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09/17/2008: Halloween Countdown 08: Spooky Magic 8-Ball!

After an unimpressive string of Magic 8-Ball branded spinoffs ranging from Count Olaf to Hannah Montana, Mattel finally got it right. Introducing: The Halloween Magic 8 Ball!


In preparation for this review, I did a little research. For all the time I’ve spent making important life decisions by way of Magic 8-Balls, I really didn’t know too much about them. Here’s a crash course…

The Magic 8-Ball was invented in 1946. The all-knowing die inside actually has twenty sides, which is around triple the amount I would’ve guessed had I been spontaneously ushered onto the set of a game show and forced to answer trivia questions in return for trips to Mexico. The eerie blue liquid inside each Magic 8-Ball is apparently nontoxic, but several fringe researchers have concluded that its effects as an edible aren’t exactly pleasant, citing headaches and nausea. Magic 8-Balls are not food.

My most important finding was that it’s woefully incorrect to shake a Magic 8-Ball before searching for its response. You’re just supposed to turn it gently and allow the die to float to the small window. When you shake it, all of the dyed water foams up and makes the answers hard to read, and what’s worse, there’s virtually no way to rid a Magic 8-Ball of “shake foam” once it gets in there. Magic 8-Balls are not maracas.

Blessed with this further education on Magic 8-Ballosity, I’m in a better position to sum up Mattel’s new Halloween edition: It’s exactly the same as a regular Magic 8-Ball, only the ball is purple, and the answers are a little cheekier. Does that justify its ten dollar price tag? Let’s ask the Magic 8-Ball:


Hmm. “You have a ghost of a chance” doesn’t really confirm if my Halloween Magic 8-Ball was worth ten bucks or not, but any grievances I may have had with this non-answer were eradicated upon noticing that the ball has a green monster mouth painted on it. I have a soft spot for arbitrarily positioned green monster mouths, especially when they’re slapped on items that bear no resemblance to monster faces whatsoever.

The die’s twenty faces provide a mix of classic Magic 8-Ball responses along with a few custom, pun-filled spooky answers. Its potential as the primary tool in some malformed drinking game notwithstanding, it’s a neat decoration that will make your living room feel 3% more Halloweeny.

I approve of this item, but I dunno — the normal, black Magic 8-Balls just feel a tad bit eerier, and I think I’d prefer an eerier looking ball to one that sneaks ghost puns into its little dog and pony show. I guess I half-approve of this item.


Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

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Discussion Thread: 89 comments

Matt, I’m curious if you have any must-see Halloween hot spots in the NYC area. I’ve been here a couple of years but can’t get into the spirit without hayrides, haunted houses, and trick or treating. At least not here in Queens.

Ghosted by BUCKLY! @ 09/18/2008 12:16 AM EDT


Buckly: I haven’t been to many in the actual NYC area, though I believe there are a few haunted house attractions in Manhattan during October. From what I heard of past editions, they really can’t compare to what you’d find elsewhere, though. Jersey is absolutely rife with that kind of shit, and it’s well worth the trouble. I suggest making a weekend out of Jason’s Woods. I haven’t been to it, but I hear it’s pretty awesome, and the way they set it up makes it easy to spend a full night there. I kinda wonder what their policy is on parking lot drinking, though.

Also…I’ll repeat this during this weekend’s SNT, but I did a little digging and found us some scary movies, all airing on Saturday night:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III – 11:35 PM on Cinemax More Max
The Craft – 11 PM on HBO Signature
Trilogy of Terror 2 – 1 AM on Sci-Fi

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/18/2008 12:26 AM EDT


So yeah…..that temp job did not work out….AT ALL. They wanted me to do accounting of some type or something, I don’t know. But I had no clue what the hell to do and they were like…we need you to go home. I mean I tried to learn what they showed me to do…but I thought I was there for BILLING.

Anyhow, I had an interview today with Blue Cross Blue Shield again, for another position, as a claims clerk…and a phone interview with them tomorrow for another position.

I quit the phone survey night job. Even with me and the husband working there together, 8 bucks an hour to ride 30 min up and 30 min back plus gas and tolls…and working at night to boot…it was not a good fit.

Ghosted by mandy_severed bloody head_Reeves @ 09/18/2008 12:32 AM EDT


Matt: This entry is so weird because I was at Target, and actually played with a Halloween 8 ball, then came home and WHAMMO! It’s on the countdown! Proper job!

Ghosted by Captain Will @ 09/18/2008 1:12 AM EDT


All awesome flicks Matt. I can’t wait till Monsterfest on AMC starts this year. =D

Ghosted by ULTRAMAN @ 09/18/2008 1:20 AM EDT


I love how Matt has the ability to make me NEED something that I have seen at Target a million times, picked up a million times, and put down a million times thinking, “This is stupid.”

I’m really wanting Halloween Jenga, though. It’s has die with bats, spiders and haunted houses on it. Not much in my world beats that.

Halloween Cadbury Eggs??? Okay, I retract that last statement.

Annette: Do we have the same mom?!

Ghosted by Special K @ 09/18/2008 1:29 AM EDT


I’m thinking of trying to get up to Eastern State Penitentiary and their haunted thing. I didn’t go last year, but this year, who knows. I might also try fright fest as well.

Ghosted by mandy_severed bloody head_Reeves @ 09/18/2008 1:46 AM EDT


I dunno, I kinda like the plain black version. Maybe it’s just me, but if you make a Halloween version it should be SCARIER, not cheekier- it’s like getting a ‘Halloween Ouija Board’ that only said lines from Simpson’s tree house of horror. Novel, but kinda lame.

Ghosted by bethanythemartian @ 09/18/2008 1:59 AM EDT


hey matt are you going to make the jukebox available for download like other years?

Ghosted by brando @ 09/18/2008 2:02 AM EDT


–>> ..#$%#$%@!#!**

..f8ckin’ broke ol’ BK Mace Windu 8 ball .. >v<

Ghosted by tOkKa @ 09/18/2008 2:34 AM EDT


brando: Just get the “Orbit Downloader”. Worked for me.

Ghosted by OliMcAst @ 09/18/2008 2:41 AM EDT


I have had my Magic Eight Ball for over 7 years and it has never been wrong yet.

Did I just jinx it? :)

Ghosted by Russ @ 09/18/2008 3:24 AM EDT


Hmm, I didn’t turn on autocomplete, but my name is always already typed for me now.

Is this the magic of log ins? o_O

Also, no preview?

Ghosted by Neg @ 09/18/2008 5:34 AM EDT


The last Magic 8 Ball I owned was stolen at a party we had in college. Does anyone remember the Yoda with 8 Ball capabilities from the early 80s? It was a rubber Yoda statue that functioned like the blessed 8 Ball. Click my name to see a pic. Any chance us Canadian X-ERs could come up with a movie marathon of our own?

Ghosted by Gregor @ 09/18/2008 6:37 AM EDT


Vulture eggs? Nice! I’m going to gain five pounds turning the tables on those birds. “You eat our dead, we eat your unborn!”

HaHa!

Ghosted by Berdo @ 09/18/2008 7:11 AM EDT


Nothing pissed me off more than when my friends would shake up the magic 8 ball.

That is all I really have to say, I tried to make a comment last night but things were crazy go nuts!

Ghosted by IHAQ @ 09/18/2008 7:41 AM EDT


I am not the least bit ashamed to admit that I rely on my magic 8 ball for help with major life decisions more than the average 28 yr old should. That being said, a second opinion would be nice. spooky 8 ball, i’m looking at you!

Ghosted by bitchpants @ 09/18/2008 8:38 AM EDT


I just found the wrapper for the Cadbury egg and they do have cartoon vultures on them. Cool!

I hope Matt wasn’t planning on writing about these eggs cause if he was, we just messed up a whole day.

Ghosted by Berdo @ 09/18/2008 9:16 AM EDT


Jasons Woods…are you kidding me? Its right down the road…but Ive never thought it was much more than a few corn fields….at least thats what Ive heard.

Ghosted by meepy @ 09/18/2008 9:21 AM EDT


meepy: Really? I’ve heard lots of good things about that place, plus it seems like they go through a lot of trouble to make it work as a “full night” visit, with separate attractions, a picnic area, random games, etc.

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/18/2008 9:55 AM EDT


Matt, thank God you did this again this year. I was just thinking this morning how The Halloween Countdown has become a holiday tradition for me. It’s honestly something I look forward to just as much as the rest of the holiday.

Many thanks.

Ghosted by Vincent @ 09/18/2008 9:55 AM EDT


Oops, I was wrong guys, they’re buzzard eggs, not vulture… Sorry! One is “Vanilla and Chocolate” which tastes just like the Easter ones, only more Halloweeny. The other is “Marshmallow and Chocolate”, but I haven’t tasted it yet, I’m afraid of Marshmallow. :)

Also, at Walgreens they’re selling a Candy Blood Bag!!! It’s a bag of red, cherry goo, and it really does look like a blood bag, even with the little lead coming off that would go to your vein. Was gonna get one, but they were $2…

Ghosted by Dr Sketch @ 09/18/2008 10:10 AM EDT


Remeber those snot-nosed brats who would grab your Magic 8 Ball and ask it stupid questions like, “who’s the coolest Turtle?” like it was the Amazing Creskin Ball or something??? – I hated those kids, in fact I STILL hate those kids!

Ghosted by Nizzler @ 09/18/2008 10:23 AM EDT


My annual Halloween tradition is a trip to the haunted hayride followed by the corn maze and three haunted houses. Click my name to see it. If you go, go late!

Ghosted by Rev. Back It On Up @ 09/18/2008 10:38 AM EDT


Aw man stupid Pacific Standard Time. I want to watch The Craft with everybody!

Rev, sorry for the lag in answering, but the MST3K episode I was talking about was “Ring of Terror”. There’s an office sign that says “R. J. Dobson” and they take it from there :D

I hit the 99 looking for ‘ween stuff. Really didn’t find anything Mood Table worthy. No grow-a-vampires or anything new for this year. I’m ready to check out Target, but I want to wait until they’ve got everything set up.

Three cheers for X-E’s Halloween Countdown :D :) :D

(new smilies, that aren’t Jasons or Chuckies? Interesante!)

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 09/18/2008 10:44 AM EDT


Who would of thought the Magic 8-Ball would see a Halloween makeover? I like the idea, but agree that it was only executed to about half of what it could have been. What if one of the sides of the dice revealed a skeleton face, grim reaper, or some of ther spooks. That would be awesome!

Ghosted by nosna @ 09/18/2008 10:51 AM EDT


Are they Buzzard eggs? Huh! I only looked at the pic but did not read the text. Vultures and buzzards look the same to me. Aren’t they cousins or something, like Larry and Balki?

Ghosted by Berdo @ 09/18/2008 10:57 AM EDT


Matt,
Jasons Woods used to be good in the early 90’s now its just falling apart waiting for a good storm to tear it down. The actors are half assed at best and most of the animatronics only hiss with static and barley move . may i suggest Field Of Screams in Mountville PA , its pretty cheap only 25 bucks for 3 attractions , along with nightly live bands a midway and decient food
http://www.fieldofscreams.com/

Ghosted by Starscream77 @ 09/18/2008 12:00 PM EDT


Starscream77: Wow, good to know. What my friends and I would love is a place that’s at least somewhat near some bars, assuming we can’t get away with drinking in the parking lot like derelicts. We’d also want a place that attracts a pretty diverse crowd, since we’re all in our late 20s/early 30s and don’t want to feel horribly ridiculous. Finally, I’ve been to a lot of these things and my main complaint is that once you’ve done the one major attraction, it’s time to go home. So hoping I can find one that’s cool to hang around for a few hours at least.

Ghosted by Matt @ 09/18/2008 12:08 PM EDT


I like drinking in the parking lot like a derelict.

And I’ll never, ever, EVER outgrow it!

Ghosted by Rev. Back It On Up @ 09/18/2008 12:56 PM EDT


Purple? Why doesn’t the Halloween 8-Ball look like a Jack o’ Lantern? That would make sense, wouldn’t it? Just sayin’…

There’s a comedy troupe called TROOP! that does a sketch about a Magic 8 Ball. “Don’t shake it too much there are gonna be bubbles you won’t be able to read it!”
Here’s the link to them doing it on stage:

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=19015407

Ghosted by AllHallowSteve @ 09/18/2008 1:48 PM EDT


One of the scariest places I’ve ever been in was when I was a teen. Ma worked evening shift at a local convalescent home, and she was on one Hallowe’en. I decided to go see her before hitting the nearby rich homes. That is not a place you want to be when most of the residents are sleep, the halls are dark, and there are strange sounds and smells on the air. The staff my be used to the old coot who starts grunting loudly every couple of hours like clockwork, but when you don’t know that, it skeeves real quick. Assisted Living Dracula is real, and I think I know where he lives.

Ghosted by kingklash @ 09/18/2008 2:40 PM EDT


Halloween countdown 08! I like how Target has the exclusive rights to the Halloween 8-Ball, I am sure it was a brutal bidding war for the rights only to have Target come out the victor and give a huge fuck you to walmart

Ghosted by Brent @ 09/18/2008 6:04 PM EDT


Dr Sketch I’ve heard that the liquid candy tastes like a bad cough syrup and it should be bought only to be put on display. Also they sell candy that are gummy candy human hearts with liquid in them if you didn’t see those. From what I heard those don’t taste too good either.

Squee I am in Pacific Coast time too!! Hopefully they show it earlier so we can DVR it and then watch it when Matt and the gang are? I’ll try to find it online…

Here is one it’s in 5 parts and japanese but the movie is in english. Just wait until the movie starts then push the full screen button. The audio is pretty much in sync with the video. No subtitles.

Here’s another one It’s not in japanese and it’s all in one part which is good. Fairly good quality the bar on the bottom stays there like on youtube. Youtube also has it but I really don’t like having to click on a new link every 10 minutes. Don’t click on play on that link it will go to an ad click on the round play icon I had to do it twice to play.

So there you have it. If Matt wants to watch The Craft then we are all set from all different sides :)

BTW has anyone tried the preview button yet? It looks like you posted but you really didn’t! It loaded the page again like it posted and I thought “Thanks a lot Matt!!” and then it said Previewed comment lol!!!

Ghosted by Goob @ 09/18/2008 6:20 PM EDT


thank you jesus the dance santas are gone

Ghosted by ashley @ 09/18/2008 8:54 PM EDT


You should drink the blue goo.

Ghosted by Anonymous @ 09/19/2008 12:05 AM EDT


I’m feeling more tingly about Autumn coming this year. Yay for hooliganistic ninny drinking practices.
I want to know why they didn’t go balls out on the re-design for the Halloween Magic 8-Ball, light up purple fluid (via LED blacklight at bottom of chamber), fluorescent green answer dice thing, transparent orange outer casing… come on, let’s go nuts. I read the post about the halloween-yule-log-type-dvd, I want people to make some, lets go to town kids. If anyone is cuttin’ up pumpkins in this here group, please post links to pics… the jukebox is back…. wooHoo. I got into Oingo Boingo’s Dead Man’s Party album big time cause it hooked me when i went here. Since i started visiting here, I now give myself permission to enjoy Oingo Boingo. It’s a good thing. Oh, what are some good recommended craft mags, for spooky ideas and whatnot, that yall might read? If Martha’s the only one I can get… then just be straight about it. Thanks. Be mellow.

Ghosted by Obelisk A. Ghostchaser @ 09/19/2008 2:38 AM EDT


Ooh, The Craft, I have the DVD, but eff the DVD player, I’ll watch with everyone else.

Would anyone literally be interested in doing a “Craft live post,” or a chatroom somewhere while watching it? AIM might not be bad, or we could just have a SNT blog post for liveblogging.

Ghosted by Tresjolie9 @ 09/19/2008 1:21 PM EDT


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