, (along with other reinterpretations through more cartoons and movies), whenever evil terrorists strike, one day, they will hear the two little words that will take them down:

YO JOE!!

But G.I. Joe isn't the only one who got the comic/cartoon treatment.

Transformers: Originally two separate robot toys from the Japanese toy company Takara (later renamed Takara Tomy), namely Diaclone and Micro Change, Transformers came to our shores in 1984. Like with G.I. Joe, Transformers not only have a comic book series from Marvel, but also a cartoon, as well. Even though both continuities are different, the premise is the same. Far off in the universe, lies the planet Cybertron, where it is fallen apart due to a war between two factions, the heroic Autobots and the treacherous Decepticons. Their war raged so long, it drained Cybertron of all its energy. But it was not until they crash-landed on Earth, their battle began anew. For the toys in general, what a concept, two toys in one, transforming from a car, truck, radio, or dinosaur into a robot and back again. Since then, just like G.I. Joe and any other stuff from the 80s, Transformers has become one of the greatest franchises, not just in toys, but in all media. I am so glad that I have Optimus Prime as a father figure. His quote, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings", couldn't be more true. Anyway, time for us to ROLL OUT...to the third and final franchise in Hasbro's long line of toys.

My Little Pony: Created by Bonnie Zacherle, this toyline, originally aimed for little girls was released in 1981, but it was called under its original name, My Pretty Pony.

The Rock (mocking Randy Orton as a kid): "OH NO! THIS IS MY PRETTY PONY! DON'T TOUCH MY PRETTY PONY!!"

It was not until 1982 it became the very toyline that we know today. Unlike G.I. Joe and Transformers, it didn't have a Marvel comic. However, it did have their first outing in animation in the mid 1980s, with three movies, Rescue at Midnight Castle, Escape from Catrina and My Little Pony: The Movie before having their weekly show, My Little Pony 'n Friends in 1986, which including segments with from other Hasbro franchises around that time, such as the Glo Friends, Moondreamers and the Potato Head Kids. For many decades, we got multiple universes, from those from My Little Pony Tales (Generation 2) to those from the Direct to Video specials (Generation 3).But it wasn't until 2010, that we got the most well known generation that defined MLP for years to come, Generation 4 aka Friendship is Magic (which we will talk about later in the chapter). Like Transformers, MLP continues on after Gen 4, but since I haven't seen it since 2014, I will leave it at that.

You see, Hasbro's endeavors weren't just into toys alone, as I mentioned before with G.I. Joe, Transformers and MLP, they also had a hand in television. And you can thank the very person who at the time, was the Queen of Children's Television, who defined a generation not once, but multiple times. And we wouldn't know the existence of such a vast universe, if it wasn't, for Margaret Loesch.

To Be Continued...

Next Time - Part 2: Margaret Loesch: The Queen of Children's Television!

Jason's Gallery - Ariel and Optimus Prime: Spiritual Bond

 

The Nurturing Earth Mother and the Ultimate Father Figure together. And why we don't hear Jodi Benson and Peter Cullen voice these characters together, I'll never know. But to quote Optimus himself, "The future is built on dreams." Hang on to them proudly.

High above the surface, two gentle souls come face to face, like they've known each other for centuries. One, a beautiful mermaid who longs to be a part of the human world. And the other, a strong, noble and wise giant alien robot from another world who believes that freedom is the right of all sentient beings. As they intertwined, Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton of Atlantica, was graced by the presence of the great Autobot commander himself, wishing that her father was more like Optimus Prime.

Ariel: "Oh, Optimus, I wish my daddy was like you. Strong, noble, wise and understanding, exactly what a true father and a true king should be, just like you."

Optimus: "Thank you, Ariel. That is very kind of you. Regarding your father, just give it time. He will come around. Once he overcomes his xenophobia, he will accept all other sentient life, whether being human, or Cybertronian, like myself. And regarding you, you are kind, gentle and get along with others pretty well. And your voice, it is like a gift from the Gods themselves, golden to the last. Your singing can truly heal the universe."

Ariel (giggles): "Thanks, Optimus. For a strange, metal creature, you are truly wise. But there is one other I want to know...tell me about Cybertron.

Optimus: "I thought you never asked."

(Ariel smiles)

Note: It is no secret that Jodi Benson and Peter Cullen did voice work together long ago, in a little action cartoon called Pirates of Dark Water. While Jodi voiced Tula, Mr. Cullen was the voice of Bloth's right-hand man, Mantus. Never in my lifetime I see the two of them voiced as the very characters that were immortalized forever. And this fanart is the closest to that reality to see the nurturing earth mother and the ultimate father figure together.

Sorry To Keep You Waiting For So Long. But I'm Back Now.

You're probably wondering where I've been for the last 3-4 months? The simple answer is Real Life. Hopefully Things have been quite busy (and sometimes hellectic) at home. For now,I've got everything under control. Hopefully they'll be no more disruptions. Also,I wanna thank Jason for holding down the fort in my absence. He's a real bro. 

Again,sorry for the long absence,but I'm back now.  

The Greatest Wrestlers and Wrestling Personalities Of All Time - Listed

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Professional Wrestling,explicitly Wrestling from the 70's,80's,and 90's. So today,I'm gonna be listing every single Wrestler that Can be considered the Greatest - at least up to the 2010's. And I'm gonna be doing it by Decade.

And just for fun,I'll also be listing Managers and On-Air personalities as well. 

Note: I Never Ever watched AEW,Impact,or any other Modern Wrestling Company and never will. I'm also not gonna be listing any Wrestlers from AJPW,NJPW,AAA,CMLL,or Any of the Indie Promotions. Why? Cuz,I never watch them either. All Modern Wrestlers listed will be WWE only,cuz that's the Company I'm most familiar with nowadays. 

Anyway,let's get started.

The 1950's and 1960's

"the Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino

Bobo Brazil

Verne Gagne

Lou Thesz 

"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers

Gorgeous George

"Classy" Fred Blassie (Wrestler)

Killer Kowalski

Antonino "Argentina" Rocca

Mae Young

Fabulous Moolah

The Sheik 

Haystacks Calhoun 

Gorilla Monsoon (Wrestler)

Angelo Poffo

The Sicilians (Lou Albano and Tony Altomare)

Baron Von Raschke

Baron Mikel Scicluna 

Nick Bockwinkel

Cowboy Bill Watts

Stu Hart

Antonio Anoki

Giant Baba

----------------------------------------------------------

The 1970's

"Superstar" Billy Graham

Bob Backlund

"The Grand Wizard of Wrestling" Ernie Roth

Ken Patera

Pat Patterson 

Mr. Fuji and Prof. Tanaka

Captain Lou Albano

"Classy" Fred Blassie (Manager)

Andre the Giant

The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika)

"Soul Man" Rocky Johnson

"Mr. U.S.A." Tony Atlas

"The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff

George "The Animal" Steele

The Sheik

Fabulous Moolah

Haystacks Calhoun

Bobo Brazil

"The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino  

Larry Zbyszko

The Blackjacks (Mulligan and Lanza)

Wahoo McDaniel

Dusty Rhodes

Gorilla Monsoon (Wrestler)

Larry "The Ax" Hennig

Killer Kowalski 

Baron Von Raschke

Baron Mikel Scicluna

"Mad Dog" Maurice Vachon

"Butcher" Paul Vachon

Arnold Skaaland (Manager)

Abdullah the Butcher

Chief Jay Strongbow

Terry Funk

Dory Funk Jr.

Harley Race

Nick Bockwinkel

Cowboy Bill Watts

Jerry "The King" Lawler

Mil Mascaras 

Pedro Morales

"Big Cat" Ernie Ladd

-----------------------------------------------------------

The 1980's 

Nikita Koloff

"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka

"Nature Boy" Rick Flair

Terry Funk

Dory Funk Jr.

Abdullah the Butcher

"Magnificent" Don Muraco

The Von Erichs (David,Kevin,Mike,and Kerry)

Harley Race

"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes 

Jerry "The King" Lawler 

The 4 Horsemen (Ric Flair,Arn Anderson,Ole Anderson,Tully Blanchard)

J.J. Dillon (Manager)

The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal)

Paul Ellering (Manager)

The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael "P.S." Hayes,Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy,Buddy Roberts,and Jimmy Garvin)

Gordon Solie (Announcer)

Magnum T.A.

"Dr. D" David Shultz

The Midnight Express (Various Members)

James E. Cornette (Manager)

The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson)

Steve "Dr. Death" Williams

Sting (Surfer)

Lex Luger

Kevin Sullivan

Barry Windham

Mike Rotunda

Kerry Von Erich (Singles)

Sgt. Slaughter

The Iron Shiek

"Classy" Freddie Blassie 

Captain Lou Albano

"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Manager and Commentator)

Mr. Fuji (Manager)

Tito Santana

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine 

King Kong Bundy

Big John Studd

Andre The Giant

Hulk Hogan

Rowdy Roddy Piper

The Junkyard Dog

The Fabulous Moolah

Wendi Richter 

Nikolai Volkoff

The British Bulldogs (Davey Smith and The Dynamite Kid)

The Hart Foundation (Bret "Hit Man" Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart)

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake

George "The Animal" Steele

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

"Macho Man" Randy Savage

Miss Elizabeth (Manager)

Mean Gene Okerlund (Announcer)

Jessie "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)

Gorilla Monsoon (Commentator)

Lord Alfred Hayes (Commentator) 

Vince McMahon (Commentator)

Hillbilly Jim

The Brooklyn Brawler (He's a jobber,but he's got personality)

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

The Ultimate Warrior

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase

Brother Love

"Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff

The Honky Tonk Man

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacques and Raymond)

The Bushwackers (Luke and Butch)

Dino Bravo

"Ravishing" Rick Rude

Mr. Perfect

"The Genius" Lanny Poffo 

The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty)

Demolition (Ax and Smash)

The Powers of Pain (The Warlord and The Barbarian)

Haku

Koko B. Ware

Adrien Adonis

Sensational Sherri (Wrestler and Manager)

Hacksaw Jim Duggan 

The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard)

Kamala The Ugandan Giant/Headhunter  

Howard Finkle (Ring Announcer)

---------------------------------------------------------

The 1990's

Paul E. Dangerously/Paul Heyman (Manager/Promoter/Commentator) 

Shane Douglas/Dean Douglas

Tommy Dreamer

The Sandman

Rob Van Dam

Raven

Perry Saturn

Taz

Sabu

Stevie Richards

The Blue Meanie

Joey Styles (Commentator)

Steve "Dr. Death" Williams

Abdullah The Butcher 

The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael "P.S." Hayes,Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy,Buddy Roberts,and Jimmy Garvin)

Ron Simmons/Farooq Asaad

The Steiner Bros. (Rick and Scott)

"Ravishing" Rick Rude

Jessie "The Body" Ventura (Commentator)

Tony Schiavone (Color Commentator)

Mene Gene Okerlund (Announcer) 

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes (Commentator)

Dustin Rhodes/Goldust

Cactus Jack/Mankind/Dude Love/Mick Foley

Johnny B. Badd/"Wild Man" Mark Mero/"Marvelous" Marc Mero

Sting (Both as "Surfer/Super Hero Sting" and as "Crow Sting")

Lex Luger (as both the "Total Package" and "Made in the USA")

Brian Pillman (both as "Flyin' Brian" and as "The Loose Canon")

Kevin Sullivan

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (Commentator)

Eric Bischoff (Promoter and Commentator)

Hulk Hogan/Hollywood Hogan

"Macho Man" Randy Savage

Sensational Sherri/Sister Sherri (Manager)

"Nature Boy" Ric Flair

The Giant/Paul Wight/The Big Show

The Faces of Fear (Haku/Meng and The Barbarian)

Harlem Heat (Booker T. and Stevie Ray)

"The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart (Manager)

Vader

The Legeon of Doom/The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal)

The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags)

"The Model" Rick Martel

"El Matador" Tito Santana

Kamala,The Ugandan Giant/Headhunter

The Big Boss Man

Earthquake (Singles)

The Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon)

Money Inc ("Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase and I.R.S.)

I.R.S. (Singles)

"Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase (Singles Wrestler and Manager)

Rowdy Roddy Piper

Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake

Brother Love

The Undertaker 

Paul Bearer (Manager)

Mr. Perfect/Curt Hennig

The Warlord

The Mountie

The Ultimate Warrior

Rythem and Blues (Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine)  

Mr. Fuji (Manager) 

"The British Bulldog" Davey Smith (Singles)

"The Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich

Bret "Hit Man" Hart

Yokozuna

Evil Doink

The Headshrinkers (Samu,Fatu,and Sione)

Afa (Manager)

Captain Lou Albano (Manager)

"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka

"The Anvil" Jim Neidhart

Bam Bam Bigelow

Luna Vachon

Alundra Blaze/Madusa

Bull Nakano

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels (Singles)

Jerry "The King" Lawler (as a Commentator and as a Wrestler)

"Double J" Jeff Jarrett

The Roadie/Jesse James

The Bushwackers (Luke and Butch)

Brooklyn Brawler

Scott Hall/Razor Ramon (Singles)

Kevin Nash/Diesel (Singles)

Sean Waltman/The 1-2-3 Kid/Syxx/X-Pac

Owen Hart (Singles)

James E. Cornette (Manager)

Howard Finkle (Ring Announcer)

The Bushwackers (Luke and Butch)

The Heavenly Bodies ("Giggelo" Jimmy DelRay and "The Doctor of Desire" Tom Prichard)

2 Dudes with Attitude (Shawn Michaels and Diesel)

Owen Hart and Yokozuna

The Allied Powers (Lex Luger and "The British Bulldog" Davey Smith)

The Blu Brothers (Jacob and Eli)

Uncle Zeb/Zeb Coulter (Manager)

The Smokin' Gunns (Billy and Bart)

Ahmed Johnson

Sid Vicious/Sid Justice/Psycho Sid/Sid

Jean-Pierre Lafitte

Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Triple H (Singles)

Skip/Chris Candido

Sunny (Manager)

Jim Ross/J.R. (Commentator)

Todd Pettengill (Announcer)

Gorilla Monsoon (Commentator)

Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo...and Oscar)

Papa Shango/Kama/Kama Mustafa/Godfather

Tatanka

Bob "Spark Plug" Holly 

Henry Godwinn

Justin Hawk Bradshaw/John Bradshaw Layfield

Savio Vega

Hakushi

Marlena (Manager)

Flash Funk/2 Cold Scorpio

Owen Hart and The British Bulldog  

Doug Furnas and Philip LaFon

Rocky Maivia/The Rock

Mark Henry

Rey Mysterio

Dean Malenko

Chris Benot

Eddie Guerrero

Chavo Guerrero

Arn Anderson (Singles)

Sting and Lex Luger (Tag Team) 

The 4 Horsemen (Various Member Combinations)

The Outsiders (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash)

The nWo/New World Order (Most Members)

Diamond Dallas Page/DDP

Alex Wright

Jushin Thunder Liger

Ultimo Dragon

Bill Goldberg/Goldberg

Public Enemy (Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge)

Booker T. (Singles) 

The Great Muta

Masahiro Chono

La Parka

Juventude Guererra

Sonny Ono (Manager)

Disco Inferno

Mike Tenay (Commentator)   

Scott Hudson (Commentator)

Lee Marshal (Commentator/Announcer)

Teddy Long (Manager)

Chris Jericho

Col. Robert Parker (Manager)

Lord Steven Regal/William Regal

Larry Zbyszko (Commentator)

Glacier

Woman (Manager)

"Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner

Jacqueline

Vince McMahon/Mr. McMahon

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher)

The Godwinns (Henry and Phineas [Southern Justice Warriors])

Hart Foundation 2.0 (Bret "Hitman" Hart,Owen Hart,British Bulldog,Jim Neidhart,and Brian Pillman)

The New Age Outlaws ("The Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badass" Billy Gunn)

D-Generation X 1.0/DX 1.0 (Shawn Michaels,Triple H,and Chyna)

Chyna (Singles)

Sable (As a Wrestler Only)

Ken Shamrock

The Amazing French Canadians fka The Quebecers (Jacques Rougeau and Carl Ouellet)  

Disciples of Apocalypse/D.O.A. (Crush,Chains,8-Ball,and Skull)

The Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane)

Kane (Singles)

Terry Funk/Chainsaw Charlie 

Edge (Singles)

Christian (Singles)

Taka Michinoku

The Hardy Bros. (Matt and Jeff)

The Dudley Boyz (D-Von and Bubba Ray...and Spike)

Rikishi

Too Cool (Brian Christopher and Scotty 2 Hotty)

Edge and Christian (Tag Team)   

Acolyte Protection Agency/A.P.A (Bradshaw and Simmons) 

Kurt Angle

Shane McMahon/Shane O'Mac

Ivory 

Al Snow

Kevin Kelly (Commentator/Announcer)

The Rock 'n Sock Connection (The Rock and Mankind)

--------------------------------------------------------

The 2000's

Johnathan Coachman (Commentator/Announcer)

Eddie Guerrero (Singles)

Chris Jericho

Rey Mysterio (Singles)

Dean Malenko 

Perry Saturn

Tommy Dreamer

Sandman

Raven

Edge (Singles)

Christian (Singles)

Acolyte Protection Agency/A.P.A (Bradshaw and Simmons)

The Hardy Bros. (Matt and Jeff)

The Dudley Boyz (D-Von and Bubba Ray...and Spike)

Rikishi

Too Cool (Brian Christopher and Scotty 2 Hotty)

Edge and Christian (Tag Team) 

Trish Stratus

Lita

The Big Show

Mark Henry

Kurt Angle

Brock Lesnar

Triple H (Sigles)

The Rock

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin 

"Nature Boy" Ric Flair

Mick Foley

Kane

Booker T.

Theodore Long (General Manager)

Shawn Michaels

Mr. McMahon

John Cena

Randy Orton (Singles)

Dave Batista (Singles)

Jerry "The King" Lawler (Commentator and Wrestler)

Jim Ross/Good Ol' J.R. (Commentator)

Paul Heyman (Commentator)

D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H)

The Undertaker

Diamond Dallas Page

Stephanie McMahon

Shane McMahon

Torrie Wilson

Chyna

Evolution (Triple H,Ric Flair,Batista,and Randy Orton)  

The Rock 'n Sock Connection (The Rock and Mick Foley)

Michael Cole (Commentator)

John Bradshaw Layfield/JBL 

Hurricane/Shane Helmes

Molly Holly

Ivory

Jacqueline

Beth Pheonix

Michelle McCool

Hornswoggle

Santino Marella

William Regal

Rob Van Dam/RVD

Bobby Lashley

Carlito

Shelton Benjamin

Goldberg

Chavo Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio (Tag Team)

CM Punk (like it,or not)

Kevin Nash

Natalya

Mickie James

Tyson Kidd

Montel Vontavious Porter/MVP  

Goldust

Umaga

-------------------------------------------------------

The 2010's

Johnathan Coachman (Commentator/Announcer)

John Bradshaw Layfield/JBL (Commentator)

Mauro Ranallo (Commentator)

Montel Vontavious Porter/MVP

CM Punk (again,like it or not)

Daniel Bryan

Kane

The Big Show

Mark Henry

Goldberg

The Undertaker 

Natalya

Tyson Kidd

Cesaro

Ryback

Dolph Ziggler

Zack Ryder

William Regal

Sheamus

"Bad News" Wade Barret

Drew McIntyre

The Miz

John Morrison

Kofi Kingston (Singles)

Hornswaggle

Santino Marella

Jinder Mahal

Heath Slater

Chris Jericho

Rob Van Dam/RVD

Primo and Epico (Tag Team)

Carlito

Edge

Christian

Randy Orton

John Cena

The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil)

Theodore Long  

Goldust

Cody Rhodes

Rey Mysterio

Sin Cara

Booker T.

Big E.(Singles)

A.J. Lee

Tamina Snuka

Maryse

Beth Pheonix

Michelle McCool

Mickie James

The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt,Luke Harper,Erick Rowan,and later,Braun Strowman)

Jerry "The King" Lawler (Commentator)

Jim Ross/Good 'Ol J.R. (Commentator) 

Renee Young (Announcer/Commentator/Host)

The Shield (Seth Rollins,Dean Ambros,and Roman Reigns)

The New Day (Xavier Woods,Kofi Kingston,and Big E)

Brock Lesnar

Batista

Triple H

The Bella Twins (Nikki and Brie)

Titus O'Neil (Singles)

Brodus Clay (Singles)

Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay and Tensai) 

Paige

Naomi

The Usos (Jimmy and Jay)

Kurt Angle (Wrestler and Authority Figure)

Paul Hayman (Advocate)

The Rock

Fandango

Tyler Breeze

Jack Swagger

Zeb Coulter (Manager)

Baron Corbin

Bo Dallas

Adam Rose

Alexa Bliss

Dana Brooke

Charlotte Flair

Sasha Banks

Becky Lynch

Bayley

Ember Moon

Asuka

Kairi Sane

Nia Jax

The Undesputed Era (Adam Cole,Bobby Fish,Kyle O'Reilly,and Roderick Strong)

Johnny Gargano

Candice LaRae

The War Raiders/Viking Raiders (Hanson and Rowe/Erik and Ivar)

Bianca Belair

Tommaso Ciampa

Allister Black

Kevin Owens

Sami Zayn

Samoa Joe

A.J. Styles

American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan)

Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford)

Bobby Roode

Curtis Axel

The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff)

The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder)

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro)

Elias

Damian Sandow

Curt Hawkins

Seth Rollins (Singles)

Dean Ambros (Singles)

Roman Reigns (Singles)

Bray Wyatt/The Fiend 

Brawn Strowman (Singles)

Finn Balor

Rhea Ripley

Shayna Baszler 

Sonya DeVille

Mandy Rose

Sarah Logan

Liv Morgan

Ruby Riot

Shotzi Blackhart

Keith Lee

Mia Yim

Io Shirai

Xia Li

Dakota Kai

Lucha House Party (Kalisto,Gran Metalik,and Lince Dorado) 

The Bludgeon Bros. (Erick Rowan and Luke Harper)

Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango)

Matt Riddle

Austin Theory

Indi Hartwell

Dexter Lumas

The Iiconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) 

Ricochet

Drake Maverick

Cedric Alexander (Singles)

Mustafa Ali   

Shelton Benjamin (Singles)

Bobby Lashley (Singles)

The Hurt Business (MVP,Bobby Lashley,Shelton Benjamin,and Cedric Alexander)

R-Truth

Carmella

Lacey Evans

Rusev

Lana

Kayla Braxton (Announcer/Host) 

Tajiri

Akira Tozawa 

Shinsuke Nakamura

Yoshi Tatsu

Apollo Crews

Neville

Nikki Cross

Sanity (Killian Dain,Nikki Cross,Eric Young,and Alexander Wolfe)

EC3

Stephanie McMahon (Authority Figure)

Shane McMahon/Shane O'Mac (Authority Figure/Wrestler)  

William Regal (Authority Figure/Wrestler)

Mick Foley (Authority Figure)

Emma 

Heavy Machinery (Tucker and  Oris)

D.I.Y. (Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa)

Zalina Vega

"El Idolo" Andrade Almas

Sting (Honorable Mention)    

---------------------------------------------------------

And thus ends my long,long list. Are any of your favorite Wrestlers on here? Lemmie know in the comment section.

Until Next Time,Space Cowboys.Stay Gold and Resist Modern Attitudes!!

Jason's Gallery - 3 Generations of Romance

 

Another fanart, and another one for my Jodi Benson scrapbook. Here we have 3 generations of romance in the world of fiction. Ariel's love for Prince Eric, believe it or not, transcended generations to come. Following that is not only Sailor Moon's romance with Tuxedo Mask, but also a blooming relationship with our benevolent soldier of fire, Ryo Sanada and our lovely ninja mermaid princess, Kasumi. There wouldn't be any romances in any shape or form if not for Ariel and Eric. The Miracle of Romance, indeed. 

Quick Update 9/19/2022

Hi there peoples,

I thought I give a quick update before I continue to what I gotta do. As you all know, I am back doing my blogging here, but it's a bit slow right now, but with very good reasons. You have seen my recent blogs, aside from my artwork, about the passing of more famous people, including Pat Carroll, the voice of Ursula from The Little Mermaid. It almost threw me off my game, but I am back on track. So, here are the next blogs that I will have in mind.

First off, I will resume my long-delayed retrospective/rant on Discovery Family, as I talk about the Hub Network itself. But unlike the 2 previous blogs, this one will be divided into multiple parts, since this one is bit longer, especially with the history of Hasbro, Margaret Loesch and everything in between.

Next on my agenda, even though I didn't do it right away, but I am still planning on it, I will do the pros and cons of the VIZ Media dub of Sailor Moon. Just the dub of the original anime, not Sailor Moon Crystal. That's for another story.

And finally, since next month is around Halloween time, I will do another special Toon Ninja Reviews blog, and this one will be about Archie's Weird Mysteries. This cartoon was indeed dark, way before Riverdale made it even more darker.

So, since my brother in arms, Stefan is M.I.A., it is up to me to keep this blog page up and going, for the sake of nostalgia. Until next time, stay frosty my friends.

Saraba da (Farewell) for now.

Jason's Gallery - Aquarius Sisters

 

Ami, Hitomi and Momiji sporting their bikinis, same design, but different in colors and decals.

Summer is almost over, but that doesn't mean that Ami can't enjoy her time on the beach. But she isn't alone, she is joined by not only our perky karate gal Hitomi, but also the lovely shrine maiden of the Hayabusa ninja clan, Momiji. What makes this so unique is the fact that all three gals are wearing the same bikini. But the only difference is the color and detail on all three. Ami has Aquarius, which is colored in blue, as an A on two stars on her top, Hitomi has Puppy, which is colored in Yellow, has an H and two oranges on her top, and Momiji has Marlin, which is colored in pink and red-orange, has an M and a oriental leaf like fan on her top. So in a sense, these three are now linked to the stars forever. They are truly Aquarius Sisters, through and through.

Hitomi: "You know, Ami, that bikini suits you well better than me. You are truly one with the stars."

Momiji: "That's right. If I had another sister like Rachel, I am glad it would be you."

Ami (giggles): "Aw, you guys. Thank you. You have made me a bit more smarter, and a bit sensual, too." 

Happy Birthday, Ami and, although not yet, but Happy Birthday to you, too, Momiji (Her birthday is September 20th, by the way). 

American Sailor Moon aka Saban Moon Pilot!

 

Behold! For your viewing pleasure, we present to you, the unreleased pilot of the Toon Makers/Renaissance-Atlantic version of the Americanized version of Sailor Moon, aka Saban Moon. I am not making this up, someone has brought this pilot to light.

For more information on how this pilot came to be in this day in age, the link to the person or persons responsible for this determined task is below. Thank you and until next time.

Saraba da (Farewell), for now!

Ray Mona's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/RayMona

Jason's Gallery - Ursula: Stalking Ariel

 

"She maybe the key to Triton's undoing."

My fanart of the evil sea-witch, Ursula, whose brand of evil measures that to all the other Disney villains, including the Mistress of all Evil, Maleficent. This one is not only a part of my Jodi Benson scrapbook (as long as Ariel is in this) ...but it is also a small tribute to the recently departed Pat Carroll, who voiced this over-the-top villain. Ecequs et Love, nice lady, Ecequs et Love. Godspeed.

#RIPPatCarroll #RespectVoiceActors

Jason's Gallery: Sprite Edition - HULK SPRITE-ST ONE THERE IS!!

Hey there, True Believers!

It's time once again for another edition of Jason's Gallery: Sprite Edition. Last time around, I did one featuring the Sensational She-Hulk. Now, I will follow it up with her cousin, the green brutish alter ego of Dr. Bruce Banner, The Incredible Hulk. Let's begin, before the not so Jolly Green Giant starts smashing up the place, know what I mean?

1. Default Sprite (Originally straight from Marvel Super Heroes, into the Marvel vs. Capcom series)

2. Blue Pajama Pants (straight from the 90s Fantastic Four cartoon episode, "Nightmare in Green")

3. Beige Pants (straight from the 90s Iron Man cartoon episode, "Hulk Buster")

4. Gray Hulk ('Nuff Said!)

1. Short Briefs (Just like in the early issues of The Incredible Hulk comics and into The Avengers #1 before going back to his ripped pants)

2. Super Hero Squad (That's how he looks in The Super Hero Squad Show, complete with a tie on to hold his pants up)

3. Prehistoric Hulk (either inspired by the 70s Incredible Hulk episode, "Kindred Spirits, or ending up in the Savage Land, where he is free to be savage creature he was born to be)

Here we have the custom-made sprites of the Hulk, based on and inspired by the 2003 movie. The first three is when Banner Hulked Out and escaped Maj. Talbot, as he continued the change, his shorted stretched out into briefs and then during the fight with the Gamma-irradiated dogs, his briefs were shredded into a loincloth and... you know the rest, which I will not talk about. Trust me, I will let you see it for yourself. The fourth and last sprite is where he wore for the rest of the movie, beginning with escape Gen. Thunderbolt Ross's hidden base and into his bout against his own father, who somewhat stole the powers from Crusher Creel aka The Absorbing Man.

And there you have it. I will leave now with sprite images of the Hulk, side by side, with his cousin She-Hulk. Until next time, stay frosty, my friends.

The Incredible Hulk, alongside his cousin, the Sensational She-Hulk!

Hulk and She-Hulk in their earliest years of being savage!

Hulk and She-Hulk being savage, in more ways than one, especially in the Savage Land!

Hulk and She-Hulk prepare to HERO-UP!, just like in the Super Hero Squad Show. Stay frosty, Squadies!

Saraba da (Farewell), for now!

One Not So Poor Unfortunate Soul - RIP Pat Carroll

Today, we bid farewell to one of the most recognizable names in entertainment, especially in the world of voice acting and that person in question is one Patricia Ann Carroll. Pat Carroll died from Pneumonia on July 30th, 2022. She was 95 years old. For as long as I can remember, Ms. Carroll was best known for being the voice of one of Disney's greatest villains, whose deception and evil matches that of Maleficent herself, Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

Prior to that, Ms. Carroll had a long career in show business, especially being a stage actor and a up and rising comedienne, appearing in such shows as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Laverne & Shirley, and variety shows like The Carol Burrett Show. 

And it wasn't just in live action, but it was also in animation as well, when did lend her voice in shows like Galaxy High, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo and as Katrina Stoneheart from the original Pound Puppies, who vowed that the Puppies' "Rebel Days" are through (NOT!).

But it wasn't until the late 1980s, where she was immortalized forever as the sea witch Ursula in the aforementioned Little Mermaid. A role she truly was proud of voicing, right down to her sinister cackling. Truly over the top.

Although I never met her, 8 years ago, I wrote a fan letter and drew a fanart of both Ursula and her sister, Morgana from The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, which I sent and got a reply from her, along with a metal tag with Ursula's image on it and a message that reads "Ecequs et Love".

She is survived by her 3 children.

With her passing, meeting Jodi Benson has become a whole lot more difficult. If it happens to her, everything I worked for will be all for not and I will never move on. But for now, my hats off to you, Pat Carroll. Thank you for all the memories you have, especially with a villain so hammy as Ursula. Godspeed to you. Ecequs et Love, Pat, Ecequs et Love forever.

(TAPS plays)

Patricia Ann Carroll
(May 5th, 1927 - July 30th, 2022)

#RespectVoiceActors

Ursula and Morgana, both voiced by the great Pat Carroll, in all of her sea witching glory!

Pat Carroll's reply after sending her my fan letter and fan art 8 years ago, short and sweet.

Ecequs et Love, Pat, Ecequs et Love. Godspeed you great woman!