Universal Monster Candle Busts

When I first found these wax monster noggins, I thought they were old.  Doing some research, it looks like they were produced in the last 20 years.  Still cool.  I don't think I'll burn these, although, if I had the Frankenstein candle, it might be appropriate.

Since this was such a short post, can I light a candle under you (see what I did there) and advise that you head (again!  I can't stop!) on over to the great Countdown to Halloween and check out what all the other boils and ghouls are up to!

Dynamite Monster Bash

Dynamite was one of my staple orders from Scholastic Books when I was a kid.  And one of my favorite parts of the magazine was always Count Morbida.  This issue from 1975 dates a little prior to when I started reading it, but I was fortunate to come across it along with several other issues at an estate sale this summer.  It's issue number twelve and it devotes a large section to planning a Monster Bash.  Maybe you can use some of these for your Halloween party this year.

A Monster Mask Mystery

Sometimes when I start writing a post, it begins as one thing and ends as another.  Initially, this post was about trying to identify a mask, but it turned into a tangential examination of Halloween masks used in classic television shows and movies I recall fondly from my childhood.  In other words, I'm easily distracted.

Last spring, I drove a fair distance to attend what appeared to be an enormous estate sale chock full of retro goodies.  What particularly caught my eye in the ads for the sale were numerous Ben Cooper/Collegeville plastic Halloween masks. Once inside and after fighting my way through the crowd, I finally found the room with the masks, just in time to see a lady grabbing every plastic mask there. I pushed toward her to see if she'd left any, but she hadn't.  However, she had passed on a rubber mask which I grabbed.

Fun in Story

This children's book dates from 1940 and was written by Gertrude Hildreth who was a psychologist and wrote the first textbook on applying psychology to school problems.

Vampire Bendy

 I found this rubber bendy vampire figure at a sale for a quarter.  How could I pass him up?

Away, Foul Creatures of Evil!

Even Soap Operas couldn't resist the allure of the monster mania that swept the mid 1960's and countered the typical serial soap romance and melodrama with "Dark Shadows".  Hosting a variety of ghouls, the show starred Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) as the reluctant vampire in search of his lost love.

The show was cancelled in 1971, but lived on in comic books and later revivals, most recently the 2012 Tim Burton film.

In this August 1972 Gold Key issue, Barnabas' long-time nemesis Angelique (who is responsible for turning Barnabas into a vampire 175 years ago) sics two "Night Children" on Barnabas, convincing him they are simply poor waifs looking for their lost dog before going all demonic on him.  Enjoy the story and the groovy ads!

Halloween -- It's Still My Bag, Baby!

It's hard to believe the Halloween season has rolled around yet again. And once more, I have received an exclusive invitation from the countdowntohalloween.com gang to participate in this year's festivities. Okay, actually they forgot all about me and I had to politely knock and ask to come in.