Category Archives: Ben

A Hodgepodge of Video Game Tie-In Merchandise

The holiday hustle and bustle is over, and while I usually write about things that I personally found, I’m actually dedicating this entry to gifts that I received from my family and my sister’s boyfriend this past holiday. While this … Continue reading

Posted in 1980's, 1990's, Ben, Toys | Leave a comment

Kenner’s Battle Brawlers: Awesome Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Monsters

As a collector of action figures, I understand that amassing a complete “set” of any one line usually requires amassing at least four or six action figures and at least a vehicle and maybe a playset. By collecting mostly obscure … Continue reading

Posted in 1980's, Action Figures, Ben, Monsters, Toys | Leave a comment

Primal Rage Necrosan: A Terrifying 90s Figure that’s Terrifyingly Expensive!

Sometimes, something gets very valuable very quickly. You might assume that by checking completed listings on eBay and seeing a particular collectible sell for the same price consistently that it must be worth that, but if you haven’t been paying … Continue reading

Posted in 1990's, Action Figures, Ben, Halloween, Monsters, Toys, Weird | 4 Comments

Telecoma Canned Food Fighters by Takara (Yet More Mealtime Combat)

I don’t know if Happy Meals are as big a deal as they were in the 1980s, when parents were blissfully unaware that all that fast food was putting their children at risk for obesity and type II diabetes. Honestly, … Continue reading

Posted in 1980's, Action Figures, Advertising, Ben, Food, Humor, Kitchen, Toys | 1 Comment

Skateboard Smack-Ups Manny Manhole

I think I tried skateboarding about twice in my life. There’s an old adage about how if you don’t succeed, well, by golly, you just pick yourself up and try again. Not me. I couldn’t get the hang of it … Continue reading

Posted in 1980's, Action Figures, Ben, Humor, Toys, Vehicular, Weird | 1 Comment

Solitaire for Two (I’m talking about Rock Lords again)

As I detailed in 2012’s Snarlie Narlie entry, I’m a big fan of Tonka’s Rock Lords toys. It’s a collection I’ve been slowly chipping away at for several years, but in recent years, my collection has grown by leaps and … Continue reading

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Scratch (A “Tail” in Friendship)

Having cool friends makes me want to yell “COWABUNGA!” at the top of my lungs. I was born in 1983, so I was about six years old when the Ninja Turtles phenomenon had really swept the nation. They were inescapable … Continue reading

Posted in 1990's, Action Figures, Animation, Ben, Comic Characters, Toys | 1 Comment

Mortimer Ichabod Marker from Bill Cosby’s Picture Pages

A few years ago, for some reason, I got slightly obsessed with Bill Cosby. America’s number one funnyman and TV dad has to be one of the most recognizable figures on the planet, and while he occasionally says something controversial … Continue reading

Posted in 1980's, Art, Ben, Humor, Toys | 8 Comments

Satyr Masters From Abyss: Watchful Owlamo and Beranino

  Don’t scoff at Chinatown knockoffs. One day, you’ll be paying through the nose to get them. For as long as toys have been popular, some lame, almost-certainly-sweatshop-like factory has been churning out toys that vaguely resemble the ones you … Continue reading

Posted in 1990's, Action Figures, Ben, Humor, Monsters, Toys, Weird | 1 Comment

Boogers from the Planet Nose – An Actual (and Very Disgusting) Toy Line

The toy aisle used to be a very disgusting place. And I mean that as the greatest compliment possible. In the mid-1980s, a trend started where toys weren’t just based on heroic adventurers or transforming robots or military strongmen or … Continue reading

Posted in 1990's, Action Figures, Ben, Humor, Monsters, Toys, Weird | 8 Comments