I can't forget that some of you still come around these parts lookin' for a spooky old comic book tale to read, so here's a frighteningly fun one from DeCarlo and Lapick, and from the November 1962 issue of Tales Calculated to Drive You Bats #7. You know, as much as I adore Sabrina and her kin, I always loved it when Archie comics would turn on the darkness with just a tad bit more evil edge such as this...
Time now for the Eye Patch Glasses edition of the super fun, very tiny, disguise kit series of prize booklets from a late 60's Cracker Jacks snack box. Yes, dearest top secret agents, now you can truly go full-blown incognito in 2021 with brand new peepers, and of course with the lower half of your face covered by a Covid mask, not a single soul on Earth will ever recognize you! Assembling this thing sounds fun, with many an end in need of moistening, plus, multiple slot insertions in wait! I also found another teeny Cracker Jacks prize book recently, a jolly lil joke book full of cornball zingers--- COMING SOON!
So, the new year rolled out and I guess I decided I just needed a little break. The disappointing turn of events with Blogger's screwy 2020 update left a very yucky taste in my mouth, only enhanced by the handful of stupid asshole comments (unpublished) that I received on my last few posts. Anyway, two more weeks was long enough to mull over the death of THOIA, and to basically just catch my breath and get some other fun stuff together to show ya's. The image sizing issues are still an annoying problem here at AEET, but I think we can live with it for now. So. Sigh. Finally picking up pretty much right where we left off (see the previous Humanoid costume post), it's apparently still Halloween in January --and time for more tricks 'n terrifyin' treats! And yes, finding an 80's Arkin A-OK Scary Bendable still on the original card is pretty awesome in my book, especially one in as great condition as this. I don't have a clue what this dude is actually supposed to be, some kind of vampire witch red riding hood or something, but his yellow-green suit, bloody fingertips, and nicely designed card --complete with ghost, web, bats, and black cat-- definitely sum up everything we love about monster toys and Halloween. You've probably noticed that cute little white cat wrapped around his legs. I found her somewhere else separately, but, also being a vintage bendy, I thought she'd make a purrfect addition to Mr Scary. Let us forever call her Lil Miss Frisky. I hope everyone's having a great 2021 so far-- stay tombed for lots, lots more!
I had a much different post planned today for New Years Eve 2020, (a sexy fun vintage stage show brochure), unfortunately, I misplaced it before I got around to scanning it so it'll have to wait for another time. Instead, --and actually this is even a bit more appropriate now, I see, as I'm typing this up-- for AEET's final post of a rather disastrous, lousy year full of sadness, sickness, and countless tragedy, I present a shining light example of something good that happened here in the final weeks of 2020: with a complete stranger performing a surprising act of extreme kindness and very generous giving. Okay first, let's travel back a few months to October, when once again I'm out on one of my many usual antique mall rounds, and I discover a halloween costume from Collegeville's 1978 "Science Fiction" line. Cosmically cool box art full of spectacular space graphics and alien starships, and folded neatly inside is a silvery, shiny costume frock featuring something most colorfully alien, and labeled simply as "Humanoid." Seemingly half, scaly android, and possibly even part human -- I mean, that is a rather gory, half exposed brain protruding out of the top of the head, isn't it? "So what is this crazy looking thing from another world?" I asked myself. And then I immediately howl out in disappointment after realizing that OH GOD NO the mask is missing. "Sold as is" said the tag. Wah. I decide to buy it anyway, and immediately set out googling and ebaying my life away to find the mask that fits. No luck. A couple of weeks later I take a few "please help" pix and post them in some vintage toy / halloween / horror facebook groups, and low and behold, almost magically, someone replies back that they indeed have a mask that matches! This news becomes even more exciting when inquiring if they would be interested in selling or possibly trading for it, with the person eventually replying back that they would just give it to me-- all I needed to do was give them my address! What! Seriously?! And a week or so later it arrives (holiday gift wrapped even!) and I am now finally able to put mask - frock- and box together to complete my weird ass HUMANOID, with a very special thanks to the super HUMAN that made it possible. A rather nice way to end 2020, don't you think? So Happy New Year, everyone! We will see you in January with lots, lots more to give, so please stay with us...
If you're still looking for something to do on New Years Eve this Thursday, allow me to dig out another one of my old "current interests" newsmagazines and fill ya in! Of course you'll have to travel back over half a century to 1945, way back to when the 'ol Windy City was quite a different place altogether! But as I'm sure many of you are aware, some things never change, or get old, or go out of style-- and that's the need to watch pretty ladies do their eye-poppin' thang on (and possibly off) stage. So have yourself a tantalizing "laffiesta" as you scan over these ads of sizzlin' starlets and burlesque beauty queens, and afterwards maybe have a cocktail or two-- or even something a little more "intimate" back stage!
***POST UPDATE WITH ANOTHER FINE COLORIZATION BY MR. CAVIN!***
Atlas ace, Larry Woromay, could ape Davis (and Nostrand) with incredible, impeccable accuracy. He also delivered the gloomy xmas goods in the macabre March 1953 issue of Marvel Tales #112, with an oddly refreshing twist on the Dickens classic. Have a safe and very happy holiday everyone-- we'll definitely see a few more posts here at AEET before the year is out too...
It's always fun to see vintage xmas catalog posts around the web this time of year. Heck, I used to do posts just like 'em in the early years of this blog as well --just check the AEET archives. So, instead of going back only a half century to the 50's - 70's like I used'ta, let's go way way waaaay back to 1937 and dig into my 575 page, Johnson Smith and Company catalogue of "Surprising Novelties, Puzzles, Tricks, Joke Goods, Useful Artifacts, Etc..." with an emphasis on fan dancers, cartoon characters, the occult, and basically just all things in general that makes Mr. Karswell happy. Some of you may even remember that I actually found a few of these things below, or things very similar, just last summer. Yep, today's assorted sampling really is just the tip of an amazing iceberg avalanche of ancient goodness from this catalog, and I'll be posting much more from it all throughout 2021 as well! Now who among you will take a time machine back to the 30's (with just a mere pocketful of loose change to boot!) and buy the rest of these things for me? Only two more days until xmas-- better get time machining!
