Vintage Vending #17: Halloween Horrors!
The Vintage Vending series returns with an incredibly seasonal addition. From 1994, get a load of the HALLOWEEN HORRORS collection!
We’ve seen better prizes in the past, but on card art alone, this may be my favorite entry yet. I’ve seen plenty of vending assortments with “horror” flavors, but it’s exceedingly rare to find one that’s so undeniably tied to the Halloween season.
The design is complete perfection, looking more like signage from some ancient cheesy dark ride than something you’d find near a supermarket’s exit. Art like this can stop traffic, which is hilarious, because just imagine all of the stupid people crashing shopping carts into total strangers’ asses.
“Halloween Horrors” is a great title, yes, but please take note of the fine print:
“Plus Other Fine Toys.”
Translation: This was stuffed with the junky leftovers from a hundred other vending machines. Hell, once you get past the obvious chasers, even the shown sample prizes are utter garbage.
But what would’ve been an annoying experience in 1994 is easier to appreciate in 2013. What better topper for a “Halloween” vending machine than the knowledge that most players ended up with tiny plastic magnifying glasses? Since I can’t play, I take vindictive solace in knowing that Halloween Horrors caused so much disappointment. Yeah, I’m that guy. Read More…
Dino Drac’s 2013 Halloween Print!
It’s finally here!
Dino Drac’s 2013 Halloween print is NOW ON SALE!
(click here for a larger version)
Created (as usual) by Jason Week, this year’s print pays homage to – you guessed it – It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
Of course, Dino Drac’s version of the party has an entirely different cast. There’s Mummy Shark, Harley, Leviathan, Larry, Madd Matt, Shrunken Apple Head, and Dinosaur Dracula himself. This is not a poster for anyone who hates Dino Drac Dot Com!
The prints are 11×17”, printed on nice, glossy cardstock, and will be mailed FLAT. Expect a big ass hard envelope if you order one.
They’re $25 each, shipped anywhere in the United States, or $30 shipped anywhere else. Ordering info is at the bottom of this page, but first, let’s take a closer look the details! Read More…
Mountain Dew Pitch Black is BACK!
Okay guys, I have some big news. But before you get too excited, there’s a pretty major catch.
MOUNTAIN DEW PITCH BLACK IS BACK!
Yup. No joke. That’s a 2013 can of Halloween’s unofficially official soda.
But here’s the catch…
You’ll need to import it from freakin’ Malaysia. Read More…
Obscure Freddy Krueger Merch!
Without meaning to, I’ve amassed a pretty diverse collection of Freddy Krueger merchandise.
I guess the best explanation is that it’s very easy to do. Especially in his heyday, Freddy Krueger really stood apart from his slasher brethren on the merchandise front. His steady evolution into a killer comedian made him a much safer bet than, say, Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees. Freddy’s probably had ten times more toys and novelties than those two guys combined!
Since I’m more prone to notice the horror-related bric-a-brac peppering my many shelves during the Halloween season, I thought now would be a good time to give some of my “Freddy junk” a day in the sun. Here are five of my favorite – and most obscure – Krueger collectibles.
#1: Matchbox Character Car (1999)
“Character Cars” were standard-sized Matchbox cars with a twist: Each was topped with a movie figurine. The collection was surprisingly sprawling: Aside from Freddy, Jason and Leatherface, there were others based on the Universal Monsters, and even a few with non-horror characters.
Freddy was a gift from my friend Bill, and his Character Car is a beaut. In a neat nod to the films, he’s tormenting a Springwood Boiler Maintenance van. (Each car in the set was themed to match the specific figure. Jason’s version had him beating up a Crystal Lake “Camp Counselor” van, for example.)
The only downside is that you can’t remove the figure. I mean, you could, but it’d only ruin both the figure and the car. As great as it is, I think it’d be more interesting to shuffle a NOES van into a pile of regular Matchbox cars. God knows, that pile could use some personality. Read More…