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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.