Was 1986 one of the biggest years for music ever? If it wasn't, it sure was close, as it's the year that gave us a defining heavy metal album, two defining hip-hop albums, a pop standout, and one of the last albums from a jazz legend.

But there was so much more: two breakaway solo artists, two huge soundtracks, and the era-defining album that gave us two of the biggest songs of all time. 1986 had a bit of everything, and all of these albums are now officially 40 years old...

Spotify Playlist: 1986 Albums

• Aliens Movie Review: Patreon.com/80s

Before "Zelda" became a household name, it began as "Adventure Mario," a game that started out as giant sketches on long pieces of draft paper. But things quickly changed...

This new video game would be nothing like Super Mario Bros. It would be a vast and seemingly limitless world. A world based around a legend, and a world filled with fantasy and adventure -- a world based on the childhood of its creator.

Today, we go back to 1986 to witness the origins of The Legend of Zelda, a game originally developed for the Nintendo Famicom in Japan. But the Famicom eventually became the NES, and the Legend of Zelda became the creation that changed the history of video games forever...

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VHS and Beta weren't the only ones trying to capture our loyalty in the 1980s; the same thing was happening in the world of... bubblegum.

Heading into the 80s, bubblegum -- an industry that didn't even really exist five years earlier -- turned into a full-on battleground. The target? Kids everywhere...

But now, led by the Big Three bubblegum brands, variety stores everywhere were about to get filled with many competitors -- all looking for their piece of the market.

From companies that went back more than a hundred years, to new players with origins in baseball dugouts, the 1980s Bubblegum Wars came about at the perfect time, as bold flavors, ads, and Saturday morning cartoons made simple bubblegum a billion-dollar industry.

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Before the first ball was even kicked, World Cup '86 had faced a massive uphill battle. A change of venue, a struggling economy, and then a massive earthquake set to derail what was one of the most anticipated World Cups of all time.

But World Cup 1986 eventually kicked off, and now, all eyes were on the greatest football in the world -- and specifically, Argentina and their phenom, Diego Maradona.

What kind of brilliance and on-field dramatics would take place in Mexico in 1986? When Argentina and England faced off on June 22nd, 1986, it was not only a tense matchup between two countries in conflict, but the game was about to produce two of the most famous moments in the history of sports...

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In this episode, we look at some notable Canadian events and people from the 1980s, but this show is all about the world of pop culture. And when it comes to 1980s pop culture, Canada contributed a lot more than you may realize.

From the music, movies, TV shows, kids' shows, and massive celebrities, Canada was at the forefront of 1980s pop culture.

From Saturday morning cartoons, chart topping songs, and one of the greatest athletes who has ever lived, the story of Canada in the 80s is the story of the country that helped shape the decade as we know it.

• The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s

Not every kids' show from the 1980s could be an era-defining and long-lasting one. Some, for various reasons, just couldn't break through.

But that doesn't mean they weren't any good. Today, we look back at ten live-action 1980s kids' shows that just weren't able to reach the heights of shows like Fraggle Rock or You Can't Do That on Television.

Some of these shows may ring a bell, some may be brand new to you, but hopefully, there are a few on this list that you loved but had forgotten all about.

• Police Academy movie review: Patreon.com/80s

From an experiment in the 1970s to a global phenomenon, the story of Nickelodeon is one that includes Walter Cronkite, satellites, and some simple hand puppets.

But it was in the 1980s when the kids-only network really took off. With a new leader and a new direction, Nickelodeon would soon reach more homes than ever, all because of a low-budget sketch comedy show from Canada. A show that would make every kid know what follows the phrase, "I don't know..."

But in the 80s, things behind the scenes at Nickelodeon were still rocky. It would take an entire rebrand and a specific kids' game show that would turn the network's fortunes and make it the dominant force in cable television.

-- The Book: Becoming Nickelodeon: How the First Network for Kids Went From Green Vegetables to Green Slime in the 1980s by Jason McFiggins

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In part one, we looked at the origins of stand-up comedy and its evolution through the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Then, as we head into the 1980s, some big things happen.

A strike, mainstream exposure, and the rise of comedy clubs everywhere took the industry from smoky clubs to a major part of mainstream entertainment.

Today, we look at several of the breakout comedians -- including a few controversial ones -- who not only defined the 1980s but also became some of the biggest stars in the history of entertainment. Then, we look at how the stand-up comedians of the 80s became the go-to choices by the networks to star in some of the most popular sitcoms and talk shows of all time.

The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s