I can't remember the last time I saw one of these but there are a lot of old friends in there.
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
LSD bedding
Pretty positive this was my motel room when I got a flat tire on the New Jersey turnpike in 1996.
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
The Stretch Monster Kid Returns!
A wonderful thing happened today in the Facebook Vintage Toys group I manage with some friends. We got a visit from Mike, who is Mike you ask? He's the kid on the Stretch Monster box! Mike's gurning on that package is easily one of the most iconic 70s toy images out there. In fact, he was the subject of the very first PlaidStallions trading card nearly a decade ago.
Here's Mike 40 years later posing with his now very collectible packaging. How did he get the gig, Mike explained:
"My dad's design studio did all of the Kenner Toys packaging in the 70s and 80s. I was on a few toy boxes, but this is the most famous. I got paid $60 for the shoot, which was a ton of money for a 70s first-grader. But more importantly, I had access to KENNER. Dad would take me to the factory. I owned dozens of Stretch Monsters, Stretch Armstrongs, Stretch Octopi, and some other prototypes that never made it to market (I can only imagine what they would be worth if I still had them!)."
He had to mention the prototype word but wait, it gets even more interesting:
"And of course, Star Wars came out the next year. My little brother and I had EVERYTHING. Dad would bring home bags of spare guns. Kenner gave us the "mistakes" as well—figures incorrectly painted—that again, would be worth a lot today if we hadn't blown them up with firecrackers.
I can remember being at the design studio as a child when they were working on the Star Wars toys, but before the movie had actually come out. An illustrator named John Ham showed me a prototype figure he was painting for a package. They simply called him "Gold Man." It was, of course, C3PO."
But other than the iconic box, did Mike keep anything from those days? Just one thing:
He still has the original shirt but as one would imagine, it no longer fits.
Thanks Mike for making our day with this awesome story of what sounds like a fun childhood!
Thanks Mike for making our day with this awesome story of what sounds like a fun childhood!
Electronic Bowling
We thought Electronic bowling could never get better but eventually it would become sentient and wipe us all out.
Monday, November 13, 2017
Friday, November 10, 2017
Japanese versions of US toys
I thought it may be fun to look at a few (but not all) examples of how some American favourites looked like over in Japan, the land of amazing toys and cartoons.
We'll start with the Mickey Mouse Snowcone machine, a take on the Snoopy Sno-Cone machine. This one confuses me because SNOOPY IS REALLY POPULAR IN JAPAN! Not sure why they switched to Mickey here.
Much more after the jump!
Much more after the jump!
Thursday, November 09, 2017
Jivin' Baggies
I was all set to order these but you have to provide your own Jivin' and my "jive well" is super dry.
Wednesday, November 08, 2017
Big Jim Motorcross Honda
Picked up this oddity at last month's Kane County toy show. It's the regular Big Jim Honda bike that was released for a couple of years but for some reason it's got the Pack logo emblazoned on it.
This isn't a sticker either, it's printed on the box. The best I can figure this is a transitional piece released before the P.A.C.K vehicles had been devised.
I have limits on what I buy and I don't actively collect the All Stars line but this sort of crept in. Also, when I picked it up the dealer automatically kicked 25% off his posted price without me saying a word. That kind of tactic works really, really well on me.
More Big Jim than you can handle!
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
Magic, Tricks and Make-Believe Fun!
I owned the "Magic Money Machine" as a child and was severely disappointed it did not in fact, make actual money. Have i ever mentioned that I was kind of stupid as a kid?
Monday, November 06, 2017
The World's Coolest Room
I must recreate this space, if it's the last thing I do. I'll probably pass on the dog statue though.....
Friday, November 03, 2017
Palitoy Commander Power; Fearless Defender of the Galaxy
Fortune smiled on me last month in the form of managing to pick up a Commander Power action figure.
Known to us kids as Super Joe, the British toy firm Palitoy made some fun changes to the line such as marketing the characters (Palitoy only selected 3 Super Joe characters) in large boxes and more notably changing the name of our star player.
More after the jump:
Thursday, November 02, 2017
Wednesday, November 01, 2017
Togetherness
Something tells me that red shag might need to be steam cleaned tomorrow.
Actually, they should probably do that once a month regardless, I once found a gummy bear in mine and I never ate them.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Pod Stallions 57: Amicus Films
It's our October double shot!
Episode 57 is all about the films by England's other horror studio (even though it was run by two Americans) Amicus!
We get into every film they make touching on their classic horror anthologies, Doctor Who movies and their amazing adventures with Doug McClure. We even discuss later films such as "The Monster Club"
Have a Happy Halloween and tell us your favourite Amicus production on our facebook wall.
Plenty more content on the PodStallions Facebook page!
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Monday, October 30, 2017
Vintage Halloween Pics Round up
At the beginning of October I put out the call for your vintage Halloween costume photos and brother, did you respond with your wood paneled goodness like this photo from Jason above.
To be honest, putting them all together became a daunting task, however, that's a good problem to have. An incredible vintage costume explosion awaits after the jump.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Monster Pillow Case Mystery
This pillow case was an awesome gift from my friend Corey at the last Mego Meet show. It's incredibly awesome but neither of us know it's origin.
It seriously looks like Fluffy from Creepshow but that's not possible right?
If anyone has any insight, I'd love to hear it! Until then, my daughter has taken posession of this and likely won't return it.
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Denys Fisher Monster Factory
Sometimes I buy Monster toys and then totally forget about them in October, case in point this set. A wonderful "do it yourself" craft set from the UK that includes Frankenstein, the Wolfman and Dracula (the Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry of the monster world).
What's that you ask? Can we look inside Brain? Your wish is granted after the jump!
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Les Super Heros!
This catalog page from France is like every other thought i had when i was eight. Nowadays I sadly think a lot about sandwiches more than Shogun Warriors....
Monday, October 23, 2017
Da Grail! Da Grail!
I managed to track down a major Halloween costume grail this past weekend and while it's certainly not the most expensive or most desired suit on my want list, it sure is a personal favourite. More on this after the jump!
Friday, October 20, 2017
1968 Collegville Costumes Catalog
It's Halloween season and that means a shiny new costume catalog from one of my favourite companies in the entire world, Collegeville!
This year we go waaaaay back to 1968 and check out what was hot for kid's costumes that year. Leading the charge is Doctor Doolittle but in his wake are such familiar characters such as Tarzan, The Phantom, Doctor Solar, Major Matt Mason, Flipper and a nobody named Mr Spock.
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