Sleep Tight....Kid Dyn-o-Mite!

No offence to Scooby Doo or the Liberty Bell (!) for that matter, but they don't hold a candle to the supernova of win that is JJ Evans Pajamas....

More V figures from South America

My buddy Dana has uncovered more variants to the V figure that I showed here in April. Whoever made these, they created a lot of different variations and I especially love the one that looks like Diana in the middle. 

Knock offs, just when I think I can't love you more....

 

Diana from V

I picked up a vintage bit of merchandise relating to the "V" mini series that has to be seen to be believed. Peel back her skin after the jump:

Pod Stallions Episode 9: Monster Kids

October brings out the best in us as both Jason and myself appear to be "Autumns". More importantly, October serves as a countdown to Halloween and brings with it all sorts of memories of monsters and horror.

Throughout this episode we explore our first experiences with the genre, what publications were most helpful and what characters we enjoy the most. We chat about store bought costumes and how certain department stores smelled (not real great in my case).

Episode 9 gets on a weird tangent when we discuss TV specials, horror at a singing Kojak and wonder if Florence Henderson ever turned anything down.

"Monster Kids" is just the first of our Halloween podcasts, we'll be back in two weeks with an in-depth discussion about Monster related toys. 

Download the Show Here

Listen here

Show Links:

• The opening of the Telly Savalas TV special is the greatest, most important thing you can watch today. 
• A cool video on the Crestwood House Monster books by Ian Thorne that influenced Brian as a boy.
• Those amazing Mad Monster Party figures that everyone should own.
• The entire Paul Lynde Halloween Special can be viewed here, if you dare.
• A wonderful (but sadly, short) documentary on the amazing Hilarious House of Frightenstein TV series.
• The current issue of Famous Monsters is all about Godzilla and has an article about Shogun Warriors.
• Brian recommends this well done documentary about Amicus Horror films.
• The Monster Squad TV series has been reissued on DVD.
• The book Jason mentions is called A Pictorial History of Horror Movies.
• Jason's first Halloween Costumes was this Ben Cooper Mr Spock.

Plenty more content on the PodStallions Facebook page!

PODSTALLIONS ON ITUNES
PODSTALLIONS RSS FEED

Meet the more interesting half of Knight Rider

Devlin found this photo at a junk store and submitted it to the blog. We have no idea who the girl is but she's meeting K.I.T.T , most likely at a car show 

and most definitely in the early 1980s. I love the home made banner.

Knight Rider came out when I was 12, so I was not immune to it's charm, I would have been all over this...

Send me your mall appearance photos!

Kojak by Excel Toys

I've gone on record on many occasions as to not understanding the toyetic appeal of Kojak. Starsky and Huth or SWAT I readily enjoyed as a child but Kojak wasn't something I ever wanted a toy of.

I do admit I think that the Kojak office set is pretty damned skippy however, it even comes with a bad guy who appears to work at footlocker. If I ever happened upon one of these cheap, I'll give it to my Mego Starsky and Hutch dolls.

1974 HG Toys Puzzle Catalog

HG Toys was one of the bigger producers of licensed products in the 1970s and this great puzzle catalog from 1974 proves this. Almost every popular television show or character from that time is present, including Evel Knievel, Star Trek, the Marvel Superheroes, Planet of the Apes, Happy Days and much more.

Check out the 1974 HG Toys Puzzle Catalog

Also, if you haven't already check out the previously posted 1979 HG Toys Catalog for Godzilla, Alien, Superheroes, Barbapappas, Vegas, Love Boat and a lot more:

The Fonz Pinball

This little bit of "Fonzie Mania" made a lot of sense, considering the show was set in the 1950s. It's amazing how much Fonz merchandise there really was, I still have my pillow case.

Daisy Toys Catalog Featuring Sheriff Lobo!

Daisy has been the premier maker of toy caps guns since well long before I can remember and in this 1981 catalog they did something I am too excited about, they created Sheriff Lobo merchandise!

It's almost impossible to find BJ and The Bear Toys let alone anything based on it's short lived spin off, the misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. There are other great items featured that year including Laser Guns (it was the sci fi craze you know) and more western items that a stick can be shook at.

Check out the 1981 Daisy Toys Catalog Here.

Links of Interest:

Colouring Book Theatre: Diff'rent Strokes

Leave it to Sharry to provide us with what is perhaps the most culturally signifigant colouring book ever produced.

Based on the landmark sitcom of whose quality has never been surpassed, Diff'rent Strokes follows the gripping adventures of Willis and Arnold Jackson and their adopted family, the blandest people alive, the Drummonds.

The art in this book is competant but like a lot of these things, it's pretty obvious the artist is just copying promotional stills and lazily drawing in the rest. Here is the jaw dropping Oeuvre that is "Detective Arnold".

This book loses immediate points for the exclusion of Pearl, the third and IMO greatest of Drummond housekeepers. Please don't even try to debate the superiority of Adelaide with me, I've entered into hundreds of flame wars on the many Diff'rent Strokes message boards.

I'm going to sidestep any commentary on Dana Plato falling down the stairs.

Kimbery goes to ice her butt while Arnold and Willis appear to be laughing at her. Which is what your brothers would do in, trust me I'm a little brother myself.

After Kimberly's diamond bracelet goes missing, Arnold goes into detective mode complete with Sherlock Holmes hat and a handy pipe he found under his brother's bed ! (geez, I'm sorry about that) It's interesting that Coleman himself would later get into law enforcement in real life.

Ok, mall security isn't law enforcement, nor should have i put that fact under the umbrella of "interesting".

The Drummond compound is clearly a death trap.

So the thief is a plant? I don't follow.

Hooray! Little rich girl gets her diamonds back, I was so worried. The bodies look really weird and out of proportion here, try not to stare at it too long.

Bless you for this, Sharry.

Previous Colouring Book Theatre Entries

Suicide is Painless...

I was surprised when doing my Metal Men feature last week to discover that Zee Toys also made a line of M*A*S*H items. M*A*S*H was one of my favorite shows growing up but I never had much desire to play it, probably because it was much of a drama/comedy than it was really about war. Still, the approach Zee took was a good one, centering around the base itself and not the characters, a neat concept.

It's Tuesday and here's what cool on DVD today:

It's a tad dry on the DVD front this week in terms of films or TV from the 70's, the one bright light I found was the release of Filmation's Lone Ranger and Zorro Volume 2.

I'm pretty much a sucker for anything Filmation (although I need never see "Sport Billy" again thank you) and I still hold out hope for a legitimate Tarzan release someday.

An odd bit of trivia, in this series, the Lone Ranger was voiced by none other than the late William "Cannon" Conrad.

Speaking of military toys: A piece I did for Topless Robot with editor Rob Bricken entitled The 10 lamest additions to G.I. Joe is up for your reading pleasure.

Saturday Morning 1977

Recently I came across a TV Guide I'd saved since I was a kid, I don't know why I saved it. It has a Quincy on the cover and while I enjoyed that show (and now love comedian Jim Norton's "Jimcy" rants on the radio)it doesn't explained why I kept it. I am glad I did however because it gives me the ability to show what a six year old in Toronto was faced with on Saturday morning.

I cut off the 5am - 6am part, it's mostly "farm report" programming with the only kid like thing being "Hilarious House of Frightenstein" on Channel 11 (who actually made that series)

No wonder Monster Squad got cancelled, it was up against the Krofft Supershow, I'm surprised I watched it at all.

There is some Canadian content that some might not recognize, Circle Square was a christian show where everybody lip synched poorly. C.u.c.u.m.b.e.r (Children's Underground Club of United Moose and Beaver for Enthueastic Reporters) featuring two people wearing a Moose and Beaver costumes who encouraged kids to write, John Candy once appeared in spandex as a superhero and Martin Short played a rabbit. Harrigan was a Leprechaun who sang songs or something, I never watched it.

Shazam/Isis and Superfriends are the three big reasons I'm such a junkie for comic book movies today. By noon, my parents would either throw me outside or my older sister would have to get her Shatner fix (she was going to marry him) and turn it to Star Trek. Either way, I constantly got screwed out of Fat Albert and Ark 2.

I've said it before but now my children have three channels of cartoons to choose from, 24/7, I'd have killed for that as a kid bt now, I kind of wish they could experience a time like our Saturday morning...

Do you want to be Gage or Desoto?

With all the nonsensical toys running about like Hulk Utility belts, it's nice to see logical roll play items like this Emergency set. Although I doubt the guys from Rampart wore pictures of themselves on their helmets. That's a weird thing that would always bother me as a kid.....