X-Entertainment's Christmas Season & Advent Calendar, 2008.

07/08/2008: X-E’s ‘08 Summer Megaparty: Mario Pinball and Dirty Dinos.

Writing the X-E Summer Megaparty has been a constant reminder that I haven’t done anything remotely “summery” since the weather got nice. I intend to rectify that this weekend, so expect coverage of something that actually exists outdoors in natural light. Let’s just hope I don’t shrivel into ash while accomplishing this, but I’m prepared for the worst with the single most incredible Interview With The Vampire Dunst scream impression you’ll ever hear. Seriously, I don’t know why I’m so good at that.

Only eight days into the Megaparty, and already I’ve settled into a bogus 11 PM posting schedule. On the bright side, the second half of July is shaping up to be way less busy than this half. This half kinda sucks. Would it kill the working class to put everything on hold so I can blog with a clear head and eat lots of snowcones?

In tonight’s entry: A Super Mario pinball game and a tiny, dirty dinosaur toy. Yeah, I’ve begun taking reader requests. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about feet.

The Super Mario 64 Electronic LCD Pinball Game is something I picked up several years ago from a liquidating KB Toys that’s since closed down. I thought it’d make for a killer article, but after spending five years with the thing and never once having the desire to write about it, I guess I was just suckered in by the handwritten “7.99″ price tag. You always know you’re getting a good deal when the price tag is handwritten. This phenomenon isn’t uncommon within the many KB Toys establishments littering the globe. Is it just me, or do they train all of their employees to have the same exact penmanship? I’ve bought handwritten price tag items from more than two dozen KB stores across at least four states, and the price tag penmanship is always *exactly* the same.

If the above spiel felt like filler to you, I concede defeat. There just isn’t a whole lot to say about this beast. As far as pop-themed pinball games go, this is a boring, barebones affair that I barely feel justified in having paid eight dollars for, let alone the original retail price of 34.99.

The main issue is that it isn’t a true Nintendo product, but moreover just the pitiful result of a junky toy company getting a steal on the licensing rights. The game is totally “skinnable,” meaning that if you swapped the stickers and cardboard “floor” with pictures from a different property, it’d work just as well. Take away those things, and this has absolutely nothing to do with Super Mario 64. The pinball elements are totally generic, while the electronic sounds are more akin to a battery-operated Revenger than anything that would’ve spewed from a Nintendo 64 cartridge. It’s a real shame, because this whole mess would’ve been far more forgivable if I heard Mario’s “WA-hoooooo” after sinking the ball through the mid-top pinball tunnel.

If you think I’m being too harsh, note that the functionality of the game is positively terrible. The toymaker who designed Mario Pinball evidently hated whatever clientele he envisioned buying it, as the layout makes it impossible to last more than a few seconds before losing a ball. (And the process of getting the ball back into the slingshot position is so convoluted that I won’t even bother trying to put words to it.)

There are no action features to speak of. You just shoot the ball, and it comes back down. It may hit a few things along the way, but those things do nothing to alter the course of said ball. Hitting them only serves to trigger a series of obscene electronic sounds that I absolutely never want to hear again. I don’t think it really translates in this video, but Christ, these are some awful noises.

I like the concept of a Super Mario pinball game, but I hate this version, especially because I had to climb over a lot of sharp shit to pull it out of our storage closet.

Moving away from pinball: After stealing my mother’s eBay fodder for that Robo Force entry, I decided to drop off some of my old junk for her to sell. On my way in, I looked behind some bushes in the front of the house I grew up in, and I couldn’t believe it. Barely visible underneath the sticks and dirt was a toy I distinctly remembered owning as a child. I didn’t even have to look close to know that it was this weird little orange dinosaur figure that I absolutely loved toting around back in elementary school.

According to the text on the dinosaur’s ass, I left him back there in 1987. Pretty incredible that he’s survived every storm and squirrel to past through the front yard for over two decades.

It took me a while to remember what line the dinosaur was from, but a little Googlin’ goes a long way. How could I forget Panosh’s terrific line of tiny-sized, fruity-colored dinosaur figures? Hindsight tells me that Panosh created this as a direct result of Mattel’s popular M.U.S.C.L.E. collection, which forced virtually every competitor to try their hand at a series of “little figures.” Mainly sold in large multipacks, I was totally in love with these pocket-sized prehistoric pals. I definitely remember this orange dino being the last one I managed to hold onto, and assume that serious tears were shed when he got lost behind the bushes in the front of our house.

Still not sure how he got there. After numerous snake sightings, I was deathly afraid of those bushes and their surrounding area. Something’s fishy.

On a final note, there was a recent comment from someone wondering if I kept that Simpsons Movie donut from last July. If I can retain a Panosh dinosaur for twenty years, I think I can manage a donut for less than one.

Our refrigerator is kind of like the Smithsonian.

That’s the worst Super Mario Electronic LCD Pinball Game I’ve ever seen. Of two.

You were right to knock the pinball top thing over, the sound is just god awful.
Has there ever been a full sized SMB pinball machine?

Remarkably well-preserved for a year-old donut. Anyway, I don’t have any old toys like the dinosaur that I could stumble upon, as I moved to a new neighborhood around age twelve, and our old house has been almost totally redone. Besides, I had just entered sixth grade(1996) and I was just beginning to unload some of the many toys I had accumulated over the years. I think the oldest toy I still have is an old cowboy figure that I’ve had for so long that I can not remember not having it.

I would think that they could throw in a “Hey it’s me! Mario!” into the beep bop boops that thing makes.

Thank you Cameron T. I haven’t opened the box yet I will next week when I get the HDTV cord to hook it up and the other accessories.

Ultraman I really like Mario Kart. I am good at it and it’s fun. The reason why I wanted a Wii is because of the simple fun games for it. I don’t like the modern complex serious games at all anymore. I am going to after I make dinner look up some videos on youtube of smash bros and mario kart and try to decide through those. And it’s not fun being beat over and over again which is what probably would happen. At least with Mario Kart I would have a fighting chance. Super Mario Galaxy looks like a blast too I played about 5 minutes of it at Circuit City a few months ago.

And all this talk about Wii’s lol I almost had to give it up this morning. We got a 72 hour notice on the power bill saying we are late and it is about 177 bucks that we owe them. But he called and told them he gets paid on Friday so he can pay it all then so WHEW that was a moment where I was like “oh no! I have only had it for a few hours and now I have to say goodbye to it!” I know having the lights on is way more important but I was worried there for about 15 minutes. That was a close call.

I kind of envy you for being able to stumble over that dinosaur. My family has lived in seven different houses in the Cape May County area in the past 30 years, and I doubt there’s any toys left at any of them. (Especially since at least three have since been remodeled.)

As for the donut, the contents of your refrigerator never cease to amaze me…especially since I have since seen that donut in that exact shade of Pepto pink sold at our local 7-11 for the DVD release of “The Simpsons Movie.”

Wow, you kept the doughnut, I thought I was cool for keeping the Buzz Cola and Krusty Os.

And I think I had that exact same cheap pinball machine at some point during my childhood, only it wasn’t super mario, it was something else I cannot remember.

Matt,
If you’re really taking readers requests, mine would be for you to do a piece on the ’80s syndicated horror show “Monsters.”

Somehow that was always the most chilling part of the show…that family. Always freaked me out more than any of the segments. That would make my summer.

Holy crap. How did that dino sit in one spot for 20 years? That is absolutely insane.

Are those scales on the dinosaur’s back or did he start to fossilize after 20 years in the earth?

Ugh, looking at pinball machines just makes me long for my old pachinko machine. My first bf sold it after the break-up without telling me (I paid for half!) before he ran off to live in a hippy commune.

Matt; You think your doughnut survived a year? How about the “Simpsons Movie” doughnuts I see at the 7-11’s that I deliver to. That are still for sale. Yikes.

Also, how about those “Hulk” themed doughnuts that have the Hulks face printed on the frosting?

I saw the exact same pinball with the Crash Team Racing “skin”, complete with a KB clearance sticker at a local thrift. KB was marked $9.99 Thrift wanted $5.99. I would have gotten it, but I purchased the classic Atomic Pinball the week before for the same price. Not to mention I have a full size pinball machine that collects more dust than quarters.

I ate that donut, it wasn’t as good as it could have been. I do have a picture with a bit missing of it, though

I am glad to see the doughnut is preserved. I figured it was in the deep recesses of the magic fridge.
Matt, if you throw a tennis ball in there would it come out of the ceiling?

Did you ever have any Monsters in My Pocket figures? Those were kind of like M.U.S.C.L.E men. They had a number on the back of them too. I dont know if it was for some sort of game, but i thought they were awesome. the mummy was the best.

Part where the thing got knocked off got a laugh out of me. Every quickie cash-in mini-pinball game ever made seems to have that design.

Awesome entry as usual! Amazing that that toy was still there after all this time. Goob:Go ahead and get Mario Kart. It sounds like your leaning towards getting that one. I have both, so whichever you get I’ll still be able to play against you.I still have to recommend getting Brawl later though.You don’t have to be skilled at fighting games at all to kick butt at it! =) Rent it to find out once and for all if you like it. I really hope ya do because i’d really like to play you at that too. Also that pinball game was obviously marked down for a reason.

Thorzul, I’m so glad you mentioned “Monsters.” I used to stay up and watch that with my grandma when I was really little.

Speaking of my grandma, I think her fridge and cabinets might give yours a run for their money, Matt. She’s a packrat with some pretty ancient stuff. Her deep freezer broke last summer and she had frozen items with “1988″ written on the bags. Disgusting.

Maybe the dino didn’t stay there for 20 years. Maybe it went on some epic journey, carried by birds, found by neighborhood children, swallowed by a shark, etc, etc, until finally, miraculously, it made its way back to your childhood home….

Pretty awesome to find things like that you thought you’d lost. Maybe I can find the box to my Super NES up in the attic sometime. Or my TMNT flying car (you know, the footclan one, where the wheels folded down? I loved that thing…)

If you’re really taking reader request for the Megaparty, I’d love a new NES game review/mini-review. I’ve been going through one of my periodic Nintendo phases where I get all nostalgic for about 3 weeks….

JUST watched the video of the pinball game! lol. Best part BY FAR was the top part gettin knocked over because of the sound! Also Matt, if you’r actually serious about taking requests, then I would like to request that you do a review of Ed Woods LEGENDARY MASTERPIECE Plane 9 from OuterSpace. I would just LOVE to read a review about this movie written by you. =)

As a youth I always thought it would be cool to be the guy at Kay-Bee (as it was known back in the day) who got to man the red pen. In high school, my dream came true. Yeah, life peaked early. Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that the red pen is actually used only rarely- the pricetags come pre-printed with the redlined original price and the sale price above it! Hence, uniform penmanship.

I hope someone somewhere was enriched by this, because I feel ridiculous for knowing it.

JoshC: There was a full sized mario pinball machine I would play on visits to Lake George in one of the arcades, until the arcade removed it two years ago for whatever reason. This site has some information, I guess there were two machines:

Luck you only find plastic dinosaurs in your backyard. I was diggin around my backyard once as a kid and stumbled upon a BONE! I freaked out thinking a dead guy was buried out front of our house. This especially seemed plausible cause POLTERGIEST was out around this time. Turns out the bone was a leg bone of a horse and it died like 100 years earlier. Freaky.

I have Samurai Leo, you know the TMNT? I lost his sword in my front yard. I’ve told you before that I crawled around said yard on my stomach looking for it. Oh, what the neighbors must have thought~

Maybe I’ll find it someday, too!
I’d rather find my original Pretenders Starscream, which I lost w/in an hour of getting it one easter morning ;;

MATT- Thank you so much for figuring out those little dinosaurs are from Panosh! I remember having a bunch of them, and have been searching online for a while but didn’t know their name. I always liked how they each had a little white glow-in-the-dark spot. Guess I’ll have to see if any show up on Ebay.

Those tabletop pinball games ALWAYS sucked compared to a real pinball machine or even video game pinball.

I know why I love that little dino. Who in this world has a toy that they absolutely adored in their youth and somehow DISAPPEARED when they loved it the most?
We’ve all got one of those.
Now, imagine how estatic you’d be if that toy appeared RIGHT ON YOUR DOORSTEP, RIGHT NOW.
For me…
My little poseable DC Critters White Lab Rat guy -voiced by Bobcat Golthwaite in the cartoon… if that little guy turned up on my doorstep, I would NOT stop screaming, I’d be so happy.

Is it just me, or do they train all of their employees to have the same exact penmanship? I’ve bought handwritten price tag items from more than two dozen KB stores across at least four states, and the price tag penmanship is always *exactly* the same.

Hate to burst your bubble, Matt. But as a former KB Toys employee, that “handwritten signature” is fake. Unless I see a picture of said price tag, it’s definately a laser-enscribed forgery.

Yes, I remember those. Crash Bandicoot versions as well. Rarely sold, and I think it was by pure chance that we sold all of them. Come to think of it, a majority of them got returned for being absolute crap.

Many years ago, I had a Power Rangers version. It was the same crappy pinball machine, but with different colors and a different logo on the headpiece.

And kittymao, hell yes I remember “Capitol Critters.” I vaguely remember watching a single episode of it, but I remember it.

Darthpez, which arcade at Lake George? I couldn’t be Funland, because that’s the one I always went to on my yearly vacation there, and I never saw it. Perhaps it was the “Fun & Games” one, or even the one right across the street from the Pizza Hut? I haven’t been to that one.

The toy that I loved as a kid and lost never to be found again, was this G.I. Joe figure. I can’t remember his name, but I remember he was a cobra guy and an android. Probably another version of the B.A.T. He had this fairly big backpack you could snap on and off his back, that made noises when you pushed the buttons. Battle noises and crys etc… . He was part of a line where the gimmick was that big backpack that made noises. I lost him on a fishin trip. I had him for most of the trip, but I put him down late into it, and when it came time to leave, I COULDN’T FIND HIM! OH NO! Thats what I thought at the time in my kid mind.

Hey matt, have you tried the new kool-aid flavor?
It’s called Jamaica, and I guess it’s made from dried hibiscus flowers. You should seek it out and review it, I’d like to hear your thoughts on it.

I kinda like all those noises. For about 45 seconds. I’ve got a Kong pinball machine that’s equally “skinnable” but that I think rocks anyway. Augh, some of those feetie related videos are creeping me out.
I remember I was soooo mad at my then-housemates for throwing out my Simpson’s donut. Seeing what it would have looked like if I’d been able to hold onto it inspired me to finally post my pictures from the Kwik-E-Mart/7-Eleven last year.
I don’t think the Jamaica flavor is new, it’s just part of the “Aguas Frescas” line that includes other traditional Latino flavors. I LOVE Jamaica, but I always order it at Mexican food joints, I’ve never made it myself. I’d definitely be interested to know how the Kool-Aid version holds up in a review.

What I remember about “Capitol Critters” is how the logo for Stephen Bocho’s production company was changed from the film of the old man playing the violin to an animated mouse. There are a bunch of clips from the show on YouTube, but I can’t find that one.

Having just looked at those clips, does anybody else think Haley on “American Dad” is a rip-off of the hippie mouse daughter?

My parents have lived in the same house since I was born, and there attic is packed with stuff from when me and my brother were little (my mother is a packrat). Aside from a dry-rotted Barbie Dream House, I just know there are multitudes of treasures up there. The dinosaur makes me want to drive 100 miles to search in the attic right now.

My mother is also a pack rat. I know there are plenty of my childhood toys in the attic and some in the garage. I like to save certain things too, but only those that have some meaning. I recently cleaned out my mother’s garage and threw away a lot of stuff! I just can’t justify saving every little thing. Of course, I cleaned it when she wasn’t there or she wouldn’t have let me throw most stuff away.

I also buried a time capsule at my mom’s house about 15-16 years ago. Most of it were dumb little toys and things from that time. It’ll be interesting to see who finds it. I’m not going to dig it up now because I don’t remember exactly where I buried it and I’m not about to go digging up my mom’s yard.

I don’t know of one particular toy I would want to reclaim. Most of the stuff I really cherished I either kept or re-purchased over the years. Interestingly enough when I was about seven years old I buried a Star Wars Micro Collection Wampa Cave along with the figures that were included with it in my back yard. I really don’t know what possessed me to do it. I dug a large hole (at least it seemed large to me at that age) and when I was done playing with it I filled it in and put the toys I was playing with in the hole along with the dirt. My grandparents still live at that house, and as far as I know they are still there. There is a flower garden on it now, so I doubt my grandparents would let me dig them up. It’s not like they are worth anything, but if I had the chance I would probably dig them up out of curiosity sake.

Nice find with the old dinosaur figure, Matt. I’m sure an archaelogical dig of my childhood home would find all sorts of old toys. For instance, I distinctly recall losing a Lone Ranger figure in my sandbox, and I lost one of those little faceless figures that came with Wheeled Warriors vehicles behind the stairs to our back porch. I also remember destroying one of my Luke Skywalker figures in a tragic accident, and I buried my in my backyard during a large, military-type funeral. Yeah, I was a sad little kid.

I sometimes think about making a pilgrimage to my old house to reclaim those lost toys, but the new owners might frown on that type of thing.

Hey Matt, I have or had (It might be here somewhere!) a Pokemon Pinball Machine at one point. It was like that, only much better, but still terribly tacky. Pikachu made a noise when you launched the ball and music played all the time, adding some intensity.

I can recall a few dozen toys of my brothers that I would like to have. I think they’re regretting using Optimus Prime or Darth Vader action toys as a launching post for their black cats. Also, I vaguely remember have a toy holder that was a large R2-D2–I would LOVE that back!

I have or had (It might be here somewhere!) a Pokemon Pinball Machine at one point.

That pinball machine sucks, makes me think back on a few I had that were just as bad. KB toys always seemed like such a great place, but it was always really over priced. When I read you paid $8 for the pinball I even thought that was too much for how much it sucked, I feel bad for the kid that saved up any birthday money to put $35 down on it.

I agree that Monsters in my Pocket ruled the tiny one color action figure world. You could get anything in some of those mystery packs, those and Battle Beasts with the awesome heat sensitive Fire, Water, Wood symbols where the best.

A while back I found what I used to use as a toy survival bag for trips to places my parents would drag me that didn’t have toys. It was in my mom’s attic and was packed up as is, with all of the toys still in it. It was like finding buried treasure, if that treasure was lots of Happy Meal toys, plastic bugs and other random mix and match weapons and cars (most of the toys weren’t from popular lines, so I’m guessing my rationale was to not take anything I might lose, thus making the war between Cobra and Joe a little lopsided). Still though, I can’t imagine finding a toy that you lost outside 20 years ago. Did you run inside, all out of breath, frantically trying to explain the find to everyone who hoped you just unearthed a bunch of rich stuff?

Mmm, sacrelicious. I’ve actually seen that pinball game before… I thought it’d be more fitting as a happy meal toy than anything.

I actually had the first Mario Pinball toy, that got broken, along with a SMB baseball cap and a SMB2 jacket that I kind find at all wether it be in my house or online, I’m thinking it may have been either bootleg or a most rare jacket that I could have probably fetched $1 billion for ;__;

Whoa, somebody mentioned that show Monsters…I used to be scared shitless of that show when I was a little kid. That and Tales From the Darkside.

I am 31 years old and I still won’t watch Tales from the Darkside when I am home alone.

One episode which scared me to death was this old man telling a horror story about a christmas morning monster with hands like basketballs. I won’t tell you what happens, but Christmas is ruined for everyone.

That reminds me, when I was younger my dentist (Dr.Sylvester) had a mario pinball machine. But it did make Mario sounds, and it had an awesome yoshi noise. Is the donut edible?

To me the creepiest part of Tales from the Darkside is the intro to each episode. The music is just perfect for a show of that nature.

When I was about ten years old they used to play it around 2am on one of the stations around here. My parents let me stay up as late as I wanted during my summer vacation and I would watch it before going to bed. As creepy as that was there was something else even creepier to watch before going to bed. When one of the local channels used to go off the air they would play this scratchy recording of the Star Spangled Banner with grainy images of various patriotic scenes displayed along with it. The images ranged from war footage to families having cookouts. I would guess the off-the-air film was probably made in the 1950s by the cars and the dress style shown in the various scenes. Anyway, the whole thing had this surreal quality that creeped me out and depressed me worse than any TV show ever could.

I remember turning on the TV late one night when I was younger. I came across this weird show where this family was having a bbq and there was some obnoxious kids hamming it up. These kids thought they were funny and clever. They were just rambling stupid things while the parents focused on cooking as to avoid listening to them. I just wanted to beat the snot out of these kids.

Then I realized I actually hit play on the VCR and was watching an old home video.

REV: The episode you remember is called “Seasons of Belief.” I love that one.

You didn’t even have to mention how all KB employees have the same handwriting because as soon as you wrote, “I guess I was just suckered in by the handwritten “7.99″ price tag.” I pictured exactly what it would look like.

WOW, JLAJRC (i had to check a few times to do that right. JCJLARLK? CLARKJSK? RALSJCRK?) you sure do know your darkside!

Do you remember one where there was this blind Kenny G type guy who didn’t drop dead when the hot dame looked at him, but everyone else did? I will be thrilled if you do!

I don’t know if you get the Chiller network but they play two episodes of Tales from the Darkside every morning at 700AM and 730AM. I watch them sometimes before I go to work. They play Alfred Hitchcock Presents right before that too which is also a great show.

Here is some more info on the KB red slash…
KB actually got a class action lawsuit filed against them because of the red slash! They illegally were placing items on shelves claiming that they were once a certain retail and slashing them to a red slash price. The toys were never full price but always red slash. KB wanted to trick people into thinking they got a deal.
I used to work at KB, about 8 years ago. This ordeal happened after I left and apparently they had to reprice every item.
So now when you see that red slash, it means you are getting a friggin deal.

Also, I now work as an illustrator and the company I work for just got a sales pitch from MEG and they are reviving the “in your pocket” series!
Monster in my pocket and other girl versions.

Boner Jams ‘03
I kind of suspected that about KB Toys pricing when I realized that their Red slash prices were the same as retail prices from other companies.

I do miss KB, though. We don’t have one here, the closest one is 40 miles away in an outlet mall. The one in Lubbock always had lots of weird, discontinued shit.

I still can’t get over these preprinted handwritten KB price tags. Incredible to know and it actually makes so much sense.

Norbert: It’s the Putts and Prizes one across the street from Pizza Hut. The pinball machine used to be in the back section, then even further back, so I can’t imagine it got much attention. That site says there were only 519 of the machines made, though I’m not sure how rare that is compared to other pinball machines. Lake George seems like it would be a great place for an XE article. There’s the scenic nature stuff most people go for, but at the same time the village is full of weird stuff.

Also, now KB’s red slash seems to make a lot more sense. There always were a lot of red prices in that store (ours closed down, sadly).

The reason I know is that besides besides the occaisional “Darkside” marathon on SCI-FI, alot of these episodes are on Youtube. I went on a Darkside/Monsters bender a couple of months back and watched quite of few of them, including those two episodes.

In fact, horror anthologies seem to be making a minor comeback. Besides Darkside/Monsters, you can watch Night Gallery on NBC.com, Freddy’s Nightmares on AOL’s In2TV, Crypt is out on season DVDs, Masters of Horror are all on DVD, NBC is currently showing the kinda lousy “Fear Itself”, MyNetwork TV is currently showing episodes of the UPN version of Twilight Zone from a few years ago for some reason, and of course SCI-Fi has the original TZ along with both versions of Outer Limits. Also, I spotted a DVD collection of some old show I never heard of called “One Step Beyond.” Amazing Stories is on DVD. Plus, there is always Alfred Hithcock.

I wish I still had my old toys…I had a Christmas cookie tin overflowing with G.I. Joes…I miss my He-Man figures, my Ninja Turtles, even the few Transformers I had.

Miss May Dusa indeed. Kenny G. ought to pursue royalties for the use of his likeness.

Here goes another, and then I swear this is the last one I remember. I’m not even sure if it is a tale from the darkside. A guy who looked like my high school principal who uses his own name a lot in the episode (Charlie, maybe?), and his wife wins some millionth customer at the supermarket award and leaves him. With hilarious consequences.

Yeah, GloomyJack, it did. In fact, it’s interesting that came up.
I have reason to believe my dad disposed of my ratty toy cause he hated that I played with it so much. I found the plastic test tube in his room one day, hacked in half and smelling distinctly like skunk weed.
Yeah- as soon as Dare taught us what Pot was in Fifth Grade, I put two and two together.

The sounds for the pinball game might be annoying for some, but my 8mo old sure was fascinated!

I have boxes upon boxes of old toys that my mom gave me, I haven’t look through them all yet, but I know I will find something that makes me as happy as Matt was to find that dino.

All my old toys are tucked in the attic of my grandmother’s barn, and sadly most of them are likely ruined as they were stored in plastic garbage bags. I’m sure at the least they’re covered in bat guano, and at the worst they’re covered in bat guano and gnawed to bits by mice. I’ve been meaning to get up there and empty stuff out…there are some things that we put in heavy plastic tubs, so those would be okay. I really need to stop being so damn lazy and get my dad to help me drag that stuff down. I know for a fact there’s tons of books I could be reading and loving all over again.

Tales from the Darkside is one of my fav shows ever! Along with Tales from the Crypt and Monsters! I never forgot the show monsters, but I did forget the name until I read it here. I watched Tales from the Darkside a few nights ago. It was about this mom and duaghter who lived in the woods together and the daughter was a witch. She was dieing and wanted her momma to save her sould when she died so she could be ressurected later. The mom was against it at first , but did it anyway because she was her daughter. The daughters soul looked like a moth when she died and the mom caught it in a jar. I won’t spoil the ending for you if you haven’t seen it. I can’t remember the name of the episode though.

You also stumped me on the episode, too. If that is a Darkside episode, I’ve never seen it and it’s not ringing any bells for any other show either.

Ultraman: Your episode is was called “The Moth.” The daughter was played by singer Deborah/Debbie Harry.

JLAJRC:THAT’S the name! I knew I knew it, I just couldn’t bring the file up in my mind,lol. Thanks.

Don’t know if anyone cares about manga, but there is gonna be a Ghostbusters manga graphic novel to go along with the upcoming video game.

Have you guys ever seen the Tales From the Crypt episode where Tim Curry played just about every character? It’s disturbing but a classic for sure.

JLAJRC- I am crestfallen! I really need someone to know and tell me about that episode of whatever show it was where the big ugly guy’s wife wins a prize from the supermarket!

Matt, You Were 100% Right About The Pinball Machine Being Able To Be Skinned With Different Random Stuff. I Have A Mortal Kombat One That Is EXACTLY the same thing. And I mean EXACTLY. Same Flippers And Obstacles And Everything. I Would Take A Picture But I Don’t Think Anyone Here Cares Enough.

Bill: I LOVE that episode. I remeber Ed Begley jr. bein in it too. Man, I gotta get get the seasons of Tales from the Crypt and the movies too. =)

I don’t know about that Solitary Solitude, this is X-E, we tend to care alot about stuff like that. =)

REV: I just checked a “Darkside” fansite that had a description of all of the episodes and what you describe doesn’t match anything there, so it is definately not a Darkside episode. Don’t know if that helps you or anything.

Thanks, JLAJRC. I’m wondering now if it is a tale from the crypt, rather than the dark side. Does a list of crypt-based tales exist somewhere?

I used to work at a KB Toys,and yes Matt,those stickers are pre printed.
Also,I constantly played that Mario pinball,and you’re right-there is no way to ever get better at it,it just has a horrible layout.

i really think there should be mention of the summer megaparty SOMEWHERE on the front page… it’d spruce up the months long lack of changes AND plus i’ve missed previous summer parties cause ive love your site forever but just started reading your blog.. :o…

I’m pretty sure I had a Super Mario Bros version of that same pinball game circa 1989. (As opposed to Super Mario 64.)
Anyone else remember?

JLAJRC, Thanks for that. I’m not really into manga, but I’m a big Ghostbusters fan and can’t wait for the game. I don’t know how I feel about that one piece of artwork that we got there, but maybe it’ll look better once the book comes out. I’m just glad that there’s anything Ghostbusters related out there.

REV: I just checked out both “Tales from the Crypt” and “Amazing Stories” and neither show had an episode that matches what you described.

Beckner, as I mentioned this is the worst of two of these I’ve seen. The other one may have been the one you are talking about.

Whoa whoa whoa. It wasn’t like that. ALL of those toys we had marked down WERE originally sold at that price,admittedly not for very long in some cases. Someone in some state somewhere complained that they weren’t “sale” prices,because they were permament,and the judge agreed. KB had to do a nationwide 30 % off sale for one month,then everything went back to normal.
The reason they were marked down permamently,was because it was a permament markdown. Look at the clearence stuff in any other store,it’s the same thing.

I like KBs. They usually have some hard to find stuff. And at pretty good prices too.

i remember a similar experience finding an old toy at my parents’ house.. - not too long ago i found a little rubber Battle Beasts figurine alongside the side of the house under the air conditioner.. - upon some research i was able to determine it was Crusty Crab.. - imagine my joy..

I don’t like Mario’s gaze in that picture at all; the way he’s looking up at you suggestively, he looks like he’s about to score some underage tail…all he needs is a trenchcoat and a lollipop….ugh….but on a positive note, oh how I love those Mario Games from my childhood…I think that perhaps Mario 3 was my favourite…you know, all the Warp Whistles and stuff…the “Giant World”…good times

Super Mario bros.3 was DEFIANTELY a MILESTONE entry in the series! Plus it had one of my ALLTIME FAV Bowser fights! If yo weren’t quick enough in getting to the door behind Bowser, to rescue Princess Peach of course, the game would freeze up and you would have to start all over because the game wouldn’t unpause! The first time I got to the end that happened to me, and MAN was I SHOCKED! lol. Although I have to admit it was a pretty cool thing to include in the game, if not a little mean. lol. Plus, it introduced the koopa kids. Some of my fav Mario characters.

I thought the “get to the door quickly after beating bowser” trick was a Game Genie side-effect?

I do miss the Koopa Kids. It’s time to bring those bad boys back. Bowser Jr. isn’t enough.

Cameron T.: Game Genie side effect? That would explain why that happened to me, because I had an NES Game Genie and use it ALOT! But still, I remember that happening to me without the Game Genie! Wierd! Also I strongly agree. Bowsers other youngins REALLY need to be brought back. Bowser jr. is awesome, don’t get me wrong, I just think he needs his siblings with him. =)

I know there’s a game genie side effect that causes the game to freeze at the end, particulary the always hammer bros suit code but I don’t remember if it involved how long it took to get to the door.

nah. Really not. Probably the worst character Nintendo has ever made, right next to Tingle and Nester. Only made worse by the fact that he effectively replaced 7 perfectly good characters.

And the fact that Peach may be his mommy kind of freaks me out, the sheer logistics of Bowser and Peach procreating are baffling.

Well, to each their own. I like him because I like anybody associated with Bowser(my fav nintendo character).

Interestingly, I have the very same Mario Pinball machine AND dinosaur toy. While my dino-pal is green, not orange they are made from the same mold.

I noticed a few people wrote about the real Mario pinball machine. The Inn that has our annual family reunion used to have it in their game room. I can say without any reservation that it was the best pinball machine I ever played. I remember Mario saying “There’s a lot of secret stuff in this game”. He wasn’t kidding. Every mission seemed to unlock things the just didn’t exist in other pinball machines. I wonder how many still exist…oh yeah, I’m on the internet…I’ll go find out.

I had some of the dinosaurs in that line but I don’t remember if I had that exact one. I do know they all had some white markings on them that glow in the dark, but since Matt’s has been outside for about 20 years it may not do its thang anymore.

Although at that time (about 7 or 8 then) my favorite totable dinosaur was a tiny yellow and green rubber triceratops I got at the local history museum. The end of her tail broke off, which resulted in a good deal of frustration and woe on my part. Now I wonder where she is….

I’ve got a whole bag of Panosh dinos kicking around somewhere in the basement. Sweet find!

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