Breakdown of Auction Awesomeness!

Finally!

*This is a little long-winded*

In my last post, I showed the video game scores I was able to add to the collection.  For this post, we will see my share of the toys we were able to win.

Literally, we will start off small.

Here we see a couple of dinosaur erasers, a pterodactyl stamper and a generic pterodactyl.  But the real stars of this group are the 2 TMNT mini “sidekicks”.  Pictured above is Fish Stix(who came with Ray Fillet), and Mutant Fly Friend(who came with Napolean Bonafrog).  These Sidekicks are basically accessories for certain figures, and as such were commonly lost.  But they appeal to me, and I am now sort of collecting them.

Three of these are McDonald’s Changeables.  The French fries on the left, and the Quarter Pounder are from the first Changeables series(the first series were robots), while the fries on the right are from the second series(the second series were dinosaurs).  I’ll never pass up ones that I don’t have, and they’ll typically run you 25-50 cents(I’m partial to the robot variety), but expect to pay way more if you decide to look for them on Ebay.

The second toy(the ones that I haven’t already mentioned), is another carton of French fries, but I have no idea what it is from.  It’s stamped 1989 Hallmark Cards, and I have no idea what, or where it’s from.  I would guess that it’s another fast food toy, but I can’t be sure.  Any help identifying it is appreciated.

And now we’ll move onto some larger, more familiar action figures.

Any Ghostbusters I usually find are broken, or extremely played with.  These 2 are from 2 different lines, but I didn’t have an Egon or Peter until now(and they’re the 2 best ones).  Egon is from the Slimed Heroes line, and Peter is from the Fright Features line.  The Fright Features figures were pretty cool(I also have Winston from this line).  You would activate the features by pushing down(the obvious), outstretched arm.  The feature makes their faced go all crazy-cartoony scared.  It’s actually a pretty cool gimmick.

Here is 3 different lines of awesome!  First up is Witterquick from Visionaries.  I already had him, but my previous figure was missing his helmet, as well as a thumb.  Upon closer inspection, you will also notice that his chest hologram is not correct.  His hologram is supposed to be that of a cheetah, not an eagle(?).  The funny thing is that the figure that was previously in my collection also had the incorrect chest hologram(don’t remember what it was, it’s already been passed on).  These figures aren’t exactly common, making it a nice find.

The we have a DC Comics Super Heroes Robin.  It’s basically the same figure as the Robin from the Super Powers line, with a few differences, of which I don’t know the exact specifics.  I would love to get a Batman to accompany him, as he is displayed next to my only Batman figure(it’s from the Nolan trilogy, but I don’t know the exact figure, it was a gift).  The figures from this line I have a few memories of, specifically the black suit Batman with the grappling hook belt(currently looking for one).  Robin’s kick feature works well, and his cape is intact!

Then there’s Steelwill from Silverhawks!  I haven’t crossed paths with a Silverhawks figure since I got Quicksilver back in 1986.  When I found this guy, he was missing an arm, but it was included, and an easy fix.  The action feature works well, and although worn, it still displays pretty nice.

And the hits just keep on coming!

I never thought that I would ever be able to find and purchase Rock Lords somewhere other than Ebay.  On the right is Boulder, and on the left is Magmar(I know that there is also a Pokémon with this same name).  What’s pretty neat that these two just happen to be the leaders of the respective good and evil Rock Lords.  I was pretty amped to find ’em!

Lock Lips is the star of this group(and maybe of all the figures found).  Madballs are hard enough to come by, so Never in a million years did I ever think that I would come across any of the head-pooping action figures.  It’s feature works very well, and the figure itself is in pretty nice condition.

The Masters of the Universe knock-off only has MACAU printed on the side of one of the legs.  I have nothing else on it.

And rounding out the trio is a Rambo figure.  I had a few of these when I was a kid, and while nice, I’m actually indifferent with this one.  At least he’s wearing his trademark bandana.

The following all came ion the lot with the TMNT Sewer Playset(as well as other figures and accessories), and we got it all for $25!!  Insane!

I thought that it was pretty awesome to fins the Tiger Force “Tiger Shark”.  We have Tiger Force Recondo, and Tiger Force Frostbite.  Destro is the second version of the figure, and is a fine addition to the Joe collection.  The Tiger Sharks stickers all seem to be there and are in great shape.  I wouldn’t mind adding a couple more of the vehicles from this line in the future.

And obviously, there were TMNT figures to be had.  There were a pretty decent number of figures, and I needed these.

Ray Fillet’s accessories(including Fish Stix), are accounted for.  Tokka’s fingers are chewed on the left hand, but now Rahzar has his partner.  He’s basically Slash, and I’d compare, but mySlash fell ofo of his shelf, and his head broke off(can’t be fixed).  Panda Khan had a few accessories in the mix.  There were a lot of accessories in the lots, and a good amount of them actually went to the figures in the lot.  There were also weapons and accessories for figures that weren’t in the lot.  Almost everything that goes with Mutagen Man was present, except Mutagen Man himself.  But considering the amazing luck we had at this auction, I have zero room to complain about a figure not being there.  But I now have the small, easily-lost parts for the Mutagen Man I will eventually add.

The Party Wagon is in pretty good shape, with a few flaws.  The side mirrors have been chewed and mangled, as has the radar on the, windshield shield?  You know what I mean.

It’s missing on of the Foot Bombs, and that’s about all that’s wrong with it.  Maybe I can do a comparison post of this and the 25th Anniversary Party Wagon.

And that’s what stayed with me!  I sure hope future auctions yield similar lots.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Bat-Duck Completes the Team!

I finally found an acceptable price for this guy!  This has always been one of my all-time favorite Happy Meal promotions.  And Bat-Duck has always been my favorite of the 4.  He ran me $1.99 + $3.00 shipping.  $5.00 seems a little steep, but if you factor out the shipping, it seems like a pretty good deal.  Add to the fact that most of the listings for these are for the set of 4, and they are priced 4 times or more what I paid for the single figure(can I call it that?).  I only paid 50 cents for each of the other three, so I really can’t complain.

I know I bought a Bat-Duck from Ebay a few years ago, but he must of got lost in the shuffle(along with Delta Chameleon).

Seeing them all together makes for a pretty nice picture, don’t ‘ya think?

Albany Comic Con : The Haul – Part II

In addition to comic books, I also purchased some trading cards and toys(surprise, surprise  😉  ), at the most recent Albany Comic Con.  The best of the bunch is excluded, as they will be in a subsequent post.

I’m always game for non-sprts trading cards, especially when they’re from the years when I was heavily collecting.  The Ghost Rider and Wolverine cards are ones that I clearly remember.  The Trouble Trolls are a different story though.  I remember Trash Can Trolls, and they were great.  Rip-offs of Garbage Pail Kids, but great none the less.  So these the Troll cards were purchased more out of curiosity.  More than likely, you’ll see these packs opened over on my other blog.

These came out of a 5 for $1.00 box.  An here’s the rundown, clockwise.

The Luigi toy is from the 1989 Super Mario Bros. 3 McDonald’s Happy Meal.  I only have one other toy from this series, so there wasn’t a question at 20 cents.

Then we have Petunia Pig as Wonder Woman from the 1991 Looney Tunes/DC Comics(?), Happy Meal.  The only one I’m missing is the Daffy Duck/Batman figure from this set.  I had it at some point in the last few years(as well as when it was originally released), and I cannot seem to find it.  Petunia here, is a double.  So, it’s up for grabs, if anyone is interested.

Megavolt looks like a cereal premium, but I can’t be sure.  It’s stamped 1992, and it looks right for the time, but I just don’t know.  You can’t go wrong with Darkwing Duck anyway.

I’ve mentioned the animated 1989 Beetlejuice Burger Kings toys in the past.  And it’s no secret that I’m a fan of the animated series(as well as the movie), but these just don’t turn up at all in my travels.  So I will pick ’em up anytime I see them.  2 down, 4 to go!

The last one seems like something insignificant, but it might be my favorite(and these are all great).  It’s a 1991 Back to the Future animated series Happy Meal toy!  I couldn’t tell you anything about the other toys in the series, but I sure as hell remember this one!  It doesn’t do anything but roll on it’s wheels, but I love it!

The next post is a sponsored post, but the one following will conclude(and include), the best of my purchases from the ACC.

Yard Sale Finds #13

Well, this weekend was supposed to be a pretty decent weekend for yard/garage sales.  But the friggin’ rain ruined it!  There were two different towns that were having village-wide garage sales, and the rain seemed to make many people change their minds.  The people were out looking for the sales, but there were far fewer sales than I have seen in past years.

There were some deals to be had, and I even passed on a few items.  But we’re here to talk about what I was able to come home with.

There were tons of PS1 games for sale, but many of them were missing the instruction manuals, so they were of no real interest to me.  While this game is nothing special, but I am a hockey fan and I am a PS1 fan.  75 cents was about what I was willing to pay for it, so it was a good deal for both sides.

I know the above three items don’t look like much, but all three were mine for 25 cents!  The Officer Big Mac car is made by Ertl, but I’m not sure if it was a Happy Meal premium or sold in stores.  It’s marked 1984 and has the Ertl logo on the bottom, and the pull-back action still works like new.  I can never say no to either series of McDonald’s Changeables(the robots or dinosaurs), as long as I don’t already have them.  And obviously, I didn’t previously have this one.  The McDonald’s Happy Meal box is iconic, and this is a pretty neat toy.  The pack of NBA trading cards is a premium that was inserted into boxes of Drakes Cakes back in 1992.  I remember this promotion, as I was heavily into trading cards at the time(NHL, NBA and non-sports).  This is something you don’t see everyday, and I couldn’t pass it up.  I will not open them, but John Stockton is the top card, so that’s not half bad.

And now, the action figures.  I passed on Tabe from Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos because he was really dirty and was pretty much naked.  Even for $1, I just couldn’t make the purchase.  I also passed on a Transformers Animated Ultra Magnus.  But I had reasoning behind why I didn’t grab it.  I like the look of the Animated figures, and Ultra Magnus looks cool.  But When I picked him up, he was in robot mode, and I wasn’t sure if anything was missing.  It was $3, so it wasn’t too big a risk, but room is at a premium right now, and he is one of the larger figures from the Animated line(probably taller than my Voltron).  I’ll grab it next year if the old woman still has it, as I make it a point to visit her set-up every year(she always ahs a ton of action figures).

These three came from the old woman I briefly mentioned above.  And they cost her usual $1 per figure, of which I had no qualms of paying.  I found the Beetlejuice figure on my second time through(my first from the line).  Whiplash is a little dirty, but that will not be a problem that can’t be solved with a little soap and warm water.  And Fugitoid looked to be in pretty good shape, and you know I’m always looking for new additions to my old-school TMNT collection!

I spent a total of $4 on the day(everything you see above), so I didn’t do too bad.  I just wish that we didn’t get all the rain we did, because there would have been at least 3 times as many sales as there actually was.  But still a fun hunt nonetheless.

Yard Sale Finds #11, and…

It seems like that time of the year is upon us.  The time when the weather’s warm, and you need any excuse not to be in the house.  It’s late spring, and it is now, yard sale season.

There were quite a few sales in my surrounding area.  But I didn’t find a whole lot that caught my interest.  I did find some neat stuff though.

First is this freebie.

This was unmarked at one seller’s table.  And when I inquired about the price, she told me I could have it for nothing!

Another angle.

I’m not sure when this promotion ran at McDonald’s, but the last copyright date on the glass is 1965.  Anybody know?

There were tons of vhs and dvd’s available, but they were either horribly overpriced(and some in pretty rough shape), or they just weren’t very desirable.  That being said, I did manage to find a few that peaked my interest.

I am a New York Rangers fan, and these dvds peaked my curiosity, as I’ve never seen anything like these.   One is a random Rangers game from 2009 against the Washington Capitals.  And the second is a National Hockey League “Rule Enforcement” dvd for the 2008-2009 season.  I’ll try to find out some further info on these.

The vhs tape is The Trolls and the Christmas Express.  From what is depicted on the case, this movie seems very familiar.  The animation is unique, and I’d love this to be another holiday movie I can watch during the season.  For 25 cents, there wasn’t much risk.

And video games.

(not pictured : The Genesis controller that I got for free.)

Typically, I wouldn’t buy a carrying case for a handheld system, unless it’s one for the old-school Game Boys.  But, the case that I keep all of my Game Boy games in, it getting crowded and I could use the room.  I can use the case to primarily house my original Game Boy games, while the carrying case can hold the “SP” itself, as well as many games as I can fit.  50 cents well spent!

I went to the sales with my buddy Mike, and like me, he collects NES games(although not on the same scale as I do).  At the first sale we hit, I found the 2 games pictured, in a spot he had just looked at.  He couldn’t believe that he passed right by them.  They’re nothing special, but a great find at $1 a piece.  I have never learned how to play Othello, but it’s a great addition, nonetheless.  The other cart is Flying Dragon : The Secret Scroll(it says this on the top part of the label, while the face says it’s The Secret Scroll : Flying Dragon.).  I have never played this one either, but I have never come across it before, so I hope it’s decent.

Also, Lilo & Stitch for PS1.  I don’t know if the game itself is any good, but a PS1 game for 50 cents is hard to leave behind.  🙂

Now, as you can see, I didn’t find any toys!  That’s the bad news.  The good news, is that I did get all of my Ebay purchases in the mail.  So we’ll take a look at one of those.

G1 Cosmos!!  Cosmos has long been my favorite of the little Transformers.  How could you not love a transforming U.F.O.?  His alt mode is a very classic looking flying saucer.  He cost me a total of $7, but $4.50 of that was for shipping.  But he also came with his Tech Specs, so that’s not too bad.  It’s always nice when I get the opportunity to add another G1 figure to my collection.

I did get a few other things.  The other items are all MISB.  My question is…should I do individual posts?  Or, do I showcase them in a single post?  There a re a total of 3 items.  But 2 of them are related, and have to be written about together.  So, I’ll let you guys choose.  If I don’t get any votes, I’ll see how I want to go about this.

Prized Possessions and the “Tip of the Iceberg”

This week’s assignment from The League is “Prized Possessions”.  Brian asked us, “What is the one item in your collection you would save if your house was being swallowed by a sink hole, carried off in a tornado, and then swept away in a flood.”

It was a pretty quick decision.

I believe I bought this from a Toys R Us back in 1999.  When I was a kid in the eighties, I would’ve killed for the original(it was diecast, ya know).  But, I only owned the green lion, and my brother owned the red lion(the black lion is my personal favorite).  I happened to hit up the Toys R Us in White Plains on pay day, and there were 3 of these on the shelf.  It was the 5 lions, the five pilots and the “Blazing Sword” and shield.  A pretty good deal for the $29.99 asking price.  I didn’t even flinch…I wanted this!  While waiting for the train to go back home, I opened up the package and began to assemble it.

The box it came in is long gone, as I wasn’t the dork collector I am today.  One of the horns on the robot form’s head is missing, as is it’s spring-loaded missile on the back and one of the “wings” is also absent.  The only other thing missing is Pidge(the mini pilot for the green lion).  But it’s mine, and it’s also one of the toys that’s been in my collection the longest.

Check out what Colbey couldn’t leave behind over at Random Toy Reviews.

Shawn from Branded in the Eighties chooses to save a cuddley(sp?) friend.

Jon from Doubledumbassonyou picks a figure I never even knew existed(but it’s awesome!).

And, I went to a toy show today!  It was a small affair, but I did manage to get a few deals.  I want to spread them out over the next week(this gives me a few posts), so I’ll just show you guys the smaller stuff today.

These ALF figures were given away in Wendy’s kids meals sometime back in 1990(that’s what they’re stamped).  I’m a fan olf ALF, and for 50 cents each, I grabbed all 3.  They’re based on the short-lived animated show(that I liked, and the toy line is something I’d like to find a few of), but these look like they’re more specifically from ALF Tales(which were poplular fairy tales that featured ALF in the title roles(I have ALF Tales on dvd, and I can’t believe I haven’t watched it yet!  I’ll have to get on that).

And in the same box, I also found these.

Also, 50 cents each.  Any E.T. toy for fifty cents is a deal in my opinion, plus these are my favorite representations of the lovable alien.  The Happy Meal Koopa Paratroopa was in a line of toys given away in Happy Meals at McDonald’s back in 1990(check out a commercial for it here).  Just like the other one in my collection, it is missing the tube and bulb required to make it hop.  There are loads of these guys in the games, so I don’t mind owning 2 of them(they’re my favorite old school Super Mario enemies anyway).  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle candy dispenser is made by Topps, but this piece is missing the bottom cover, so I don’t have a date for you.  But I would assume that it’s from around 1989-1990.  I remember buying tons of this candy back in the day, and it’s something I have never came across for sale, and at the price I paid, I’m happy.

I also managed to score a SNES game at a very nice price.

There was a kid there selling a Super Nintendo and 6 Super Nintendo games.  So I asked how much the games were.  He said that they were all $10, but Aladdin was $3!  I already own the other 5 games that were there, and this one usually sells for $10 or more.  It’s a fun platformer, and it’s from Capcom, so it’s also very visually appealing as well.

The best is yet to come.  I have a few really awesome toys we’ll see in the coming days(quite possibly tomorrow).

Last of the Yard Sales?

For the last month or so, yard/garage/tag sales have been pretty scarce.  At least from what I’ve seen.

But, I did happen to stumble across one this past weekend.  And the funny thing was, that I have been to this guy’s garage sales 2 summers before this!  And as you will see, he hasn’t run out of stuff to sell me.  In fact, if he has another sale, I had my eye on a “Pepsi Challenge” button.

The Pepsi items were bought from this gentleman,  while the Mac Tonight mug was scored at Richie Rich’s(he let me take it for free).  I am a huge fan of old-school Pepsi items, typically from the 80’s through the early 90’s.  The Pepsi Christmas cup is too cool!  I plan on making this the cup I will most use this coming holiday season.  The Pepsi can is from an old summer promotion Pepsi had back in the 1990.  This was one of 4 designs that came out.  I’m sure if you see the other ones, you’ll have no problem remembering them.  Check out this interesting tidbit on Snopes(I found this out through X-E, years ago).  The car is stamped 1980, and it’s a Chevy Pro Stocker(they couldn’t just call it a stock car?).  But the cooler name of Pepsi Challenger(much better) is on the body of the car.  It rolls smoothly and fast.

And I actually like that it looks played with.

While there were no other sales to be found, I did pick up a couple of comics from the comic shop that I spoke of 2 posts ago.

As is the case with the last batch of comics that I bought, these were bought primarily for reading.  And anyway, I don’t care if every single one of the comics that I own isn’t in pristine condition.  I find the Amazing Spider-Man cover to be quite attractive.  Holograms were a HUGE deal back in the day.  And I still find them to be really cool in any format.  I know I’ve seen a blue cover exactly like this, but I don’t know if it was the same issue, or a variant or what(anyone know what I’m talking about?).  The Marvel Tales starring Spider-Man is no where near good condition, and this time, reading was the secondary reason that I purchased this.

As alot of you know, I’m a big fan of old-school comic book ads.  Whether they’re for toys, cartoons, video games or food and candy.  I’m a fan of it all!  And the ad on the back cover of the Marvel Tales, has a really awesome ad!

Isn’t it awesome?!  I was thinking, since the comic is such poor condition, I just may frame this beautiful ad.  This is from 1982, which was a year or 2 before I got into G.I. Joe.  The top portion looks just like the file cards that were on the back of every figure and vehicle(and are still to this day)  The other ads within could make an appearance, should I decide to continue the old-school comic ads…which I am!

McDonald’s $1,000,000 Menu Song

This is the mystery item that I purchased with the MOTU figures I found while yard/garage-saling this past weekend.

This is for a promotion that McDonald’s ran back in 1989.  You would of found this in a Sunday newspaper around February of ’89(judging by the expiration dates of the coupons).  The black portion is actually a(cardboard) record that you could play on a turntable for a chance to win one million dollars.  Behind the record on the paper backing are the lyrics to the McDonald’s Menu Song.  On the recording, you will hear an instructor tell his class to repeat the song after him.  If your record had the class sing the song without messing up, you won the million dollars.  Here’s the lyrics…

“Big Mac, Mc DLT, a Quarter-Pounder with some cheese, Filet-O-Fish, a hamburger, a cheeseburger, a Happy Meal, McNuggets, tasty golden french fries, regular and larger sizes, and salads, chef or garden or a chicken salad Oriental. Big-Big Breakfast, Egg McMuffin, hot hotcakes and sausage, maybe biscuits, bacon, egg and cheese or sausage, danish, hash browns too, and for dessert: hot apple pies, and sundaes three varieties, a soft-serve cone, three kinds of shakes, and choc’laty chip cookies, and to drink: a Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, and orange drink, a Sprite and coffee, decaf, too, a lowfat milk, also an orange juice. I love McDonald’s good time,great taste, and I get this all at one place.  The good time great taste of McDonald’s.

 

The stated odds of having the winning record was 1 in 80,000,000.  I have always had this song pop up in my head over the years(parts of it anyway).  I also remember thinking that this was one of the coolest promotions ever.

On the reverse side of the paper backing there are coupons, and scratch-off type boxes for a chance at a share of another $1,500,000.

As you can see, no coupons clipped, and no rub-offs rubbed.  I’m surprised that the record and the paper survived together this long.  I love finding stuff like this!  Advertising is kind of boring in today’s world, so it’s a nice reminder of the way things used to be.

I’ll be aiming to hit posts for 3 straight days tomorrow, but I’m planning on 4+ days(a first?).

Yard Sale Finds #7

Howdy!  I know it’s been a while.

This weekend was great for me on the yard sale front.  I got some good deals on some really cool stuff.  There are a few items that you will not see today because they are going to get their own separate posts in the coming days.  One of the items we’ll see in it’s own post, should not have survived this long(I was stoked to find this, you’ll see it tomorrow).  Almost all of my finds were toys(yay!), and I paid the price I had in my head every time.

I was quite surprised at the volume of children’s books people were selling.  And even more surprised at how many were of interest to me.

With the exception of the Calvin and Hobbes(50 cents), each book cost me ten cents.  The Masters of the Universe book is the only one with writing in and on it.  The Voltron book made me laugh because all of the pictures within it appear to be screen caps of a specific episode.  The little pink heart was my first find of the day in a “free” pile.  The Matchbox vehicle was thrown in with 4 books to make an even 50 cents(one of my nephews will end up with it).  The TMNT vhs was found at a mini flea market that was being run at a couple of lockers at a storage facility.  I purchased the video because it has one thing the dvd doesn’t have.  The Pizza Hut commercial.  Yes, that Pizza Hut commercial.  Plus it was only a buck, and one of the first finds of the day.  I did find something else at that storage facility that I have wanted since I was a kid, but we’ll see that in a few days(any guesses?).

Our next item was found at the same sale I found the Calvin and Hobbes book.

A bubble light night light!  When I was growing up, these were my favorite lights on our Christmas tree.  For years I have been searching for strands of these lights(I know I could find them on Ebay for probably a lot more than I’d be willing to pay), with no luck.  I would’ve paid up to 3 dollars for this, but got it for a quarter.  It looks great and will hold me over until I can find a strand of these beauties.

Bring on the toys!

These guys were found in a old “collector’s” sale.  By collector, I mean that he collected older stuff.  From old advertising pieces to vintage glassware to records.  The box I found these two in, had them selling for 3 bucks each.  Even Raphael from TMNT, who had a broken arm was going for 3 dollars!  If there’s anything I have learned from American Pickers(moreso with Frank), it’s bundling.  I ended up getting these 2 guys and a secret item for 3 dollars!  Stinkor’s scent gimmick is very faint, but maybe finding a replacement chest plate will rectify that?  I’m really surprised I found Buzz-Off with his wings intact.  I remember regularly removing his wings back in the day.  The joints are pretty good on both figures and their action works as well.

And lastly….

Darth Vader was found before everyone else.  I couldn’t seem to find any trademark or copyright stampings, so I’m not sure of his origin(anyone know?).  I figured the dollar they were asking for him was reasonable.  He’s twice the size of the regular figures, and he he has a cloth cape.  A cloth cape!  The other seven guys we’re found at a single sale for a buck a piece!  The lady wanted 2 dollars each, but we made a deal of a dollar each if I bought them all(I remembered from last time).  Greedo is stamped 1995 so I know he’s not one of the classic figures(and he looks extremely faded).  All of the others are stamped with either a 70s or 80s copyright.  I was across the lawn when I spotted these guys.  From there I only could see Chewbacca and Admiral Ackbar.  Only when I got to the table did I see that there were a total of seven figures.  The lady selling them was talking them up, telling me what she was seeing them sell for on Ebay.  I explained to her that I collect old-school toys and she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

So how do you think I fared this weekend?  I have other posts lined up for this week that I hope to put up starting tomorrow.  I’m actually a little excited about the things I plan on writing about this week.  And you know how it is around this place…it could be anything.

Halloween candy & fast food

I originally planned on doing a post about some of the new Halloween decorations we have purchased over the past couple of weeks, but food doesn’t last as long as plastic and cardboard.

Last week, my wife and I were going to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries, and on our way into the parking lot, we decided to go to the Dollar Tree in the same plaza first.  We had to pick up some thank you cards and electric candles for our pumpkins.  My sole purpose in there was to find Halloween goodies you can only find at a dollar store.  I wanted to find a candy for review, that I haven’t seen reviewed or mentioned on other sites that I frequent.  Well, the pickens were slim.  I either found something I’ve seen elsewhere, or something that just didn’t seem worthy of a review.  Just as I was about to say fuck it and randomly grab something blindly, I noticed this most excellent package!

Grave Gummies Candy!  For a dollar store candy, they went all out with the fancy Halloween theme.  Before we get down to business, I have to show you what I found on the reverse side of the package.  Remember, I picked this up at the dollar store.

Go ahead and click on it to make it larger.  You have to be able to soak it in.  Truly amazing!  I love the skeletons.  They gettin’ down with they bad self!  They’re even dressed up in costumes!  Now the same graphics can be found scattered around the front of the package, but, they went the extra mile and made a neat little scene on the back.  I’ll tell you right now, that is the best thing about this candy.

On the individual wrappers the gummies say “Yummy Gummie”.  We tasted each one individually, to see if there were different flavors, or just dyed differently with the same flavor.  I’m happy to report that they come in four flavors, all identified by a different colored gummie. We found that the orange is orange popsicle, the green is green apple, the yellow is pineapple and the white ones taste like perfume or Lysol(I can’t quite tell).  All are pleasing to the tastebuds, except for the white ones.  So we got 9 good pieces of candy for a dollar.  Not bad.

While they’re not terrible, these will be finding their way into trick-or-treaters bags on Sunday.  And while we’re on the subject of gummies…….here’s one my buddy Clark gave to me the night before my wedding.

It’s a gummy brain.  This one is from “Gummy Body Parts Candy”.  I saw these on my trip to the dollar store.  This was a pretty good tasting brain!  Very colorful, and very sweet.  I think this was a Neapolitan brain.  Here’s why.

A three colored brain!

Now, onto something that was tasty, but did not come from Dollar Tree.

McDonald’s Halloween pails!  I had first heard of these over at X-Entertainment, when Matt did his review of them a week and a half ago.  While they’re not on the same level as our beloved McBoo pails, they are not without their merits.  First of all, they’re Mr. Potato Head themed!  I would’ve preferred Halloween McNuggets on the pails, but I can roll with Mr. Poato Head.  Second, I love the detailed handles!  The orange one has the bad-ass skull and cross bone(?), while the green one has the cute pumpkin.  Each comes with stickers on the reverse side of the cardboard lid.  The stickers are of different spooky body parts for you to stick on the naked spuds that adorn the pail.  I give major props to whoever was responsible for this!  It’s something different than your standard food & toy in a box, or bag.  Just a fair warning, bad pun coming up………I’m lovin’ it!

And to think, I was gonna title this post as “Ronald McDollarstore”.