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.
#60: My Pet Monster Decoration! (1986)
This thing is so obscure, even the diehard My Pet Monster fans haven’t heard of it. They’ll lie and say they did, but that’s just pride. From Carlton Cards in 1986, here we have an INCREDIBLY HUGE die-cut My Pet Monster Halloween decoration, with jointed limbs.
It absolutely dwarfs the stuffed toy, which is no easy feat. Really wish I’d included something in that photo for scale, but barring a 2024 GMC Hummer, I’m not sure what could’ve truly conveyed how big he is.
Mine was a lucky Facebook Marketplace find. If you see this on eBay, it’s usually hovering around $250. I wish I could tell you it’s worth that, but even a giant pile of cardboard is still just a pile of cardboard. With something like this, the play is to wait for some know-nothing to list it as “BLUE CREATURE PAPER DECORATION.”
#59: WIlton Party Pan! (1981)
I’m determined to bake this cake before Halloween. I probably won’t succeed, but it’s my happy thought.
I have immense nostalgia for these old Wilton cake pans, not so much for any vast hands-on experience, but because I grew up seeing them in my mother’s magazines.
She kept all of those – issues of Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping and the like – in a fat stack in one of our kitchen cabinets. I was weirdly obsessed with them, and Wilton was a frequent advertiser. Hell, they released quite a few magazines on their own, too!
Good news for interested parties: These vintage pans are generally dirt cheap. If you want them with the original paper inserts, you’ll pay a little more, but if you can live without those, people can barely give the things away.
This jack-o-lantern is one of the many Halloween-themed pans Wilton released in the ‘80s, which ran the gamut from flying witches to haunted houses. So long as you avoid the pans that’ve rusted to shit, they’re still perfectly usable. If you’re looking for a fun Halloween activity and you’re also really hungry, you could find worse ways to spend a windy afternoon!
#58: Coke’s Thirst Buster! (1985)
You might be wondering why there’s a picture of Coke in the middle of this Halloween-themed feature. I have my reasons!
This is a very rare press photo of Coke’s THIRST BUSTER – the three-liter mega bottles that hit the scene in 1985. They were impractically large and went flat quick, but they sure came in handy at large family gatherings.
It’s the name “THIRST BUSTER” that qualifies this photo for the Mausoleum. See, that was a play on Ghostbusters, which premiered barely a year before these ginormous bottles were released, and was still very much in the zeitgeist.
…and it was natural for Coke to make the pun, because at the time, Columbia Pictures – the studio that distributed Ghostbusters – was still owned by Coca-Cola. (They even got Ray Parker Jr. to record a soda-themed spin on the classic theme!)
Since my insane parents dragged me to see Ghostbusters when I was just five years old, I fell in love with that universe even before the cartoon and toys arrived. For a while, Coke’s Thirst Buster was my jam – not because I wanted to drink that much soda, but because it was arguably connected to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
#57: 7UP Trick-or-Treat Bag! (1991)
Listen, I’ve seen hundreds of promotional trick-or-treat bags over the years, so when I tell you that this is a Top 5’er, it’s no small compliment.
Given away at grocery stores back in ‘91, these plastic sacks combine my two greatest loves: Halloween, and those old school cans of Cherry 7UP.
These are from the era when 7UP still employed their “Spot” mascots. To this day, I don’t understand why they fired ‘em. Were they difficult to work with? They seemed amiable enough in the TV commercials.
Take note of the 7UP rebate coupon printed directly on the bag. Personally, even adjusting for inflation, I can’t see valuing a dollar over such a beautiful candy sack. Imagine cutting this work of art just to endure the awkwardness of handing a cashier a flimsy plastic coupon. Couldn’t be me! Read More…
Dino Drac’s Halloween Funpack is here!
Okay guys, it’s finally time to show you the goods! Dino Drac’s 2025 HALLOWEEN FUNPACK is here. The TWELFTH annual, and always one of the year’s most anticipated boxes!
Good news for all subscribers: Your boxes were shipped between Thursday and Monday, and all of them are now on the way!
Subscriptions are currently closed, but if anyone who isn’t a subscriber wants one, I have a VERY LIMITED number left to sell on an individual basis. ($25 shipped! Zip to the bottom for info, while supplies last!)
There’s a massive amount of eerie nostalgia in this one, so let’s get to it! Read More…
1992 Broadcast of Texas Chainsaw Part 2!
The latest episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast is here, and baby, we’re takin’ ya to Texas. It’s an episode that felt right for the Halloween season, and I’m not just saying that because it references a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial where Fred the Baker played Dr. Frankenstein.
In October of 1992, a FOX affiliate out of Boston implausibly decided to run The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 – a grisly, unrated movie loaded with blood and mayhem – right there on broadcast television, in prime time. What chutzpah!!
Join me and Jay from Sludge Central for an hourlong examination of this ancient television event. We’ll tell you about the film (which we love), how this FOX affiliate handled airing such a gnarly movie, and we’ll even get into some of the commercials that played during the broadcast. (Including some that were Halloween-themed!)
If you’ve seen the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre but never the sequel, boy, it’s a WAY different movie. Loud and over-the-top as a rule. It must be seen to be believed, but playing this episode is the next best thing.
Click here to listen to this month’s show!
…which you can also find on Apple, Spotify, and wherever else you listen to podcasts.
As a reminder, The Purple Stuff Podcast is also on Patreon, where we drop an exclusive bonus show every month. When you join, you instantly gain access to our entire back catalog, which goes back years. There are over 80 exclusive episodes waiting for you over there!
Oh, and here’s a little video we put together showing the film’s awesomely ominous television intro, plus all of the commercials we discuss on the show.
Enjoy! The Purple Stuff Podcast isn’t done Halloweening, so when you’re through listening to this, it won’t be long before we’re attacking you with chainsaws again. Stay tuned, stay vigilant.
Dinosaur Dracula’s GLOOM BOX is here!
Got another surprise drop for you today! It’s Dinosaur Dracula’s GLOOM BOX, a package stuffed with creepy collectibles from the ‘80s and ‘90s that are sure to make your October feel more like October.
Dino Drac’s GLOOM BOX will run you $31 – one dollar for every day in October – and that INCLUDES SHIPPING to anywhere in the United States. (I can only ship to the U.S. – sorry!)
Included are five frightful items that nobody in their right mind would try to live without. Please note that the GLOOM BOX has nothing to do with my monthly Funpacks. This is a separate thing, and the October Funpack is coming later.
Supplies are limited! Zip to the bottom to order, or keep reading to learn more about what’s inside! Read More…