The classic toy, now equally known for its place in pop culture, has sold over 100 million units since it was first introduced more than half a century ago. “In 1959, drawing mediums were not as clean as they are today,” said Tim Walsh, author of  Timeless Toys. “Etch-a-Sketch offered kids a way to be creative without any mess from sticky crayons, dusty chalk or pencils. It was way ahead of it’s time in terms of laptop fun.”

If you’re a regular Just My Show listener, head on over to Pop Candy this week for my take on various pop culture topics, my daily links and, yes, some really fun interviews. There may even be some retro surprises in there!

If you’re a Pop Candy reader coming here for the fist time, welcome! Excited to have you! As you can see, this podcast is all retro, all the time. My guests include classic TV and movie actors, musicians, athletes and even the occasional author or inventor. Bottom line: If you’re a Pop Candy fan, there will definitely be some things here for you.

A new season of episodes will be coming along shortly. In the meantime, you can listen to every interview Just My Show has done right here in the “reruns” section. You can also download and subscribe to JMS on iTunes or Stitcher. If you’d like to “like” the podcast on Facebook or follow it on Twitter, I certainly wouldn’t object and will keep you posted when new interviews are available.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for letting me hang out with you over at Pop Candy this week. And of course, thanks to Whitney for this great opportunity! Hope I do you proud!

How did the Growing Pains cast really get along and could there be another reunion? Listen in to find out!

With a special appearance by former Olympic decathlete Dave Johnson of “Dan and Dave” fame!

Thanks to Sobol’s longevity, Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown has been solving cases for the citizens of Idaville for nearly fifty years, all the while maintaining his original 1960s rate of a mere 25 cents plus expenses – an incredible steal in 2012. “To change every book would be an enormous amount of work so we just left it and we hoped that that’s an advantage,” Sobol told Just My Show in 2007. He doesn’t seem to be greedy. He’ll take 25 cents because he feels he wants to do the work for youngsters and not take them for a ride…It’s worked out.”

While the series may be commended for engaging thought and incorporating positive moral messages, Sobol did not set out to preach to children. “I have no expectations of solving the world’s problems in children’s books, he told JMS. “I want the children to be entertained.” Perhaps the greatest message kids can take from the series though, is the persistence of its author. The first Encyclopedia Brown book, inspired by Sobol’s Associated Press column “Two Minute Mysteries,” was rejected by publishers a whopping 24 times before beginning its iconic run.

The series produced other memorable characters including Encyclopedia’s sidekick Sally, an unusually strong female for its time, and bad boy Bugs Meany. But it was the young detective himself, who inspired big thinking from both kids and his creator.  “None of my characters are based on real life except maybe Encyclopedia Brown,” said Sobol.  “He is the boy I would have loved to be when I was ten and I knew I could not be. So maybe this is compensation. I write about him.”

Sobol’s most recent effort, Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Soccer Scheme is scheduled to be released this fall. In the meantime, for readers of all ages who are embarrassed by their inability to quickly solve the classic kids cases, don’t sweat it.  “I couldn’t solve the mysteries if I didn’t write them,” revealed Sobol. “You know my worst secret.”

In the latest episode of Just My Show, actor Larry Wilcox – who played Baker – got a surprise “guest question” from Seven Mary Three founding member Casey Daniel. Of course, JMS couldn’t let Daniel get away without having a quick chat about the band and its classic TV connection…

How’d the name come to be? Were you there when the name was tossed around?

Yeah. Our singer, Jason Ross, and I were watching actually reruns of CHiPs. We were watching the World Cup all summer in college and we had been picking a different band name for almost every night. We chose Seven Mary Three, but weirdly, we heard it on the show and…we heard both of the call signs called at the same time. But with us, it was like, we kind of noticed that every time…Ponch’s character would be trying to get some lady or do something and in the background you’d have Larry Wilcox…walking off with a lady. He already had it in check. So, we were like, we gotta go with Seven Mary Three then.

Was it a show that you’d watched over the years growing up or did it just randomly happen to be on that day?

No…I watched it first growing up and then we watched the reruns every day…It was the first year they had televised the World Cup in total and so every time they went to half time, CHiPs was on the other channel. So we’d switch it and watch CHiPs every day.

Super cool name that I bet a lot of people get and think it’s the best thing ever and some people – it probably goes right over their head. Does it get tiresome answering questions about it?

It’s weird. I would think that as much as we’ve done it and especially for any of the older generation, that they would have recognized at least part of it or having seen the show would have thought of it. The weird thing is the misinterpretation because it’s got the seven, the three and Mary, people put all this religious connotation on it which obviously has zero connection. We’ve actually been booked before and gone and played a festival where we showed up that day and there was a complete and total religious festival. And I got out of the bus in the morning and was like, “OK wait, something’s weird here.” And I was like, “you do realize we’re not a religious band and we don’t represent…we’re not against any of that. There’s no problem. Just letting you know that that’s not…” And the guy’s like “you aren’t?” I was like “No.” So, it’s definitely had some weird things and we got some weird letters in the beginning. People thinking it was…“oh, the seven deadly sins, the holy trinity and Mary.” And I was like “wow. I’ve never really thought of that,” but…It’s been weird with the interpretations of it, you know?

Have you had any or much interaction with Larry [Wilcox] or Erik [Estrada]?

No, actually never met. But I do remember initially, right after the band kind of caught some steam in the 90s, that [Larry] was cool enough -  he called our manager and sent over a signed photo and some stuff and that was the coolest thing. We really thought that was great that he instantly got it and reached out to us. We were already out on the road but it was really cool of him to do that. We really appreciated that.

I asked the same question to the lead singer of Wang Chung. Do you remember any of the band names that you were tossing around that got rejected before Seven Mary Three?

Well, we had played under names like Grandmont Dynamite, Ukon Cornelius. I mean all types of crazy names. I mean there were so many terrible ones that we had used that…we had notebooks full of it. If mean if you threw one word that sounded cool or a combination of words, we probably tried it and played it…It’s one of the toughest things to do is name your band something and then go that’s what we are…It’s silly and stupid but at the same time obviously it’s necessary and it sticks with you. So choose a wise one if you’re a young person deciding your band name now.

When you’re in a band, you’re together much more than when you’re shooting a TV show. What’s the key to not killing each other and being around as long as you guys have?

It’s a family in that sense. You know, like you fight the worst within your family. When you’re mad at your brother or sisters and parents and whatever else, it’s there. But in the same way, there’s always all the other things that have happened. Not just that moment. So, sometimes it’s important to get it out and other times…you gotta just think about the entire picture and pick your battles and remain civil with those things. I mean we’ve had our moments when we’ve been at each other and done all types of stuff and done that. But, it’s that larger thing of – especially between Ross and I – have been doing this for over 20 years together…I know if I absolutely need something, he’s gonna be there for me and the same goes the other way.

The first album way back in the day was an indie release that ended up having two of your biggest commercial hits. Did you have a feeling that Cumbersome was gonna be the song that would push you into the spotlight or was it just anybody’s guess?

You know, it was the first song on that and it didn’t kind of hit me initially I wouldn’t say. I mean I always thought that the song that followed it, Water’s Edge, was the song that, that was newer and fresher to us. We had written that one closer to the time of the release and that one did really well, but…it’s hard to say at this point if I…I don’t remember going “oh that song’s gonna be eternal” in the sense that it has. It’s lasted and still gets that recurrent type of radio play now a days…I wouldn’t have guessed at that time, no.

What’s harder, being unknown and playing small bars trying to get the first hit or trying to get a hit now when you have to follow something that great and people have certain expectations?

They’re both…can be difficult in different ways…You can have a song and it goes to number two and sits there for ten weeks and that’s a great success, but if it doesn’t live for 20 years, it’s never gonna pass Cumbersome in that sense in our case. You know what I mean? So being happy with what you have in that sense is easier having been able to be a professional musician and play music for lots of people and have fans and do that, I’d say. That hunger that’s inside for that with today’s just over saturated internet where anybody who’s good with a computer, even if they’re not good at music, can reach a bunch of people quickly because they’re good with computers is probably more frustrating. I have another band as well…a separate project and it’s tough even with that sometimes to get people’s attention, even with the built in fan base. So, I’d say it’s probably more difficult to get that real notice in today’s market of a picture goes further than a song.

Everybody else, no matter how successful they are – whether they’re a famous actor or a famous baseball player – would much rather be a rock star. Everyone just thinks it’s the coolest job ever. As a rock star, do you feel like it’s the coolest job ever or would you rather be something else? Would you rather be a center fielder?

You know, there’s so many cool things I think to do. I think people kind of have that misunderstanding of what it is. But I think it’s the live performance aspect of it…night after night you’re in front of a crowd of people who are all there to see you. That really draws people into it…I’ll play music the rest of my life. That’s what I love doing. So, if I could do anything else…I don’t know. I’d be one of those people who just collects money. I’d be a money collector. I’d just be like, “Hey, cool, look at this. It’s another million dollar bill. I’ll put that in my stack of those.”

With a special appearance by Seven Mary Three’s Casey Daniel. Plus, Arsenio Hall’s comeback, the remote control and much more in the latest edition of New News About Old Stuff.

“It’s something I’m afraid we kind of take for granted, and so I think this loss is not going to get that kind of attention that it probably deserves,” Engadget Managing Editor Darren Murph told Just My Show. “To me, it’s way more than the remote control akin to a TV. It’s actually more of something that changed the game from an ideological standpoint. Today, if it’s not wireless, it’s a problem from the get go.”

But where does the seemingly simple remote control rank among the latest and greatest innovations treasured by techies? In terms of game changing technology for consumers, Murph believes that Polley’s invention is still right up there at the top of the list.

“It might even be above the iPod, Murph told JMS. “The iPod basically stuck to music. It didn’t really go outside of that realm too much, but the wireless remote has impacted so many things across so many boundaries. It’s definitely in my top five for technological innovations that have changed the way we see things now.”

But in an era where technology is constantly changing, the remote control’s greatest legacy may be it’s longevity.

“This thing has lived on for decades and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon,” Murph projects. “And it’s really rare for a technology to last that long. I mean, even if you look at the CD, it’s been around forever but it’s quickly going out of style. But I really doubt that wireless transmissions as it relates to user interface is going to go out of style anytime soon. And it’s kind of amazing what he started. I don’t even know if he knew exactly what kind of revolution he was going to start.”

Chilling on the couch with a bag of Cheetos likely isn’t going out of style either. Thanks Eugene.

You can hear audio soundbytes from my interview with Engadget Managing Editor Darren Murph along with other retro related news stories in the upcoming episode of Just My Show.

Plus, an all Dick Clark edition of the retro headlines with American Bandstand dancer Bunny Gibson, Bloopers producer Bryan Michael Stoller and entertainment reporter/$100,000 Pyramid winner Andy Culpepper.

Rock and Roll has lost one of its greatest ambassadors. Dick Clark, who brought popular music into the homes of millions of teenagers as the host of American Bandstand, has died at the age of 82. For decades to follow, Clark would continue to add to his iconic status with shows like $10,000 Pyramid, TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes and his annual Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Years Eve.

Shadoe Stevens, former American Top 40 host and current announcer for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, called Clark “a foundation member of the whole music generation.”

Stevens, taking part in a previously scheduled interview with Just My Show, said “He was a guy who took a simple idea and made it iconic and was a really good business man and somebody to look up to.”

The interview along with additional coverage of Clark’s passing is scheduled to be released in a new Just My Show podcast later this week.

While the story is making its way around the web as breaking news, it’s actually not a complete surprise and the city has the signed photo to prove it. Still, Springfield’s mayor is happy to see the city making headlines because of its pop culture connection.

“I think anytime that we can have some positive publicity and positive feedback is always a good thing and The Simpsons is very popular,” Mayor Christine Lundberg told Just My Show by phone. “…I know a lot of people relate to it and so we definitely can relate to the more endearing things, although we don’t have a nuclear power plant and aliens have never attacked and I…don’t look like Mayor Quimby. I’m not corrupt. And if I just had a sash though, that would be very cool.”

According to the mayor, Groening has yet to visit in recent years, but has a standing invitation to tour the city. Of course, no tour would be complete without taking a picture with the life size Simpsons display at the Springfield Oregon Museum.

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