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.

#11: Sun Valley Halloween Cookies! (1991)

GOD this box is gorgeous. I might as well be looking at a cozy fireplace, or golden leaves rustling on an October tree. It’s just so pure, innocent, and sincere. If the Great Pumpkin sought out cookie boxes instead of pumpkin patches, he’d pick this one.

Sun Valley’s “Buttery Flavored Cookie Snacks” came shaped like witches, ghosts, cats and jack-o’-lanterns, and while I never tried them back then, I’m confident that they tasted like Grandma’s house.

While there’s a vintageness to the design that makes the box look even older than it is, that holographic doorway betrays its early ‘90s roots. From cereal boxes to comic book covers, that was one of the era’s biggest gimmicks. I just never expected to see it employed on a package of cat cookies!

#10: Alice Cooper F13 Single! (1986)

What are these little record singles called? 45s? Whatever the case, that’s what this is – the single release of Alice Cooper’s He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask), the theme song to Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.

Sorry about all the italics. My hands were tied.

Jason Lives is a fan favorite, and while I’m not nearly as into it as the rest of you, I still see how it saved the series. After a weird fifth installment that needed thirty years to find its defenders, Jason Lives made everything cool again. And I think this song – which had a full-blown music video in MTV rotation – was a big part of that.

(Actually, wasn’t Jason Lives one of the first horror movies to take advantage of MTV in a biggish way? This was a year before Dokken’s Dream Warriors video premiered, after all.)

The promo shot shown on that sleeve is commonly seen all over the internet, but to my knowledge, it was only officially used on this itty bitty single. If you’re looking for one, good luck, it’s pretty rare!

#9: Coors Beerwolf Costume! (1980s)

This was a once-in-a-lifetime Facebook Marketplace find – the kind that required weeks of cajoling to persuade a non-local seller to not only break his “I don’t ship” rule, but to break it for a gigantic wolf costume. Stuff like this doesn’t just magically materialize in my office!

This isn’t any ordinary Halloween costume. In fact, it’s not a Halloween costume at all. It’s an honest-to-goodness Coors Beerwolf MASCOT costume, originally used for promotional appearances. The furry bodysuit is normal enough, but the mask is ENORMOUS. There’s even a battery-operated fan built into it, to keep its wearer comfortable while out in the heat.

While the Coors Beerwolf was not exclusively tied to the Halloween season, that was when he did his best work, so I feel completely justified about including this in the Mausoleum. My ultimate goal is to buy a mannequin and leave the costume on display like less-offensive bear taxidermy, but that’s a project for when my apartment is cleaner and my wallet thicker.

(As a matter of full disclosure, while the mask and suit are original, the gloves are just a BS pair I found for ten bucks on Amazon.)

#8: Showtime Halloween Makeup Ad! (1985)

I’ve gotten really into collecting old Halloween magazine ads lately, which I guess is what happens after you’ve already collected every other possible type of Halloween thing. I’d say I’d do pumpkin leaf bags next, but honey, I ran that well dry years ago.

This Showtime ad has been a favorite since childhood, specifically because of that weird space age shark man. What a great getup! The fact that the supposed “shark” looks as much like a mash of a football player, zombie and Todd from Christmas Vacation only adds to the appeal.

These makeup kits were pitched to adults, not so much for “content” reasons as the simple fact that the intricate paint jobs were far beyond the patience of most children. (Even if an adult handled the painting, good luck getting a kid to sit still for two hours.)

#7: Sharp Hand Joe! (1990s)

Yes, it’s really him. “Sharp Hand Joe” was the official name of this very unofficial Freddy Krueger knockoff figure, released as part of the Monster Vampire collection from Simba Toys. If you don’t believe me, here’s the cardback.

The early ‘90s action figure line was never available in the States, but with the advent of eBay, Sharp Hand Joe became an internet favorite. Who could resist a fake Freddy Krueger prancing around in Waldo’s clothes, especially with a name like that?

Ironically, this cheap knockoff now costs more than many official Freddy Krueger collectibles, with even unpackaged figures sometimes fetching $200. Actually, Joe has become so popular that a few folks are producing new merch based on him… which of course is just as unlicensed as he was! Read More…

Posted by Matt on 08/31/25
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Dino Drac’s Eerie August Funpack – the first of three all-spooky Funpacks for the 2025 Halloween season – is here!

This one is LOADED with all sorts of creepy treasures – everything from old toys to old cards to old stickers to old Ghoul-Aid. (Yes, you read that right.)

Here’s the scoop: All subscriber boxes have already shipped as of last weekend, and are either on the way or already delivered. As of this writing, I have *very* few spares leftover for any non-subscribers who want one.

If you’d like to get one, send me an email, and if I have any left I’ll send you the deets. As always, they’re $25, and that includes shipping to anywhere in the United States. UPDATE: Sorry, they are now sold out!

Now, let’s see what’s in the box! Read More…

Posted by Matt on 08/25/25
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Well, since we had so much fun covering a bunch of ‘80s monsters on the last episode of the Purple Stuff Podcast, we decided to jump right into the sequel. Grab a flannel and a hacky sack or whatever, because we’re about to name Eight Great Monsters from the 1990s!

From television, toys, movies and even ice cream trucks, join me and Jay from Sludge Central for an eighty-minute tribute to various vivacious beasts. Literally none of our picks could be termed as “predictable,” so if you like it when the PSP busts out the deep cuts, this Bud’s for you.

Click here to listen to this month’s show!

…which is also on Apple, Spotify, and wherever else you listen to podcasts.

As a reminder, we’re also on Patreon, where you can grab an exclusive bonus show every month – and gain immediate access to our immense library of prior bonus shows as soon as you join! If you’ve never tried it before, there is a LOT of Purple Stuff left to listen to!

We hope you find this new episode to be the perfectly terrifying way to ease into the 2025 Halloween season. Naturally, from now though October 31st, everything we cover will tie in with the season.

If you’d like to learn more about the ‘90s monsters discussed on the show, follow the links below. Or, if you’d rather not be spoiled, frantically scroll up and pretend this part of the page doesn’t exist.

1) Flukeman from The X-Files! (1994)
2) Jack-O: It’s Harvest Time! (1995)
3) The Creature from Split Second! (1994)
4) Good Humor’s Ghoulie Bars! (1996)
5) Monster Armor X-Men Figures! (1997)
6) Sandkings from The Outer Limits! (1995)
7) Mr. Swablr from Monsters! (1990)
8) Blurp Balls! (1991)

Thank you all for your continued support, and especially for sharing the show around! We look forward to spending yet another Halloween season with ya. Hard to believe we’ve been at this for ten years now!

Posted by Matt on 08/13/25
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