Welcome to Dino Drac’s Daily Halloween Thing! The 2023 edition! Check back every day from now through 10/31 for a haunted hodgepodge of spooky reviews, memories and more.

Friday, September 29th:

Can you handle this level of drip? Say hi to my latest acquisition, a vintage Pepsi/Doritos “Monster Bash” jacket, in classic ‘90s teal. I believe it was a “lower-end” prize from one of their many Halloween contests.

(I’m putting “lower-end” in quotes because it’s disgusting to call this jacket lower-end.)

Pepsi/Doritos Halloween junk from the ‘90s is my weakness. I cannot resist any of it. Luckily, I got this jacket off eBay for $35 shipped, which was a nutty price that probably left a bunch of watchers kicking themselves. If any of them are reading, sucks to be you. Feel free to dry your tears on any of my clothes EXCEPT this jacket.

And yes, I do plan to wear it. Just gotta wait for the right occasion for a teal windbreaker with a party-hatted Frankenstein on the breast. It’ll come to me.

Thursday, September 28th:

From 1985, it’s the Clue VCR Mystery Game! I posted this photo on my socials a few days ago, and was surprised to learn that pretty much everyone played the game the same way I did. Which is to say, not at all.

I had no idea how to play and never bothered trying to learn. Instead, I just watched the included videocassette like it was any normal movie. It certainly wasn’t, but it was still a major effort, with a giant cast and a killer atmosphere. The tape was crazy cheesy and came off like a local theater version of the “real” movie, but I watched the hell out of that thing, and apparently, I wasn’t alone!

I uploaded the whole cassette several years ago, so if interested, go check it out. It’s great background noise for when you want something on, but only want to pay attention to it like 5% of the time. Read More…

Welcome to the Spooky Foods Graveyard! Check back every day throughout September as I dig up dozens of yesteryear’s freakiest snacks!

#33: Taco Bell’s Black Jack Taco!
(Introduced in 2009)

I’m still sore that I missed out on this! During the 2009 Halloween season, Taco Bell offered Black Jack Tacos, which were built the same as their ordinary tacos, but had midnight black shells. SWOON.

While Taco Bell didn’t exclusively market them as a Halloween thing, they very much were a Halloween thing. In fact, I’ve found evidence that many Taco Bells gave them away for free on Halloween night in 2009. (One per customer, of course.)

Can you imagine that? A free spooky taco on Halloween? It was like the adult version of trick-or-treating. Black Jack Tacos never returned after that, and if we can believe the Taco Bell Wiki, it may be because the shells caused the same scatalogical side effect as the Halloween Whopper.

#32: Hi-C Citrus Cooler!
(Introduced in 1969)

As perfectly themed as it was, Hi-C Ecto Cooler actually wasn’t specially formulated to tie in with Ghostbusters. In fact, all Hi-C did was (barely) rename one of their existing flavors, Citrus Cooler, which had been around since 1969 – TWENTY YEARS before Ecto’s arrival!

While the citrus-based formula had subtle changes over the years, I can confirm that prior to Ecto Cooler’s release, Citrus Cooler’s ingredients were an exact match. So no, Citrus Cooler wasn’t just a “close cousin” to Ecto Cooler – it WAS Ecto Cooler.

Needless to say, Citrus Cooler wasn’t meant to seem “spooky” or “slimy.” In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the market was flooded with similarly green citrus-based drinks. Citrus Cooler was more about fitting in than standing out.

PS: In 1970, Casper the Friendly Ghost temporarily graced Citrus Cooler labels for an NFL promotion. Incredibly, Slimer wasn’t even the first ghost to play mascot to this Hi-C flavor! Read More…

I’m crazy late in premiering the September Funpack, but you can take that as a good sign. I was confident enough to believe that it wouldn’t take long for this one to sell out. Let’s see if I’m right!

(LIMITED SUPPLY! U.S. ONLY!)

Dino Drac’s Spooky September Funpack is here, and it’s the second of three ALL-HALLOWEEN Funpacks, filled with eerie treasures that are sure to give your season a big spirit boost.

It’s one of my all-time favorite Funpacks, and if you know a thing or two about collectibles, it’s also one of the most valuable. If I may say so, you’re getting quite a deal with this baby.

Subscriptions are currently maxed out, but I have a number of September Funpacks that I can sell on an individual basis. The cost is $25, and that includes shipping to anywhere in the United States. (Sorry, I can’t ship internationally!)

Zip to the bottom for ordering info, or keep reading to learn about everything in this month’s box! Read More…