Garage Sale Saturday #3

Anyway, garage sales still aren't in full swing yet so I'm not really having any luck for my collection. Here is a picture of what I did get. It includes a Thomas the Tank Engine pillow and VHS tape for $1 each. A Jeff Gordon Pez I got for a nickel, and a vintage bus stop sign in which I lost a whole buck. The Thomas stuff is obviously for my kids. They immediately put in the tape and watched it. We washed the pillow and my oldest son is sleeping with it tonight. He really, really, really likes it. He made a point of telling me so. The Pez and bus stop sign were for my personal collection.

The bus stop sign is about 20 years old. It is for tarc, which stands for the Transit Authority of River City. This is the name of the Louisville, KY transit service. The sign is marked 7/88. The picture of the sign isn't all that good. It looks kind of orange in the picture bus it is really red. Now, for a lesson I learned and am kicking myself. Someone had taken a pink marker and drawn on the 'c' in 'tarc'. So, I thought I'd take a Magic Eraser and get it off.

There were a couple other small spots I thought I'd get off too. Well, after rubbing a couple spots and not really paying attention, I realized I was taking the paint straight off the sign. Argh!!! If you look at the picture, you will see THREE obvious discoloration spots. They appear as a darker red in the picture, but in reality, they are faded areas now. I didn't know it, but, the Magic Eraser has abrasives in it. My wife said, "oops, I should have told you that". Grrrr. My fault though. I should have known better. I usually ALWAYS check and read stuff before using it to clean and even do a small test. So, that is the lesson. Oh well, at least it wasn't something I paid a lot for and not something that is highly valued in my collection. I bought it more for the novelty, so, not all is lost. Anyway, a good lesson. I'll try to take a better picture of the bus stop sign and post later to show the true color of it.

Before Trivial Pursuit, There Was Quiz Wiz

We all love trivia games. From Jeopardy to Trivial Pursuit to Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, we are all captivated by our abundance of general and mundane knowledge. Ok, or lack thereof. Before any of these, there was Quiz Wiz, the electronic handheld game by Coleco. It had a plastic sleeve with a giant number on it signifying which quiz book you were using. You then would plug your game into this plastic sleeve which had some sort of computer chip in it. This game had a number pad, ABCD pad, Answer button, and Clear button. Also on the front were two lights--a red 'NO' and a green 'YES' light. Each plastic cover had a booklet of 1001 various questions. The quiz book #1 covered had general questions covering sports, history, people, television, and other categories. Each of the other quiz books centered around a different category from Sports to the Bible.
I really did love this game. I still have my original game I got for Christmas back in 1979. For whatever reason, I fortunately kept the box all these years. This is one of my favorite toys in my collection because it is the actual one I had as a kid and is in excellent shape. I remember in 6th grade when we would have reading time, I would bring my game and play it. This was truly my first introduction and love of trivia.

By searching the Internet, I was able to obtain a complete list of all the quiz books as follows:

1. 1001 Questions
   
2. The World of Sports
   
3. Movies and TV
   
4. People & Places
   
5. Trivia
   
6. Music & Books
   
7. Math Mania
   
8. The Book of Lists
   
9. Greatest Sports Legends
   
10. Super Heroes
    
11. Disaster! When Nature Strikes Back
    
12. The Ocean- Mankind's Last Frontier
    
13. Energy- The Fuel of Life
    
14. How Things Work- Aerosols to Zippers
    
15. NBA Teams
    
16. NFLPA
    
17. MLB
    
18. Guiness Book of World Records
    
19. The People's Almanac #1 & #2
    
20. Sherlock Holmes & Other Famous Mysteries
    
21. Greatest Sports Legends- Volume II
    
22. Monsters, Vampires, Witches and Ghosts
    
23. Words - Used, Misused and Confused
    
24. Super Trivia - Movies and TV
    
25. Rock 'N Roll - Doo Wop to Disco
    
26. The Bible - The Old and New Testaments
    
27. Soap Opera Digest
    
28. Ripley's Believe it or Not
    
29. Celebrity Trivia
    
30. Fascinating Facts about Animals
    

Dixie...Not the Chicks, Not the Song, but the Cups

I remember as a kid going to my neighbor's house after school. Her mom was our before school and after school babysitter. At the time, they had six kids. Along with them, she watched, my two brothers, me, and some other kids. It was actually pretty cool. We'd all get there after school and plop down in front of the TV. There wasn't really much discussion about what to watch back in the 70s because there were only three stations. We'd watch The Flintstones, The Three Stooges, Gilligan's Island, and Batman. I can't really remember the order of the shows, but those were the ones we watched. Of course, Batman was our favorite.

Anyway, while we plopped down in front of the TV, our babysitter was fast at work cutting us snacks. I always, ALWAYS, had sliced oranges. I still eat them to this day and every single time I think of my time at the babysitters. Along with the snacks, she would make Kool-aid. But, what she put the sugary drink in is what made it fun. And that was Dixie cups. They came in all sorts or different designs. The ones I remember the most were the ones with riddles. Now, I can't remember a single riddle or anything, but I do remember how cool they were. Just like all my neighbors, we had the Dixie Cups too. Heck, I don't even know if they still make these any more. Guess I'll have to check next time I go to the supermarket.
Well, a couple years ago, my Mom bought me this unopened box of Dixie Cups at a garage sale for 25 cents. It isn't a Star Wars or the riddles cups, but instead are just some generic designs with flowers. But, it is cool nonetheless. It is from the late 70s, either 1977 or 1978. There is an AIM toothpaste coupon on the back. Pretty neat graphics and ya gotta love the Mommy's haircut as well as the beautiful colored tile bathroom walls. Sad part is, the walls of my bathroom look just like that now. Guess I need to put me up a Dixie Cup dispenser now.

How I Conquered the Cube

How many people have tried to solve the Rubik's Cube? How many have been successful? Well, I have never met anyone who could ever solve the cube. I was first introduced to a Rubik's Cube back the early 1980s when I was in 7th Grade. I remember someone bringing one to Home Ec class and how we all tried to solve it. No one even got remotely close. Heck, for a 7th grader, it was a big deal if you could only get one side. Of course, my brother and I begged our mom for one so we went out on a Saturday and each of us got one. Being the smart kid I was, I didn't open mine and instead always played with my brother's. This picture is of my original Rubik's Cube still in the box. I even bought a solution manual, which is pictured, and helped me absolutely not at all. I did take off the shrink wrap. Oh well. Many hours were spent trying to solve that cube. I was able to get one side, and even with a little work, I could get all the edges on that one side correct. I tell myself that the most sides I ever got was three sides, but, I'm not even sure about that now. Many other puzzles soon followed like Pyraminx, Rubik's Snake, Missing Link, Alexander's Star, and several others.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is about a month or so ago, I was watching Fox and Friends and Tyson Mao was on there. He was the guy on Beauty and the Geek that could solve the Rubik's Cube in less than 20 seconds. He was on there talking about a new movie starring Will Smith and how he taught WS to solve the cube over two days at four hours each. I thought, 'if Will Smith can do it, then surely I can'. Also, Tyson said there were sites on the Internet to show you how to solve the cube. Now, I do admit, I had no idea if Will Smith was smart or not and since then, I have read about him and obviously he is a very smart man. Well, I hadn't played with a Rubik's Cube in forever, but, I thought that surely I could follow the instructions on one of these sites. Well, that was a mistake. The solutions are not exactly straight forward. So, after several hours of searching and trying to follow the directions, I finally found one that was a little more straight forward, but difficult nonetheless. So, what I did was rewrite that solution and combine some of the other tricks I found on other sites. I got to where I could solve the cube by following my new chart. So, whenever I needed a break from work, was watching TV, or whatever, I would play with the cube. Now, in just a few weeks, I can solve the cube in about 2 minutes every single time. Now, this isn't a fast solution, but, is fine for me and I can't wait til I see my brothers so I can hustle them!

Here is a link to my Rubik's Cheat Sheet PDF for anyone that wants to download the solution and try it out. I think it is the easiest solution you will find out there because it was written by someone who didn't know how to solve the cube and wrote his own notes. Good luck and let me know if you can solve it!

Garage Sale Saturday #2

Well, my wife, kids, and I got up early and headed out for some garage sales. There were only about half a dozen to go to. Nothing even remotely promising at any of them and they were all over-crowded. Looks like everyone is so antsy to get started on the garage sales after a long four or five month seasonal hiatus. But, on the very last garage sale, there was promise. There were a lot of comic books from the 70s and 80s for a buck a piece. I didn't get any though. There were a ton of carded Hot Wheels, all from this year most likely. So, I passed. There was a nice He-Man board game from the 80s I was looking at. It was complete and not played with. However, the box cover was less than perfect and very faded. He said it was $2. I passed. I asked if he had any more He-Man stuff and he pulled out two figures. The pair was 50 cents. I couldn't pass them up. Heck, I can't even remember who they are as I type. One was Stratos, I do know that. I can't remember who the other one was. Both need a very good cleaning too.

After that, I took the two youngest out and we went to a flea market. It was not a fun flea market for those looking for antiques, collectibles, or vintage type of items. It has basically become one of those places where all you see is incense, pets, velvet paintings, buck knifes, and other junk. Junk I am not the least bit interested. We then headed to the Antique and Toy Mall just outside of town. My wife and I used to have a small booth there a few years ago. I have found many items for my collection there. Unfortunately, I left empty handed. So, today was not very fruitful at all. Oh well, the hunt is half the fun. But, because I didn't really find anything, I don't have a picture for today.

We are the Freakies!

One of my favorite cereals as a kid were Freakies. I don't really know why since it has been so many years since I've actually tasted them. My recollection is they tasted like a cross between Quisp and Cap'n Crunch. Not sure why that has stuck in my mind. But, I do remember how I loved the cereal. I think it must have been the characters though. I still remember when my Mom bought that first box back in Missouri. We opened it up and found an figure! It was Boss Moss. Of all the characters to get first, we got the leader. My favorite cereal up to this point had been Quisp. But Freakies were so much better, if for no other reason, the toy. We all know that kids love cereal because of the toy. To this day, when I get cereal that has a toy in it, it is all I can do to NOT let my kids stick their arm all the way down in the cereal box searching for the toy. No telling how many pieces of cereal we wasted with each new box.

Anyway, I have been searching for these figures for at least 10 years now. Sure, you can find them on eBay all the time, but they cost a pretty penny. But, the only one I have ever found was at a flea market here in Louisville a couple years ago for a buck. It was a loose Goody-Goody (the pink one). Well, last week I won an auction for 11 Freakies figures all in their original wrapper. I got them for a great price too. Not really sure how that happened except they were sort of mis-listed. Not a single mention of 'Freakies' anywhere in the title or description. So, it was a great find. So, now I have a complete set all in the original bags. But, to act like Grumble, grrrrr, now I need to get them all loose so I can actually hold them and play with them. Some of the other Freakies toys I remember were the magnets, air bubble cars, and air bubble boats. You can still get the whole set of cars for pretty cheap, which I did get a couple years ago.

I think everyone had a favorite Freakies character. For me, it was Snorkledorf. Why? Because he was the very last figure for us to get. For a kid, things were really simple on what made things your favorite. And, I am telling you, I still remember buying and eating box after box just to get my Mom to go buy yet another box to see if we could get that blue Snorkledorf. And finally, we did. The names of these cool characters were just as crazy as the cereal name and were self descriptive of the character. The names of the other Freakies are Boss Moss (green), Goody-Goody (pink), Grumble (orange), Gargle (purple), Hamhose (octopus-like), and Cowmumble (light green).

If you want to find out more about the Freakies, there are several sites out there. But, the one I really like is www.freakies.com. This has a description of each character, the entire song, and other goodies, no pun intended.

Boys, Bugs, and their Temporary Homes

A couple years ago I spotted these two items at different garage sales for 10 cents and 25 cents. I snatched both of them up. They aren't in the best shape, but they brought back tons of memories. I remember as a kid growing up in Missouri and Nebraska, when other kids had mason jars and empty mayo jars, my brother and I had these super cool bug condos. Actually, we used to call them bug catchers. But, this item from the 70s is really called a BUG ZOO. I only recall them in green and red, so now I have both.

For us curious boys, these were such a cool way to observe our ever rotating pet bugs. What was really cool is you could open the top and drop them in. Then watch the bugs funnel on down the neck and into their new glass house, or plastic house in this case. Then, when you were ready to let them out, you just pop off the bottom and away they go. And, ya just knew they loved that plastic plant while they were in there. Of course, we always added some grass and sticks, just in case. Now, my kids have "bug catchers", but, they aren't nearly as cool looking as what we had as kids. And of course, in the summer, I never forgo an opportunity to help my kids catch grasshoppers and lightning bugs for their modern-day bug condos.

My Daughter's Little Ponies

The other day I mentioned that my oldest daughter, who is in first grade, has a My Little Pony collection. I said I would post her collection in the future, well, I think two days counts as "the future". So, here is a picture of her pony collection...a pretty impressive one if I do say so myself, although I might be a tad bit biased.

A few years ago she decided she wanted to start collecting ponies. My sister-in-law collected them and my wife had several, so, this gave her something to collect that she could associate with us. And, it made it fun for my wife and me. Now, she has something to look for at garage sales, flea markets, etc.

Well, about two years ago, I bought a display at a garage sale, painted it white, and put in my toy room. Ok, I think it was some sort of small kitchen pantry, but hey, it works. I brought her down and asked her if she knew what this was for? She had no idea. I told her it was for her to display her pony collection in my toy room. You should have seen her face light up. She immediately went and got all her ponies and we spent the next hour putting them up. Now, whenver people come over, they don't get to leave without seeing Daddy's toy room, and specifically, her pony collection.

Garage Sale Saturday #1

It is finally that time of year again. No, not March Madness and no not St. Patrick's Day. Although both are fun, I am talking GARAGE SALES!!! Finally, garage sales are starting up as Spring is here and the weather is getting warm. My wife and I have been avid hunters of garage sales since before we were married. So, starting today, every Saturday I go garage saling I will post my finds.

Today it was a little chilly but the wife and I headed out with the kids. I ended up only finding one item today which I was more than happy to buy. It is a SURE-HIT BAT-N-BALL by Irwin Toys. The seller said he had purchased it from extra stock from an old grocery store. Of course, they always say that now, don't they? I'm not sure of the year, but, it definitely looks pre-1980s. Nothing really spectacular about the graphics or the item except that it is still complete with the ball in the plastic package and the cardboard header attached to the bat with its rusty staples.

But, it does bring back childhood memories. I remember having similar ones like this when I was a kid. Whether it was a solid ball or a Whiffle ball, all the kids in our neighborhood loved slugging with this thing because it was so hard NOT to actually hit the ball.

One specific memory does come to mind. I remember playing a game of baseball with a bat-n-ball like this one in gym class in junior high, 8th grade specifically. I happened to laugh at a kid that was slightly overweight right as he struck out. Now, I wasn't really laughing at him, but he thought I was. He wanted to meet after school to fight. I tried to talk him out of it, but, he wouldn't have any of it. So, of course, not wanting to be a coward, I showed up with my buddies coming along for support. Ok, and hopefully a good fight. I was nervous all day. Who wants a bloody nose and this guy was a lot bigger than me, not only in girth, but in height. But, luckily, he never showed. The stupid things we do and argue about as kids. Anyway, the next day at school he came up to me and said he chickened out and I won. I told him, "Name omitted, I didn't win and seriously, I really was not laughing at you". We shook hands and all is good. That was really a good lesson for both of us, and obviously had an impact on me since I still remember it well, 25 years later.

Well, now off to clean the bat up a little and watch March Madness, yes, the other reason this is such a great time of year.

Some Pictures of My Toy Room

Here are a couple more pictures of my toy room, or as my kids say, "Daddy's toy room". And, they know to STAY OUT unless I take them in there to look around. Of course, I always keep a couple of toys for them in there to play with. My daughter is really proud too because I let her put her My Little Pony collection in there. I'll put some pictures of her collection in the future. I must say, it is pretty impressive.

I figured since I had already posted several of my Pez displays, I'd post some pictures of other parts of my toy room. Notice how I conveniently did NOT take pictures of the floor since it is covered with "stuff". Someday I'll get everything organized and displayed. Yeah, someday. Enjoy.

Here's a close-up of the display. Some of the items in here are my Mego's, Big Jim stuff, Pulsar, and other random stuff.


I took the doors off the walkin closet to give me more display space. Here is a nook in the closet of some Rubik's puzzles and electronic handheld games.

Vintage Pez in Cello

Here are some of my favorite MIB vintage Pez. Believe it or not, but about 10 years ago I purchased a small collection that included several Pez Pal Nurses, Mickeys, Donalds, and Plutos all MIB. Really good deal. Again, thanks to Toy Shop Magazine for that purchase. Curse eBay and the Internet!!!

But, my favorite is the carded Chick in Egg. This is such a cool card that I picked up at a flea market in Dallas about 10 years ago as well. Seems like I used to have a lot more luck acquiring vintage Pez. Hm. I haven't seen this card before or since.

Just check out the back of it. Color graphics of a Pez Shooter and a Golden Glow. Super cool.

More Pez Pictures

Here are a few more pictures of my Pez collection. This first picture is a small Peter Pez display that my Mom purchased for me back in the 90s from the back of Toy Shop Magazine. Remember when that magazine actually used to be good? I have filled the display up with a lot of my no feet and discontinued Pez that are MIB.

This next display is just a floor shipper that I have filled with common current dispensers. Well, current up til a couple of years ago. I only wanted one of these, so, I thought I would get the Star Wars one since it is a crossover to other toys in my collection...those Kenner action figures.

This last display just contains all of my carded Pez. I really wanted one of those tall Peter Pez display racks or some other Pez rack, but, I couldn't afford it, so, I figured I'd build my own for much less. I just went to Home Depot, bought some peg board, spray painted it, put up some hooks, and screwed it to the wall and VOILA...instant carded display. I think it looks good and is a lot cheaper! I'm thinking of pulling these down though and storing or getting rid of them. I really want to scale down my Pez collection to only the vintage stuff.

Pez...A Treat to Eat in a Toy That's Neat

A treat to eat in a toy that's neat...that's the slogan all Pezheads know. But, do ya really like the candy? It's ok, but the toy is what Pez is all about. I have been collecting PEZ ever since I was in graduate school back in 1991. I got started on PEZ when my Mom showed me an article in the local newspaper about a guy who collected PEZ. I read the article and thought "what a great collection". This was much cooler than comics because these little things you could display. I also remembered the PEZ I had when I was a kid back in the 70's so I thought this was the perfect collection for me. Little did I know it would become an obsession for the next decade.

I remember going into Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Target, and Kroger's just about every day looking for Pez. I look back now and am bummed because there were lots of Smurfs, Pez Pal Boys and Girls with extra holes, and three piece witches. I remember thinking, "Man, I hope I don't see anyone I know. Especially some cute waitress I work with, they'd think 'What a freak!'".

In 1993, I started improving the quality of my collection with the addition of Captain Hook, which my parents got for Christmas. The reason I wanted Captain Hook was because that was the one specific dispenser I could remember from my childhood. The next dispenser I acquired was Uncle Sam, which I paid $3 for at a toy shop. Now that was exciting and a story in itself. Maybe I'll tell that story someday. Hey, like the Fourth of July!

Now, sixteen years later, I am sort of burned out on Pez, if you can believe that. But, I the reason I'm burned out is there are just so many new Pez out there now that I can't keep up monetarily. So, I've decided to pack up all my dispensers that I consider current and pack them away for a couple ten years. So, sometime this year, I'll do that undertaking and rearrange my display. Ugh, that even makes me sick to think about that right now. Anyway, here are several pictures of my Pez collection. I hope you enjoy.


My Dad made me this HUGE display case for Christmas in 1998. It is about 6' tall and 5' wide. He made it out of the shelves used in my grandfather's country store. Kinda sentimental. This rack will help keep the dust off my Pez and is awesome for displaying them. It truly is awesome. Thanks Dad!

The following pictures are of select shelves from the large display featuring some of the more vintage Pez in my collection.

McDonald's Space Raider Happy Meal Toys

(L to R) DARD, HORTA, ZAMA, and BRAK. The ship's name is KRYGO 5.

How many people remember these guys? I had all of these when I was a kid back in the late 1970s. There were four aliens and four ships and were made by a company called Diener Ind., as noted on the back of each figure. Well, a couple years ago while at an antique mall in Springfield, Missouri, I came across this lot for $2. I couldn't pass them up. These guys are about 2" tall. The texture is a little softer than those erasers we used to have as kids in our school boxes. Diener also made other lines made of a different type of rubber. I'll post some pictures of those figures sometime in the future.

I remember ALWAYS wanting to go to McDonald's to try and get a new figure in a different color. They came in orange, pink, yellow, blue, and green. My favorite, for whatever reason was HORTA. That name always stuck with me. I remember pulling these out of the Happy Meal box and having to basically brush all the salt and scrub all the grease off of them from the fries. And, having shag carpets, these guys got real fuzzy and dirty really really fast. I'm just glad I found these in such excellent condition. And, with all the different color combinations, this gives me just something else to keep a look out for at garage sales, flea markets, etc.

The other day while surfing the web, I stumbled upon The M.U.S.C.L.E. Guild where you can find out more information about these figures.

Girl Scout Cookies are HERE!

Oh yeah, Girl Scout cookies!!! Just finished my last box. Mm, mm. I love it when the GSA comes by every year with their brochures. They hit ya at home. Their parents hit ya at work. They hit ya at church. Even your neighbors, friends, and relatives hit ya. And, I love it. Ever since I was a little kid, getting these Girl Scout cookies was always a treat. And, my favorite were the Do-si-dos Peanut Butter Cremes. Not only were, but still are. I remember as a kid one of my favorite cookies my Mom would get at the store were Nutter Butters. Well, these were the GSA's version and are much better in my opinion. If you didn't get any this year, go check out the front of your local supermarket. Most likely there will be a Girl Scout there selling her surplus. But, be prepared to gain a few pounds. But, it is worth it.

Peter Pan and Hong Kong Phooey DVDs

Picked up two DVDs tonight at Target. The Peter Pan Platinum Edition for $15.99...


and Hong Kong Phooey for $19.99. I can't wait to watch these this week with my kids.

The O'Reilly Factor's Culture Segment

Bill O'Reilly...a name that instantly starts arguments. But, starting Monday, March 12, he is going to have a segment that should excite or intrigue everyone. The new segment will supposedly surround our culture. Apparently, he is going to have a cultural icon expert on to talk about things like toys, fashions, fads, etc. of today. One of the pictures I saw flipping by the screen was of a Slinky. That at least looks promising. So, whether you love O'Reilly or hate him, it may be worth checking out at least this one segment.

Disney's Princess Fairytale Flakes Cereal

It has been a long time since I've enjoyed the taste of a new cereal. A couple of weeks ago as I did a late night milk run at the local Meijer store, I went down the cereal aisle and spotted some new Disney cereals. The pink one caught my eye with Snow White and Cinderella on the box. I thought I'd buy it for my 7 year old daughter, and for $2 a box, how could I pass that up. Never did I think I would enjoy it. The next morning, I made her a bowl and thought it looked kinda good. They were Frosted Flakes but with a pink sugary coating. I decided to make myself a bowl and all I can say is about four weeks and a dozen boxes later, I have found my new favorite cereal. Basically, it tastes like those Christmas treats that are made out of Cornflakes, melted marshmallows, butter, and green food coloring. You know the ones. Then, just add milk. Oh, and the funny part, my daughter doesn't even eat it anymore. But, I can use her as the excuse to indulge my new breakfast craving.

Marvel Folder by Mead

Keeping with the Captain America theme, here is a Trapper Keeper-like folder that I used in elementary school. I used the heck outta this thing but it is still in excellent condition. It is by Mead and features a ton of Marvel comic book scenes and covers. They even made all six of these covers that are featured into individual folders which I had as well. I still have them packed away somewhere. When I dig them out, I'll post some pics.

It even still has the gray folders inside. And check out the graphics.

Small Captain America Collection

Here are a few items from my toy collection. Included is a 7-11 Slurpee cup from 1977 of Captain America and The Falcon, a carded Mego 8" action figure, a Pez dispenser mint in cello bag, and a carded Klik candy dispenser. I do have a different Slurpee cup of Captain America, but, I can't find it right now. I've gotta dig up that whole Slurpee collection and complete the set.
I was going to take a few pictures of some comics with Cap on the cover, but, when I opened up my boxes of comics, I found a mess. The naivete of a child comic book collector had me using Scotch tape to seal the plastic comic bags. So, what I found was a ton of melted tape and my comics glued together. Argh! Looks like I'll be buying a ton of new comic bags soon and rebagging all of my comics, sans Scotch tape of course. More on this at a later date.

Captain America...DEAD?!

Say it ain't so!!! Today while watching the news, I heard that Marvel's Captain America was killed today in the latest of the Marvel 'Civil War' saga. Cap was one of my favorite Marvel comic heroes and one of the first heroes most boys learn about, along with Superman, Batman, Spider-man, and the Hulk. I still have many comics of Cap and the Falcon and a Mego 8" action figure still mint on the card. I'll have to throw together a quick display of Cap items from my collection and post later tonight.

Anyway, back to this 'Civil War' saga. I read one of these comics at the local supermarket a couple weeks ago and it was very engrossing. I really wish I had started on this saga. Maybe I'll go out and try to buy them this weekend at the local comic shop. Of course, I'll be shelling out a pretty penny. Well, at least this is the comic universe, so, there is always hope that Cap will make a comeback. I mean, it isn't like we haven't seen this before with, oh, Superman? I guess time will tell. But, here's to that red, white, and blue icon. Farewell old friend.

Here are a couple of links on Captain America's death:
Fox News: Captain America Killed Off in Latest Comic
CNN: Shocking event for Captain America

Disney Light Up Drawing Desk

Another one of my favorite Disney toys was the World of Disney Light Up Drawing Desk. I must have used this every day for many years. Besides drawing scenes from our favorite Disney shows, we also traced comic books with it. Man, what fun!!! I still have my original one, but, almost all of the tracing sheets are missing, the box is tattered, and the desk itself fairly scratched. But, a few years ago, I found a great example on eBay and purchased it for my collection. It has a nice box, all the tracing sheets including the folder they came in, and the desk is in great condition. There was also a DC Super Heroes desk and Holly Hobby desk made. I would have loved to have had the former, but definitely not the latter.

Pinocchio Vinyl Bank

Yesterday I mentioned that my brother had a Pinocchio bank from the same set. Well, a few years ago, I actually found one with the bottom plug and it only cost a few bucks, so I snatched it up for my collection. Now I just need the Donald Duck and Goofy to complete the set.






You don't think I had trouble shaking the coins out this top slot?

Mickey Mouse Vinyl Bank

What better way to kick this off than with one of my favorite loves...Disney! One of the oldest items I remember from my childhood was a vinyl Mickey Mouse piggy bank. Well, he was no piggy, but I still called it a piggy bank. My brother had a Pinocchio one. There were also a Donald Duck and Goofy in the series.

The bank was produced by Play Pal Plastics Inc. in 1971. How do I know this? Well, not by memory, but because the bank has the following markings:

©WALT DISNEY PROD. 1971
PLAY PAL PLASTICS INC.

As a kid, after doing my chores, it would be allowance time. The first thing I'd do is run into my room, stick in the money, then shake the snot outta that Mickey just to hear how rich I really was. Getting money in birthday cards always provided another opportunity to add to my wealth.

Of course, as a kid, you don't always do the smart thing or logical thing. When you want your money out, no way do you tip Mickey over to pull out the plug!!! No, instead, you turn him upside-down and shake and shake and shake until coins hit just right and come out that little slip on the top of his head which was only intended as an "IN" hole. But, after shaking for about a minute, which seemed like an hour to me, I would go grab that kitchen knife and pry open the bottom. And the counting would begin. Like any good kid, having 50 pennies was way better than only having 8 of those little bitty shining dimes!


Anyway, like most of my toys, my Mickey bank was thrown into one of our yearly garage sales, probably for one of those stupid shiny little stinkin' dimes. Looking in antique stores and flea markets over the years appeared to be dead-ends. Not because I couldn't find them, but, because they were way overpriced and always missing the bottom plug.

Then, about 10 years ago, my mom found one at a garage sale for $1 and got it for me. Now, every once in a while, I will put a penny in that bank and shake it just to remember those days back in the early 70s.

Welcome to Lightyears to Yesteryear

Welcome to my blog...Lightyears to Yesteryear. My goal for this site is to document various aspects of pop culture that interest me. From my 70s and 80s toy collection to cereal from both then and now to theme parks to cool signs to movies to tv shows to, well, pretty much anything and everything I feel like posting. The two things I am going to leave out are politics and religion. Ok, for the most part I will. But, hey, this is my blog, so, I can do what I want. I also want to post every day, whether it be a one line thought on something, a picture of something, or a diatribe, I want to post it. If there is something interesting in the news, I just may comment on it. If it is a holiday, I will probably post something relevent to the occassion. Lastly, I will keep this site family friendly. I want all ages to enjoy.

...And now I begin my blog.