10/31/2004: Monster Cereals & A Farewell To Halloween!
Well, it’s finally over. Halloween is here, soon it’ll be gone, and with it, we bid farewell to the X-E Halloween Countdown until next year. My brain says THANK GOD, but my heart yearns for more rubber bats and bloody wonder. This will all be forgotten in a week when I see Holiday Fruity Pebbles at Waldbaum’s, I’m sure. Speaking of something similar, the final entry on the Countdown takes a look at a decades-standing Halloween favorite, The General Mills Monster Cereals. I found a megabox containing all three varieties — Count Chocula, Franken Berry & Boo Berry — and it’s made Halloween actually feel like Halloween. A much needed boost, since it’s like 200 degrees outside and the kids next door are trying to set up an inflatable pool.
Had fun with the trick-or-treaters today. We gathered up all of the small toys and candy I intended to write about, packed ‘em in Halloween-themed Ziploc bags and continued the tradition of being the best loot-givers of the block, sure to be adored by every six-year-old in the neighborhood, at least until 9 PM or so. Oh, of the many things I didn’t have a chance to cover this season, I really didn’t want to let this one slide. Here’s a gallery of pics I took at our wonderful local mall’s Halloween store, which by now is probably selling reindeer that dance when you clap:
(click pics to enlarge)
Thanks for reading all month-and-a-half. Click “more” to see the final entries in the Halloween Art Expo, and check out the previous posts for more installments. Oh, and do me a favor — out of sheer megalomaniacal curiosity, I’d like for you to tell me which three entries on the Countdown were your personal favorites this year, in the comments. Don’t have to list reasons or anything. Hope everyone had a great Halloween! Think I’ll hop in the coffin now…
Ubu Rex lines his paper with madness…
Maramuray is a visionary of the most arguable kind…
Underdawg owes me ten bucks…
Dumpweed probably committed suicide soon after e-mailing this…
T. Walter’s pride is in his stomach…
James Smith doesn’t believe in God…
B-Dawg had the right idea…
Ferange perpetuates anorexia…
F.O.S. ends the Art Expo properly. With cats…
Happy H, all.
Discussion Thread: 140 comments
Hhhmmm I really like the costume series…..The candy articles were great too.
Posted by
Jessie @ 10/31/2004 7:22 PM EST
Big ups for making it all the way through the countdown Matt. Your efforts are much appreciated. Fav articles probably were the ghost pumpkin carving contest, and one of the fake severed body parts tomes (not like that narroes it down much).
Peace out.
Posted by
Dane @ 10/31/2004 7:24 PM EST
Congrats on making it through…and Happy Halloween, Matt. :¬)
I haven’t checked the blog in a while. Have there been any gratuitous Bitner references lately? We really need those to pop up occasionally…
Posted by
The ORIGINAL Paul @ 10/31/2004 7:30 PM EST
Can’t believe it’s over 
Posted by
The Worst Ghost Ever @ 10/31/2004 7:33 PM EST
Well done, this is 3 straight countdowns that you’ve managed to get through, ah I’m so proud, and I’ll continue to revel in Halloween glory cause now its time to buy all the discounted candy at Wegmans!
Posted by
ANdrew @ 10/31/2004 7:37 PM EST
Yay, I had the right idea! I hope that’s good.
Anyway, my 3 favorite countdown entries are the 3 Ghost With The Most cartoons…followed closely by the one where you dressed up your cat as dracula…
Posted by
B-Dawg @ 10/31/2004 7:37 PM EST
The Countdown is over… Now it is time for more Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade reviews!
Posted by
bob genghis khan @ 10/31/2004 7:49 PM EST
Dammit. I just finished making my entry. Oh well, I’ll give you guys a link to it as soon as I can get it uploaded somewhere. And I’ll still e-mail you a copy, Matt.
Posted by
Nate @ 10/31/2004 7:49 PM EST
Dammit. I just finished making my entry. Oh well, I’ll give you guys a link to it as soon as I can get it uploaded somewhere. And I’ll still e-mail you a copy, Matt.
Posted by
Nate @ 10/31/2004 7:50 PM EST
Okay, here’s my late entry:
It’s stupid, but I like it.
Posted by
Nate @ 10/31/2004 8:03 PM EST
When Halloween ends, it feels as if a part of me dies.
I don’t know about anyone else, but Halloween sucked this year. I recently moved to Pennsylvania, and the private community I reside in established a curfew for trick-or-treating: children could only go out with an adult or guardian or in groups between the hours of 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM. What the fuck? I remember when I was a wee lad that I would stay out the entire day hunting for candy and the occasional dime. The community I live in is pretty big, around 50 square miles or so, and I happen to live on the last street in the community, so you know what that means…not a single trick-or-treater. Nothing. Nadda. Zilch. To make the situation even worse, my family is like the fourth family that lives this far back in the development, so it’s not like I could’ve walked around the block to view everyone’s decorations…they weren’t any fucking decorations! This has to be the worst Halloween in a long, long time. It’s almost as bad as the Halloween where I ate the pretzels and got the shits, but somehow that still managed to be more enjoyable than today.
I was so looking forward to answer the door in my "Wack-o Jack-o" mask, but nope, not this year. Maybe next year, maybe. At least I am off from work tomorrow so I can still enjoy a nice Friday the 13th and Halloween marathon with my bootleg DVD set I imported from Hong Kong.
Posted by
charliecucumber @ 10/31/2004 8:11 PM EST
Hi Matt, many thanks for the great Hallowe’en countdown.
Only 300 odd days untill we can all relive the joys of a countdown containing the most horrific and ghoulish treats known to man.
thanks a lot for the time and effort.
Posted by
Mark @ 10/31/2004 8:13 PM EST
Damn, I loved the entry where you dressed your cat up in the cape. I wish I could make the entire entry as my desktop, but it’s too big, and I don’t think people will get the joke if they have to scroll down.
I liked the contact lens entry, too. It was cool seeing how different someone can look w/ freaky eyeballs.
Ooh, and Marcus the Carcass. He was one cool mofo.
Honorable mention for the 3-D bloody words. Cool b/c of how realistic they were, and b/c I actually saw them in a store around here and got to give X-E a shoutout.
Posted by
trajeal @ 10/31/2004 8:22 PM EST
It’s over Matt! I’m sure your brain will be happy! 
Thanks for the laughs during this year’s countdown. I will miss the constant updates, but I have something to look forward to next year… it’s only 365 days right???
Posted by
Croww @ 10/31/2004 8:36 PM EST
Charliecucumber- I feel your pain, I just moved to PA (for college reasons) from New York in August, and this state ain’t so great =( but at least the neighborhood that is next to my school DOES fill everything up w/ decorations, although nothing too creative.
Posted by
ANdrew @ 10/31/2004 8:50 PM EST
Another Halloween countdown ends…good job Matt. But it’s only about a month until the XE advent calendar.
Posted by
Skroob @ 10/31/2004 9:12 PM EST
Once again, I’ve forgotten to put "The REAL Nate" on my posts. All posts on this blog are actually by me.
And now, I am going to read the article.
Posted by
The REAL Nate @ 10/31/2004 9:14 PM EST
The whole countdown was pretty great, give a special shout out to the grim rapper, but the best three were as follows.
The Ghost cartoons, the slasher for kids costumes, the faces of Jason retrospective.
My top three would have to be:
many faces of jason (informative)
ghost with the most II (funny)
Growing Pains (nostalgic)
The X-E triumvirate of emotions. Coming in a close fourth and fifth:
contact lenses
halloween atari game
The only entry I took any issue with was the Nestle’s candy bags article. Crunch bars most certainly ARE that good.
A great effort as always, Matt!
Posted by
Ryan @ 10/31/2004 9:16 PM EST
happy halloween matt and all!
favorite articles…
halloween costumes 4 kids, the fruit snacks article, and the marshmallow peeps.
thank you for making my halloween actually feel like halloween.
Posted by
candice @ 10/31/2004 9:20 PM EST
I’m going to miss the ghosts
Posted by
Beta-Theta @ 10/31/2004 9:34 PM EST
This is Halloween, This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween (music in background.
Posted by
Beta-Theta @ 10/31/2004 9:36 PM EST
Those look like amazing loot bags. In fact they’re the best I think I’ve ever seen. We don’t get many treaters, in fact all I’ve had so far has been a set of teens wearing outfits that barely qualified as costumes.
My fav entries:
Introducing, The Grim Rapper!
Emeril’s Halloween Cooking Special!
The Many Faces of Jason Voorhees!
Whoa, it hit me, we’ll never see the ghosts ever again *sniff sniff*
Posted by
ANdrew @ 10/31/2004 9:52 PM EST
1. the many faces of jason
2. the many faces of jason
3. the many faces of jason
Posted by
niceass @ 10/31/2004 10:00 PM EST
when is the thanksgiving countdown slated to begin?
Posted by
samantha @ 10/31/2004 10:01 PM EST
so sad, it’s all downhill from here. at least it was a complete countdown, then there’s one less thing to make the OCD flare up again, hehe.
Favorites:
Pet Costumes: makes me jealous I couldn’t do that to my cat.
All the Kids costumes, and the Micheal Myers one. I don’t care if it violates the rules.
AAAaaaaannnnndddd…..the Contact Lenses. Soo cool, I’d wear them til they stuck to my eyes.
I wish the countdown could start all over again. Like Fred Savage said in the last ep. of Wonder Years, "I don’t want it to end…(sniff)Winnie"
Posted by
kidneyboy @ 10/31/2004 10:10 PM EST
Just a thought…
How about adding the ghosts to some sort of Scrooge comic for XMas… you know… ghost of Christmas past, etc…
I’m just trying to find ways to rekindle my love for the Halloween ghosts.
Posted by
Croww @ 10/31/2004 10:13 PM EST
Fav 3:
-The Many Faces of Jason
-The Big Alien Sequal (I killed the last facehugger)
-Costumes for Pets
Ghost With the Most Ruled…
Many faces of Jason was interesting
of course the cat in a cape
the freaky contacts were cool
Thats about it from me, lookin forward to the christmas montage.
"ho, ho , ho I’m hu-hu-hungry!!!"
" Bawwwwwny!! My PEBBLES!!!"
- Kevin
Posted by
phunqsauce @ 10/31/2004 10:33 PM EST
yabba-dabba fruitylicious-doo!!!
hehe, I couldn’t forget that…
Posted by
phunqsauce @ 10/31/2004 10:34 PM EST
I, too, have had absolutely NO trick or treaters at my door tonight. What is up with that??? I live in a big apartment community- just think how many families a kid could hit up in a span of 30 minutes!! Oh well, more candy for me, I guess… Thanks for keeping the spirit alive for us, Matt!
Posted by
Jillybeann @ 10/31/2004 10:40 PM EST
we average about 2 or 3 a year but the houses on my street are far apart in a rural area…
Posted by
phunqsauce @ 10/31/2004 10:43 PM EST
You know, I think that fewer kids go door to door overall than when we were kids. Must be more freaks around now than in ‘85.
Posted by
Jillybeann @ 10/31/2004 10:44 PM EST
And another Happy Halloween to Matt and all Bloggers! Though Halloween isn’t my favorite holiday, primarily because I’m not a huge horror fan, I did enjoy most of the articles, including the slasher costumes, the candy coverage (I actually bought the Cocoa Cats tonight), and the Halloween Specials commercials.
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Monster cereals. As memory serves they DO taste marginally better than Lucky Charms, but I’m still not crazy about marshmallows in cereal. I think Frankenberry turned up most in my family’s house due to the pink color - pink was one of my sisters’ favorite colors when we were growing up.
Posted by
starwenn @ 10/31/2004 11:00 PM EST
Ugh…………..SHrek crap is haunting me. I keep seeing that damn commercial with the old Wal-Mart greeter and the gingerbread man. My eyes are BURNING!!!!!
Posted by
phunqsauce @ 10/31/2004 11:02 PM EST
My 3 faves were the cheetos, the dew and the dog costume.
Posted by
pikachulover @ 10/31/2004 11:15 PM EST
Hmm… sorry, Matt I’ve been busy procrastinating about preparing to move to Ottawa (usually by playing Metropolis Street Racer on the Sega Dreamcast), so I haven’t had as much time lately to check out this fine web page.
I actually did go out for Hallowe’en this year, for the first time in about 17 years or so, but just to walk around Montreal (and see I Heart Huckabees). I dressed up as Thnikkaman from Homestar Runner, wearing an orange sweater, a pair of Men in Black RayBan sunglasses I paid way too much for at an airport Sunglasses Hut in 1997, and a white sheet of paper with "TH" written about it. I thought of using cheap costume makeup to paint my face blue with a wedge of teeth, since Thnikkaman is really just the Homestar Runner character Bubs wearing the most minimal of disguises, but I just wasn’t *that* brave, and, in any event, it was raining so the makeup would have run all over my sweater.
Unfortunately, I didn’t seem to encounter a single HR fan walking around downtown, since no one got the reference.
It was a great Hallowe’en countdown this year, though. I especially liked the article about dressing up your cat; I just wanted to bring that up because, no, Matt, it’s not just your cat that has learned to say "Noooooooooo!" My cat says the same thing too, very distinctive from her normal mewing, and I fully believe she is attempting to say the English word "no"; I don’t think it’s a far-fetched premise at all that animals can learn to say one or two simple words. She hears "no" often enough and must have some vague knowledge as to what it means and if she can do a meow variant that sounds more or less like "no", she’ll use it when she doesn’t approve of something. And it’s not just my cat that can say one simple English word; when I get home, Luke, my golden retreiver mix, says "Eh-rooow", which I honestly believe is an attempt to say "Hello". He never makes a sound like that at any other time other than when a person he knows comes through the door. Strangely enough, of our two dogs, Luke is the stupider one, he can’t plan things the way my other dog, a Labrador mix, can, but he is the one with rudimentary language skills.
My favorite were the Ghost with the most comics, the kid costumes and the contact lenses. I was kind of hoping for another ghost comic for the road.
Posted by
snchpnz @ 10/31/2004 11:31 PM EST
I’d say I liked the 3d bloody words because they were awesome, the ooey gooey banana things because of the line about the albino monkey and standing skull man because he rocks my socks off (no, not the red sox, stop talking about them dammit) and the story about the cat wasting lives. The contact lenses were close to beating out the 3d words though, tough choice between those two, ended up using the coin. All in all, the countdown was awesome even without Madd Matt. More awesome than Halloween itself perhaps, and at least as awesome as the Rocky Horror Picture Show the drama department put on last night.
Posted by
Mara @ 10/31/2004 11:43 PM EST
so matt. honestly, how did the monster trio mixed cereal ( That obviously was the reason Jimmy Hoffa disappeared.) taste? cuz I’m thinkin chocolate strawberry blueberry wouldn’t be as good as it sounds…
Posted by
capt. Spacklepants @ 10/31/2004 11:57 PM EST
I mixed all the halloween cerals once, a week ago, sadly the box of boo berry was left open and was stale, I did not no this, I just had my wisdoms out, hard,stale ceral+my teeth in pain=not a good experience
otherwise this was great, plan on a christmas countdown?
Posted by
bogeyb @ 11/01/2004 1:14 AM EST
Thanks as always for the effort, Matt!
Posted by
Andy @ 11/01/2004 1:16 AM EST
Ahem. Neglecting the Fruit Brute aren’t we? I found a box on some site, and there was a coupon for 18 cents. Or degrees. You know, for a cold day. I’m not sure if they mean F or C, though.
Posted by
Yama the Space Fish @ 11/01/2004 8:01 AM EST
All the articles have been entertaining, but my favorites were the comics.. all 3 ghost comics and the emeril one. those were awesome!
Posted by
EyeLikeP00 @ 11/01/2004 8:39 AM EST
Hey, I remember that stuff. I remember when I was 4 years old, my family and I took a trip to Newport Beach in Orange County and in the hotel, I became addicted to Boo-Berry. I snuck some of it in bed with me… Later on, while I was asleep, someone must have put a quarter in the box bed-shaker… look, I didn’t say it was going to be a GOOD story… Come to think of it, didn’t say there would be a story at all.
Posted by
Chachi @ 11/01/2004 9:00 AM EST
Even though there can only be a top three awarded here tonight, I’m sure we can all agree that all of the posts represented on this stage are winners…
Anyway, my favorites were the ghost comics, the shopping contest and the costumes for pets. Honorable mention: Growing Pains, the Atari game, and the Hallmark commercial. I’m a sucker for old commercials.
Posted by
Lori @ 11/01/2004 9:00 AM EST
I forgot to add… my two favorite lines from the countdown:
"Bo Knows Baking"
"I Came 2 See Garlic!"
Posted by
Lori @ 11/01/2004 9:22 AM EST
Emiril
Pet Costumes
Standing Skull Man
Posted by
Jimbalaya @ 11/01/2004 9:43 AM EST
Halloween DID suck this year.
Everybody is in such a rush for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Wal*Mart and Hannaford already have the Christmas stuff out. Come on! The turkey and stuffing haven’t even hit the table and the Macy’s balloons haven’t been unpacked yet!
Well, tomorrow is November 2, go out there and vote, mo fo, or Puff Daddy will shoot y’all down, yo.
Posted by
AngeFaitore @ 11/01/2004 10:05 AM EST
First of all, thanks for all the hard work Matt! You never disappoint. I can’t imagine taking the time to write all these great articles after I get home from work.
I like the pet costumes (the cat pics cracked me up), the ghost comics, and the cereal recipes.
Posted by
Y2JB78 @ 11/01/2004 10:19 AM EST
matt- did u see the freak on vh1 totally obsessed with BOO BERRY? He hides the boxes of count chocula so people will think it doesnt exist anymore. Personally, I hate Boo Berry. The count is the best. Oh and
I agree with Jillybeann about there being less trick or treaters
good job on the countdown, matt.
my favorites were the child costumes. all three of them. standing skull man was pretty awesome, too.
Posted by
big jerm @ 11/01/2004 11:53 AM EST
FRUITY YUMMY MUMMY MAKES YOUR TUMMY GO YUMMY………BITCHES!!
Posted by
Rayzak @ 11/01/2004 12:06 PM EST
I’ve never posted before, but I felt I had to step forth from the shadows to comment on how genius the
Uatu says "what if?" comment was.
Now I have commented on it, I may go back home.
Posted by
Chris Laube` @ 11/01/2004 12:08 PM EST
X-E T.V. Show?
Posted by
Mattfan @ 11/01/2004 12:09 PM EST
Im apologizing because I use the word "comment" a lot, it comes from a childhood illness in which I also made paper hats out of feces.
Posted by
chris laube @ 11/01/2004 12:12 PM EST
Ghost With the Most
Shocktober promos
Dracu-cat
Very odd Trick or Treating. Not a whole lotta kids coming by, so I have nearly half a cauldron full of treats. When I took my nephew out, the houses giving were far and few between, but he did get a lot of candy at each one. this year, I added a bag of pinata filler to my usual mix, and it went over big. Kids love little toys with the candy, lemme tell ya. Then it rained all day yesterday and I spent my time watching We’en-themed programming on cable, drinking hot tea and enjoying some very good away-from-humanity time. Got my first B-day present this morning. My nutcase nephews gave me a "Over-The-Hill" gag gift, a ball and paddle toy with "Over the hill Exerciser" on it. I’ll get them. By the way, Happy All-Saints Day!
Posted by
kingklash is 35 today @ 11/01/2004 12:14 PM EST
I’m just sorry I didn’t enter the contest. It wasn’t for lack of trying, I just couldn’t think of a good enough slogan. The best I came up with was "Buy Bonds." Buy bonds??? How lame is that.
Then like 5 minutes ago, the slogan I should’ve used hit me like a ton of bricks! I think you all know what I’m talking about. It invloves a movie review, aliens, fast food, and cheesy product placement. I won’t mention it, for fear that Matt’ll ban me if I don’t shut up about it.
Seriously though, why did I only think of it NOW???
My 3 favs are the Halloween Peeps, Costumes for Your Pets and the Ooey Gooey Banana Ghosts! The entire countdown rocked. The upcoming "holiday" season can’t hold a candle to this Halloween Countdown. One more reason to love Halloween!
Posted by
Pammy @ 11/01/2004 12:26 PM EST
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to kingklash, happy birthday to you-oo!
Holy crap, "Over the Hill"? Jeez, 35 isn’t over the hill. Fifty, maybe. They’re so young, your nephews. I bet they’re expecting you to come out w/ the denture cream and the Geritol any day now.
Jay Amabile, the guy that’s in love w/ Boo-Berry is RoG from I-Mockery. (http://www.i-mockery.com/default.php) His Pickle Man comics are the best.
Are the links blue for anyone else?
Posted by
trajeal @ 11/01/2004 12:29 PM EST
I tried mixing Count Chocula and Frankenberry a few weeks back and I wasn’t too excited about the mixture. It was kind of weird, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I know I wouldn’t try it again. I think Boo Berry and Frankenberry might be a good mixture but the box of Boo Berry I had was stale and stale marshmallows are no good.
I saw today at one of the 8 million Acme’s near me Cap’n Crunch Christmas Crunch but didn’t have any cash at the moment to pick it up. You can bet I will be going back later in the week to pick that bad boy up.
Good job on the countdown this year Matt. It was extra Halloweeny for me this year on the site since I was backed up reading your articles so I read last years countdown last month and this year’s as they came out. So I’m about Halloweened out. Maybe…
Posted by
Storm Shadow @ 11/01/2004 12:36 PM EST
I’m not sure where our host makes up his info, but Frankenberry and Boo Berry are available year-round. If your local store doesn’t stock them, bug the manager.
Posted by
Mr S @ 11/01/2004 12:37 PM EST
I live in PA and I only see Count Chocula year round. I see Frankenberry once in a while and I only ever see Boo Berry from late Sept. to the end of Halloween. So Matt is not making anything up that isn’t true.
Posted by
Storm Shadow @ 11/01/2004 12:39 PM EST
I dug Shocktober, Hallmark and the scary contact lenses best.
Posted by
Random Reader @ 11/01/2004 12:39 PM EST
woot now its time for thanksgiving man…..oh the fun!!!
Posted by
lordsorrow @ 11/01/2004 12:47 PM EST
There was another art contest and I never found out? ARGH
Posted by
Mars @ 11/01/2004 12:50 PM EST
I have a Boo Berry update. Check you local Super Wal-Mart if you have one. I have found Boo Berry close to year round at mine. Lone redeeming feature of otherwise pit of hell. Also known to have Franken Berry on consistent basis.
Posted by
Fletch @ 11/01/2004 1:01 PM EST
As the designated F.O.S. posting member on X-E, we (and by we, I mean I) would like thank you for including our entry and the hard work you put into the Hollywood countdown. Hopefully Matt can review the origin video for our organization in the near future, and I can then have other X-Ers take the oath of F.O.S.
To those who were wondering how goofy the Fantastic Four movie will be next year, check out this promo video made for theatre owners with temporary effects and space scenes from Amargeddon:
http://www.themoviebox.net/med...on=showfull&id=1099262899
Not to be confused with Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four:
http://www.videoaddicts.com/catalogs/vhs/camp/f4bootleg.htm
Posted by
ME @ 11/01/2004 1:13 PM EST
Imagine an "r" after the first "A" in "Amargeddon" in my post.
Posted by
ME @ 11/01/2004 1:16 PM EST
Awel, if you watch the Fantastic Four promo video, just think of the possibilites for a Mac and Me sequel/prequel/series! Matt, quitely suggest the idea to the Nick people, with the prerequisite of you writing it.
Posted by
ME @ 11/01/2004 2:36 PM EST
halloween on the atari
the fright glove/hockey mask
hallmark halloween commercial.
now i’m just kicking myself that i didn’t think earlier to use that jingle from halloween 3 as a comment earlier (3 more days till halloween, halloween, halloween, 3 more days till halloween, silver shamrock.)
um negative 1 days till halloween silver shamrock.
Posted by
jim. @ 11/01/2004 3:49 PM EST
Andrew I plan on moving back to New Jersey as soon as I can. It’s been six months of Hell since I moved to Pennsylvania back in April. I live in Pocono Lake, and it is the most rural and boring place I have ever visited, populated by trees and old people.
I have witnessed the Greatest Evil known to man when I visited a K Mart yesterday: they have an animatronic Santa Claus complete with "glowing" candle on display by their electronics department. Who in their right mind sets up a Christmas display on fucking Halloween? Christmas is spreading like a virus and it needs to be contained to late November and December only. Christmas in July? What the fuck is that shit?
Posted by
charliecucumber @ 11/01/2004 4:20 PM EST
charliecucumber I live in PA myself, about 5 mins from Philly, and a mere 6 or 7 years ago, halloween was friggin huge. I seriously had 5 trick or treaters at my house this year and 2 of them were from my own street. I think that it’s a damn shame that no one is trick or treating anymore, it used to be a national past time. Should we just chalk this up to fear of terrorism? The thing about Pennsylvania is that there is Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and after you leave like a 10 mile radius from either of those two points it’s friggin Alabama!
Posted by
Tenacious Tate @ 11/01/2004 4:37 PM EST
Excellent job this year, Matt. I’m sad to see it go, but there’ll be plenty more to come in the future, eh?
Top three?
Ghost With the Most III
Costumes for Pets
tough choice… probably the Emeril one, but it was way too hard to pick. I could give a top ten easy, but three.. it’s hard to narrow it down.
Posted by
Rainbowfeet @ 11/01/2004 4:51 PM EST
Gaaah,
Fruit Brute! Fruit Brute! Everbody up here in boring ol’ Maine looks at me like my face is peeling off to reveal lizard skin when I mention that there used to be a fourth cereal! You simply must do an expose on the (defunct?) werewolf of the cereal quartet.
I should probably do it myself, but you’d make it much funnier.
Posted by
Ecoboy @ 11/01/2004 5:29 PM EST
Oh, and (raving having stopped)
1. The faces of jason
2. The bat that flapped like crazy (extra points for the blurry photo)
3. The glowing head, hands and feet that are meant to be stuck in the ground. That was Marcus the Carcass, right?
Posted by
Ecoboy @ 11/01/2004 5:38 PM EST
CUCUMBER- I live (or go to school rather) in Lancaster which isn’t all that dreadful, but I like Jersey so I know what it must be like living in the the "wyoming" region of PA
Posted by
ANdrew @ 11/01/2004 5:41 PM EST
I live in Florida and the kids in town weren’t allowed to trick or treat on Sunday because it’s "God’s day of rest"……welcome to the South.
I would have to say that my favorite piece you did, Matt, was the cat costumes one. Any time you put a cat in something other than a collar is funny. I have pics of my cat wearing reindeer horns from last christmas and, honestly, I think that he would have killed me if he could have. As it was, he hid under the bed for a few hours….
Posted by
katiegirl @ 11/01/2004 6:12 PM EST
I’m in mourning for the countdown.
My top 3:
1) The Yeti!
2) Pet costumes/dressing the cat
3) Glowing balloon monsters
Thanks for the hard work and the fun, Matt.
Posted by
rachi99 @ 11/01/2004 7:09 PM EST
Oh, how I do miss Halloween. It’s november 1st. No reason of living until next October 1st.
Posted by
Robbie @ 11/01/2004 7:14 PM EST
My three favorites were:
-Pet costumes
-Ghost with the Most
- and I’m not sure for the third, but thing that made laugh the hardest was "There’s a look at a Gummy Fang from the back. I won’t be crass, but I think we can safely say that the candy is multipurpose."
Posted by
Nephie @ 11/01/2004 7:44 PM EST
So Saturday night, I’m trying to put on my costume and makeup to go out to the bars. I have 8 people over for a pre-party, and not only do I have to put out costume fires and heat up homemade, rummified cider, but the kids will NOT STOP ringing the bell! I bought 10 Jumbo bags of candy, and it was gone in about 2 hours…had to turn off my light like a cheapskate who doesn’t give out candy. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the worst part of the whole thing. You remember what we thought of those houses.
So Matt. Here’s my most favoritest articles:
1. Dressing up your cat. Remembering how my sister bought her cat a leash once, and the pee-your-pants fun that followed, I was ROLLING on the floor by the end of that one. Sent it to the sister, and of course, she loved it, too. That was some comic genius, and I salute you, sir.
2. Grim Rapper. I still can’t find him, and I NEED him! Not only that, but my local Eckerd’s just changed to a CVS and they’re still not carrying it. Yeeeeeeah, thanks.
3. Just today, the Monster Cereals! Damn, I laughed my ass off. I’m going to the market tomorrow to get the half-price ones.
Posted by
Emily @ 11/01/2004 7:59 PM EST
Great work Matt, so what’s next?
1. Yeti from the Shatner school of acting.
2. Slasher costumes for kids makes me wish I dressed as something besides a ninja every year.
3. Ghost with the most, strangely I see every emotion clear as crystal.
Posted by
Happnin' Mojo @ 11/01/2004 8:33 PM EST
Matt, you kick major ass. Mine Halloween was boring and unadventful, but your countdown was everything but.
Go Terps.
Posted by
Walks @ 11/01/2004 10:37 PM EST
I live in FL and we only had 1 kid come by to the house yesterday and somehow had 3 today…think of the that at the same time when you realize that we are only better than Alabama when it comes to schooling and you’ll have a good chuckle.
we also seem to have all 3 monster cereals on the shelves all year round. not sure if it’s a blessing in disguse or not.
Posted by
Louie @ 11/01/2004 11:27 PM EST
well my children, its time to decide….for the fate of our nation…..GASP!!!!! I’m just glad the whole election hoopla will end after tomorrow. No more political ads!!!!!!!! yes!!!!
I love this site and always will.
Thank You Matt for all you’ve done.
- Kevin
Posted by
phunqsauce @ 11/01/2004 11:43 PM EST
I forgot to mention the my Top 3:
1. The many faces of Jason Voorhies
2. Halloween Marshmallow Peeps
3. Hallmark commercial with the guy in the orange shirt who looks like a flaming homsexual (no offense intended toward any homo/bisexuals who happen to be reading this; but he does).
And now for something completely different: THANKSGIVING!!!
Posted by
The REAL Nate @ 11/02/2004 2:51 AM EST
I am a huge fan of Boo Berry. I really miss his old look though. More sullen and not nearly as thrilled about being a cereal mascot as Toucan Sam.
Favorite articles?
1. Peeps
2. Bananas covered in Apple Jacks
3. Cheetos
Posted by
pulseczar @ 11/02/2004 5:42 AM EST
Matt- Excellent countdown! It was much appreciated and really brought Halloween to life for me. Thanks. Top 3- (1.) Halloween for Atari (2.) Marshmallow Peeps (3.) Standing Skull Man… and I loved all of the ghost cartoons as well!! Funny, funny stuff. You inspire me to put cheap markers to paper.
Posted by
Muppet Baby @ 11/02/2004 6:03 AM EST
very awesome countdown Matt!
actually, last year’s countdown is what got me to this site in the first place, and its been a roller-coaster ride of emotions since…
Fav 3 countdown articles:
1. KittyKat costume…hilarious
2. Ghost with the most comics…i really felt their pains and sorrows
3. Halloween cookies from hell…i’ve been craving them since!
Posted by
-Jen- @ 11/02/2004 8:23 AM EST
There can be only one!!
Posted by
The REALEST Nate @ 11/02/2004 8:43 AM EST
Just kidding, Nate. That was me.
Anyway, great stuff everybody. Ghost with the most better make a return to X-E soon, that’s all I can say.
CHRISTMAS TIME!!
My tree is already up…
Seriously. It went up the day after Halloween. Not that I don’t love the tree.. but the real reason it’s up is just knowing that somebody is driving by my house and cursing at me for being part of the "Christmas comes earlier every year!! Stop it, you morons!" club.
Next year the tree goes up on Easter.
Posted by
Matt(#2) @ 11/02/2004 8:48 AM EST
Happy (belated) Halloween!
Great articles in the countdown — thanks for giving me something to do in class besides learn!
Posted by
Mandi @ 11/02/2004 9:01 AM EST
Everything in the countdown kept me pretty entertained but I probably would pick:
The ghost comics
The Yeti and the Lament Configuration
Marcus The Carcus
I didn’t find this site till about mid Nov., so I started out with the Halloween countdown. I have managed to read a lot more than just the Halloweeen stuff.
Your website has quickly became of of my favorite places to visit.
Posted by
Jerome @ 11/02/2004 9:21 AM EST
Sorry, mid September. Now I feel silly.
Posted by
Jerome @ 11/02/2004 9:22 AM EST
Great job on the countdown, Matt. I learned about your site on MSNBC in early Oct. and have been reading it ever since. My favorite articles were: all the ghost comics; the ooey-gooey banana ghosts; and, the standing skull guy. The contacts were great too because we got to see yo’ pretty mug! Happy Holidays!
Posted by
Traynor @ 11/02/2004 9:28 AM EST
I forgot to mention we had like over 100 trick or treaters at our house. We gave out goody bags with candy, McDonald’s coupons and miniature containers shaped like jack-o-lanterns that had bubbles inside. We also ran out of candy and had to go inside.
Posted by
Traynor @ 11/02/2004 9:32 AM EST
1. The ghost w/ the most comics
2. The many faces of Jason
3. The Yeti skit
Great stuff as usual. I saw the grim rapper in a CVS a week ago and I couldn’t understand a word it was saying. It still was funny though.
Posted by
J-Dog @ 11/02/2004 10:27 AM EST
VOTE COBRA 2004!
http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=2463
Posted by
Zad @ 11/02/2004 10:36 AM EST
is matt dead? or just hungover with halloweenyness?
Posted by
turkeygirl @ 11/02/2004 10:37 AM EST
He’s taking a well deserved break. He’s probably so sick of sitting at his computer, typing and downloading digi pics that he did jump into his coffin and is sleeping the sleep of the dead. At least until the next Macy’s Day Parade.
Posted by
trajeal @ 11/02/2004 11:38 AM EST
Congrats Matt, I am proud of the excellent job you did this year. Only a few entries were obviously done out of exhaustion and apathy, but you held strong for the most part. Better than I could do, that’s for sure.
Three favorites, Many faces of Jason, Contacts, and The Monster Cereal trifecta. Awesome. Cheers to you.
Posted by
Myke @ 11/02/2004 12:19 PM EST
Go out and vote, fellow posties! Your vote might just be the one that causes chaos! Vote early and vote often! Exclamation points!!!!!!
Posted by
my name is kingklash and I approve of voting today @ 11/02/2004 1:18 PM EST
Hey Matt!
Thanks for all your time and effort- I never knew how much I could look forward to reading about things I had never heard of… I thought I liked Halloween before- how little I knew!
Thanks a Bunch- & I’m already looking forward to next year.
My 3 faves were: Scary Shopping Contest (You… BASTARD!); Marcus the Carcass and The Power of Halloween Specials- (I’m an old, sentimental bastard..) Oh yes, with a shout out to every Candy article- Without them, I might not have put on another 5 pounds this season… (and just in time for Thanksgiving!)… Come to think of it- I’m even now contemplating the purchase of the 3-Monster Mega-Box of cereal… On second thought- Damn You Matt! -You Bastard!!!
Many Thanks & Happy Holidays!
Posted by
TServo @ 11/02/2004 2:30 PM EST
my parents actually bought marcus the carcass. they put him in the front yard with a lawn mower in the middle of him. it was pretty cool
Posted by
big jerm @ 11/02/2004 6:24 PM EST
Man, they Triple Monster cereal thing has been on shelves since August. I should know, i’ve had it under a shelf since then.
Posted by
Dan @ 11/02/2004 7:50 PM EST
I voted. I’m tired of looking at Chris Matthews…So here I am….I thought this might be a good poll question for all of you in la la land. How did you find out about X-E? I stumbled upon it at my friend’s house at about 4 AM when I searched for My Pet Monster the Movie. I believe that was about a year ago. The rest is history…..
Posted by
phunqsauce @ 11/02/2004 9:03 PM EST
Matt…
Awesome….simply awesome…
But I have to admit..it just didn’t feel like Halloween without…you know…MAD MATT!!!!!
What happened to him? Have those rats,roaches and spiders that were living in his festering body finally eaten him up?
The People WANT to know!
PS Three Best?
1. The Evil Snake Dude Anti-Drug PSA
2.The Growing Pains Halloween Episode
3.The Ghost With The Most (ALL, cause they ROCKED)
Again, well done, Matt…An absolute huge body of work has gone into this year’s Halloween!
And we all thank you for it!
Posted by
Blakula2k @ 11/02/2004 9:25 PM EST
http://www.bogleech.com/blather-sillyvampires.html
My site’s first article, illustrated badly by myself! It’s about goofy (and real) vampire myths!
I found X-E when I was searching for 80’s commercials. I think it was the Encyclopedia Britanica one ("I always wondered where my mandibula was."). That was about a year and a half ago. Wow, time flies, huh?
Posted by
trajeal @ 11/03/2004 6:25 AM EST
Hey, Scythemantis, you should add the penanggalan of Malaysia on there. Freaky creature.
Posted by
trajeal @ 11/03/2004 6:34 AM EST
I have a friend who emailed me a link to the article Matt did WAY back on baking an Alf-shaped cake…..I have been coming here religiously since that moment almost 2 years ago!!
Posted by
Muppet Baby @ 11/03/2004 7:26 AM EST
Yeah, I found the site about 2 years ago as well. A friend sent me a link to the Popples article. I’ve been reading religiously ever since!
Posted by
1drland @ 11/03/2004 8:05 AM EST
I checked out boredatwork.com (because I was) and the link to X-E was on there. As soon as I saw the 80’s commercial downloads I knew I was home.
Posted by
Lori @ 11/03/2004 9:25 AM EST
I’ve been reading for almost 3 years. A friend sent a link to an article (it was so long ago, I don’t remember which one), and I have been hooked ever since. I have been on here at least once a day every day since.
Posted by
Y2JB78 @ 11/03/2004 9:55 AM EST
I’ve been reading this site for almost 3 years now. I stumbled on this site while doing a search for He-Man. The rest is history. This is by far the best website, and one I look forward to reading everyday!
Posted by
J-Dog @ 11/03/2004 10:04 AM EST
I actually didn’t start eating the Monster cereals until my teen years. I was not allowed to eat them as a child because my mom thought pre-sweetened cereals were dangerous (and the tool of Satan). Unbelievable. Anyway, Frankenberry is my fav of the three. But I don’t like the new artwork of Frank compared to his 80s rendition. It looks like he’s had one too many Red Bulls.
The cereals are all good. But does anyone remember the other Monster cereals that didn’t exactly succeed in the market? There was Fruit Brute (a werewolf), which came out around the same time as the first three but was discontinued around 1982-83. There was also Yummy Mummy, another fruit based Monster cereal that lived and died in the early 90s.
Posted by
Bert Raccoon @ 11/03/2004 10:49 AM EST
I think I discovered this site about a year ago. A friend just sent me the link cause I was bored at work and he thought I’d enjoy it, and he was right. I don’t remember what article was the first I read, but the one that hooked me was the one about the Hulk Hands that talk. I still want to get a pair.
Posted by
jhnnywalkr @ 11/03/2004 11:35 AM EST
http://web.archive.org/web/200...tertainment.com/newxelogo3.jpg
Posted by
Al Boondy @ 11/03/2004 11:37 AM EST
Not like anyone is reading this anymore, but I’ll answer phunqsauce’s question anyway.
A friend of mine and I were trying to explain Nads to my cousin, so we typed it in to Google, and up came one of my all time favorite reviews from the site, when Matt ate Nads. History is made.
Posted by
Mara @ 11/03/2004 12:11 PM EST
http://www.cafepress.com/kerrylost
Election’s over, time to chill out. Click my name and feel the wind in you face, and the bugs in your teeth.
http://supereasthockey.com/PSU_04.html
Matt,
did you play hockey for Penn State?
Posted by
J-Dog @ 11/03/2004 4:41 PM EST
Matt, I thought I’d just about read everything on this site, until I happened upon this little gem from waaaaayyyy back in April 2000 in which you interview a cocktail drinking, cigarette smoking naked doll. Weird stuff, man.
http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/31.html
Posted by
Pedro @ 11/03/2004 5:11 PM EST
One day after I had read all of Maddox’s articles I scrolled down to his links, Matt was one of them and now thanks to the halloween countdown I still obssessivly check x-e evertyime I get online.
Posted by
gimpy421 @ 11/03/2004 10:50 PM EST
I think my favorite things in the Halloween countdown were the examination of all Jason’s different faces, the Emeril cartoon, and I guess the review of the snake-drug dealer commercial, which I didn’t even realize was part of the Halloween countdown until I looked at the list just now.
Posted by
Talia @ 11/03/2004 11:22 PM EST
Thank all of you who responded to my question!! I figured everyone else just kinda "stumbled" into this madness called x-entertainment. and by the way i can’t believe the video for Aiesha by Another Bad Creation is on TV right now. God bless VH-1 Classics!!!! Once again thank you Matt for doing the work of a million slackers like me over the years!!!
-Kevin
Posted by
phunqsauce @ 11/04/2004 3:55 AM EST
wow i just read the "Mae Young" interview. Frrrrrrrrrrrrrreakayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!
Makes me wish i was hip to this many a years ago. It reminds me of something that me and my friends woulda done if we knew the meaning of effort back in the day.
-Kevin
Posted by
phunqsauce @ 11/04/2004 4:09 AM EST
happy belated halloween, hope you had a good one.
my favourite articles is a tough question, I liked them all! If I had to pick 3 though, to take away onto a (haunted) desert island to read again & again I’d pick
1. grosser than gross party favors. I liked this because I managed to pick some up from a supermarket here in the uk, it made me feel a little bit more like a matt.
2. halloween costumes for pets, just because it’s always funny to see an animal dressed up.
3. many faces jason vorhees. we all like jason. He constantly reinvents himself, you know you have to keep up with the kids
looking forward to more x-e in the near future!
Posted by
Gaz @ 11/04/2004 5:28 AM EST
trajeal–
Waitaminit, waitaminit. RoG was on VH1? Double-yoo tee eff?
Posted by
freakachu @ 11/04/2004 7:00 AM EST
yeah, he was on Toyally Obsessed. He was on The Daily Show once, too. Cool, huh? We need to get Matt some gigs like that. All of this "behind the scenes" stuff at Nick is only secondary to actually seeing his mug on tv. Well, actually, working at Nick is way cooler than a tiny guest spot on tv, but it would still be a-a-a-awesome to see.
Talia, are you my sister? That’s my sister’s name and it’s not exactly common.
Posted by
trajeal @ 11/04/2004 7:54 AM EST
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention - I love the Mae Young interview. Hee! That’s classic X-E. I like how Matt tried to disguise himself as someone names Alex Troi. Like we wouldn’t know!
Posted by
trajeal @ 11/04/2004 7:55 AM EST
Y’know what X-E needs? Another mystery to solve. I mean, we had the myster of Nathan Bitner, and the mystery of the disappearance of Slimer’s Ecto Cooler, and even the mystery of Boo Berry. What we need is something else to rediscover and uncover that has been missing since our childhoods, and still possibly exists.
Posted by
The REAL Nate @ 11/04/2004 12:04 PM EST
I think my 3 favorite enteries were 1. Cat costume, 2. Crazy Contacts, and 3. Ghost comics, but I have to put the Monster cereals on here, too. Count Chocula is the greatest and I cannot imagine what mixing the 3 cereals together would be like. It seems like it would be insane!
Posted by
Andrea @ 11/04/2004 2:31 PM EST
I concur with the masses: Many faces of Jason and the cat costume. I also liked the Shocktober ad (even though I am not from the NY area by a long shot. It was just nice).
I know Halloween is over, but I wish you could make one last reference to all of the hoopla this year. The big AMC and BRAVO horror movie specials were 5 star. Just an idea……
Posted by
manimal789 @ 11/04/2004 7:50 PM EST
Yeah, sweet Uatu reference, i hear they might be bringing "What if?" back.
Posted by
alan smithee @ 11/05/2004 12:35 PM EST
There should be a book about the stuff that, under no circumstances, will not ever happen in any form of the Marvel Universe. It could be called "As If!"
Posted by
kingklash @ 11/06/2004 2:10 PM EST
Your Halloween coverage is great! I always get a laugh out of your writing. Oh that isn’t a head clock on Frankenberry, it’s a pressure gauge! Keep up the good work,
Posted by
Andy @ 11/07/2004 1:09 AM EST
Two years ago after many hours spent searching for Boo Berry, we happened upon it at a local target. I think I may have crapped a brick in the process, but I got it home and it sat around the house for a few days, the magic wearing thin. Then the idea between me and my fellows that we should create a trifecta, the holy trinity, the mother%$#!ing triforce of cereal.
We got all the boxes and poured ourselves a bowl, and then we realized we forget the milk. so we used mango juice.
Mmm cha-cha-cha-cha-cha Delicious.
Posted by
Chris @ 11/10/2004 9:42 PM EST
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