I managed to snatch a sealed box of C-3P0's Cereal from 1984, so even though I already did an article on the stuff a few years ago, this latest development seemed like enough of a reason to praise the power of the rehash. It's a giant look at a very special Star Wars breakfast, including a full-sized scan of the creepy Luke Skywalker mask printed on the box. Enjoy.
Actually just got back from Atlantic City a few hours ago. Lost big, but only to the point of a one week depression as opposed to the six weeks that came after my last visit. The machines were ruthlessly cold, and even if the tables were luckier, I fucked up every time I sat at one and eventually gave up. I just couldn't grasp the nuances of when to pick up cards, how to pick up cards, when to throw the chips, so on and so forth. It was like trying to wing sign language.
Right before we left, we hit the boardwalk at my urging so I could check out the decrepit souvenir shops for old crap. Couldn't hit shit in the casinos, but nailed a jackpot in the shops -- the next article (hopefully active on Monday afternoon -- I have off because I strongly support MLK) features one collection of finds, but I took home all sorts of great stuff. One of the 99 cent stores was stocked with Rambo action figure accessory packs from 1985, and that's just the tip. In the bowels of the very same store, I found these...
Heinz Pokemon Pasta! The cans are from 1999, but even so, they were some of the least offensively old food products found in the store. They're from Pokemon's boom period, with six characters (chosen seemingly at random) represented as pasta shapes in milky tomato sauce I know I've said it a million times, but...how? How can stores get away with it? Why would they even try? Do we have any law people in here? If one were to say, eat the Pokemon Pasta and get very, very ill...would they have a case against those who sold it? I'm not working up to a punch line here -- I really am curious.
Okay, gonna get to work on the next article -- should be a fun one. Meantime, see if either of these descriptions get your memories flowing. I'm trying to remember the names of/get information on a couple of toys I distinctly recall owning and loving...
1) Worms-in-a-briefcase. May possibly be the very first toy I ever picked out for myself by myself, so we're probably looking at something that came out between 1982-1985. They were, as I recall, sets of two life-sized rubber worm figures in various bright colors that came packed in tiny plastic briefcases. I'm dying to know the name of these. Pretty sure they used to be on sale near the register at KB.
2) This one's a bit tougher -- I won it using casino arcade points in Wildwood when I was a kid. It was sort of like a giant, souped up Madball -- let's say basketball sized, with a pull-string that activated its electronic voice. May have had a few other "action" capabilities. Was very colorful and very ugly.
Any ideas? Anyone?
Posted by Matt on 01/15/2005. E-mail me!
Chestnuts roasted by 
Weird.
The kid in the C3PO’s spot looks like a young George W. Bush.
Also, all this Star-Wars-themed food talk reminded me of a very short-lived snack food of the late ’70s/early ’80s with the self-explanatory name of Cheddar Triangles. What I remember most was that the commercial was a complete ripoff of the Star Wars franchise. There was two men, one blond and relatively clean-cut, the other a little crisp around the edges, cynical, swashbuckling even; some vague robot type; and they were sitting in a tavern full of aliens while weird alien pop music was playing in the background. Does any of this ring a bell?
I have to think that was a pretty expensive effort… but I guess still cheaper than getting licensed by George Lucas.