All right... the time has come. I am officially getting ready to delete the content from Really Rather Random Guy (dot blogspot dot com) and in preparing for that, I wanted to import a bunch of the content that I know will then be lost forever, by bringing the posts over here to Goodwill Hunting 4 Geeks (dot blogspot dot com). So, with that in mind, I thought I would preface these entries with the fact that they are indeed OLD blog posts from an OLD, now DEFUNCT blog, and cross my fingers and hope that folks will still want to read them.
This post was originally published on February 24th, 2014.
I've mentioned
before, more than
once, that there's an antique mall in downtown Ellsworth, ME called the Dream Catcher. It's three stories, and the top floor has one area that is solely dedicated to comic books, lunch-boxes, toys, collectibles, magazines, ANYTHING a geek might like. I don't go there nearly as often as I do Goodwill, simply because the guy who runs it doesn't get new stock in that steadily (or it seems that way at least).
Anyway, I've strolled around in there before and taken pictures of things I've been drooling over in the past, mainly the collection of vintage lunch-boxes that I (mostly) REFUSE to start collecting. Yesterday I found a bunch of boardgames I also (mostly) refuse to start collecting, but thought I'd share.
But wait! There's more! Down past all the boardgames in this post there are a few other shots from the store, and then a few shots of the loot I actually brought home.
First up Bonanza, which is less a game based on a show, and more a game based on a game they play in the show. I LOVE how they've shoe-horned in the chip-tray from this game awkwardly into the photo on the cover of the box... because everybody knows cowboys had plastic poker chips and plastic blow-form trays to keep them in. Don't look at it too long because the perspective starts to hurt your eyes.
I kind of wish I'd taken more time to open these up and see what the game mechanics were... but here is a game based on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. No idea what the gameplay is like.
A "Medical Game For The Young" because kids needed more excuses to play doctor with each other. Starring Thorn-Birds-sexy-priest Richard Chamberlain. Because just having a doctor game isn't enough to get the blood all riled up and pumping.
The Ewoks were Green before it was cool. They were hippie, hipster, tree-hugging, teddy bear, jerks.
I apologize for the crap quality of these photos, which were taken with my iPod. This one is just the worst, and it's too bad because the Hair Bear Bunch deserve better.
Happy Days! This (according to the box) is "Fonzie's Real Cool Game" which is all I really need to know.
The Legend of Jesse James. Too lazy to Google if this is based on a specific film or show about Jesse James, or if it's just about the "real" Jesse James. I used quotes there not because I question the reality of Jesse James. He is neither the Loch Ness Monster nor is he Santa Claus. I used them because undoubtedly the Jesse James depicted in this game is nothing like his real-life counterpart. I mean, look at that Brady-Bunch lookin' mother-f**ker on the cover of the box. Nope.
I am probably just going to go ahead and buy this the next time I go. I didn't want to blow half of my cash on just a board game today... but I WILL own this in the near future.
Same with this one. For no other reason than the fact that they made it. If you look right below it you can also see an Ewok paint set that I forgot to get a shot of on its own.
If I recall, this game was featured on an episode of Toyhunter. I remember it being a big deal if all the pieces are included and it still works. I'm not a board game collector for the most part, so I didn't mess around with it too much.
If I were to buy this it would only be so I could set it up and display it out of the box. Again, I did a really poor job of investigating these games, so I don't know when this copy was produced, but it looks old. Like... IDEAL games old. However old that is.
Raggedy Ann! Nothing else to say really. Except that horse has no legs, which means Ann and Andy are running (awkwardly, because there's a stick between their legs, to help maintain the illusion).
This looks cool from the front. I don't know how it plays or what's in there, but it looks cool from the front. Not the first time I've seen this game there, either.
Posting this last one without comment. I just know that at some time in the past, there were people in various states of being naked people handling this box, around it, potentially ON it... and that is terrifying to me.
This cross-eyed duck was nearly as big as me. I kept my distance. Seems like it's either a knock-off Donald Duck, or a really cheaply made official one. Either way I wanted it far away from me.
Keebler Elf cookie jar. Can't think of a more fitting and appropriate form of merchandising, honestly. Too bad this one appears to be missing its lid.
On the other hand, this Mr. Peanut peanut butter maker seems to make sense at first glance, but then a bit sadistic upon further reflection. I mean, yes, who else would you rather get peanut butter from but a anthropomorphic peanut, right? But let us not forget what must happen to peanuts to make them into peanut butter. And you force Mr. Peanut to be complicit in the grinding of his people by pouring the peanuts into his head to grind them up. Chilling.
If this on-the-card American Gladiaors Turbo is still there for purchase the next time I go I am probably going to bring him home. I just didn't have the funds this time around, and it would have been a novelty buy, plain and simple. But he brought back many a teenage late-night, watching a muscle-bound freak shooting tennis balls at his victims.
And finally, I'd like to show off the stuff I actually brought home from Dreamcatcher with me. Surely, in comparison to the magical wonders I have shared thus far, the items I brought home must be truly wondrous right? Well... I'll let you decide:
Here's the entire pile. I'm not going to wax poetic over the two Scooby-Doo plates, because I mainly bought them for my boys and they are only special because we're going through a Scooby-Doo phase right now and they will be excited to see these at supper-time. The Grover's Own Alphabet was also a fun find because... well, y'know... Sesame Street and Golden Books... Let's take a closer look as some of the other items, shall we?
First up is this Officer Big Mac glass to go in my McDonald's collectible glasses collection. They actually had a Hamburglar glass in another part of the Mall, being sold by a different vendor for WAY TOO MUCH money. So I settled for just the one. But look at it! Isn't it GLORIOUS???
Just as I was checking out, I had a question about an action figure I had found (see below) and it reminded the guy behind the counter that he had just put together a box of action figures he hadn't put out for sale yet. He offered to let me go paw around in there and see what I could find... which I gleefully did. Most of it was a let-down to be honest. Old Phantom Menace figures and armless 90's Batman figures. But there was this nice trio that I picked up (plus the Shaggy figure you can see peeking from behind the Shredder's shoulder pad in the first picture). I never owned Sergeant Bananas when I was a lad, but I was happy to add him to my collection now (he even still has his snake belt!)... and while I am not a huge fan of the weird costumed TMNT figures, I couldn't NOT buy this Davey-Crockett inspired Raphael figure. Between the Raccoon hat, the fringes on his sleeves, and the bolo tie... I was smitten. But I was by far the most excited about finding a Super Shredder figure from the second movie line. I really did NOT like the original Shredder from the first TMNT line, so when this guy came around, he pretty much just became my "default" Shredder figure. The scale was off so that he wasn't all that "super" anyway, and he looks waaay more bad-ass than the geriatric Shredder we were given before this. All-in-all, I was happy to add these three to my collection.
Finally, I found this guy. I almost didn't buy him because when I found him he was missing his left arm. Then as I was rummaging around the bottom of the bin I found him in, I discovered the arm was still in there! So I popped it on and took it. I had no idea who he was at the time, but using the "1983 Filmation" stamp on his back, it wasn't long before I was able to Google him up. I discovered he is "Neptul" a villain from the Blackstar series. He's one of those guys that comes with one of those weird looking little gargoyle/gremlin/demons that every kid in the 80's seemed to own at least one of, even if they didn't know where it came from:
And the one that came with Neptul here is STILL THERE! I remember seeing him (in fact, if you follow the '
before' link waaay back at the top of this post (or that one... right there), there's a picture of him in the linked post!), so I'll be going back for him. I love a good toy reunion. The Blackstar line is a REALLY fun line, and according to Shawn Robare of
Branded in the 80's fame (follow the link for more Blackstar love), the show was a kick to watch as well. I think I may start trying to track both the toys and the show down in the near future.
So that's it folks! I may be headed back to the Dream Catcher sooner rather than later to pick up a couple of items... and if I do, you'll surely read about it here first (because who else would write about that... nevermind)! Keep your peepers peeled here for more random randomness!
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