The Weekly Links: Trapper Keeper History, Cosby Vs. Astros, TMNT Mario Mashup

Welcome dear RD80s followers to another recap of this past week's court of retro royalty know as The Weekly Links! A side note before we begin...my work load has increased at my 'real job' which means I'm less motivated to write content at night. But if you follow RD80s on Facebook or Twitter, you'll still see 80s linkage every day. Plus, I've also tried to make my workday go faster by listening to classic 80s albums in their entirety on Youtube (advantage to now working much of the day by myself.) So if you see me sharing my daily soundtrack, I invite you to listen along and give me feedback on your favorite tracks from each album!

Another quick note, instead of celebrating Halloween this October, RD80s will be honoring the 30th anniversary of the A-Team!! Beginning October 1st, my pal Wyatt and I will be featuring a series of 'A-Team At 30' articles that will run throughout the month (like we did with Knight Rider last year) AND I'll also give followers an opportunity to win an exclusive 'A-Team At 30 Giveaway' featuring new and vintage goodies. Check back next week for details!

Now onto The Weekly Links!

12 Reasons Why the Brat Pack Ruled the '80s - IFC
 - Accompanying recent showings of the film St. Elmo's Fire, IFC gave us a dozen reasons to rewatch it. For me, Demi Moore's hair is one of the best reasons.

More Houstonians watch '80s sitcom reruns than the Astros - Mercury News

 - Sunday's game against the Cleveland Indians earned a 0.0 Neilsen rating while a rerun of the Cosby Show earned a 0.5 rating. Wow.

The History of the Trapper Keeper - Mental Floss

 - Great comprehensive article that's well secured with a metal snap or velcro.

1980s cult film Heathers made into a musical - Gulf News

 - Remember the 1988 film Heathers starring Winona Rider, Christian Slater, and Shannon Doherty? You could be seeing it again someday on Broadway. If you don't remember it, watch the full movie on Youtube.

Sting's Musical 'The Last Ship' Is Broadway Bound - Rolling Stone

 - In more musical news, Sting has already set sail on Broadway with his musical. The headline made me think of this Christmas tune.

20 Board Games Based on ’70s and ’80s Television Shows - Mental Floss

 - Out of the 20 games listed, I only knew about 5 that existed. I wonder if anyone has ever played a drinking game using the Cheers board game?

10 Essential Stuffed Animals of the 1980s - UnderScoopFire

 - A rich kid that lived up the street when I was little had a Teddy Ruxpin. I always wanted to see what would happen if I had put my Run DMC Raisin' Hell cassette in him.

8-Bit Cinema: The Dark Knight - Cinefix 

 - Cinefix shows us what it would be like to play The Dark Knight on NES in the '80s. Also check out this video of Sonic the Hedgehog re-imagined for Atari 2600.

Back to the 80s: Interview with actor Mark Metcalf - Kickin' it Old School '80s

 - Old School Tim's latest interview is with Mark Metcalf aka "Neidermeyer" from Animal House who went on to appear in the 80s cop drama Hill Street Blues and also Twisted Sister's 'We're Not Gonna Take It' music video.

The Gadget We Miss: The Calculator Watch - Gizmodo

 - Marty McFly and Sting knew that calculator watches were stylish and practical...so why don't we still wear them?

Teenage Mutant Koopa Troopas - James Farr

 - Easily my favorite video of the week. If you like it, you'll LOVE his other mashup Super Mario Busters.