Dino Drac’s December Funpack is here! Actually, most of them have already been shipped, and some have already arrived! (With the holiday insanity at the USPS, I wanted to get these out as early as possible!)

Subscriptions are maxed out, and I only have a couple of spares to offer this month. If you’re not a subscriber and you still want this box, jump to the bottom for ordering info. (It’s $25, shipped.) But this one’s mostly to show subscribers what they will be getting!

As always, I try to infuse the December Funpacks with a healthy dose of yuletide cheer. Keep reading to learn about everything in this month’s box! Read More…

Posted by Matt on 12/15/24
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Welcome to Dino Drac’s 25 Days of Christmas! From now through December 25th, I’ll be posting a little something, every single day. Remember to check back, because I won’t be plugging this often!

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!

12/12: A Very Faygo Christmas! (1988)

This Faygo magazine ad comes from a time long before the Juggalos commandeered the soda for their own nefarious, whoop-whooping purposes.

The Michigan-based brand has in more recent years embraced its reputation with louder labels and wilder flavors, but back then, it was “classy” enough to join Schweppes on a Sears photoshoot without looking out of place.

I was talking with a friend yesterday, and we were waxing nostalgic about how these old magazine ads were composed and lit. Or underlit, as the case was. Everything felt smoky and cozy and maybe even a little creepy, like the photos were shot in dive bars under the indirect light of 10-watt bulbs. Swoon.

12/11: Gremlins Trading Cards! (1984)

Just a couple of trading cards from one of my favorite Christmas movies, Gremlins. (I don’t need to plead my case, right? This isn’t a “borderline” situation. I mean, Gizmo himself was a damned Christmas present!)

The film was one of my major childhood obsessions. I didn’t see Gremlins until it arrived in video stores, but by then, I’d already bought the toys, ate the cereal, read the storybooks, and prayed to God for my own pet Mogwai.

My family made a copy using the two-VCRs trick, and through some minor miracle, I still have that tape. I have no idea how it survived, given how many times I used to play it.

I have a weird thing with this film. No matter how many times I see Gremlins – and keep in mind, that number is well over 100 by now – it never feels overly familiar.

I’d say it’s a testament to how well it was made, but it’s more likely the fact that every time I watch Gremlins, my attention to the movie competes with daydreams about me and Gizmo reading comic books and eating Ruffles.

12/10: Christmas Snow Punch! (1988)

I was pleased as punch to discover this ad in the back of one of my many old holiday magazines, instructing us on how to make “Christmas Snow Punch.”

It’s a mix of Sprite, vanilla ice cream, and Hi-C Hula Punch — a long-discontinued flavor that was basically Hi-C’s version of Hawaiian Punch. The ad hints that Minute Maid Fruit Punch would work just as well, and since that’s still in supermarkets, you can use it as a stand-in if you’re dying to try this.

Actually, the recipe was already a bit of an antique by 1988. These punches involving ice cream (or sometimes sherbet) are all over my even older cookbooks from the ’60s, when no amount of sugar was too much sugar. I’ve made a few in the past, and the results aren’t as milky as you might expect.

Course, I’m mostly showing you this because the image of Hi-C Hula Punch surrounded by holiday party supplies begged to be shared! Read More…

Posted by Matt on 12/01/24
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Well, it’s finally time for The Purple Stuff Podcast’s annual review of an old Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! And we’ve picked a truly stellar example. Let’s head back to 1984!

Yes, it’s the 58th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which aired live on November 22nd, 1984. This year marks that parade’s 40th anniversary, so it was only fitting that we’d spend an hour going completely berserk about it.

This is the oldest parade we’ve covered on the show, and it was a reminder of how much looser the event used to be. They run a tight ship nowadays, but back then, things could get a little wonky – but usually in a good way!

Join me and Jay from Sludge Central as we marvel at everything and everyone from Scooby-Doo to the Care Bears to evil space alien lizard people. Even John Ratzenberger makes the cut!

Click here to listen to this month’s show!

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

It’s honestly one of the most jam-packed Macy’s Parades I’ve seen. Even with this jumbo-sized episode, we barely scratched the surface! If you want to see the whole thing, it’s on YouTube in all of its grainy 480p glory. (Well, maybe more like 360p, but it’ll get the job done.)

PS: For those who subscribe to our Patreon, we’re going to be dropping a special bonus episode where we gush about a bunch of the TV commercials that aired during this broadcast. Look for it tomorrow!

Thanks so much to everyone who listens to the show, and especially to those who share it around! This is our seventh annual Macy’s Parade review, and it’s one of our favorite podcast traditions. Here’s to many more! Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

Posted by Matt on 11/25/24
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