The POP-EXPOSE Archives - Serpentor's Lair

BUT DID YOU KNOW? Don’t Feed These Facts After Midnight: The Wild Secrets Behind 1984’s Gremlins

September 16, 2026September 16, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s movie trivia, 1984 movies, Chris Columbus Gremlins, classic 1980s horror movies, Gizmo Gremlins, Gizmo original design, Gremlins 1984, Gremlins behind the scenes, Gremlins Christmas movie, Gremlins fun facts, Gremlins movie facts, Gremlins movie history, Gremlins PG-13 rating, Gremlins practical effects, Gremlins production secrets, Gremlins trivia, Howie Mandel Gizmo, Joe Dante Gremlins, Steven Spielberg Gremlins, Stripe Gremlins0 comment

Few movies capture the wonderfully strange personality of the 1980s quite like Gremlins. Released on June 8, 1984, Joe Dante’s horror-comedy somehow managed to combine Christmas, adorable furry creatures, gruesome monster mayhem, dark comedy and Steven Spielberg-style adventure into one unforgettable package. You know the rules: keep them away from bright light, never get them wet and, most importantly, never feed them after midnight. But did you know the movie hiding behind those rules is packed with strange production stories and alternate ideas that could have made Gremlins a completely…

This One is Truly Outrageous

September 13, 2026September 13, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s toy cartoons, Barbie and the Rockers rivalry, Christy Marx Jem, Jem 1985 cartoon, Jem 2015 movie, Jem Amazon Prime series, Jem and The Holograms, Jem and the Holograms history, Jem Hasbro toys, JemCon 20260 comment

By: R.A. Rayne The early ‘80s were dominated by space adventures, action films, and MTV. Boys’ action cartoons dominated the afternoons and Saturday mornings. While the Care Bears, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, and Rainbow Brite aired, they could not compete with the toy-driven G.I. Joe, He-Man, and the Transformers. Following the success of G.I. Joe and Transformers, Hasbro came up with a truly outrageous idea. They wanted to launch a new line of fashion dolls to compete with Mattel’s heavily dominant Barbie line. Hasbro planned to create a multimedia…

Before He-Man Had the Power: Blackstar’s “Search for the Starsword” Turns 45

September 10, 2026September 10, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s Saturday morning cartoons, Blackstar 1981, Blackstar cartoon review, Filmation cartoons, forgotten 80s cartoons, He-Man precursor, John Blackstar, Search for the Starsword, Starsword and Powersword, The Overlord Blackstar0 comment

Before Eternia, before Castle Grayskull, and before the phrase “I have the power” became part of every 1980s kid’s vocabulary, Filmation took viewers to the strange and dangerous planet of Sagar. On September 12, 1981, Blackstar arrived on CBS with “Search for the Starsword,” a wild science-fantasy adventure that feels like a missing link between Thundarr the Barbarian, Star Wars, and the later explosion of toy-driven action cartoons. The premise gets right to the good stuff. John Blackstar is an astronaut from Earth who has been swept through a black…

Why Were Halloween Costumes Like That?

September 10, 2026September 10, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1970s Halloween costumes, 1980s Halloween costumes, Ben Cooper costume history, Ben Cooper Halloween costumes, classic Halloween nostalgia, collectible Halloween costumes, retro Halloween masks, vintage Halloween costumes, vintage plastic Halloween masks, vintage pop culture costumes1 Comment

Story by @GIJoeRepairShop Jerry Seinfeld famously said about Halloween costumes: “Cardboard box, self-made top, mask included. Remember the rubber band on the back of that mask? That was a quality item there, wasn’t it? That was good about 10 seconds before it snapped out of that cheap little staple they put it in there with. You go to your first house: ‘Trick or…’ Snap! ‘It broke. I don’t believe it!’ … So I’m going out trick-or-treating but the mask’s rubber band keeps breaking and keeps getting shorter. I’m fixing it, it’s…

37 YEARS OF PAIN: BLOOD, SWEAT, BROKEN GLASS AND THE MAKING OF VAN DAMME’S KICKBOXER

September 9, 2026September 9, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s action movies, 1980s martial arts movies, 1989 action movies, classic martial arts films, David Worth, Dennis Alexio, Jean Claude Van Damme movies, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kickboxer 1989, Kickboxer anniversary, Kickboxer behind the scenes, Kickboxer filming locations, Kickboxer movie, Kickboxer movie trivia, Kickboxer production, Kickboxer Thailand, making of Kickboxer, Mark DiSalle, Michel Qissi, Muay Thai movies, Paul Hertzog, Stan Bush Kickboxer, Tong Po, Van Damme Kickboxer1 Comment

By the fall of 1989, Jean-Claude Van Damme was no longer simply another martial artist trying to break into Hollywood. Bloodsport had made audiences notice him, but Kickboxer helped turn the “Muscles from Brussels” into a full-fledged action star. What makes the movie even more fascinating today is how much of Van Damme’s own personality, athletic background and creative influence ended up on the screen. Kickboxer was produced by Kings Road Entertainment, with Mark DiSalle producing and sharing directing credit with David Worth. Van Damme was far more involved than…

“Billie Jean Wasn’t His Lover—But She Wouldn’t Go Away”: Inside the Bizarre Paternity Claims and Stalking Case That Followed Michael Jackson for Decades

September 7, 2026September 7, 2026 Serpentorslair StaffBillie Jean Jackson stalker, Billie Jean song inspiration, Billie Jean true story, Lavon Muhammad Michael Jackson, Lavon Powlis, Lavon Powlis children, Michael Jackson $150 million lawsuit, Michael Jackson 1980s controversy, Michael Jackson Billie Jean, Michael Jackson celebrity stalkers, Michael Jackson Encino home, Michael Jackson paternity lawsuit, Michael Jackson stalker story, real Billie Jean Michael Jackson, Thriller Billie Jean story0 comment

Few songs in pop history have inspired as much speculation as Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” Its story of a woman insisting that a superstar fathered her child sounded so specific that listeners naturally wondered whether Billie Jean really existed. Decades later, one woman became publicly associated with that nightmare in an extraordinary series of lawsuits, trespassing cases and paternity claims. Her name was Lavon Powlis, also reported as Lavon A. Muhammad and later Gabriella Jamilla Jackson; she repeatedly called herself “Billie Jean Jackson.” One important fact must come first: there…

The Chaos and Joy of 1970s and 1980s Family Feud

September 2, 2026September 2, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1970s game shows, 1980s game shows, classic Family Feud, classic television nostalgia, Family Feud 1970s, Family Feud funny moments, retro TV nostalgia, Richard Dawson Family Feud, Richard Dawson game show host, vintage television game shows0 comment

Story by @GIJoeRepairShop Before Steve Harvey brought a whole new generation to it, before Ray Combs brought it into the 1990s, Richard Dawson’s run as the original host of Family Feud will stand out as a chaotic and joyful first run of one of America’s most-loved television gameshows. Richard Dawson was not unknown to television viewers when Family Feud started in 1976. The half-British, half-American actor was one of the stars of the wildly-popular show “Hogan’s Heroes,” which ran from 1965 to 1971. Richard Dawson spent much of the early 1970s…

When the World Gets Heavy, Hold On to What Makes You Smile

September 1, 2026September 1, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s toy nostalgia, action figure collecting, action figure community, Bugs Bunny nostalgia, childhood nostalgia, collecting toys as an adult, collector community, finding happiness in hobbies, finding joy in difficult times, friendships through hobbies, G.I. Joe collectors, G.I. Joe nostalgia, Gen X childhood memories, giving without expecting anything, He-Man action figures, kindness and empathy, Looney Tunes nostalgia, Masters of the Universe collecting, nostalgia and mental well being, Nostalgic toy collecting, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys, TMNT vintage figures, Underdog cartoon, vintage action figures, vintage toy collectors0 comment

There are mornings when you turn on the television, open your phone, or simply look around at the people you know and wonder how much more the world can take. Someone is grieving the loss of a parent. Someone else is fighting an illness nobody can see. Families are watching wars unfold thousands of miles away while other families are living through them firsthand. People are working harder than ever and still wondering how they are going to pay the electric bill, buy groceries, or make the next mortgage payment.…

F-19: WHEN MICROPROSE ALMOST UNVEILED THE FUTURE

August 31, 2026August 31, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s computer games, classic PC flight simulators, F-117 Nighthawk games, F-19 Stealth Fighter, F-19 Stealth Fighter game, MicroProse F-19, MicroProse flight simulator, retro military games, Sid Meier MicroProse, stealth fighter video games0 comment

By @Kingmakeress The premise of F-19 is much different from that of most flight simulators and also deceptively simple: Fly to the objectives, accomplish your mission, and fly back to base .. undetected. This last word epitomizes not only the nature of the game, but also years of secret aerospace engineering research. The development and deployment of working air radar at the late 1930s, beginning with the UK’s Chain Home system, meant that aircrafts no longer could approach targets undetected. (Fun fact: Radar is not a word, but actually a…

To Vlog or Not To Vlog

August 22, 2026August 22, 2026 Serpentorslair Stafffake news online, movie and TV vloggers, online media literacy, pop culture commentary, professional wrestling vloggers, social media misinformation, theme park vloggers, toy collecting channels, vlogging trends, YouTube vloggers0 comment

By: R.A. Rayne Over the last few years, a trend that began during COVID has turned into a pop culture frenzy. What is that trend, you ask? It’s simple: vlogging. Vlogging started as a way to keep a video diary and share it online. It has now become a means of delivering, sharing, and informing the online community about our favorite hobbies. Whether it is politics, movies and television, toys, sports, or the theme parks, you can find a dozen or more channels posting daily content. But is the content…

Review: Guns N’ Roses 2026 World Tour

August 20, 2026August 20, 2026 Serpentorslair StaffAxl Rose and Slash Live, Guns N’ Roses 2026 Setlist, Guns N’ Roses 2026 World Tour, Guns N’ Roses Atlas and Nothin’, Guns N’ Roses August 12 2026, Guns N’ Roses Concert Review, Guns N’ Roses East Rutherford NJ, Guns N’ Roses Live Concert 2026, Guns N’ Roses MetLife Stadium, Guns N’ Roses Sabbath Bloody Sabbath1 Comment

Story by @GIJoeRepairShop On August 12, 2026, I visited MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey to experience Guns N’ Roses 2026 World Tour. You might expect a sexagenarian hair band to play for an hour or an hour and a half, bow, and then leave the stage for some rest. But, no one would ever expect that of Guns N’ Roses. The set started with a high-energy rendition of “Welcome to the Jungle” (the first song from their first album) and never looked back. Over the course of more…

The COMPLETE History of M.A.S.K. !

August 15, 2026August 15, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s nostalgia, 1980s toys, 80s nostalgia, 80s toy lines, action figures, classic toy lines, G.I. Joe, Ken ToyKennections, Kenner toys, M.A.S.K., M.A.S.K. 1980s, M.A.S.K. Masks, M.A.S.K. toy line, M.A.S.K. toys, M.A.S.K. vehicles, retro toys, toy collecting, toy history, toy photography, Toy Reviews, ToyKennections, Transformers, vintage toy collecting, vintage toys0 comment

Today Ken from ToyKennections gives us a look at the iconic 1980s toy line M.A.S.K.! Check out the video below and share your thoughts with us in the comments. As always be sure to subscribe to ToyKennections channel on YouTube for all of Ken’s latest videos!

RADIOACTIVE SHELVES: When the Neon Toys of the ’90s Took Over Our Childhoods

August 13, 2026August 13, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff10 SEO keywords: 1990s neon toys, 1990s action figures, 90s childhood nostalgia, G.I. Joe Battle Corps, Hasbro toy history, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers toys, retro toy collecting, Street Sharks toys, Toxic Crusaders figures, vintage G.I. Joe toys1 Comment

There were fluorescent greens, nuclear yellows, radioactive oranges and enough electric blue plastic to make a blacklight jealous. To adult collectors raised on the military greens of early G.I. Joe, some of those toys eventually became punchlines. But to a kid standing in Toys “R” Us? They looked incredible. Perhaps no line represents that transformation better than G.I. Joe Battle Corps. By 1993, Hasbro had grouped most of its standard Joe assortment under the Battle Corps banner while simultaneously experimenting with Mega Marines, Star Brigade and increasingly science-fiction-heavy concepts. Hasbro…

The Atari+ Platform: Bringing Back Retro Consoles the Right Way

August 13, 2026August 13, 2026 Serpentorslair StaffAtari 2600 cartridges, Atari 2600 HDMI, Atari 2600 modern console, Atari 2600 original cartridges, Atari 2600 Plus, Atari 2600 retro gaming, Atari 2600 wireless controller, Atari 2600+, Atari 2600+ console, Atari 2600+ review, Atari classic games, Atari retro gaming0 comment

Story by @GIJoeRepairShop The original Atari 2600 has released in 1977. That is nearly 50 years ago! Old Atari hardware is getting harder and harder to find, while Atari cartridges are often rotting in antique shops across the country. Television technology has also left the original Atari consoles far behind. Finding a working cathode ray tube (CRT) television and a working Atari television adaptor is becoming a harder, and more expensive, task by the day. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to play your old collection of Atari games…

Growing Up in the 80’s Part 4: Danger Zone

August 10, 2026August 10, 2026 Serpentorslair Staff1980s Arcade Memories, 1980s Childhood Memories, 80s nostalgia, Childhood Danger Zone, Destro Designs Viper Den Studios, Gen X childhood, Gen X nostalgia, growing up in the 1980s, growing up in the 80s, Pac-Man and Galaga1 Comment

By Destro Designs – Viper Den Studios I’m gonna drop a few things we did as kids that wouldn’t fly at all today. A lot of the shit I did just can’t be said in public, but these are good. At the end of my block was a laundromat. A lot happened there. In the winter, a plow would come through and push all the snow into one corner. Naturally, we would sleigh ride the hell out of that bad boy. But a seven- or eight-foot drop wasn’t enough, so…