How could we forget Jell-O 1-2-3?

… I know I almost did.

Sadly, I could not find a commercial (not much info is out there at all, really) but believe me when I tell you that Jell-O 1-2-3 was… kinda okay? I think..? Oh well, who cares? It’s Jell-O and it’s from 1980s and that’s all you need to know to say you wish you had a giant bowl of it sitting in front of you right now!

Here’s the idea behind this concoction: you mix up your Jell-O and let it sit and as it sits it magically separates into not one, not two but three (oh… I get it! 1-2-3!!!!) layers of Jell-O goodness. Going by memory and from the look of the box, the first layer is basically foam, which I remember thinking to be really weird. Think fruit-flavored shaving cream. The second layer is more of a mousse. Think Yoplait’s Whips! line of light & fluffy yogurt. Then the bottom layer is the traditional jiggly Jell-O gelatin. Think gelatin.

People like to add weird stuff on top of Jell-O (and even inside it), but I’ve always thought any gelatin can and should stand (wiggle) on its own. The mix of foam, mousse and gelatin made for a culture clash of textures in my mouth. Nothing wrong with the flavors at all (orange and strawberry) but it was just too many textures and consistencies at once. I would’ve eaten Jell-O Instant Mousse. I would have eaten Jell-O Instant Foam. I just don’t think they matched up well alongside Jell-O gelatin.

Sadly, I was never a Pogo Bal Master.

I didn’t realize this until doing looking it up but apparently Hasbro’s Pogo Bal was not the original version of this toy. It was invented in 1985 and it has gone by the generic names of lolobal, lolo ball and spring ball. Sometimes you may see the Hasbro version referred to as “Pogo Ball” (which is how I thought it would have been spelled) but as you can see from the commercial Hasbro felt two l’s was unnecessary despite what the dictionary says.

Pogo Bals were fun (well, for about 2 minutes, then you got bored) and they look like Saturn! I’ve seen the generic versions but the only ones I remember using were the Hasbro kind. They’re definitely a lot easier to handle than their older cousins the pogo sticks. I never had one of my own but my sister did. This meant a feeling of shame and embarrassment came over me whenever I used her Pogo Bal: it was pink & purple. A far cry from the more manly silver & blue Pogo Bal my friends down the street had.

As with any toy that is popular, tons of gimmicks were introduced. Licensed Pogo Bals featuring your favorite cartoon and comic book characters, glow-in-the-dark Pogo Bals (Is it really wise to encourage 8 year old to bounce around in the dark?) and the like.

If you want to know how Pogo Bals worked, just check out the instructions that Hasbro was kind enough to post on their page. I don’t think Hasbro makes them anymore but you can still find generic versions around.

http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/PogoBall.pdf

Star Wars and Peanuts Fruit Snacks !!!

“Kids Classics” is right! Though I love them, I don’t pay much attention to fruit snacks these days but when I saw boxes of Star Wars and Peanuts fruit snacks I had to have them. They called out to me and I don’t know why, but I just got a nostalgic feeling when I saw them. The Peanuts box especially looks like something you might see from the 1980s. How can you go wrong with a huge picture of Snoopy? Alas, the Star Wars box art is from The Clone Wars cartoon thus forcing you to accept this is modern times. Would’ve been really cool if they put Luke, Han and Vader on that box.

I’m guessing this is some type of budget line of fruit snacks, you only get five pouches but at $1 a box that’s not a bad deal.  This makes me even more nostalgic because alongside low-rent cereal, I remember licensed cheapies like these appearing in dollar stores and Big Lots and whatnot. And hey, one pouch equals 100% of your daily Vitamin C. They are both manufactured by ConAgra Foods (Hunt’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Kid Cuisine, Slim Jim).

The Star Wars fruit snacks box was kind enough to give us a rundown of the characters but I’m a bit surprised there’s no Obi-Wan or at least Anakin. I guess they wouldn’t make for “fun” shapes though. Here’s a closer look:

Please excuse the sun bursting in the middle of this photo. It was the best of the bunch that I shot. Unfortunately, the box features no roll call of Peanuts characters but from what I can see there’s Linus (w/ blanket), Snoopy, Woodstock, Red Baron Snoopy, Charlie Brown (with catcher’s mitt) and Lucy. On the front of the box, it shows all of these fruit snack shapes minus the Red Baron version of Snoopy. In his place on the box is a dancing Snoopy but I haven’t come across one of those yet.

As for the flavors, I’m thrown off a bit. The Peanuts box lists four flavors: blue raspberry, tropical punch, watermelon and sour apple. The Star Wars lists no flavors but has six different colors. In addition to the four flavors Peanuts has, there is also grape and orange.

Whitman’s Marshmallow Egg: GOAT Easter Candy?

In the last year or so, it’s been really had to stay away from candy while trying to cut back on junk food. More or less, I succeed, but when you work in retail and you have to stare at Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter candy for half the year, it takes a toll on a man. His soul too.

A co-worker told me Whitman’s Marshmallow Eggs were really good. I usually don’t care much for marshmallow filled stuff. Eggs, Christmas trees, Santa Clauses, pumpkins, whatever, I usually don’t like it and would much rather have something filled with caramel. So, I thought not much of his comments and even refused to let him buy me one to try.

Well, my girl was given one of these at work and she’s even less into junk food than I am nowadays so she brought it home for me. Aww, how sweet! And I’m talking about this marshmallow egg because it is AWESOME! I couldn’t believe it! I begrudgingly ate it while remember one of my co-worker’s gave it two thumbs up and boy was he right.

They aren’t quite like any marshmallow-filled candy on the market. The marshmallow isn’t that usual cheap stuff you would find in a Russell Stover egg (yes, I know Whitman’s and Russell Stover are part of the same company). It tastes like and how the texture of Marshmallow Fluff or Kraft’s Jet-Puffed (or whichever marshmallow creme you prefer) and I was expecting the coating to be similar to chocolate but it’s not. It’s called “pastelle”, I guess. I has a similar texture and feel of chocolate but it tastes different. I can’t explain it but it’s very good and tasting it now, I remember having had some solid “pastelle” candy back when I was a kid when my elementary school took a field trip to a candy shop and get to watch it get made.

I never could figure out what that candy on a stick was but now I know and I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for it.

These eggs are almost too pretty to eat though. It’s like a work of art they should be charging more than 59 cents (or 2 for $1!) for. I seem to feel that way about a lot of Easter candy. All those bright colors and beautiful designs, seems like a waste to eat it. They come in three Easteriffic colors: yellow, green and pink.

My attempt at a close-up shot.

For someone who tries to stay away from candy, these things are addicting. I’ve had six more since eating my first and that was like a week and a half ago! 110 calories for each one of these little suckers!

Old Time Radio Favorites: The Shadow

Last month I discussed The Adventures of Superman now it’s time to tackle yet another old time radio show that featured a hero…

The Shadow

1937-1954
Mutual

The Shadow featured a superhero of a different breed. The character wasn’t all smiles and handshakes like Superman and his show wasn’t really for young listeners either. It was detective/mystery, thriller and horror all rolled into one. My first introduction to the Shadow was with 1994′s live action film starring Alec Baldwin and Penelope Anne Miller. I wasn’t sure who this Shadow guy was, but he appeared to be a superhero so that was enough to hook me to watch the movie. Well, the movie sucks. Looking back, having become familiar with the original incarnation of the Shadow, they really screwed things up. The Shadow just doesn’t fit into the summer blockbuster mold.