Remember when the prize inside a Cracker Jack box used to be amazing? I remember pulling that foil wrapped chewy brick out of the box and tearing in to find the prize...on occasion, the Cracker Jacks might have been fresh and not stuck together in one large mass, but usually the prize could easily be pried away from the gooey crunchy kernels.
I had little plastic trinkets, magic motion fun cards and other types of tiny treasures. Recently I opened a bag of Cracker Jacks, not even a box, and was momentarily delighted to find the prize. No longer is it a little paper envelope, but rather a perforated, little package, similar to past pay stubs or unemployment checks. Not cool. And here is what it was filled with....
Does anyone else want to start a petition to bring back cool Cracker Jack prizes?
I wrote a post months ago about the Barnyard Buddies, and it has been a popular one since so many people seem to agree these are great toys.
I am contacted from time to time by toy collectors who need help tracking down an elusive toy, and have recently had such a request about this series.
So, does anyone out there have a pig? If you do, I know a collector who needs one! If you have one and are willing to sell/ trade for it, please post a comment with your email address.
The month of May nearly slipped by without a single post from me! How did you all survive?!?
So here is a short one, more of a cry for help than actual information. I bought this figure at a local Japanese market called Sakura Mart. I go there from time to time to stock up on tea, cookies and whatever plastic goodness I can get my hands on.
I had to do a lot of searching online to discover that this figure is from a series of Dr. Slump toys. Dr. Slump is, of course, a manga turned anime series with fabulous merchandise like the gashapon you see here.
I found some info on Wikipedia, but if you know me, you know I hate taking Wikipedia's word for it. I found some fan sites (which I guess is the same thing as a Wikipedia article) and a plot summary on Amazon.com.
All in all it seems like a fun, light-hearted series, but I must admit to buying this toy purely because I wanted the cutie-pie pink, animal-suited figure on the box. I didn't get that, obviously, but I enjoyed this Giant Robo meets Astro Boy character.
Any Dr. Slump fans out there who want to educate me?
I have been buying more Hot Wheels than capsule toys lately, mostly because I can more easily find new ones. And I love cars, so there's that.
I especially love funny cars. My Hot Wheels collecting niche is models with movable parts. Hoods that open, parts that come off (purposely or not), and funny cars. They are the best because the whole body lifts up revealing the chassis below. And even this pint size version conjures up the smell of burning rubber and gasoline. Mmmmm.
Drag racing is also amazing, and if you have never experienced it, I highly recommend it. If you are a local, the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) sponsors national Dragster Challenges and you can see one at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 25th.
And if you have never seen a funny car in action, here is a little treat from me to you:
John Force is my favorite drag racer. I had the pleasure of meeting him once, and he is the nicest guy, and seems to love his job. And why shouldn't he?!?
This toy is one that I expertly plucked from a claw machine during an awesome lunch with John at a Chinese Buffet. We had a great time, and on the way out I gleefully jammed my money into the claw machine (as I am prone to do).
I find that I (almost) never want what's in there, I just can't suppress the urge to conquer the machine.
So, this time I won on my second try. I used to be much more skilled and could win multiple toys in one sitting...but now I am out of practice.
I can, however, still tell within one twist of the joystick if the machine is worth playing or not. You've got all kinds of claws...the metal ones are always better than plastic ones. The other two major factors are how loose the prongs of the claw are as well as how tightly the claw will close.
If you can get an acceptably tight claw with a pretty small gap between its closed pinchers...then you can win nearly anything if you persevere. There are also some claw machine subtleties like the circular twisting of some claws as they move down toward the toys. Some are set to be so sensitive that the moment they make contact with the goodies they shoot back up again. These machines aren't worth your time!
Sort of like this toy I won! It is so poorly made! Look at him...he is really quite pitiful. All lop-sided and has no neck, just head and body. His white stitches show through his fur and he has little holes all over him indicating the poor quality of his scratchy, furry fabric.
I did laugh at the "Kuddle Me Toys" tag, though...I told John that it seemed like a Krusty the Clown product...something that should be filled with cheap toxicity...interestingly it probably is!
If you want some more claw machine-playing tips...there are many YouTube videos out there. Here is one, from a guy who could no doubt kick my ass at toy-grabbin'.
I was on a roll there for a while, posting every Sunday, but I let two slip by! So, here I am, back again, this time with a charming anecdote.
These toys were in my Christmas stocking and come with a funny story.
I had stopped in a Dollar Tree next to a now defunct Target on Indy's south side. I know this location was a possible capsule source so I stop in now and then to buy a few. This is the place where I got saddled with those awful monkeys.
Anyway, when I got inside I saw the machine with these squishy little guys. They have holes in the bottom, I assume for a pencil, maybe it is just a manufacturing necessity, but I am officially attributing it to function.
Excitedly I put a quarter in and turned the crank,...nothing. Another quarter,...nothing. In disgust, I left, cursing whomever left the machine in such disrepair.
Then, on Christmas morning, I relayed this story to my parents who had thought to buy these for me...turns out they were the ones who busted the machine. Seems like there is a larger life lesson in there somewhere.
I generally like these toys a lot, and have some others that seem to be from a more "forest-friend" kind of series...more on that later.
I am especially excited about this toy. I found it during a recent Mighty Mugg hunt. (A successful one, resulting in 2 new Transformers MMs!)
John and I picked through the selection of Hot Wheels, a typical activity, and I was delighted and surprised to come across this MOON modified little guy...
This car is one with solid Hot Wheels pedigree...a modified version of the regular repeater, Sooo Fast. But that is not what makes it so good, it is the MOON modified goodness.
I love MOONEYES! When I was a kid, my dad used to rebuild old cars, resulting in lots of car shows, drive-ins, and weekend swap meets that I would go to and we would pick through piles of old parts, customized car stuff and decals. As a kid, decals were an easy way for me to participate, resulting in a souped-up sticker collection that I wish I still had. Anyway, MOONEYES always make me think of peeking under the hood of flame-covered hot rods and curvy, sexy muscle cars with Del Shannon and the Beach Boys going in the background. (If you've got a problem with the Beach Boys, I can live with it...if you knock Del Shannon, it's on like Donkey Kong.)
So, of course I bought this car to revel in my lost youth. I now am crossing my fingers and holding my breath that I will someday find a Hot Wheel covered in a Hookers Headers decal. -sigh-
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