Total Control Racing (TCR) was a toy brand from Ideal which debuted in the late 1970s, similar to slot car sets, with approximately HO scale cars (and smaller scale semi-trailer trucks) that operated on a slotless track.

The plastic track contained lanes of three metal strips about 2 mm (0.08 inch) wide, which made contact with a configuration of two brass pads on the underside of the cars, providing power. The brass pads could be arranged in one of two possible configurations by the user. Which configuration a car was set to would determine which two of the three power providing metal strips were being drawn from and, hence which of the two controllers was for which car, The plastic track had two such lanes, and cars could change lanes with the flick of a switch on the controller. TCR sets came with “jam cars”, a slow moving drone which both racers had to avoid crashing into. Like Matchbox’s Powertrack, some cars featured lights.

The first sets consisted of up to 4 Formula 5000 cars. The track (which stayed the same throughout successive generations of cars) was wide enough for two cars side by side and had raised edges along both sides to prevent the cars from leaving the track. No more than one or two cars could be controlled and raced. They were controlled by the user by means of a trigger controller which also carried a toggle switch. When switched up, the car would travel in the outermost lane of the track, when switched down, the car would travel in the innermost lane of the track. By this means, the user could genuinely overtake their opponent by switching lanes at the correct moment. The two remaining cars were ‘Jam Cars’ which would run around the track when either or both of the trigger controllers were depressed. The Jam Cars were slower than the racing cars and had front wheels that were fixed to steer permanently left or right. This meant that a Jam Car was relatively easy to pass, or manoeuvred automatically out of the way as you approached (as a lapped vehicle would in a race).

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

Superman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is widely considered to be an American cultural icon.  Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc. (later DC Comics) in 1938, the character first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, television programs, films, newspaper strips, and video games. With the success of his adventures, Superman helped to create the superhero genre and establish its primacy within the American comic book.  The character’s appearance is distinctive and iconic: a blue, red and yellow costume, complete with cape, with a stylized “S” shield on his chest.  This shield is now typically used across media to symbolize the character.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (also known as The Empire Strikes Back) is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner and written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, with George Lucas writing the film’s story and serving as executive producer. Of the six main Star Wars films, it was the second to be released and the fifth in terms of internal chronology.

The film is set three years after the original Star Wars. The Galactic Empire, under the leadership of the villainous Darth Vader, is in pursuit of Luke Skywalker and the rest of the Rebel Alliance. While Vader chases a small band of Luke’s friends—Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and others—across the galaxy, Luke studies the Force under Jedi Master Yoda. But when Vader captures Luke’s friends, Luke must decide whether to complete his training and become a full Jedi Knight or to confront Vader and save his comrades.

Following a difficult production, The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, and initially received mixed reviews from critics, although it has since grown in esteem, becoming one of the most popular chapters in the Star Wars saga and one of the most highly-rated films in history.  It earned more than $538 million worldwide over the original run and several re-releases, making it the highest grossing film of 1980. When adjusted for inflation, it is the 12th highest grossing film in the USA and Canada as of 2012.

In 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.”

Galaxy Minstrels,  previously known simply as Minstrels are milk chocolate buttons with a hard glazed shell sold in several countries including the UK,Ireland, South Africa, Kenya, Cyprus, France, Malta, and Spain.

They originally had the slogan “They melt in your mouth, not in your hands”, the same one used by M&M’s in the United States (also used to market M&M’s in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s).

In line with Mars’ re-branding, Minstrels were brought under the Galaxy brand and are now sold as “Galaxy Minstrels”, referring to the use of Galaxy chocolate in them.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia

1981 commercial for Matey Bubble Bath