Happy Thanksgiving to all! I hope all is well. I had to work all day, but at least I was able to relax this evening with a roast (I’m not a turkey fan), coffee and pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, I did it all alone but that’s the price you pay when you’re in retail and you want to not work Christmas.
Anyway, I couldn’t think of anything cool to do for a post today (or perhaps I’m just lazy), so I did a simple timeless craft: the handprint turkey!
Yeah, I went old school. Elementary school to be exact. Haven’t done one of these in about 20 years but it’s a fun as ever. And at least I finally got some use out of this professional color pencils set I got for Christmas from my cousins 10 years ago or so (thus proving my theory that if you hold onto something long enough, eventually you will need it).
What do you think? I haven’t decided if he’s a punk rock turkey or a clown turkey.
Back when I did those robot posts (Volume I and Volume II, respectively), My Pal 2 was the one robot on my mind but for the life of me I could not remember his name. I searched tons of toy robots sites hoping a picture or name would point me in the right direction, but I came up empty handed. Not that it would have mattered, because My Pal 2 is an early ’90s too, but still it was a toy robot that I’ve always remembered. By chance, I came across this commercial and now I’m sharing it on the blog.
He looks exactly as how I remembered him and I remember this commercial as well. I can’t remember if I actually asked for a My Pal 2. I’m thinking he came out in 1992 and by that point it was getting to be a little embarrassing to play with so many toys. Especially a very kiddie-oriented robot. Nevertheless, once I got the toy for Christmas, I had fun with him. Despite all of the hype in the commercial of the multitude of tasks he could perform with you and for you, if you did it once, you did it a thousand times. Not a whole lot of replay value here (though the ball throwing was pretty cool and so was tickling). Perhaps if he was designed more like a giant robot action figure, keeping all the other electronic features, I would’ve gotten more use out of him.
By the way, has anyone ever heard of the original My Pal? I’m assuming there was an original. While we’re on the subject, there were a lot of ’80s toy robots that got the “II” or “2″ distinction where I never even knew of the supposed originals!
Yes, I know that may not not exactly be news to most people, but to me it is because I just bought my PlayStation 3 two weeks ago. I’m out of the Wii Dark Ages and into modern gaming. Look, I have no qualms with the Wii. The Virtual Console is great and there’s been lots of fun games for the system, but sometimes I want to kill someone, I want to hear cursing, I want to see blood and I want a dear near cinematic experience. Can’t get on 99.3% of Nintendo Wii games (though I do appreciate the efforts of MadWorld and No More Heroes).
I’ve been monitoring PS3/Xbox 360 games from afar since the systems arrived, so my list of games I want is quite large because I’m so far behind. Luckily, by this point, many of those games are fairly cheap. Here’s what I’ve picked up since getting the system:
Army of Two – Fantastic game featuring a pair of mercenaries (an army of two, if you will). I haven’t played it much, but I really like it and all the weapons upgrades you can do. It’s really more to play with a friend, but so far, I’m having no problems giving the orders and letting my computer partner follow through on them. Can’t wait to try it online.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – One of the first PS3 games released, so I was able to pick it up cheap. It’s full of gorgeous scenery, great voice acting and a truly cinematic feel. As for gameplay, basically, this is an updated take on Tomb Raider… but only 100x better. As much as I like getting into gunfights with the pirates, it’s the running/jumping/climbing portions of the game that I enjoy best. The sequel just came out, but I need to get through this one first.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - One of the main reasons I had an interest in the PS3. This is another beautiful game and it’s great to have Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles from the ’90s Batman: The Animated Series show. Too bad they didn’t get the rest of the cast in on this game. Surprisingly creepy at times, but always fun. The game makes great use of “those wonderful toys” that Batman has. One of the best games I’ve played in years and definitely the best superhero game. They need to fast track a sequel!
Grand Theft Auto IV – I’ve played this game the least but that’s not to say I don’t enjoy it, I’ve just gotten really wrapped up in Uncharted and Batman. Yes, it’s cool to see GTA done this beautifully, but I can’t help but shake the feeling that it is just an upgraded GTA III. IGN.com gave it a 10 (something they rarely do) and while I wouldn’t go that far, it’s still a really good game. Hopefully GTA 5 will give us a return to San Andreas or even Vice City (or maybe even a new town) because Liberty City is kinda boring to look at even on the PS3.
The offerings during the holiday seasons at fast food restaurants always blew the doors off the typical cheap kiddie toys you could get in a Happy Meal, Kids Club meal and the like. That’s when the fast food chains would partner up with some type of timeless childrens’ property and give us a plush toy that would last a lifetime. If not physically, then certainly in heart and spirit, but then again, I’m speaking for myself. Though I no longer own a Holiday Huggable, I’ve always found comfort in knowing that they exist, I owned one and that my Baby Fozzie was an extremely important piece of my stuffed animal collection!
It’s pretty funny that a stuffed animal from a fast food joint can mean so much to you but that’s what is so wonderful about being a kid. The most simple things can be the greatest things when you’re young and innocent. So what does that say for me when I’m pushing thirty and wish I had my Baby Fozzie back?
The Holiday Huggables were a part of the 1988 holiday season and available with the purchase of any McDonald’s grub (for an additional fee). I want to say they probably cost about $1.99, which I think was the standard fast food plush toy rate, but I certainly didn’t pay for it– so what do I know? I wonder if my parents kept the receipt…
Sadly, in my house a Baby Kermit never slept. Somehow both my sister and I had Fozzie. Hey, I loved Fozzie as much as anyone, but why couldn’t I have a Kermit ?! I seem to recall a friend having Kermit and being very jealous over it all.
Dark Wolverine – This book is a result of the “Dark Reign” story and it is a bit of a guilty pleasure and Daken is in the running for being one of Marvel’s best villains from the last few years. He is absolutely unlikable, but I can’t bring myself to not read this title. I want to know what he’s up to!
Deadpool – One of Marvel’s best books month after month (as was the Suicide Kings mini). I don’t see why he deserves two extra monthlies (Deadpool Team-Upand Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth) because they don’t even come close to being as good as this book, but whatever.
Dark Avengers & New Avengers – I’ve been loving the “Dark Reign” story that’s been spanning the entire Marvel Universe and these two books are ground zero for it all. I would actually give DA the slight nod as the better book, but you really can’t go wrong with either.
Avengers: The Initiative – This book is action packed and has had a solid run since the beginning, despite the change of writers. It’s really cool to see new characters and B/C/D-list characters get the spotlight in this book. Taskmaster has become of a favorite of mine through this book.
The Punisher: Frank Castle MAX & Punisher – The Punisher: Frank Castle MAX was/is the violent, mature title from Marvel’s MAX line, but I guess it’s called PUNISHERMAX now. The simple title of Punisher is Frank Castle’s exploits with & against other superheroes and supervillains. Either book is great.
Thunderbolts – Kind of Dark Avengers Lite. More C & D-listers, but this is still a fun ride. I just wish it would be more front and center with the rest of “Dark Reign”.
If you have anything retroriffic you'd like to send me, feel free to email me at metalmisfit @ comcast.net. We can also just shoot the breeze, if you like.
Posted by Metal Misfit 
Posted by Metal Misfit 
Posted by Metal Misfit 
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