The Splat Debuts - Halloween Throwbacks

Tonight marks a very special occasion for those of us who grew up in the '90s.  At 10PM ET on the TeenNick channel, Nickelodeon is launching "The Splat!"  In case you didn't already hear, The Splat is similar to their last block of 90s programming, "The 90s Are All That."  Every night, from 10PM - 6AM, kids of the 90s will be able to relive their childhood memories by sitting back, maxin', relaxin' all cool.  Everything from "Doug" and "Rugrats" to "Hey Arnold" and even "You Can't Do That on Television" will be featured as part of the nostalgic lineup of vintage series'.  Of course, we all wished The Splat would be a 24/7 network, but this block of programming is a nice change of pace from the lackluster "90s Are All That" and promises to showcase much more of what we all remember.

This got me thinking of all the fantastic memories I have of growing up watching Nickelodeon and Snick, especially in October, when they first aired all those classic Halloween episodes.  Back then, Halloween was a true celebration and everybody joined in on the hysteria.  Almost every series paid homage to Halloween in their own way and, more than any other network, Nickelodeon truly made themselves a destination for kids in their quest for all things spooky on TV.  So, today, in honor of The Splat going live at 10PM, we take a look back at some of the greatest Halloween episodes of the 1990s!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal - Reborn

When I first heard that a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie had been green-lit for production, I was just as excited for the new merchandise to come with it.  Whenever big super-hero movies come to life on the big screen, they pretty much come to life everywhere else, too.  Toys, video games, collectibles, clothing - you name it, it's produced.  But unlike when I was a child, the one thing we don't see tied into promotions any longer are cereals.  Growing up, I loved eating cereals associated with my favorite TV show, cartoon or movie.  Remember Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters?  How about The Addams Family?  The Jetsons?  They were all classics released by Ralston, known for their licensed cereals, in the early 90s.  Whether they tasted great or not doesn't matter, it's simply the fact that breakfast became an extension of your favorite characters.  That meant a lot to me as a kid because I couldn't get enough of what I loved.  Slimer for breakfast, an Ecto-Cooler for lunch, Flintstones Mac & Cheese for Dinner and a Turtle Pie for dessert.  To me, that sounds like one hell of a day in the life.  But when I really look back on all the classic cereals of my time, especially the ones produced by Ralston, there will always be one that stands head and shoulders above the rest... Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal!

Now, don't get your hopes up or be fooled by the image above.  No, unfortunately they did not release a new TMNT cereal.  In my opinion, somebody missed the boat and lost out on the perfect opportunity to bring back a legend.  Even if they didn't recreate the original recipe, any TMNT cereal would have sold like hot cakes.  Between the new Nickelodeon TV series and the upcoming film, I'm personally shocked that there wasn't a partnership made with General Mills.  As a fan, It's disappointing that we may never see another TMNT cereal, but who's stopping us from bringing it back ourselves?

If you look at the original ingredients, the recipe isn't all that hard to recreate.  The "Ninja Nets" were essentially Chex cereal and, upon further research, Ralstons is the former name of the original Chex, so the flavor has to be spot on.  In addition, the TMNT Cereal included marshmallows.  Although they were probably filled with a lot more sugar than what I'd find today, there are still plenty of cereals that feature marshmallows and I just so happened to have a few of them in my cabinet.  I guess buying 20 boxes of Monster Cereals last Halloween pays off in more ways than one.  Thankfully, one of those leftover Frankenberry boxes doesn't expire until the end of the month.  Now we have the Chex, we have the marshmallows, and all I needed was the box.  If you're going to bring TMNT cereal back to life, an original box is absolutely necessary and eBay offers a variety of boxes at a low price.  We're on our way.

Buying the box is one thing and it's cool to include in the background of photos, but we have to do this the right way.  So out of the modern box comes a bag of Chex and into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal box it goes.  To truly have the perfect TMNT breakfast on the morning of the new movie's release, there's nothing better than pouring a bowl of reborn cereal from the classic 1990 box.  Covered in TMNT art and images of the original Playmates toys on the back, it's the perfect way to relive the past and celebrate the future by embracing the present.

We'll add the marshmallows later, but this photo is symbolic of what I remember.  For some reason, it always seemed like there were never enough marshmallows in my TMNT cereal.  Granted, I was about 3 or 4-years-old and probably would have preferred an entire bowl of marshmallows rather than Ninja Nets, but I still think the memory is valid.  Regardless, things were going to change this time around.  By adding the marshmallows into the bowl later, we'll be sure to have just as many tiny bites of sugar as we want.  But by this point, since I haven't eaten Chex since the days of TMNT Cereal, the smell alone is already taking me back to the 90s.

I almost purchased an original Turtle Bowl that once came wrapped with the TMNT Cereal, but couldn't bring myself to doing so without it being mint.  I started to feel a bit like Howie Mandel and got germ'd out by the thought of somebody eating from that same bowl for the last 24 years.  I wish I still had my original set, but I don't think there's enough dish detergent in the world to change my mind.  So, we'll have to stick with a generic bowl of TMNT Cereal, but it still looks awesome.  Just pretend that those bats are ninja stars and those Frankeberry heads are Turtle Coms.  We have to use at least a little imagination, here!

Pour in the milk and.. voila! We've now recreated the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal!  This is something I've wanted to do for quite a while, but haven't had a reason to go out and buy everything that was needed.  But with the new movie being released in just a few hours, it was now or never.  There's no better time to embrace Turtle Power than this week and that's why we've been celebrating the franchise all week long.  For those of you who aren't fans, you're probably counting down the days to Halloween or may have already unfollowed me on Twitter, but this is a huge week for Turtle fans and fans of nostalgia alike.  The busy season will soon be upon us, but this week has been a blast and, based on other sites I've read recently, we all seem to have the same theme in mind.  I'm loving it!

When you bite down into the reborn TMNT Cereal, you're instantly brought back in time.  I mean, wow... it's pretty amazing how powerful the senses of taste and smell can be and you'll immediately have a neural reaction to the sensation.  Memories came flooding back and that's exactly why I invested the time and money into this little project.  Does it taste good?  Well, it tastes like the original cereal so... no, it doesn't taste all that great.  It's not bad, but it certainly isn't anything special and that's pretty much the story of Ralston's run with licensed cereals.  But that's not why I did this.  If I wanted a cereal that tastes great, I would have picked one that I eat all year.  No, this was done in tribute to the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and to celebrate the nostalgia that comes with everything associated with the original breakfast cereal.

Now, to throw in even more fun, did you ever wonder if those Ninja Nets really work?  In the cartoon, I've only seen them used a few times and usually, as we've seen in TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze, they usually work against our fearsome four.  So, as an added experiment, I let my TMNT Cereal sit for a while in an attempt to see what these Ninja Nets are capable of.  Would we catch anything other than bugs?

Yes!  Straight from Dimension-X, Krang thought he'd catch the upper hand while I was sleeping.  Little did he know I was luring him in with a Ninja Trap in order to save New York City and the world.  The Ninja Turtles have taught me well and, for now, the world can rest easy.  But.. where is Shredder?  He wasn't dumb enough to fall for my tricks and is still on the loose.  Until he shows his metal face, Krang will stay locked up in my room next to the other toys.  As a side note, please make sure nobody from work reads this entry ;)

In all seriousness, this was a great time and I'm very happy with how everything turned out.  This was worth every dollar and minute of time.  This site is all about bringing happiness to life, whether it's through the holidays, nostalgia, or current events, it's my goal to bring that inner child out of you and help you remember that it's important to not always take life so seriously.  If you're a Turtle fan, this is a must-make and it really only costs you the price of two cereal boxes.  If you happen to have a retro box of TMNT cereal, then that's even better.  Have fun with it, eat breakfast with somebody, share a few laughs and get creative.  Work and school will still be there when you're done.

Now I just need to figure out how to resurrect Turtle Pies!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Gummy Turtle Power Pizza

Ladies and Gentlemen, the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film will be released three weeks from today!!  I don't know about you, but I couldn't be more excited!  I've been looking forward to this movie since it was first rumored on TheTechnodrome.com's forums.  I remember thinking, "who, a live-action CGI Turtles film?  That's going to be amazinggg."  Now, say what you will about the character designs because, for the most part, I'm right there with ya.  The Turtles that I know and love are obviously not the Turtles who will be gracing the silver screen on August 8th.  But that's okay.. This is a new generation and I'm embracing the new look and hoping for the absolute best.  My hopes are high, no matter how hard I try to keep them low.  I'm pumped and I'm not even attempting to hide it.  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mean a lot to me, my childhood and the nostalgia I now celebrate.  I'll get more into that as we get closer to the film's release, but any Holidaze fans already know how much I love those four teenage turtles.  

So how do you celebrate such an awesome time in our lives?  How do you celebrate this new film?  How do you celebrate the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?  On The Holidaze, it's simple... dedicate as many posts to The Green Machine as you can between now and August 8th!  Thanks to the power of marketing and Nickelodeon, the Turtles are pretty much everywhere and we have a bunch to discuss!

We'll start off slowly and begin with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles candy featuring Nickelodeon's hit character designs.  While at work, during my lunch break, a group of manly men and I ventured to the local grocery store for a quick sandwich.  These guys don't have any interest in anything I talk about on The Holidaze, so the last thing they were looking for was Ninja Turtle candy.  But me?  I'm a giant man-child and my eyes were moving a mile a minute.  Candy, soda, chips, cereal.. you name it.  I'm always looking for something.  I didn't see much, but when I saw Gummy Turtle Power Candy Pizza, there was nooo way I was passing it up.  At the risk of being ridiculed by men twice my age and size, I grabbed a box and walked over to the cashier like I had just struck gold.  Nobody saw the 27-year-old man pay for his Turtle candy but, even if they did, there was no stopping me.  At that point, I could have easily been confused for Vanilla Ice.

When I got back to work, I did a quick Google search and learned that these aren't all that new, but they're new to me so I couldn't wait to get home and rip open the box.  The Gummy Pizza's don't look like the design pictured on the box, but I actually prefer their actual appearance much more.  There's something about them that reminds me of my childhood.  Do you remember Slime Slurps?  I vaguely remember the slimy, gummy creatures molded into TMNT heroes and villains.  They were strung out in Toys R Us and always drew me in.  Man, I'm having quite the flashback now as I write this.  I knew that these Gummy Pizza's wouldn't share the same texture, but the shape and color surely brings about nostalgia!  That's already a step in the right direction!

Out of the wrapper, you can see the slight detail they added to the Gummy Pizza's.  Again, it's a far cry from what's pictured on the box and looks more like faux vomit you'd find in an old magic shop. The chunky pepperoni pieces a bit less appetizing now that we've crossed that bridge, but I'm willing to accept and overlook that for the Ninja Turtles.  In reality, these don't look, smell, or feel much different than any gummy candies you'd find in your standard candy-by-the-pound stores.  You know, the ones where you fill a plastic bag with more candy that you'll ever eat in your life?  Yeah, well you can't have those without these and, by this point, I had pretty much figured these were Peach Rings without the hole or sugar coating.

I was pretty close.. They're more like those Gummy Strawberries that are red on top and pink on the bottom.  That's the texture, anyway.  But the flavor?  Very bland.  It's a dull battle between cherry and peach, but it's mostly flavorless.  These aren't something I'd eat regularly and they'll probably sit around in my kitchen until I sneak them into theaters on August 8th, but they're just okay..  I love them for being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' candy, but maybe they're better off in the three-fingered hands of another.

Mikey!  He likes it!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fruit Snacks

When I was a kid, there was no cooler cartoon than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I've briefly talked about it in the past, but I was obsessed with them and my parents spoiled me with every piece of merchandise they released.  In the 90s, that meant a full line of TMNT action figures, clothes, games, cards, seasonal items, stickers, lunch boxes, cereal, pies, ice cream and fruit snacks.  That's just to name a few and, believe me, I had it all!  I am very fortunate to have had an amazing childhood, which probably explains why I never grew up, and appreciate the memories that came with the thousands of dollars my parents spent to make me happy.

Today, with the Ninja Turtles back and rising in popularity on Nickelodeon for a new generation of children (and 26-year-old losers,) it's time for the juggernaut machine to pump it all out again!

For the first time in years, there is a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles food item out on shelves!  TMNT Fruit Snacks from Betty Crocker are out now and they were a pain in the ass to find!  As soon as I heard about them, via Top Hat Sasquatch, I knew I'd be on the hunt.  I read that they were stocked at Wal-Mart, but the one near me is horrible.  Then I checked Target, but they've been letting me down lately.  Finally, I went to Stop & Shop to see if they'd surprise me and, thankfully, they did!  I tried to keep cool and act like it was no big deal, but I just so happened to be wearing a TMNT T-Shirt that day so, who was I kidding?  Despite my crazy eyes, I was pumped.

I like the box and art a lot because it reminds me of the old school fruit snacks I used to eat as a kid.  For some reason, TMNT fruit snacks have always been released in a yellow box with Turtle graphics.  I guess the green pops against the yellow so well that they don't want to fix what's not broken.  You don't sell as much merchandise as the TMNT have over the course of 25+ years without knowing a thing or two about marketing.  Product and package design is largely responsible for the attraction.  Action figure packaging was just as cool, if not cooler, than the figure attached to it.  I've always admired the art associated with merchandise and the TMNT have never let me down.

As you can tell from the top of the box, we have 6 different snacks being offered to us within the 10 pouches.  We have Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Master Splinter and Shredder.  Green is an odd color for Shred Head, right?  I would have chosen white and treated him like the elusive Great White Shark in "Shark Bites" fruit snacks.  They will always be my favorite because of the thrill I got out of finding the white shark.  Oh well, Shredder is green!

More proof that TMNT does an awesome job with their packaging.  The tiny pouches scream "Ninja Turtles" in every way.  Besides featuring the characters themselves, they're green with a yellow tint and contrast perfectly against the box.  As somebody who loves graphic design, it's art that I can appreciate. I'm going to keep one pouch unopened and keep it on my wall next to my 2007 TMNT Air Head wrapper. I also plan on buying a 2nd box to keep closed.  Maybe, 20 years from now, I'll sell it to today's young nerds in the making.

Okay, so, the detail on these fruit snacks doesn't really live up to the box art, but you can still make out the characters.  If they weren't colored, we'd probably have no idea which Ninja Turtle is which, but I'd at least be able to guarantee who Splinter and Shredder are.  If I remember correctly, the original fruit snacks released in the 90s were designed to be full-body models.  I don't know if it's fair to call fruit snacks "models," but they were highly detailed.  These are just the heads and could have used some extra time and effort.  But honestly, I couldn't care less!  These could have been shaped like Gushers and I would have loved them just because they're branded with TMNT.  That's the selling point and, judging by the amount left on the shelf, it's working.

I had to open three pouches to find Donatello.  Look at how many red, orange, and yellows there are in that pile.  Donnie was killing me.  I wasn't looking to eat so many fruit snacks just yet, I just wanted to get a picture of each one before I did the review.  Now I have no choice.. Ah, it's a tough job!

When it comes to the Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon, I'm not the biggest fan of their appearance.  I still like 2-D animation, but get that technology has taken cartoons in a new direction.  But what I do love about the new Ninja Turtles is that it's sparked an interest with children and they're once again popular.  Nickelodeon is doing a great job marketing the show and, because of it, it's giving old school fans, like me, an opportunity to remember the past.  It's also ignited a wave of vintage merchandise that directly targets me and takes my money without question.  It'll eventually leave me broke, but it's hard for me to pass up on cool TMNT products.  The fruit snacks were a hit, but I'm hoping for cereal next.  If we get that, that's when you'll know the Ninja Turtles are officially back on top.  Maybe in 2014 when the new movie comes out.  For now, I'm a happy nerd eating some fruit snacks!

Are You Afraid of the Dark Returns!

If you grew up in the 90s, then you should already be well aware of Nickelodeon's "The 90s Are All That" block on TeenNick.  If you're not, then you're surely missing out on classic entertainment.  Since the return of the 90s, we've already seen All That, Kenan and Kel, Clarissa Explains it All, Doug, Hey Arnold, and Rocko's Modern Life come back to life.  But, what I've been waiting for most is about to strike and, as expected, Nick chose the most fitting time of year.  This Friday, we once again join the Midnight Society for the return of Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Who can forget Zeebo the Clown?  I know I can't, no matter how hard I try.  He, along with the countless characters like him, are etched into my memory forever.  When I was a kid, my cousins and I used to throw Snick Parties every Saturday night.  We'd lay a blanket out on the floor, surround ourselves with as much candy as chips as people would buy for us, and get ready for the scariest half-hour of the week!  My family and I still talk about those times to this day because they were just way too much fun.  My oldest cousin is now married with a baby boy, but I'd be willing to bet she'd be interested in bringing him to an Are You Afraid of the Dark party.  The torch must now be passed on to the next generation!

If you're as excited as I am for this monumental occasion, then you're most likely smiling like the Ghastly Grinner.  Remember him?  His evil powers had you giggling like a maniac.  I'm sure, like those powers, Are You Afraid of the Dark will come off pretty cheesy this weekend.  The acting was horrible and the lines were corny, but who can say that those stories weren't scary?  The 13th Floor? The Nightly Neighbors who kept blood on ice?  The Fire Ghost?  I could go on and on!  These are classic episodes from, what I consider, a legendary series!

According to TeenNick, the Are You Afraid of the Dark marathon begins 10/28 at Midnight and will last through Halloween.  In addition, you can also vote for your favorite Halloween episodes from other classic 90s series' at http://www.the90sareallthat.com/.  Doug and Salute Your Shorts already have my votes.  I mean, Are You Afraid of the Dark and Zeke the Plumber all in one weekend?  Especially after I just mentioned good ol' Zeke last night?  It's all just shaping up to be an epic Halloweekend.

If you're not already pumped up enough, then go back in time by listening to the opening and closing themes.  I still get chills