Miss Piggy Nostalgia

I have had this toy a couple of times in my life. I first acquired it at the age of 7, when I was in 1st or 2nd grade. I think it was likely 2nd grade. It was a McDonald's Happy Meal Toy. Not a particularly awesome or special one, but I loved it because it was a car (and girls rarely got those as toys in my family) and Miss Piggy comes out of the car. (People who know me well know I will break a toy trying to discover if it "comes apart.")

I hung on to this toy for a long while. I remember sneaking it to school in my book bag, despite it being against the teacher's and my parents' rules. I would keep it in my pocket and push her along the edge of those long porcelain water fountains old schools had. I have a great, albeit isolated, memory of that. But somewhere along the way I lost it...after I grew too old to care about her.

Anyway, over the summer, John and I visited the Covered Bridge Festival in...Mansfield, I think. And I found this at one of the few stalls that had cool trinkets and antiques. I maybe paid a few dollars for it, but I am quite happy to have this hold-over from my childhood.

Baby Piggy is part of a series of Happy Meal toys featuring the Muppet Babies, a good-ole 80s classic. Here is a taste of eighties goodness for ya'....



That song is so awesome...it reminds me of Del Shannon and Sha-na-na...yeah!

Aliens: A New Batch

I wrote one of my first posts about a couple of awesome toys from a series called, Alien Invasion. In researching their origins online, it was impossible to figure out who manufactured them, partially due to the high number of alien capsule toys. I saw about a dozen types of alien toys in that search and I have finally acquired some from my field research.

These guys came from the trip to Fry's Electronics I mentioned a couple weeks ago. They certainly are a curiosity. Why would aliens want to bulk up? They have translucent green bodies, have mastered space travel and can zoom around the universe, though they choose to pump some iron? Is this subtle fitness propaganda for kids? Even if it is, I suppose there are worse things. It appears that this alien race from "Planet-X" is in to gymnastics, maybe karate and lots of other exercise. You can buy a bucketful of them on several sites such as A&A Global Industries.

These toys are in the $.25 category, and that makes them fun crank out of the machine. Especially at a place like Fry's where you can find toys that cost $1 or more in other machines. I am always excited by anything marginally good in the "bubblegum level" (the $.25 machines). These toys are better than many in that category. My favorite thing about them is the pained facial expression...do they hate exercise? Are they lifting 250 lbs? Are they horrified that we're watching them? Or maybe, in their alien community, that expression means, "We love a good workout!" Whatever...I dig it.

In searching for a place for you to buy these aliens online and in bulk, I found this toy that I really enjoyed and couldn't resist sharing.

Saving it for later...

Today I made a stop at Sakura Mart to by some genmai-cha with my sister and I picked up this fabulous little guy.

I am a Sanrio fan typically, and I enjoy many of the characters beyond Hello Kitty. This one is My Melody. A cutie, with an adorable story and some free downloads on the Sanrio website.

I decided to save this treat for later and keep it in its fabulously Japanese wrapping. I just can't bring myself to tear open that perfect package. But when I do, I will find the perfect place for my new figure. (Maybe on my cell phone?) Coincidentally, this figure is made by Kabaya. Makers of the world's best cookie...My favorite is Saku Saku Panda, a panda face cookie coated with some strawberry flavored white chocolate. You can't get those anymore (that I know of) but you can get a delicious white and milk choclate version. I whole-heartedly recommend you buy some! And I give this My Melody a thumbs up too.

Jackpot! Capsule toys at Fry's Electronics

John and I wrapped up our capsule-buying in 2008 by taking a trip up to Fry's Electronics with camera in tow. Thanks to John for this fabulous photo of the spread...

While this glittering row does contain a variety of toys between $.25 and $1.00, many of the machines are also filled with sweets...gumballs, m&m's, and the like. It is quite out of the way for us, but it was a fun day. A long, rainy drive filled with music with this row of capsule machines at the end of the journey.

We sampled a few machines (at least one in each price range). I will cover all of these acquisitions in installments, starting with this one.

For $1.00, I bought John this Pokemon. Turtwig is one of 6 figures in the "Buildable Figure Collection: Series 3." So-called, I think, because it came in 2 pieces that you must jam together in order to gaze upon its complete glory. Not exactly a garage kit, but I suppose you do get a cheap assembly thrill. These toys are made by TYC (the TOMY YUJIN Corporation). Check it out at www.gachausa.com. Series 4 is available (though not at Fry's) and Series 5 is yet to be released.

If you are a cheater, you can purchase the complete set on a variety of online toy stores. Here is one at www.tisinc99.com. Of course, you can find them on ebay, too. While I do not believe it is as much fun this way, I have ocassionally resorted to this method when collecting specific toys. Typically it is Japanese gashapon toys that drive me to this type of behavior.