Turbo Man is the Reason for the Season

I'm not too keen on Xmas, not really anyway I mean I do like gifts and the cold winter air but there's something about the season that has always left me cynical. I guess it's all the fake "good will towards men" bullshit I see everywhere. Like everyone says, it's all too commercial and terrible so finding any real generosity is tough. But hey, guess what; I found some. 

So, long story short; I was watching the holiday classic Jingle All the Way with some friends and I had mentioned how much I wanted a Turbo Man figure (like the one in the movie) and how Woolworth's had a limited run of them back in the 90's when I was a kid. Turbo Man figures go for so much money on eBay and are pretty sought after and I just figured I would never own one. 

WELL SHUT ME UP. 

For CHRISTMAS I was given a TIGER ELECTRONICS TALKING TURBO MAN ACTION FIGURE (WITH ELECTRONIC LIGHTS AND SOUNDS). I was dumbfounded, shocked, elated, worried, and confused. It was as if my girlfriend told me she was pregnant or something. I had all the emotions in a matter of seconds. 

I still can't believe it. And no, I'm never going to open it. It's never been opened and I plan on safe guarding this toy until the day I die. Basically I will be putting Turbo Man into storage and only retrieving him for decoration purposes every Christmas. It's my dream come true!!

But seriously, the generosity of some people is really humbling. I'm really touched by that because it wasn't just the cost but also the search for this specific figure in this specific condition. Too amazing. 

Another amazing item to enter my life is this Billiken coin bank from 1908. It's a 112 year old chunk of metal of my patron god and guardian angel and I couldn't be happier to have it in my life. This was a birthday gift for me ordered sometime last month that arrived on December 1st. Again, the generosity of some people humbles me. 

I don't think I'll be putting any coins in it, but it will be displayed on my desk forever. Odds are I will collect a few more Billiken statues and geegaws as time goes by.

And speaking of collecting, here's some stuff I picked up. I got a small surprise pack of even smaller Wacky Packages. It's weird holding these. I had so many of the stickers growing up but having these in my hand makes me think "what'll I do with these?" but I guess I can pose them with my Garbage Pail Kid figures or something. 

And the December Dino Drac Fun Pack arrived, and as always Dinosaur Dracula knows exactly how to tickle that part of my brain that thrives off of nostalgia. Having that Sebastian Crab Xmas tree ornament really brought back some good memories, and I adore the random trading cards and the little Scooby Doo figure. And the chips were really tasty. 

What else, what else..

Oh! I watched Bobbleheads: The Movie, and it wasn't terrible. Actually I thought it was pretty cute. No idea why it exists but whatever. It follows Toy Story rules (kinda) but there's this clandestine "Bobblehead Council" mentioned throughout the movie that just makes me laugh. The Illuminati isn't what we think it is people! It's Bobbleheads! BOBBLEHEADS I TELL YOU!

But yeah, Bobbleheads: The Movie isn't really worth seeking out unless you have a passing bit of curiosity into its existence. It's like, why make this? Also, Cher has a cameo towards the end. Shrug. 

It's been a real shit year, and even though time is a construct and not real, I'm glad this year is coming to a close. Hopefully some new energy will flow into all of us and give us the boost we need to just not give up even though a lot of us really, really want to. 

I finished off this year better than I started it, I guess. My grandfather passed away, and so did one of my pet turtles, and I haven't seen most of my friends since December of 2019, but somehow I'm still chugging along making my way through to 2021. I pray that we all make it through somehow. 

I never finished posting about my trip to the Philippines. So much has happened since I returned to the US in January that it feels like that whole trip was just a dream. If I can I'll try to finish that post tomorrow. There's still so much to prepare for. 

In the meantime please enjoy this durian cake mascot that inexplicably has boobs. 

Spending money is the only path to salvation!

So Slack Friday is here again, and it gives those of you who still seek salvation the chance to save yourself, and a loved one for the price of one! Or just keep both membership packets for yourself and be doubly saved! THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

Just go to the SubGenius Scatalog by clicking somewhere in this sentence. The Bulldada Time Control Laboratories of The First Stangian Orthodox MegaFisTemple Lodge of Dobbs Yeti, Resurrected of the Church of the SubGenius accepts orders via the internet (via PayPal) or by snail mail. Just follow the instructions on the webpage. 

The world might end at any second, so it's really in your best interest to send your money to the High Epopt, J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, so your very soul can be spared from the wrath of JHVH-1 and the other evil alien space gods when they show up to obliterate this dumb spaceship we call "Earth". And as a bonus, all members of the church will party with the Alien Sex Gods and Goddesses on their Pleasure Saucers as we zip across the universe to another dimension where we will live in unbearable pleasure for all times. 

Or you can stay on earth and be eaten by a bunch of Cthulhus. 

Meanwhile, since I am already saved from the End Times, I'm enjoying in the luxury of my end of year shopping. Although, as always, my tastes are rather niche. 

From Horror Decor I purchased this Zeke the Plumber bag doll. I gotta say when I saw this thing it sent a whole rush of memories from that episode of Salute Your Shorts where Zeke appeared. 

I swear I had nightmares for days as a kid but now I look back with such fondness to that terror. 

I would love a full length movie of this character. A while back Nickelodeon made that Legends of the Hidden Temple movie, why not a kid-friendly horror film based on this episode? It can even be like a reunion of  Salute Your Shorts. I'd watch it. 

Speaking of things I'd watch; so I somehow missed out on the Jingle All The Way sequel. Or at least, I didn't know there was one until I watched it on television a few days ago. The original is a movie I enjoyed as a kid but I never revisted it (although now I really want to). I always wanted a Turbo Man action figure like in the original movie and now there's this Harrison the Bear doll that came out as a premium with the Walmart release of the Jingle All the Way 2 DVD and I am currently on the hunt for it. I may have missed out on Turbo Man, but I refuse to let Harrison the Bear slip through my fingers as well!

Oh and the movie was fun. It stars Larry the Cable Guy and Santino Marela (from the WWE). As it turns out this was made during that period where the WWE  was funding movies. I haven't seen any of the other WWE films but I liked this one. It may end up as part of my holiday rotation. It's weird, but Larry the Cable Guy really does have this gross "everyman" charm about him, and really good comic timing. 

Another thing I watched was the Animaniacs Hulu reboot and it was pretty good. The animation felt a little wonky, but it hardly matters; the humor was still on point. I heard that the original writing team wasn't involved in this reboot so whoever worked on it were definitely fans of the original show. 

A  highlight for me though was the very, very brief cameo by the Loonatics from the old Kids WB show, Loonatics Unleashed. It's a very short cameo where Dot Warner is singing about voting right for 'toons and she totally disses the Loonatics referring to them as "whatever these are".  I was a a genuine fan of the show (I have both seasons on DVD) and it was nice seeing these characters again (especially since I thought they'd never appear in anything ever again). 

My November Dino Drac Funpack arrived and it was pretty good. The October one was definitely more up my alley, but I really love the Magic Grobots growing figures, and the Rescuers Down Under ornaments. 

I'm pretty sure these Magic Grobots are molded from old Gundam keshi figures but I can't find any proof of that. 

The fun I get out of these packs is that they're normally filled with items I wouldn't normally pick up on my own, but always kind of wanted or would want. 

And lastly, my birthday passed recently and I'd like to share some of my favorite gifts. My partner got me this amazing arrangement of socks that look like a full burger meal. It was truly one of the most unique gifts that I've ever gotten. 

And a friend of mine got me this amazing Freddy Freaker plush doll! Who would have guessed I'd have Freddy Freaker merch decades after seeing him on TV. Wild. I wonder what else will be made in the future (if there is one). 

Halloween Fun Continues! Haunted Houses, Sharks, Bugs, Dino Drac Funpack, plus NYCC 2020 Recap!

This has been a very surprising October so far. I've been having a good time, all things considered and the momentum keeps building up. 

My order from Troubled Moon Films arrived. I am now a proud owner of the Suburban Sasquatch Double Disc Edition (with special features) and a beautiful Suburban Sasquatch figure totem! Both items are really great and I highly recommend getting both while you can. The figure totem is in sparce supply so act quickly. 

Side note: I really love the movies from Troubled Moon. I have three of their films on DVD so far and I will eventually have all of them. It's been a few years since their last project so I hope they make a new movie soon. 

And I finally had the Hocus Pocus shake from Carvel. Delicious! Last years Slime Shake was a marshmallow shake with the green caramel sauce, and this one is a cookies and cream shake. Really tasty and it looks great. I'm keeping the cup. 

In a surprise turn of events, I ended up going to Long Island over the weekend and while there I was treated to a trip to the Long Island Aquarium! I didn't know what to expect; I haven't been to an aquarium since I was a little boy. It turned out to be an incredible place. 

I was really surprised to see the sharks! There were so many of them, and they were pretty big. I don't know a thing about sea life so I have no idea what sort of sharks these are, I probably missed a plaque somewhere. 

I loved this little octopus friend. He waved to us from his little home. ❤

Another surprise was how it was more than just an aquarium. There were penguins, seals, insects, bugs, butterflies, and even monkeys! 

Later, after the aquarium, we went to a haunted house called The Darkside Haunted House, and it was really really fun. It was every scary movie you've ever seen stuffed into one location. All the performers and set builders did an amazing job. 

No pictures or video were allowed inside, which is a shame, but I can really say I was impressed with their production. You can tell they worked really hard at it. I look forward to going back someday. 

After the haunted house, and a haunted corn made who's name I can't remember but was fun, we went for dinner at a place called Lucharitos. It's a wrestling-themed Mexican restaurant and the food is really good. Think of Chipotle, if Chipotle served decent food. I absolutely loved the decor of the place too; you can tell the place was founded and decorated by fans of old school pro-wrestling culture.  

I had the cheeseburger burrito and it was spectacular. There were chunks of burger patties, waffle fries, pickle slices, and veggies in this thing. The spicy mayo was really good and added a decent kick to the whole sandwich. 

New York Comic Con 2020 had a really small turnout. Normally it'd be thousands of people piling in, but this year it was just me and a friend. So, not the most successful NYCC ever but still... pretty good???

Yeah there was no con this year. Heartbreaking but it was for the best. My friend and I decided to go check out the Jacob Javits Center though. I was still expecting there to be some other people there, like cosplayers, but nope. It was basically a ghost town. 

After visiting the Jacob Javits Center, we went to our normal post-con eatery, the Skylight Diner. Normally after the con it's difficult to get a seat here, and the whole place is filled to bursting with fans and cosplayers, collectors and sellers, and on this day it was just us. 

So at the diner we would normally show off the stuff we got at the con. We had to improvise so we swung by Book Off and got some stuff there instead. 

This Slimer statue is pretty amazing. I think it was a part of a Ghostbusters fan box sold at Walmart. Whatever the case is, it's mine now and I will love him forever. 

I also swung by Krispy Kreme and got some of their Halloween donuts. They're definitely cute but the ones from last year and way more interesting designs. 

The vampire donut is jelly filled, so that's fun. 

I was also gifted a Halloween goody bag from my friend. I received a Ghostbusters Paranormal Investigator badge, a Creepshow Comic Book Club membership packet, and a rubber roach I named Wilbur. 

And lastly, since this arrived a week after I started putting together this post, I received my first Dinosaur Dracula Funpack. I follow Dinosaur Dracula on social media and I usually want the stuff in the funpacks so since I couldn't do much this year for Halloween, I decided to give it a go finally. I'm happy I did; I loved everything inside the pack, especially the Lucky Yuckies! 

I was really happy with this funpack so I'll probably keep my subscription until the end of the year!