Payday Friday Week Comes to an Ends: Loose Items

This is it folks! The last entry in my week of Payday Friday posts detailing the scores I made when I went to Goodwill last Friday. 

I'm starting out with the crowning jewel. I found this Hellboy Animated action figure (WITH BIG BABY) for 1.99. The only thing I'm missing is the base (which I can easily make/replace) to support Big Red's massive girth (those twiggy little legs are NOT load-bearing). I thought maybe I was missing a trench-coat as well, but apparently unless you got the special edition of this figure, he came without one. I'd like a trench-coat though. He looks a little naked without it. I paid 1.99 for this bruiser, and he's absolutely beautiful. He'll take his proud spot next to Buffy just as soon as I can get him standing. I can see him training that huge pistol on the winged skeleton I got out of the grab-bag on the same day. 

There was a pile of Marvel Legends figures, including some Spider-Men, Captain Americas, and even a Leader (Hulk villain) figure I toyed with (pun!) brining home. Ultimately I settled on these three. The Abomination and Rhino figures were 1.99 apiece, and Black Widow cost just .99 cents. I'm seriously considering just giving the two big guys to my boys to play with (they'll make awesome TMNT villains) but the Black Widow I'm keeping all for myself. Maybe she'll make out with Hellboy. 

Here are just some loose random items I picked up for .99 cents apiece. I keep saying I don't collect bean-bag characters, but I also seem to keep coming home with them. Guy Smiley!!! How can you say no to a Guy Smiley mini bean-buddy? The stoic Shriner figure was just perfect weird. He needed to come home with me. And that Mystery machine is one of those magic rebounding pull-back toys that bumps into things and then starts going in reverse. 

This is Frog from the Frog and Toad books. I love Frog and Toad. I searched for a Toad to go along with this Frog for like fifteen minutes. I brought home Frog for .99 cents, all alone. I am still looking for Toad. Don't judge me. I love children's literature, and Frog and Toad are some of my absolute favorite, most respected books for children. 

Second-Hand Cinema! I found a couple of DVDs to bring home as well! 2.99 a pop. "So I Married An Axe Murderer" is one of those movies I've kept meaning to pick up for years now, because I liked it so much. A pre-Austin Powers Mike Myers, still just throwing funny ideas at the wall. "The Mothman Prophecies" I remember vaguely being creeped out by, and honestly, I just thought it looked interesting. I know that there is a pretty steep divide between those who liked and those who disliked the movie (53% Rotten on Tomatoes) but I'm a sucker for cryptozoological/urban legend themed horror movies. 

My boys own one of these Play Town (We're semi-made of wood!) Pirate Ships, but now I have one I can scrape the decals off of, and repaint to make into a pirate ship for these guys. I'll let you know how it goes. 

These two came taped together for .99 cents, and I will be using them to dress up that pirate ship. 

The very last item I have to share is a bizarre looking board game called The Emperor's Challenge. I haven't read the instructions yet, but there are princes disguised as old men, dragons, and scepters used as game pieces. There are a handful of different games that can be played with the set, and the rules are included for all of them. This game is gorgeous to look upon, and if it's awful to play I will at the very least put some of the playing pieces out on display. 

You can learn more (but not a lot more) about the game over at Board Game Geek. 

So that's it! That is the full load I brought home from Goodwill last payday Friday. I'll be headed back to Goodwill this coming Friday, but in my heart of hearts I know there's no way I'll be coming home with as much fun stuff as I did on this one trip. For the rest of my Payday Friday scores, see Part 1: Little People Toys, Part 2: Grab-Bags, and Part 3: There's Always Books. 

I've got some other fun stuff to share in the coming days, so keep your eyes peeled. I'll be back with more Goodwill Goodies soon. Until then, Happy Hunting!

Payday Friday Week Continues: There's Always Books

I almost always come home with a pile of books from Goodwill, even when I come home with absolutely nothing else. This past Payday Friday was no different. There's always books. This trip was a little different though, in that there was an ABUNDANCE of geek-tacular books that set me a-drooling. It was like they had completely cleaned off the shelves and replaced everything with new stock. It wasn't all stuff I was interested, but it all looked different from times past visiting. 

First, I picked up a couple of books for my daughter. Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez and Red unicorn by Tanith Lee both looked like they were right up her alley. They cost me 1.99 apiece. My daughter's in that young adult reading phase where magic, romance, and adventure tell some sort of coming of age tale. 

The next two books aren't geeky, I just thought they looked interesting. Leaving Las Vegas is the book by John O'Brien that inspired the movie. Dog On Itis a mystery novel told from the point of view of a dog. I am a sucker for mystery novels with interesting hooks like that. I paid 1.99 cents for Leaving Las Vegas, and Dog On It was.99 cents. 

I'll admit I just picked this book up because it looked old and kitschy. It's not worth much, but it is an adaptation of an old Disney film about a horse living in the 1870's. I paid .99 cents for it.

This just looked fun. I have no idea if the software will work on my computer (fingers crossed) but the interior art gives enough templates to build a bunch of cool looking robot paper-craft toys. I paid 1.99 for it. 

Now I'm getting into the stuff that I was genuinely excited about. The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick looks very promising. A beautifully illustrated novella about a boy who meets Harry Houdini and receives a mysterious gift from the famous escape artist. I paid .99 cents for this one, and honestly cannot wait to read it. 

As an Edward Gorey Enthusiast I was really pleased to find this collection of postcards with Gorey's handiwork on them. This has got a nice selection of pictures from Gashly Crumb Tinies among many other works. I paid 1.99 for it. 

Some of my first posts on this blog were dedicated to Ray Bradbury. I finally found a copy of the Martian Chronicles this past Payday Friday for .99 cents. Putting this on the Geek Classics reading list for sure. I'm always happy to find a nice Bradbury at Goodwill. 

Moving into the eye-meltingly awesome category we have a copy of Marjane Sartrapi's graphic novel, Persepolis. I've been meaning to buy a copy of this for a long while now, and finding a really nice copy of it at Goodwill, for 1.99... (NO wait that's half off because it has a blue sticker!!!) made me leap for joy. It's ALWAYS awesome finding some cheap graphic content at Goodwill. 

And finally, another awesome find that had me squeeeee-ing for joy was this copy of Stephen King's Cycle of the Werewolf illustrated by Berni Wrightson. I PAID .99 CENTS FOR THIS AWESOME BOOK!!! I love Cycle of the Werewolf the movie "Silver Bullet", which was based on it. 

Between all these books, and the grab-bags I featured yesterday, and the Fisher-Price Little People toys I featured the day before that... AND the stuff I still have in reserve for tomorrow... You can understand why I was drunk with Goodwill greatness, can't you? 

So... if I have power tomorrow, I'll be back with more Payday Friday Goodwill Goodies. If I don't have power, I'll be back sometime this weekend. Until then, Happy Hunting!

Payday Friday Week Continues! Grab-Bags!

It's still Payday Friday week here at Goodwill Hunting 4 Geeks! Yesterday I showed off some Fisher Price Little People toys I picked up. Today it's all about the grab-bags. 

This grab-bag I pretty much picked up for Mondo Gecko and Homer Simpson. The pirate toys were bonus, as was the strangely green giraffe. I was happy to find a Papo Ogre in the mix, even though I don't collect Papo figurines. The van with "Miele Geschirrspuler" (German) on the side translates to "Miele Dishwasher" in English. No idea where it came from, but I'm assuming Germany without knowing anything else about it. The other side reads: "Waschautomaten" or "washing machines" in English. There is no date stamp on this thing, but it doesn't seem all that old. This bag ran me 2.99. 

Next up is another grab-bag, this time with a bit more included that I was excited about. I'm breaking this one down a bit, but first I want to point out the Star Wars Galactic Heroes Speeder Bike, the Obi Wan Clone Wars Skateboard, and the Iron Man Happy Meal toy. You won't be seeing them again. This grab-bag cost me 2.99 too. 

First up, these Hero Factory figures. I've never collected Bionicle or Hero Factory figures from LEGO, but where these are semi-complete, I think I'll hang on to them and display them. I like the looks of them. They have a kind of feral animal vibe. Apparently their names are Nex (in orange) and Stringer (in black). 

This had a Crayola stamp on it. I had to piece the whole thing together from parts. I couldn't figure out what this was supposed to be at first. I like the skeletal, abstract art look to it. Then I Googled for a while and found: 

Which was a little disappointing, honestly. It also appears I put the thing together wrong. But... I sort of like it better the way it is now. I'm trying to think of something I can do with it.  

Then there's this Yoda figurine. He's from 1996. It's kind of hard not to love him. He's still so innocent and has no idea what the future holds for... his past. 

I'd be lying if I didn't say that this winged skeleton wasn't the reason I bought the whole bag in the first place. Apparently he's from some sort of "Destroyer" toyline, and is maybe a dollar store item? Google didn't turn up a ton... just this. 

I want to do something with this legless robot too. No idea what line he's from... but I like his attitude. He's a bruiser. Looks like he's flexing. 

That's it for my pair of Goodwill Grab-Bags from this past Payday Friday! I'll be back with even more Goodwill Goodies soon... so until then, Happy Hunting! 

Payday Friday Week is a Thing Now. Pt.1: Little People!

So, I went to Goodwill this past Friday when I got paid... and it was one of the best trips to Goodwill I've ever had. I picked up a lot of great stuff: some books, some DVDs, a board game, a couple of grab-bags, some action figures, and a handful of loose items I'm looking forward to sharing with you all. I'm going to milk this trip for all its worth and stretch it into a week of my Payday Friday finds. 

The absolute first things I found and started dragging around the store with me (until I went and dropped them in a cart) were a couple of Fisher-Price Little People Playsets. Granted: The first one is technically a "Play Family" farm, which is only different from "Little People" in that they called Little People "Play Family" when they were first released. The damage on the front of the barn doors is from packaging tape that was being used to hold the doors shut. There was some holding the loft doors shut as well. Why? Because there was stuff IN THERE. More on this later. 

Here's an interior shot of the barn. Love the detail. There's saddle and tack for a horse on the wall, and a bunch of little critters running around in there!  A horseshoe hangs over the back door. 

On the backside of the barn is an awesome poster for the Circus, a sleepy puppy, and the date : '67. Don't know if this is a production date or just a copyright, but I'm wishfully inclined to believe it's the production date. Other versions of this barn have a hard plastic base with a ramp into the barn, and no decoration on the floor. This one has a masonite base with a wood-floor deco. They stopped making the masonite base in 1978. So I know it's at least that old.   

Pennsylvania Dutch! 

So now lets talk about what was lurking inside that barn. Here we have the Little People related contents.

Vehicles. We have a child's hobby-horse (I was probably most excited by this find) a green car and a tractor. I already have a version of this tractor, with decals on the side, but with chew-damage to the front wheels. So in comparison, this one is actually in better shape than the one I already had. 

I was a little bummed that the only two official Fisher Price figures included were these two. Still, they were ones I don't already have, and I do like them. I didn't even notice it at first, but I discovered: 

The farmer has a wooden body! I know some people don't like the woodies as much... but I love them. I love that they are a weird hybrid of the old original Play Family peg-style people, and the full plastic people that came later. Now... if this farmer with the wooden body and plastic head actually came with the farm... this means it could not have been produced more recently than 1975. 

This I don't even know. I kind of like him just because I'm assuming he came included in some horribly cheap knock-off brand Little People toy set. I'm going ahead and deciding to like him because he's probably from the same time period. He's hideous, but I like how hard hes trying. 

Also hiding out inside of that barn were these die-cast cars from '82. We have two Oscar the Grouches, driving "Grouch Trash Delivery" trucks, Big Bird driving a popcorn truck, and Smurfette, in a little red racer. These were a pleasant and unexpected surprise. 

Also, there was this cow. So, the barn and all its contents ran me 2.99 total. Udderly awesome! 

On the shelf next to the barn was this Fisher-Price Little People Play House. No bells no whistles, no accessories, which was a little bit of a bummer, truth be told... but LOOK at this thing! 

If you look closely at the interior you'll notice some damage to the walls: some bubbling and wrinkling, I'm assuming due to moisture. The doorbell still works though! And look at that kid peeking in the back door! Creeper. 

Again, not sure if the date on this is a copyright or production date, but I know again that the masonite based Fisher-Price Little People Play House in brown and white like this one was only produced between 1980 and 1986. And look who gets a bone! Snoopy! Look at his excited little paw-prints all over the stone floor of the garage! This house with no accessories cost me the same amount as the barn with all the stuff hiding inside (2.99)... but it was still worth it. 

So... this just begins scraping the surface of Payday Friday. I still have so much more to share. So... I'll be back sooner than later with more Goodwill Goodies! Until then, Happy Hunting!

Goodwill Gone Bad Vol. 1

Welcome to the newest regular feature on Goodwill Hunting 4 Geeks: Goodwill Gone Bad!

These are all items that didn't quite make it home with me from Goodwill.

I think I just found the price tag humorous on this one.

Timely? I think so.

Actually, if I wore a medium and felt like shelling (pun!) out 5  bucks
for an old t-shirt, this would have come home.

I feel like there's an oxymoron joke here,
but I don't feel like putting in the effort, honestly. 

I see its eyes when I sleep.

The soft pitter-patter of clown feet... from under the bed.
You're welcome.

meta!

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

League of Extraordinary Bloggers: PIRATES!!! Part 3

It's time for my final installment of this weeks League of Extraordinary Blogger's topic: Pirates!

Part 3 is all about the books. And while I know we have more pirate-themed literature kicking around the Goodwill Geek's home, I pared it down to my favorite (or in some cases potentially favorite, but definitely Goodwill-bought) 10 books having to do with pirates. I'm not listing these in any particular order, so this is not a TOP 10, it's just a LIST of 10.

First up is Polly and the Pirates by Ted Naifeh. Any of you pop-culture enthusiasts out there should make yourselves familiar with Naifeh's work if you are not already. His Courtney Crumrin series of graphic novels is incredible, with a leading heroine who could kick Harry Potter's ass and would have worked her way through the 7 years of Hogwarts adventures without breaking a sweat. But we're not here to talk about Courtney. We're here to talk about good-girl-gone bad, Polly. Polly was raised in an all girls home and is one of the best-mannered, well-behaved girls there. Until she discovers a world of piracy and adventure, and a very special legacy. This story is action packed, full of incredible art by Naifeh, and a fun and mystery-laden story that keeps twisting and turning throughout. I didn't buy this one at Goodwill, I actually bought it through my comic shop, back when I still went to a comic shop, years ago. 

I haven't read this one yet, but I am looking forward to it. Part of a series of books set before the events in Peter Pan, Peter and the Starcatchers tells the story of a young boy named peter and a still two-handed pirate who wants to take a chest-full of treasure from him and his friends. I picked this one up from Goodwill for 1.99. 

I've mentioned this one on here before, but I'm bringing it back. I've never read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, but since I found it at Goodwill for .99 cents, I plan on correcting that. I don't know that it's a geek classic... but it is a classic that everyone should be familiar with. I've seen the old 1950's Disney live-action film adaptation, I've seen Disney's Treasure Planet, which I actually enjoyed quite a bit, and of course who hasn't seen Muppet Treasure Island... but I've never read the source material. 

Bourbon Island 1730 is a graphic novel starring anthropomorphic animals, that tells the tale of one last gasp of the pirating phenomena. A pirate captain imprisoned, and the crew that wants to set him free so their old treasure can be unearthed. I have not read this, but I picked it up for .50 cents at salvage/overstock chain store Mardens. I'm a sucker for cheap graphic novels and the stuff at Mardens is already cheap... but this was last-chance clearance cheap. 

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer is the first in a loooong series of books starring the plucky Mary "Jacky" Faber. She is a starving street urchin from England who enlists in the royal navy as a ship's boy, despite the fact that she's a she. These are some of the best written historical fiction young adult books I've ever had the pleasure to read. There are already 10 books in the series, with more to come, but don't let it intimidate you. Jackie is one of the most alive and vibrant characters ever put on paper, and as your narrator you are in good if fire-tempered and low-class hands. I will be the first to admit some of her adventures are slightly... far-fetched, and played at times for an almost Forest Gump kind of history-kitsch (she's met Napoleon and Mike Fink among other historical legends, and is involved in many other historical events besides just the age of piracy) but they work in an Indiana Jones-level of alternate history/adventure, and you won't even mind it. I didn't buy one single book of this series at Goodwill. The author, L.A. Meyer lives here and Maine, and his wife runs an art store in Bar Harbor, ME so I buy all my copies at cover price, signed and in hardcover from their shop. 

Booty: Girl Pirates on the High Seas is a book all about female pirates. I picked it up on clearance at Borders bookstore years ago when that was still something that existed. I didn't pay more than a couple of dollars for it, but I couldn't tell you how much exactly. I picked this up specifically to learn more about Anne Bonny and Mary Read (a bit more on them later) but don't think I've read another part of this book since then. I definitely plan on correcting that in the future. It's a great collection of historical information of pirate ladies. 

'

THIS BOOK I just picked up on payday Friday!!! I picked it up after I started my 3-part pirates post, but BEFORE I did the post on pirate books! Weird right? There were some other pirate items I found on payday as well, but I'm not doing another post about pirate toys this week, so I'll just share them with the rest of the payday Friday fun. This book is one of those Idiot's Guides. I picked up one about vampires that I featured during my countdown to Halloween last year. This one's about pirates. I haven't had a chance to really check it out much yet, but I plan on getting all educated and whatnot. I think I paid 1.99 for this one. 

Good Night, Leo is a board book that we picked up for our boys. It's a lot of fun, as each page strips off a piece of pirate costume as Leo gets ready for bed, and puts it on his teddy bear. The book is actually less about piracy and more about sequencing and color recognition, but it's one of my kids' favorite bed-time stories because they think it's all about pirates. Heh. Kids are stupid. I don't remember if this book was a gift or if we bought it ourselves, but it wasn't second-hand, either way. 

I love Jane Yolen. I think she's an incredible poet and a great writer. The Ballad of the Pirate Queens is an incredible book-length poem about the lady pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read (this was the book that inspired the purchase of Booty mentioned above) that we typically only read to our kids around Halloween. I didn't get a chance to share it during my Halloween Kids' book countdown, but it's an amazing book about pirates, so I'm glad I thought to share it now. David Shannon is an illustrator for children's books whose work I enjoy and follow (He's more known for his No David! books than most anything else) and his illustrations in this book are  gorgeous and pitch-perfect throughout. I paid full price for this book when I discovered it and fell in love with it years and years ago. 

Finally, we have Edward and the Pirates which is a cool little story about a little bookworm boy who is menaced by fictional-yet-still-dangerous pirates. It's more about the power of books and the ability to read... but my kids are all like: pirates! So I don't argue. David McPhail is another children's illustrator whose work I follow and enjoy. Picked this one up at Goodwill for .99 cents. 

Well. That's it for me and pirates. I like to think it was quite a wild ride. I have no idea what the League topic will be tomorrow, but I know that a lot of next week's posts will be dedicated to the things I found on this week's Payday Friday. Yes. It was that good. It was almost... epic.

So I will be back very soon with more Goodwill Goodies. Until then, Happy Hunting!

Before I finish up completely though, let's see what even more of the League saying about "Pirates":

- Branded in the 80's explores the concept of pirate nostalgia in childhood pop-culture.

- Doubledumbassonyou.com introduces us to a gas siphoning pirate Dreadnok from the G.I Joe comics.

- The Cavalcade of Awesome shows us just how awesome the Muppet Treasure Island Soundtrack is.

- Yelinna at traveling_pics shows off some pirate toys and possibly the worst pun in League history!

- And the Dork Dimension shows off a truly awesome mini-figure that I would be proud to display on my shelf.