It could not have come out at a better time...When the Happy Meal was first launched at the end of the 1970s, it entered the 1980s as the perfect merchandising vehicle.

Not only did the Happy Meal give us some of the most beloved toys and promotions of the decade, but it also ushered in a whole new era for McDonald's.

This is a look back at one of the most famous fast food items in history, an item with humble origins that quickly became a fast food juggernaut.

We'll look back at the creation, launch, and the success of the childhood favorite, some of those favorite Happy Meal toys and promotions, then a deep dive into the psychology that made the Happy Meal irresistible to kids.

It's the story that includes breakfast cereals, Boss Hogg, French chefs, and, most importantly: Ronald Reagan...

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It was a Sunday night like any other. But for those living in Chicago, it would be a night they would not soon forget. For those tuning in to WGN-TV, their broadcast was interrupted by the most unlikely of people, one of the most popular characters of the 1980s: Max Headroom.

Why did Max Headroom, or what appeared to be Max Headroom, now appear on their screens? Just as soon as this TV hijacking had begun, the screen went blank and normal programming resumed.

But just two hours later--it happened again. This time it was WTTW. But during this broadcast interruption, things got much more disturbing...

Today, we look back at one of the most bizarre unsolved mysteries of the 1980s: The Max Headroom Incident.

• Weird Science movie review: Patreon.com/80s

Today, we delve into the fascinating--and somewhat controversial--creation of the movie rating that changed Hollywood forever: PG-13.

Born out of the wave of 1980s blockbuster movies that pushed the boundaries of family entertainment, PG-13 was the solution to a rapidly growing problem: there was no middle ground between PG and R-rated movies.

We'll look back at some of the 1980s movies that led to a call for change, and the two specific movies that pushed it over the edge--two movies connected to Steven Spielberg.

And it would be Spielberg himself who led the charge for a brand new rating, a rating that would change movies as we know them, and usher in a whole new era for how Hollywood made and marketed movies.

• Weird Science movie review: Patreon.com/80s