MAIL-ORDER MYSTERIES, MY NEW BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

Hi folks! I'd like to finally announce my upcoming book, Mail-Order Mysteries! For over a decade I've been tracking down actual products that were sold in novelty ads from vintage comic books and in this book I compare the wild marketing claims with over 150 of the actual products. The concept is loosely based on a section of the Secret Fun Spot that I put together nearly ten years ago, though much more extensive and polished. Mail-Order Mysteries, is slated for a late September release (the date on Amazon isn't quite correct) by Insight Editions, and can be pre-ordered at Amazon. I'm happy to report that the hardbound, 156-page volume is only $13.57!

If you're in an extra supportive mood, feel free to click the Facebook "Like" button on the Amazon page. I've learned that even something like that (not to mention the pre-orders themselves) can affect the size of Amazon's second order.

In upcoming weeks I'll talk more about its origins and share sneak peeks and a number of entries that didn't make the final cut. Stay tuned!

AZIZ ANSARI CRITIQUES MY ART

Ha! I just discovered that my Human Giant portrait for "Is This Thing On" is one of several pieces of fan art that actor/comedian Aziz Ansari critiqued on complex.com.
HERE's the brief video.

He says that he doesn't remember being shirtless in a Human Giant sketch, and he is incorrect. This sketch was my source material for his torso (his head came from another). He also claims that he would never say during a portrait shoot, "you know what guys, let me take my shirt off." I say he's wrong again.

SUMMER'S STUFF

(photo gets huge when you click it)

As a life-long collector I think it's interesting to watch the ebb and flow of my ongoing collections. My interests and my resources teeter totter, and each of the four seasons has an effect on my taste in nostalgia. Winter usually causes cravings for old video games, and Spring reminds me of bike rides to the 1-Stop Mart for Wacky Packages and comic books. This summer I've gone after a few reminders of the open road which is common, and something got me on a premium toy kick early on.

My debilitating geekiness caused me to lay out my bounty from the past few months to see a literal snapshot of the stuff that's come into my possession this Summer, making note of the various means of acquisition, and of course, posting it on the world wide web as a questionable form of entertainment.

So, referring to the above photo, starting clockwise from the upper left corner...

-Greetings from Route 66 book by Voyageur Press- I have my share of Route 66 books but visually, this one's my favorite. It's jammed with beautiful vintage postcards, restaurant menus, and souvenirs. Found it on ebay for five bucks plus shipping.

-The Lincoln Highway book by Michael Wallis and Michael S. Williamson- Having been up and down Route 66 so many times, I'm having fun discovering another vast stretch of American road with its own unique landmarks and attractions. This book will cause me many road trips.

-His and Hers Mod Kooky Komb- A product of Mego, better known for their line of "World's Greatest Super Hero" figures. This item is just nuts even by 1960s standards. My good friend Scott gave me this based on his strong understanding of my needs.

-The Party Survival Kit in a tin can- More about it later in this post.

-Waffle House scary logo plate- I'm not often faced with the temptation to steal, but thanks to this ebay purchase I will no longer have this moral dilemma. I wrote about this here.

-Vintage Stuckey's postcards- I found these three for a dollar in a modern day Stuckey's on I-70 in Indiana. That's like something I would have a dream about.

-Pitfall T-shirt- Happily discovered at Target. I've always loved that cartridge graphic and the way that Activision used the rainbow as a design motif on all of their games.

-Horrible Dog Figurine- Something irresistibly kitschy that one might find in yesteryear's souvenir shop. Formerly covered here.

-Shaky Bacon Wallet (by Dan Goodsell)- An anniversary gift from my lovely wife. So tempted to replace my dilapidated leather wallet with it, but I'm already such a man-child that it might push me into creepy status.

-McWrist Wallet Happy Meal toy- A cheap ebay grab that I've wanted since Jesse French's birthday party in first grade.

-Vintage cereal premiums- All ebay finds, including a Creeping Monster, Fruity Pebbles coin purses, Toucan Sam decoder ring, and the skull pen I detailed here.

-Vintage travel brochures- Flea market finds by my wife who knows me well enough to pick the very best ones.

I will highlight a couple items. First, the Creeping Monster that came in boxes of Honeycomb cereal in 1976. I was too young to know about them at the time, but ever since I gazed into the realm of vintage cereal prizes they've always been high on my want list. I am extremely tempted to open it...


Brandon of the excellent Waffle Whiffer Zone blog has the original box, of course. That art is phenomenal!..

The other item deserving extra attention is this "Party Survival Kit" from 1966, by American Publishing Corp. APC put out a bizarre assortment of gifts which included a bunch of jigsaw puzzles that were also packaged in tin cans, wooden novelty signs, and the Presto Magix rub-off graphic sets (assuming that's the same outfit).

Speaking of graphics, that's what I love about the survival kit, especially the generic party drunk, the off-kilter borders, and those great, happy typefaces one on top of the other.


APC were the go-to folks for canned non-foods, and I love it when companies really reach to come up with new products to fit their format. The can makes it the epitome of a novelty. It also means that if I want to see what's inside I must ruin it. I can hear stuff rattling around in there, although the cargo seems sparse and lightweight. Here's the cleverly worded list of contents...

And here's my interpretation...
Pin the tail on the quail game = ?
20 miniature safety flares = birthday candles
Pneumatic party rouser = party blower
Hors d' oeuvres starter kit = toothpicks
Acetyl of Salicylic acid Tranquilizer = Aspirin

All of it sounds pretty lame, but what about that quail game? And why quail? What if it's a cool poster illustrated by the same person who drew the drunk? This single question is the reason that yet again I'm tormented with the age-old collectors' conundrum... to break the seal or not. Truly one of life's most fruitless mysteries. Although, it is cool to think that also inside is the forty-five year old air from a novelty factory.

I'M A STRANGE KID

The first time I visited the Strange Kids Club I took one look at the wood paneled background with the collage of posters behind the cool looking puppet and thought.."my people." Inevitably our paths crossed and I recently had the pleasure of doing an interview with Editor-in-Chief, Rondall Scott III. In it I discuss my usual passions: collecting, nostalgia, art, novelties and being a strange kid. Click on this line of text and the contents of your browser will literally change into the page with the interview.

SPOOK SHOW POSTER SHIRTS AT TARGET

I noticed that Target has a line of T-shirts based on vintage promotional posters for events like concerts, circuses, rodeos, etc. and at least two of them are inspired by Spook Shows, although they are watered down versions of real poster designs. They're still pretty cool. They are available here and here (this one's for boys only.)

This sent me searching online for tees bearing authentic Spook Show imagery and I did find some through Cafe Press and Zazzle like these, however I haven't paid $25 for a t-shirt since that Weezer concert in 1995.

DINOSAUR WORLD GIFT SHOP/RESTAURANT DESTROYED IN FIRE

Photo by Richard Carlsen

UPDATE: The fire was "likely arson"

Fun Blog reader Becky Koester just shared with me the sad news that the main building on the former grounds of Dinosaur World in Beaver Springs, AR has burned to the ground. Here's the full story, though details are sparse.

The park has been closed since 2005 but many former patrons have held onto hopes that it would be refurbished at some point. The Secret Fun blog has become an internet stop for folks wishing to share updates and memories about the defunct attraction because of a post I wrote in 2008. The comments section is populated with a number of people who are related to the former owners. Here's how the building appeared in 2007...

WAFFLE HOUSE OF HORRORS

Recently I've been living out a long-time dream. A Waffle House just opened in town! In fact, it's open right now, no matter what time, or what day you may be reading this, even if it's Christmas day. It's the only local dining room that's open past midnight, it's the only restaurant in town that offers breakfast all the time, and it's the only place that serves up that heavenly, ever-consistent Waffle House menu. It's also probably the closest we'll ever get to classic diner culture in these parts.

I've been a Waffle House enthusiast since I discovered it over two decades ago and I finally have one to call my own. In honor of the occasion I purchased some authentic Waffle House plates on ebay (seen above). Don't be confused by the sketchy logo, this plate design is legit, however it's been discontinued. Which brings me to the point of this post, that is, to celebrate this former alternate Waffle House logo that was featured on their second generation china. Could there be a better use of the internet?

By the way, I was able to determine the era thanks to the Waffle House Museum of Avondale, GA...

I guess that puts it in the silver age of Waffle House china.

So go ahead and have a good look at the logo...


How would you describe it? YES, spooky! That's exactly what I love about it. I cannot help but read it in a wavering ghost voice... "Waaaaaaaafffffffle Hooooooouuuussssee! Beeewaaaarrrrre! Weeeeeeooooooo!"

This fascinating logo has always been one of the great Waffle House mysteries to me. I have many questions...

1. Why didn't they use the standard letters-in-boxes logo from their sign?

2. Who drew it? An employee's nephew? I must say, it looks to me like a first try. The letters are of uneven height and spacing, and the line work is inconsistent and unsure. Not to judge, I could say the same thing about my own drawings. And yet this was accepted and reproduced and buried by hashbrowns hundreds of thousands of times. Is it intended to have a primitive charm? Or is it genuinely primitively charming?

3. Why does it look scary like that? My theory is that maybe it's supposed to resemble maple syrup. (While their main logo echos the design on a waffle.) But I don't know, what do you think?

Well I certainly do miss the logo. At least I did before I got my own set of plates. Say, you don't think Waffle House would think it odd if I brought my own plates to the restaurant and transferred the food onto them do you?! Gotta go!

I BOUGHT THE BEST/WORST THING IN BRANSON...

...and here is it. It cost one dollar. Though she was silent, I could tell that the cashier was desperately trying to understand why this hollow, eerily human-faced canine was the only thing in her vast flea market to catch my eye. I watched with a grin as she took time to carefully wrap the little atrocity in protective newspaper before placing it in a disproportionately large bag. I will love/hate it always.

1978 TRAVELER'S NOVELTY CATALOG

We see so much cool stuff pass across our screens each day that I'm afraid I'm starting to grow desensitized to awesomeness. But here's one fruit of the internet that I won't soon forget. Last October the über collector known as Toyranch shared a complete set of scans of a 1978 catalog from the Traveler Trading Company. The set got some attention but I think it's worth revisiting since it's full so much eyeball-pleasing stuff.

As you are about to see, Traveler was a novelty distributor that offered a wide array of glorious plastic goodies such as toys, jokes, magic tricks, trinkets, cake decorations, carnival prizes and yes, masks. Many of these very items have found themselves in my own collection.

I find it interesting that my pal and novelty biz royalty, Chris Adams, was actually on the Traveler's payroll for a time before taking the reigns at the S.S. Adams prank and magic company. Traveler reached its final destination in the 1990s and Gary, the man in the werewolf mask, is no longer with us.

The catalog can be viewed on Toyranch's Flickr account, or for the sake of convenience and blog beautification I've placed them below. Furthermore, for anyone like myself who wishes to experience these to the fullest, I've compiled all the high-res pages in this downloadable PDF.

Thank you Toyranch for wrangling up this stampede of joy.





















UPDATE: Thanks to Chris Adams, here's a more recent catalog cover that reveals the unmasked face of Gary the proprietor...

THE SKULL PEN

I remember my dad showing up in the doorway of my bedroom one afternoon with this plastic skull-lidded ink pen that he'd pulled fresh from a cereal box. I'm still unclear as to why I wasn't aware that we possessed a prize bearing pack of cereal. I happily accepted the grinning utensil and proudly placed it on my desk.

Before long it was time to draw something spooky so I grabbed my new treasure and took pleasure in simply handling the skull cap as I removed it. Immediately I was faced with a common case of new pen ink flow blockage. So I tried the old loop de loop scribble technique to free up the ball point, but still no ink. All of my pen revitalizing procedures were fruitless and I was forced to accept that the coolest pen I owned did not function.

Still, I couldn't just throw away such a piece of art. For years I kept it wedged in my mug o' pens on its aesthetic merit alone. Ultimately, in a rare stuff-purging session I decided to toss it.

Recently, for whatever reason, the focus of my nostalgia has turned to old premium items: mail-aways, Happy Meal toys, and cereal prizes. The bony old pen popped up in a routine ebay session and the frustrating memory returned at once. Then I noticed the name of the auction and all became clear, "INVISIBLE INK MONSTER PEN- Post cereal premium."

I had no choice but to "win" the right to pay top dollar and redeem my childhood mistake.

Some further googling lead me to a familiar place, the Flickr stream of Brandon, AKA the Waffle Whiffer, a master of vintage food marketing, and thus the owner of all the Invisible Ink Monster Pens, as well as the Super Sugar Crisp box they originally came in...


It taught me that the invisible ink is revealed when it's wiped down with good old water.

And so, once again I am the owner of the green skeleton head invisible ink pen and best of all...

THE HUXTABLES IMPROVED AGAIN

Well, well, if it isn't the very latest addition to my unending series of fictitious family portraits. Look familiar? Mighty brash of me to assume that anyone remembers my post from last December (which sadly, is only about five posts ago.) So, to recap... last year I made a custom Huxtables portrait for comedian/actor Nick Kroll but in a new twist he asked me to include the childhood incarnation of his friend (and comedian/SNL writer) John Mulaney. This is what it looked like...



Not long after that, one of my favorite entertainers in the world, Kristen Wiig (!) (of SNL and Bridesmaids fame) saw it and commissioned me to do something quite similar. She asked for the very same Huxtables portrait except with her long time beau, Brian Petsos in boy form. Thus the portrait at the top of this post.

Recreating an earlier piece was an interesting exercise for me. I tried not to use the first one as a reference, and ended up approaching it a bit differently. So somehow I've found myself in this cottage industry of inserting white people as their childhood selves into the Cosby Show family via colored pencil.

Equally crazy is the fact that it's all for the amazing Ms. Wiig. I mean, c'mon! For years I've been professing her genius and the fact that she's on par with all of the most notable SNL alumni. Making art for her was one of the greatest, wackiest honors I've had in my creative life.

MONSTER SIZE SKELETON WALLPAPER

Hey folks, I just changed my desktop background to something more skeleton-y! If you'd like to do the same then by all means click on the pic and grab the full size image. Then consult a local computer repair service (possibly Best Buy) for instructions on how to apply it to your desktop. Remember, it's not your "screensaver!" Avoid that confusion and save yourself about 15 minutes of phone time right there, which saves you money considering their $85 an hour fee. But it's worth it. At least it was to me. Plus they defragged my hard drive and removed all my unwanted script kiddies, although that required three nights in the shop. : (

Ad courtesy of Todd at Neatocoolville!

CRAZY 4 CULT 5

None More Black Light Poster
Florescent acrylic on art board

UPDATE: You can get original art from Crazy 4 Cult 5 here, and prints are here.

Once again I'm ever so thankful to get to take part in the annual Crazy 4 Cult art show at L.A.'s Gallery 1988: Melrose. It's my fourth year to participate, but it's the first time that I've deviated from my series of film family portraits to cover a new, equally gimmicky format—the black light poster (as seen above). It's a concept I've had in mind for a very long time and I figured Spinal Tap, the fictitious heavy metal act as well as the stars of one of my very favorite films, has long-deserved this treatment. (This isn't the first time they've inspired my work.)

The image you saw earlier shows it under normal lighting, and this...

... is the way it looks under a black light (which is included with the piece).

In an effort to make it seem even more authentic, and to give it "that extra push over the cliff" I applied black flocking (fuzzy stuff) to some areas...


The show will be on display at the Gallery 1988: Melrose from Friday, July 8th through July 30th.


Speaking of C4C (as I smugly call it) they just released a big, beautiful book filled with selections from the first four years of the show...


Whoops, mine keeps opening to this page for some reason...


The book is available on Amazon and all over the place.