What begins with Cotton Bureau notifications, AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail,” Jimmy Stewart impressions, and the Mandela Effect eventually becomes an exploration of the movie soundtracks and scores that permanently lodged themselves in Dan and Adrian’s brains.

The pair dig into why people so confidently misremember pop-culture history, from “Luke, I am your father” to Sinbad’s nonexistent genie movie, before finally remembering that they intended to discuss soundtracks. From there, the conversation moves through the glory days when movies came bundled with original songs, genre-spanning compilation albums, and music videos that were nearly as important as the films themselves.

Dan and Adrian revisit Prince’s Batman album, Weird Al’s UHF soundtrack, The Crow, Singles, Judgment Night, Spawn, Batman Forever, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I Am Sam, The Fifth Element, and plenty more. Along the way, they discuss Vanilla Ice’s suspiciously convenient Ninja Rap, Aerosmith’s revival through Run-DMC, the cultural power of “Kiss from a Rose,” and the lost art of giving heroes instantly recognizable musical themes.

The conversation closes with an important statistical discovery: nearly every episode of The Con Men Show contains a Star Trek reference. The three that do not must either be repaired—or buried beneath enough future episodes to become statistically insignificant.

It’s memory, music, movies, and nostalgia, played like fusion jazz—but not as smart.

What childhood toy would you buy back today, regardless of how financially irresponsible the decision might be?

Dan and Adrian rummage through the toy boxes of their youth, revisiting everything from Figment, Merlin, Speak & Spell, and Computertron to He-Man, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Boglins, Dino-Riders, Captain Power, and vintage Star Trek figures.

They talk about the toys they kept, the collections they lost, the friends who owned the playsets nobody else could afford, and the brutal adult cost of replacing Optimus Prime’s missing hands. They also explore the wonderfully questionable safety standards of 1980s toys, including sparks, cap guns, slime, and toy weapons that looked considerably more convincing than they probably should have.

It’s an hour of childhood memories, collector goblin behavior, thoughtful discussion about cartoons as storytelling, and the inevitable Star Trek reference.

Tell us: What toy survived your childhood, what toy disappeared, and what toy are you still trying to buy back?

Every fan has an origin story.

This week, Dan and Adrian trace the roots of comic conventions back to the 1960s before diving into the comics, characters, and moments that shaped their own fandoms. From the earliest Comic-Cons and the rise of San Diego Comic-Con to first comic books, Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, MAD Magazine, and the changing landscape of collecting, the conversation becomes a nostalgic tour through decades of geek culture.

Along the way they revisit the birth of cable television, remember growing up alongside MTV, Nickelodeon, and FOX, discuss why some 1990s comics never became retirement plans, and share what they’re currently reading and watching—including Spider-Man Noir, GI Joe, Robotech, and more.

Whether you grew up reading comics until the staples gave out or discovered superheroes through Saturday morning cartoons, this episode is a trip back to where it all started.

This week on The Con Men Show, Adrian and Dan take a nostalgia-fueled run through the strange, glorious, and occasionally cursed world of cartoons that became movies, movies that became cartoons, and toy lines that became entire childhood operating systems.

The conversation starts with Masters of the Universe, from He-Man lore and the Sword of Power to the 1987 Cannon Films live-action movie, Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella’s Skeletor, budget shortcuts, and why setting Eternia mostly on Earth still feels like a crime scene with shoulder pads. From there, the guys dive into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers: The Movie, G.I. Joe: The Movie, The Smurfs, Star Wars animation and live-action crossovers, GoBots, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Super Mario Bros., and the long list of shows still begging for the big-screen treatment.

Along the way: Optimus Prime trauma, Duke’s suspiciously convenient coma, Sergeant Slaughter, Smurfette discourse, Captain Lou Albano, ThunderCats, SilverHawks, BraveStarr, M.A.S.K., Robotech, and the eternal question: which beloved 80s property deserves another shot, and which one should have stayed in the toy aisle?

This week on The Con Men Show, Dan and Adrian travel from Earth to Eternia for a spoiler-filled walk-through of the 2026 Masters of the Universe movie.

Adrian brings the He-Man credentials, Dan brings the toy-history goblin brain, and together they unpack a movie that knows exactly what it is: big, weird, colorful, funny, sincere, and proudly toyetic. They talk childhood memories, the scale of 80s playsets, the silliness and genius of Masters of the Universe character names, Adam’s Earthbound HR career, Teela’s ship, Queen needle drops, Skeletor’s villain buffet, the power living inside Adam, and why sometimes the best thing a movie can do is just be a blast.

Along the way, they celebrate Cringer, Man-At-Arms, Evil-Lyn, Trap Jaw, Orko, She-Ra teases, and the eternal truth that a movie about He-Man should probably let He-Man punch stuff.

It’s nostalgia without grievance, criticism without cynicism, and a full-force reminder that sometimes grown adults need to sit down, point at the screen, and say: yes, that’s exactly the goofy thing I wanted.

Summer has arrived, and The Con Men are feeling nostalgic.

Dan and Adrian take a winding trip through the traditions, memories, and pop culture touchstones that made summer special. From Southern heat and humidity to summer camps, swimming lessons, family vacations, church trips, beach days, and childhood rites of passage, the conversation explores how summer shaped a generation.

Along the way, they celebrate summer blockbuster movies, revisit classics like The Great Outdoors and National Lampoon’s Vacation, reminisce about VCR programming and rerun season, and imagine what the ultimate summer-themed convention might look like.

It’s a laid-back conversation about memories, traditions, and why summer still occupies a special place in our collective imagination.

🚀 THIS WEEK ON THE CON MEN SHOW! 🚀

A mysterious Imperial warlord!

A runaway Hutt heir!

A bounty hunter with a score to settle!

And one tiny green force-wielding chaos goblin standing between peace and absolute mayhem!

Dan and Adrian strap into the cockpit and punch it to hyperspace as they break down The Mandalorian & Grogu — a Star Wars adventure packed with monsters, Mandalorians, dogfights, double-crosses, and enough pulp-action energy to fill a Saturday matinee for a month!

Is this the triumphant return of Star Wars to the silver screen?

Does Din Djarin’s biggest adventure yet soar among the stars?

And can Grogu save the galaxy while simultaneously causing every possible problem?

Tune in and find out!

🎙️ The Con Men Show #32
⭐ The Mandalorian & Grogu Special

This week, Dan and Adrian limp across the finish line on approximately one functioning brain cell and somehow end up having one of their most honest conversations yet. What starts as tech issues, Bluetooth confusion, and convention-road exhaustion spirals into a surprisingly thoughtful discussion about toxic fandoms, gatekeeping, nostalgia, reboots, and why people get so weirdly territorial about the things they love.

From Star Wars and Star Trek to Battlestar Galactica, Critical Role, Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, and even the infamous 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie, the guys unpack the strange cultural cycle of fandom outrage, ragebait grifters, “lazy writing” discourse, and studios weaponizing criticism against audiences. Along the way, they explore the difference between healthy critique and toxic gatekeeping — including Dan confessing to accidentally gatekeeping Star Wars from his own kid in a Disney gift shop over a Bespin Cloud Car toy.