Despite being focused on 80's pop trivia, we ty to remain topical and relevant to the here and now when composing the weekly trivia challenge. After all, everything old is new again, or so the saying goes. The big story in the entertainment world this week? "Beauty pageant winner(s) immersed in scandal, will she (they) be dethroned?" Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner's recent escapades in the New York club scene have threatened not only her title, but that of Miss Teen USA Katie Blair. It's nice to see that all concerned have there priorities in order, putting the issue of Miss USA retaining her title above such trivial matters as illegal drug use, underage drinking, contributing to the delinquency of minors, and liquor license violations for the clubs involved. But it occurs to us: We've been here before! In 1984, Vanessa Williams lost her title as Miss America after Penthouse magazine published a series of scandalous photos. Now, the Miss America Pageant and the Miss USA pageant are run by two different organizations, but it seems like Vanessa Williams got a raw deal back in the 80's. Ms. Williams participated in the controversial photo shoot long before entering the Miss America pageant, whereas Ms. Conner's improprieties took place while she was wearing the crown (or dragging it behind her as some accounts allege). Also, Ms. Williams didn't break any laws when she posed for that photo session, can the same be said for Ms. Conner? Well, it turns out that it is for the owner of the pageant to decide, and both Tara Conner and Katie Blair have been absolved by no less a moral authority than Donald Trump. Whoever owned the Miss America pageant back in 1984 declined to give Vanessa Williams a second chance, but it turns out she didn't need their endorsement anyhoo. Ms. Williams went on to have a successful career in movies and music that included gold records and a starring role on Broadway. All in all, a better track record than many pageant winners end up with. Vanessa Williams released her first solo album in 1988, what was the title of the album?

Bonus Question: Holy double whammy, Batman! The issue of Penthouse magazine that included the Vanessa Williams photo spread became the second largest selling issue of any magazine in history up to that point. Ironically, it's illegal to own an unaltered copy of that particular issue. The reason for this has nothing to do with Miss America, but rather the identity of the centerfold. So who was the centerfold for that particular issue of Penthouse, and why was it such a big deal?

Today is November 2nd, and November 2nd is All Souls Day. The basic idea of All Souls Day is to take the opportunity to remember those who have passed away during the preceding year. Many well known people from the 80's left this world during 2006, such as former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Senator and 1988 Vice Presidential candidate Lloyd Bensten, Producer Aaron Spelling, and actor Bruno Kirby to name a few. Since this site tends to focus more on pop culture, here's some trivia concerning a couple of dearly departed stars from the 80's: Actor and comedian Don Knotts passed away back in February. Knotts' career started long before the 80's. He had a regular spot on the "Steve Allen Show" back in the 50's, and went on to play Barney Fife on the "Andy Griffith Show" during the 60's (for which he earned SEVEN Emmies!) If kids in the 80's didn't know him from all the Andy Griffith repeats, they undoubtedly knew him as the landlord on "Three's Company." He joined the cast in 1979 when The Ropers left to appear in a spin-off. So what was the name of Don Knotts' character on "Three's Company?"

Bonus Question: Singer June Pointer, youngest member of the Pointer Sisters, passed away in April of this year. The Pointer Sisters had a string of hits in the early 80's. They also had several film and television appearances in which they either played themselves or played a fictional singing group. They had a spot in the 1976 film "Car Wash," and they played 'The Mermaids' on an episode of The Love Boat' (they backed up bartender Isaac in a talent show). What was the name of the T.V. sitcom on which the Pointer Sisters had a guest appearance as a singing group known as the 'Doo-Wop Girls?'

The cabbage patch kids were perhaps the most popular and memorable dolls from the 80's. The dolls were so popular and in such high demand, that stories of mother's fighting each other over the last doll in the toy store started surfacing in the mainstream news. Typically these maternal brawls occured during the christmas season when demand for the dolls was at its highest.

The plastic headed dolls were originally created with plush, fabric heads but when the went into mass production, they began having plastic heads that were much easier to produce. The original doll's creator, Xavier Roberts, began creating the dolls by hand and sold them at small festival and local busineses. Eventually he sold the licenscing of the dolls to Coleco who renamed them to: "Cabbage Patch Kids" and sold them succesfully throughout the 80's.

So, what was the original name of the "Cabbage Patch Kids" dolls?

We all remember the "baby on board" signs that were popular during the 80's. The five-inch signs were originally intended to be placed in the back window of an automobile to deter tailgating. The baby on board sign were first marketed in September 1984, the sign became a huge fad reaching it pinnacle in 1985. Its use in the US rapidly declined by 1986 as parody imitations with lines like "Baby I'm Bored," "Pit Bull on Board," and "Mother-In-Law in Trunk" became popular, but it is still popular in the UK (along with other versions such as "Princess on Board" and "Little Person on Board").

Although we rarely see the baby on board signs in the back of cars anymore, we still see this lexicon show up in american pop culture. In 1993, an episode of a popular television program featured a barbershop quartet tune called Baby On Board. The song crooned about how "each trip's a trip to paradise, with my baby on board", thanks to "the sign in my car's windowpane". What was the name of this television program?

Bonus question: What was the name of the company that first marketed the "baby on board" signs in 1984?

The term "yuppie" is a popular 80's slang that often was used with connotations of selfishness, materialism, and superficiality. Originally the term held some positive meaning, but quickly led to backlash against those that self-identified with the term. Much like the term "valley girl", "yuppie" enjoyed great popularity during the 1980's but died quickly in the 90's. The term "yuppie" is interesting because it sounds similar to the pupular 70's term "hippie" but is, by most accounts, the opposite in meaning.

So your 80's trivia question today is, where did the term yuppie come from? This is a tough one, so, i'll give you a little help. The term originated from an acronym that describes this particular demographic. The acronym is Y.U.P. What does this acronym stand for?

Bonus Question: Perhaps the most famous fictional yuppie character to-date is present in the novel "American Psycho" written by Bret Easton Ellis. What is the name of this famous yuppie character?