Dino Drac’s 25 Days of Christmas!
12/18: Kay-Bee’s Christmas Sale! (1989)
Here’s a Kay-Bee Toys circular from the 1989 holiday season, highlighting their “Dear Santa Sale.” We actually covered the entire circular for the latest Purple Stuff bonus show, but I thought I’d at least show the cover here, since it’s such a beaut.
Featured prominently were two of that year’s hottest gifts: The Nintendo Game Boy, and Toy Biz’s Batman collection. The Game Boy was of particular interest to me, but “Santa” refused to cooperate. I ended up getting one for my birthday instead, a few months into 1990.
It really was a life-changing little device. I owned other handheld games and even a freakin’ Sony Watchman, but no portable thingamajig packed the boredom-destroying power of the Game Boy. No longer did those four-hour visits to Grandma’s house feel like sixteen days. Tetris was like a license to disassociate.
12/17: Starry Cranberry Blizz! (2024)
Acting as a replacement for Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash, Starry Cranberry Blizz infuses the usual lemon-lime soda with a blast of cranberry flavor.
It only comes in a Zero Sugar variety, and I’d describe it as more sweet than tart. In my opinion, it doesn’t beat some of the other seasonal sodas (I’d take Cranberry Canada Dry over this), but in fairness, I felt the same way about the Sierra Mist version.
If they make this again next year, I’d like to see them spike the sourness by 15% or so. But even as things stand, it’s a pleasant addition to the holidays. I’m always thrilled when these seasonal sodas arrive without calories, so I don’t have to feel guilty about pairing them with wheelbarrows of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish.
PS: If you decide to try Cranberry Blizz, make sure it’s cold. The soda is pretty great when it’s chilled, but when it’s warm, it tastes like Play-Doh.
12/16: Christmas at Kmart in ‘92!
This Kmart circular from 1992 sparks so many memories for me. Back then, Kmart was still the biggest chain in town, and a must-visit during Christmastime. It was where your family bought everything from wrapping paper to stocking stuffers to strands of lights.
It’s fitting that this particular circular gave artificial Christmas trees the cover story, because it was right around 1992 that my parents switched from real to fake. I protested that decision with every fiber of my being, but my father wouldn’t budge.
I don’t even think it was because he disliked real trees. In the early ‘90s, it felt like fake trees – the higher-end ones, anyway – suddenly became a bit of a status symbol. Maybe not to the extent of driving a Mercedes or whatever, but on par with adding a few inches to your TV screen. My father was hardly a slave to fashion, but he could pick his spots.
12/15: Holiday Toaster Strudel! (2011)
Back in 2011, Pillsbury added packets of “green holiday icing” to boxes of Toaster Strudel, thereby enabling us to turn breakfast into works of art.
In theory, anyway. I bought some that year, and while it was pretty fun to squeeze gobs of icing into vaguely recognizable shapes, the truth was that piping hot pastry crust would not rank high on my list of ideal canvases.
The icing all but liquefied seconds after hitting the Toaster Strudel, looking more like Melted Gremlin than whatever you’d set out to draw. Still, I’m a sucker for these sorts of food-related novelties, especially when they’re holiday-themed, so I have no choice but to give this thirteen-year-old box of Toaster Strudel an A+.
12/14: 7UP Spot Tree Ornament! (1990)
Here’s my super cute 7UP Spot tree ornament, from the era when the little red guys were all over television. I know they scored a video game, but these creatures were so damn popular, it’s amazing that they never sidestepped their soda roots to star in a Saturday morning cartoon.
After a brand drops a mascot character that seemed to be firing on all cylinders, research usually suggests that there was some dark reason why. (You’ve probably heard the story about The Noid, for example.)
In this case, though, it looks like 7UP just decided that the Spots were no longer “hip,” and wanted to go in a different direction. A mistake, in my opinion! 7UP still uses the big red dot in its logo, and to this day, all I see when I look at it is a Spot waiting to sprout arms and legs.
12/13: Rainbow Brite Christmas Album! (1985)
Back in 1985, Rainbow Brite dropped her very own Christmas album, filled with ten yuletide tracks. And yes, Rainbow Brite sings them. Some of her friends joined in, too. There was even an anti-Christmas song from Murky and Lurky!
It was just another in the unending parade of ‘80s holiday albums based on some existing kid-targeted franchise. We sometimes joke about how everything had an animated Christmas special back then, but I think even more brands had Christmas albums.
This whole thing was already on YouTube, but I still felt compelled to buy it, if only for the awesome cover art. With the right frame, it’ll instantly become one of my best Christmas decorations. Until then, it’ll sit in a crate, sandwiched between the scores to Freddy’s Nightmares and Unsolved Mysteries. Poor Rainbow Brite!
