The Ecto Cooler/Power Glove Connection!

Of course it's still #WizardWednesday, over on the HorrorMovieBBQ Facebook page (plug, plug) and in honor of the new that we are only a week and a half from Ecto Cooler and the fact that we got an even more hilarious Ghostbusters trailer got released, I figured it's a good time to share this! Now before you ask why I'm sharing an Ecto Cooler box...well...when it comes to The Wizard, there's no greater mascot and representation of that movie than the Power Glove.


(photos from eBay auction, here)

No, your eyes do NOT deceive you. Ecto Cooler actually had a contest where you could win the Power Glove. Yes, you! No, not your little brother. YOU.

That's too much bold font for one sentence. But isn't worth it?

All you had to do was drink your weight Ecto Cooler and you could've possibly, maybe, through some magically slim chance, been a lucky 1 of 500 people who walked away with a Power Glove. But I mean as a kid, come on...how awesome would it have been to say "Yeah, I have the Power Glove. I won it from drinking Ecto Cooler". My fiancee once won a Sega Genesis in a Kraft Mac and Cheese contest. So it IS possible, I'm just not one of those lucky few. But if you did, I consider you king of the playground and King of the 80s. Take that Rick Springfield. Your King of the 80s crown has been taken.

I only vaguely remember this contest, but it goes without saying that the crossover appeal between the brands is enormous even by today's standards. I'm sure I tried to enter but lost. But hey, I'm sure I had no issue with all those juice boxes though. I already see no better way to market juice to children than with Slimer but now add a chance to win the elusive Power Glove? Dude. Come on, you were already buying the juice, but this would've ensured you to rip open the box by the time you were sitting in the box of your mom's station wagon. I mean, sure, mom would've been pissed but this is a win-win situation. Even if you lost, you had delicious Ecto Cooler. So, as a kid, there is no losing.

So on top of a Power Glove, you also won other cool stuff too. A poster, an NES itself, A Rad Racer game, and a Power Glove video called "Master The Power" a proverbial instruction and "hot tips" video on how to use your new gauntlet of power. Now, I'm ok with never owning a Power Glove, but I need to find this video. Someone have one? Email me, please!

And of course, 1600 people walked away with an Ecto Cooler/Power Glove hologram shirt. Which, despite the hologram, couldn't have been the best choice of clothing. It's essentially saying "Oh, hey, I'm a bronze medal winner and proud of it". That said, I'm sure those shirts go for a LOT now.

Final thoughts: this very well could be the greatest contest ever. It represents everything about that era so perfectly. As I said, if you were a kid, you loved Nintendo and Ghostbusters. So, what was not to love? 

And as far as I'm concerned, we're in 2016, people, why don't we have a Power Glove that can dispense Ecto Cooler? Let's make it happen. I know a lot of smart science-y people. If anyone can happen it's you. I'm a firm believer that's why Kickstarter was invented. SOMEONE. MAKE THIS HAPPEN. NOW.

-Chad

Ronald McDonald House Sale: Day 3

Welp, I know I'm well over a week late on this, but life happens so I wasn't able to sit here and tally up my finds from the McDonald House Sale. I already covered the first two days. I mean, I had the time to have two soda's but I didn't have the energy to write about rummaging through second hand treasures. That's on me. Well, today, I'm writing about day 3 of my adventure. And what an adventure it was...

That familiar hallway, filled with my opponents for the day.

Friday started off easy enough. It was 50% day, and I went later in the morning, so there still wasn't a HUGE crowd. But it certainly was showing signs of ravaging and crowds. Familiar items still remained unwanted but seriously out of place with very little effort to clean it back up. In fact, I dropped a couple vhs I didn't want the day before and they were still in the exact same spot. I get it though. Everyone wanted the sale to be over with in a huge way. But, darn son, you've got two more days. Make an effort!

So by now the adrenaline is still running wild in shoppers. It's almost reaching a Hulkamania fever pitch. You couldn't stop anyone from achieving flawless victory here. No sir. The hopes for victory were high. The old ladies with their carts were still unforgiving. I described this as being a part of the Royal Rumble on the first day. Today, though? This was a TLC match. People were a little bit more vicious. If you walked away from today with any energy or motivation for tomorrow, you were truly the champion.

The Halloween Room Update:

Obviously, The Sale (as us in the know call it) is a great spot for low priced decorations for all holidays, especially Halloween and Christmas. You'll notice from the first day, the room was plump and full of joy. Today, it resembles a normal yard sale inside someone's old dirty garage. This ain't no Garage Sale, son. NO. IT'S THE SALE.

See those awesome Disney characters above?  I noticed these Friday for the first time. Which boggles my mind. I feel like I would've noticed them the first day. That is unless they just put them out on Friday. Which may very well be the case. Either way, I'm glad they did! I love these! For those who don't know or remember, these were holiday ornaments from McDonalds from 1988-1990. Offered around Christmas in conjunction with that year's hottest Disney movie, these little guys were the envy of kids everywhere. They're just too adorable! Who wouldn't love these on their tree or just on their shelf in general? In fact, last year at this very same sale, I picked up a Barnard(he's the chubby mouse in the red sweater) in the box!

I left these guys behind because I figured they'd stick around til Saturday when everything was 75% off. Admittedly, it was a very bold move and could prove to be downright stupid. But I had bigger fish to fry. No offense, Sebastian.

Now there were some other items that caught my eye but the asking price was still a little much and/or they were in lousy shape. My favorite item is a prime example:

"LEECH. HE-MAN MONSTERS OF THE UNIVERSE". Monsters of the Universe? What kind of bootleg nonsense is this? I mean, they got the name of the character himself right. But...what?!? Look, Leech is a great character but asking $8 for him, is a little much. Even $4 is a hard bargain. Much like the Disney ornaments, I'd leave him behind. I wouldn't have lost sleep had he not been there the next day.


My Friday haul is below. Check them out!


RIGBY: (.35)

I absolutely love the Regular Show. It's such a fun show. It's like a toned down, modern day Ren and Stimpy. But a little smarter. And in fact, Rigby is my favorite character. If I have to convince you why a rambunctious raccoon who loves VHS and grilled cheese is so awesome, you're not really using your head properly. Rigby now proudly sits on my shelf or is used as a snuggle toy for my bunnies, who love grooming and using stuffed animals as cuddle fodder. Bunnies are weird.


HALLOWEEN GOODIES: ($4.00)

So, the plastic bowl, the chubby ghost and the vintage bunny decoration are all fantastic. They are, but the real victory are those three pumpkin bowls. The pumpkin bowls were something my fiancee wanted but asking $6 bucks each was not something she wanted to open the purse for. I don't blame her. So she left them behind. Thankfully, on 50% off day, they were still available. I decided that I would spoil her and pick them up. I can do $9 bucks. Not too bad!

Well, when I took them up to the register, the lady wrapping and tallying up the items, looked at them and said "$6 each? That's ridiculous. This has to be $6 for the set.". WHAT? Oh my. So, instead of paying 9 dollars, I'm paying 3. That's a huge victory and proof that some workers clearly were already fed up and wanted to be elsewhere. Oh well, my gain. And you best believe we're using these all year round. When I alerted Laurie of this amazing score, she almost flew threw the roof of our apartment. Nomination for score of the year.

VHS: (.75)

Another random and awesome score. I left behind the Cabin By The Lake movies behind the two days before, but my eBay/tape trader sense kicked in and I decided that a quarter each wasn't gonna break my bank. Solid deal.

The Destroyer was the real surprise. I hadn't seen this at all int he previous days. Trust me, I would've. This is not the kind of tape I'd normally leave behind. I had just discovered this movie at the Salt City Horror Fest, a few weeks before. It looked like it contained every terrible cliche that I love. Jacked up dude running around with outrageously stupid weapon killing people for no reason. And plus, former NFL star Lyle Alzado plays the big brute menace. This movie is so awesome it's ridiculous. In fact, ridiculous is one word I could use to describe it and be honest about it.




COBRA STUN: ($2)

OH YES OH YES OH YES OH YES!!!!!!!!! So on day 1, I described walking around the toy section and wanted to to take a photo of something only to find that when I came back, it was gone. THIS WAS THAT TOY. MY GOSH. I don't know what happened, if someone just left it in another department or what, but here it is. I had the Python Patrol STUN as a kid and loved the living daylights out of it. Sadly, I lost it somewhere and it drove me crazy. Now, it may not be from the Python Patrol series, but it's just as cool! One of the most unique Cobra vehicles that doesn't look like someone vomited neon all over it. Very happy to own this again. 

So, that's day 3 of 4. I got one more trip to write up and chonicle. I'll get to it, sure enough. Maybe after I have more soda...

-Chad

Mountain DewCision Pitch Black vs Baja Blast

Have you heard about the most dividing battle in the world today? The battle to determine our future of our basic human rights is at stake. Our voice MUST be heard by those up int he big towers slinging their power as to what WE should believe. You want your voice to be heard? Well, madam, this is your chance!

I can only be referring to insane and intense battle between cult favorite Mountain Dew flavors, Baja Blast and Pitch Black. A "DewCision" as they call it. But fans know the deal. This is the chance for Mountain Dew enthusiasts to get their favorite flavor back on the market permanently. Now, I'm personally a Mello Yello fan, but so many of my friends have ranted and raved over the about just how great these flavors are, so even for an outside like me, this was my chance to make up for lost time. For example, I missed out on Pepsi Holiday Spice and I imagine that won't be coming back anytime soon. Well, it may. Who knows, it could be the next Crystal Pepsi and in ten years Pepsi will decide to bring it back. Then again, I could also grow hair, find a time machine and marry Charlene Tilton. A lot of if's there and I personally don't have any stock in any of them happening. Hope I'm wrong though.

However, those who love these flavors won't be wrong. Pitch Black, which was widely released as a limited time offering in 2004 as a special Halloween flavor. Fans went wild. This thing was popular as Lindsay Lohan that year. On the other side, earlier that year Baja Blast was released as a special Taco Bell only flavor. Which worked since Taco Bell and wild flavored sodas went together like peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. In fact, a lot of my friends who just entered college that year or the year before, went crazy over both. Whether it was a Pitch Black for an all nighter or just a drunken trip to Taco Bell where Baja Blast was their only other means of liquid deliciousness, these were as important to pop culture as the Hilton Sisters at that time. So, if you're a soda fan, and I know a lot of you are, this will be a chance to revisit this. And in addition to Crystal Pepsi and Ecto Cooler, this is a great time for nostalgic drinks.

So let's meet our contenders:

A battle such as this can only called by a fair and balanced referee. Sadly, I couldn't find one, so Two Bad had to be the designated "special guest referee" on the outside while I call the action on the inside of the ring. Obviously Twoson prefers the Baja Blast while Johnny B. Badd prefers Pitch Black. It's gonna be a real rough battle between the two friends, but I'm sure the verdict will be a fair one.

First impressions are always important. Sometimes, first tastes aren't always the best way to form a pallet. It takes a while and I gotta be honest, I'm not a fan of overly sugary tasting sodas. But I'm giving it my best here. Which took me a few sips to get into. But, just for kicks, let's take a look at the goods and rate the look.

Baja Blast is definitely the most visually pleasing of the two. Not just because of the cute bunny on the cup. It just looks like a drink you can sit out on the beach with while you pop your earbuds in, listen to new wave music and read a book. Look at it! It just looks so tasty, despite looking like windshield washer fluid.

You better believe I had to put it in a Halloween cup. Only appropriate! Pitch Black, looks like more of a party drink, which works for it. Or that stuff Jim Jones killed all those Jonestown members with. Either way, I was dazzled by the fact that when it foams up or mixes with ice, it turns blue! Neat! I like that! That's one for Pitch Black!

Now the taste! The true moment I've been waiting for. I'm a firm believer that the only way I could've truly gotten the right taste was by having tacos accompany the drinks.  I didn't feel like going to Taco Bell and I had a coupon for a free Chipotle taco order. So here it is. The whole enchilada...or tacos and nachos..So down the hatch it goes.

I gotta admit. If we ARE going off first tastes, Pitch Black would've won. Keep in mind, I'm no fan of grape flavored sodas but it was good at first. Then I took a few seconds and sipped on Baja Blast and wasn't blown away at first. Back to Pitch Black. Take a few sips. It definitely tastes the more intense of the two after a while. It's got more a of a sugary taste than Baja Blast, that's for sure, so that's what started my distaste for it after a while. Which is weird since I've heard others say that Baja was the more sugary of the two. I guess not having these before kinda hurt me in that regard. Inexperience could've played a hand in this but I guess not.

Baja, on the other hand, seemed to be the more subdued flavor. Which for a soda, can't always be good. It tasted better in my opinion after a while. I sat for a few minutes and really thought about it. Which is weird, no one should just sit in their kitchen pondering what's the best soda after about 5 minutes. I spent more time thinking about what was better than I did what I was gonna do after school. But here I am, 14 years later, contemplating sugary drinks. Take that, guidance counselor!



So, in essence, Baja Blast takes the win. But, not by much. I gotta admit that after a while, both drinks made me feel nauseous. Like, watching Garbage Pail Kids nauseous. You know what's that like. You can't watch that movie without wanting to vomit. And after two Mountain Dew drinks, I feel like I could start hugging my toilet. Maybe I'm just a lightweight. I guess I'll stick Diet Pepsi, if I chose to drink or even ingest any amount of sugar again.

 Thankfully Twoson stands by his pick but not entirely in an arrogant way. I'm sure he would've loved nothing more than his best friend, Johnny B Badd, to have the victory as well. Or even better yet, a draw. But, sadly, in a war such as this, no one truly wins.

Except dentists. Which, I'm sure I'll have to call after this afternoon. He'll be a happy guy after my visit. I'm sure of it. No lollipop for me. Thanks a lot, Mountain Dew. My dentists gives awesome lollipops. Not even those lame cheapo 'pops with the paper ring as the handle. You know the ones. Those sucked.

So, my vote is for Baja Blast. But, lets be fair, I'm only one guy. One guy who never even drank it before. So, I can't say I'm as invested into these drinks as others. Judging by the circle of friends that I run, a lot of people will be split down the middle. I certainly hope for fans of these drinks will be happy with the victor of this battle. Because, screw the other "decision" happening this year, this may have more longterm effects. But, I'm sure this won't be the last time we see these drinks. The loser may vanish for a bit, but unlike Skeletor at the end of that Masters Of The Universe movie it'll only be a matter of time until it makes it's much anticipated return.

Hey...wait a minute...what is that stuff Skeletor is floating in? Could it be...nah...

"I'll be back!"

Pitch Black, you are quite the evil fiend!

-Chad

Ronald McDonald House: Day 2

On Wednesday I hit the McDonald House Sale and walked away with darn fine goodies! In fact, I had such great luck, I decided to go back for a second round on Thursday for more stuff. Now, I know what you're thinking. Chad, why would you go a second time (Let alone third and fourth? More on that in the next coming days.). Well, with a building that's normally used as a warehouse, there's always more stuff being added to fill up bare shelves. Plus, my fiancée went with me, so having a spare set of eyes was more than useful in an otherwise already familiar situation. Personally, with the exception of a few items I wanted to save for clearance days, I thought I had seen them all. So to have Laurie with me, was an extra help.

Isn't that Tigger awfully frightening in that pose? Almost like he's possessed.

It's a good thing she came with me, too, because the second day was even more of a success!



Keychains: (.35)

Keen! I love keychains just as much as I love buttons! Good way to start off the day. Spuds MacKenzie was a huge advertising icon of the 1980s. SHE, yes she as they discovered well after the commercials portrayed her as a male, was the Joe Camel of beer. She'd mainly just sit on a set and have a bunch of hot babes around her and then kinda look over to the side as if she was bored. A nice 80's addition to my keys since one of my coworkers accidentally broke my California Raisins keychain while throwing my keys to me. Rude.

The Giants keychain is for my best friend of 27 years who has been a lifelong Giants fan. It's nice looking though! I dig it!

 Small but still admirable. What am I to find next?


McDonalds Christmas and Halloween Plates: (1.50)

OH YES. DO YOU SEE THESE?!?!?! Since it is a sale closely associated with McDonalds, you're guaranteed  you'll to see plenty of McDonalds merchandise. I expected that much. They have sub-sections in every department just for McDonalds stuff. What I was not expecting was to find these amazing holiday themed plates. First off, we got two of each plate. The other two are currently in the dishwasher.

Second off, I am a HUUUUUUGE McNugget Buddy fan, as is Laurie. I'm a firm believer that when it comes to Halloween memories, they're up there as some of my favorite representations of the holiday. I mean, one look at that plate and you'd tell me you'd leave it behind? Rubbish. You'd pull a Bobby Heenan and sell your own grandmother for one. It's a perfect illustration of Halloween! In fact, I dare say I won't need another Halloween decoration ever again.

The Christmas plate is a nice one, but admittedly, not as eye popping as the Halloween offering. I like it. I do, but Laurie fell in love with the McNugget in the tree. I couldn't stop at her at that point. It was all over. It was like Bret Hart putting me in the sharpshooter and then me tapping out. I eventually submitted to it's adorableness. How could I not? I mean look how happy everyone is to decorate the tree with Santa. I mean, you couldn't get much more Christmas-y unless you woke up Christmas day and Santa, Frosty, Charlie Brown and Garfield were all sitting around sipping hot chocolate and enjoying Christmas cookies. This is a solid Christmas piece. In fact, I'm tempted to just keeping it up all year round.I mean, sometimes I get reminded that I love Christmas, so it wouldn't hurt.


BOOKS AND GHOSTBUSTERS 2 SOUNDTRACK: (1.25)

I get the sense if you look at these, you'd think a first grader invaded the local used book sale. Actually, this resembled my kinda haul even back then. I mean, any Peanuts book I see, I must own. It's plain and simple. I love Snoopy and the gang. I just do and my book collection has been growing in the past few years. Eventually I'm going to need an entire bookshelf just for these. Challenge accepted. The Mad book is something I downright had to have. I gave my nephew my entire collection of Mad Mgazines years ago, so to find this almost "best of" was a perfect replacement.

Tales From The Cryptkeeper  something I never liked. I was always a bigger fan of the live action show, so when I first saw the cartoon I kinda scoffed at it, even in third grade. But as a fan of the Cryptkeeper, I just couldn't allow myself to pass it up. It's pretty neat and has plenty of pretty pictures!

The Mario book...well, maybe I didn't need that after all. I hated the movie and hate it less now. But the day I saw it was a day that will live in infamy. It was the first time I walked out of a movie disappointed after being hyped so much. It was a weekend that I was doing a school project, for the end of the year if I recall. I had been working so hard on it that my mom wanted me to take a break and treated me to this. Well, I had wanted to see this so now way was I gonna turn it down. Well, I liked the visual f/x but I hated the rest of the movie. I remember screaming "THAT'S NOT YOSHI!" when he appeared on the screen the first time. I walked out with my childhood innocence no longer intact. I learned a valuable lesson that day. That didn't stop me from buying a Mario cup at 7-11 for some reason. I mean, seeing it now, it's only slightly better. It's alright but it's no Wizard...

The book is just a picture book and for some reason I simply couldn't leave it behind. It just looked pathetic all by itself.


Not pictured: Laurie's Mindy Kaling book. Laurie loves Mindy Kaling and any funny human, especially funny ladies, so in addition to Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Sarah Silervman's books she had to own this as well. Mindy is a funny woman, so I can't say I blame her! And not a bad bargain for 1.25 grouped together with a bunch of crappy kids books.


Ok, that Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack. I love Ghostbusters 2. It's my favorite of the two and it has such a fun 80s soundtrack. Bobby Brown, Elton John, Doug E Fresh, New Edition and Oingo Boingo are just some of the names  included. And yes, the Ray Parker Jr. song is included! Awesome!




CROSSFIRE: ($6 FOR BOTH)

 OH.

MY.

GOSH.


You're eyes do NOT deceive you. Two Crossfire games, one even came with the box. This is quite exciting. Even better, it was practically stealing them. Two for the price of just a fraction of what one would go for on eBay. This was a no brainer. They were coming with me. I still can't get over that one of them had the box, as bad a shape that it's in. Apparently the volunteers just threw things in bags and hoped for the best. I'm guessing it's like monkeys in a factory throwing things in random directions.

Truth be told, I hadn't played Crossfire since I was a kid. A friend of mine had it and it seemed a little bit more exciting back then more than they are now. I don't know if the bead guns are getting up there in age, but it just didn't shoot as rapid as it probably once had. But I didn't let that ruin my excitement. This is an essential piece of 80's toy history. A must own game. If you were lucky to own this, you'd be king. I mean anyone who had this also had Fireball Island, most likely. And if you had these two, you were untouchable. Rainy Saturday's would no longer be a bore. No sir, you owned the gold standards of games.

 Plus, you simply can't forget that awesome commercial. It was the most intense commercial we had seen up to that point. It made you honestly believe you could damn your opponent for eternity all because they lost. This commercial was presenting a game of life and death, so therefore, we HAD to own it. Check it out below!

So all in all, it was a darn fine day for purchasing other peoples unwanted crap. But the next two days...that's where things got intense. The war has reached a fever pitch and I've only just begun.


-Chad

REVIEW: Stay Puft (2016)

With the new Ghostbusters movie coming out, you better believe the merchandising we're gonna receive is going to be pretty awesome. I mean, we're looking at a LOT of fun stuff. We're getting Slimer and Stay Puft shaped marshmallows, ECTO COOLER will be back at the end of this month, plush characters, new Hot Wheel cars, clothes, and more! It's great! But my favorite kind of merchandising that's being released? Other than Ecto Cooler, I gotta say it's the action figures themselves. Pretty good sculpts of the actresses, sure, but the true MVP of the new Mattel line is definitely an old favorite. The true mascot of Ghostbusters (sorry Slimer!), STAY PUFT!

There he is! Oh yes! This thing is awesome! Standing at 6 inches or so in all his adorable, happy faced, marshmallow goodne...hey...wait a minute...

"BALLOON GHOST"? Oh. Ok. Well...this is awkward.

Ok, I'm being dramatic for the sake of blogging. I did notice this in a friend's Instagram photo and it gave me pause for about 2 seconds. Then I realized there's gotta be a reason for calling him a Balloon Ghost, so I'll wait for the new movie to truly judge this wording properly. In fact, NOT knowing why he's called the Balloon Ghost makes me even more interested int his movie!

So, the sculpt is pretty spot on. It's kinda hard to not be able to nail down Stay Puft. He's pretty simple. I mean, come on, he's a giant blob of fluff in a sailor outfit. It's not like you're creating a Predator figure. Although, now I really want a Stay Puft/Predator hybrid. Make it happen, NECA.

Now, I know a lot of figures have been released with his angry facial reaction, a red variant, my gosh, there was even an angry burnt one. But for me, I love the happy Stay Puft. It's just so pleasant! Tell me I'm wrong! You can't look at him without smiling. You're smiling right now! So in turn, it may truly be the loving toy in history.

So, his sculpt aside, which Mattel hit that out of the park, his articulation is also pretty nice to see considering some only had shoulder articulation. I love the Real Ghostbusters but Kenner's articulation across the board at times would rival a rock. Thankfully, Mattel knows the deal and we got leg joints and shoulder joints. And oh, hey, you can move his hands too!

Neat!

Is your Stay Puft tired? Give him a seat with his awesome leg articulation.

That last sentence stunk, I'm aware. In reality, I just wanted to take a photo of Stay Puft sitting and post it. He looks too adorable. He looks like he's waiting for the ice cream man!

Worth it.


Now, while in the movies and cartoon, Stay Puft was at least the size of 15 Giant Gonzales's, this seems to be more of the scale with older Real Ghostbusters as well as the new "Mini Busters" which seem to be an inch small, gumball prize-like mini figurines.

Could this be a spoiler?

So his size works well, all things considered. I seriously can't help but think that Mattel had both young, new fans and collectors of the old Kenner line in mind. I'm sure it's not true but it's still a possibility in my head.



Now that we've established the sculpt and height, why else should you buy him? He doesn't have any accessories, he's got some good articulation, and...duh...he's iconic enough to get an instant buy. It's not like you DON'T know who he is. He's one of the most recognizable faces in cinema! Come on! You know what you're getting out of this. You're getting Stay and Puft. Done. But wait...there's more...

Yup. You press a button and he lights up. That's a pretty nice bonus if you think about it. Not a lot of new add-ons to this character that can make him new and unique, but in my opinion, this is just perfect. You can now sleep easy knowing you have a Stay Puft nightlight.

And yes, you're darn right I had to take a picture of this in the dark. It looks even cooler!

So yes, this new Stay Puft Balloon Ghost may not be a Marshmallow Man, but I couldn't love him anymore if he was! He is certainly a very welcome addition to any Ghostbusters collection. Also, if you're like me and didn't have the original Stay Puft, you have a chance to rectify that without paying 40 bucks for a beaten up, marked up, and yellowed. No, you can just drop 10 bucks and get yourself a brand new one! So pick one up today, bring him home, have him meet your pets and have him live in your pantry! It'll be your new best friend and guardian of your old cereal!

-Chad

PS: I was gonna do a dio-story to accompany this blog entry, but it turned into me just goofing off with Stay Puft, Ghostbusters themselves, the Firehouse and Ecto 1. So here's the photos I was ready to throw out. Enjoy!

"I see that Graham Cracker in your pantry. Oh, you sexy thang!"

"Wassup MTV? Welcome to my Crib!"

"Off to Hersey's in Time Square! Twenty bucks a pound!"

"Allright, now say "Ghostbusters Extreme!"

KNEEL BEFORE ZO...STAY PUFT!

HIP HOP HORRAY!

"You're standing right now with nine delegates from 100 gangs. And there's over a hundred more. That's 20,000 hardcore members. Forty-thousand, counting affiliates, and twenty-thousand more, not organized, but ready to fight: 60,000 soldiers! Now, there ain't but 20,000 police in the whole town. Can you dig it?"

Ronald McDonald House Sale: Day 1

Just because it's a week day, does NOT mean the treasure hunting ends. No sir. Whether it's a thrift store or a church rummage sale, I will be there hunting for a rare VHS or old toy or maybe even some old juice glasses with cartoon characters. And today was the biggest non flea market treasure hunting experience. The legendary Ronald McDonald House Sale!

A local favorite, a charity/donation driven second hand sale that spans from Tuesday to Saturday two times a year. The departments are huge, they're usually broken up int holiday decorations, sporting goods, movies and books, clothes, kitchenware, furniture, toys and even collectibles, and so much more. It's like a much cheaper and probably more sanitary trip to Walmart.

The best part? THEY HAVE A HALLOWEEN ROOM:

You can hear Ric Flair's theme song play as you enter this heavenly room...So many awesome Halloween items. These two may have been my favorites:

How great are these old candy bowls? And at .75? Probably should've bought them, yes, but I had bigger fish to fry. I won't lose sleep if I miss out.

Even better? They have an awesome clearance schedule too:

Tuesday: Donors/Early Birds
Wednesday: Open to public
Thursday: 25% off
Friday: 50% off
Saturday: 75% off.

Ok. So keep that in mind when I post my adventures, because it will make sense. Now normally, I never go to the sale on the first day. It's usually hectic and personally, if I can pay much less for it, certain items, I'll do it. But, I had the day off and decided to see what was hanging around and if I could find some good treasures. Oh and I did. I certainly. But first, check out the random images of the sale to get a good feel of the legendary Sale...

Hindsight 20/20, maybe I didn't take enough photos after all. Just stuff I either thought was good or just outrageously priced. While the selection was good and indeed goes to a wonderful charity, asking 20 bucks for a bunch of Burger King Simpsons isn't an easy sell. But again, wait for another day and if they're still available, they'll be considerably cheaper and you'd be more convinced to buy them.

My favorite? Those reindeer that look like they are in serious need of Valium. Holy crap, those'll be in my nightmares for a long time. A LONG TIME. Like, Dune-length long time. Although these may not make me as angry as that movie. I hate Dune. Seriously.

 I'm in therapy. I'm working it out. Someday, I'll have tea with Baron Harkonnen and we'll work our issues out. Until then, check out what I bought at this sale:




BURIED ALIVE: .50 

First off, before I go into details, the room that movies were being offered had one side for blurays and dvds and another for VHS. Best part? HORROR VHS!!!!!

Now that said...YES!!! I LOVE THIS MOVIE! It was a made for TV movie directed by Frank Darabont about Jennifer Jason Leigh poisoning her husband, played by Tim Matheson, and burying him alive for his fortune. It's been done, but this movie is SO awesome. For a TV movie, it certainly delivers some good and intense moments. Sadly, it's not on DVD or bluray, which sucks, because I'd love for it to get a bigger audience and to be appreciated more. Definitely worth .50, if not much, much more than that.


"MARVEL LEGENDS ICONS" Punisher: $5

Big Pun is my favorite Marvel character and I had an option to buy this when it was first released, but I passed. I think there was probably a sale on WWE Classic Superstars. Or Transformers. Whatever the case may be, this is a great find. I can never run out of Punisher merch and considering most the figures I have are pretty cartoony, this one may be the best figure I know own. Very happy to finally pick this up. Even if his thigh hap is way to large for the scale.

GOOSEBUMPS LUNCHBOX: $1.50

Clearly the champion of the haul. Look at this beauty! The colors. The cover art. Perfection. The sticker is in terrific shape. If I already didn't have an 8-Bit Zombie lunchbox, I'd totally be using this for work and feel like I was in 5th grade again. Actually, I can totally alternate. This would be worth taking to work. Plus, no one messes with a 6'6 geek who brings scary lunchboxes to work.

Luckily for me, I just picked some Goosebumps books up, so maybe my next day off will be spent reading on my balcony and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of this companion. I honestly can't imagine anything more relaxing.



A respectable haul, if I may be so bold to say. Again, it's only the first day. I do plan on heading back tomorrow and Saturday when prices are down even lower. I imagine had I waited, these items would all be gone. Which, side note, I actually saw two old GI Joe vehicles and decided to check out other items for a few seconds. Literally seconds. Maybe half a minute. Maybe less. As soon as I came back, they were both gone. That's how quick you must be at this sale. This isn't like your average flea market.

In other words, when it comes to the items you want, this is every man for themselves. A proverbial Royal Rumble. This. Is. WAR.

What will I find tomorrow? Well, you'll have to find out...

-Chad