It's the Final Countdown!

When I began this year’s Countdown to Halloween, I began it with the pessimistic outlook that I wouldn’t have enough to post daily.  As it turns out, I posted daily plus and still have a bunch leftover.  The following finds were all candidates for a post of one kind or another, but I kept passing them over for other things I wanted to post first, much like that scene in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure where he keeps passing over the snakes while saving the rest of the animals from the fire at the pet store.  Well, this is my AUGGGGHHHHH!!!! moment (imagine me laying on the ground with all of the following finds spread across me).  If you can't relate to Pee Wee Herman, think of it this way: if this blog were Gilligan's Island, these finds would be the Professor and Mary Ann.

Wreck the Halls with Bowels of Ghoulies

I'm finally getting close to being done with decorating.  I KNOW HALLOWEEN IS TOMORROW!!

Really, I mean it, I'm almost done!  Here's what I've done so far.

Restraining Halloween

I found this clipped article among the recipe booklets I found a while back. It's from the morning edition of the October 26th, 1938 edition of The St. Louis Globe-Democrat.  With a title that could get you jail time these days, it addresses and attempts to resolve an issue communities were becoming more and more concerned about -- the destructive pranks done by young Halloween revelers.  Prior to the 1940's, Halloween was an excuse to run amuck causing mayhem in your neighborhood with such pranks as soaping windows, stealing gates and porch steps, and even moving outhouses off of their pits. This article suggests planning a Halloween party to restrain those youngsters.

1953 Parade Cook Book

This St. Louis Post-Dispatch Parade cook book boasts an assortment of mouth-puckering...er...watering recipes.

One page is dedicated to Halloween.

But perhaps the most horrifying display is the back cover.

Topps Flying Things

The art on these 1960's Topps Flying Things bear a striking resemblance to the art of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, and I'm sure it's no coincidence.  Capitalizing on that Rat Fink style, these originally sold individually for 10 cents each.

Eureka Diecuts

Horror Sounds of the Night

Found among the pile of other Halloween finds from my previous post was this Topstone "Horror Sounds of the Night" cassette tape featuring "30 weird minutes" of "spine-tingling Halloween" enjoyment.