Uploaded April 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The 80s may have been the golden age for both toys and kids' TV. He Man, Thundercats, GI Joe... it was the best time in history for action and action figures. Mattel had a grand idea to combine the two into one experience: Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future would not only present a futuristic drama, but also allow the kids watching the show to participate in real-time with interactive toys.
At least... that was the idea.
The reality of Captain Power was a disastrous mismatch of concepts for the Captain Power toys and the show itself. Was the show made for kids or adults? Yes! Was it CGI or live action? Yes! Were the toys awesome, interfacing seamlessly with a television show that would be the next big thing for giant toy-maker Mattel?
No -- a resounding no.
Our Captain Power documentary enters the worlds of retro gaming, 80's toys, and television lore to find out what went so wrong... and what ended up going very, very right.
Special thanks to Captain Disillusion, German Banda, Tom Lieber and Peter Paltridge.
#RetroGaming #80s #Science #technology
The 80s may have been the golden age for both toys and kids' TV. He Man, Thundercats, GI Joe... it was the best time in history for action and action figures. Mattel had a grand idea to combine the two into one experience: Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future would not only present a futuristic drama, but also allow the kids watching the show to participate in real-time with interactive toys.
At least... that was the idea.
The reality of Captain Power was a disastrous mismatch of concepts for the Captain Power toys and the show itself. Was the show made for kids or adults? Yes! Was it CGI or live action? Yes! Were the toys awesome, interfacing seamlessly with a television show that would be the next big thing for giant toy-maker Mattel?
No -- a resounding no.
Our Captain Power documentary enters the worlds of retro gaming, 80's toys, and television lore to find out what went so wrong... and what ended up going very, very right.
Special thanks to Captain Disillusion, German Banda, Tom Lieber and Peter Paltridge.
#RetroGaming #80s #Science #technology
