Yabba Zonkers Zoinks! A Gen X 4 Life Podcast

The internet giveth and the internet taketh away! No, seriously. It gave us My Space and Geocities then took away CDs and tapes and magazines and maps and our sanity. Our generation was there at the birth of the WWW monster that consumed us and left us with a pocket full of fiction. Join us as we laugh our way through Josh's blogs and cry with us as we mourn the demise of the Yellow Pages and the good old fax machine with its never ending roll of fading memos. What do you miss that the internet gobbled up?  Go to Speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcast and leave a short message!Have a YZZ! day!

Candy! Costumes! Skeletons! Decor! Decor? Yes, It's all about the stuff you hang on your house and who can scare the most kids on Halloween night! Join Josh and Tyler as they remember past Halloween school parties, the best Scooby episodes and of course peanut butter cups and Fun Dip!If you want to see Josh's Halloween Porch you can check it out at instragram.com/genx4life_podcast And have a Yabba Zonkers Boo!

Josh goes into the cornfield to haunt down some vendors and special guests at the Great Canadian Halloween Market in Mississauga Ontario. This special episode is Josh asking vendors and special guests about their Halloween memories. For more details on the show and guests, check these out:greatcanadianhalloween.comNikkalcaraz.comInstagram @sugarfreakshowsalemsblackhatsociety.orgAnd if you want to share your Halloween memories go tospeakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcastBoo!

Hey Ghoulies! No episode this week as I will be at the Great Canadian Halloween Market eating delicious Halloween treats and recording your Halloween memories! That's right! Live! Or is it Undead? Either way, I'll be the guy in the skeleton onesie with a table for you to drop by and visit.  I'll be setting up short sessions to talk to you so be ready with your campfire ghost stories!The Great Canadian Halloween Market is one day only-Sep 21 in Missassauga, ON. Go here for tickets and details! https://greatcanadianhalloween.com/And if you can't make it, then you can record a short Halloween memory at https://www.speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcast

Live bands have been in our Gen X lives since forever. Like way back in the day when Josh saw Shaun Cassidy take his pants off in the Pacific Coliseum and the time Jimmy Somerville walked off stage after 2.5 songs. His band was just a boom box so it was a quick exit. Music is the soundtrack of our lives and we really lived! Who was your first live concert? Who was your worst concert?  What was YOUR shortest concert experience?speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcastDon't forget to come by the https://greatcanadianhalloween.com/ market on Sep 21 in Mississauga and see me live! In person! Maybe in costume! Yay!Until then, have a yabba zonkers zoinks weekend!

Josh reminisces about his years as  Toys R Us kid and Tyler answers trivia about the origins of the company. Toys have changed and the business is changing making it harder to find traditional toys in a troubled economy. Where you a TRU kid? Got some memories to share?speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcastOr stop by and leave a comment on Spotify or Instagram. I'll be live at https://greatcanadianhalloween.com/  market on Sep 21 in Mississauga so come by and share your Halloween stories!Until then, have a Yabba Zonkers Zoinks! Saturday!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was one of the biggest kids shows and toy lines of all time! Josh tells the tales of his 10 year journey as a fan and collector while Tyler tries to guess how many seasons had Green Rangers! It's a story of a boy and his plastic and the lockers he rented to store them all in.It's definitely more fun time!Share you morphin memory at speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcastOr send a message with a question to instagram.com/genx4life_podcastAnd we'll see YOU next Saturday morning! 

Growing up Gen X meant we had to look awesome! Josh and Tyler talk embarrassing fashion choices, 80's fashion icons and hair that we had! What was your most embarrassing outfit? What was your favourite piece of clothing?It wouldn't be a gen x experience if it didn't involve looking fabulous!Take a minute and let us know about your gen x fashion at https://www.speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcastSee you on the catwalk!

Well, we've done it again. Recorded our mindless rambles about the good ole' days. It starts with what we were doing on August 31, 1984 and ended with how much money we'd have if we sold all our best Gen X memorabilia. It's not as much as you'd think. But if you remember grecian tone phones, Sony boomboxes or the Atari 2600 game, Lost Luggage then this one is for you.Your homework if you choose to accept it is to...Subscribe! We're on the best podcast stations. Leave a question on Speakpipe at https://www.speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcastOr give us a Gen X topic on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569235965128Or Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/genx4life_podcast/We'll mark your homework and get back to you on a future episode!

Once again, NO SPOILERS! We talk most things Fantastic 4 but we haven't seen First Steps yet! We are both fans of the comics and the few cartoons we got so we'll have to check in next week to get the ratings on the new movie! Hopefully it goes better than the fiasco that was the Superman episode. And the real story of the Fantasticar Christmas gift comes out! Turns out one of us is getting old and losing his memory...Don't forget, you can leave a voice message, question, topic or whatever at www.speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcastNo also on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@genx4life.podcast

Spoiler Alert! There are no spoilers! Both Josh and Tyler saw the new Superman movie and they disagreed on the film's rating so they changed the subject and talked about other Superman movies, tv shows and toys. Gen X kids had a lot of Superman to enjoy growing up so we shared what we loved and didn't love. And if you want to see how many thumbs the hosts gave the 2025 Superman, well you'll have to just listen. And then go to speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcast to let us know what you thought. 

Back in our day, McDonald’s was the fine dining experience we begged for. Whether you sat in the Mc Train, or the Mc Pirate ship, you were guaranteed a face full of second-hand smoke and a souvenir ashtray you could play with like a Frisbee! Join us as we mostly laugh through Gen X memories of fast food, Mc Toys and the breakfast that left competitors behind in the smoke. Cough, cough.

This episode takes its cues from the Retro Fan magazine! A little history about flying discs, then some chat about disks "Lost in space" and a wrap up with a TV quiz about the musical instruments that some classic TV characters played! We also get off topic and talk about Jaws again and beach movies and well, you'll have to listen to find out the rest!To check out the awesome Retro Fans magazine, go here- twomorrows.comTo leave us a question or a topic to chat about, go here- speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcastTo connect through social media, go here- instragram.com/genx4life_podcast

It may sound boring, and yes, we had a hard time staying awake, but that's not because books are boring! Opposite! Tyler's type of nerd is comics and Josh's nerd is sci-fi fantasy! And sometimes mystery. Like the Three Investigators, or the world of Narnia and who can forget the Riddle Master of Hed? Well, Josh can't. So join us for an episode dedicated to all the books we have loved. Well, not all of them. Just a few. And yes, we talk about Star Wars, and Dune. And Bladerunner. What's your favourite book? Let us know at speakpipe.com/denx4lifepodcastSend a message at Instagram at instgram.com/genx4life_podcast

Can you believe the Jaws movie came out 50 years ago? Of course most of us Gen X kids were too young to see the movie on the big screen but it was part of our pop culture for the longest time. Tyler is a mega fan so join us as we talk shark memories, sing Baby Shark and share our fears of being in water! What's your favourite Jaws memory? Did you buy the Jaws Lego? Or see the Shark is Broken?Let us know on social media or leave a voice message at www.speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcast 

The Gen X generation has a lot of collectors. And by collectors we mean, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Lego,  and even Power Rangers. Like Josh, who started his collecting at the age of 10 with his first Micronauts! But it didn't stop there. Soon he would have amassed a 20 season Power Rangers collection alongside his Sailor Moon and Samurai Pizza Cat toys from Japan. For now, let's just focus on the Power Rangers, Transformers and Tyler's Funko Pop! collection. Check out www.thepowerdome.comLeave a question at www.speakpipe.com/genx4lifepodcast

TV was our internet. It was our view of the world as we grew up. Everything from Saturday morning cartoons, prime time soaps, laugh out loud sitcoms and Minnesota mellodrama helped us find our heroes, our villains and our escapes. Join us as we talk about some of the shows that we grew up with like the Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie and The Facts of life. When your done, check out https://www.speakpipe.com/GenX4LifePodcast to ask your questions, suggest a topic or share your Gen X stories. And of course, have a Yabba Zonkers Zoinks Saturday!

We finally got to the holy grail of Saturday Mornings! The cartoons that gave us the musical sensations that we wanted to be! The Archies, Josie and the Pussycats, The Flintstones and for a select few, Barbie and the Rockers! We sang, we danced, we loved. Join Josh and Tyler as they spin their way through the hits of a Gen X childhood! 

Marine Boy! Speed Racer! Gatchaman! Irwin Cartoons! So many imported childhood memories! Join us as we gush over our favourite Japanese animations from our Gen X years. The cartoons that made us swim like dolphins, ride our bikes like race cars and wear towels like capes! And after you've subscribed leave a voice message on Https://www.speakpipe.com/GenX4LifePodcast letting us know your favourite Japanese show! Have a Yabba Zonkers Zoinks Day! 

Hey Gen X'ers, you remember, after cartoons you got kicked outside for the next few hours to fend for yourself!  So that's when you became Speed Racer on your rocket bike, or clotheslined some neighborhood kids with a friendly game of Red Rover or got kissed playing tag! Anything could happen back then. Join us as we climb the tallest trees and watch our memories go by like making pies with a bicycle made for two! Stop by social media and find the Speakpipe link to let me know what your favourite outside game was!

To get you warmed up, it all begins with a Trivial Pursuit Totally 80's TV question. After that it's all downhill as Josh and Tyler yank gold records, hungry sharks and rodent traps from their dusty memory banks. Gen X was raised on board games and we are no exception. So what was your favourite rainy Saturday pastime? Were you a Monopoly mogul? Married with children in a tiny plastic car? Or a Pikachu master that never once played the game? Head to https://www.speakpipe.com/GenX4LifePodcast to leave a message that we might add to a future podcast! Until then, keep it Yabba Zonkers Zoinks!

After Josh's stint at the Toronto Comicon with the Canadian Podcast Awards table, he was inspired to talk about some of the cons he attended. Tyler remembers a family singing the Japanese Sailor Moon theme song, Josh remembers taking the bus to see Gene Roddenberry's home movies and so much more. So stick around and join the laughs. And when you are done, check out some the social media sites, leave a message or record one letting us know your favourite celebrity meeting! Until then. have a Yabba Zonkers Zoinks! Saturday.

What was the most you ever spent on a collectible toy? Josh spent a whole lot on some dolls, but what secret is Tyler hiding? You'll have to listen to find out in this episode of show n' tell. And just so you don't feel left out, you can see all the visuals on [email protected]. And while you're there check out the Speakpipe link to let us know with your own voice! Have a Yabba! Zonkers! Zoinks! Saturday!

Ben from Toronto starts the morning with a comic book memory then Josh and Tyler jump right in to discuss their favourite comic books and which is the better universe, DC or Marvel. You'll have to listen to find out! Did you have a favourite comic book series as a kid? Then we wrap up the morning testing Tyler's memory from one of his favourite female band comics, that's right, Josie and the Pussycats! Don't forget if you are at the Toronto Comic Con March 14th, drop by the Canadian Podcast Awards table in the Community zone to meet Josh IN PERSON! He'll have some games, some vintage comic prizes and maybe some swag! https://fanexpohq.com/comicontoronto/community-zone/ for details

It was Tyler's pick for the topic this week and he really, really wanted to talk about music in 1985. Turns out it was opposite week and he really, really hates 1985. So we dug into it and laughed and cried through a bumpy year in music. It had some gems and it had some dirt. You tell us. Was there a song or a band in 85 that really did it for you? And what colour was your hair?

We're back! Josh and Tyler ride the memory train through some of the movies that made us laugh and some that didn't. Did The Apple Dumpling Gang make the cut or was it Disney's That Darn Cat that stole our hearts and ran off with them in its spaceship. You'll have to listen to find out. Don't forget to check us out on Instagram at genx4life_podcast and share your favourite Gen X movie memory. 

Josh and Tyler are spinning some memory disks and sharing records of their childhood. Actual records. the round 8" and 12" disks of Read Along stories from tales of yore. Remember Disneyland Records? Or Peter Pan records? Or Moppet records and their fairy tale renditions? We do! So read along, check out genx4life_podcast on Instagram to see what we are talking about and have a Yabba Zonkers Zoinks! morning.  

Josh and Tyler get to the core of a Gen X Saturday morning, the nourishment. That would be crunchy, fortified, mouth shredding, blood spiking shapes of wheat and sugar with puzzles on the box for us to solve while we ate. Sweet, sweet cereal. Literally. If it glistened in the sun and came in a box with animated characters that were featured in their own 60 second shows, we knew the taste, sang the jingles and begged mom for more.  We Yabba'd the Zonkers out of those Zoinkin' bits!

When we were kids, we got up extra early for a morning session of cereal and the wacky antics of a parade of animal cartoons. Whether they were solving a mystery, taking down bad guys or playing the drums in a band, there was no end of hilarious animal characters to laugh with. Join Josh and Tyler as they stroll through memory land with just a few of their favourite creatures. Who was your favourite? Drop in to genx4life_podcast on Instagram or look for us on Facebook and share your fave animated beast. 

Join Josh Downing and pop culture guru, Tyler as they talk some Christmas memories. They'll laugh, then cry and then laugh again as remember things then quickly forget them again. They had so much to reminisce about they had to make this 2 episodes! So put on your jingle bells, grab some Nestle Tollhouse cookies and a glass of whole milk and joins us for a Yabba Zonkers Zoinks morning!

Podcasting is hard! But we talked so much about Christmas that we had to make this special bonus Part 2 episode now with 10% Real Boxing Day Facts! Now you're probably wondering why we would spend so much time talking about Boxing Day, and we wondered that too! So we'll play a really hard game and laugh some more and we promise next week we'll talk about cartoons! So subscribe already!

Starting January 18th 2025, your host Josh Downing will take you on a Saturday morning ride through his Gen X Saturday mornings. This season focuses on the cartoons we loved, the toys we coveted and the cereal we gobbled up while wearing flannel jammies in front of an old tube tv. The kind of tv that came in an ornate wood chest with a 2 button clicker on a wire to change the channel. So lick that gold star and stick it on your Scooby Doo calendar so you won't forget to join me Saturday mornings at 7am for a Gen X rocket ride of memories!Check me out on Instagram at genX4life_podcast or email at [email protected]