Dead Man's Raft to Cap'n Crunch's Island Adventure

A neat new haven for Mr. Karswell recently opened in St. Ann MO called the Manhattan Antique Marketplace (locals click HERE for more info), and on my first trip there on their big Grand Opening weekend, I was able to score not one, but TWO items that I've seriously --and most importantly affordably-- been searching for forever: an original 70's MPC Dead Man's Raft model kit, as well as a Cap'n Crunch Island Adventure board game from Warren, from 1986. The model kit is based on Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride (not the movie of course), and for those unaware, there was also a line of model kits based on the Haunted Mansion ride as well THAT I WOULD KILL FOR!! (see ad at the end of the post.) Anyway, this kit seems to be partially painted too as someone definitely made an attempt at piecing this gem together at some point.







I'll post pix if / when I actually get it fully assembled myself. Nothing beats that "zap action!" As a kid I had the "Dead Men Tell No Tales" kit, and there are already 70's pix of that fully built and painted as well somewhere over at my mom's. Those will get posted here too at some point.

The Cap'n Crunch Island Adventure game is missing the instructions board, but otherwise thankfully complete (it seems the 4 plastic figures are always the thing/s missing when one of these actually does turn up.) It's a fun game, roll the dice and / or draw a card to advance around the island, beat the Sogmaster and his soggies, and recover the Cap'n's treasure! Don't forget to protect the roof of your mouth from the cereal! Hey, maybe the sogmonsters aren't so bad after all?









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And here's the incredible ad for the MPC Haunted Mansion 70's kits too!

Cheese Cake

My trip to Japan last spring, as awesome as it was, produced one failure that I still regret daily since returning to the USA --and that being my inability to taste a Rikuro's Cheese Cake! Lord knows I tried, but the 2 hour long line wait times (at the endlessly bustling Osaka locations anyway) seriously hampered any chance I might have had at partaking in this famous delicacy. Here are a few pix I took while dying in line with countless other frustrated, drooling people:





Not at all like the cheesecake that westerners are used to, Rikuro's recipe produces something altogether unique and amazing (looking), more along the lines of a soft, fluffy spongecake, apparently not too sweet, and the smell-- OMG. They say it's like the most incredibly light, moist, gigantic cheesecake muffin top you ever wish you could just freakin' try. They even sprinkle a few raisins along the bottom, and then they adorably cattle brand their cute lil chef logo right onto the top. Fyi this pic is not mine:



Check out Rikuro's official website HERE for more info.

In the unfortunately more mundane meantime, (and the other point of this post), people here in the states can get a slightly different fix with this Korean snack size Mr. Cheese Cake variation from Samlip, which can be found at most asian or international style markets. The package says they've been around for 60 years, and I have to admit, it's really really yummy...







...but I imagine it's a far far cry from the real thing pulled hot 'n fresh from a Rikuro oven. And for now, I will continue to just imagine.

Shine Satan's Hooves

Okay, they're not hooves, they're boots-- also, it's not Satan-- it's Santa! And now that I have your aroused attentions, I guess it's time to finally get this xmas ball a'rollin' 'round here. Lots of things to do, and games to play, even a recipe-- and this time we've got a lot of singing as well, so warm up those pipes, peeps! Plus, the endlessly fun art is always the real highlight to these these old kid mags as you well know... scans from Humpty Dumpty Dec. '65 and '67 to be exact. Hail Santa!



























*some scans may appear warped, dingy, or blurry due to water damage-- sorry!
--Mr. K

Ocean Commotion

Let's head to the bottom of the sea today with Professor Transistor --plus, a couple of mad movie makers-- to find a new monster for the moving picture show! I always did think Bride of the Creature (from the Black Lagoon) sounded like a great idea. See also: Son of the Creature. 

From the August 1963 issue of Archie's Madhouse #27, artwork by Joe Edwards.

Syroco's The Phantom Wood Figure (1944) K.F.S.

It's only just now December, but xmas actually arrived early, especially after waltzing into a brand new Jeffco MO antique mall and spotting a booth selling a handful of Syroco hand carved, wood figures from the 1940's! A fun variety of these were offered back in the day for a mere quarter through a Pillsbury mail away ad coupon (see below), the most popular of them being the King Features Syndicate comic strip cartoon characters like Popeye and Blondie, for example, but the most rare and sought after of them seems to be Lee Falk's The Phantom, of which I was so incredibly lucky enough to find! He apparently came in two versions, the brown version that I found, and an even rarer purple type that is closer and more "on model" to the original character design. Still, researching this character's actual worth online, compared to the heart stopping fraction of that cost in what I paid (shhhh, $20), and I'd say that yes Virginia, --there is a Santa Claus!



Okay, his mask isn't painted on so great, and like most of these that do turn up, he's been broken at the fragile, thin ankles, though glued back together. Other than that, he seems to be in excellent condition with little to no wear or other paint loss. Here's the original ad coupon:



And I also grabbed a Katzenjammer Kids Captain from the same antique mall seller, for the same low low price!

Put Through the Wringer

ADULTS ONLY! Back in September, I posted one of these cutie nudie looking glass novelty key chains (click HERE if you missed it), and today I have another, probably from the 50's or 60's too, but this one definitely milks the funny "novelty" aspect a bit more than the other!





Oh my, that's gotta hurt! haha...

Figure Control '66

You blew it again this past Thanksgiving, didn't ya? We know you did, because we did too. And as usual, AEET is here to help, thanks to this gorgeously illustrated booklet from Schick Safety Razor Company, 1966. Work off all of those extra pumpkin pie pounds you accumulated in your lower body half by following some of the easy legs, thighs, calves, and ankle exercise excerpts included below. FYI: don't forget your toes-- those can get chubby too! (see exercise #4.)













And now you're ready for the ball!