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09/10/2006: The 2006 X-E Halloween Countdown starts now!

Well, it’s that time of year again…


Welcome to the 2006 X-Entertainment Halloween Countdown — a two month tribute to all things spooky, old and new, stupid and awesome. Barring circumstances beyond my control, like exhaustion or laziness, new articles will be posted every weekday between now and Halloween. That’s almost forty tributes to terror. Kicking off this year’s Countdown is a look back at Flying Funkins, a line of creature bag balloon kits that turned anyone’s front yard into something the kids should beware.

Big thanks to Brian Jacks, who came through for us with yet another fantastic design. This is the best looking Halloween Countdown yet. So pretty.

Of course, not everything I pick up this season will necessarily be worthy of its own Countdown entry, so look for a continuation of the frightful festivities here on the blog. I’ll be using this space to cover a lot of the smaller stuff, like say, bags of candy corn.


Those krauts at Target have figured out a sneaky way to get people to buy Candy Corn and “Autumn Mix,” which is essentially just candy corn in different shapes. This is not a candy that can be trusted to do well on its own, because most people have a five piece limit on eating candy corn. Anything above that brings on the sick, and thus, there’s virtually no reason at all to buy entire bags of the junk, unless you’re one of those traditional types who can’t stand having a coffee table without a full bowl of candy corn on it during the Halloween season, even if nobody touches it.

While most people just skip the shit altogether, Target’s trick will get even the most devout candy corn haters buying bags by the truckload. Hidden in each bag are paper scratch-off could-be gift certificates, giving consumers the chance to maybe possibly potentially win 500.00 Target gift certificates. The thought of it was enough to get me to buy two bags, which is just my way of not admitting that I actually bought six bags.


Ah fer Christ’s sake.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 93 comments

What’s up with all this “Gourmet” flavored candy corn they have lately? I was at B&N the other day getting a bottle of water and they had this small bags of like strawberry and stuff candy corn for like $8 a bag. Shit, for $8 I can get 8 pounds of regular candy corn! I love candy corn, I probably could eat like 8 lbs of it.

*grump*

/goes back to eatting veggies

Ghosted by Mystie @ 09/11/2006 1:22 AM EDT

Jester: My Target also has a Starbucks. It’s a shiny new Target that just opened in July. Yep, I live in such a backwoods place that the first Target in the entire county just opened this summer. It’s sad.

Ghosted by jazzy @ 09/11/2006 2:02 AM EDT

I got a box of “Trix or Treat” today. There’s an announcement on it that says if it screams when you open it you’re a big winner. I don’t even know what the prize is, I just wanted to have a screaming cereal box. Sadly, that was not to be.

Ghosted by Monte @ 09/11/2006 2:27 AM EDT

Woo! Halloween. It still feels a little early to me but I’ve been watching and waiting for signs of the season to start showing up. The first was a Halloween store opening up in the local mall one or two weeks ago, and now this. Early or not I’m totally ready. Is there a way to see a list of all the songs on the jukebox? I just get a bunch of numbers.

Ghosted by GrrrArgh @ 09/11/2006 3:10 AM EDT

I was just wondering, have the jack-o-lantern peeps always been the easter bunny peeps or are they taking shortcuts this year. My husband consumes enough of these confectionary confections to become the stay puft man. I was able to snag one for examination before it too was gobbled down.

Ghosted by bloodybrilliantme @ 09/11/2006 6:45 AM EDT

Halloween Countdown?! I’m removing the noose from my neck now.

Ghosted by Mattman @ 09/11/2006 7:16 AM EDT

I am SO gonna watch ROcky Horror this halloween in between handing out candy…Its gonna be my first year handing out candy at my own little house. I’ve had apartments in the past, and kids dont usually come into apartment bulidings. So im gonna have the windows open…scary sounds a blastin’ and rocky horror on the tube…now for the costume…i havent thought about that yet…my puppy is gonna be a devil or a hot dog.

Ghosted by mandy_Reeves @ 09/11/2006 7:25 AM EDT

HALLOWEEEEEEEEN!!!!! I love this time of the year on XE.

Ghosted by Geoffinsanity @ 09/11/2006 7:56 AM EDT

Excellent! The XE Halloween Countdown has become part of my Halloween traditions.

Loveitloveitloveit!

Ghosted by Itto0gami @ 09/11/2006 8:46 AM EDT

Looking forward to another Stellar Halloween Countdown! Glad that there are other folks that suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome around the Holidays!

Ghosted by Greg @ 09/11/2006 8:48 AM EDT

Can someone explain for me exactly what Candy Corn IS? I’m from the UK, and always thought Candy Corn was just the name for sweet popcorn in the States, but from the looks of things it’s like still in kernal form and coated with sugar. Is that right? Is it toasted or something? Sounds kinda grim…

Ghosted by Ross @ 09/11/2006 9:14 AM EDT

Yay for Halloween!!! I am going to Target tomorrow (gotta pick up The Office Season 2 on DVD). Do they have the Halloween Jones Sodas out yet? I can’t wait to taste them again!

Ghosted by Lilly @ 09/11/2006 9:45 AM EDT

It’s candy in the shape of corn only, there’s no actual corn involved. The pumpkins are better anyway. Look closely and you can see a couple in the pic. (Sweet popcorn would just be kettle or caramel corn.)
There’s more at stake than just blue ghost Hayden when it comes to the OT. Han shoots first :) . Actually that’s the only major issue I have off the top of my head, but there’s something to be said for the charm of the old school fx as well.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 09/11/2006 9:55 AM EDT

Hola, ppls! First off, candy corn is OK with me, but ONLY the white part… Ah, the years of getting yelled at when my mom would look into the big bowl of the stuff she always set out on the coffee table to see that the white ends on all the peices had been neatly bitten off… SECONDLY, autum mix is awesome, but only the yellow moons and the maple jugs, which are # 3 on my MUST HAVES list for halloween candification. THIRDLY, yes, my Target has a starbucks, and like Jazzy it’s new, and the first one in the county… although to date there are only 2 in the entire state… FOURTHLY Halloween early for me is a family tradition… it USED to be that we all had to wait until the 12th of september before decorating, buying candy, etc (today, the 11th, is my sister’s birthday, and she objected horribly as soon as she was old enough to the pre-birthday festivities, thus they ended) But in the years since I have moved out of my parents’ domain, I find myself PROUDLY celebrating as early as I am able, although perhaps this year was a record, as I started on the day before Labor Day.

Ghosted by c0rp0rate z0mb1e @ 09/11/2006 10:49 AM EDT

I also saw those “gourmet” flavored candy corn at Target. On one hand, I want to try it. On the other hand, I REALLY hate candy corn. I didn’t see any of the Halloween Jones Sodas though.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 09/11/2006 10:56 AM EDT

Hey, on a side note, has anyone successfully fried a marshmallow peep? None of my experiments are working! :’(

Ghosted by c0rp0rate z0mb1e @ 09/11/2006 11:01 AM EDT

Yes!! Matt, you made my day. I have a severe head cold, and wanted XE to cheer me up, and it so has- the Halloween season has begun, and all is well with the world. :)

I am already trying to think of a really cool costume for this year. Last year I was in Korea, and they don’t ‘do’ Halloween like we do, so it kind of sucked. I want to make up for it this year.

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 09/11/2006 11:07 AM EDT

Technically candy corn DOES involve corn, because, like most other candy, it’s made from corn syrup.

Ghosted by jazzy @ 09/11/2006 11:19 AM EDT

c0rp0rate z0mb1e: Check this shiznit out–fried Peeps.

Ghosted by Spoodles @ 09/11/2006 11:33 AM EDT

Thanks alot, Spoodles!

Ghosted by c0rp0rate z0mb1e @ 09/11/2006 11:42 AM EDT

Greetings y’all. Loved the Funkins piece. These were a particular favorite of my mom. We had all four on the porch in ‘92 for my Halloween party, and a graveyard in the flower beds, a scarecrow on the bench, the whole nine yards. I think that was the last time we went all out.

Went to the dollar store this weekend (a member of the Dollar Tree family) and was gratified to see them all Halloweened out. Picked up a couple of little things — a skeleton for the door, a big orange bowl candy corns and pumpkins and black cats dancing around the edge of it, and a cool stress ball thingy that pops out in massive pimples with nipples when you squeeze it. They had Peeps Pumpkins, but I’m not a Peeps kinda girl.

Ghosted by LemurCat @ 09/11/2006 12:02 PM EDT

Speaking of twist ties and other assorted junk drawer fodder (pens, batteries, paper clips, etc). Doesn’t what Matt said ring true? We all have about 1,000 of junk drawer crap lying around the house, that is until we need it. Then those items seem to vanish. Ever have about 1,000 pens lying around until you need to actually write something? Then they’re either gone or out of ink. Grr.

I’m thrilled the Countdown started early.

Ghosted by JLAJRC @ 09/11/2006 12:10 PM EDT

That Peep site is awesome. My friend just told me about Peep wars, where you put a tooth pick in a Peep like a sword an put two of them facing off in the microwave, who ever gets poked first looses.

And, can I say again that this is Funkin awesome.

But seriously folks…..

Ghosted by Fox @ 09/11/2006 12:38 PM EDT

I bought the “trilogy” when it came out on DVD in the boxset. I will not buy it again unless they release teh original, untouched versions – which will likely never happen. The trilogy set was the forth time i bought Star Wars too. I will wait til a HD format thats for sure…

Oh and candy corn is horrible. There was candy corn yogurt at a local joint one year and it was the most wretched ice cream imaginable.

Ghosted by kittycatgirl2k @ 09/11/2006 12:38 PM EDT

OK…I’ll admit to two things:

1) I actually LIKE (and look forward to) CANDY CORN.

Yes, it’s hard getting past 5 pieces, but once you do, you’re tongue is rotted out from the inside, your tastebuds have given up the ghost and you’re riding a sugar high of euphoric transendence that can only be secondary to “The Rapture”.

By half a bag, I really feel like crap and my survival skills kick in, making sure I understand;
IF I EAT ONE MORE… I WILL DIE.

So, I put them away for a week or so until I have sufficiently detoxified my system and then, do it ALL OVER AGAIN!

(…and NO. Believe it or not…I am not overweight. I’m out of SHAPE, yes. But only because my job demands that I sit on my ass all day and then I have house work to do at night. So, exercise comes in the shape of chasing the damn cats around the house.)

2) I am a HALLOWEEN freak.
Always was my FAVORITE holiday.
Since I was a lad.

Yes, I love horror movies (none have ever actually scared me, sadly. I remember, as a little kid, sitting in a dark room with my sister, watching the Excorcist. I remember she was all freaked out, but wasn’t sure if she was MORE freaked out by the movie or that her little brother thought it was hilarious.
I laughed thru most of that film. The parts that didn’t bore me, at least).

And I have ALWAYS loved decorating for the trick or treaters.
And the BEST part was disguising myself as a part of the lawn display (I’d sit motionless in a chair, by the door, in a costume that hid my face, so they’d think I was a manequin or scarecrow-thing), and then when the kids (and their parents) would come up to the door, I’d MOVE!

Freaked everyone right the hell out of their underoos.

Good times.

But, now, I don’t know what’s the worst thing…

For a few years the wife and I lived in an upstairs apartment.
I decked out all the windows and the stairs that led to my door, and made phony styrofome tombstones for the small patch of grass that I could sorta call “mine”.

But that sucked.

It lost the “haunted HOUSE” feel.

“Bleh! Welcome to my Haunted 2nd Floor Apartment…
of EVIL!”

pheh!

What might suck even MORE is that NOW we HAVE a house of our own, and last year, for our first Halloween here, we set up a Metric-TON of cool, great lawn displays and pumpkin leaf bags and all sorts of goodies… for NOTHING!

As it turns out, while this area of the world (I live in a heavily wooded area in the Pocono’s of PA) is REALLY INTO decorating for holidays (On Sept 1st they all deck out for the Halloween festivities), my little community has NO trick-or-treaters!

There are KIDS, sure.
But NOT ONE person came to our house last year.

Of course, our driveway is about the length of a football field, and at night, there are NO street lights (or lights PERIOD).
So, I kinda doubt that any kid is going to come down to the dead-end that we live on (yes! we live at the last house on a DEAD-END! I ALWAYS WANTED to live at the last house on a dead-end), and then walk along this pitch-black, heavily woooded, long-ass driveway of TERROR, just for some swag.

Now, granted, I always give GREAT stuff for halloween (comic books, little halloween themed toys from dollar stores and, yes, GOOD candy), but no one came.

So, I’m going to try to deck the place out again this year.

I’ll be placing some kind of sign at the end of the driveway (since the pumpkin leaf bags didn’t do the job last year), and maybe try to get some kind of lighting for the DRIVEWAY of DOOM!

I’LL enjoy myself, sure, but it’s just NOT the same.

Oh well.
ThanX for the countdown.
At least THAT will perk me up for the HOWLadays!

~P~
P-TOR

Ghosted by P-TOR @ 09/11/2006 12:48 PM EDT

Hot diggity-damn! I’ve read the Halloween Countdowns for the last 3 years but this is the first year I’ve been posting on the blog. When I saw this at lunch, I felt like I did when I was 9 back in 1980 and found a Yoda figure on the pegs after weeks of looking. Yes, I felt THAT special.

I bought my first Halloween non-candy goodie over the weekend, a glowing pumpkin that is so plain that it is spectacular (I don’t like pumpkins with exaggerated faces). I recently got a promotion so I have a little more “entertainment cash” to spend on my Peter Pan complex. I came damn close to buying a hanging grim reaper-ish ghoul and a seemingly-floating head at Walgreen’s. The floaty head is in a crystal ball-like orb and is darn fun. It moves around with subtle mood lighting inside as it talks…..awesome. However, my 2 and a half year old daughter went completely batpoop when she saw some of the spooky stuff. Sigh, she didn’t do that last year. I’ll have to crank back the ghoulishness at the freudguy household this year.

Ghosted by freudguy @ 09/11/2006 12:51 PM EDT

Hey Matt,

I sent a mail your way regarding a Halloween Jukebox donation.

kittycatgirl2k,

The original untouched versions are included in this latest trilogy release. They’re so untouched that they didn’t bother to update the transfer from the laserdisc versions.

Ghosted by Itto0gami @ 09/11/2006 1:43 PM EDT

You mean… Han Solo does NOT shoot first in the new DVD release? And the horrible CGI dance/singing thing is gone too? If thats the case…… i might have to buy it again. :(

Ghosted by kittycatgirl2k @ 09/11/2006 1:55 PM EDT

I arrived to work today,
and what did I see?
The Halloween Countdown,
had started on X-E.
I screamed like a girl,
I wondered when you would start it.
I now want to hurl,
cause of those bastards at Target.
Candy corn? blah that stuff sucks hard,
I wouldn’t even eat it if they gave 3 gift cards.
I await each new day now,
of this holiday season.
Matt’s reviews are how,
Halloween Countdown is the reason.

Ghosted by Old E @ 09/11/2006 2:23 PM EDT

Will the dancing girl’s boob flop out still?

BOO PUTTING X-MAS OUT EARLY!
HOORAY HALLOWE’EN!

This year, I’m planning on setting up a little seperate candy giveaway in the dark place (Garth Merenghi not included) on one side of the house for my nephews. Although, how creepy can a patio umbrella be is up to debate. But, a spare TV, some lights, and a extension cord leading out a window will help. I always anticipate All Saint’s with unbridled glee.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 09/11/2006 2:36 PM EDT

I’m definitely going to buy anything with the original Star Wars trilogy on it, because, like someone else remarked, my VHS is starting to wear a little thin. I REFUSED to buy the _remastered, Greedo shoots first, “gee, R2, it’s a good thing you don’t taste very good” line deleted_ piece of crap. Ugh. Hooray, original edition!

Ghosted by purplegirl247 @ 09/11/2006 2:53 PM EDT

We never get trick-or-treaters because we live in the middle of the woods and our only neighbors are elderly religious types who don’t “believe” in Halloween. We decorate anyway, for our own enjoyment. Our house looks really awesome decorated for Halloween because it’s an old house (built in the 30s) and is always covered in cobwebs, and the yard is generally overgrown. It actually somewhat resembles the old farmhouse Matt wrote about a year or so ago. So some extra fake cobwebs and haphazard orange icicle lights on my house makes for a pretty creepy Halloween scene. Shame no one ever sees it, though.

Ghosted by jazzy @ 09/11/2006 3:08 PM EDT

Oh God, today was perfect. Is perfect! I had to be at work at 6am, it rained allll morning, then when I left at 2:30, the sky was so cloudy, no sun in sight, and it was dismal, and the air had a slight chill in it. *whimper* It was wonderful!

I spent a few hours yesterday making Halloween crafts to decorate the house with. I purposefully put in for vacation the last week of this month to focus on Halloween and cleaning/decorating, so I’m trying to get a jump on the projects.

I, personally, squealed with glee last night when I saw the countdown had started. :D I think it was perfect timing.

But, I didn’t know Candy Corn had honey in it. I thought gelatin was the only forbidden ingredient for me, but alas, 2 strikes! That is cool about the gift cards though, but yeah, sucks you didn’t win, Matt. :|

Ghosted by Ryane @ 09/11/2006 6:03 PM EDT

Hot damn. Nothing puts me in quite a mood like the Halloween Countdown. Mix this with the instant onset of sweater weather here in Michigan and I’m in the best mood in quite awhile.

I actually spotted a couple scary garbage bag kits at Meijer last night. Very excited to head back and pick them up.

Ghosted by def. @ 09/11/2006 6:32 PM EDT

Dude!!! Check out Dollar Tree man. Amazing stuff vintage frickin’ Dracula, Bride of Frankenstein, Godzilla, etc. posters, finger puppets and figurines for a $1!!!!

Ghosted by John @ 09/11/2006 7:19 PM EDT

You people and your sweater weather. I was celebrating it cooling down to 91 degree this weekend :P
Lilly: Office fans represent! My Tifaux just started showing an episode description for the season premiere, and there was much joyous celebrating. I was planning on hitting Target and getting the DVD tomorrow, despite not being able to afford it, just to ensure getting the special bonus DVD. But I just found out that Best Buy is selling season one and two together, along with assorted Dunder Mifflin goodies (post-its, calendar, etc) so now I’m really conflicted.
(If anyone wants to know the description, it was as follows (after the spoiler stars): ****Michael accidentally outs a gay coworker; The Jim and Pam situation****)
Back on topic! Pumpkin cream cheese muffins have returned at Starbucks! Between that and the Countdown starting, it’s really official.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 09/11/2006 7:43 PM EDT

Honestly, even if I did win the 500 dollar giftcard, I’d be afraid those rat bastards wouldn’t pay up. Thus turning my life into a Charles Bronson film.

Ghosted by Jerry Horror @ 09/11/2006 7:52 PM EDT

If anyone’s interested,yesterday would have been Gunpei Yokoi’s 65th birthday had he still been alive. He was the inventor of:
The D-Pad (and overall NES controller)
Game & Watch handhelds
Game Boy
Virtual Boy
Metroid
Kid Icarus
-more that I can’t remember. And I guess you could say he’s partly responsible for DS Lite,since it looks like an Appleized Game & Watch.

Ghosted by Kid Nicky @ 09/11/2006 8:03 PM EDT

I found the most awesome masks at Wal-Mart. They were a dollar each, and, surprisingly, weren’t those hard plastic ones people usually sell. They were really good quality, as in they realistically fit your face.

So, I bought one of each kind: Frankenstein, Jack O’Lantern, Skellington, and Devil.

I’ve never spent four dollars in a better way.

Ghosted by Spanky @ 09/11/2006 8:47 PM EDT

Candycorn is honey and vanilla flavored, what’s not to like?!? I think this is a winning combination. I love it and eat a bag or two of the pumpkins each Halloween. ACtually on Halloween I make a candy bowl of candycorn, dark chocolate kisses, mixed Halloween Hershey minis, Blackjacks (licorice that is pink and grey and white taffy) and Reese’s cups, then I alternate betwixt watching horror films and going into a coma all weekend.

Ghosted by Funky BooBerry the 70's Ghost @ 09/11/2006 11:14 PM EDT

You people are on crack. Has anyone noticed that the Target brand taste nasty? Nobody in the office will even eat them. We opened a bag of Brachs and it disappears (bag a day).

Ghosted by QA Geeks @ 09/28/2006 2:34 PM EDT

they should bring back the funkins haunting collection, it was great and they last a long time.

Ghosted by kathymx @ 10/19/2006 9:52 PM EDT

the magazine Dr. Leonards…I think….but love this vintage stuff…makes me feel every minute of 36!…lol

Ghosted by rick @ 10/01/2008 10:54 PM EDT

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