Purple Stuff: The Upside Down Whopper!
Yesterday, Burger King unveiled the UPSIDE DOWN WHOPPER, a special tie-in with Stranger Things. There were a few catches, of course. It was only available on June 21st, and only at eleven locations throughout the country.
Fortunately, one of those locations was in Manhattan — so me and Jay from The Sexy Armpit made sure to clear our calendars.
Yep, it’s literally the same as a regular Whopper, just served upside down. A lot of people goofed on the gimmick, but c’mon, look at that awesome box!
Add in some limited edition pins and those custom BK crowns, and we are SO GLAD we braved rush hour traffic into Manhattan for this. These weirdo promos for Stranger Things 3 have been some of my all-time favorites. Thank God I got into the show in time to appreciate them.
We felt it was our duty to give you a full report in a special Purple Stuff Podcast minisode:
If your idea of a good time involves listening to strangers gush over upside-down cheeseburgers, hey, we’re happy to help.
Thanks for listening. As a reminder, the Purple Stuff Podcast is also on Patreon, where we drop exclusive bonus shows every month. (June’s is up now!)
Below are more photos from the event. (I can call it an “event,” right?) Read More…
Batman 1989 Merch!
Almost exactly thirty years ago, my parents took me to see Batman. When I call it a life-changing experience, it’s without a drip of hyperbole. The film permeated pop culture to the point where even a person who’d never seen the movie still felt like they were drowning in it.
I was an impressionable ten-year-old at the time — the perfect age to basically reshape my entire existence around Batman. At least until that point, it was the single coolest thing I’d ever been into. It was so safe to geek out about that movie, since literally everyone else was, too.
Naturally, I was way into the merchandise. So long as something featured Batman’s logo, I’d buy it. (Or mercilessly pester someone else until they bought it for me, as was typically the case.)
I was totally indiscriminate, but several pieces of Batman merch stood taller than the rest. Collected below are my five favorite items, hastily photographed during a short break between two thunderstorms.
Joker Poster!
Of all the many posters I owned as a kid, this was easily my favorite. I was obsessed with the Joker, and short of actual criminal activity, I sought to emulate him in every way possible. In effect, this was my version of other kids hanging up posters featuring their greatest sports heroes. I didn’t just enjoy the view; I aspired to be something more.
To be clear, I wasn’t drawn to the Joker because of the terrible things he did. It was the attitude, and the complete indifference toward conventionality. The ability to just be weird without concern. Admittedly, it was also the purple suits.
If I remember it right, I found this poster — commonly called the “seagull poster” — at Spencer Gifts. Spencer’s was Batman central in 1989, and given the chain’s reputation with kids at the time, that only boosted the film’s cool factor. Read More…
Dino Drac’s June Funpack is here!
Now almost five years into doing these Funpacks, I can pretty accurately predict which ones are gonna sell out quick. I think this one will. That’s code for “act fast.”
IN SHORT SUPPLY! UNITED STATES ONLY!
Dino Drac’s June 2019 Funpack is here, and brother, it’s solid. There are over 10 old-and-new collectibles in every box, including a few that are — at least IMO — grand slams.
You know the drill. Subscriptions are $25 a month, and that price includes shipping, which in 2019 is not at all insubstantial. For as long as you remain subscribed, you’ll keep getting sweet boxes of retro nonsense each and every month.
Scroll to the bottom for ordering info, or keep reading to learn about *everything* you’ll receive in the June Funpack! Read More…
TMNT Cereal with HONEY OOZE, from 1991!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal debuted in 1989 and lasted through late ‘92, which was pretty impressive for the kind of tie-in cereal that was usually only on shelves for a few months.
The Turtles’ own longevity partly explains it, what with their live action films and their ten thousand cartoons. Still, most of the credit should go to Ralston, which continually added enough weird shit to guarantee repeat customers.
Like, remember when Ralston gave away those plastic cereal bowls shaped like vivisected Ninja Turtles? Or when the company introduced pizza-shaped marshmallows and acted like they were more valuable than Mexican fire opals?
Or when they threw packets of HONEY OOZE into each box?
No, I’m serious. Look at the box. The Honey Ooze thing was totally real, and I’m going to spend the next 500 words gushing over it. Read More…