The Mausoleum of Madness, Part II!
Welcome to Dinosaur Dracula’s MAUSOLEUM OF MADNESS, PART II! Every day through Halloween, check back for another vintage creepy collectible – everything from deep cut toys to ancient store displays to at least one totally insane costume. Probably ten cereal boxes, too.
I won’t be plugging this on social media much, so you’ll have to remember to visit on your own. Maybe stick an orange Post-It on the fridge. (Yes, it must be orange.)
PS, if you missed last year’s Mausoleum of Madness, it’s over here.
#25: Kellogg’s Ghost Detector! (1989)
Flashback to 1989, when a few different Kellogg’s cereals – like Apple Jacks – came with a free GHOST DETECTOR. These were thin pieces of paper that looked like various ghouls. If the paper magically curled up when placed in your palm, it meant YOU HAD GHOSTS.
In actuality, the heat-sensitive paper always curled, and worked on the same principle as those old “Fortune Teller Fish” toys. Kellogg’s did not instruct kids on how to handle the prospect of sharing space with malevolent entities from beyond the grave, confident that while they had a legal duty to post nutritional info, ghosts were firmly out of their jurisdiction.
The Ghost Detectors were a September/October thing, and joined a long line of cereal prizes that were clearly meant to tie in with the Halloween season, even without any formal mentions of it. (I’m guessing that was because cereal didn’t expire quickly, and the companies didn’t want people to stop buying boxes on November 1st just because they had stray jack-o’-lantern graphics in a far corner.)
#24: Rolling Bendable Bladers! (1993)
“Rolling Bendable Bladers” is what happens when you can’t legally say “Rollerbladers” but don’t want to invest more than twenty seconds on an alternative. IT’S CLUNKY, is what I mean.
This was released in 1993, when inline skating was the coolest thing going. Made by Spearhead under their “Creepy Creatures” banner, this ridiculous skeleton turned up in toy stores, department stores, pharmacy chains – basically any place that had a kid-targeted Halloween section.
(Spearhead was already a big costume supplier, so it was easy for them to spread little skeleton figures like a virus. You know how Viacom wouldn’t give cable providers Comedy Central unless they also took Spike TV? Well Spearhead wouldn’t send Kmart vampire makeup unless they also bought Rolling Bendable Bladers.)
Back then, there were far fewer Halloween novelties that passed as “real” toys. On the action figure front, this was about as close as you could get. Skatin’ Skelly isn’t much by 2025 standards, but when you were a kid in CVS’s seasonal aisle, and the only other toys were coloring books and orange-and-black jelly bracelets, he was practically Optimus Prime.
#23: Kellogg’s Snack-Pak Ad! (1954)
Kellogg’s Snack-Paks were multipacks of single-serve cereal boxes. They’d later be rebranded as Fun Paks, which are still sold today. (The single-serve cups have become more popular than the boxes, but they’re still on shelves if you look!)
This magazine ad from the ‘50s pitched them as the perfect thing for trick-or-treaters, and I’m here to fully endorse that idea. When I was a kid, I would’ve loved to get a little box of cereal on Halloween. Maybe not from every house, but a few well-placed hits of Corn Pops and Honey Smacks would’ve been a welcome departure from the norm.
I’ve said it time and time again. We all had our favorite candies, and we knew which ones were “worth” the most in street cred, but working some variety into your treat sack was essential. Like, Snickers might’ve been your top pick, but it would’ve been pretty boring to go home on Halloween with nothing but those, right?
Seriously thinking about taking this 69-year-old ad’s advice and handing out cereal when the kids come knocking on October 31st. I have no idea if I’ll be heralded as a hero or vilified as the neighborhood idiot. In truth, they’ll probably just think I forgot to buy candy. I don’t care! I’m doing it! Read More…
Dino Drac’s Envelope of Evil VII!
Surprise drop! Dino Drac’s Envelopes of Evil are BACK FROM THE GRAVE. If you missed the memo, these are special, limited edition packages filled with creepy collectibles that are offered exactly once and then never spoken of again.
(These have nothing to do with the Funpacks, by the way. Totally separate thing!)
For the Envelope of Evil VII, a handful of flat (or flattish) items conspire to make your Halloween season just a little bit grander. The cost on this one is $40, and that includes shipping to anywhere in the United States.
Jump to the bottom for ordering info, or keep reading to learn about everything inside the Dino Drac’s seventh Envelope of Evil! Read More…