Trading Cards Again...

When I started out doing trading card #9, I wanted to do something for the ladies. The Fembot seemed like a great start, sure she's a girl but also a robot whose face comes off, total win/win.

For card #10, I felt the need to do something that wasn't action figure based, the Green Machine is by far the most demanded trading card so it was an easy fit.

As previously shown, Godzilla made it into the mix because he's just so awesome. This toy gave me chills as a kid.

Finally, it was time to give some love to the Atomic Man with the final card of the year. While a lot of Joe collectors don't like this chapter in the character's history, I cherish it. Atomic man was a pretty darn fun toy, sorry for the curse words...

DVD Releases:

Even though I don't own a Blu Ray player, this ultimate edition of the Planet of the Apes series is pretty tempting as I love all things associated with Planet of the Apes. So much so that I've bought the movies on nearly every format produced.

The extras for this set are pretty intense, lots of commentary, behind the scenes features and little fun things like public service announcements from ANSA.

Finally!

Ammended to add "if he refers to you as "mother", is terrified of "Land of the Giants" episodes and still shares a bed with you"

That kid with the perm is going to kick their asses, I know that look...

Colouring Book Theatre: The Bionic Woman

This week's book comes courtesy of Sharry, who tells me the book is filled with several goofy mini stories.

As a kid I never much dug the Bionic Woman, mostly because I was forced to sit through it thanks to an older. bigger sister.


This 1976 opus is by a company called Treasure Books, I like the concerned look Jamie has on the cover, she probably can't remember where she parked.

Anyway, Sharry has chosen a story you make up yourself, which while kind of daffy considering you don't have much choice in it's direction, it is still MILES more interesting than the Six Million Dollar Man Colouring book we featured a while back, mostly because something happens.

A little caboose shot to start off with.

So we're supposed to write your own narrative here, so I guess "Jamie goes out for a jog" I haven't got an ounce of clever in me today, I'm tired and "Fraggle Rock" is blaring behind me, so I'm going to phone this one in.

"colour this page last"

No good can come from this!

"Mashers! Mashers"

"Wa-Bam!"

"Wa-Boosh" I don't remember the Bionic Woman being this violent, I like it!

"Courtesy of your friendly Neihbourhood Bionic Woman"

Thanks Sharry for a colouring book that made sense and was mildly interesting, next week we'll be back to the pain with Benji.

Previous Colouring Book Theatre Entries

Brick Mania

I think this may be my favorite image of all time, not only is it 95% Brick Mantooth based but it's wonderfully absurd. I love how the smaller Bricks seem to be admiring the larger poppa bear sized Mantooth. Also, what's the deal with the other guy?

It's Saturday, I got nothing...

The 1983 Collegeville Halloween Catalog

Lots of new faces (well, in the form of Masks) could be found in the 1983 Collegeville Catalog, while the company was still selling various knock offs such as the Spider (a very healthy run since I wore that same suit in the mid seventies) there was also a staggering amount of licensed goods available.

From dependable favourites such as the "Peanuts" to newbies like "Shirt Tales" and "Joanie Loves Chachi" and eventually hitting rock bottom with down right bizarre items like Atari Games and Rubik's Cube, Collegeville had managed to cover a great deal of bases.

Perhaps the biggest get here is the Universal Monsters line, an array of both childrens costumes and rubber masks which bring back a pile of fond memories for me.

Check out the 1983 Collegeville Costume Catalog

As an added bonus, I've compiled all the retro Halloween shots I got into one big gallery on the site, check it out here or click the image.

Oh and have a very Happy Halloween, I want to say kudos to all my blogging brethen (and sistren) for completing the Halloween Countdown. A month of monsters has worn me right out and i think I'm going to blog about kittens for a long while. But for now, I have to go explain the "Daddy Tax" laws about candy to my kids....

The Top Coolest Monster Toys of the 1970's

With October 31st a day away, it's prime time to launch another Top Ten List, this time it's (in my humble opinion of course) the top ten coolest Monster Toys of the 1970s.

Being undead seems to be a big boon in the toy world.

Even though the seventies were a far cry from the Monster merchandising boom of the mid sixties (which really was a golden age except for the lack of action figures), it wasn't exactly a drought either.

Classic monsters such as Frankenstein and Godzilla were still flourishing on late night TV and on Saturday morning with shows like "The Monster Squad", "Hilarious House of Frightenstein" and "The Groovie Ghoulies", it was still a great time to be a monster kid. Here are ten of the best reasons to be a monster kid in the 1970's:

Click Here to read the Article

Did I miss your favorite? Rest assured that one was #11. [/lie]

When I grow up I want to be....

Although before my time, I kind of dig these early seventies play suits which I'm sure doubled as Halloween costumes. I love how boys can be Batman, Superman and the Lone Ranger but the girl's choices are more grounded in reality.

Dig the ears on the bat suit, looks like the 40's movie serial version.

This flash forward to 1978 shows that girls can be superheroes too. Nobody in the 70s seems to have gotten even a semi accurate Batman costume. They always seem to have to oversell the name, like without it you'd think it was an insurance salesmen costume.

Proof this site is bad for me department: I've never had any ambitions to collect vintage Halloween Costumes but this Sunday found me at a toyshow with $20 in my pocket and the neat-o graphics on this Ben Cooper Frankenstein outfit were overpowering. Is it just me or this another example of swiping from the Aurora artwork?

A Goulish Gallery of Values

It's refreshing to see this many monster toys on a Christmas catalog page, usually they get kind of dismissed or marginalized as being "seasonal". The only thing missing is some slime. While I've blogged about Gre-Gory being the one that got away for me as a kid and my obsession with the Remco Monsters is well documented, my favourite piece in this spread would have to be the Tomy Mighty Men and Monster Maker.

I got this set for my tenth birthday and it was one of those things that was just as fun as it was on the commercials.

I knew a couple of girls that asked for it for Christmas after seeing mine but they all got fashion plates instead. My own wife got Fashion Plates but said it was fun because she mixed the monster plates from her brother's set making weird-o she creatures.

DVD Day:

Plenty of classic 70s goodness this week, mostly of the television kind, kicking it off with the complete series set of Good Times.

This is one of those shows that starts off strong but eventually kind of falters as it goes along. I watched this show every afternoon for years on the black and white TV in my room. I haven't seen it in years and am unsure how it holds up

Also released today is the complete series set of Sanford and Son. Now this is a show I know that holds up because I watch it every chance I get and it still makes me laugh.


This 17 disc set has 136 episodes of the classic series, I had no idea the series lasted that long to be honest.

Finally and this is where my money is going this week is the 20th Anniversary set of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 . I can't say enough good things about MST 3k, I love it more than a grown man should.

Not only does this set have my favorite MST3K of all time (the 1978 opus Laserblast, coincidently the first movie I ever rented) but it has a freaking figurine of Crow T. Robot, I'm in nerd heaven....

Christmas in the 70's Update : Santa Terror!

I know it's Halloween week and all but I wanted to mention that there is a new entry on the Christmas in the '70s Book Blog. This week Betsy shares a very memorable encounter with a mall Santa.

Please read "The Flood" here.

If you'd like to share a memorable photo -- and a story -- of you in your Christmas-morn best (or worst), please email Joal and Myself at: xmasinthe70s [at] yahoo.com.

More Monster Rack Toys

With Halloween appraoching, it seemed like a great time to showcase all the little additions I have for the various Rack Toy pages on the site. It's all about the Monsters this week.

Above is a carded Azrak Hamway Frankenstein, later issue than the one previously featured on the site, the card now includes Dracula (and sadly, deep sixes the Creature). The doll no longer has a green body or a shirt. As crude as this is, I am really smitten with this one it looks like a guy wearing a Frankenstein Halloween mask.

This is an early version of the Mummy, he's kind of got a skirt going on with those bandages. Dig the blood all over him, he's been a busy boy.


This is an AHI jointed wrist Frankenstein, showing off his ability. He needs a jacket to be complete.

I'm normally not a big Dracula guy but I totally love this Bendy by AHI. Bendy figures are a weakness of mine and this guy also kind of resembles the Dracula puppet in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall".

Another Bendy from AHI, this time it's the Wolfman, a favorite character of mine. These things are not only adorable but totally addictive. If anybody has the Mummy or the Creature for sale, drop me a line.

This young lady was apparently marketed as a "victim" to go along with the Lincoln Monsters by a catalog company. One of my sources believes it was the Harriet Carter Catalog, anybody remember or possibly have a scan?

Finally, we have a variant of the Lincoln Phantom of the Opera, I am really fond of this one because it's the same version I had as a kid. The other version has ripped sleeves and lacks the ruffles, the Phantom was a better dresser in my eyes. I'm also pretty positive this is the same figure I owned but stupidly sold in the eighties, the battered card it came on looks awfully familiar.

____

Son of Vintage Trick or Treat

Kicking it off today is my pal Lee wearing a Ben Cooper Hulk suit, nobody loves the Hulk more than Lee.

Speaking of big fans, here is Lou in a Collegeville Jaws costume, Lou is still actively involved in Jaws Fandom, check out this youtube link.

I'm Batman! Here's Chris Franklin as the caped crusader, Chris grew up to do neat stuff like the packaging for the new Captain Action dolls

From Gotham City to Eternia, here's Chris as He-Man a few years later.

Casey sent in this cool Peter Criss Kiss Costume, say that three times fast.

Vintage Trick or Treat

Time to unveil more of the fabulous vintage photos you kind folks have sent me this month, above is Wes Booth as a Cylon long before they were called "Toasters".

Alisha sent in this wicked picture of her as Princess Leia, that's her dad as a musical ghost behind her. I think if I saw that costume coming towards me I'd run in an unmasculine way....

Kolin sent in this trippy shot of himself as an X wing Pilot, that's a great costume.

And here is Kolin's class from an earlier year, love that Ben Cooper Spider-Man.

More Tomorrow!