Best of Halloween 2021

Halloween is only a few days away and I have to say that the 2021 season has been a real surprise for me. Last year was fun, but COVID really put a damper on a lot of the usual festivities. This year, my family is back to doing some door to door trick or treating and we'll be decked out in some sweet costumes!

My youngest daughter and my wife will be hitting the streets as characters from the Harry Potter books. My daughter is dressing up as a student from the Ravenclaw house, while my wife has decided to be Bellatrix Lestrange. I have read the first Harry Potter book on my girls recommendation, but I am not too familiar with the character. I know she will pull something cool together in the end though.

My oldest daughter, my son and myself will be going as characters from Stranger Things. I have been a fan of this show since day 1 and my daughter just finished watching the first 3 seasons. My son, has never seen the show, but has played the games and read some of the comics. I will be going as Chief Jim Hopper, my daughter will be Eleven and my son as Dustin. Should be a lot of fun!

The candy selection this year has been fantastic! I found these Ghoul-Aid popping candies at the Dollar Tree and my kids really enjoyed them. My wife picked up the new M&M candies with glow in the dark bags and the Hershey Cookies n' Cream Fangs. Also of note but not pictured here is the Skittles Shriekers! These bags hide super sour versions of Skittles candies within. You never know if you will get a regular flavor or super sour. These are way better than the "Zombie Flesh" flavored Skittles they released a few years back. Not as fun, but definitely more palatable.

Of course the traditional General Mills Monster Cereals returned to shelves and are as tasty as ever! Boo-Berry is my favorite. This year the makers of these cereals stole my idea and introduced...

Monster Mash cereal! Which is a mix of all the monster cereals in one box. I had been doing this for years, but now it is a whole lot easier and I don't have to open 3-5 boxes of cereal to create this delicious mash-up! Also hitting grocery stores was Ghostbusters Cereal as a tie in to the new Ghostbusters Afterlife movie. It is a solid cereal filled with fruity cereal bits and marshmallows. Can't complain about that!

Usually around this time Burger King unveils a new Halloween themed menu item. Past offerings have included the Ghost Whopper, Halloween Whopper and Nightmare King. This year they released the Ghost Pepper Chicken Nuggets. I loved these! The first bite I took was a bit underwhelming, but after a minute the burn hit my mouth and it was AMAZING! These need to be a year round menu item or as had been suggested, turned into a premium sandwich! Wendy's got into the holiday spirit as well by offing "Boo Books". For $1 you got 5 coupons for free junior Frosty treats. The artwork was fantastic and gave us this little zombie Frosty character. My family used our coupons after we went to the pumpkin patch. It was a nice way to end the day.

Mountain Dew was back with VooDew 3! I know a lot of people have many different opinions on what the mystery flavor is this year, but after much consideration and consumption, I have to say it tastes like blue raspberry Airheads candy to me. What do you think it is? Another spooky addition to the Halloween treats this years was the Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights cookies. I'm not sure if I've had these before, but they seem fairly familiar to me. 

One of my favorite memories from this Halloween season was finally sitting down with my son to watch the Monster Squad! I loved this movie as a kid and I was hoping my kids would enjoy it too. Every time I mentioned watching it, I was turned down flat by those kids. Then my daughters and wife decided to watch a Harry Potter movie which my son had no interest in viewing, so I suggested Monster Squad and we both had a blast viewing this 80's scary flick offering.

Overall it has been a great Halloween season and I can't wait to see what 2022 brings. Hope you all have a great and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Silverhawks at BK...The sad story of how I lost my Tally-Hawk.

Back in 1986 Rankin/Bass Productions introduced us kids to the Silverhawks! They were partly metal, partly real, but all action! Allegedly this cartoon was created to be the equivalent of an outer space Thundercats. It was created by the same company, had many of the same voice actors and that may be why I really liked it!

A quick synopsis of the series goes a little something like this...It's the 29th century and a big bad guy named Mon*Star has escaped from prison in the Galaxy of Limbo. A team of heroes is needed to bring him back for the crimes he has committed. Commander Stargazer recruits the best of the best for this mission and creates the Silverhawks! Each Silverhawk came with their own avian companion who helped them fight against the worst criminals in the galaxy, like Yes-Man, Hardware & Mo-Lec-U-Lar.

It was so cool and me and my brother bought into the hype. We had the toys, watched the cartoon after school and even bought a few of the Marvel Star comics! But, our minds were blown when we saw this in 1987...

Burger King had Silverhawks toys in their kids meals!!!! What? We had to go! We bugged our Mom and finally she gave in and we made our way to the local BK!

There were some cool items in this promotion like a lenticular ring & Copper Kid foil sticker, but the item we wanted most was that Tally-Hawk pencil topper! Tally-Hawk was the companion of the Silverhawks leader, Quicksilver and he was AWESOME! This really was the golden age of fast food premiums! We lucked out and got him in our meals. The next day, I had to bring him to school to show off to my classmates.

That day in school just happened to be our 1st grade class trip to the local library. I brought Tally-Hawk with me on this excursion. This would be a mistake! During our librarian's boring lecture on the Dewey Decimal system, I took out my newly gotten toy and started playing with him. My teacher saw me making Tally-Hawk fly majestically through the musty library air while making exciting "WHOOSH!" noises and she immediately took him away!

When we got back to school my teacher put my Hawk in her desk and told me I could have it back at the end of the week. The time came and I was too scared to ask for it back and I thought I would get punished if I told my Mom what happened, so my Tally-Hawk was never returned to me. Sadly, he lived in that cold, dark desk drawer for the rest of his life!

Flash forward to February of 2021. In a search for random stuff from my childhood on ebay, I found a listing for a Tally-Hawk pencil topper from BK for $4.99! I immediately clicked "Buy" and today I have been reunited with this tragic piece of childhood past. I am so glad to have this heroic hawk back in my collection and I vow to never have him taken away from me again and I can finally sleep in peace! Just so you can also witness the coolness of the Silverhawks cartoon, I have placed the intro animation below for you to enjoy. The 80's really were the best, weren't they?

It Came From The Attic: Part III

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Valentines

Well, here we go, one last time! Staying with my Mom at my childhood home for a few weeks brought back a ton of memories and nostalgia, but looking through all the totes of stuff I own that have been stored in her attic really kicked those feelings into high gear. Today I will share a few of these TMNT items I have saved for decades with you.These Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Valentines are from the early 90s and there actually were still a few uncut cards left in the box. Was I the only one who picked out my favorite Valentine card from the box and gave it to myself? Also, why don't they include "Teacher's cards" on packages anymore? What up with that?

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pencil 

I remember getting this from a local Hallmark store back in the mid-90s. It was quite a tough decision on which Turtle to pick. I usually go with my favorite, Donatello, but this time I went with Leonardo. Not sure why? I remember my Mom bought it for me to use for schoolwork, but it was used sparingly since this thing was like gold to me!

 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Burger King Toy
I remember these being a big deal on the playgrounds back when they hit Burger King in 1989. This was right before the movie came out at the height of Turtle-mania! I even remember them previewing the TMNT movie in their BK Kids Club Adventures Magazine!

 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Handheld Game
This bodacious Konami handheld game came out in 1989. That was the same year Nintendo introduced the Gameboy to America. Even though these LCD handheld games were fun, the Gameboy came along and they became an afterthought. Before that time though, these games were the only way you could play your favorite games on the go. This Turtles game was a little tricky, but it definitely killed a few hours while on those family road trips during spring break! 

 Topps Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Card Set
This set was released by Topps in 1989. This was the first set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cards ever released and contained 88 base cards, 11 stickers and 22 Mirage Studios Art cards. This set was special because it was the only way you could get these Mirage cards that featured artwork from the original comics. Each card was also given an upgrade from their standard release and came with a glossy finish. This is a very cool set that I am glad is in my collection!

Leonardo Cyber Samurai Action Figure
A lot of people did not care for the Cyber Samurai Turtles, I on the other hand liked the futuristic take on our heroes in green. This series of figures came with the 4 Turtle brothers, Bebop, Rocksteady and Shredder. The figures by Playmates were also accompanied by a 5 part comic story that started in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures published by Archie comics with #62. Check them out in all their radical glory in the commercial below! COWABUNGA!!!!

My Collector's Wish List #2

I collect a lot of things from the 80s & 90s. Mostly stuff that reminds me of my childhood like toys, comics and cards. Some of these items can be pretty scarce or out of my price range. I have compiled a list of these items in the hopes that I will find them and be able to cross them off that list some day. Here are 5 items that I have on my wish list that I hope to add to my collection.

Li'l Bendable Gremlin Creatures

Average Price: $18 each

I remember loving these little creatures as a kid. Produced by Marty Toys you would find these toys everywhere from your local Shop Rite Supermarket to KB Toys.  There wasn't much to these little guys except the bendy feature, but the designs were cool and I remember Mooky being my favorite. One of my memories of owning these creatures was sharing a hot dog with my blue Mooky at a local Howard Johnson's restaurant. Those were good times!

FLEER Dragon's Lair Card Box

Average Price: $125 per box

These scratch off cards were great! Not only did you get to collect a set of cool cards & stickers but you got a game with it also! The goal as it is with most of these types of cards is to make it to the end of the maze without getting too many skulls that would end your turn. I love collecting vintage non-sport boxes of cards and this one is high on my want list.

The Smurf Chase: Wind up Gargamel

Average Price: $50

I have some vague memories of owning this figure as a very young child. I remember loving it and detaching the Smurf from the toy itself. Beyond that my memories are lost. I do know one thing though, I really was big into the Smurfs early in my life and would love to have this piece back in my possession. My Mom could tell you stories about my Smurf obsession that would make me cower as an adult. Now that you know too much, let's move on...

M.U.S.C.L.E Trash Can

Average Price: $35

There were so many ways you could have purchased your M.U.S.C.L.E. figures in the 80s. In small packs of 4, large boxes of 28 and my personal favorite the trash can filled with 10 figures. I remember my mom breaking down and buying me and my brother one of the cans while on a shopping trip to Shelby's department store. We busted that thing open while she was still shopping and sat on the steps in the store and played with our cool new toys! I still have some of my M.U.S.C.L.E. figures, but sadly the trash can has been lost.

Silverhawks Burger King Toys

Average Price: $75 per set

These toys hit a sensitive spot in me. When I was in grade school we went on a field trip to the local library, probably to learn the Dewey Decimal System. Anyway while we were there I got busted playing with my Tally-Hawk pencil topper instead of listening to the lecture. My teacher took my prized possession and I never saw it again. This tragedy needs to be amended and one day it will be when I purchase a new Silverhawks pencil topper and rise back to the height of writing utensil AWESOMENESS! Below is the commercial from 1987 for the Silverhawks Meal Pack!

To see more things on my want list, click here and check out My Collector's Wish List #1.

Halloween 2018 Recap

Halloween has always been a fun time in my family and this year was no different. I loved going around town with my friends as a kid and causing mischief while collecting free goodies from our neighbors. Those memories are so vivid in my mind. I hope my kids have the same nostalgia for this night of ghosts and goblins as I do as an adult and they can pass it down to their kids.

The season started off with our traditional trip to the pumpkin patch so we could find the perfect specimens for our jack-o-lanterns. This trip would not be complete without a trip through the corn maze! This is my favorite part of the trip. Unfortunately this year I missed out on the maze due to a prior engagement to work with the Alzheimer's Association. At least I missed it for a good cause. I was still able to meet up with the fam in the pumpkin patch.

We each picked our pumpkins and carved them the weekend before Halloween. My kids carved a crying/laughing emoji face, a cat face and a ghost! I carved James Kochalka's comic character Johnny Boo! My kids love the Johnny Boo comics and if you have kids I highly suggest checking them out.

Of course Halloween is a fantastic time for tricks and treats and Burger King outdid them self by treating us all to the ultra tasty Nightmare King! It's a Whopper patty, with a fried chicken patty and bacon on top on a green bun! I had to hit up BK a few times this October, because the thing is so damn good! They need to keep this on the menu all year round. I would buy it every time!

We hit up Halloween Comicfest at our local comic shop and the owner had no limit on the comics my kids could take and he gave them candy! I was able to grab the comics I wanted which were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hellboy, Spider-Man and Jughead: The Hunger!

On Halloween my wife and I took the kids trick or treating. Not many kids in our town go door to door anymore. It's mostly trunk or treats, parties or the one street in town they block off for the event. We have done the blocked off street before and the decor is fantastic, but since so many people go there, you have to wait in line to get your candy and since the home owners see so many kids that night they only give 1 piece per person. That really doesn't bother me, but when you have 3 kids under 10 it's a big deal to them! A few years ago we discovered a neighborhood that does not have a lot of kids stop by and they are very generous with the candy. Some even give full size bars! This is our treasure trove! So that's where we went again this year!

After a crazy night of trick or treating we made it home. The kids went to bed late all on a sugar high. Eventhough it was late I was still able to watch a Halloween episode of The Goldbergs and my movie pick for the night was A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors. It was a great way to end a fun night with the family. Hope everyone had a great Halloween also! Now enjoy the recently uncovered video to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's "Nightmare on my Street" as we look forward to Halloween 2019!

Retro Revival Challenge: Toys

This week Retro Ramblings has tasked all Retro Revivalers to talk about toys! Our favorite toy or toys of all time, toys we collected, new toys, toys in movies, or whatever else we felt like sharing about toys. I could talk forever about Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, Voltron or Thundercats, but I decided to go a different route and write about Nerfuls! Remember them? Back in the mid 80s I owned one single Nerful toy and his name was Frankie. I loved him!

Let me start out by telling you a little bit about the Nerfuls. According to their original marketing, Nerfuls are a group of bouncy, colorful little creatures who love fast action and great fun! They've traveled far from their tiny planet, Erf, just so they can roll around, bounce around, and always be around children. They were released around 1986 by Parker Brothers as a toy line loosely connected to their popular Nerf sports balls. The characters themselves came in three pieces, a hat or ears, body and a head. The head was to be used as a bouncy ball or a top you could spin on the nose.

They weren't really great at bouncing, but they were still fun characters to play with. My original Frankie that I owned as a kid may still be packed away somewhere in my Mom's attic. I purchased this boxed version off ebay years ago for around $10 and he is now featured prominently on one of my toy shelves.

Obviously these guys were not as popular as some of the toy lines released in the 80s, but they were still able to snag a coveted Burger King Kids Meal promotion.

I really did enjoy these toys as a kid, even if it was a challenge to try and not lose any of the parts. The concept was fun, it was different than all the other action figures on the shelf and the sculpts were great. I remember Frankie having a frog popping out of his back pocket that was fully painted! The Nerfuls really were "a ball to be around!"

Don't forget to check out these other challenge posts:

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Toys – The Other Side

Construx:  A Great 80’s Toy – Retro Ramblings