Entertainment
The Series That Scarred 80s Kids Forever
By Jonathan Klotz
| Published
Every child of the ’80s carries with them scars to this day. We watched Artax lose the will to live in the Swamp of Sorrow, half the Autobots blown up in the first 10 minutes of Transformers: The Movie, and Punky Brewster turning refrigerators into the scariest household appliance. Even the original 1983 G.I. Joe got in on the action with surprisingly dark episodes, including one in which a traitor is consumed by piranhas, but none hit as hard as “There’s No Place Like Springfield,” a two-part psychological horror focused on breaking Shipwreck, a fan favorite character, so that he’d give up the secret formula that turns water into an explosive. Cobra never did anything the way, so the master plan was to pay homage to the mind-bending sci-fi series The Prisoner.
G.I. Joe’s Psychological Horror Season Finale
After the required bumper saying “G.I. Joe will return after these messages,” Shipwreck wakes up in a hospital and learns that his family was concerned about him. Not Uncle Al, but his wife (Mara, the Cobra operative spliced with fish DNA who previously fell in love with Shipwreck) and daughter, which is news to the career soldier who had given up on ever having a normal life. Haunted by nightmares, Shipwreck nonetheless falls into a routine with the family he always wanted in the idyllic town of Springfield.
The two-part episode is the equivalent of a slow-burning episode for G.I. Joe, which normally wrapped up the entire story in 22-minutes with a massive gun battle. “There’s No Place Like Springfield” slowly peels back the curtain as Shipwreck realizes there’s something wrong with the town, and he uncovers the Cobra conspiracy behind it all. With the town burning down around him when the Joes arrive on a rescue mission, Shipwreck is confronted by Mara, the woman he loves, who’s still fighting for Cobra, and his daughter, armed with a rocket launcher.. Until they melt into goo.
G.I. Joe was a very light-hearted children’s show designed to sell toys, which is why the sheer anguish in Shipwreck’s voice when he realizes that his family were synthoids is so haunting. He knows he’s been lied to by Cobra, he knows everything is fake, but in those final moments, he’s still hoping that it could be real. A glorified commercial wasn’t supposed to include deep themes about life, love, and trauma. All it needed was for the loved ones of a fan favorite character to start melting as he helplessly looked on.
G.I. Joe’s Best Episode
“There’s No Place Like Springfield” clearly took cues from Patrick McGoohan’s psychological sci-fi drama by dropping the hero in the middle of a perfect town, where other residents use various methods, both overt and covert, to get information from him. Shipwreck’s house is also located at 6 Village Drive, an obvious homage to Number Six and The Village from The Prisoner. As a kid, it’s easy to miss references to a show from the 60s, even the large, white, gelatinous mass that attacks Shipwreck is a direct reference to The Village’s bouncy, balloon security device, Rover. All the kids cared about was that Shipwreck made it out alive.
G.I. Joe ended Season 1 with the two-part psychological horror, but when Season 2 came around a year later, Shipwreck wasn’t shown dealing with the trauma; instead, he was reduced to comic relief. The addition of Sgt. Slaughter in Season 2 forced Season 1’s fan favorites to get less of the spotlight, but of all of them, Shipwreck deserved to remain a featured player, and he deserved to eventually settle down with the real Mara.
Melting loved ones turned “There’s No Place Like Springfield” into a memorable G.I. Joe episode that’s remained at the top of fan favorite lists for decades. 80s kids were used to horrible, horrible things happening to their heroes ever since we watched E.T. get sick. There had to be a better way to introduce new toys than to kill off the old favorites.
If you want to relive the 80s or check it out for the first time, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is currently streaming for free on Pluto TV.
Entertainment
15+ Ninja kitchen deals to shop before the Amazon Big Spring Sale
Now that we’re celebrating warmer weather and spring flowers, the schedule is getting busier and there’s less time to spend making dinner. The phrase “work smarter, not harder” certainly applies to making meals, and Ninja makes some of Mashable’s favorite kitchen appliances that help with whipping up excellent meals with little hassle.
If your kitchen could use an upgrade, the Amazon Big Spring Sale is here to help. Like the name suggests, the sale is an opportunity to get major discounts across tons of categories like robot vacuums, Apple tech, kitchen goods, and plenty more. Officially, the sale kicks off on March 25 but like all Amazon sale events, the mega retailer is already dropping prices. Here are some of the best Ninja deals to shop ahead of the sale.
Best blender deal
$129.99
at Amazon
$219.99
Save $90
Why we like it
Serving as a blender and a food processor, the Ninja Kitchen System is a do-it-all appliance. You’ll be whizzing up morning smoothies, fresh salsa for barbecues, homemade salad dressings, and even mixing doughs thanks to the powerful Ninja blender. Plus, many of the components are safe to clean in the dishwasher.
Mashable Trend Report
The system with blender base, food processor bowl, two serving cups, and a 72-ounce blender pitcher usually sells for $219.99, but it’s on sale at Amazon today for $129.99. That matches the lowest we’ve ever seen at Amazon.
More Ninja blender deals
Best frozen treats deal
$299.99
at Amazon
$349.99
Save $50
Why we like it
There’s arguably no better way to celebrate warmer temps than with ice cream. The only thing that could make this better would be if you got to enjoy homemade ice cream with your own custom flavors combinations. Welcome to the wonderful world of the Ninja Creami Scoop & Swirl. This worthy countertop appliance serves up your own scoopable ice cream, soft serve, frozen custard, sorbet, gelato, and more.
In Mashable’s review of the best Ninja appliances, the Scoop & Swirl earns the top spot as the best model in the Ninja Creami lineup.
More Ninja frozen treats deals
More Ninja deals to shop today
Topics
Kitchen
Amazon Big Spring Sale
Entertainment
The best deals under $25 ahead of Amazons Big Spring Sale — save on Lego, Fire Sticks, and more
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is nearly here, running March 25 through 31. With the sale on the horizon, deals are trickling in. If you’re not looking to drop a ton of cash during this seasonal sale event, we’ve gathered up some excellent deals under $25 that you can shop right now.
These range from the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, if you’re looking to upgrade your streaming setup this year, to some sweet Lego sets, including the delightfully colorful Lego Botanicals Petite Sunny Bouquet, but there’s much more to explore. As the Big Spring Sale gets closer, we’ll be sure to update this with even more discounts that cross our radar, too.
Mashable Deals
Note: You don’t need to be a Prime member to shop the sale, but Prime members will receive exclusive deals on a variety of items.
Best deal under $25
$24.99
at Amazon
$49.99
Save $25.00
Why we like it
2026 has started off strong when it comes to what’s available to stream, and if you’ve been looking to upgrade your setup to enjoy it all in 4K, the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus is worth a look. At the moment, this streaming stick has returned to its lowest-ever price of $24.99 at Amazon, which is 50% off its list price of $49.99. It’s a pretty excellent price to pay for what you’re getting.
Mashable Deals
The Fire TV Stick 4K Plus supports 4K Ultra HD picture quality, which helps bring out the colors and crisp details in the shows and films you watch. It also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos audio, which provide a little extra boost to picture and sound as well. And with support for Wi-Fi 6, you’ll get to enjoy smooth streaming quality. If it sounds like the streaming package you’ve been searching for, this early deal at Amazon is well worth jumping on.
More deals under $25
Entertainment
Shark devices on sale ahead of Amazons Big Spring Sale: Stick vacuums, stain removers, hair tools
A quick look at the best Amazon Shark deals ahead of the Big Spring Sale
There are few home categories that Shark doesn’t have a stake in. Floor care has been its bread and butter for a while, of course. But skincare, hair care, and and air care, too? It’s Dyson-level variety at this point. But when it comes to deals during major Amazon sale events, there are typically more good Shark deals than good Dyson deals. The early deals of Amazon’s 2026 Big Spring Sale tell the same story.
We’re tracking all of the best early deals on Shark vacuums, Shark beauty tools, Shark air purifiers, and more, live ahead of the sale’s March 25 kickoff. A handful of our absolute favorite Shark products are already on sale, but we’ll be updating this story as more deals on Shark devices trickle in throughout the week. (Fingers crossed for a legit CryoGlow red light mask deal.)
Best Shark vacuum deal
$249
at Amazon
$399.99
Save $150.99
Why we like it
It’ll be hard for any spring vacuum deal to beat this Shark Clean & Empty model as the best affordable stick vacuum setup. It automatically empties itself and charges every time you hang it back up on the dock (which also acts as built-in storage). That means you’re starting every cleaning session with an empty dustbin, and that means you’ll have unmistakeable visible proof of the gunk that’s been sucked up in the room at hand.
It’s not Shark’s most powerful self-emptying stick vacuum, but it is almost 40 percent cheaper than Shark’s most powerful self-emptying stick vacuum when it’s on sale. Weighing in at just under six pounds, this Clean & Empty model is lighter than most cordless vacuums out there — including 30 percent lighter than the popular Shark Vertex Pro, which doesn’t come with an auto-empty dock.
What about Shark robot vacuum deals?
The Shark robot vacuums on sale so far are decent if you really want a Shark, but I hesitate to hit full send on recommending one unless it’s the PowerDetect UV Reveal 2-in-1: The best Shark robot vacuum right now. The $1,299.99 robot vacuum and mop combo with blacklight stain detect hasn’t even been out for a month, and the chances of it seeing a discount this soon are iffy. If you have $300 or $600 to spend on a robot vacuum this spring, there are more value-packed robot vacuum deals from other brands live at Amazon.
Mashable Trend Report
More early Shark Big Spring Sale deals
Robot vacuums
Cordless vacuums
Corded vacuums
Hair tools
Skincare devices
Upright and portable carpet and upholstery cleaners
Air purifiers
15+ Ninja kitchen deals to shop before the Amazon Big Spring Sale
The best deals under $25 ahead of Amazons Big Spring Sale — save on Lego, Fire Sticks, and more
