Deck the Halls with Bowels of Ghoulies

Well, the big night is here, or "the big dance" as we in the know call it. Okay, nobody calls it that.

I hope you've enjoyed the past 31 days of Stranger Finds.  I leave you with Halloween wishes for a magical night along with some pictures of my decorations this year featuring all of my Halloween finds.  I wasn't able to get outside pictures this year due to the weather (rain, high winds, rain, freezing temperatures, rain).

Mighty Men & Monster Making

While this Tomy "Mighty Men & Monster Maker" drawing set came out in 1978 and should have been right in my wheelhouse, I somehow missed it and my vague memories of the commercial place it in the early '80's when it wouldn't have been on my wish list, having migrated to the Atari 2600 and handheld electronic games.

Scooby Doo Lunchbox, Where Are You?

In grade school, much of your personality could be summed up by the lunch box you carried, if you could afford the luxury.  It was also a status symbol.  Lunchbox kids looked down on the brown baggers, at least it felt that way to me.

I had a lunch box in First Grade.  It was a plastic Snoopy's doghouse lunch box.  One day after school, I absentmindedly tossed it on the ground after school and the lid broke off.  That was end of my lunch box days.  I was a brown bagger there on out.

During lunch I would covet the other kids' lunchboxes, particularly those that featured cartoons, TV shows or movies I liked.  There were Marvel Superheroes, Peanuts, Batman and Robin, Happy Days, Superman the Movie, and numerous others.  But one that always stood out to me was the 1973 Scooby Doo lunch box, both for the artwork and the theme: it featured The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow on the front, and a Haunted House on the back.  How can you get better than that?

Like Disney's The Haunted Mansion from yesterday, "Scooby Doo, Where are You" turned 50 this year.  It took me almost as long to find his lunchbox. I believe it was an estate sale find and I'm sure I paid up for it.

Happy 50th Disney's Haunted Mansion

This 1970 promotional item published by Disney and Gulf Oil celebrates the opening on August 9th, 1969 of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion attraction which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.  I've been fascinated with Haunted Mansion since I was a kid, checking out books like this from my elementary school library.  I've never been to Disneyland, but I finally got to visit the Haunted Mansion when I was in the 5th grade.  I've been back with my own kids numerous times in the past 20 years and it's still my favorite attraction there.

Witch Candle Company is Which?

I found this Gurley witch at a garage sale this year. It's nice to find these vintage items still, particularly at garage sale prices.

Bony Tony

I found this MPC "Bony Tony" figure among some small toys priced at a quarter each at a recent sale. 

Witch and Cauldron

I went to an estate sale in Webster Groves, Missouri that heavily advertised Halloween collectibles.  I know "heavily advertised" equals "high priced", but I decided to go anyway to check out the prices and the house which was a turn-of-the-century home.

While the selection of Halloween items was impressive (mainly vintage die cuts), they were priced at and mostly above eBay prices.  That didn't stop people from grabbing them up which of course doesn't discourage the estate sale companies from pricing them that way, and I don't blame them.

However, they did have a quarter box of items in which I saw this.