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10/09/2006: Halloween Playland’s Gift Shop!


I can’t believe how much crap I bought at the Halloween Playland Gift Shop. Too much to cover in one Countdown entry, so I’ll spread the remainders around the blog throughout the month. Click the words that are bold to read about my adventures in a gift shop that sells fertilizer and Devil’s Hearts right alongside one another.


One of the many items that didn’t make the cut for article-inclusion is seen above — a tub full of goo with a little Dracula figure inside. They call it “Halloween Putty.” Other canisters had other monsters and goo in other colors, but it’s tough to pick a witch over a widow’s peak, even if the witch came in a tub of much cooler red slime.

I didn’t have off work today. Our company trades Columbus Day for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He had a dream, and his dream was robbing me of my rightful October day off. Now I’m going to have to get people to cough on me until it’s okay to stay home.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 97 comments

Wow…another first! (I think)

I too didn’t have off today at CVS, but it was a good night shift. I went to a greek mixer last night that shut down pretty early, like 11pm early (granted, it started at 8, and the neighbors called the cops. 3 Sororities + Flip Cup = noise)

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 10/09/2006 10:47 PM EDT

Damn i missed first, only just.

Too into the Bronco’s game :-/

As with yesterdays, will save this for the morning. So i can enjoy it more, plus i can’t stop watching MNF. But i can’t wait to read it, the anticipation of wanting to read it is even with the feeling of wanting to savor it.

It’s a battle within.

Ghosted by Dan @ 10/09/2006 10:53 PM EDT

I think the only people that got off today were students and teachers.

Can’t wait for the other Gift Shop entries! Woo hoo!

Ghosted by Justin @ 10/09/2006 10:54 PM EDT

Heads up X-E’ers: A quick search of a certain Burger Monarch’s Website reveals that said Burger Monarch’s masks can be purchased once more. Boo yah. Got two coming to my house. So, now the question is: Indiana Jones, or BK for Halloween?

Ghosted by Terror Claws Cole @ 10/09/2006 10:59 PM EDT

My schools never took off Columbus Day.

Is it a postal holiday?

Ghosted by jrh @ 10/09/2006 11:00 PM EDT

I had off today. This is odd because I work at a grocery store and the only holiday I usually get off unless I beg is Christmas, the only day of the year when the store closes.

I’m really glad I did, though. As I mentioned in the last entry, today was just stunning, a perfect blue-and-gold autumn day in southern New Jersey. Any day when I discover a new Halloween store just five minutes away (even if it’s one of those generic overpriced places Matt mentioned in his article and I probably won’t get back there again) has to be counted as one of the best in a long time.

Ghosted by starwenn @ 10/09/2006 11:03 PM EDT

i would love to be in such a giftshop we have a huge warehouse style one just a half hour away fron my house. i finally got my guy fawkes mask that i so desperatley wanted. and those BK masks are the creepiest thing ever.

Ghosted by danny @ 10/09/2006 11:06 PM EDT

I was thinking about picking up one of those Halloween air plants the other day. I need a plant for my desk. I had to get rid of my plant-in-a-can because despite the fact that the company policy explicitly says I can have one plant, apparently that doesn’t include plants that grow 5′ in the air and need to be supported with sticks.

I wish I had off today… my entire week is now going to be the equvilent of all day math class due to a backlog of fucking account adjustments. At least it was fun to come home and finish stuffing my trick-or-treat bags since McDonald’s finally got their treat coupons in. It’s so sad that Grimace is the best dressed character on them.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 10/09/2006 11:17 PM EDT

Sweet collection! The live animal nativity thing sounds like itd be worth going back for, too. If Santa is on the scene, make sure to ask him if he “knows where the porta potty filled with poop” is. He’ll probably get really pumped. :D

Ghosted by Eddie Lightning Frog @ 10/09/2006 11:18 PM EDT

Hey Matt,

It’s been awhile (man, working takes away from computer time). Anyway, love the articles; makes me wish I was in a less religious area that wasn’t concerned about bringing down brimstone and hellfire if they enjoy Halloween too much. On the other hand, apparently kids still actually trick or treat here.

As for your air plant, I almost bought one once, but they kept falling out of the planters (lizards, crocodiles and scorpions). They are supposed to be easy to care for–just leave them out, maybe drop some water in once in a while.

So how’re the fish?

Ghosted by Sean (the Fish one) @ 10/09/2006 11:21 PM EDT

EEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEeee!
That hit my Halloween consumer whore g-spot.

I love the Dracula in slime.
I bought some monster themed slime the other day, but it just had pictures of Godzilla and a mummies and stuff on the canisters.
Only Godzilla is labeled “King of the Lizards”. :\

Ghosted by Somethin' Funny @ 10/09/2006 11:43 PM EDT

The hell is up with those Pokemon Pumpkins?!?
I’m actually thinking about going to Knott’s Halloween Haunt for the very first time this year. Initially I wanted to go to Six Flags while I still had the chance before it closes FOREVA, but Knott’s is cheaper and sounds better. If anybody can chime with an opinion I’d appreciate it :) .
I can see where it’d take some of the starch out of your collar, but it’s great to actually be able to find and manhandle stuff that’s shown up in the Countdown/blog. Still haven’t found the buggy skulls though.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 10/10/2006 12:15 AM EDT

I can’t help it – that miniature Dracula figurine immersed in purple goo is simultaneously the cutest and coolest Halloween item I’ve seen thus far this year. I’m guessing Wolf Man would have worked well in brown slime; although, that’s a bit of a stretch as that’s really gross. That’d likely turn out like Mad Balls, where big brother substitutes some brown slime for gravy on little sister’s meatloaf.

Ghosted by Review the World @ 10/10/2006 12:18 AM EDT

You know I didn’t think there were anymore way to funk up booya, but you’ve proved me wrong.

Congratulations, Terror Claws.
Oh and I beat ya to the V wear by about 3 months, Danny boy

Ghosted by K- @ 10/10/2006 1:00 AM EDT

I was at the airport today and I saw this kid caring a happy meal. It was in a paper bag. No Halloween theme. WTF? What happened to the boo-pails? Has Mc D’s turned its back on the greatest holiday in the universe? I’m seriously at a loss. Really? A paper bag happy meal in October?

Ghosted by Bill @ 10/10/2006 1:04 AM EDT

Tried Jones holiday soda for the first time. Berried Alive, not bad. Kind of like Kool-Aid. Hey, Matt you know those bat organs, I think I found some intestines that are part of the collection. I’ll have to go back to the store and check it out.

Ghosted by Donata05 @ 10/10/2006 1:32 AM EDT

I had to work today as well, though they don’t give it up for MLK either. They make us work the day after Thanksgiving too :/.
Bill, McD’s has been doing a Little Mermaid/Legos Happy Meal promo. Could it be winding up soon to make way for the spooky? Have they been doing buckets in recent years?

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 10/10/2006 2:31 AM EDT

Speaking of Kool-Aid, when are you gonna do another Kool-Aid review, mang? I loved those.

Ghosted by Timmy @ 10/10/2006 4:04 AM EDT

I must say having now read it, that the shrunken head and the rat looked like a worthwhile buy.

But those horror teeth look intriuging. Yeah they’re the same you see everywhere but something about getting a sneak-peak before you review em makes me wanna go buy some. Even though i won’t use them, actually no, i’ll probally wear them on Halloween just for the sake of doing so.

Ghosted by Dan @ 10/10/2006 6:45 AM EDT

I had to work, also. Don’t get MLK, either. Frankly, in my city, they only indication that it was a holiday was no mail and the banks were closed. Yay.

Ghosted by Cameron T. @ 10/10/2006 8:26 AM EDT

If they’re shrinking the head, WHY DOES THE HAT SHRINK TOO?

One of life’s little mysteries.

Ghosted by Spoodles @ 10/10/2006 8:56 AM EDT

Unless they shrink it in the dryer.

Ghosted by Spoodles @ 10/10/2006 8:56 AM EDT

Hey, I had one of those “Hairy Scaries Air Planters what-the-fuck”’s when I was a kid (early 90’s I guess). The jack-o-lantern kind, which is odd, since back then nobody celebrated Halloween over here (Finland). Bought it (well, my mom did) at a plant shop (or what ever the hell you call them). Anyway, it’s sort of a plant but it isn’t: it’s just glued on, but if I remember correctly, you still have to spray it with water every once in a while (can’t understand why, how the hell does it live/need water when it’s just glued on to a piece of clay?) Whatever, I loved it to death.

Ghosted by ville @ 10/10/2006 9:01 AM EDT

Alright, this place redeemed its self now. That gift shop was pretty awesome! I for one also enjoyed the gourd jokes!

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 10/10/2006 9:02 AM EDT

So the Devil has heartworm problems, eh? Must be his jackal lineage. Eventually I would *have* to perform surgery with an Exacto and remove the worm because I’m just that way.

Pokemon pumpkins. Well, like I said in a previous post, Halloween just isn’t Halloween without a Pikachu. Granted, my particular Pikachu dangles from a spider-web, a tempting tidbit for spiders twice it’s size…

The skulls with long, pink hair are excellent. They remind me of that nasty piece of work in Return of the Living Dead (1985). Just need to fashion a gory, twisting section of spine for her and you’re set. Bet she’d even help you make lots of new friends!

The rat was a good purchase. Even if it’s a fuzzy-wuzzy one with a wee pink nose and shiny whiskers you can’t escape from the fact that not more than an hour ago it was rolling in rotting garbage and used cat litter, eating it’s own tail. Rat’s are always welcome in my shopping bag.

Hairy Scaries are coffee-table, shelf, desk, counter-top…things. I sense the lady’s hand in this selection. Cute enough, but 5.99? Dayum. How many Monopoly pieces *is* that, anyway?

Ghosted by PerfectPrice @ 10/10/2006 9:06 AM EDT

I seriously want a squish squoosh ball now. Just because they’re called that. Think about how fun that is to say! Squish squoosh!
I too enjoyed the gourd jokes. You made my entirely sleepless night-turned-morning better. =)

Ghosted by Christine @ 10/10/2006 9:39 AM EDT

I too, would have bought the rat. And possibly the shrunken head on the left.

IHAQ- I saw the ‘Trailer Park Boys’ movie on Thanksgiving weekend also! It’s best to go see it while slightly under the influence. Hilarious!

I wish I had a greenhouse gift shop to go visit. :(

Found PARK PLACE on my McDonald’s breakfast this morning. Excellent.

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 10/10/2006 10:30 AM EDT

So Amazon is doing groceries now, and they say that they will try to offer every variety of certain products available, like KOOL-AID!

I figured you might be interested Matt in the flavors like jamaica flavor (that’s what it said, no picture though), mango, and the manderan one at the top.

This countdown is so awesome. I’m getting sad that October is going by so fast, but then again, that just means that Christmas is right around the corner.

Ghosted by Fox @ 10/10/2006 11:03 AM EDT

Matt,

Where exactly is the Halloween Playland located… i’ll be back home in SI this sunday to pick up decorations for my halloween party at party city, and I want to stop by the playland.

Ghosted by Lou @ 10/10/2006 11:43 AM EDT

Matt, your days off schedule for work stinks like the company I work for. I had to work Columbus Day as well and we have to work on MLK Jr. day also but our tradeoff for that is we get the Friday after Thanksgiving off..My job also doesn’t have separate sick leave days so if we’re out sick, it goes against our vacation time. Nice, huh?

Ghosted by Melissa Y @ 10/10/2006 12:16 PM EDT

Squish, squoosh!
Squish, squoosh!
Squish, squoosh!
Squish…….. Squoosh!
Squishsquoosh-squishsquoosh!
Squish, squish, squish, squish…..
Squoosh.

Ghosted by kinglash @ 10/10/2006 12:18 PM EDT

Wonder when we in the lower 48 get the Trailer Park Boys movie…Borat’s higher on my go-see list anyway. Meant to go see Employee of the Month today (maybe if it was R I’d be more interested :/) but hopefully I can talk my way into seeing The Departed instead.
Can’t say I’m too horrified by old Chrissy getting shafted in the celebration department. I mean, I’d love the day off, but it’s not like he inspires any cool decorations or traditions so he can suck it up. Doesn’t he have already have a big ass statue to brag about anyway?

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 10/10/2006 1:56 PM EDT

kingslash, you are way too cool for words!

Leaves were falling off the trees at my campus today, yet tons of trees aren’t changed yet.. It definitely feels more Halloweenular as each day passes. It was gorgeous today with the leaves flying about and such. It put me in the mood for some Halloween shopping!

Near me, there is going to be a teeny tiny Halloween festival, the only catch is it’s two hours long and for ages 9-12. I immediately thought of Matt at his Halloween playland… I’d feel so out of place, yet I want to see how horrible it will be.

Ghosted by Christine @ 10/10/2006 2:22 PM EDT

Our stores have those Pokemon Pumpkins. But they call them mini spaghetti pumpkins. They also had some really evil spiney looking gourds that I couldn’t see the names of.

Ghosted by AoDfan @ 10/10/2006 2:53 PM EDT

Hey, where can anyone find those Tootsie Pops shaped like Dracula, Bats, ect…

I’ve looked around, and nobody seems to have them. Are they a store exclusive somewhere?

Ghosted by Tootsie Hunter @ 10/10/2006 3:15 PM EDT

I bought a squishy ball at a gasoline station as well yester day. Sadly im 28.

But its so COOL!!!!
SQUISH
SQUISH
SQUISH

Ghosted by Mjsgrass @ 10/10/2006 3:20 PM EDT

Wal-mart has several of those air planters. There’s one that looks like one of those trees from Disney’s Adventures of Ichabod. I didn’t know that those things were so easy to take care of. I’m stopping by today to get that one and maybe a jack o’lantern, too. Plus, if I get out of the office on time, I’m going by Target to get a really cool light-up Halloween scene that looks like an evil version of those miniature ceramic Christmas villages.

Ghosted by freudguy @ 10/10/2006 3:23 PM EDT

Well, it’s totally October. I’ll be damned if the girl I saw this morning wasn’t wearing zombie makeup.

Ghosted by Mara @ 10/10/2006 3:52 PM EDT

So let me get this straight – when you first started this year’s countdown, you felt you almost had too many things to write about… and now you found this Halloween Playland… AND a ton of stuff? Wow. Might as well invest pre-emptively in wrist braces for you carpal tunnel. :)

Ghosted by Yooka @ 10/10/2006 4:19 PM EDT

Matt,

I seriously hope all this stuff equates to a nice (business related) tax write-off. Otherwise, 60 bucks on Halloween junk is just insane. Especiallye when combined with all the other Target trips and such. If you need a finance guy, I am your man.

Senior Financial Services Consultant
PNC Bank
Mr. Bellavance

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/10/2006 4:35 PM EDT

Got 10 stamps at McD’s for 4 hashbrowns and a medium coke this morning. There is a rarity list out there now, if you google mcdonalds monopoly gamepiece rarity, one of the first hits. Anyway, 10 pieces for under 4 bucks, got a mcflurry, a value meal, and a breakfast sandwich. Not too shabby.

Ghosted by bricker @ 10/10/2006 5:08 PM EDT

Got 10 stamps at McD’s for 4 hashbrowns and a medium coke this morning. There is a rarity list out there now, if you google mcdonalds monopoly gamepiece rarity, one of the first hits. Anyway, 10 pieces for under 4 bucks, got a mcflurry, a value meal, and a breakfast sandwich. Not too shabby.

Ghosted by bricker @ 10/10/2006 5:08 PM EDT

Old E

Are you serious?

$60 on Halloween stuff is insane?

And you call it ‘junk’?!?!?

60 is probally easily spent by the average family these days, being the more expensive types of Halloween decoration available and all the different types of regular decoration.

I spent over $160 in Party City and over $45 in Stop n Shop on Halloween candy, n that was the first trip, i’m still buying new things as i see em. YEah not EVERYONE is like that, just the people crazy about it.

But 60 i would say is easilly spent by just the average family decorating their yard/house/porch.

Unless you simply mean that 60 bucks was too much for ‘that’ stuff. Which yeah, that store was a huge rip-off, i just hope you don’t mean Halloween stuff in general.

Ghosted by Dan @ 10/10/2006 5:20 PM EDT

So what in Halloween Playland is “For Monsters Only – and Boston Fans”? Surely not the poo-filled potty?
Presumably this has something to do with the Sox/Yankees insanity. As a New Englander, let me say that the rivalry makes no damn sense.
And I also have to say this: Matt managed to notice more local idiosyncrasies in his one trip to Bar Harbor than I have in my entire life. (Raises Dunkies coffee as a toast.)

Ghosted by A Reader from Maine @ 10/10/2006 5:25 PM EDT

“…the old lady down the block who bucks knitting conventions by painting Frankenstein’s Monster over and over again…”

Matt, nooooo! You can’t paint sweaters, they’ll get all sticky. :)

I bought a bunch of decorations at Target today, but I went with all “harvest” themed stuff so I don’t have to redecorate until December. It’s not so much being mature as it is being lazy.

Ghosted by Welsh Rabbit @ 10/10/2006 5:37 PM EDT

OK, Dan. I meant 60 bucks on one trip through a Pumpkin orchard gift shop was insane. Although spending more than 150 bucks on ANY decorations is insane to me. Of course, I have a wife, a kid, and an insane car payment on a 30K salary. I may value a buck a little differently than some.

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/10/2006 5:46 PM EDT

Lol, yeah.

And that’s ok, i agree with you, about the fact that those items were way overpriced.

And hey! i have serious money commitments too lol. It’s a sickness though, i can’t help but buy everything i like when it comes to Halloween, the girlfriend doesn’t like it so much, like the fact how whenever we go shopping for food she turns around to find me stopped staring at whatever Halloween stand what stuck at the end of Isle 3 :-/

But hey, what can i do? I find it hard to resist buying urges when it comes to general things, but that stopped, just Halloween now :D

Ghosted by Dan @ 10/10/2006 5:50 PM EDT

Man, I went to McD’s over the weekend and got the double Baltic Ave. on my fries! What the hell? Is this something they’re doing knowingly?

And I gots to get one of those BK King masks. But $10 for shipping? It’s more for shipping than the damn mask!

Also, HBO On Demand this month (at least in Seattle) is featuring “Tricks and Treats” in their movie list. I watched Friday The 13th Parts VI (my favorite) and VII (eh) over the weekend. They seem to be adding more daily, but they’ve also got Scream and a couple of others that I forget. I hadn’t seen Part VII uncut since I saw it in the theater back in the day. You can totally tell where the studio cut out all the good gore scenes. It’s frustrating. And while Kane Hodder does a great job as Jason, I think my favorite Jason is C.J. Graham from Part VI.

Ghosted by Chris Martin @ 10/10/2006 6:09 PM EDT

I just went to Trax Farms myself this weekend. It has awesome fresh pressed apple cider, and hay rides and such for the kids. My daughter rode a horse, fed sheep, rode a train, went on a hayride, made her own cider, AND picked out a 20 lb. pumpkin all for like 30 bucks. I had fun with the haunted attractions this weekend as well. Myself and the old lady went to “Station Scare” , which is a huge 10 block haunted attraction. This thing is designed every year by Tom Savini, but this year he teamed with George Romero to make one of the greatest haunted scary things on the planets. My daughter had her farm fun, and I screamed like a little bitch 7 or 8 times. I love Halloween.

THIS IS FROM ANOTHER POST.

But it serves my personal point well. For half of what Matt spent on doo dads at a gift shop, my Daughter was able to have the time of her life and we still had enogh left over for a tank of gas. I love decorating, but don’t you people ever SAVE your decorations from last year? I understand that there is alot of cool stuff coming out every year, but I had enough decorations to fill my house 3 years ago. I guess you could keep going and going with the decoration until it resembles a tornado site more than a house, but then the decorations lose their individuality. In Matt’s case, I am sure there are items strewn about his house. Just based on articles alone, I am imagining what would resemble a K.B. Toys store exploding and settling here and there. I just dont see having 100 vaguley important Halloween/any holiday decorations, when closer to 10 or 20 offer so much more individuality and attention. It still shows the spirit and you save alot more money. However, if my original question about tax-writeoffs is correct, Matt stands to claim up to 10% of his toy purchases as business related. He can also claim the gas it took to drive to Target all those times. In this case I would buy every little thing known to man… just to screw Uncle Sam.

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/10/2006 6:41 PM EDT

I got a little bit of Thanksgiving news for you. This year for the 80th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, they have brand new balloons of Flying Ace Snoopy and Pikachu as well as a giant Energizer Bunny float. Oh yeah!

Ghosted by Luap @ 10/10/2006 7:00 PM EDT

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