Did anyone have the Haunted Mansion Board Game released by Lakeside Games in 1972?
Unfortunately, my source image doesn’t enlarge enough to really read the text…but look at that backdrop!
I’m (surprisingly) not very into board games, but this would be especially great for the Halloween season. I’d love to take my plastic Doom Buggy way through this board.
Upon hearing the words “Tooth Fairy,” most of us probably conjure up sweet, fluttering little fairies. Invictus Designs has a different idea:
Yes, kids…all the times you thought this was visiting you in your sleep…
…it was really THIS!
Shhh…don’t tell the others.
Ready for a truly excellent vinyl bunny? Prepare for a supreme lagomorphic set of chompers.
It comes in different colors, and wall prints. This creature needs a caption. What is he thinking/saying?
It appears the website is down, but the Creature Freak Tumblr (which contains a few pictures) is operating.
I very rarely post action figures here, but this one is worth pointing out.
Here is the dialogue that ensued when my best friend showed me the link to this product:
Ron: Does that thing not capture all the misery of the latter era Tenth Doctor? I want to give up just looking at it.
Dana: Tenth Doctor figure with EXISTENTIAL CRISIS ACTION!
Ron: He should be able to talk, and say really sad things, like “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” and “I don’t want to go,” or “I may not die, but it feels like dying.” It should also come with a device that makes it rain on him.
Is this not the most internally conflicted action figure you’ve ever laid eyes on?
Here are six different angles of pain.
David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor was unequivocally my favorite in the series. Glad they’re capturing his tortured charisma in collectible figures.
Got $2,3000 to spend on a toy? Consider the Mad Mad Mad Scientist Laboratory.
Found on Ebay:
One of the holy grails on Monster toys. 1965 The Mad Mad Mad Scientist Laboratory Sold briefly through the back pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine. Original Cost – $4.95. Considered the rarest Monster toy in existence. Only 4 known to exist. This is the second finest one known. Would be considered mint but one of the chemicals leaked and damaged the bottom of the box. Other than that, cover is super mint and shiny.
It actually looks like a pretty amazing kit. The test tubes appear a bit more “real” than I would expect. I’d love to hand make something like this for a special kid; set up a whole box of mad scientist goodies with a cool cover.
Did you have any science toys as a kid? What was your favorite?
“It’s a WHAT?”, the commercial inquires. An appropriate exclamation for the Swing Wing, as it almost touches effectively upon the sense of bafflement one experiences upon viewing it.
What I have to say about this item was neatly summarized in my response to the loved one who shared it:
D: So…enough people really thought this whiplash-inducing device was a good idea to get the thing patented?
“Mommy, I want to play.”
“Ok darling! Go thrash your head violently and whip your own eyeballs. Here’s a cat o’ nine tails on a hat.”
C: Evidently yes! In fact, cut & paste that hypothetical conversation alongside this video and you’ve got yourself a tidy little SWS post, eh?
Also from Transogram, their patent-pending Bouncy Running Scissors and Kooky Box O’ Glass Shards. Just kidding. Or maybe not…I don’t know what else they made.
In 1965, Spanish company Laya produced a line of Munsters squeak toys.
Does anyone know why Bugs Bunny is involved in this? I couldn’t find much info about the company.
Interesting color choices for the toys. Though I remember also being surprised when I first saw a color photo of the Munsters (I’m not sure what I expected…real life grayscale?).
Here we have a great reader submission: The Doll Asylum.
From the staff:
Welcome to the Doll Asylum. We are a place for the old, the decrepit, the forgotten…the insane. We try to ‘fix’ those we can, and provide a place of refuge for those we can’t.
Founded in 1867 by German Dr. Hermann Reinhardt, the Doll Asylum’s purpose was to receive dolls who were abandoned, neglected, or most importantly, showing signs of psychotic or murderous behavior.
Doll Maker by hobby, Dr. Reinhardt thought he could bridge the gap between the inanimate and animate and stomp out the dark thoughts that lay beneath.
While no true success was to be had in his day, Dr. Reinhardt did establish a home for those unwanted creatures and in doing so, has protected society at large.
We continue that tradition and throw open our doors to the public 4 days a year to show what his good work has wrought. We cannot guarantee your safety or mind or spirit, but we will have cookies.
Has anyone in Portland gone here?
Doubleparlour is a husband and wife team, specializing in peculiar custom toys and sculptures. They exhibit all sorts of emotions; surprise, excitement, ennui…
And some are interesting conceptually…
Some are rather unsettling (the bellies that seem to be marked by an elaborate scarification process certainly jack up the creepiness!).
Much Loved
This series serves as a great reminder of meaning and symbolism. The objects I’ve imbued with most significance in my life were never the ones that cost a lot…they were simple treasures. In a culture so drenched in materialism, adults tend to lose sight of the magnificent magic of loving something with no value, save for where it comes from or how it makes us feel.
These remind me of a passage from The Velveteen Rabbit:
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
― Margery Williams
(Jim, that one’s for you, your lovely wife and baby girl!)
Cannot type/talk due to severe illness (all words courtesy of voice software or kind typing helpers)…I read and appreciate all comments…Apologies for not being able to respond.
SheWalksSoftly 