The It Was a Thing on TV Podcast Network

In the last year, one of the most sought after pieces of lost media was discovered.  FOX passed on a US version of Sailor Moon in 1994, and all that existed was a brief video from 1995.

Back in the day, you know you made it, in a pop culture sense, if your product had a Saturday morning cartoon.  In 1985, pro wrestling reached that pinnacle with Hulkamania running wild, wrestling scattered throughout the TV landscape, and the cartoon Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling.

Did you ever notice some people have some shows essentially omitted from their resumes?  We had never heard about Charles Nelson Reilly on Uncle Croc's Block until Mike went down a rabbit hole one night.  And after seeing this and its associated cartoons, you can't blame CNR from forgetting this misstep.

What started in 1985 as a popular Christmas toy tradition at a midwest department store, Santabear became so popular that two years later, CBS gave him his own primetime special on Christmas Eve 1987.

Santabear must help the residents of the South Pole discover the magic of Christmas while facing off with Santa's former helper Bullybear. With the help of a lady bear named Missy, Santabear goes on a high flying adventure to save Christmas for everyone before Bullybear can destroy all the presents.

Seriously, who hires a bear that calls himself Bullybear?

Later this week is Star Trek Day, and we're talking about what is considered a continuation of the original series, done four years after the original's cancellation.  Is this true Star Trek canon?  Judge for yourself as we dive into Star Trek: The Animated Series.

For the 109th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking last year, we looked at S.O.S. Titanic, a TV movie from 1979 with Susan St. James among others.  (UH OH!)  This year for the 110th anniversary, we're covering a much more light-hearted take, answering the question "What if Disney made a movie about the Titanic?"  Thanks to Robert Smigel, we think it might look a little like Titey.

In 1986, Disney did what Disney does best--make money, specifically with a new cartoon that already had a line of plush dolls.  But the direction Disney went was unconventional.  Fluppy Dogs were not dogs.  Rather, they were interdimensional travelers.  It's not your average Disney cartoon.

Fluppy Dogs - History of Disney Television Animation (Toonamp) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oNfB1biUnc

This show is so bad that none of us made it past 15 minutes into the first episode, yet it somehow lasted for 3 seasons?!  Apparently Freddie Freaker's cousin gets into situations and hilarity ensues.

We bring 2021's recaps to a close with yet another Rankin-Bass holiday special, Rudolph's Shiny New Year.  We also sing a bad rendition of a popular theme song, we talk about both the 1976 and 1985 Detroit Pistons, and we hypothesize about if New Year's Eve failed to exist after 1976 and about how we'd be celebrating the 46th year of 50 Grand Slam.

We continue this year's look at holiday treasures with a Christmas tale about leprechauns?  The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold aired in 1981 and really has nothing to do with the holidays minus a scant few mentions of Christmas.  However, some big names lent their voices to this special.