The Lil Diner's Dictionary Dude

Super-Sized Saturdays are back (today only), and what that means is that I find something in my collection that is itty bitty and I scan the itty bitties up 600% and make them largie wargies. So after you're done throwing up from my senseless baby waby tawk, scroll down and take a looksie wooksie at the great little key art illustrations of our cartoon connoisseur guide from the Berlitz Diner's Dictionary, dated 1961, and fantastically illustrated by Art Seiden. See as our teeny man with the orderly plan travels the earth, not only ordering food, but ordering it in the language of said countries! "Che cos consiglia?" "Encore, sil vous plait!" "Schweinebraten!!!" And whether he's crawling like a snail for a plate of escargot, showing off his sifuly talents with some Chinese chopsticks, or simply hanging out with the doomed livestock, he sounds smart and worldly even though he looks like one of Chris Ware's gloriously sad sack characters from the Acme Novelty Library. Yes, follow him now, unloosen that ugly American tongue-- an adventure for your taste buds awaits! And don't forget the Zantac. Buon' appetito!

Spook-A-Rama vs. Ghost Hole

Highlights from my recent trip to NYC (Coney Island) where I was of course ready to stroll the beach and boardwalk and ride the classic Cyclone wooden roller coaster, but even more psyched to check out some spooky dark ride action! Spook-A-Rama was a ton of cheesy animated horror prop fun, jam packed with zombies and skeletons and jets of frozen air loudly blasted right into your face. Wonderfully designed on the exterior with a giant leering dragon and Death tearing ticket booth, PLUS you gotta love the lurid, eye injury gore on the spinning doom buggies! Ghost Hole unfortunately is either permanently closed or maybe just wasn't open yet for the season, but as with most of these dark rides, 9 times out of 10 the heavy metal album cover inspired painted facade is cooler than the inside anyway, and I seriously do love that pot stirring devil and horned monstrosity backed-up by a nice Cryptkeeper swipe and hilariously off-model Freddy Krueger painting. So come on, get your ticket and climb aboard for a fast little bang around in the dark-- this is basically what a ride version of Haunted Horror is after all! ;)

PROM Magazine '67 (PART 2)

I showed you a handful of fun Famous Barr xmas images from the December 1967 issue of PROM Magazine in our previous STL post (click HERE for it), and today we have a few more from their local rival department store, Stix, Baer, & Fuller-- plus!! a sampling of neato advertisments also from the many fabulous retailers from around the greater 60's St. Louis area. Anyone get their picture taken at a Vincent Price Portrait Studio?