Mardi-Bat 2022

 Having been a collector for so many years, I seldom find anything "in the wild" that interests me. However, that happened a few days ago at my local Tom Thumb grocery store. I looked down and there- nowhere near the actual display- was this...

Yep, the brand new "TV Series" Batmobile! As you can see, this run is a bit...uh...different. 

I've never thought of Batman as a Gold and Purple kinda guy, but someone at Mattel did. I think it looks perfect for Mardi Gras, so who am I to judge. I snatched it up, not sure if I loved it or hated it. 

I'm still not sure- but there is a demand for them. They go on the secondary market for about 10 times what I paid (10-20 bucks). So I'll hang onto it. Although I can't get the picture of a gold lame clad Batman jumping out of it out of my head. Wrong. Just...wrong.

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

The Master of Views

 Sometimes when you collect things, you get other things that you don't collect, but maybe you do because now you sure gotta lot of that stuff that you don't collect...but you kinda do...

Now if that's clear, let's proceed.

There is something about a View Master that's magic. I don't mean it works by magic- I understand how the slightly different views create the illusion of depth. I mean those crisp, clear 3D images that instantly spur memories of childhood wonder. That, my friend, is magic! And if I see a Disneyland or Walt Disney World- I snatch it up!

However, in purchasing Disney park View Master reels, I often get unrelated reels in the mix. Some are kind of related, but not what I was after- but still they're pretty cool! So here is a selection of Disney movie reels that I just happen to have... By the way, I tried to figure out how old these are, and because the "gaf" is lower case, these are from the late 60s to the early 70s. The perfect timing for the attic! So here we go!

Let's start with this reel. You couldn't buy it. It came with your brand new grey plastic View Master! The shows on here are great! Granted, some I've never heard of. But Daktari? Oh yeah!

The first movie we have is Mary Poppins!

Each packet comes with three reels and a story book. Here is the back...

One of my favorite Disney movies! Interestingly, they would use cut outs of animation to create 3D images of something that was never in 3D to begin with!

The back...

And now Bedknobs and Broomsticks. These reels use a combination of real and animated pictures, just like the movie.

And the write up on the back...

The Bambi reel is a little different. It actually looks like they used clay figures to recreate scenes from the movie. I think. I couldn't find my View Master to see for sure!

Again, the write up...

Donald Duck is done the same way. It must have been expensive and time consuming to construct the figures and backgrounds 

Back.

Peter Pan follows the same formula. The images are really nice!

Back.

With The Aristocats, we're back to cut out animation cells. I wonder how they decided which reels would get which treatment.

The back.

Ok, I cheated. This isn't Disney. However, I really love Snoopy and the Red Baron, and it's my blog. So there. Snoopy is real figures again, by the way...

Once again- the back.

So there you go. I tried to include pictures of the images on the reels, but failed completely. Sorry!

Anyway, I have a lot of other reels and shows as varied as Bonanza and Lassie, but I wanted to stick to a theme. Hopefully I've added the memories of 3D magic to a few folks!

Happy Thanksgiving! Keep searching for treasure!

Sorry Guys

 ...but I have a bit of pneumonia. 

I'll have the attic up and running again on Sunday!

I appeciate you all!

The First Man to Orbit the Backyard

 The mid 1960s was a prime time for iconic toys. Last week's entry was certainly one, as is this week's. Throughout the 60s, the United States was locked in a massive space race with the Soviet Union. The Soviets were winning at first, but like the 1980 Miracle on Ice, in the end, the winner was the good ol' U.S.A.!

The U.S. manned space program went through three phases- Project Mercury, Project Gemini, and Project Apollo. Hasbro's space program had one phase...sort of a cross between Mercury and Gemini. They outfitted their best man, G.I. Joe to take on the awesome responsibility. 

The G.I. Joe Space Capsule is as iconic as a 60s toy can get. I got one for Christmas in 1967! That one left me many mom-generated garage sales ago, but thanks to eBay, I got a new one in pretty good (but not perfect) shape! Here she is!

Looking straight at the beast. This thing is big! Something you realise when you think that the guy that fits it in is 12 inches tall!

Looking at the side, you can see one flaw. The sliding plastic hatch has a pretty good crack in it. It must have been hit by space debris. Still, it works fine.

The proud "United States" sticker on the other side.

The nose is a great place for all of the legal info. Plus, it just looks cool.

The retro rockets on the back. 

The control panel. If it looks like it's been wet, it probably has. You see, these floated to simulate a slashdown. The one I actually had as a kid didn't float because I dropped it on the hard floor and knocked a hole in one of those retro rockets. 

Joe's couch doesn't look too comfortable. There are also supposed to be two handles that he could hold onto, but these are missing. Still, it's not too bad. You can tell this is an original release because of all of the blue plastic. Later releases were molded in pale green glow-in-the-dark plastic.

Another view of the dials and fiddly-bits. That's a technical term. Really.

I say this is an iconic toy because just about every guy in their late 50s to mid 60s seems to have either had one, or knew someone who had one. Really, other that the "more Gemini-like" large hatch, it's a pretty good copy of a Mercury capsule. And, as I mentioned before, its rather large and heavy, standing almost 14 inches tall and over 9 inches in diameter. Great attributes for a toy!

I keep meaning to get a period correct "Joe" and space suit to go with it, but I haven't found exactly what I'm looking for yet. Someday!

I was going to include a picture of me in 1967 opening gifts with the capsule sitting beside me, but for the life of me I can't find the photo album. Check back, though, because when I find it, I'll add it. I was a darn cute kid!

EDIT: I FOUND IT!

Here I am at age 5 opening up my really cool Christmas presents at my grandparents' house! It's a really good picture of the space capsule box! The capsule is peaking out from behind the box. I have the Marx train set. I have no idea what I'm opening...

Here's a better view! That's also my Incredible Edible machine on the right. They tasted like erasers. They were wonderful! That's also my cousin who is five months older than me. I never let her forget that.

So there you have it! Until next time, keep searching for treasure!