Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Transformers Lunchbox


Transformers Lunchbox
circa 1984
purchased for $4

Before the crap-tacular Michael Bay popcorn action movie, there were the 80s toys and cartoon. Seriously, how much better were the toys than those stupid CG movies? More Than Meets The Eye!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Willow Lunchbox


Willow Lunchbox
circa 1988
purchased for $1

Another classic Warwick Davis film from the 80's.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Dinosaurs Watch


Dinosaurs Watch
circa 1991
purchased for $2

Not the mama! Remember Dinosaurs!? This show was an exact replica of the Simpsons... well, aside from the characters being dinosaurs and all.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Super Mario Bros. 2 Mug


Super Mario Bros. 2 Mug
circa 1993
purchased for $10

This is a massive mug. Stellar graphics and crisp colors. Gotta love that Italian Plumber!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

King Hippo Figurine


King Hippo Figurine
circa 1989
purchased for FREE

One of the best characters in Mike Tyson's Punchout. Just below that waistline is a sweet X bandage over his belly button. Hit that and his shorts fall down. Just look at those knees!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Indy III - Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade Pinback


Indy III - Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade Pinback
circa 1989
purchased for $.50

What makes this cool is that the film was never called "Indy III", or even "Indiana Jones III". My favorite of the Indiana Jones films, and one of my favorite films of all time. I collect anything having to do with Indiana Jones.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Back To The Future II Tumbler

Back To The Future II Tumbler
circa 1989
purchased for $3

One of the greatest sequels of all time gets it's very own tumbler! What is a tumbler, you ask? Well it's a cheap plastic cup with some sort of gelatinous goo sealed in the sides, with sparkles and weird little items mixed in there too. Ok, so I get the clocks, but what does that dude wearing headphones have to do with BTTFII? Not sure, but I'll take it anyways.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Superman Cup



Superman Cup
circa 1978
purchased for $1

This is strange because one side has the comic book version of Superman, the other side has a movie version of Superman. Either way it's a sweet cup. Top-notch graphics.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles View Master


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles View Master
circa
purchased for $.25

Heroes in a half shell! Turtle Power! Pizza! Ahhhh!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pee-Wee Herman Action Figure


Pee-Wee Herman Action Figure
circa 1988
purchased for $3

Still one of my favorite characters of the 80's. I have three of the "Talking Pee-Wee" dolls, but I never had any of the little action figures. I found this one still in the original package at an indoor flea market. Great show, great movie, great action figure.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Bart Simpson Burger King Toy


Bart Simpson Burger King Toy
circa 1993
purchased for $.25

No kid in the 90's didn't watch the Simpsons... as long as their parents let them! I was fully immersed in Simpson Mania. When I was on a family vacation in Niagara Falls, I convinced my parents to buy me a pair of Jams (you know..longer than shorts, shorter than pants), that said, "I'm Bart Simpson, who the hell are you?" I couldn't believe I was going to be wearing a piece of clothing with the word "hell" on it! I still love the Simpsons...well, up until season 9. After that, the show went to hell.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Vintage Thermos


Vintage Thermos
circa 1960s
purchased for $3

I know they aren't worth a lot, but I have a fascination with these vintage glass insert thermoses. Cool design, great condition.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Planet Of The Apes Cup


Planet Of The Apes Cup
circa 1967
purchased for $4

"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" Classic film, classic cup! I found this gem at an antique mall in Nebraska.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Owl Lamp


Owl Lamp
circa 1970s
purchased for $3

I know a lot of people who collect owls. And whooo wouldn't want a nice owl lamp!? Although it's kind of evil to have a nocturnal animal perpetually sitting next to a light bulb. Sad sad owl.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Waylande Gregory Handmade Ceramic Bowl

Waylande Gregory Handmade Ceramic Bowl
circa 1940's
purchased for $.25

My fiance and I were at a Goodwill Store in Sarasota, FL, where we discovered this amazing ceramic bowl, with infused broken glass. The Goodwill was one of the strangest thrift shops I've ever been in. Everything was thrown together in bins. Nothing was sorted. A bowling ball could be found next to a picture frame,
next to a flower pot, next to a shoe...and so on. I started looking through one of the bins, where I found this bowl, and another one similar to it. Just then, a woman came up to me and said, "sorry sir, this section isn't open yet." I looked around and saw a huge line of people scowling at me, waiting for the section to be "opened". So I stepped back a foot, then within 10 seconds, the woman yelled out, "Ok, this section is open!" So I walked back to the bin I was at and grabbed the bowls. I got them both for $.25.

I got them because I thought they looked pretty damn cool. I had no idea who Waylande Gregory was. But when I got home and looked him up, I was amazed to see that he was one of the pioneers of the Art Deco movement. He is famous for a huge sculpture in Edison, NJ entitled, "Light Dispelling Darkness," which depicts a heroic theme of combatting evil through knowledge.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Batman Napkins

Batman Napkins
circa 1989
purchased for $.25

Theme birthday kits were some of the cheapest, thinnest materials you could find anywhere. The party hats had those little white rubber bands held on by the single staple. The cups were so waxy my mom didn't know if she should light them or the candles on the cake. And then we come to the worst, slash best, slash worst again theme birthday party supply of all time: the tablecloth. The tablecloth included in those birthday kits was thinner than the tissue paper that came with "Don't Break The Ice".

When I was a kid, if your birthday party wasn't "themed", it wasn't cool. Whether it be Ninja Turtles, Transformers, or Thundercats, a theme party was essential. And in 1989, Batman was THE party theme of choice. The Batman movie had just come out in theaters, and it was the coolest movie that I was allowed to see up until that point in my life. I had a Batman Theme Party in October of '89, and it may go down as the best birthday party in history.