I wanted to wrap up my coverage of Indiana Jones with a discussion of some Indy odds and ends. So on this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I am going to talk about Indiana Jones Merchandise. I focus on the things I was most familiar with while growing up, so this is not comprehensive.

The show starts with a little story about comic book collecting. Although maybe it is more of a story about how collecting has changed over the years as larger economies have grown up around it. Either way, the story ends with me having free comics, always a good way for a story to end.

Then I talk about:

1. Marvel’s Indiana Jones Comics

2. TSR’s Indiana Jones role-playing game

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark Board Game

4. Kenner’s Indiana Jones Action Figures

5. LJN’s Temple of Doom Action Figures

6. Micro Machines

The Indiana Jones films spawned lots of great merchandise. Sadly, I was too young to collect it all. While I might not have had everything, the things I did have were more meaningful. If you like to get into Indy collecting now, you will find some high-priced items, but also a plethora of affordable and fun things to put on your shelves.

In this episode of the Retroist Podcast, I am going to take a look at the first two decades of video games featuring Indiana Jones. This started with me just going to talk about a couple of games, but then morphed into a 12 game extravaganza (maybe 13). Here are the games I discuss:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982)

2. Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom (1984)

3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985)

4. Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients (1987)

5. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1988)

6. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure (1989)

7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game (1989)

8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1991)

9. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)

10. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993)

11. Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures (1994)

12. Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures (1996)

We kick things off by reminiscing about my childhood and the challenges of playing these beloved games. Back then, playing your favorite titles wasn’t always easy, but with enough determination, anything was possible.

From there, we move on to the games themselves. This episode is a bit different, as I focus more on my personal experiences with these games rather than just the gameplay details. It's a mix of memories and opinion that I hope will bring a smile to your face and perhaps a bit of nostalgia.

Join me as I recount the highs and lows of playing these Indiana Jones games, sharing what made each one unique and memorable. I hope you find this journey through Indiana Jones gaming history as enjoyable as I did.

If you have an opinion about one of these games, let me know in the comments or over on Discord.

In an episode of the Retroist Podcast, we are looking at the "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles," a TV series that charts the early adventures of the iconic character Indiana Jones. This series fleshes out the formative years of the young Indy as he travels the globe and, like Forrest Gump, he engages with historical figures and participates in key events that shaped the 20th century. Unlike the high-stakes treasure hunts typical of the Indiana Jones film saga, this series opts for a more educational and character-driven exploration of Indy's development into the archaeologist we know from the films.

The fun thing about "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" is how it cleverly intertwines real historical contexts with the Indy’s fictional world, offering us a blend of adventure and a history lesson in each episode. The series production stands out by its unique approach to storytelling, where each episode is a standalone story that that can also be combined with another episode to make a feature length film. That capability really highlights the craftsmanship of George Lucas.

In this episode of the podcast, we will explore how "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" not only plays with the Indiana Jones narrative but also serves as a crucial component in understanding the complexities of Indy's character. Did we need all this info about Indy? Probably not, but for fans of the show, it was a great wait to give us more of the character when we couldn’t get prime Harrison Ford Indy to make more movies. With all of its materials, it’s weirdly overlooked. I hope by talking about it, I can get you to look at it again or the first time.