Tivia's actress Loretta Heywood has a Facebook for her music and Mandarr has a channel Stayte of Mind with David Stay if anyone wanted to check them out for the nostalgia. Loretta still looks amazing and her voice is lovely.
He does have a cancer that will take him in the next ten years. It's depressing. Jim's black pill content helped me through some very dark days. You're a good man, Jim.
Shinji Aramaki, who did the effects has a long career as a designer and director in Japan, most recently he's been one of the big proponents of CGI anime - he directed all three Appleseed movies, Captain Harlock, the two Starship Troopers CG movies, and most recently the Ultraman and Ghost in the Shell TV shows that are Netflix co-productions.
I love playing at the Photon arena at the Harvey, Illinois location back in '87 and' 88! Some of the best fun of my teens, and got me ready to play with MILES gear. 😁
I distinctly remember seeing Photon at Kay-Bee Toys. Right next to the M.U.S.C.L.E.S and GUTS! and across from the Karate Kid figures and Karate Kommandos. I ended up with a Montgomery Moose from the Get-a-Long Gang. I'm old.
@@astormofwrenches5555 When our nearest store shut down I got quite a bit of Spy Tech gear. Many a Saturday morning were spent hiding behind the couch watching TV through my periscope after that day.
Thanks Dan this is great! I can assure you that all 26 episodes remain. I was involved with a group that worked to reopen the company from 1997-2001. The shows and books were part of the plan to reopen. Disney had recently bought DiC at the time. We worked on restoring the series for a DVD/VHS release. Like you mentioned, the music has always caused the hang up. Maybe one day it will get a true release! Fan following is definitely growing!
As a really little kid I used to love watching this show, mainly because it was the only thing airing on Sunday mornings in my area that wasn't either a political talk show or a church show. I honor it nowadays by naming my ship on Star Trek Online the USS Bhodi Li.
That's why it failed, the station managers would never give it a decent timeslot. Same thing happened with the Dragon Quest anime and the first attempt to bring out Dragonball in the west.
same here, lived in NJ and they had a Photon center. I had laser tag and Photon as a kid. there was another tv show or VHS system that interacted with guns or toys also. forgot the name. I dont think it was captain power tho, but it might be.
@@nororengo286 I think that toy/game you were thinking of was titled "Action Max." It was essentially similar to Captain power, but it had a laser pistol with a set-top box and a few live action VHS tapes with targets that you could shoot on screen. One scenario was a Top Gun or Iron Eagle style jet fighter show and another was a wild west adventure, if I recall.
It makes me sad that I was too young and there were no Photon places where I grew up! Then when someone opened a throwback Photon, it went out of business within a month or two...
@@CoinOpTV you'd think with the cult following and the overabundance of lackluster laser tag arenas, there would be more interest in bringing back the photon experience. I'm sure the equipment is heavy and primitive by today's standards, but the new stuff feels like cheap plastic toys. The modern phasers and packs are temperamental and confusing--what are all those noises supposed to mean, and how can I tell whether it's defective or just disrupted? The older tech was simple, straightforward, and effective. The heavier stuff felt realistic and put you in the game. The "upgrades" only made the game complicated and less enjoyable IMO, and the places they pass off as arenas are just spraypainted plywood in an old supermarket.
I lived in Canada. Play enough with the antenna and I managed to pick up episodes of Photon from Fargo North Dakota. Saw a few episodes and it never appeared again! Maybe it was all a fever dream? I guess today I found out it wasn't!
I played out of the Fountain Valley facility, great workout! 8 months after they closed, I ran into a fellow player. "Nice beer gut Spaceotter" I said. "You should talk Dorsai" he replied. I sighed & we both said at the same time, "I miss Photon"..
i still have my Photon ID card from Wildwood, New Jersey. I wouldn’t even bother going to the beach, and spent all day and night playing. Those were great times.
The low budget nature of that show and the fact that it aired on a fuzzy uhf channel where I lived made this show terrifying for me when I was a little kid.
As a kid I always got Photon and Captain Power confused with each other. I loved the Captain Power show but always called it "Photon" (I didn't like the Photon show, all that green screen was disorienting). After the Internet became a thing I would Google "Photon" but the results wouldn't be what I expected so I thought I imagined it all until Toy Galaxy cleared it up, and now confirmed I wasn't losing my mind (as much) with THIS video. So thank you TG! 😜
You guys are like time lords of my youth! I really appreciate are the hard work yall put in to educating me on the products that shaped my life! Thank you!
I played "laser tag" at a place called Q-Zar in Concord, CA. in the '90s and at a place called Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom in Redlands, CA. in the '00s. Q-Zar had 2 bases and charging stations and played more like Search and Destroy but with respawns as your objective was to destroy the other teams base. Pharaoh's was just a straight up Deathmatch, team with the most kills wins. Q-Zar had score sheets they gave to the players after the match and there was a TV showing how people ranked against each other.
A few years ago we went to a laser tag place for my mates birthday. The guns looked more like stormtrooper blasters. The whole thing was outside so it felt like the battle of Endor. Loads of fun until one of our group stepped in a rabbit hole and broke and dislocated his ankle.
My uncle bought a creepy old farmhouse in the late 80s/early 90s. The place seemed to have a thousand doors. Like, every bedroom had a door to the outside. In addition to a door into the hallway, of course, every bedroom has a door into the adjacent bedroom. It as like something out of a Scooby Doo chase scene. Anyway, in the basement we found an empty Photon pistol box. Who were the weirdos that lived in the house before him, that somehow had enough cash to be into Photon, too? I had hoped they had left it behind somehow, but no such luck.
I loved Photon. I lived 10 minutes from the original arena and always went there all the time. My friends and I all had the home sets also. The 80's had the best toys.
You sure that was photon? Never heard of a photon in VA in 2010s. Pretty much just the Laurel MD which was only photon for about a year or 2 before becoming XP lasersport in 98 or 99, and broken arrow OK which lasted less than 2 months in 2009 I think. Did you wear a vest or a helmet/chest pod?
For my 12th birthday, my father took me and some of my friends to Photon Garland TX Arena. Had a blast, but did kind of get annoyed with the fans shooting you, which one was my father. Thanks Dad. Great memories.
I highly enjoy these videos because of your wonderful personality and relatable nature. It was truly hilarious having your rival Game Dave over and having him dancing during the credits and the intro. You two are a fun whacky match! This video is very well done! Photon was before my time but I still enjoyed this video a lot!
I remember asking for Lazer Tag for Christmas when I was a kid. My brother and I got Photon instead. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the "cool brand" of Lazer Tag, but we had a lot of fun with Photon.
@@BayushiGemma I had both. Lazer tag had a cooler gun and sound effects but that was it. The Lazer Tag story was kinda lame and the tale of Bhodi & Friends got me hooked. In the early days of eBay I was able to buy both green and red helmet sets and it was glorious.
I remember asking for Lazer tag for Christmas in 86 I believe and I ended up getting something called Laser Combat instead. The Cool thing about it is a few years ago I came across the Laser Combat toy gun and it still works.
I had the green one!!! I saw Photon on the locale news and thought it was cool. And it was. I never went to the Photon Arena. They were not around me. I was the only kid that had one. I still had one. I still had fun with it. I even wear it for Halloween one year. It was cool! Thanks for the video and the trip down memory lane 😁
Where is my boy Mandarr? Needed at least 2 minutes to explain who the bad guys were, since that's a funny story all in its self. Bohdi's arch rival! The good guy's coke to the bad guys Mentos! Good vid. Blast from the past.
I bought them specifically because they were Peter David, but I’m wondering now how I knew that back in the pre-Internet era? I don’t think I figured it out based on his own name, I was a pretty dumb kid. And I agree, I remember them being a cut above similar tie-in novels.
Great research Dan! Seeing the MILES gear brought back not so great memories. We wore vests and gear on our Kevlar helmets so we could get “tagged”.Each MILES device for the M-16s had a key that could turn it on and off. There was a “god” gun that supporting staff could use to zap you or reset your gear once you were hit.
Man, the best birthday parties from my childhood were the ones at the Photon arena in Harvey IL. I begged every friend to have theirs there. Could never get enough.
Holy shit, got this for Christmas as a kid. Been trying to remember the name of this for *FOREVER* and couldn't come up with it. Remember literally nothing about this other than the action figures looked cool.
I remember seeing the action figures once at SEARS. My brother and I liked to go into SEARS because that was the only store that had the the last wave of REMCO Wrestlers. We saw the two pack of PHOTON figures with main character guy, and 4 armed dude. We thought they were cool looking, but the $50.00 price tag was awe inspiring. I know modern action figure enthusiasts are comfortable with the idea of paying that much for two figures, but this was 1986!!! Seriously, did any kid have these? Adjusted for inflation, that's about $120.00 in today's money, which is 60 bucks per figure. I couldn't talk my parents into buying us the USS FLAG, so I knew it was pointless to attempt to acquire these. For the record, I was 10 years old in 1986, so it's not like I could go get a job. Mowing a lawn might land you 5 bucks back then. Basically I'm saying I'm not at all surprised these aren't common finds in the secondary market. That handful of rich kids who got Photon figures must still have have them.
I played at a Photon Arena in Mt. Prospect, IL (a western suburb of Chicago). Myself, my then-wife, and an assortment of friends that would change from week-to-week. There were two courses within the arena. We went on Sundays when they had a special...play all day, all day meaning 12p-6p, for $20. With games costing $5 a pop at all other times, this was a fantastic deal. One time, I was running down a ramp in the largest course, "Omega." I was running a little too fast, tripped, and rolled halfway down. This is where you used a safety net. You removed your helmet and yelled (depending on which color helmet you wore) "RED! RAMP! DOWN!" Staff would assist you and removing the helmet was a signal to opposing team members to not shoot at you until you were ready. We had a blast once a week. They also had leagues that competed for prizes, but we never joined up.
There was an amazing novel in the series which I remember reading. The ending was that basically there is this god of good and god of evil playing a game of chess. The main character lands on the board. Essentially one side has one and that was going to be the end of all existence. He says, why stop now? Why not try again and see who wins? At the time, it was a mind blowing experience for me as a kid to think of reality in that way. Some higher entities treating all of reality as a game board. So, yeah, the book series was pretty awesome. :)
The only exposure I had ever had to Photon was having that read-along book that came with the audio cassette. I only ever read the book if I was playing the tape too, but often I would listen to the tape on its own. The production value was actually quite high for what it was. All the narration, voice acting, music and special effects were exceptionally well done and actually made it all sound extremely exciting. It seemed so obscure to me, though. Nobody else I knew or talked to had ever heard of Photon before (then or now), so I assumed it was some random one-off venture that went nowhere, and that I just got lucky in discovering a hidden gem. I had no idea it was a whole franchise until I was an adult. I'm not sure whatever happened to the book, but I'm sure I still have the cassette somewhere. I actually really would recommend listening to it if you somehow get the chance. I'd honestly put its quality up against anything else that came out during that time.
I'm sitting here watching this and having my mind blown to find out that the first "laser" gun toy comes from South Bend Indiana while I'm maybe 5 miles away from it right now. That brought a smile to my face. Simple pleasures, simple pleasures.
I lived on Long Island, New York up until I was about 15. About a year before my family moved, they opened a Photon arena near me. I loved it!! For a while I would go every Friday. Everything inside was good, video game arcade, snack area, 2 arenas. But let me tell you something: even as a 15 year old I could see a problem with their business model. They were open most days and through the weekend, but they were open *during the day, Monday through Friday*, They would be empty during those hours. Everyone was at school during those hours. I know, seems like roller rink hours. But I still think keeping it open during the day when all the kids at school was silly.
In the hay-day of Laser-Tag, we all had a blast no pun intended! I wish they still had places to play Laser-Tag. We had one in our home town and everyone went there when we were kids. I also remember getting a Photon Laser-Tag set for Christmas. We had good fun with those!
I played at the Photon Arena in Tempe AZ. I still have my ID card. I remember a middle aged overweight guy, always had top scores. He would never run just walked around picking players off. Because he exploited a weakness in the game. He knew the timing between when a player was shot(when shot your were out for a so many seconds), then brought back into the game. Thus were fodder for the wise player. Most players didn't know this trick. I only learned it years later playing other laser tag type toys. It would be fun to go back to an old arena using the original gear. But most today would complain about the bulky battery belt we had to wear. It was a lot of fun, I do miss stuff like that.
Damn, I remember my brother and I getting up at 6am every Saturday Morning back in 1987 just to watch Photon. For some reason, that was the time our local cable station aired the show, but I used to get real excited for it and sure miss those times lol
Yes, I did. Oklahoma City. Drove down from Wichita, Ks. on weekends, with a friend along most trips. Regular trips, often a few times a month, from late 1985, I think, and into 1987. Luckily, there was a decent sized crowd of enthusiastic players like me who kept feeding it our money. As a result, that Photon Arena, as I recall, stayed open far longer than any other (or was among the last ones open and operational, at least) long after the parent company was gone. I heard, in the mid 1990s, that they were STILL operating; but had moved to a smaller space. They were able to remain open by rebranding to keep the doors open and had some computer nerds (like I was, and remain) keeping the actual heart of what made the Photon arena a truly amazing innovative experience: the scoring computer systems. Photon was wildly more advanced than Lazer Tag. It tracked hits wirelessly and live, so the scoreboard accurately displayed what was going on in the huge multilevel arena. The array of sensors did not just track 'hits' - but also a basic damage system that used far more than a single chest target. Hits degraded your power crystal (Ammo) and you had to shoot your own crystal to heal/recharge. The gear had over a dozen IR scattered over the helmet and harness. You could be hit in different places, not just in the middle of your chest. Lazer Tag was a cheap toy: a laughable joke compared to the far higher tech and far more ambitious Photon Arena. The board room 'geniuses' being prodded by greedy but clueless investors ruined Photon with all the marketing garbage. An insultingly vapid TV show and cheap toy junk. Photon was poused to become a high tech sport, with upgrades to the tech over time. Which would have gone as mainstream as auto racing, football, baseball, soccer, or any competitive team sport. It was amazing. Your writeup did not cover, except for a bare mention of the data encoded into the IR beams without mentioning how that was used, all that differentiated it from the far inferior me-too junk that flooded the market (including the Photon home system toys). The actual Photon was the Photon Arena.
I grew up in Garland and I was addicted to this place. For 5 dollars, you could play 2 rounds and I would beg my mom to take me there. I still have my Photon card from the place and because I loved the movie Top Gun, my nickname was IceMan; such great memories.
As a kid I went to Photon in Kennilworth, NJ with my dad. It was always a great time. For the late 80s though it was kind of pricey at $5 per game for an adult and $3.75 for a kid. In cost per minute of entertainment it was much more than your average arcade so it was more of a "special treat". Plus the wait times were usually long because of the setup time to get geared up, waiting for the game to conclude and the final posting of the scores. The original Photon also had very few rules around running and jumping or diving behind obstacles for cover. On many occasions as a kid I would get smashed into by an adult 3 times my size barreling around the corner in the dark. Honestly, some of the most "phun" I ever had as a kid and memories I wouldn't trade for anything.
I never knew they had action figures! I would have wanted them! I remember getting up at like 5 on saturdays to watch Photon. I thought it was so cool.
I immediately heard the theme song from the show in my head when I saw the thumbnail. I never had the toys but my cousins had Laser Combat, which was a blast (pun very much intended) when I was a kid.
My parents bought me a red and green Photon helmet set for Christmas the year it came out! Me and my dad would often play at night and the glowing lights on the gear used to look awesome! I REALLY miss the 80's😢
Yeah!! At last! It takes so long, year after year to thinking and try to remember what are the Tv series name. I watched this series in 1989 (Malaysia). The hero's outfit have similar to StarWars X-Wing pilot outfit and gear. What a great memory. Thank you, for bring up those nostalgia.
Awww man, Photon takes me back. Found out about when Universal Studios Hollywood had a promotion in park for Photon. Used to get my dad to drive me about 90 minutes once a month down to Fountain Valley to play on Sundays (when they had a all-day play special), and would sometimes play out in Las Vegas as well. I remember how heartbroken I was when I discovered that the Photon in Fountain Valley pretty much up and disappeared. I would always call on a Friday before heading down to make sure they still had their all-day play special, but this time, instead of getting Photon, I got a message saying the number had been changed. Tried calling that number but it was disconnected. Tried calling the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce and they had no idea. I didn't find out that it was closed until I thought to call the Del Taco that was in the same strip mall. I would go on to still play various laser tag systems over the years like QZar, Ultrazone; and managed a laser tag center (don't know what the official name of the system it used, but the center was called LazerPower in Santa Clarita),. Every so often I still get a hankering to play from time to time, if for no other reason than to see how things have progressed. Still do pretty well, especially for an "old" man. I will say though.. over all of the years, no Laser Tag center had as good of theming and immersion, and nowhere near as good of an arena design than the original Photon.
WOW,memories. I played a TON on Photon when I was a kid ^_^. and if I remember correctly the arcade in my local Photon arena introduced me to Gauntlet.
I played at a Photon arena somewhere in SoCal back in the mid-late 80's. I was a kid. I did terrible. But I also remember having a ton of fun! I remember seeing the action figures in Toy's-R-Us all the time and coveted them *SO* much. Just a few years ago I finally finished re-collecting the kid's books and honestly, they were really fun and went kinda dark at times too. And a series shot mainly on blue screen? *No one* would really watch something like that! Never not in a mando-illion years. Honestly, this is a brand I'd like to see revive. It was some fun space opera that *isn't* the usual brand.
I was not expecting the VA Beach, Virginia shot out at the end. I remember going to a Tag place near Lynnhaven Mall here when I was younger, perhaps the same facility :-)
I waited for so long you reviewed this tv series. i didnt know the name of the show i watched it more than 30years ago on Super channel. I searched it for a long time without success. i only remembered the pirate guy of the show. Thx very much.
I remember my family receiving two Photon sets with helmets one year for Christmas. My brother, 6 years older than myself, lost interest quickly and it just became target practice for my 4 or 5 year old self. 10-ish years later a place opens up called LazerQuest and my brother becomes someone who goes there weekly. Buys a membership, gets involved in a league, etc. Bunch of guys there take names of Transformers characters and...well, it's a fun place. Eventually my brother falls out of it and the place sticks around until it closed a few years ago. Kind of a shame. They had a good thing going, despite seeming to never have updated anything there ever. Trying to remember if the last time I was there, which would have been 2009, they still had the same Mortal Kombat 3 machine.
Played this so many time in Kenilworth NJ as a teen in the 80s with my close friends - so much fun :-). Can still smell that fog/smoke and hear the pulsing sound effects :-)
I went to a Photon Center many times when visiting my cousin in West Orange back then, so I'm wondering if that was the same place! I was like 8, so I don't remember exactly where... but I feel the same about the smoke/fog and sounds! :O
@@Mister80Retro Only 13 approx miles away so that was probably it. I also remember in their game room they had the flat table top version of the GAUNTLET game :-)
Kenilworth NJ Photon, off Route 22 & Michigan Ave. My nickname was " Dangerzone ". I was invited to join " Supremacy " team. Also I saw their TV Show occasionally. One time, I heard a blonde woman, early 30's, watching a game, then turned to her friends, saying I want to play ! Some Canadians said in French, when are we competing ? A lady replied tomorrow, also in French. Lord Beathan had the best salute, for a TV show. According to another player, some t-shirt shop could stitch your nickname on your Photon hat for $5. Radio station WDHA, from Randolph NJ, broadcasted live event @ Kenilworth. I asked a local police officer, working security, if he had ever seen anything like that Photon crowd before. He mentioned he saw wilder stuff elsewhere. Whenever the really young kids took the field, the older teens & adults would watch from the upstairs gallery. Serious players considered zapping the younglings to be rude. Others noted repressed hostility ? Strange memories indeed !
I grew up in Mesquite, Texas, right next door to Garland and the first Photon arena. I went many times, and I was so stoked to get my own green Photon suit on Christmas 1987, and my cousin got one in red. I think we played with them like once, on Christmas day. I should have asked for Laser Tag.
Hooray, I didn't imagine this! Nobody else remembers the giant Photon game center in the back of an old shopping mall next to the movie theater in my town. The theater is now a trade school and the mall is completely outdoor-access-only, but this video proves it was real!
Happy to report that the Photon Documentary is progressing nicely. We hope to have filming complete by the end of Spring. Thanks for the plug!!!
Excellent!
If you meet the guys from ILTA tell them that Andy in Indy says HI!
I actually really enjoyed the books as a kid. I kinda miss them.
This is really cool news...
I want to see this.
Mandarr goes hard. He was a great villain. David Stay is the truth. I dig his Stayte of Mind show on RUclips.
Tivia's actress Loretta Heywood has a Facebook for her music and Mandarr has a channel Stayte of Mind with David Stay if anyone wanted to check them out for the nostalgia. Loretta still looks amazing and her voice is lovely.
RIP Jim, Sweetie Squad 4 Lyfe
Were did that rumor start? I don't see any proof he has Passed.
@@thecoofjackson7471
He ain't dead
At least not yet...
He does have a cancer that will take him in the next ten years. It's depressing. Jim's black pill content helped me through some very dark days.
You're a good man, Jim.
Fountain Valley Photon was the best ever. Went so many times in the summer of 87. Great memories!
Shinji Aramaki, who did the effects has a long career as a designer and director in Japan, most recently he's been one of the big proponents of CGI anime - he directed all three Appleseed movies, Captain Harlock, the two Starship Troopers CG movies, and most recently the Ultraman and Ghost in the Shell TV shows that are Netflix co-productions.
I loved Metokur's streams about this show, absolutely hilarious
Sweety squad rise up
It was the Aryans! They snuck up behind us with a GAS GRENADE!
NNRU
@@some_guy117 🌜🦗
I love playing at the Photon arena at the Harvey, Illinois location back in '87 and' 88! Some of the best fun of my teens, and got me ready to play with MILES gear. 😁
I distinctly remember seeing Photon at Kay-Bee Toys. Right next to the M.U.S.C.L.E.S and GUTS! and across from the Karate Kid figures and Karate Kommandos. I ended up with a Montgomery Moose from the Get-a-Long Gang. I'm old.
@@astormofwrenches5555 When our nearest store shut down I got quite a bit of Spy Tech gear. Many a Saturday morning were spent hiding behind the couch watching TV through my periscope after that day.
Dude the nostalgia bomb you just dropped was immense as I too have a Montgomery Moose.
Muscle was great, I loved the Championship belt/wrestling ring
I had a lot of the M.U.S.C.L.E. figures! I used to have what I called "M.U.S.C.L.E.-MANIA" matches with them!
Thanks Dan this is great! I can assure you that all 26 episodes remain. I was involved with a group that worked to reopen the company from 1997-2001. The shows and books were part of the plan to reopen. Disney had recently bought DiC at the time. We worked on restoring the series for a DVD/VHS release. Like you mentioned, the music has always caused the hang up. Maybe one day it will get a true release! Fan following is definitely growing!
Okay, Reddit: start propping up that Photon stock
Um, yes please bring it back!!!!
🦍🦍🦍 ❤️ 🔫 💎✋$PHOTON 🚀🚀🚀
As a really little kid I used to love watching this show, mainly because it was the only thing airing on Sunday mornings in my area that wasn't either a political talk show or a church show. I honor it nowadays by naming my ship on Star Trek Online the USS Bhodi Li.
Was the black ninja princess from the all-female planet as cool as she sounded?
@@Weird_dude265 that's what I want to know.
Absolutely
That's why it failed, the station managers would never give it a decent timeslot. Same thing happened with the Dragon Quest anime and the first attempt to bring out Dragonball in the west.
@@Weird_dude265 Yes.
Brings back all the memories - as a kid I used to play Photon in NJ and Long Island. Used to have a Photon lunchbox, novel and watched the silly show!
same here, lived in NJ and they had a Photon center. I had laser tag and Photon as a kid. there was another tv show or VHS system that interacted with guns or toys also. forgot the name. I dont think it was captain power tho, but it might be.
@@nororengo286 I think that toy/game you were thinking of was titled "Action Max." It was essentially similar to Captain power, but it had a laser pistol with a set-top box and a few live action VHS tapes with targets that you could shoot on screen. One scenario was a Top Gun or Iron Eagle style jet fighter show and another was a wild west adventure, if I recall.
It makes me sad that I was too young and there were no Photon places where I grew up! Then when someone opened a throwback Photon, it went out of business within a month or two...
@@swampdonkey4919 it was def a fun experience as a kid tho short lived!
@@CoinOpTV you'd think with the cult following and the overabundance of lackluster laser tag arenas, there would be more interest in bringing back the photon experience. I'm sure the equipment is heavy and primitive by today's standards, but the new stuff feels like cheap plastic toys. The modern phasers and packs are temperamental and confusing--what are all those noises supposed to mean, and how can I tell whether it's defective or just disrupted? The older tech was simple, straightforward, and effective. The heavier stuff felt realistic and put you in the game. The "upgrades" only made the game complicated and less enjoyable IMO, and the places they pass off as arenas are just spraypainted plywood in an old supermarket.
I love this show. When I started to use RUclips. This was one of the first things I looked up.
Finally! I thought this show was childhood fever dream
Similar feeling here.
Wow. Same! I felt the same way about Jayce and the Wheelies. I had a coloring book for like a week but never saw the show.
A lot of that going around! I couldn't even remember the name! I just called it 'that no-budget show that was a Laser-tag Rip-Off!'.
Same.
I lived in Canada. Play enough with the antenna and I managed to pick up episodes of Photon from Fargo North Dakota. Saw a few episodes and it never appeared again! Maybe it was all a fever dream? I guess today I found out it wasn't!
I'm from Dallas. I played this in the Garland facility back in the 80s.
Same! Good times
I played out of the Fountain Valley facility, great workout! 8 months after they closed, I ran into a fellow player. "Nice beer gut Spaceotter" I said. "You should talk Dorsai" he replied. I sighed & we both said at the same time, "I miss Photon"..
Same. Our class got to take a field trip. That Xmas was all bout Photon. ✌️
i still have my Photon ID card from Wildwood, New Jersey. I wouldn’t even bother going to the beach, and spent all day and night playing. Those were great times.
I was a regular on the leader boards at my local Photon arena. Those were the days.
Doesn't "with lasers" describe about 95% of the 80's?
Hell yes it does!
Yes!
and turbos, Turbo Laser being the ultimate form
@@Marshal_Dunnik Oh, you think your Saab Turbo is cool? Well, I drive a Plymouth Laser Turbo!
@@kingedwin 😂😂
I always get such wonderful tidbits from your show. I had no idea it was originally a stadium style game first. Memories, memories..awesome episode!
The low budget nature of that show and the fact that it aired on a fuzzy uhf channel where I lived made this show terrifying for me when I was a little kid.
This show, laser tag, and the Mr Roboto music video are one big 80s sci-fi mush in my head.
RIP to the great David Stay.
God I miss the old Photon arenas. Those things rocked back in the 80s.
As a kid I always got Photon and Captain Power confused with each other. I loved the Captain Power show but always called it "Photon" (I didn't like the Photon show, all that green screen was disorienting). After the Internet became a thing I would Google "Photon" but the results wouldn't be what I expected so I thought I imagined it all until Toy Galaxy cleared it up, and now confirmed I wasn't losing my mind (as much) with THIS video. So thank you TG! 😜
You guys are like time lords of my youth! I really appreciate are the hard work yall put in to educating me on the products that shaped my life! Thank you!
I played "laser tag" at a place called Q-Zar in Concord, CA. in the '90s and at a place called Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom in Redlands, CA. in the '00s. Q-Zar had 2 bases and charging stations and played more like Search and Destroy but with respawns as your objective was to destroy the other teams base. Pharaoh's was just a straight up Deathmatch, team with the most kills wins. Q-Zar had score sheets they gave to the players after the match and there was a TV showing how people ranked against each other.
A few years ago we went to a laser tag place for my mates birthday. The guns looked more like stormtrooper blasters. The whole thing was outside so it felt like the battle of Endor. Loads of fun until one of our group stepped in a rabbit hole and broke and dislocated his ankle.
It takes two phasers to tag lasers.
My uncle bought a creepy old farmhouse in the late 80s/early 90s. The place seemed to have a thousand doors. Like, every bedroom had a door to the outside. In addition to a door into the hallway, of course, every bedroom has a door into the adjacent bedroom. It as like something out of a Scooby Doo chase scene.
Anyway, in the basement we found an empty Photon pistol box. Who were the weirdos that lived in the house before him, that somehow had enough cash to be into Photon, too? I had hoped they had left it behind somehow, but no such luck.
Even that much is a very, very cool story.
I loved Photon. I lived 10 minutes from the original arena and always went there all the time. My friends and I all had the home sets also. The 80's had the best toys.
I played at the Photon in Virginia Beach around '87 too. Most recently I played Photon in Falls Church, Va, in the early 2010s.
You sure that was photon? Never heard of a photon in VA in 2010s. Pretty much just the Laurel MD which was only photon for about a year or 2 before becoming XP lasersport in 98 or 99, and broken arrow OK which lasted less than 2 months in 2009 I think.
Did you wear a vest or a helmet/chest pod?
For my 12th birthday, my father took me and some of my friends to Photon Garland TX Arena. Had a blast, but did kind of get annoyed with the fans shooting you, which one was my father. Thanks Dad. Great memories.
Ob deck phaser stations did not deactivate players in the games.
I highly enjoy these videos because of your wonderful personality and relatable nature. It was truly hilarious having your rival Game Dave over and having him dancing during the credits and the intro. You two are a fun whacky match! This video is very well done! Photon was before my time but I still enjoyed this video a lot!
I remember asking for Lazer Tag for Christmas when I was a kid. My brother and I got Photon instead. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't the "cool brand" of Lazer Tag, but we had a lot of fun with Photon.
Same here I always wondered if Lazer Tag was much better? Oh well those guns didn't last with me and my brother, for a month or two. LOL
That laser tag rifle was a complete game changer (other than being bright white). Much longer range, burst and full auto, and a basic optical sight.
@@BayushiGemma I had both. Lazer tag had a cooler gun and sound effects but that was it. The Lazer Tag story was kinda lame and the tale of Bhodi & Friends got me hooked. In the early days of eBay I was able to buy both green and red helmet sets and it was glorious.
@@captainwohop So I didn't totally miss out, cool thanks.
I remember asking for Lazer tag for Christmas in 86 I believe and I ended up getting something called Laser Combat instead. The Cool thing about it is a few years ago I came across the Laser Combat toy gun and it still works.
This was absolutely my jam when I was 3. It is one of the few things I remember from my earliest memories, besides Star Wars.
I spent most of the summer of 1985 hanging out at my local Photon arena in Aurora, CO... Playing Photon and "Gauntlet." What a great summer...
Funny enough, a basic VCR remote control be used to zap the Photon sensors.
Awesome. It would be funny to trigger an emitter that just hit every player every time you hit it. Like people did with the TVs at tech conventions.
Time to stock up on vcr remotes!
We called them cone grenades.
Our eyes are photon sensors.
😲...soooo...can you build me a Photon Gun? 😃
I use to watch the Photon show when I was a kid!
Photon Lazer tag and roller skating! I still remember those fun days of being a kid and saving the universe!
I loved Photon as a kid. I was legit hooked on the show and thought it was the coolest thing ever.
I had the green one!!! I saw Photon on the locale news and thought it was cool. And it was. I never went to the Photon Arena. They were not around me. I was the only kid that had one. I still had one. I still had fun with it. I even wear it for Halloween one year. It was cool! Thanks for the video and the trip down memory lane 😁
Where is my boy Mandarr? Needed at least 2 minutes to explain who the bad guys were, since that's a funny story all in its self. Bohdi's arch rival! The good guy's coke to the bad guys Mentos! Good vid. Blast from the past.
Still remember watching the Photon live-action show early Saturday mornings at 7:30 am here in Philadelphia on channel 57. Ahhh, the 80's.
Channel 57 cartoon block is one of my fondest memories of growing up in the 80’s. Also I had a huge crush on Tivia.
I still have the books, they definitely rose above the source material thanks to Peter David
I bought them specifically because they were Peter David, but I’m wondering now how I knew that back in the pre-Internet era? I don’t think I figured it out based on his own name, I was a pretty dumb kid.
And I agree, I remember them being a cut above similar tie-in novels.
Great research Dan! Seeing the MILES gear brought back not so great memories. We wore vests and gear on our Kevlar helmets so we could get “tagged”.Each MILES device for the M-16s had a key that could turn it on and off. There was a “god” gun that supporting staff could use to zap you or reset your gear once you were hit.
Man, the best birthday parties from my childhood were the ones at the Photon arena in Harvey IL. I begged every friend to have theirs there. Could never get enough.
Wow! Had this as a kid in 89/90 in the UK. Nostalgia right here 😁
The weird thing is I just found my Photon I.D. card yesterday from 1986!!!
Holy shit, got this for Christmas as a kid. Been trying to remember the name of this for *FOREVER* and couldn't come up with it. Remember literally nothing about this other than the action figures looked cool.
I played in the Toronto Photon arena and had the red set of home game armour. I loved it. Thanks for the memories!
"You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with ficken photon beams attached to their heads!"
I remember seeing the action figures once at SEARS. My brother and I liked to go into SEARS because that was the only store that had the the last wave of REMCO Wrestlers. We saw the two pack of PHOTON figures with main character guy, and 4 armed dude. We thought they were cool looking, but the $50.00 price tag was awe inspiring. I know modern action figure enthusiasts are comfortable with the idea of paying that much for two figures, but this was 1986!!! Seriously, did any kid have these? Adjusted for inflation, that's about $120.00 in today's money, which is 60 bucks per figure. I couldn't talk my parents into buying us the USS FLAG, so I knew it was pointless to attempt to acquire these. For the record, I was 10 years old in 1986, so it's not like I could go get a job. Mowing a lawn might land you 5 bucks back then. Basically I'm saying I'm not at all surprised these aren't common finds in the secondary market. That handful of rich kids who got Photon figures must still have have them.
10:19 "Brian Austin Green LOL" LMMFAO 😂🤣😂 It's just hella funny that you pointed that out. I fuckin remember that commercial too
I have so many fond memories of hitting up the Photon arena with my friends!
I still have my photon ID card from my local arena. Brings back the memories
Wow you guys keep coming up with cool stuff I've never heard of. Keep up the good work.
I was fortunate enough to play at the arena in Maryland a couple of times. Had a great time - lots of good memories.
My dad used to take me to the Photon arena in Wildwood. Ahhhh, those were the days...
I played at a Photon Arena in Mt. Prospect, IL (a western suburb of Chicago). Myself, my then-wife, and an assortment of friends that would change from week-to-week. There were two courses within the arena. We went on Sundays when they had a special...play all day, all day meaning 12p-6p, for $20. With games costing $5 a pop at all other times, this was a fantastic deal.
One time, I was running down a ramp in the largest course, "Omega." I was running a little too fast, tripped, and rolled halfway down. This is where you used a safety net. You removed your helmet and yelled (depending on which color helmet you wore) "RED! RAMP! DOWN!" Staff would assist you and removing the helmet was a signal to opposing team members to not shoot at you until you were ready.
We had a blast once a week. They also had leagues that competed for prizes, but we never joined up.
Gosh...that ad...gives me goosebumps!
There was an amazing novel in the series which I remember reading. The ending was that basically there is this god of good and god of evil playing a game of chess. The main character lands on the board. Essentially one side has one and that was going to be the end of all existence. He says, why stop now? Why not try again and see who wins? At the time, it was a mind blowing experience for me as a kid to think of reality in that way. Some higher entities treating all of reality as a game board. So, yeah, the book series was pretty awesome. :)
My parents got me a Photon rig when it first came out. It was the coolest thing.
The only exposure I had ever had to Photon was having that read-along book that came with the audio cassette. I only ever read the book if I was playing the tape too, but often I would listen to the tape on its own. The production value was actually quite high for what it was. All the narration, voice acting, music and special effects were exceptionally well done and actually made it all sound extremely exciting. It seemed so obscure to me, though. Nobody else I knew or talked to had ever heard of Photon before (then or now), so I assumed it was some random one-off venture that went nowhere, and that I just got lucky in discovering a hidden gem. I had no idea it was a whole franchise until I was an adult. I'm not sure whatever happened to the book, but I'm sure I still have the cassette somewhere. I actually really would recommend listening to it if you somehow get the chance. I'd honestly put its quality up against anything else that came out during that time.
I'm sitting here watching this and having my mind blown to find out that the first "laser" gun toy comes from South Bend Indiana while I'm maybe 5 miles away from it right now. That brought a smile to my face. Simple pleasures, simple pleasures.
I lived on Long Island, New York up until I was about 15. About a year before my family moved, they opened a Photon arena near me. I loved it!! For a while I would go every Friday. Everything inside was good, video game arcade, snack area, 2 arenas. But let me tell you something: even as a 15 year old I could see a problem with their business model. They were open most days and through the weekend, but they were open *during the day, Monday through Friday*, They would be empty during those hours. Everyone was at school during those hours. I know, seems like roller rink hours. But I still think keeping it open during the day when all the kids at school was silly.
I was born in '87. I played a game (five rounds) of laser tag in February, it was awesome!
In the hay-day of Laser-Tag, we all had a blast no pun intended! I wish they still had places to play Laser-Tag. We had one in our home town and everyone went there when we were kids. I also remember getting a Photon Laser-Tag set for Christmas. We had good fun with those!
I played at the Photon Arena in Tempe AZ. I still have my ID card. I remember a middle aged overweight guy, always had top scores. He would never run just walked around picking players off. Because he exploited a weakness in the game. He knew the timing between when a player was shot(when shot your were out for a so many seconds), then brought back into the game. Thus were fodder for the wise player. Most players didn't know this trick. I only learned it years later playing other laser tag type toys.
It would be fun to go back to an old arena using the original gear. But most today would complain about the bulky battery belt we had to wear.
It was a lot of fun, I do miss stuff like that.
Played photon many times at the facility in Harvey, IL. Always had a blast
Damn, I remember my brother and I getting up at 6am every Saturday Morning back in 1987 just to watch Photon. For some reason, that was the time our local cable station aired the show, but I used to get real excited for it and sure miss those times lol
I loved photon as a kid. Went to the center, had the books (way better than you would think}, and watched the show. I'm so glad he did this video
Yes, I did. Oklahoma City. Drove down from Wichita, Ks. on weekends, with a friend along most trips. Regular trips, often a few times a month, from late 1985, I think, and into 1987. Luckily, there was a decent sized crowd of enthusiastic players like me who kept feeding it our money. As a result, that Photon Arena, as I recall, stayed open far longer than any other (or was among the last ones open and operational, at least) long after the parent company was gone. I heard, in the mid 1990s, that they were STILL operating; but had moved to a smaller space. They were able to remain open by rebranding to keep the doors open and had some computer nerds (like I was, and remain) keeping the actual heart of what made the Photon arena a truly amazing innovative experience: the scoring computer systems. Photon was wildly more advanced than Lazer Tag. It tracked hits wirelessly and live, so the scoreboard accurately displayed what was going on in the huge multilevel arena. The array of sensors did not just track 'hits' - but also a basic damage system that used far more than a single chest target. Hits degraded your power crystal (Ammo) and you had to shoot your own crystal to heal/recharge. The gear had over a dozen IR scattered over the helmet and harness. You could be hit in different places, not just in the middle of your chest. Lazer Tag was a cheap toy: a laughable joke compared to the far higher tech and far more ambitious Photon Arena. The board room 'geniuses' being prodded by greedy but clueless investors ruined Photon with all the marketing garbage. An insultingly vapid TV show and cheap toy junk. Photon was poused to become a high tech sport, with upgrades to the tech over time. Which would have gone as mainstream as auto racing, football, baseball, soccer, or any competitive team sport. It was amazing. Your writeup did not cover, except for a bare mention of the data encoded into the IR beams without mentioning how that was used, all that differentiated it from the far inferior me-too junk that flooded the market (including the Photon home system toys). The actual Photon was the Photon Arena.
We never got a Photon facility where I lived growing up. However I did get the Photon set for Christmas in 1988.
Photon. The number one birthday spot in the Chicago suburbs back in the day!!!!!
I grew up in Garland and I was addicted to this place. For 5 dollars, you could play 2 rounds and I would beg my mom to take me there. I still have my Photon card from the place and because I loved the movie Top Gun, my nickname was IceMan; such great memories.
As a kid I went to Photon in Kennilworth, NJ with my dad. It was always a great time. For the late 80s though it was kind of pricey at $5 per game for an adult and $3.75 for a kid. In cost per minute of entertainment it was much more than your average arcade so it was more of a "special treat". Plus the wait times were usually long because of the setup time to get geared up, waiting for the game to conclude and the final posting of the scores. The original Photon also had very few rules around running and jumping or diving behind obstacles for cover. On many occasions as a kid I would get smashed into by an adult 3 times my size barreling around the corner in the dark. Honestly, some of the most "phun" I ever had as a kid and memories I wouldn't trade for anything.
I never knew they had action figures! I would have wanted them! I remember getting up at like 5 on saturdays to watch Photon. I thought it was so cool.
I immediately heard the theme song from the show in my head when I saw the thumbnail. I never had the toys but my cousins had Laser Combat, which was a blast (pun very much intended) when I was a kid.
Ok this is one of those shows I couldn't find for ages as I searched for laser tag shows as that was the part I remembered. Thanks so much.
My parents bought me a red and green Photon helmet set for Christmas the year it came out! Me and my dad would often play at night and the glowing lights on the gear used to look awesome! I REALLY miss the 80's😢
Yeah!! At last! It takes so long, year after year to thinking and try to remember what are the Tv series name. I watched this series in 1989 (Malaysia). The hero's outfit have similar to StarWars X-Wing pilot outfit and gear. What a great memory. Thank you, for bring up those nostalgia.
Awww man, Photon takes me back. Found out about when Universal Studios Hollywood had a promotion in park for Photon. Used to get my dad to drive me about 90 minutes once a month down to Fountain Valley to play on Sundays (when they had a all-day play special), and would sometimes play out in Las Vegas as well. I remember how heartbroken I was when I discovered that the Photon in Fountain Valley pretty much up and disappeared. I would always call on a Friday before heading down to make sure they still had their all-day play special, but this time, instead of getting Photon, I got a message saying the number had been changed. Tried calling that number but it was disconnected. Tried calling the Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce and they had no idea. I didn't find out that it was closed until I thought to call the Del Taco that was in the same strip mall.
I would go on to still play various laser tag systems over the years like QZar, Ultrazone; and managed a laser tag center (don't know what the official name of the system it used, but the center was called LazerPower in Santa Clarita),. Every so often I still get a hankering to play from time to time, if for no other reason than to see how things have progressed. Still do pretty well, especially for an "old" man.
I will say though.. over all of the years, no Laser Tag center had as good of theming and immersion, and nowhere near as good of an arena design than the original Photon.
We had these growing up. Probably got them on clearance at Big Lots.... still had lots of fun!
Finding a Photon Helmet at a thrift store (circa 2015) was one of the happiest moments in my adult life. Never had one as a kid.
WOW,memories. I played a TON on Photon when I was a kid ^_^. and if I remember correctly the arcade in my local Photon arena introduced me to Gauntlet.
I played at a Photon arena somewhere in SoCal back in the mid-late 80's. I was a kid. I did terrible. But I also remember having a ton of fun! I remember seeing the action figures in Toy's-R-Us all the time and coveted them *SO* much. Just a few years ago I finally finished re-collecting the kid's books and honestly, they were really fun and went kinda dark at times too. And a series shot mainly on blue screen? *No one* would really watch something like that! Never not in a mando-illion years.
Honestly, this is a brand I'd like to see revive. It was some fun space opera that *isn't* the usual brand.
Owned the guns. Owned the novels. Watched the show. Played in a Photon center in Jersey. It was awesome. This brings back good memories.
Was it on Route 22 East in the Springfield area?
@@ChrisSztybel yup Route 22 in Kenilworth!
I was not expecting the VA Beach, Virginia shot out at the end. I remember going to a Tag place near Lynnhaven Mall here when I was younger, perhaps the same facility :-)
I waited for so long you reviewed this tv series. i didnt know the name of the show i watched it more than 30years ago on Super channel. I searched it for a long time without success. i only remembered the pirate guy of the show. Thx very much.
I remember going to the Photon Center in Albuquerque, NM once when I was 11.
I believe this is what Tom Hanks is playing in Big.
I was just about to comment about this. I was super jealous of him being able to play with it!
Shameless plug lol always thought about that 👍
I remember my family receiving two Photon sets with helmets one year for Christmas. My brother, 6 years older than myself, lost interest quickly and it just became target practice for my 4 or 5 year old self.
10-ish years later a place opens up called LazerQuest and my brother becomes someone who goes there weekly. Buys a membership, gets involved in a league, etc. Bunch of guys there take names of Transformers characters and...well, it's a fun place. Eventually my brother falls out of it and the place sticks around until it closed a few years ago. Kind of a shame. They had a good thing going, despite seeming to never have updated anything there ever. Trying to remember if the last time I was there, which would have been 2009, they still had the same Mortal Kombat 3 machine.
Played this so many time in Kenilworth NJ as a teen in the 80s with my close friends - so much fun :-). Can still smell that fog/smoke and hear the pulsing sound effects :-)
I went to a Photon Center many times when visiting my cousin in West Orange back then, so I'm wondering if that was the same place! I was like 8, so I don't remember exactly where... but I feel the same about the smoke/fog and sounds! :O
@@Mister80Retro Only 13 approx miles away so that was probably it. I also remember in their game room they had the flat table top version of the GAUNTLET game :-)
Kenilworth NJ Photon, off Route 22 & Michigan Ave. My nickname was " Dangerzone ". I was invited to join " Supremacy " team. Also I saw their TV Show occasionally. One time, I heard a blonde woman, early 30's, watching a game, then turned to her friends, saying I want to play ! Some Canadians said in French, when are we competing ? A lady replied tomorrow, also in French. Lord Beathan had the best salute, for a TV show. According to another player, some t-shirt shop could stitch your nickname on your Photon hat for $5. Radio station WDHA, from Randolph NJ, broadcasted live event @ Kenilworth. I asked a local police officer, working security, if he had ever seen anything like that Photon crowd before. He mentioned he saw wilder stuff elsewhere. Whenever the really young kids took the field, the older teens & adults would watch from the upstairs gallery. Serious players considered zapping the younglings to be rude. Others noted repressed hostility ? Strange memories indeed !
Zap them all you want. It didn't affect the game on the field
I played at the Photon Center in Dallas Texas off of Belt Line Road when I was a kid. It was wonderful.
I grew up in Mesquite, Texas, right next door to Garland and the first Photon arena. I went many times, and I was so stoked to get my own green Photon suit on Christmas 1987, and my cousin got one in red. I think we played with them like once, on Christmas day. I should have asked for Laser Tag.
Holy carp! I remember going to the Photon arena a few times as a kid, but I never realized there was a TV show.
The figures! I remember asking for them for Xmas. I want to say Sears carried them.
Man this one took me way back and put a stupid smile on my face
Hooray, I didn't imagine this! Nobody else remembers the giant Photon game center in the back of an old shopping mall next to the movie theater in my town. The theater is now a trade school and the mall is completely outdoor-access-only, but this video proves it was real!