Video Store Adventure #4: 112 Video!
We discovered another still-running video store, and this one was just nuts. Feast your eyes on 112 Video:
Part of a small strip mall in Patchogue, New York, 112 Video opened in the mid ‘80s. The current owner, Rick Something, purchased the store around 7 years ago. Nice guy. Wore lots of blue.
112 Video is “east coast famous” among VHS fanatics, thanks to its absurdly large collection of super rare tapes. I was not at all prepared. It was too much to handle in one visit. There were hundreds of videos that I never thought I’d see in person, from every conceivable genre.
What sets 112 Video apart from other still-going video stores is that it has never been picked clean of the good stuff. Hell, if you look close at the 100+ tapes I scored from the incredible Four Star Video, you’ll notice that nothing was particularly rare. Over time, collectors usually take the best apples from these trees. Read More…
Spooky Unsolved Mysteries Segments II!
Old news, but still big news: Unsolved Mysteries is now streaming on Amazon, and for free if you’re a Prime member.
I’ve already written about five spooky segments from Season 1, but they’ve since added two more seasons. Season 2 admittedly misses more than it hits, but Season 3 is loaded with all-time classic segments. (It even has the one where that woman sweats gold foil.)
Below are five more segments that I’ve deemed CREEPY, from the show’s second and third seasons. Not all of them are scary in an on-the-nose sort of way, but the thing about Unsolved Mysteries is that the segment could be about long-lost cousins and you’d still wanna shit. Read More…
Surfin’ Berry Punch Kool-Aid, from 1987!
I’m back with another review of old Kool-Aid. Just smile and nod and pretend that this is something you care about.
I said nod.
For the longest time, Surfin’ Berry Punch was my white whale. My bright red white whale. It’s one of the hardest Kool-Aid flavors to find on the collectors’ market, and not just because it’s been out of production for over 25 years.
Judging by my research, Surfin’ Berry Punch only had one strong year: 1987, which was also its debut year. The flavor quietly lasted until the early ‘90s, but only because Kool-Aid takes a while to go bad, and hell, if you already made and packaged the stuff, that money’s spent.
Since it was kinda rare even in its day, Surfin’ Berry Punch is crazy rare now. In fact, it wasn’t until 2017 that I finally saw a few packets pop up, and I’d been searching for this Kool-Aid nonstop — I mean 24/7 nonstop — since 2002.
Just smile and nod. Read More…
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 even gold or silver. Growing up in a houseful of women, these eggs were never in short supply.
They were basically the same as plastic Easter eggs, but four times larger. Just big enough to work as action figure vehicles. Read More…