Pop Culture League: The End

 

This morning I checked out Cool & Collected's website to see what the assignment was for the League to write about this week. Instead I found this surprising message:

 

"Last week, the League wrote about things they would do differently if given the opportunity. The Pop Culture League was a “Do Over” itself, in that it was reborn from the ashes of the League of Extraordinary Bloggers. As with its predecessor, the Pop Culture League has had a good run, but it’s time for me to tuck it into bed and let it slumber for a while. I have so much respect for all the bloggers who contributed, and every week was a fun and enlightening trip down various rabbit holes.

For most of us, our blogs are a side hobby, not our jobs, and as such, real life tends to take precedence over our online contributions (as it should!). Lately, my schedule outside of the blog has filled up and pulled me away more often than I would care to admit, and I just don’t feel like I can ask others to contribute to the League when I can’t find the time to contribute myself. So, it’s time to put the League into a deep cryogenic sleep once more, maybe to be reawakened by some future dystopian society.

As the holidays are fast approaching, I want to thank all of you for being a part of this grand experience and hope you all have an awesome 2017 — you guys rock!"

I can't say that I'm not disappointed to not have the League around anymore, but I completely understand and respect Brian for what he has done for not only my blog but the blogs of the other members. So in closing I would like to say a huge "Thank You" to Brian! I will continue to follow and read my fellow League member's pages as I hope they will do for me and I am grateful for my time in the Pop Culture League. It was fun while it lasted and I am proud to call myself a member of the Pop Culture League!

Pop Culture Challenge: The Do Over

Last week the Pop Culture League wrote about the great heroes of our Universe, so naturally as a follow up this week's challenge is to write about a “Do over. If you could do it all over again…" Obviously, like most people I have made some mistakes in my life. You live and you learn. But this is a pop culture blog, so I will skip all that life lesson stuff and jump into one of my biggest collecting regrets....Subscription boxes!

I have always wanted to pull the trigger on ordering one or more of these subscription boxes. These companies like Loot Crate pack a box full of collectible goodies and send them to your house for as low as $15. The price does go up based on what plan you pick and how many items are in each box.

The problem with a lot of these subscription services is that you don't know what you will be getting each month, and that kind of scares me. I know anything that I didn't want to keep from the boxes, I could regift to a friend or my brother, but it's the fear of the unknown that keeps me from ordering.

I totally regret my decision after I see the treasures that are packed into each box, but by that time it is too late. If you are in the market to purchase one of these boxes for yourself or as a gift, I suggest checking out TMNT Box, Nerd Block, Legion of Collectors or Dino Drac's Fun Packs.

The Dino Drac Packs are the boxes I regret not grabbing the most! Each month Dinosaur Dracula offers up one of these AWESOME packs for $25. He let's you know what's inside each month so there are no surprises and it is full of retro gold! I wish I would have jumped on this train when it started years ago. Now I am lost in the regret of what could have been.

Here is what the other League members would like to do over:

Green Plastic Squirt Gun: Big Loo for $1.50

The Toy Box: Batman & Star Wars on Vinyl

The Harvey Mercheum: Collecting Regrets

Toy Break: Should have ducked, man!

Mr. Smith: Great moments in Time travel

Pop Culture Challenge: Space Marines

To get the Pop Cultures creative juices flowing this week, Cool & Collected dropped this topic on us "Space marines. Pop culture’s peacekeepers of the future." Obviously the first thing that popped into my mind were the soldiers from the Aliens movies. I do enjoy the Aliens franchise, but I am not a collector of the merchandise. But then I took a look at the last part that said "Pop culture’s peacekeepers of the future." and one name popped into my head...Captain Power!

On September 1st, 1987 this magnificent hero was dropped on the unsuspecting public!

He was tough, he was shiny and his Soldiers of the Future were human kinds last hope against the Bio-Dreads! You see by 2132 ad our worldwide military force was replaced by the Bio-Mechs. Of course crazy Dr. Taggart believe a man/machine hybrid was the next step to evolution. The robots become self aware, the Metal Wars ensue, humans lose and Captain Power fights for the rights of all future humans!

The show only ran for 22 episodes. I don't know why? It was a great premise, the characters were cool, the bad guys were robots and your Captain Power toys could interact with the actual television show as you watched it! How sweet is that?

I remember seeing these ads all over the comic pages. I thought it was an AWESOME idea, but I could never find the show on air. The only instructions I had were "Watch for the futuristic military adventures of Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future on TV this fall". I never saw an episode of the show and my interest waned onto other things.

The only merchandise I owned from this show as a kid was a pair of glow-in-the-dark sneakers and issue #1 of the comic book. The Captain Power action figure was always on my wish list though.

I was never able to find him for a reasonable price, until recently I spotted something shiny & bold calling me to a hanging grab bag at the local Goodwill store. Could it be?

IT WAS!! I found Captain Power detained in a grab bag filled with broken toys and other cheap crap! I made it my mission to save him! For $2 I picked him up and he is now a part of my vintage toy collection. I am glad to have this piece to my collecting puzzle finally in hand. It brings back so many memories. Now let's watch the show!

Here are some other League Members take on the "Space Marines" topic:

Green Plastic Squirt Gun: Shows us who the Queen really is!

Mr. Smith: Takes us on a literary journey

Alexis' Universe: Selects a rag-tag bunch to protect the Earth

The Toy Box: One word "DOOM"!!!

 

 

Pop Culture Challenge: Greatest Deals

Cool & Collected posted this question to the Pop Culture League this week,“There’s a sale at Penneys!: What was one of your greatest deals?". Immediately I thought of my most recent score!

Hasting's Entertainment stores had gone bankrupt and could not find a buyer to keep the business going. The company had to sell to a liquidator. From October to November the discounts on items in the store went from 10% off all the way down to 90% off in the last days of the sale. Here are a few of the items that I picked up!

Movies were priced at $1 or less depending on how many you bought! By the end the selection was limited and all the DVDs were just thrown into piles or randomly placed on shelves, so you had to dig pretty deeply to find some decent stuff. I was able to grab Clash of The Titans, Terminator Genisys, Creed, Captain America and Filmation's Ghostbusters. I also got some movies for the kids for Christmas that included the Good Dinosaur.

Used CD's went for 4 for a $1. These 4 are just a small sample of what I picked up. Pictured is the Dangerous Minds Soundtrack, Bruce Sprinsteen: The Rising, Outkast: Idlewild & Arrested Development: Since The Last Time. I grabbed some more Bruce Springsteen CDs for my brother and a Britney Spears CD for my wife as Christmas gifts.

I picked up these packs of Cardfight Vanguard cards and the 3DS hard case for my little brother as Christmas gifts. The Cards were about $.80 per pack and the 3DS Case was about $1.50. I picked a case up for myself also.

The Funko POP section was picked over and besides the random Saved By The Bell character, the shelves were filled with Rocky Horror Picture show POPs. I got the Gremlin for around $3 and the Supernatural Dorbz is for my sister.

I paid a little more for the Super Mario figure. For some reason this was only marked at 60% off. He was so cool looking though, so I didn't mind paying $6 for him. I loved the look of this Cyborg Bearbrick and at $1.25, I couldn't resist taking him home.

This set of Shredder & Foot Soldier Action Vinyls was on my wish list for a long time, but I just couldn't pull the trigger at $25 for the set. Luckily I waited and paid only $5! I also picked up the Hastings Exclusive set of 4 Glow in the Dark Turtles for $10. Those are stashed away as a Christmas present to myself! I was super surprised to still see these guys on the shelf on the very last day the store was open!

I also couldn't resist picking up a few blind bag/box figures for the low price of $1 or less per item. I grabbed a Loyal Subjects Ninja Turtle pack, Lil' Gotham Blind bag and a few blind box Mega Man keychains.

Lastly I purchased a ton of comics from Hasting's. They ranged any where from $1 to as low as $.05 each! I went back a few times and picked out some exclusives, variant covers and of course Ninja Turtles comics. Below are just a few of my favorite comic purchases.

I also picked up a bunch of books for my kids and a brand new Skylanders: Swap Force game with portal and 3 figures for $8! They are big into Skylanders now and this would make a nice gift from Santa. This store liquidation was one of those once in a lifetime deals and I am glad I could get in on it. Only bad thing is that now there is nowhere near where I live that rents movies?

Read how the other League Members fared in their quest to find the ultimate deal:

Toy Break: GI Joe Rise of Cobra

G.I. Jigsaw: 1983 JC Penny Christmas Catalog

Mr. Smith: 1993 Honda Civic & a sword!

Nerd Nook: The rare Castle Grayskull Tour Playset!

Green Plastic Squirt Gun: Lost In Space B9 Robot

Pop Culture Challenge: Gee, Thanks!

 

Since we are just a few days away from Thanksgiving, this week’s challenge for the Pop Culture League is titled "Gee, Thanks!: It’s the season to be thankful" and has us looking inward and reflecting on what we have to be thankful for.

In honor of this challenge and blessing of a holiday...I have written a crappy poem about toys, family and the spirit of the holiday. Enjoy!

Golden Girls, Smurfs and bad guys named Megatron;
the family of mutated Turtles like Don.
I'm thankful for cartoons, the 80s, and Kids from the Pail
who made childhood experiences creepy like a Crypt with a Tale.
I'm thankful for Rattlor, Nintendo and Ironhide 

for Busters of Ghosts who read Tobin's Spirit Guide

It's almost the end but we can not ever forget

Saturday mornings in front of our parent's TV set

For all of the memories, the fun and the friends

for the stuffed Ewok critter we cuddled to no end
Finally for family, for health and my kids
Happy Thanksgiving to all. I hope you win your eBay Hatchimal bids!

Happy Thanksgiving!

See what other Leaguers are thankful for by visiting these pages:

Mr. Smith's Plastic Bubble

Green Plastic Squirt Gun

The Toy Box

Alexis' Universe

Cassie's Library

Pop Culture Challenge: Future Collectibles

 

 

We all know what's hot on the collector's market right now. Transformers, Funko Pops, Star Wars, the list goes on and on. But this week the Pop Culture League was tasked with looking into our collective Crystal Ball to find out "What will be the hot collectible in 2046?" Here's what I think will happen!

Toy companies will see a steady decline from the years 2020-2045. This will cause a panic for everyone from Playskool to NECA. What can they do to revive this dying business? Who can save them from becoming a trend of the past? Who can force kids to put down their future VR implant tablets and pick up a piece of plastic bliss again? Enter Collectable Man!!!

After coming together as one to perform years of research & development, the united toy companies of the world finally created the ultimate action figure! They accomplished this by taking the best attributes from past trends of the golden ages, also known as the 80s & 90s! They put them together into one AWESOME PACKAGE!!! The power of He-Man, the ninja action of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the amazing weapons of Star Wars and the addictiveness of a Tomagotchi! It's all here in one perfect toy! BEHOLD...Collectable Man!!!

In addition to all these mind blowing features, the united toy companies took an extreme page out of Vanilla Ice's playbook to enhance the playability of this toy. Just turn off the lights and he'll glow!

As if that weren't enough, no action figure would be complete without including the ultimate toy for kids and nightmare for parents, a bucket of Slime! Cover Collectable Man in the slime and his chassis color changes from red to one of 10 secret colors. How do you know what color you will get? It's a mystery until you open the package and slime our hero!

Does the insanity stop there? Nope! You have a 1 in 1,000,000 chance that your Collectable Man action figure will be the Solid Gold Variant worth millions of dollars! I for one would totally buy this toy! Would you?

Can you guess what other popular toy lines are included in this action figure for the ages? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to check these other League posts:

 

D.I. Treasures says Z-bots are the collectible of the future!

Green Plastic Squirt Gun rewinds the VHS tape format

Toy Break drones on about drones

The Toy Box envisions a grim & gritty future

Alexis' Universe gives us 3 fine collectables to start hoarding now!

Pop Culture Challenge: Red State/Blue State

Happy Election day! This week the Pop Culture League was tasked with snapping a red or blue themed photo. Here is what I came up with to celebrate this great day in America!

Red vs. Blue Battle Royale! Which side wins?

Blue Side: Captain America, Skeletor, Smooth Smurf, Army Ant Heave-Ho, Leonardo and Blue Trunk Bumble Boxer.

In this brawl for the ages the Blue team has the advantages of evil cheap shots with Skeletor on the team and skill, leadership and discipline with Ninjitsu Master Leo and hard hitting Bumble Boxer. The wild cards on this side are Smooth Smurf and Heave-Ho. They have the heart, but the size is an issue!

Red Side: Spider-Man, Cheetara, Super Mario, Raphael and Gizmo in Santa Hat.

The Red team has the brilliant speed of Cheetara, the flame throwing, Goomba stomping powers of Super Mario and the reckless savagery of Raphael. Once again the wild card here is Gizmo because of the size issue. But spray some water on this guy or feed him after midnight and you have a formidable opponent.

Mr. Men Fight For Freedom! Mr. Strong vs. Mr. Bump!

You may think Mr. Strong has the advantage here, but Mr. Bump can take quite a beating. I could see this fight lasting a long time with Mr. Bump pulling off a "Rope-A-Dope" on Mr. Strong. Wearing him down until he exhausts himself. Mr. Bump arrives victorious!

Let's see how the other League Bloggers handled this week's challenge:

 

Mr. Smith Transforms my idea of Red & Blue

Green Plastic Squirt Gun has some sweet pics of his collection

The Toy Box takes us to Smurf Village

Toy Break...I need to get me a Fridge GI Joe!

Alexis' Universe is feeling a little blue

Pop Culture Challenge: Pop Culture Presidents

Halloween 2016 is now over. Another year filled with scares, crazy clowns and horror...No I'm not talking about Halloween, I'm talking about the 2016 Presidential Election. As of now, I am still undecided as we head down the homestretch. This brings me to this week's Pop Culture League Challenge, Cast Your Ballot: Pop Culture Presidents! I haven't been this interested in a Presidential race since Barack Obama won in 2008.

I would like to say it was because I was interested in his foreign policies or because this was history in the making as our first black President took office, but it was none of those things or anything political at all! It was because of the special edition of The Amazing Spider-Man #583 that featured a 5 page backup story featuring our new president!

In the comic (SPOILER ALERT) the villain Chameleon attempts to replace the real Obama during his Innauguration, but Spidey stops him by asking a question only the real President would know! "What was your college nick name?" The real Obama got it right, Spidey captured the bad guy and the rest is history. I wanted this comic so bad! I was a big Spider-Man reader around this time and also as a collector I selfishly wanted this limited edition collectible in my collection...Dammit! I wasn't quick enough to grab one!

This is what I got instead. Major let down! No Obama on the cover, just a picture of Peter Parker mackin on 2 hotties! Of course there were subsequent printings that featured the famous Obama shot with Spider-Man taking his pic. Four more printings!

 

I'm sad to admit that I do own most of these printings. I liked how Marvel didn't just reuse the same cover each time. Each new printing changed the phrase Spider-Man was saying and put Mr. Obama on a new background. You can find these issues online fairly cheap. I just checked and a NM first print copy of The Amazing Spider-Man #583 will run you around $38 and other printings for as low as $4. Maybe one day I'll treat myself to a copy, but there are other things I would rather spend my money on right now.

Visit the other Member's pages to see their candidates for Pop Culture President:

The Toy Box casts a vote for Count Chocula

Green Plastic Squirt Gun goes Adams/Venture in 2016!

Alexis' Universe sticks with Spidey