Link Tank: Retro TV Shows That Were Created to Sell Toys
Retro TV shows made to sell toys, George Lucas' first film, Netflix's Biggie, and more in today's Link Tank!
From My Little Pony ‘n Friends to G.I. Joe, here are some retro kids’ TV show created to sell toys.
“In the 1980s, kids didn’t need to rely on imagination alone to create elaborate worlds for their toys. They just had to watch Saturday morning cartoons to learn about the personalities, backstories, and adventures of their favorite stuffed animals and action figures.”
The studio behind Final Fantasy has unveiled their newest game, Fantasian. Here’s everything we know about it so far.
“Hironobu Sakaguchi’s studio Mistwalker unveiled its newest game, Fantasian, in March 2021. While it’s a mobile game for Apple Arcade, it still innovates on the classic isometric turn-based RPG formula with a novel new ‘Dimengeon’ mechanic and using dioramas to craft the game’s beautiful environments. Apple Arcade isn’t exactly a must-buy service just yet, but Fantasian could be the tipping point.”
Actress Katie Leung, who played Cho Chang in the Harry Potter films, recalled racist comments from the Potter fandom and a lack of internal support from Warner Bros.
“Katie Leung got her big breaking playing Cho Chang in the Harry Potter film series. Yet, she dealt with racist insults and abuse from the fandom, only to be told to keep it quiet. While speaking on the podcast Chinese Chippy Girl, the actress talked about feeling pressured to live up to the description of the popular Ravenclaw girl that J.K. Rowling created.”
Let’s take a look back at Star Wars creator George Lucas’ first film, THX 1138, on its 50th anniversary.
“Say the name George Lucas and people obviously think Star Wars. That tends to happen when you create one of the biggest film franchises of all time. But when Lucas himself thinks of his career, you have to suspect he thinks back to its origins. It all began with a dystopian sci-fi student film that became a feature that would launch a career that would change the world as we know it: THX 1138.”
TikTok is giving creators more control over comments, as well as prompting commenters to reconsider inappropriate remarks.
“When you’ve spent all day planning, filming, and editing your latest clip, the last thing you want is trolls invading your post. Simply enable the Filter All Comments feature to decide which observations appear on your videos; comments are not displayed unless you approve them. And while this doesn’t stop people from being harassed, it does ensure the rest of the world won’t see that harassment.”
Netflix’s Biggie documentary about The Notorious B.I.G. highlights previously overlooked parts of the rapper’s life.
“Die-hard rap fans have known since The Notorious B.I.G.’s second and final studio album Life After Death that the legendary Brooklyn rapper had a story to tell, but Netflix’s new original documentary about the hip-hop icon reveals how so much of his story has actually gone overlooked for decades. “
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