Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? June 9, 2011 5:21 PM Subscribe
Longtime MeFite GaelFC's compendium of '70s and '80s childhood nostalgia, Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? was released this week to much fanfare.
She and her coauthor, Brian Bellmont, have been making the media rounds. Hear them on NPR's All Things Considered (there's a fun, lengthy excerpt there too), see them on KMSP's Morning Buzz, and set your DVRs for the Today show tomorrow (not the Tomorrow show today, mind you) to watch them with Kathie Lee and Hoda. Gael has been blogging on [pudding] pop culture since 1999, back when she had to explain to people what a "blog" was, at Pop Culture Junk Mail. Congratulations, GaelFC!
She and her coauthor, Brian Bellmont, have been making the media rounds. Hear them on NPR's All Things Considered (there's a fun, lengthy excerpt there too), see them on KMSP's Morning Buzz, and set your DVRs for the Today show tomorrow (not the Tomorrow show today, mind you) to watch them with Kathie Lee and Hoda. Gael has been blogging on [pudding] pop culture since 1999, back when she had to explain to people what a "blog" was, at Pop Culture Junk Mail. Congratulations, GaelFC!
Hooray for Gael. PCJM was what brought me to MetaFilter.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:31 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:31 PM on June 9, 2011
This one time in college, we bought one of those huge industrial size cans of vanilla pudding you see at CostCo or Sams Club, opened it up, stuck in a wooden spoon, and threw it in the freezer.
The next day, we had a gigantic pudding pop. It was pretty awesome until my housemate left it sitting on a plate overnight and I woke up to find an inch of vanilla pudding covering the entire kitchen table
posted by jpdoane at 6:04 PM on June 9, 2011
The next day, we had a gigantic pudding pop. It was pretty awesome until my housemate left it sitting on a plate overnight and I woke up to find an inch of vanilla pudding covering the entire kitchen table
posted by jpdoane at 6:04 PM on June 9, 2011
Pudding pops don't exist anymore? And Kodak doesn't make film. How is Cosby filling his days?
posted by DU at 6:18 PM on June 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by DU at 6:18 PM on June 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yelling at the kids on his lawn.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:28 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:28 PM on June 9, 2011
I just read this on the flight to Portland and I was totally laughing out loud. Very awesome book, so well done.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:30 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:30 PM on June 9, 2011
I got a free copy in the mail a few days ago (I won a little contest). Much awesomeness. Pop Culture Junk Mail and GenXtinct are great blogs.
posted by Gator at 6:31 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by Gator at 6:31 PM on June 9, 2011
My library has it! I'm going to pirate the hell out of the info in that book, so nyah!
posted by DU at 6:44 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by DU at 6:44 PM on June 9, 2011
Way to go, GaelFC!
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:46 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:46 PM on June 9, 2011
Delivery estimate: June 11, 2011
Looking forward to it. Congrats!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:48 PM on June 9, 2011
Looking forward to it. Congrats!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 6:48 PM on June 9, 2011
I heard this profiled in NPR (All Things Considered? Maybe?) just earlier this week. It sounds great. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a copy. Kudos!
posted by hippybear at 7:45 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by hippybear at 7:45 PM on June 9, 2011
They still make pudding pops. At least they did last summer. Look with the rest of the popsicles in the bright yellow packaging, can't remember the brand name offhand.
posted by maryr at 8:11 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by maryr at 8:11 PM on June 9, 2011
They still make pudding pops.
That was actually addressed in the NPR segment I heard. Apparently the idea was licensed to someone else, but it's not being done by Jello any longer, and the formula has changed, so they aren't quite the same?
Anyway, it was a great segment.
posted by hippybear at 8:15 PM on June 9, 2011
That was actually addressed in the NPR segment I heard. Apparently the idea was licensed to someone else, but it's not being done by Jello any longer, and the formula has changed, so they aren't quite the same?
Anyway, it was a great segment.
posted by hippybear at 8:15 PM on June 9, 2011
Gael sent me a copy (disclaimer: she used to pay me to write for msnbc.com) and I have been loving it in bits and pieces. Hate to say it, but the one-page chapters make it a perfect bathroom book. When I saw the post about the ABC Afterschool Specials today, I immediately thought of the WHtPP take on it so... I quoted it.
Now, if we could get a front page post a day on each of the almost 200 topics (including)...
Ants in the Pants game,
Atari 2600,
The Bad News Bears,
The Banana Splits,
Bazooka Joe,
Benji,
Big Boy,
Big Wheels,
Candy Cigarettes,
Casey Kasem on American Top 40 (have I ever told the story about how Casey yelled at me on live TV - at a PBS fundraiser? Ah, memories...),
Choose Your Own Adventure,
Convoy,
Debbie Gibson,
Dr. Demento (have I ever told the story about how I gave Dr. Demento a comedy record he didn't own? I think I'll shut up now).
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:24 PM on June 9, 2011
Now, if we could get a front page post a day on each of the almost 200 topics (including)...
Ants in the Pants game,
Atari 2600,
The Bad News Bears,
The Banana Splits,
Bazooka Joe,
Benji,
Big Boy,
Big Wheels,
Candy Cigarettes,
Casey Kasem on American Top 40 (have I ever told the story about how Casey yelled at me on live TV - at a PBS fundraiser? Ah, memories...),
Choose Your Own Adventure,
Convoy,
Debbie Gibson,
Dr. Demento (have I ever told the story about how I gave Dr. Demento a comedy record he didn't own? I think I'll shut up now).
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:24 PM on June 9, 2011
(hippybear - May be. I still liked them. And, as in my youth, I am the weirdo who prefers vanilla to chocolate. Swirled is a bastard child unworthy of either.)
posted by maryr at 8:29 PM on June 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by maryr at 8:29 PM on June 9, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm still bitter she left Minnesota.
Ok, no I'm not. Many congratulations, Gael!!
posted by norm at 9:18 PM on June 9, 2011
Ok, no I'm not. Many congratulations, Gael!!
posted by norm at 9:18 PM on June 9, 2011
now I want to have a swirled ice creame in a twisty cup with a gumball on the bottom and a small wooden spoon for 45 cents.
sounds like a fun read.
posted by clavdivs at 9:23 PM on June 9, 2011
sounds like a fun read.
posted by clavdivs at 9:23 PM on June 9, 2011
I miss Zeus Chips.
posted by not_on_display at 9:54 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by not_on_display at 9:54 PM on June 9, 2011
Man, I miss Keebler lemon coolers so bad. Stupid elves!
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:09 PM on June 9, 2011
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:09 PM on June 9, 2011
Yay for Gael! Best wishes for your book's success.
What's the author/book/publishing equivalent of theater's "Break a leg"? Maybe "Crack a spine"? If not, it totally should be.
posted by amyms at 10:38 PM on June 9, 2011
What's the author/book/publishing equivalent of theater's "Break a leg"? Maybe "Crack a spine"? If not, it totally should be.
posted by amyms at 10:38 PM on June 9, 2011
She's how I found metafilter. And how I learned what a blog was.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:16 AM on June 10, 2011
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:16 AM on June 10, 2011
Yay for Gael! And yep, she's how I found metafilter too. I wonder how many of us wandered over here from PCJM?
posted by dogmom at 6:07 AM on June 10, 2011
posted by dogmom at 6:07 AM on June 10, 2011
::goes to book site, looks at author photo:: Oh hey! Was she at a panel on blogging at the Seattle Times building, in maybe 2002? ::goes searching through own blog::
Yep, November 2002: Invasion of the Bloggers. Some transcribed notes. (Part 2? WTF? What'd I do with Part 1?)
/derail
The book looks pretty cool! Congrats!
posted by epersonae at 4:06 PM on June 10, 2011
Yep, November 2002: Invasion of the Bloggers. Some transcribed notes. (Part 2? WTF? What'd I do with Part 1?)
Gael said she was happy if 10 people read and enjoyed her blog, the response from the questioner was “so it’s more of a hobbyist thing?” as if that were a problemAh, back when you had to explain "blogs" to pretty much everybody.
/derail
The book looks pretty cool! Congrats!
posted by epersonae at 4:06 PM on June 10, 2011
Aw, thanks, cirocco and everyone! So glad to have brought so many PCJM readers to MeFi! Hope you enjoy the book!
posted by GaelFC at 4:01 AM on June 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by GaelFC at 4:01 AM on June 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Just saw GaelFC on Twin Cities local news. Crazy. As I was sputtering "hey! Her! MetaFilter!", my wife was saying "Oh, it's that book I keep hearing about." So I guess the word is out.
You guys came across really well on the show; it can't be easy, keeping your composure with Eric Perkins running around like a yappy dog.
posted by COBRA! at 6:55 AM on June 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
You guys came across really well on the show; it can't be easy, keeping your composure with Eric Perkins running around like a yappy dog.
posted by COBRA! at 6:55 AM on June 11, 2011 [1 favorite]
Got my copy Saturday, It was vey funny.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:25 AM on June 13, 2011
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 11:25 AM on June 13, 2011
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posted by mathowie (staff) at 5:22 PM on June 9, 2011