WEBVTT 00:00:00.964 --> 00:00:03.967 Right now on "Adam Eats the '80s" 00:00:04.134 --> 00:00:06.094 I'm looking at one of the biggest businesses 00:00:06.177 --> 00:00:09.347 that blew up in the decade, the kid business. 00:00:09.472 --> 00:00:11.975 we hear the origin story of a cool candy 00:00:12.100 --> 00:00:14.644 that was almost called Crunchers. 00:00:14.728 --> 00:00:16.646 These are Nerds, and 00:00:16.730 --> 00:00:18.732 get an exclusive look 00:00:18.857 --> 00:00:21.609 at how this iconic candy is created. 00:00:21.735 --> 00:00:23.028 Nice, we're doing the full combo, 00:00:23.194 --> 00:00:25.572 the orange and cherry will be seen again. 00:00:25.697 --> 00:00:28.116 And then we find out how a giant rodent 00:00:28.241 --> 00:00:30.660 became every kid's birthday buddy. 00:00:30.785 --> 00:00:32.120 Oh my God! 00:00:32.203 --> 00:00:33.163 So get ready. 00:00:34.247 --> 00:00:35.206 That's so good. 00:00:36.124 --> 00:00:38.251 I'm on the hunt to relive 00:00:38.334 --> 00:00:40.628 an extraordinary decade 00:00:40.712 --> 00:00:42.338 for food, the 1980s. 00:00:43.339 --> 00:00:47.552 It's an era of iconic hits and misses. 00:00:47.886 --> 00:00:50.013 Join me, Adam Richmond, as we get a long-lost taste 00:00:50.096 --> 00:00:53.016 of the icons 00:00:53.099 --> 00:00:54.350 and the forgotten. 00:00:55.018 --> 00:00:56.853 Oh, talk about smell. 00:00:57.187 --> 00:00:59.856 Because food is my time machine 00:01:00.065 --> 00:01:02.150 and I've been waiting my whole life. 00:01:02.275 --> 00:01:03.151 I'm literally drooling, 00:01:03.234 --> 00:01:04.861 for one more bite. 00:01:11.659 --> 00:01:14.704 The '80s was the decade when corporate America realized 00:01:15.371 --> 00:01:18.041 kids held the keys to their parents' wallets, 00:01:18.166 --> 00:01:19.876 and there was a lot of money to be made. 00:01:20.001 --> 00:01:22.295 Thanks to government deregulation of how children 00:01:22.462 --> 00:01:26.132 were marketed to, the direct influence kids had 00:01:26.216 --> 00:01:29.677 on parental purchasing grew from 5 billion in the '60s 00:01:29.844 --> 00:01:33.139 to 50 billion by 1984. 00:01:33.306 --> 00:01:34.766 And it wasn't just the cool kids 00:01:34.891 --> 00:01:36.893 that were reaping the rewards. 00:01:37.018 --> 00:01:40.313 The 1980s were unquestionably the decade 00:01:40.396 --> 00:01:42.857 where the geeks inherited the earth. 00:01:43.691 --> 00:01:45.819 Nerds were strapping on proton packs 00:01:45.944 --> 00:01:47.821 and defending the world from ghosts. 00:01:47.946 --> 00:01:50.156 Nerds were becoming kings of the campus 00:01:50.281 --> 00:01:54.160 in the iconic 1984 movie "Revenge of the Nerds." 00:01:54.285 --> 00:01:56.704 They even got their own candy. 00:01:56.830 --> 00:02:00.708 In 1983, Nerds candy was introduced 00:02:00.792 --> 00:02:02.210 and soon became such a phenomenon 00:02:02.293 --> 00:02:06.422 that they earned the title candy of the year in 1985. 00:02:06.548 --> 00:02:09.384 The little tiny brightly colored pebbles 00:02:09.509 --> 00:02:11.469 that had this satisfying crunch, 00:02:11.594 --> 00:02:14.472 and to me, one of the coolest aspects of Nerds 00:02:14.597 --> 00:02:17.142 is, was, and has always been the packaging. 00:02:17.267 --> 00:02:18.685 You got two flavors in a box 00:02:18.810 --> 00:02:21.396 with these little re-sealable doors. 00:02:21.563 --> 00:02:24.149 You had control, which for a kid was pretty rare, 00:02:24.274 --> 00:02:25.859 but pretty cool. 00:02:29.320 --> 00:02:30.572 Today I am in Skokie, Illinois 00:02:30.738 --> 00:02:33.783 at the Knechtel candy labs with Bob squared, 00:02:33.908 --> 00:02:35.743 I have Bob Boutin, Bob Anderson 00:02:35.827 --> 00:02:38.204 two of the original inventors of Nerds. 00:02:39.330 --> 00:02:40.874 The two Bobs developed candies 00:02:40.999 --> 00:02:43.334 for the Willy Wonka candy company 00:02:43.459 --> 00:02:45.128 to capitalize on the wacky inventions 00:02:45.253 --> 00:02:48.548 from the 1964 book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." 00:02:50.592 --> 00:02:53.136 These inventions brilliantly came to life 00:02:53.261 --> 00:02:56.222 in the beloved film "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" 00:02:56.347 --> 00:02:57.473 starring Gene Wilder. 00:02:57.599 --> 00:02:59.225 But instead of lickable wallpaper 00:02:59.350 --> 00:03:01.144 or fizzy lifting drinks, 00:03:01.269 --> 00:03:04.564 '80s kids were feasting on treats with unique names 00:03:04.647 --> 00:03:08.902 like Runts, Oompas, and Laffy Taffy. 00:03:09.027 --> 00:03:11.404 In fact, the name Nerds was conceived 00:03:11.487 --> 00:03:12.906 by the company's art director, 00:03:13.031 --> 00:03:15.950 who referred to his drawings as his little nerd characters. 00:03:17.118 --> 00:03:19.662 There's no one better than the two Bobs 00:03:19.787 --> 00:03:23.041 to tell me how Nerds came to be in the '80s. 00:03:23.166 --> 00:03:24.167 And if I'm lucky, 00:03:24.292 --> 00:03:27.253 help me resurrect the long-lost flavor combo. 00:03:28.588 --> 00:03:31.591 Where was Nerds made and how was it conceived? 00:03:31.716 --> 00:03:34.385 - It originally started as a byproduct 00:03:34.510 --> 00:03:36.012 of making Gobstoppers. 00:03:36.095 --> 00:03:38.806 Gobstoppers are the long-lasting hard candy 00:03:38.932 --> 00:03:41.768 that changes color and flavor in your mouth. 00:03:41.893 --> 00:03:44.604 - There's some little powders that are generated 00:03:44.729 --> 00:03:46.564 and they're flavored and they're colored. 00:03:46.689 --> 00:03:48.858 And it kind of was neat, 00:03:48.942 --> 00:03:50.735 and we tried to figure out what we could do with it. 00:03:50.860 --> 00:03:52.862 What did they do with that happy accident? 00:03:52.946 --> 00:03:57.075 Boxed them up and blessed the world with a new candy, 00:03:57.158 --> 00:03:58.618 Nerds. 00:03:59.619 --> 00:04:01.246 Some of the greatest snacks of all time 00:04:01.371 --> 00:04:02.914 came from happy accidents. 00:04:03.081 --> 00:04:05.750 The Popsicle was born when a young boy accidentally 00:04:05.833 --> 00:04:08.753 left powdered soda water on his freezing front porch 00:04:08.836 --> 00:04:10.922 with the stir stick stuck in it. 00:04:11.089 --> 00:04:12.757 And the first chocolate chip cookies 00:04:12.882 --> 00:04:14.926 were supposed to just be chocolate cookies, 00:04:15.093 --> 00:04:17.845 but the morsels didn't melt evenly into the dough 00:04:17.929 --> 00:04:19.222 like the baker hoped. 00:04:20.932 --> 00:04:24.519 Tapping into the '80s zeitgeist with the winning name Nerds 00:04:24.602 --> 00:04:26.271 wasn't enough for the marketing wizards 00:04:26.437 --> 00:04:28.022 at the Willy Wonka candy factory. 00:04:28.147 --> 00:04:30.900 In the '80s, candy companies were figuring out 00:04:31.025 --> 00:04:34.570 the added value of unique packaging aimed at kids, 00:04:34.737 --> 00:04:37.699 and we started to see tons of different dispensers. 00:04:37.824 --> 00:04:40.243 One of the most popular hands down 00:04:40.326 --> 00:04:43.079 was the unique pouch of sugar powder on one side 00:04:43.204 --> 00:04:47.500 and candy stick on the other, called Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip. 00:04:47.625 --> 00:04:51.170 The inspiration for the candy came from a powdered drink mix 00:04:51.296 --> 00:04:53.256 which kids were eating instead of drinking. 00:04:53.339 --> 00:04:55.717 So it was redesigned into the fun and kid-friendly 00:04:55.883 --> 00:04:58.052 multiple sided packet. 00:04:58.177 --> 00:05:01.055 Other food companies got in on the packaging wave, 00:05:01.139 --> 00:05:05.184 with one of the biggest being Kraft's Handi-Snacks. 00:05:05.268 --> 00:05:07.228 The commercials featured a package containing 00:05:07.353 --> 00:05:10.898 crackers on one side and a spreadable cheese on the other 00:05:10.982 --> 00:05:13.693 which revolutionized on-the-go snacking. 00:05:13.776 --> 00:05:15.945 Though you can still find them today, 00:05:16.070 --> 00:05:18.906 you won't find that little red spreader stick, 00:05:19.032 --> 00:05:20.825 since they weren't eco-friendly. 00:05:23.286 --> 00:05:25.955 So how did Nerds come up with their revolutionary packaging? 00:05:26.080 --> 00:05:28.583 They brought in a specialist who showed them a box 00:05:28.750 --> 00:05:31.753 with a slide top originally produced for 00:05:31.836 --> 00:05:35.506 and rejected by Marlboro cigarettes. 00:05:35.631 --> 00:05:37.133 With a little modification, 00:05:37.258 --> 00:05:40.511 Bob thought this dispenser could change the game. 00:05:40.636 --> 00:05:42.805 - I said, "that's a great package, 00:05:42.930 --> 00:05:45.183 but we have to find a way 00:05:45.266 --> 00:05:47.852 of getting more than one flavor in there." 00:05:47.935 --> 00:05:49.979 He said, "I can do that. Give me 30 minutes." 00:05:50.104 --> 00:05:53.733 And when I came back, he says, "okay, I got two slides 00:05:53.858 --> 00:05:55.568 with two flavors and a divider in the middle." 00:05:55.693 --> 00:05:56.903 It's a done deal. 00:05:58.446 --> 00:06:02.533 It was reported that Nerds sold 215 million boxes 00:06:02.658 --> 00:06:05.745 in the first 18 months, with classic flavor combinations 00:06:05.912 --> 00:06:07.163 like watermelon and cherry, 00:06:07.288 --> 00:06:10.583 or my personal favorite strawberry and grape. 00:06:10.708 --> 00:06:12.877 Though wildly popular at first, 00:06:12.960 --> 00:06:15.755 the original cherry and orange combination 00:06:15.922 --> 00:06:17.298 hasn't been seen in decades 00:06:17.423 --> 00:06:20.009 due to the rise of unique new flavors taking over. 00:06:20.093 --> 00:06:22.220 Is there any way I could convince you guys 00:06:22.345 --> 00:06:24.472 to make a batch of the sadly gone, 00:06:24.597 --> 00:06:26.724 but not forgotten orange and cherry mix? 00:06:26.808 --> 00:06:28.393 - For you, everything's possible. 00:06:30.686 --> 00:06:32.105 - So, this is the start of Nerds. 00:06:32.271 --> 00:06:36.067 So we have some sugar that we have in this pan right here. 00:06:36.192 --> 00:06:38.152 It's a much larger particle size. 00:06:38.277 --> 00:06:41.239 - It looks almost like sea salt, more flaky. 00:06:41.322 --> 00:06:42.824 - Yes. 00:06:42.949 --> 00:06:44.909 So you can kind of see the sugar starting to clump 00:06:45.034 --> 00:06:47.912 onto each other and becoming bigger particles. 00:06:47.995 --> 00:06:48.913 - So,what is the next step? 00:06:49.080 --> 00:06:50.748 - And so this is a fun part. 00:06:50.873 --> 00:06:53.209 We get to add the color and the flavor to it now. 00:06:54.919 --> 00:06:56.754 This will help give that tart taste 00:06:56.838 --> 00:06:58.381 that comes with the Nerds. 00:07:00.299 --> 00:07:02.385 She's gonna do two pans, orange here, 00:07:02.510 --> 00:07:03.970 and then go into the other one and do the same thing. 00:07:04.095 --> 00:07:05.221 We have the cherry too. 00:07:05.346 --> 00:07:06.597 - Oh, nice, we're doing the full combo. 00:07:06.764 --> 00:07:08.391 The orange and cherry will be seen again. 00:07:08.474 --> 00:07:09.434 - Yup. 00:07:10.309 --> 00:07:12.061 Now that the flavoring's been added, 00:07:12.228 --> 00:07:14.480 the spinning process has to run 00:07:14.605 --> 00:07:17.900 before these two flavors can finally be reunited, 00:07:18.067 --> 00:07:21.112 and more importantly, tasted by yours truly. 00:07:26.617 --> 00:07:30.037 In the early 1980s, the Willy Wonka candy company 00:07:30.121 --> 00:07:33.458 capitalized on pop culture's obsession with all things nerdy 00:07:33.583 --> 00:07:36.419 and brought joy to the hearts of kids and dentists 00:07:36.544 --> 00:07:40.506 everywhere by fusing two flavors of sugar-filled pebbles 00:07:40.631 --> 00:07:42.175 into every tiny box. 00:07:42.258 --> 00:07:46.345 The unique, crunchy combination of sweet and tart flavors 00:07:46.429 --> 00:07:50.057 turned these mini moon rocks into an instant candy classic 00:07:50.183 --> 00:07:52.810 before eventually selling the brand. 00:07:52.935 --> 00:07:55.062 And today almost 40 years later, 00:07:55.188 --> 00:07:57.106 it's been reported that Nerds are one of the top-selling 00:07:57.231 --> 00:07:59.233 non-chocolate candies on the market, 00:07:59.358 --> 00:08:02.069 with annual sales pushing $90 million. 00:08:03.237 --> 00:08:05.323 While we wait for my batch to tumble, 00:08:05.448 --> 00:08:07.366 I've got plenty of time for the Bobs to show me 00:08:07.492 --> 00:08:10.578 a Nerds product that was conceived, 00:08:10.703 --> 00:08:12.747 but never released to the public. 00:08:12.872 --> 00:08:14.248 This never made it to the shelves. 00:08:14.373 --> 00:08:16.626 This is a white chocolate Wonka bar 00:08:16.751 --> 00:08:20.671 infused with Nerds that never got a chance to be named. 00:08:20.796 --> 00:08:22.298 This was a prototype 00:08:22.465 --> 00:08:25.676 that has never seen the light of day, never gone to market. 00:08:28.012 --> 00:08:28.888 - Oh, that's yummy. 00:08:29.805 --> 00:08:32.475 The sour note's interesting. 00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:36.896 Okay, I did not expect that. 00:08:39.065 --> 00:08:42.485 I've seen and tasted a few of Nerds lost variations 00:08:42.610 --> 00:08:46.197 here at Knechtel candy lab, but there's still one 00:08:46.280 --> 00:08:49.408 that I've been craving for almost 40 years. 00:08:50.034 --> 00:08:52.203 - All right, so our Nerds are finally here. 00:08:52.286 --> 00:08:54.914 So we have our orange Nerds and our cherry Nerds. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:56.415 - Combination of Nerds 00:08:56.541 --> 00:08:59.085 that has not been seen since the '80s. 00:08:59.168 --> 00:09:01.462 You can't go to your neighborhood candy store 00:09:01.587 --> 00:09:03.923 and find the orange and cherry variety. 00:09:04.006 --> 00:09:06.467 Now the moment of truth, the combination. 00:09:13.516 --> 00:09:15.393 I love the orange. I've missed it. 00:09:15.476 --> 00:09:16.894 I didn't realize that I missed it 'til now. 00:09:17.061 --> 00:09:18.771 It starts super sweet, 00:09:18.896 --> 00:09:20.189 and then all of a sudden it hits you 00:09:20.273 --> 00:09:21.941 like a battery, like ah. 00:09:23.192 --> 00:09:25.861 It's orange, but there's another fruit behind it. 00:09:25.987 --> 00:09:27.405 It turns into fruit punch. 00:09:27.488 --> 00:09:30.241 Cherry and orange make fruit punch. Who knew? 00:09:30.324 --> 00:09:31.701 I really do kind of feel like 00:09:31.784 --> 00:09:33.369 I've got a golden ticket today. 00:09:33.494 --> 00:09:36.289 This combination hasn't been seen in decades, 00:09:36.455 --> 00:09:38.416 and it means a lot to me to have you, 00:09:38.583 --> 00:09:40.251 to have the other Bob, 00:09:40.376 --> 00:09:42.420 have created something that touched my life, 00:09:42.587 --> 00:09:44.255 that's still touching people's lives. 00:09:44.422 --> 00:09:46.048 And I can't thank you enough. 00:09:49.135 --> 00:09:51.887 In the '80s, boxes of Nerds weren't only produced 00:09:52.013 --> 00:09:54.223 for their functionality, but they also served 00:09:54.348 --> 00:09:56.559 as being a fun thing for kids to play with. 00:09:56.642 --> 00:09:59.353 So the business geniuses of the day took that concept 00:09:59.437 --> 00:10:02.773 one step further with the most popular video game character 00:10:02.898 --> 00:10:05.109 of all time, Pac-Man. 00:10:05.776 --> 00:10:09.572 The Japanese Pac-Man game exploded into US arcades 00:10:09.655 --> 00:10:11.532 in October of 1980. 00:10:11.657 --> 00:10:17.413 Within a year of launch, 100,000 arcade games were sold, 00:10:17.538 --> 00:10:20.374 grossing a whopping $1 billion. 00:10:21.459 --> 00:10:24.670 Soon we got a cartoon, chart-topping song 00:10:24.795 --> 00:10:26.422 called "Pac-Man Fever," 00:10:26.547 --> 00:10:30.051 and even this original package of Pac-Man candy 00:10:30.176 --> 00:10:31.886 which I've managed to track down. 00:10:31.969 --> 00:10:34.555 What was awesome was that the candy, 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:38.059 made up of crunchy colored Pac-Man heads and ghosts, 00:10:38.184 --> 00:10:41.103 were a candy and a toy in one, 00:10:41.228 --> 00:10:44.148 all for a bargain 39 cents. 00:10:44.273 --> 00:10:47.068 Pac-Man as a brand has gone on to become 00:10:47.193 --> 00:10:49.737 one of the most lucrative of all time, 00:10:49.820 --> 00:10:54.033 helping to earn its parent company over $500 billion. 00:10:59.246 --> 00:11:01.624 In the 1980s, it seemed like for the first time, 00:11:01.749 --> 00:11:03.793 kids really were in charge. 00:11:05.086 --> 00:11:07.213 We're not just talking about Charles. 00:11:07.296 --> 00:11:09.423 With new advertising laws in place, 00:11:09.590 --> 00:11:12.259 kids were marketed to like never before, 00:11:12.426 --> 00:11:15.721 and spending their allowances as a result. 00:11:15.846 --> 00:11:22.061 In 1984, kids' consumer spending topped 4 billion a year, 00:11:22.186 --> 00:11:26.607 and continue to increase by 35% every year 00:11:26.732 --> 00:11:28.484 for the rest of the decade. 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:32.780 One place they could drop their quarters 00:11:32.905 --> 00:11:35.700 set out to become the big cheese in kids' entertainment. 00:11:37.284 --> 00:11:41.997 In 1977, Chuck E. Cheese was created by Nolan Bushnell, 00:11:42.123 --> 00:11:46.252 who was also a co-founder of the video game company Atari. 00:11:47.461 --> 00:11:49.296 Chuck E. Cheese took the nation by storm 00:11:49.422 --> 00:11:52.842 because they had an entirely original concept. 00:11:52.967 --> 00:11:55.720 They combined the fun of an arcade 00:11:55.803 --> 00:12:00.015 with entertainment and the ultimate kids' food, pizza. 00:12:00.141 --> 00:12:02.727 So get ready for a trip down memory lane, 00:12:02.810 --> 00:12:04.437 because this grown-up is going 00:12:04.603 --> 00:12:06.564 to the place where a kid could be a kid. 00:12:08.065 --> 00:12:10.609 I love that jacket. 00:12:10.735 --> 00:12:13.821 - These are actual Chuck E. Cheese employee jackets. 00:12:13.946 --> 00:12:14.947 - Is that from the '80s? 00:12:15.072 --> 00:12:16.657 - Absolutely, a hundred percent. 00:12:16.782 --> 00:12:18.826 So we've got an awesome collection. 00:12:18.951 --> 00:12:21.954 We've got an actual token from every single year 00:12:22.079 --> 00:12:23.205 that they were minted 00:12:23.330 --> 00:12:26.250 since Chuck E. Cheese was founded in 1977. 00:12:26.375 --> 00:12:28.419 This was everybody's first currency. 00:12:29.628 --> 00:12:31.338 - Chuck E. Cheese's winning combination 00:12:31.464 --> 00:12:34.091 of everything kids love caught on fast, 00:12:34.175 --> 00:12:37.428 ballooning from seven locations to over 200 00:12:37.595 --> 00:12:40.347 across America in just three years. 00:12:41.766 --> 00:12:44.602 Kids' birthday parties used to be backyard events 00:12:44.727 --> 00:12:47.730 with paper hats and pin the tail on the donkey. 00:12:47.855 --> 00:12:51.233 But in the 1980s, parents were making almost double 00:12:51.317 --> 00:12:53.527 the income they made a decade earlier. 00:12:53.611 --> 00:12:56.697 Big businesses soon realized there was money to be made 00:12:56.781 --> 00:12:58.240 in kids entertainment. 00:12:58.365 --> 00:13:01.160 And one provided the ultimate place 00:13:01.285 --> 00:13:04.538 for parents to spend their new found extra income. 00:13:10.044 --> 00:13:13.422 This location is one of only a few Chuck E. Cheese's left 00:13:13.547 --> 00:13:15.466 that still has the full ensemble 00:13:15.591 --> 00:13:17.593 of original animatronic characters 00:13:17.760 --> 00:13:19.553 from back in the '80s. 00:13:19.678 --> 00:13:22.723 Matt Daniel is in charge of running the show. 00:13:22.807 --> 00:13:24.809 How long have these guys been around? 00:13:24.934 --> 00:13:28.979 - This particular stage has been here since the '80s, 00:13:29.104 --> 00:13:31.982 and then updated in the early '90s. 00:13:32.107 --> 00:13:34.235 Jasper is the country dog. 00:13:34.401 --> 00:13:37.321 Pasqually the chef here playing drums. 00:13:37.446 --> 00:13:40.324 He learned to play beating on pots and pans. 00:13:40.449 --> 00:13:44.078 And then of course we've got Chuck E. Cheese, 00:13:44.161 --> 00:13:45.830 the biggest mouse in entertainment. 00:13:47.248 --> 00:13:48.499 But keeping kids happy 00:13:48.624 --> 00:13:51.919 involves a lot more than putting on an entertaining show. 00:13:52.044 --> 00:13:53.462 What kid in the '80s could say no 00:13:53.587 --> 00:13:55.714 to a delicious cheesy pizza? 00:13:55.798 --> 00:13:57.424 - We've dug into archives here - Mm hmm. 00:13:57.466 --> 00:13:58.801 and we found some cool stuff. 00:13:58.926 --> 00:14:01.595 We have our actual theater program, this is our menu. 00:14:01.762 --> 00:14:03.764 - It's interesting to see what's changed, 00:14:03.889 --> 00:14:06.267 what you've retained, what you haven't. 00:14:06.392 --> 00:14:08.644 The big seas combo? 00:14:08.769 --> 00:14:10.729 That one featured linguica sausage. 00:14:10.855 --> 00:14:12.940 - Which is crazy to see Portuguese sausage 00:14:13.065 --> 00:14:16.277 finding its way onto a pizza, 00:14:16.402 --> 00:14:18.571 and usually when you hear Hawaiian anything, 00:14:18.696 --> 00:14:21.407 it's usually gonna be pineapple and ham, but almonds? 00:14:21.532 --> 00:14:23.701 That's really interesting. 00:14:23.784 --> 00:14:25.953 I've eaten some pretty crazy pizza combinations 00:14:26.078 --> 00:14:29.081 around the globe, but it has never crossed my mind 00:14:29.164 --> 00:14:31.500 to put almonds on a pizza. 00:14:31.625 --> 00:14:33.335 - We wanted to make sure that you had the opportunity 00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:35.588 to truly eat the '80s and eat an '80s style pizza. 00:14:35.713 --> 00:14:37.006 So we're gonna bring this back one day 00:14:37.131 --> 00:14:38.591 and one day only, just for you. 00:14:39.216 --> 00:14:40.968 Not only are they remaking 00:14:41.093 --> 00:14:43.721 these '80s style pizzas for me, 00:14:43.804 --> 00:14:47.016 they're also dusting off another '80s classic, 00:14:47.099 --> 00:14:50.895 one of the most addictive games, just for little old me. 00:14:52.438 --> 00:14:56.233 You forget that this game was ever an arcade game. 00:14:56.358 --> 00:14:57.776 - Yup. 00:14:57.943 --> 00:15:01.405 That's because Tetris's popularity really exploded 00:15:01.530 --> 00:15:04.325 as the result of a groundbreaking gaming product 00:15:04.450 --> 00:15:07.161 that fit right in the palm of your hand. 00:15:07.286 --> 00:15:10.789 1989's Nintendo Game Boy. 00:15:10.956 --> 00:15:13.417 Tetris went from a marginally successful 00:15:13.542 --> 00:15:15.461 arcade and home system game 00:15:15.586 --> 00:15:18.547 to the best selling one in Game Boy history. 00:15:18.672 --> 00:15:21.884 By '96, Nintendo's Game Boy and NES system 00:15:21.967 --> 00:15:26.305 had sold more than 20 million units worldwide. 00:15:26.430 --> 00:15:27.723 And thanks to the smartphone, 00:15:27.848 --> 00:15:31.060 Tetris has passed more than 100 million downloads 00:15:31.143 --> 00:15:33.979 as it entertains a whole new generation of fans. 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:35.814 Oh no, no! 00:15:37.107 --> 00:15:39.652 Oh no. 00:15:45.032 --> 00:15:48.243 Thanks the generosity of the two gentlemen in front of me 00:15:48.327 --> 00:15:50.287 and everyone in that kitchen, 00:15:50.454 --> 00:15:53.832 I am going to get a chance to try two pizzas 00:15:53.958 --> 00:15:57.711 that have not been seen nor made since the 1980s, 00:15:57.836 --> 00:16:00.047 right here in the Pizza Time Theater. 00:16:01.882 --> 00:16:03.217 All right. 00:16:03.300 --> 00:16:05.219 - Oh nice. - Look at that. 00:16:05.386 --> 00:16:06.637 - That's what I'm talking about. 00:16:06.762 --> 00:16:09.807 First up is the Big Seas Combo, 00:16:09.932 --> 00:16:12.309 which is an '80s style supreme pizza 00:16:12.434 --> 00:16:14.728 that features a Portuguese sausage 00:16:14.853 --> 00:16:18.524 unavailable at Chuck E. Cheese today called linguica. 00:16:18.607 --> 00:16:21.735 This super tasty but seldom used delicacy is known for 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:25.072 its heavy notes of paprika, chilies, and garlic. 00:16:25.239 --> 00:16:27.866 That's so, so good. 00:16:27.992 --> 00:16:31.996 I think the linguica is maybe the factor that makes it 00:16:32.121 --> 00:16:34.039 such a pronounced difference. 00:16:34.123 --> 00:16:37.084 There's a more like chewy substantial meaty note, 00:16:37.209 --> 00:16:39.003 a little bit spicier. 00:16:39.128 --> 00:16:40.796 This is a really solid pizza. 00:16:47.594 --> 00:16:51.557 The next and final '80s only pizza I have left to try 00:16:51.682 --> 00:16:54.143 is the one with an ingredient I have never seen, 00:16:54.268 --> 00:16:56.437 much less had on a pizza. 00:16:56.562 --> 00:16:58.272 So how did almonds get on here? 00:16:58.397 --> 00:16:59.732 Truth is it's a mystery. 00:16:59.857 --> 00:17:01.650 Some suggest it may have been an accident. 00:17:01.775 --> 00:17:03.610 Others say they may have gotten inspiration 00:17:03.736 --> 00:17:05.821 from something they saw in Hawaii. 00:17:07.031 --> 00:17:10.284 A chance to try something that hasn't been made in decades, 00:17:10.451 --> 00:17:11.618 won't be made again, 00:17:11.744 --> 00:17:14.288 and it's crazy with all the pizza I've eaten, 00:17:14.413 --> 00:17:15.914 especially coming from New York, 00:17:16.040 --> 00:17:18.208 I have never had almonds on the pizza at all. 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:28.927 Mad at myself, because I've been saying bad things 00:17:29.053 --> 00:17:30.345 about pineapple on pizza. 00:17:30.471 --> 00:17:32.765 So good, and it's interesting, 00:17:32.890 --> 00:17:36.226 'cause it almost takes on the flavor of like a proper pie, 00:17:36.351 --> 00:17:38.562 like the pineapple and the almonds, 00:17:38.687 --> 00:17:40.397 and the creaminess of the cheese 00:17:40.481 --> 00:17:42.274 make it taste kind of like a pastry. 00:17:42.441 --> 00:17:43.859 - We gotta stop you. 00:17:43.984 --> 00:17:45.736 We have a very special guest that came to visit. 00:17:45.861 --> 00:17:46.403 - What? 00:17:46.570 --> 00:17:47.780 Oh my God! 00:17:47.905 --> 00:17:49.448 Oh my God, I didn't see you come. 00:17:49.573 --> 00:17:51.617 Thank you so much for coming. 00:17:51.784 --> 00:17:53.702 Getting chance to slip back in time 00:17:53.786 --> 00:17:56.038 and sample these long-lost pies 00:17:56.121 --> 00:17:59.875 with a little love from Chuck E. Cheese himself 00:17:59.958 --> 00:18:02.461 was kind of like an '80s dream come true. 00:18:02.586 --> 00:18:03.962 Thank you so much. 00:18:04.129 --> 00:18:06.632 On behalf of me and every kid from the '80s. 00:18:09.218 --> 00:18:11.386 The 1980s were a great time 00:18:11.553 --> 00:18:13.847 to get into the business of making kids happy, 00:18:13.931 --> 00:18:16.225 whether by bringing a carnival atmosphere 00:18:16.391 --> 00:18:19.019 into a pizza place like Chuck E. Cheese 00:18:19.103 --> 00:18:21.396 or creating a carnival of flavors in your mouth 00:18:21.522 --> 00:18:24.566 like those classic Nerds combinations. 00:18:24.691 --> 00:18:26.568 I really thought some of those great tastes 00:18:26.652 --> 00:18:28.904 from my childhood were gone forever, 00:18:28.987 --> 00:18:31.115 but it's good to know that there are still folks around 00:18:31.240 --> 00:18:33.200 who guard the secrets that 00:18:33.283 --> 00:18:35.619 made our '80s taste buds sing.