Speak & Read

Speak & Read

Texas Instruments (circa 1980)

purchased for FREE (curbside)!

SOLD for $25.00

This is from the same family as "Speak & Spell" and "Speak & Math". Do you remember the crazy robot voice of these things? Sometimes he sounds so mad that you got a wrong answer! When I was a kid I always typed in curse words to see if he would say them. Did you know that the "Speak & Read" does not know the word "balls"? WORD ZAP!

New Kids On The Block - Stickers

New Kids On The Block

Stickers (circa 1990)

purchased for $0.10

Every kid in the late 80's/early 90's had a New Kids tape. Even the boys. Don't lie. I know it wasn't your sister's. Well, mine was my sister's...New Kids were stupid. But don't fake it, I know you used to play the "step by step" cassette single until it sounded like it was playing underwater.

I got this at a garage sale over the summer. When I asked the guy "how much?", he just smiled and said "what? how much am I going to pay you to take them?". So I gave him a dime and walked away in shame.

Kodak Trimlite Instamatic 18 Camera

Kodak Trimlite Instamatic 18 Camera

(circa 1974)

purchased for $2

I have a fairly decent camera collection, including at least 5 Instamatics. But this one might me the coolest. It came with a full unused flash bar, a sticker sheet to "customize" your camera, and a roll of film IN THE CAMERA. I can't wait to see what kind of pictures are in there. That's part of the joy of buying used cameras! And it's still fairly easy to get instamatic pictures developed...

And just look at the guy in that picture. Killer hair, man.

Ghostbusters - Ecto Plazm

The REAL Ghostbusters

Ecto Plazm (circa 1986)

purchased for FREE

Just the smell of this goo takes me back to my childhood. I could play with this "non-toxic water soluble gel" for HOURS, squishing it between my fingers, sliming GI Joe, throwing it at my sisters, throwing it at the wall...

Somebody in Bayville, NJ was throwing out a bunch of cool 80's toys, and I grabbed as much as I could (in the dark). When I got home I realized I left a few things there that I wanted. So I drove back the next morning, and it was all gone. There's vultures out there I tell ya! Grab whatever you can grab.

E.T. - Wind-up Toy

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Wind-Up Toy in original package (circa 1982)
purchased for $4

E.T. was the first movie I cried while watching. I found this gem at a town wide garage sale in beachwood, nj. The lady actually had 2 of them. My friend Phil BOTH of them. Jerk. So then I bugged him until he sold one of them to me. "Wind him up and watch him TODDLE and BOBBLE along."

Masters Of The Universe - Party Invitations

Masters Of The Universe

Party Invitations (circa 1983)

purchased for $0.25

I was looking through a huge bin of party invitations and christmas cards. this was the very last package in the box. oh he-man how i love thee. i used to have masters of the universe bed sheets. just wait until i have a he-man party!

Herb Alpert - Whipped Cream & Other Delights LP

Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass

"Whipped Cream & Other Delights"
purchased for $0.33

I first saw this record framed at a friend's house in hawaii. very scandalous. it was probably one of the most risque covers of it's time.

so i decided i wanted a copy, thinking it would be hard to find. little did i realize that you can find this at pretty much every thrift shop. so now i have 5 copies. oh dear. i want to do something cool with them...any suggestions?

Slave - s/t LP

Oh how I love going to thrift stores. So many great ridiculous buys. And as a collector of vinyl, there is no better place to find amazing records for dirt cheap.

for example:

Slave - s/t 1977
purchased for $0.50

One of the more ridiculous covers I've ever seen. Why are there black plastic garbage bags behind him? And what is that orb? I want answers, Slave!