2017 was meme-level ridiculous, but I’d rather remember the good parts than the bad parts. Even if those good parts mostly involved sushi and Zima. Below are eleven things I loved about this year. I hope you can find at least as many things that you loved about it, too. Give it a sho
Random Stuff
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11 Things I Loved About 2017.
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Dino Drac’s December Funpack!
I want you to think of this month’s Funpack as “Christmas morning in a box.” From collectibles to candy to reading material to classic stocking stuffers, Dino Drac’s December Funpack is guaranteed (well, the fake sort of guarantee, anyway) to make your month merrier. (And also guar
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Dino Drac’s November Funpack!
If you correlate the holiday season with frivolous spending, BOY do I have the thing for you. Get a load of Dino Drac’s November Funpack! (U.S. ONLY. AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME!) Vintage collectibles, fun toys and a whole Thanksgiving dinner, all in one box! If you don’t know the dea
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Dino Drac’s Halloween Funpack!
With only two weeks left until Halloween, you’re (hopefully) trying to cram in as much spooky fun as possible. We’re now at the point where if you blink one too many times, October will be over! LIMITED TIME! LIMITED QUANTITY! UNITED STATES ONLY! But have no fear! With Dino Drac’
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Dino Drac’s August Funpack: Ease Into Halloween!
It might not be the Halloween season just yet, but I bet you’re ready to pretend that it is. With this month’s Funpack, it’ll be a whole lot easier! Ease into the spooky season with Dino Drac’s August Funpack! Along with the usual bunch of retro bric-a-brac, this month’s Funpack
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12 Cool Cars From All Walks of Pop Culture!
Hi! I’m back from a too-long break. (Sorry about that!) The good news is that I used some of that time to prepare for something wildly important. The other good news is that me and Jay are finally ready to unveil the newest episode of The Purple Stuff Podcast! This week, we’re covering
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Dino Drac’s July Funpack is here!
Dino Drac’s July 2017 Funpack is a very special edition, and not just because it includes a rubber shark head. July’s box marks the three year anniversary of Dino Drac’s Funpacks — which means that you have effectively extended this site’s shelf life for three full years! (As
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Opening a box of Gremlins Cereal from 1984!
I know I’ve written about Gremlins Cereal several times before, but I swear, I have a really good reason to do it again. See, that isn’t any ordinary Gremlins Cereal box. No, that one is STILL SEALED. …or at least, it was until a few hours ago. As soon as I cracked that sucker op
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Six Delicious Facts about Hawaiian Punch.
Hey, how ‘bout a nice Hawaiian Punch? I love Hawaiian Punch. Everyone does. Anyone who claims otherwise is lying. As a kid, I adored those huge canisters of the powdered mix. As I recall, Hawaiian Punch’s mixes came sugared, so while trying to eat “raw” Kool-Aid would leave you puc
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Dino Drac’s June 2017 Funpack!
There’s no better way to beat the heat than a Dino Drac Funpack! Well, that’s not exactly true. I just have heat on the brain. It’s like 200 degrees out right now. I’m basically Surtur without the superpowers. In any event, Dino Drac’s June Funpack IS HERE, but it will only be av
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Vicious Videocassette Boxes, Volume VII!
I’ve been collecting VHS tapes in a pretty hardcore way as of late, spurred by my experiences at those still-running video stores. So far, it’s been a terrific hobby. It’s as cheap as I need it to be, and it’s an excuse to turn every yard sale and thrift shop into a hunting ground.
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Humdrum Highlights from the Summer of ’92.
Wanna read my diary? Shown above is my diary — sorry, JOURNAL — from the summer of 1992, when I was between the 7th and 8th grades. I was bored, weird and lonely, but also “purely me” in a way that seems almost alien now. I didn’t have a lot going on, and boy, it
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Dino Drac’s May 2017 Funpack is Here!
Well, it’s debuting a bit later than I would’ve preferred, but I’m finally ready to unveil Dino Drac’s May Funpack! (AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY!) The short story, for those who don’t know: Dino Drac is a one man show that requires a great deal of time, money and effort.
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Five Dead Stores.
Apologies in advance for what promises to be a screwball article with narrow appeal. Sometimes I do these just for me. Over the last few months, several of my favorite local stores went out of business. Before their sad remains are forever lost, I thought I’d pay tribute to them with thi
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Dino Drac’s April 2017 Funpack!
Go on, treat yourself. You deserve it. You deserve old gum and Addams Family trading cards. Dino Drac’s April Funpack is here! Obligatory spiel: I create and sell monthly Funpacks, stuffed with old and new nonsense. Without the profits from these boxes, I wouldn’t be able to run D
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Eight Great Nintendo Bosses!
Relive the glory days of the Nintendo Entertainment System with this look at eight great enemy bosses, from Queen Medusa to the Great Puma!
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Highlights from TRU’s 1995 Spring Catalog!
Welcome to spring, worst of the seasons. May it charm you by being full of pollen and hot enough for bugs. But the season isn’t all bad. If nothing else, it gave me an excuse to scan several pages from this 1995 Toys “R” Us Spring Catalog, which was so generously donated by my pal,
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Video Store Adventure #4: 112 Video!
In Dino Drac's latest Video Store Adventure, we're heading to 112 Video in Long Island, NY for a look at their incredibly huge and rare VHS collection!
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Spooky Unsolved Mysteries Segments II!
Let's pick out the 5 spookiest segments from the 2nd and 3rd seasons of Unsolved Mysteries. (Yes, including that awful one about the satanic arsonist. "Look at it, Omar!")
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L’eggs Eggs = Best Toys Ever?
From baker’s twine to pizza box tents, some of the best toys were never meant to be toys. My all-time favorite example? L’eggs pantyhose eggs, baby. Back in the ’80s, L’eggs stuffed bargain-priced pantyhose into plastic eggs. Some were clear, others white or black, and some eve
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Dino Drac’s March 2017 Funpack!
Hooray! I’m finally ready to reveal the goods! (AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY!) Dino Drac’s March Funpack is here! Obligatory spiel: I create and sell monthly Funpacks, stuffed with old and new nonsense. Without the profits from these boxes, I wouldn’t be able to run Di
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Kong Milkshakes at Johnny Rockets!
We’re all excited about Kong: Skull Island, right? I am, at least. The gorilla is one thing, but the idea of a nightmarish island where evolution plays by wickedly different rules is enough to make me see any Kong movie. The fact that this one stars John F’n Goodman just makes it an ev
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Another Old Video Store, Explored!
Thanks to our successes at that one video store, me and Jay vowed to hit every other video store within driving distance. After all, these places aren’t going to be around forever. It’s a miracle they’re still around now. First on the list was The Video Shop in Belmar, New Jersey. On
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Goodbye, Old Video Store.
A little over a week ago, me and Jay visited what had been one of New Jersey’s last remaining movie rental shops. Located in the city of Brick, Bob’s Video Time was closing its doors after 27 years, finally conceding defeat to an increasingly digital market. And yeah, we did kinda go t
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Dino Drac’s February 2017 Funpack!
Hooray! I’m finally ready to debut Dino Drac’s February 2017 Funpack! Took me long enough. (AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY!) Obligatory spiel: I create and sell monthly Funpacks, stuffed with old and new nonsense. Without the profits from these boxes, I wouldn’t be able to run D