PuzzNiks

It's not enough that these silly 60's PuzzNiks jigsaws come with over 125 pulse-pounding pieces, they also included a "surprise witticism" that you would only discover AFTER it was completely assembled! In this case it's, "When I ask your opinion, I'll tell you what to say." Hmmmm, pretty "witty." A quick online search (mostly eBay) tells me there were quite a few of these puzzles produced by Warren Paper Product Company's Built Rite division located in lovely Lafayette, Indiana, and each featured a colorfully different looking vaudevillian-esque character bordering on kooky court jester or hobo clown. I wonder if the other puzzles also had a tiny, weirdly cut area that contains no actual puzzle piece?!! (see last scan close-up)

Keep Your Spray Gun Clean

 Earlier this month I posted some fun art found on a mid century lantern box, CLICK HERE if you missed it, --and now today I have more from a generic 60's or 70's spray gun package. Our illustrated hero below looks pretty serious about following the 5 easy steps to spray gun cleanliness! I do get the feeling he may have taken the gun apart first though. Well, live and learn...

Rock Me, Dr. Zaius

Back when I was a kid, something fun that smaller toy companies did (and maybe still do) was produce action figures (Marvel / DC, etc) connected to a cheap plastic parachute. You'd toss 'em up in the air and then watch 'em glide back down, and ahhh yes, fun for about 5 minutes, or until the cheap ass parachute tore or got tangled in a power line. My favorites were the goofy looking "Poopa Troopers" of which I had dozens in every rubbery color under the sun-- and many of them met a fate just as fiery whilst tied to a bottle rocket on the fourth of July! But today I was digging around a box of bargain toys and unearthed a Dr. Zaius Planet of the Apes Parachutist made by AHI. He looks like he's rockin' a guitar more than brandishing an AK, --which is totally fine by me-- unfortunately, he's missing some paint as well as the parachute, and after looking these up on eBay he is unfortunately no longer mint in his original packaging because OMG these go for hundreds of dollars if you can actually still find 'em like that! Great looking card art too (see below.)

Ms. Vampire Killer / Smartest Plant in the World

So what's everyone hungry for today? I mean, Thanksgiving 2020 seems a bit tainted thanks to the pandemic, and with the CDC recommending everyone just stay home and far away from friends and family for fear of spreading additional infection and even death, well, need I say that this holiday season is indeed one big horror show. So in keeping with that theme --as well as the theme of hungry things in need of feeding-- today I have a two course platter of petrifying 70's DC doom, both from the horrifically cool House of Secrets series, issues #121 and #154 to be exact. "Feed me!" you scream?  Open wide, and everyone please have a safe and happy horrorday...

Once a Knight...

If you enjoyed the "knights" of our last post, then here ya go with a few more knightly things I spotted recently. First up, a wonderfully illustrated button from the 50's or 60's, that, if I'm reading it correctly, (and if it's implying what I think it's implying) --couldn't be more wrong! And secondly, a gorgeously designed, mid century King Arthur and His Knights themed pinball game, manufactured right here in good 'ol STL MO by Northwestern Products Co. I see many available online, and all are very pricey.

The Shadows of Knight sing "Potato Chip"

Digging around some old records yesterday and found this fun flexi by The Shadows of Knight. Released by Auravision in 1966, this 331/3rd disc with a run time of 31/2 minutes long is a great little garage rock number about girls and potato chips. It also includes a hilarious bit at the beginning with the lead singer introducing each band member and asking them a question which produces some very funny responses. Apparently the only way to get this song back in the day was to buy a bag (or box?) of Fairmont brand potato chips which had the bonus flexi attached to it. Is there a better combination in the world than rock 'n roll and potato chips? Of course there is, but still...

Give it a listen HERE!

Wheakies

 Some of you might remember the $illy $avers Bite Beer Can Bank I posted a few months ago HERE!. Well, guess what? Yep, holy feedbags I found another one! This time the spoof is aimed at Wheaties cereal and features more hilarious Wacky Packages / Mad Magazine-esque style satire and art. Boy, if only I had enough money to actually fill up even one of these banks!

The Epic of the Bed Pan

 The world is mighty sick at the moment, and for better or worse, possibly our pandemic plagued planet could just use a good 'ol chuckle right about now. How about this funny little 50's get well bed pan booklet I found a few weeks back-- why, it's poo-etry in motion!

Useless Gifts for Monsters!

Here's a funny little one page quickie from the May 1981 issue of Archie's Mad House #124... other funny concepts could be a can of bug spray for The Fly, deodorant for a zombie, or a roll of toilet paper for a mummy. Eww. Sooo, anyone got some better ideas than me? I'm sure everybody. Oh, and the reason I posted this is because my good pals and co-editin' team extraordinaire, Craig 'n Clizia, recently gifted me with the original art for this perfectly monstrous page! Thank Yoes!!!

Nasty Tricks

I just realized I neglected the whole "trick" part of Halloween trick 'r treating this year, so here we go with something old that's new again to AEET. First off, you've probably seen the countless "unboxing" vids on Youtube of youtubers, umm, unboxing stuff, right? Well, today we're going to do something similar, only this time we're digging up an old, and still sealed package of Fun Stuff's Nasty Tricks trading cards from the 80's, and ::drum roll:: we're gonna unwrap 'em! For those unaware, Nasty Tricks was a hilarious set of 130 different "screwy" cards, plus "gross and goofy" stickers that you could "use everywhere." And let's not forget the wonderfully stale slab o'gum awaiting to powder your lips while simultaneously destroying your teeth! Hurrah! You don't even need a gross tooth sticker, cuz of course the illustrated stickers are absolutely the best part of this set, as you are encouraged to gross yourself up with gory fake wounds, oozing body mucus, icky insects, and more! Okay, enough yap, let's open this goddamn thing and see what we got:

Hand-Made Haunted House!

 Last month we saw a tale about a haunted mobile home, so today let's take it to the beach with a sandy spin on the kooky spooky house theme. It's a neat little one page quickie illustrated by golden age great, George Tuska, and from the October - November 1970 issue of The Unexpected #121.

Report Card

 Well, the votes are still out, but the grades are in, with this fun, and very tiny, vintage prize booklet from an old box of Cracker Jacks. I suppose the real point of this was to grade your friends in all areas of school learning, as well as how good you were at chewing gum in class, or eating your lunch. Shy boys or girls could even give their crush an A+ on good looks and then during recess simply slip it into their Trapper Keeper without saying an actual word to them! Ain't that cute?

Red Lantern

I almost started collecting vintage 1950's lanterns the other day after stumbling upon a really neato red one in its original box (apologies for forgetting to get the freakin' name of it-- arghh!) The lantern itself was in fair condition, but what was truly right up my dimly lit alley, were the incredibly cute illustrations on the box it came in, of which I happily snapped a couple pix with my camera phone the second I set my eyes upon 'em. And yes, though I may be a middle aged man at this point in my lengthy 'ol life, I have to admit that I most definitely identify with the first set of 6 images below, much much more than the second. 

The Halloween God / "Seeker"

 How many of you were under the impression that Halloween was over for 2020? Well boy, do I have news for you! Today we have two tales from DC's great Secrets of the Haunted House series, issues #44 and #46 to be exact, featuring all sorts of All Hallow's evil, plus a spooky cute Stephen Bissette quickie --one that he actually wrote too despite the other name credited-- (believe it, he told me himself!) And if that ain't enough, we'll round it all out with a cool Bernie Wrightson cover! So, everyone have a nice holiday?