Old Junk Food in Maniac Cop 2!
Maniac Cop 2 is a wonderful horror movie that improves upon the original in every way.
At least, that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve never actually seen the whole thing, despite listening to the Maniac Cop Rap several times each week. I did watch the first 15 minutes, though, thanks to a tip from my pal Sammy Hain.
See, early in the film, there’s a scene set within a street corner deli. If you inspect that scene closely, you’ll spot all sorts of awesome junk foods from 1990:
The scene establishes Maniac Cop as a… well, maniac cop, who stops an armed robbery only to kill the clerk himself. It’s a tense sequence that doesn’t exactly beg you to keep an eye out for old Kool-Aid, but that’s exactly what I did.
I don’t know if the filmmakers rented an actual deli or just fabricated one, but since the place gets totally trashed, it’s probably the latter. In any case, it certainly looks like a legit 1990 street corner deli. A really good one, too, complete with Joe Camel signage and an Operation Wolf arcade cabinet.
None of us have been inside that store, but every single one of us has been inside that store. You know what I mean.
There are many recognizable foods on the shelves, but they’re for the most part things that we can still obtain today, in nearly identical packaging. I did manage to pluck out a few items that were worth pausing for, though. If you were looking for extra reasons to champion Maniac Cop 2, below are five of them: Read More…
Purple Stuff Podcast: DICK TRACY!
If someone who’d never previously seen Dick Tracy watched it right this second, I wonder what they’d think. Even if they liked it, could they possibly get why people like me are still so obsessed with it? Without the experience of being “of age” during the summer of 1990, I’m not so sure.
What might’ve been “just another movie” became so much more, thanks to Disney’s stubborn attempt to turn Dick Tracy into that year’s Batman. To be clear, the film was successful, but in terms of cultural impact, it was no Batman.
On the other hand, the blitz surrounding the movie was enormous, and if you were a kid looking for a new obsession, Dick Tracy was a goldmine. The film scored everything from an action figure line to a McDonald’s promotion to a goddamned stage show at Disney World. For me, it wasn’t just “as big” as Batman. It was even bigger!
Jay from The Sexy Armpit is just as much of a Dick Tracy fan, and that’s why we finally decided to pay tribute to this glorious movie — and all that came with it — on the Purple Stuff Podcast.
It’s a special 90-minute episode covering not just the film, but all of those sweet toys and fast food promotions. (Hell, we even do a “live scratching” of those old McDonald’s Crimestopper game tickets!)
Click here to listen to this week’s show!
Thanks for your ears, and apologies in advance for my embarrassing story. As a reminder, the Purple Stuff Podcast is also on Patreon, where you can grab an extra bonus show every month. (We’ll be posting February’s shortly — it’s all about the hottest arrivals from this year’s Toy Fair event.)
Enjoy! Here are some pics and media associated with the new episode: Read More…
Dino Drac’s Freaky February Funpack!
Yeah, here’s me, posting a new Funpack on a Friday night that also happens to be Valentine’s Day. Not exactly the wisest rollout plan, but we’ll see how it goes!
UNITED STATES ONLY! LIMITED SUPPLY!
Dino Drac’s Freaky February Funpack is here, and features what I think is an all-time item as far as Funpacks go. There’s a load of old-and-new nonsense in this one, from toys to stickers to candy to a little tiny coloring book. I think you’re gonna dig it!
You know the score, right? Funpack subscriptions are $25 a month (including shipping), and for as long as you remain subscribed, you’ll keep getting more of the good stuff each and every month. (You can cancel at any time without penalty, of course!)
Scroll to the bottom for ordering info, or keep reading to see everything you’ll get with this month’s box! Read More…
Recreating McDonald’s McSalad Shakers.
I was introduced to McDonald’s McSalad Shakers during the summer of 2000, not long after they debuted. Picture a chopped salad stuffed into a 7-Eleven Slurpee cup. They were essentially that. Salads for people who had no time to sit.
If you were hoping for an all-business McSalad Shaker history lesson, I will disappoint you in record time. My enduring love for these weirdo meals is wrapped in memories that have little to do with lettuce.
When the McSalad Shakers arrived, I was in the middle of my wannabe-waif stage, when how good I felt on a particular day directly correlated with how thin I looked. Ironically, this was also during a time when my group of friends hit McDonald’s virtually every Friday night.
The oldest in our crew had his own apartment. Every weekend, it was party central over there. We’d rent horror movies from Blockbuster, hit the McDonald’s next door, and pick up terrible beer on the way back. The McSalad Shaker was hardly diet food, but it seemed healthier than a #2.
When I look at photos of the McSalad Shakers now, I don’t see salads. I mean, I technically do, but what I really see are all of those nights spent partying in my old friend’s apartment — a chorus of clanging bottles barely audible over his Hellraiser II DVD. I’m on the loveseat, pretending my dressing-drenched cup-of-cheese is somehow better than a two-ounce hamburger.
Anyway, I did something dumb/awesome: Read More…