Doubling Up: It's a Goocher!

(Quick note about the title of this post: My wife has gotten me using the term "It's a Goocher!" all the time now. She purposefully uses it wrong to make me point this fact out to her. It is a quote from one of our shared favorite movies. I have purposefully used the term wrong here as well. That is all.)

So just when I think I'm ready to embrace 2015 fully, I find some set of pictures that I took of stuff I bought back in 2014 and just never got around to talking about. I'm sooo behind. And now, I've decided I'm going to double up on a few posts because I want there to be a bit more content if I'm going to ask you all to come here and waste time reading about some of the stuff I've picked up at Goodwill. So this post has two... count-them-TWO posts for the price of one! 

So above you can see the first of two collection shots. Say it with me kids: Let's take a closer look, shall we? 

First up I found a hardcover library-copy of "The Forbidden Castle" and a soft cover copy of the hilarious-looking "Master of Tae Kwon Do." Both of these are Choose Your Own Adventure Books, and as most longtime readers (If I have those. Do I have those? Yeah, I have a couple at least. Thanks guys.) know, are a must-pick-up for me. Although... I've slowed down a bit on the CYOA collecting in the last few months. I pretty much just pick up gaming books with either Horror themes or ones starring pop culture licences, or ones that have some sort of awesome gimmick I've never seen before. So... there's my life story. You're welcome.

The world may be mad at Hulk Hogan right now, but I can never stay mad at ANIMATED Hulk Hogan! Either way my feelings towards him don't really matter as I picked this up for a friend because as you know: I DON'T COLLECT VHS.

This is one of the books that inspired me to do last year's Creepmas celebration. That should give you some idea of how old this all is. Unfortunately, I STILL have not read this book. Don't know if I EVER will. After Halloween season gets done, I'm hard pressed to read anything creepy for a while. I'm kicking off August with my Halloween Read Pile. I will have been reading creepy books for three months straight by the time Halloween gets over with. I will be pretty much done... but I might make an exception this time around.

I don't collect Strawberry Shortcake toys or books myself, but I still can't leave them behind when I find them! This one I believe got lost in the mail on the way to a dear friend. It's a shame. But c'est la vie.

I believe this was my second copy of Garfield's Christmas. I found the first copy in a used bookstore in Rockland, ME for a little it more money. I picked this one up too so I'd have a copy to give away to Adam Nori of "Who Ya Gonna Collect?" fame! I loooove Garfield Holiday specials, pretty much more than any other holiday specials. I will never not buy this book if I find it.

My wife has asked me to start tracking down chapter books from our childhood last summer. Judy Blume has a lot of great 80s era books out there as well that she wanted me to find. So far we have "Fudge-A-Mania," "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing," and "Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great," which all take place in the same literary "world." "Superfudge" was the last one we needed. 

Since I gave away all of the E.T. figures I showed off in the very first blog post, I thought I might use these Toy Story aliens to take their place. But then I didn't end up doing that... and now I couldn't even tell you where these all even ended up. No earthly (or unearthly I guess) idea. 

The piece de resistance in this particular haul was this Fisher Price Kitchen! I am almost sure that I owned one of these as a kid... but I couldn't swear to it in a court of law or anything. This thing is missing absolutely ALL of its accessories. Which, meh... I'm fine with that. I kind of wish it had the little salt and pepper shakers... but maybe I'll find some stand-ins that are even better than the real things.

All right! This is normally where I would be done and I'd do the tagline and we'd see each other in a few days... BUT NOW MORE STUFF!!!

"The Pink Panther in the Haunted House" was a fun addition to the Halloween shelf, although I think since this was probably in November or so, it won't be read for the first time in our house until this Halloween. I remember owning at least one Pink Panther book as a kid, and I think this was it. 

We've talked about why I'm on the lookout for Ramona books already. This was before I was looking specifically for the Joanne Scribner covers, so I have probably already gotten rid of this copy in favor for one with her artwork on the cover. This one by Alan Tigreen doesn't do it for me. It's a little too evocative of Lynn Johnston's For Better or Worse Strips.

There was a big ol' grab-bag on this trip too! As usual, you might notice from the group shot above that I've omitted some of the stuff I just don't care about. I was ESPECIALLY excited however, to find this Squidward in the bag! Spongebob's nice too, but I love this Squidward with his Kali-esque assortment of athletic-equipment-armed arms. That sweat band is a nice touch too. 

Check out this triple threat. We have an Ice Master from The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog. I had no idea this show was a thing. Apparently it was Power Rangers in ancient Ireland or something? Anyway, this guy's missing an arm. It's too bad, because I kind of love him in a "I desperately want to be Skeletor" kind of way. We also have Milhouse as Fallout Boy from the Burger King series of weird superhero figures that a) had weird bodies that telescoped inside themselves until you popped the open and b) interacted with your computer webcam somehow. There was a set of five of these guys, but I let this one go on to a new home as the rest of the set doesn't really entice me much. And Finally a Pound Puppy Poseable! This is the "Mutt" figure from that line, which came out in 1985. This is another item sent to a friend. 

I had a HECK of a time figuring this one out! I knew this rock monster was definitely LEGO, and that I LOVED it... But what was it from? My first impression was that it was some sort of frozen-in-stone troll figure from the Hobbit or something... but that turned out to be wrong. It turned out instead to literally be a LEGO "Rock Monster" from the "Rock Raiders" line, which was apparently only around from 1999-2000. This guy stands (or crouches, or whatever it's doing...) on my LEGO minifigures shelf with pride! 

These Mario Kart racers were inherited by my Mario-crazy sons (I was collecting Mario stuff for a while, but ended up giving almost ALL of it to the kids after too long). 

Truly the items that impressed me the most (and the major reason why I picked up this grab-bag in the first place...) are these Dinosaurs action figures! Originally there was a set of 6 of these guys, including (inexplicably) Earl's boss, B.P. Richfield. I have had a love/hate relationship with "Dinosaurs" over the years, which has finally, comfortably, settled into "love". 

Well that's it guys! You got your two-fer! I'll be back soon with more Geeky Goodwill Goodies, so until that fateful day... Happy Hunting!

Goodwill Finds: Egyptian Netherworlds, Mad Scientists, and Bubble Bath!

Hey everybody! I'm back with another pile of junk I found at Goodwill! I don't remember exactly when I would have picked up this load of stuff but I do believe it was last fall sometime. I'm going to kick things off with a board game:

"Passing Through the Netherworld: The Meaning and Play of Senet, an Ancient Egyptian Funerary Game" while being a ridiculously long name for a board game... is at least very efficient and accurate in its description.

Back when I was in high school, I was OBSESSED with mythology. I loved to read all I could about Greek, Norse, and especially Egyptian mythology. I would spend my entire study hall some days, poring over books on mythology, or reading whole sections of the ACTUAL ENCYCLOPEDIA to glean what details I could about ancient cultures and religions. I would photocopy whole stacks of pages from said books and encyclopedias to bring home with me to pore over more in my room at night. These would become the fodder for short stories, poems, role-playing adventures, comic books that I would start to write and never finish, you name it. So finding a game based on the beliefs of "the cult of the dead" from ancient Egypt...?

Yes please.

I was delighted to find that everything the game was supposed to contain was still in the box. I was less delighted to discover that absolutely no one in my family is interested in playing some creepy old Egyptian death-cult board game with me. Sigh.

Found the second collected volume of Mike Bullock's "Lions, Tigers, and Bears" from Image comics. I've never read this series, but had heard good things, so am hoping I can find the first book in the series on the cheap at some point. 

I love Love LOVE the idea of stuffed animals transforming into powerful night-time guardians of children, protecting them from bogeymen and nightmares. This idea is such a great concept. I hope it is executed well. 

I always have my eye peeled for old Sesame Street books, and this trip to Goodwill did not disappoint. "Ernie's Little Lie" is a real Raymond Chandler-style pot-boiler of suspense and intrigue as the titular protagonist digs himself deeper and deeper into a seedy world of shadows and illusions where nothing is what it seems and identities are as blurred as melting wax. Also it has a great "don't tell lies" moral for the kids. 

Harry McNaught's illustrations are the main draw for me in "The Sesame Street ABC Book of Words" This is a big, bulky, and old Sesame Street book that brings me back to the good old days. 

I don't have a TON to say about "Scrooge's Silly Day" except for the fact that it came out the same year that Ducktales was in its final season. It is certainly an unofficial but certainly legitimate Ducktales book in "Mickey's Young Readers Library". 

I discovered another of these incredible "Twisted Journeys" books, which is a hybrid graphic novel AND choose-your-own-adventure. Couldn't pass it up. And it's "Horror In Space" number 18 in the series! There are at least 16 more f these that I don't own yet! (I found another Twisted Journeys book back in 2012). Then there is the "Which Way - Secret Door Book: The Inch High Kid" which is another knock-off CYOA.

A quartet of genuine-article CYOA's including "War With the Evil Power Master," "Prisoner of the Ant People," "Hyerspace," and "House of Danger." All awesome finds, but I am especially excited about the first two.

There were two grab-bags full of toys on this trip as well. Let's take a look at the first one shall we? (There's some stuff here that doesn't make the cut...)

This Mad Scientist is from the 2003 "Stretch Screamers" McDonald's Happy Meal premiums line. In addition to the Mummy and the fin-man I now have three of the eight in the set. There is another one that looks like a brain floating in a jar with a robot body... some sort of yellow-vomiting orange creature... Oh they are all so beautiful. Looking back up at the "screamer" at hand though, if you tug the Mad Scientist's arm, it makes his pink-jelly brain expand up into the clear dome of his skull. It's very impressive.

This Halloween edition of Marge Simpson from a Burger King Kids' Club meal is AWESOME. Speaking of ancient Egypt...

And here we have Groundskeeper Willie, "The Grim Sweeper" also a Burger King Kids' Club Halloween toy. He... really seems to be stroking that broom handle. Like really caressing it.

Love the show Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but never owned a single one of the full-sized action figures. This is an interesting translucent plastic variant. Not sure if it's meant to be "stealth" Batman or "ghost" Batman... or what... but he's pretty nifty, and he looks great on the shelf with my other Batman action figures.

One of my favorite finds from this trip has to be this "Collectors' Guide to Bubble Bath Containers" Flipping through this thing just brought a huge grin to my face. I was even able to find my He-Man bubble bath bottle inside!

Here we have an assortment of "My Little Pony" books. I picked them up because I have a home in mind for them already. I have a hard time leaving any 80's licensed property books behind, even if they aren't the kinds of things I used to collect as a kid.

Same with "Pound Puppies" books. I was never a HUGE Pound Puppies fan... so these books are most likely going off to another home.

"An American Tail" and "Muppet Babies" books from McDonald's however... THESE ARE AMAZING AND ALL MINE BABY!!!

And here we have the second grab-bag of the haul, which contains just four items. But I liked all four! 

First we have Sultan Spongebob from the "Lost In Time" series of Happy Meal toys, from back in 2004. This was a truly inspired series of Spongebob figures, featuring the character as he would have appeared in various times throughout history.

This spinner toy is from a 2002 series of Burger King Kids' Club meal premiums, from the "Nintendo Superstars" series. Not really sure what it's for... but it's fun to push the button on top and watch Bowser chase the Princess around and around and around.

Here we have an Imperial Guard Star Wars LEGO keychain. I had no idea that these guys were popular enough to warrant their own keychains, honestly. But I'll take it!

And finally, a baby Po toy from the Kung Fu Panda 2 line of McDonald's Happy Meal toys. I'm a sucker for Kung Fu Panda, even if I didn't care for the 2nd movie nearly as much as the first. This toy is CRAZY cute though.

So there you have it folks! The entire haul! This was a bigger trip than I've been having as of late, and if you're still reading this thing, then kudos to you! You now have bragging rights.

I'll be back soon with more Geeky Goodwill Goodies! Until then, Happy Hunting!

It's All about the Golden Books. Literally.

The following post contains no less than 29 Golden Books that I found and bought at a handful of different Goodwills. If... you are not... obsessed with old Little Golden books... sit this one out. Up front, every single one of these books cost me .99 cents apiece. I don't want to have to mention it over and over again. It's hot out okay? All of these books were purchased in fits and spurts since the weekend just before Father's day. So they accumulated fast. These don't even make up half of the books in my LGB collection. I'm sort of embarrassed admitting that... but it's sort of freeing as well. 

First up we have a Tiny Toons Adventure book, a vintage Little Mermaid book, and a Mickey Mouse and the Mouseketeers Ghost Town Adventure. I love all the old stories starring Mickey Mouse and his awkward gang of Mouseketeer buddies. I had a HUGE crush on Ariel when I was a kid... so owning this book is like finding a photo album full of pictures of an ex-girlfriend. Except different. 

A couple of just sort of random 80's titles here... One of the Family and Pano the Train... I have nothing to say about them at all. They are just the sort of random, older LBG's that fill out my collection. 

These two are just reprints of much older titles, but I love the colorful designs and old-style feel of them. I'm pretty sure I owned a copy of the The Little Golden ABC... but not the Little Golden Mother Goose. Now you think you know me? You don't know me. I've done things. Terrible things.

Here's another of those awesome BIG Little Golden Books. It doesn't matter what the topic material is, if I find these I pick them up. They're just so weird. I'm showing it next to My Book of Poems for scale. The Pandas Take a Vacation is actually a bizarre tale of a... Panda family... taking a vacation... It sounds less bizarre when I'm trying to describe it... but there's a weird sense of unease underlying the entire tale like they're going to meet a serial killer or something at any moment. They didn't... but you know what I mean?

I can't even begin to tell you how much I AGONIZED over buying these two reprints of old Train stories. I just kept arguing with myself over the fact that this was not like a SPECIAL printing of Tootle in any way... but I don't have a copy of Tootle in my collection at all... and oh my GODS I finally get why people hate blogs about people who collect old crap from Goodwill. The cover to The Little Engine That Could is straight up peeling off. But I couldn't leave it behind if I was going to bu Tootle. You know?

An assortment of licensed properties here... Pound Puppies (the second P.P LGB in my collection... just FYI... ACRONYMS!!!) Sesame Street and Bugs Bunny. I have distinct memories of the Bugs Bunny book from when I was a kid. 

A pair of Disney Afternoon books!!! I was never a Goof Troop fan at all. I felt like they were just grasping at that point for SOMETHING-OH-GOD-ANYTHING to keep the line-up going. But Tail Spin? That crap was GENIUS!!! It turned The Jungle Book into an Indiana Jones inspired drug trip where the whole world is airplane themed. When I watched this as a kid I didn't question the logic one bit... but what Disney exec green-lit this show? One daring sumbitch. 

Rescuers Down-Under and a Winnie-the-Poon and the Honey Tree book. I liked Rescuers Down Under... but I pretty much loathe the Disney Pooh stuff. But... this looked old enough and it's so poorly illustrated (look at that crappy rendition of Pooh on the cover!) that I felt like it represented the Disney Pooh franchise without selling out to it too much. You don't even understand the disgusting number of Disney Pooh Golden books I fling away in disgust while I am pawing around at Goodwill. I treat them like they are deadly vipers made of fiber-glass insulation. I earn me some looks while I'm shopping sometimes. 

This is one of the real treasures I discovered recently. I owned and LOVED this book as a kid, and was so incredibly excited to find it that I probably let out some sort of audible squeal. I remember flipping through the pages OVER and OVER again... and there were some very specific pages that always drew my attention:

The pages depicting Smoky getting caught in the fire and then convalescing afterwards were my absolute FAVORITE pictures in this book. I think I was just a macabre little kid... but all kidding aside I think all kids kind of obsess over the most emotionally distressing parts of any books, movies, or TV shows they are exposed to. I think I was just terrified of being that little bear in the fire, and with the bandages on, swept away from his family. This is all getting really deep. I need a break. 

Next up is another awesome book that I loved as a kid. Donald Duck's Toy Sailboat is one of the reasons why I loved Chip and Dale as early on as I did. The old Christmas cartoon where they inhabit Mickey's Christmas tree and have to fight off Pluto is another reason. I was pumped and primed when Rescue Rangers came on the scene. This book tells the tale of C&D taking Donald's model boat out for a joy ride.

THIS was a particularly AMAZING find as well... A Mister Rogers' Neighborhood LGB!!! Check out the interiors:

Seeing all of the classic Land of Make-Believe characters WITH LEGS is a little bit freaky. I have to admit... Lady Elaine has some nice gams. 

I tend to avoid any kind of religious themed LGB's. But this one was too damn old to pass up. It is a first edition from 1947. It's pretty beat up but just beautiful to behold. 

Because it's a religious book it burns a little when I hold it. 

And to wrap up, here are some random Disney LGBs (Donald Duck: Some Ducks Have All the Luck and Wreck It Ralph) paired with a couple of My First Little Golden Books... oddly both about trucks... The Truck That Drove all Night and What Kind of Truck?

And finally just to prove that I really WILL buy ANY Big Little Golden Book, I picked up Jumping Jacky... not to be confused with Jumpin' Jack Flash. Totally different. I checked. Also this AWESOME LGB about DINOSAURS!!! from the 80's... back when they still thought there was such a thing as a Brontosaurus. Sigh. I miss those days. Back when Brontosauruses and Plutos still roamed the Earth. 

Well... there.

I hope you enjoyed taking a bizarrely in-depth and yet still rather stilted and sketchy look at a TON of old Little Golden Books I've recently added to the pile. Actually... I like 'em and that's all that really matters to me. You all run your blogs how you see fit and I'll do the same. :)

That's all for me tonight! This damn post took me more than a day to complete! So I will indeed be back with more Geeky Goodwill Goodies, sooner rather than later... and there might just be some toys to blog about coming up! Until then Happ Hunting!