The Great 2017 Thrifting Adventure!

It's been a while since I gassed up the old battle wagon and drove around looking for old crap I can either put on my shelf or put on my table at the Village Gate Toy Show in March. I decided today I'd try my luck by driving up to Buffalo for a few hours. My head full of golden possibilities and my wallet filled with...well...not much. But I'm ready to make it stretch.

I hit about 8 stores total today. All within a 60 mile radius. Buffalo has a great thrifting offerings so I like to hit them up at least once or twice a year. It would be kinda tiring but thankfully, the first store I entered, I was greeted by some very good signs of what I could possibly expect. Or...posters...








A cornerstone in any 80s/90s kids bedroom or playroom. Or video stores. I tend to remember the kids section in a few places had these. Right on.

So let's check out my haul:


VHS:




Westworld is my favorite scifi movie of all time. Since I don't have HBO, I haven't caught the TV show but it is very high on my list once it hits bluray. For now though, I can't turn down an old rental copy of the original in the MGM big box. Looks great on my shelf already!


Ok, Young Einstein. This was a ridiculously TERRIBLE movie that squashed any hopes that Yahoo Serious would be a star. I tend to remember it being hyped up pretty well that year and after a week, people stopped talking about it. If you've ever seen it, you'll know why.  So why'd I pick it up? Jeez, I don't know. I always hated this movie but for some reason I saw it and decided I needed it. That's part of the VHS collecting addiction. Well, that and the store had a 5 buck limit on debit cards. Don't worry. It gets better...

TOYZ!!!!



HUZZAH! Action figures! Right up my alley! An old WWF Christian, two Michaelangelo's, a Mario missing an arm and a couple other stuff that I don't really see any use. My personal favorite of the lot is definitely Christian. Oh sure, I can always make room in my collection for Michaelangelo but Christian is a fave of mine. Loved him as a tag team partner and goofball with Edge and loved him even more in TNA(in my opinion, his best run of his career). With rumors of Christian being nominated into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, the figure will totally reek of awesomeness on my shelf with the rest of my loose figures.


TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED!:


Transformers has always been a huge part of my life. I'll go into greater detail later this year, but I have such a soft spot for these wacky toy robots. The toys, cartoons, movies. I'll usually give it all my attention. This show was actually a little different than the other series. The designs were more cartoon-y if that makes sense. I actually always liked the look and tone of this show. Transformers can usually get pretty heavy so it's nice when we got a show that didn't take itself so seriously. Happy to find this. I know what I'll be checking out this weekend!



HAPPY HALLOWEEN WATCH:



OH COME ON. LOOK AT IT. OF COURSE I'M BUYING THIS!!!!



THUNDER MACHINE:


As a GI Joe loyalist, and more importantly a Dreadknok disciple, this was a huge find for me. This is one of my favorite vehicles of any toy line. So much that in 2003, I named my first car after it. Yeah it's a junker, but with a little love, it'll be ready to terrorize swamps everywhere in no time! Love that the antenna is still intact! Jelly donuts and grape soda, were NOT included.

Even more fun, I made a new friend today finding this. A member of the regional toy collecting group decided to try his luck at the same time I did and helped me locate some good stuff in the store. We chatted about thrifting, toy shows, collecting woes and the inevitable "item that got away". It was nice to be in a store I had never been to and having a helping hand. Pleasure was all mine, Dan! Thanks again!






Ok, I didn't buy this hat, but it was too weird to just not take a photo of. I love corny hats and this is probably one of the corniest.


CUPS!!!

At the same store I found the ThunderMachine, I found these beauties. My favorite find of the day. 2 Young Indiana Jones, A generic Dinosaurs, and two awesome Universal Monster cups. All from the early 90s Pizza Hut. Now, I'm assuming you can guess that the Monster cups are my favorite of the lot. You'd be correct. Frankenstein is my favorite of the UM's and I always get excited finding merch with good ol' Boltneck. Even better, if it's from that time in the early 90s when Universal Monsters was plastered on EVERYTHING. Toys, clothes, coloring books, even an old promotion through Pepsi and Doritos. I'll gladly put this on my shelf next to my Universal Studios Frankenstein cup and Bride of Frankenstein water bottle.



Well, it was a good haul, a good day, and a nice relaxing drive. But I had to get back home. I've got bunnies to feed, yo.

On the way back, I was treated to one more beautiful sight. Not one, but TWO out of date Pepsi machines!!!!


I couldn't think of any better way to close out my day-cation...

-Chad

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