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09/24/2006: The Graveyard Gang is a THRILLA.

“Thriller” is one of the songs of the season, and to celebrate, here’s a look back at the Graveyard Gang, a line of cheap bendy zombies from 1984 that quite obviously intended to capitalize on Michael Jackson’s popularity without paying him a cent. For bottom of the barrel toys, these are actually pretty cool, and they came blister-packed with coffin-shaped plastic bubbles. For those around the same age as me, I hope the article doesn’t resurface any memories of how freakyscared you were of the music video when you were a kid.

Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

Discussion Thread: 71 comments

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JUST now noticed the icon for home. It’s…OH YEAAAHHHH….Scare Glow!! Mad love for MOTU matt. Oh yeah. Can ya guess from my name I’m a fan?

Ghosted by Terror Claws Cole @ 09/25/2006 5:40 PM EDT

It really does look like Curry. I’m surprised you didn’t jump all over that, Matt.

Sounds like someone was a bit tuckered….

Ghosted by ColonelCatsup @ 09/25/2006 5:45 PM EDT

The impossible has happened…Yes!

I FOUND FRANKENBERRY & BOO BERRY!!

It was at an Eckerd’s where I work, and they’re cheap as hell too!

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 09/25/2006 5:50 PM EDT

Interesting how jazzy and I had the same post. I don’t think she saw mine which makes it even better

That THRILLER in Legos is very funny.

Ghosted by The Manimal @ 09/25/2006 6:18 PM EDT

MuppetBaby; i hope you feel better. There is nothing worse than long hospital stays! I knoow from experience so you have ALL my sympathy! Feel better soon, and look on the bright side, atleast you are outta there for now, right?

Ghosted by kittycatgirl @ 09/25/2006 7:07 PM EDT

My favorite part of Thriller is Vincent Price’s line: “Creatures crawl in search of blood/ To terrorize y’all’s neighborhood”. He had such perfect diction it’s hilarious just hearing him say “y’all”. And I like the idea that zombies seek out and kill specifically those “without the soul for getting down”.

Ghosted by Welsh Rabbit @ 09/25/2006 7:08 PM EDT

Heh, “without the soul for getting down” is totally the best bit, hands down.
Muppet Baby, I’m sorry to hear you’re having more health woes. Hope you return to good health soon .
(kb, where have you been! I’ve been wanting to ask what you thought about Gay Witch Hunt!)
Cheap jokes are my very favorites…I’m reminded of that time at the zoo with the albino gorilla…

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 09/25/2006 7:33 PM EDT

Invader Norbert, I just bought a box of Frankenberry/Booberry/Count Chocula at Sam’s Club. It is a huge box with 3 separate bags inside!! I don’t know if you guys have Sam’s, but it is one of those stores where they sell everything in really big packages. What’s that called…a warehouse store? I don’t know. Anyways, I couldn’t wait to get home and tell everybody about that. Yay for Halloween cereals!!

Ghosted by Lilly @ 09/25/2006 8:15 PM EDT

Ronald MacKinnon: hey man, ive been tryin to get one for about ten yrs, you wouldnt happen to live in canada would you??? I’d totally buy that from you if were to buy it, msg me on myspace or email me at maptosleepwalking@hotmail.com
thanks
JoshCarter

Ghosted by JoshC @ 09/25/2006 8:25 PM EDT

Can I horn in and say Gay Witch Hunt was awesome?

Ghosted by Welsh Rabbit @ 09/25/2006 8:56 PM EDT

Lollerskates…. YouTube has everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H51ih0gsgqo

Ghosted by Mystie @ 09/25/2006 9:01 PM EDT

K- “I’m supposed to jump on that Matrix reference, aren’t I? Too bad.”

Huh? You weren’t supposed to jump on anything dear boy.

Ghosted by Dan @ 09/25/2006 9:15 PM EDT

Invader Norbert, the grocery store where I work just got in a huge batch of Monster Cereals, all three, including Boo Berry. They just went on sale this week. This year’s Halloween-themed Lucky Charms is in, too, not looking too much different than the last few years’ Halloween-themed Lucky Charms. And I don’t know if this is Kellogg’s jumping on the Halloween band wagon or a weird-ass promotion, but current boxes of Cocoa Krispies, Apple Jacks, and Froot Loops (and there may be others – those are the ones I saw) have a giant eye on them creeping out the usual mascots.

I have vague memories of the “Thriller” video. Yeah, I was scared, too, and I was another one who’d flee the room whenever it was on. All of this is fairly ironic, considering my mother had the record the moment it came out and played it for years and years, but a song running in your imagination and actually seeing Michael’s yellow eyes and fur and blue zombies are two entirely different things. I actually found another “Thriller” LP last month for 25 cents from the thrift shop where I volunteer.

Ghosted by starwenn @ 09/25/2006 9:38 PM EDT

Ooh, Welsh Rabbit I didn’t realize you were an Office fan or I would have asked . Glad to hear from someone else who loved it!
So, did anyone else get overcome by nostalgia and actually buy Invincible?

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 09/25/2006 9:41 PM EDT

Apparently you don’t know me as well as you think you do, my dear boy

Ghosted by K- @ 09/25/2006 9:58 PM EDT

Hope you feel better soon, Muppet Baby

Ghosted by jazzy @ 09/25/2006 9:59 PM EDT

I’m in LI, by the way, in case anyone here wasn’t familiar with my dilemma last year.

Couldn’t find the cereals for 2 months, asked someone here, they sent me 2 boxes of Frankenberry, I thanked them fondly, then I ate the contents, then I was happy. Whoever sent that to me, I still wanna say thanx!

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 09/25/2006 10:25 PM EDT

Sometimes the lesser-known figures can be the scariest. The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland used to scare me a lot (for a rather long time), but what I found the creepiest was the blue bride in the attic with the visible red heart. That one really made my flesh crawl, and I would often close my eyes when we got to that room.

As for Thriller, it makes me wish I was about 10 years older so I could’ve experienced Wacko Jacko while he was still extremely talented, and sane. I first saw it as a teenager in the ’90s of course, but I think it would have spooked me pretty bad too if I’d seen it when I was little.

And now for the obligatory “weirdo” joke; I first saw Jacko in Captain EO when I was about six. What I most strongly remember was asking, “Mom, why’s that girl called Michael?”

Ghosted by Andrew @ 09/26/2006 9:11 AM EDT

So, I’m sitting here reviewing an educational presentation about our mutual funds’ track records through the decades and what do that f*ckers up in marketing us as iconography for the 80s? A still for the effin’ Thriller video.

I really effin’ hate it whem parts of my life intersect like that.

Oh, and Muppet Baby — Feel better soon. I too have a Crohn that lives in my gut. I’d beat her up if it didn’t require me to punch my own stomache region.

Ghosted by LemurCat @ 09/26/2006 10:06 AM EDT

Andrew, have you seen that the Haunted Mansion got an upgrade? the bride now has a freaking ax!

Muppet Baby, I hope you feel better, I’ve a few friends with Crohn’s, and for one friend, it messes up his life every few months. I hope your’s isn’t as aggressive.

Ghosted by LemonWitch @ 09/26/2006 9:25 PM EDT

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