Slumber Party Massacre: The Suitcase

I saw this totally hilarious kid's "Slumber Party" overnight case at an antique mall the other day, and while I don't really need to spend that kind of money on a giant piece of retro luggage that I would likely never even use, I definitely felt the need to take a picture of it for all of you to see. Featuring two unaware young ladies already in their PJ's and being peeped on by what appears to be a pair of prepubescent panty plunderers from next door! Good lord, who really knows what their true intentions are-- or is it just innocent leering, panting puppy love?



Funny, but with just the simple addition of a lightening bolt outside the window, their true intentions suddenly become quite clear:



And with yet a third simple addition, we see that Mr. Karswell has probably watched too many horror movies in his life.... if, you now, that is even possible.



I suppose that I could've gone even further and added a 2 after massacre, and then on and on until the guy below showed up and eliminated everyone on the original suitcase:



But no, let's think of the children and the fun time they had just munching on chips, spinning some 45's, giggling about boys, and then later around midnight they wander into the bathroom and turn out the lights and while standing in front of the mirror and holding a flashlight underneath their trembling little dimpled chins, they summon Bloody Mary, and then... *re-insert lightening bolt

Figleaf

Like it says on the box, Figleag is the adult version of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, and is guaranteed to turn on any party. Made by Stancraft Productions in 1972, it's all rather simple and brilliant really-- the box contains two life-size, black and white "photographic nudes" of a man and woman, along with 2 reusable, sticky-backed, Adam and Eve style fig leaves, a ruler, and unfortunately my newly acquired $7 copy is missing the revealing instructions-- though I'm guessing you can just look at the always incredible Jack Davis box art to figure out how to play. Fortunately, mine appears to have never been played with. Ummm, the game, I mean...

Lenticular Flicker Kickers Matchbox

Popped into a typically ho-hum local resale shop here yesterday (where I usually never find anything good), and whoa Nelly what do I see? This true gem of a 60's matchbox complete with red flocking and a very cute lenticular flicker image of high kickin' showgirls on the lid. Check out the clip below to see it in action because it's really something. As an added bonus, the thing still contains an unbelievable number of original wooden matches inside. Seriously, there must be like 100 in there-- plus, they're incredibly teeny tiny too! I lit one just to make sure they're real.

Wild's 1954 (Pin-Up) Calendar

Things got a little crazy over at THOIA earlier today (CLICK HERE if you missed it), so why not go WILD here at AEET as well! There's more funny for your madcap money at both of Mr. Karswell's blogs today! From the August 1954 issue of Wild #5, with outrageous art by Howie Post (again!)

Munzerlite Boudoir Doll

My curiosity and patience for digging around in the deepest, dustiest corners of old antique shops paid off pretty good again this week after simply noticing a plastic tube on a shelf packed with "antique doll parts." I didn't think much about it at first, but something made me go back a few minutes later and take a second look. I asked the clerk if I could possibly open the tube and analyze everything inside a bit closer. And with the help of a friend of mine whose mother deals in antique vintage dolls (thanks Dave!), it turns out that what I had found was most likely a vintage Munzerlite half doll from Germany, made around 100 years ago, and also known as a boudoir doll.











She's clearly not in the greatest shape, with the seperate pieces barely held together by a rusty old strand of ancient wire. She is still quite a beauty even though the composition chalkware upper torso and head (with original mohair) is chipped up and scuffed, (ain't those eyebrows out of this world!), and her hollow, pot metal arms are somewhat scratched and losing paint.









Did the pretty porcelain legs actually came with her originally, does anyone know? The backs of both thighs are stamped with the word "Germany", as well as L and R (left and right) carved right in, but they totally seem to be made for another doll entirely. Maybe I'm wrong.



One of the reasons these dolls were known as "half dolls" is because they were sometimes assembled on top of a cage shaped wire frame and used as a lamp with a light bulb inside (search google if you don't believe me!) Other times, they were given an actual cloth body like any normal child's doll, dressed, and then simply propped up on a pillow for display purposes.

I'm not really sure what to do with her now that's she's in my possession. I can't keep her in wrapped up pieces inside a plastic tube for another century, and I'm not really into the whole lamp approach. And as much as I want to dress her up and make her whole again, I have to admit I sort of like her as is, strangely strung together like a broken down, antique robo-mannequin from some old Victorian era Jack the Ripper animatronic scene. Give me some ideas, clothing suggestions, display advice, etc... and of course if there are any corrections, or other interesting tidbits to know about these dolls, please share in the comments.



She also needs a name...

Loona the Jungle Girl!

Atlas spoofs themselves and their own Lorna jungle comics with 3 pages of Stan Lee silliness highlighted by beautiful Bill Everett art, sight gags, guffaws, and of course the occasional, unfortunate racial stereotype of the era. I wish this was a few pages longer, I really luva the way Bill draws women and animals. From the June 1956 issue of Riot #6.

Mr. Karswell Awarded the Silver Bolo!

Did anyone catch the final episode of the second season of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs? Holy cow, I was as shocked as anyone to discover the Silver Bolo awarded to me, Mr. Karswell, and The Horrors of it All! What a mind-blowing honor to be recognized, and even mentioned by legendary joltin' Joe --as well as by ever dynamite, Darcy the Mail Girl! The Shudder Channel even tweeted about lil 'ol me!



And yeah, it seems like my last name will always be eternally misspelled and mispronounced (it's BANES, not BARNES), but no matter-- I'm still over the moon about it.

As soon as Shudder makes the episode available I will add the link here. Thanks again to Joe, Darcy, Shudder, and everyone involved with The Last Drive-In, as well as to whoever it was that nominated me in the first place --I guess that's how this thing works-- I'm still not exactly sure how it all happened, or how I even appeared on the Briggs radar, but I'm glad I did!