I Know I Am a Child of the 80’s and 90’s… But I Totally Had a Monster-Nik Growing Up.

Posted on October 18, 2012 by

It feels like forever since I have written an article, and in honor of it being October I wanted to write about something Halloween-related.  In this case, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite Halloween toys as a kid.  This toy pre-dates me by almost twenty years, but it brings back fond memories of my childhood.  I am talking about my Monster-Nik Frankenstein figure, but before I talk about him, let’s talk about Halloween for me as a kid.

When my brother and I were little, my mother was a stay-at-home mom.  This meant that she had a little bit more time to spend making awesome homemade Halloween costumes for us, and more time to decorate the house.  My parents have a really nice antique Halloween collection that we decorate with, and my mom even went as far as to decorate both my brother’s and my bedrooms for the holiday (with more modern decorations that we couldn’t hurt, I might add. That antique stuff is fragile and too valuable for a kid to play with.).  We even hosted a Halloween party for our friends.  As great as all of that was, one of the things I looked forward to most in the month of October was bringing out our awesome “monster collection.”

Just like we do today, we frequented lots of flea markets and yard sales while I was growing up, and those flea markets and yard sales often had cheap toys for us to buy.  I don’t remember what started our monster collection, but at some point we decided to start amassing monster toys of all shapes and sizes to add to our growing army.  The guidelines to joining the monster collection weren’t very stringent.  If it was a toy that looked in anyway monstery, be it a space monster, a Universal monster, a fantasy monster, or other type of monster, it was eligible for monster collection membership.  The kicker with the monster collection was that it only came out for the month of October and went away on November 1. (These were more my brothers rules than I.  He had far more patience than I ever did.)  I can honestly say that I didn’t always have the patience to wait to play with the monster collection, and would sometimes search it out in the basement with the Halloween decorations during other months of the year.  Even so, it made those toys all the more special when they surfaced from the basement on October 1.

The monster collection contained everything from Masters of the Universe figures to Thundercats to Dungeons and Dragons monsters to downright weird and obscure stuff.

These are just a few of the figures from our collection.  The little guy on the left was one of my favorites.  His name is Mudblup, and he hails from the Teddy Ruxpin line of action figures.  The Frankenstein in the middle was made by Imperial Toys, and though he isn’t too rare, he plays an integral part in the story of how I came to own a Monster-Nik.  On the right is a Nightmare Warriors Geronimo figure.  Nightmare Warriors is one obscure toy line, and yet I can honestly say that I had one as a kid.  I could go on and on about the many toy lines represented in this massive collection, but I really do want to talk about Monster-Niks, so I will refrain from doing so.

I can’t tell you where I got most of the monsters in my monster collection, but I do remember getting the Imperial Frankenstein in the picture above.  I got him one summer at a 5 & 10 while visiting my dad at an antique car show.  (My dad has two antique Fords.)  I know that most people don’t associate the 90’s with 5 & 10 stores, but they did briefly exist into my childhood.  By the time I got this Frankenstein he was a few years old, but I didn’t care.  I was probably about four years old at the time and I thought he was neat.  I really liked that Frankenstein for some reason and my love for it would later prompt my mother into bestowing upon me my precious Monster-Nik.  One day the following October I remember my mother calling me into her room while she was setting up Halloween decorations and saying to me “I got you something to go with your Frankenstein.” And then she pulled out the Monster-Nik Frankenstein and said, “It’s Frankenstein’s son!”

From that day forward he was known as “Baby Frankenstein” by me, and he and his father went on many adventures with the monster collection.  My parents had actually bought Baby Frankenstein new when they were college students as a bit of a gag.  He had remained in a box for years until my mom rediscovered him and gave him to me.  At the time we had no idea that he was a Monster-Nik or that he had much value, but Monster-Niks are highly collectible and bring some serious cash when they show up on the market nowadays.

You might be wondering how I know that this guy is a Monster-Nik.  I can’t find a marking on him to save my life.  Well, carded examples exist that show the name, and through internet magic I learned about them.  They made three different monsters:  Frankenstein, The Wolfman, and King Kong.  All three Monster-Niks come in a variety of colors and outfits, and bootleg figures called “Monster Men” also exist that look like cheap, naked Monster-Niks.  You might also be wondering about the name “Monster-Nik”.  Well, Baby Frankenstein’s body is a troll doll body.  Even though Trolls were called Trolls when I was a kid, they were called Wishniks in the 60’s and 70’s.  So there you go.  Wishnik, Monster-Nik, it makes sense.  I was also lucky enough to receive a Monster-Nik King Kong for Christmas a few years ago in my stocking.

King Kong is probably missing his original outfit, but I don’t think my mom paid more than $1 for him, so I think she did just fine.  Without the baby outfit it is easier to see the troll body underneath.  What a weird and wonderful toy line.  It is a shame that they don’t make ‘em like this today.

These days I don’t put away my monsters at the end of October.  Baby Frankenstein and his father are on display all year round.  I am sad to say that I don’t have enough room to display the entire monster collection all year, but every now and then it finds its way up to the surface and my brother and I have a good time reminiscing about our favorite monsters.

Like father, like son.

Posted in 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, Action Figures, Amy, Halloween, Holiday, Humor, Monsters, Toys, Weird | 2 Comments

Last Travel-Log from the Road – 10/4/12: Antique Archeology-Nashville Submitted by Carol

Posted on October 15, 2012 by

When we set out on our cross-country journey at the beginning of September, we knew we wanted to antique our way across America, but we weren’t exactly sure where we would go.  We still have a few more days on the road, but I feel fairly certain that I won’t be summarizing those last days until we get back to New Jersey.  Tonight, we’re in Dolly Parton’s hometown, Sevierville, TN.  Earlier in the day, we passed by Nashville on Interstate 40, so we had to make a little detour and visit Mike Wolfe’s newest shop, Antique Archeology-Nashville.  It seems sort of fitting that we bookended our trip with visits to the two American Pickers stores.

I really liked the Nashville store.  First of all, it’s in a great old brick factory building, the Marathon Motor Works.

We were heading into Nashville on I-40 from west to east, and our GPS took us through the city, past Fisk University, for quite a few blocks.  Getting back on I-40 was very easy.  The whole Marathon Motors complex looks like something being re-purposed into a trendy shopping area.  Next to the Pickers’ store, for instance, is a candy store.

Unlike the Iowa store, which had an intimate feel to it, the Nashville store is quite a bit larger.  I’d say it has close to three times the square footage.  If nothing else, it has very high ceilings.  Whoever arranged the stock did a great job.  It was almost like walking around through a really cool museum of wacky retro stuff.  (And, since the prices were astronomically high, just like in the Iowa store, we knew we couldn’t afford anything, so it WAS like visiting a museum.)  This is the view when you first walk into the store.

One of the recognizable things was the huge Piggly Wiggly head.

There was a fabulous canvas circus sideshow sign up on the ceiling.  Who wouldn’t pay money to see a pig with an elephant’s trunk?

There were great advertising pieces, funky one-of-a-kind things like the giant bib overalls or the 1940’s slacks with the first names of Big Band music greats (Benny, Bing, Frankie, Dina, etc.), rusty bicycles and motor parts, and manikin heads sporting hats, helmets, and goggles.

As we did in the Iowa store, we searched for something small and affordable.  It was tough.  They had a lot of 1990’s music trade magazines that were supposedly picked from Mickey Gilley.  Priced at $5, they fit the bill.  We also found a wire basket with a handful of paper items in it for $5 each.  There was an ad for the Chile pavilion at the 1901 Pan American Exposition in Buffalo.  (That’s the same exposition where William McKinley was shot by an assassin.)  Five dollars didn’t seem too outrageous at all.  Those were our “old” finds.

As with the Iowa store, there were plenty of t-shirts, hats, magnets, shot glasses, metal signs, paper fans, playing cards, etc., etc. for sale.  (I particularly liked the baby onesie that said, “Future Picker” on it.)   I’m sure sales of those items are the main source of revenue for the store.  There definitely were a lot of shoppers – or at least “lookers” – at this shop.  There were two counters for sales, one to the front left side of the store and one in the back, staffed by pleasant young people who looked like they could be college students.  Based on what the young man who waited on me said, it sounds like Mike shows up about once a month at the store.

We’re glad we’ve seen both of the American Pickers’ shops.  If you’re a fan of the show and ever get to LeClaire, Iowa or Nashville, Tennessee, do stop in.  Then, when you watch the shows, you’ll have a reference point when they show interior/exterior shots.  Believe me, things never look the same in person as what you imagined.

Posted in 1910's, 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, Advertising, Americana, Art, Carol, Costumes, Ephemera, Hand Made, Historical, Humor, Jim, Lighting, Road Trip, Signs, Toys, Vehicular, Weird | Leave a comment

Travel-Log #8: Broad Summary (Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas) – Submitted by Carol on 10/3/12

Posted on October 9, 2012 by

Despite good intentions, I’ve discovered that keeping up on a blog while traveling the width of the country is no easy task.  Whenever possible, we’ve tracked down and run into antique shops and malls in pursuit of a “find.”  In many cases, we’ve come out of the shop with a bag in hand.  Often, however, the day is so busy that photographing the object and then writing about it and the shop where it was found just doesn’t happen.  We are now on the verge of crossing the Mississippi River on the homeward bound trip, and I need to catch up!  My solution is to do a catch-all with the photographs I have.  By no means am I going to mention every shop in every town that we’ve visited.

Before writing about the Now and Then Second Hand Store in Orange, CA, I left off with a blog about Abilene, KS.  We visited a few other antique malls in Kansas and made some purchases, but I’m going to jump to the state of Colorado.

Florence, CO: We had never heard of Florence, Colorado, but we picked up a little booklet that listed Colorado antique shops, and we noticed that it billed itself as the antique center of the state.  When we looked at the map, we realized that it would be within a few miles of our planned route.  Naturally, we made that slight detour, and we’re glad we did.  Not only were there multiple shops to check out, but we happened to visit on a Friday, the first day of an antique street fair.  Below are photos of a few of the things we found.

The larger doll pictured is a 1940’s composition Madame Alexander doll in what appears to be her original clothes.  She cost $5 at the street fair, a real bargain.  The smaller doll is an inexpensive hard plastic doll from the 1950’s.  Normally, I wouldn’t buy a doll like her, but she’s dressed in a really nicely detailed felt cowgirl outfit, so I look upon her as an appropriate souvenir of our trip.  Discounted 40%, she ended up costing about $9.

Jim has been doing very well finding political items on this trip.  Florence came through for him.  He bought a very nice Benjamin Harrison pin in porcelain with a metal border, dated 1888, for $75.

Leadville, CO: This old mining town is at the highest elevation of any town in the U.S., and we were flying high with some of our purchases.  The very first shop we went into was the winner.  It was an old hardware store that retained all of its original fixtures, so the atmosphere alone was worth soaking up.  We walked out with two pieces that we liked a lot and felt were reasonably priced.

This cardboard sign advertising KC Baking Powder has some condition problems and likely had something else hanging from it, but we love the image of the baker and we will find a place for it in our kitchen.  Best of all, it only cost $25.

As those who know us know, we love to decorate for Christmas, and we love our Christmas tree with genuine Victorian/turn-of-the-century ornaments.  I was hoping to find something to add to our collection, and Leadville came through.  Pictured is a beautiful blown glass, hand-painted little girl’s head ornament.  According to the shop owners, it came out of a local estate.

Virginia City, NV: Once again, an old Western mining town came through for us.  Tourism is what’s keeping Virginia City alive.  Mixed in with the bars, restaurants, and souvenir shops are several antique shops.  We checked them all.  At the last one, Jim was very happy to find three nice political/advertising pinback buttons priced at $35 for all three.  Best of all, he doesn’t already have any of them!

The largest button is the most unique.  It pictures Spanish-American War hero Admiral Dewey advertising soap.  There’s also a nice Bryan-Sewall jugate from 1896 and a McKinley Club of NY button.  It isn’t often that you find one of these nice vintage buttons at the average antique mall, let alone three.

We did do a little antiquing in California, principally in Orange, and we did purchase a few things.  However, I have no photos, so we’re going to move on to Arizona.

Prescott, AZ: While staying in Sedona, we took the recommendation of an antique dealer we know and went antiquing in Prescott.  Prescott is a neat town.  It was the original capital of the Arizona Territory, and there’s an interesting museum complex, the Sharlot Hall Museum, to tour.  The downtown business district, which surrounds the courthouse square, is vibrant and alive.  About two blocks of it are devoted to antique shops.  We can’t share Jim’s favorite find yet because it’s still wrapped up in paper in the back of the car, but he was very happy to find an original political cartoon that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in October 1950.  It shows President Truman wearing the “cloak of secrecy” in regard to a meeting with Douglas MacArthur on Wake Island.

The other find we made there was an oyster tin right from our own neck of the woods.

These photos show the front and back of the Captain Jack’s Cape May Oysters tin.  The back mentions the Maurice River, too.  Actually, we like the back better than the front of this tin.  Not only is it in better condition, but the graphics are more interesting.  And we found it in Arizona – how weird!

We didn’t do any antiquing in New Mexico – none!  We did stop briefly in Amarillo, TX, and we did buy a few small items there.  Oklahoma was yielding a handful of small items, too, until we hit a shop in Shawnee, OK at the very end of the day.  We were very pleased with the cardboard standee advertising sign for Remington rifles that we found for $40.

The sign is in overall very good condition for its age.  On the lower left corner, it looks like there might be a tiny “31” and that might indicate that it dates to 1931.  It sure looks like it’s from that time.  What better gift for little boys than a rifle?

North Little Rock, AR: One frustration we’ve been having in particular on the return portion of our trip is encountering “antique” malls that have very few genuine antiques in them.  They have faux antiques and decorator items, but that’s not what we’re looking for.  When we saw an ad for the Twin City Antique Mall that asked the question, “Are you tired of antique malls that don’t have antiques in them?”, we knew that was the place for us – and it was.  We came out with several items that we were very happy about.

Jim has a couple of these Roosevelt Bear plates already, but this was a different one, and it was priced at only $25.  The inscription underneath says, “Teddy and Rosa on their way to the White House.”  Above the bears it says, “We want to see our President Who’s always on the square and whose good rule of living is bear always and forbear.”  It goes without saying that this plate dates to Teddy Roosevelt’s tenure in the White House.

This interesting bisque ashtray and match holder caught our eye.  A cheap souvenir from Galveston, TX, most likely in the 1930’s, it shows a nattily dressed skeleton sitting in an armchair.  It isn’t meant to be a Halloween decoration, but in our house it probably will be.  We thought it was a good buy at $25.

The last thing we bought at Twin City was a cardboard advertising sign for a product called Papsin.  We liked the graphics and the fact that it was hand-painted by a commercial artist from Fort Smith, AR.  He even signed it on the front.

Whew!  That was a lot of catching up to do.  We still have several states left to cover.  One more blog might do it.  Of course, it might not get done until we actually get home.

Posted in 1800's, 1900's, 1910's, 1920's, 1930's, 1940's, 1950's, Advertising, Americana, Carol, Dolls, Ephemera, Historical, Holiday, Humor, Jim, Kitchen, Monsters, Political, Road Trip, Signs, Toys, Weird | 1 Comment

Travel-Log #5: Now and Then Second Hand Store – Orange, CA 9/26/12 Submitted by Carol

Posted on October 2, 2012 by

As promised earlier, we are leap-frogging over several successful forays into antique shops earlier in the trip to report on another shop connected to a popular TV show.

Heading out on this trip, we knew we wanted to re-visit Orange, California.  Seven years ago, we rushed through several antique malls there prior to boarding an airplane for home.  We also knew that Orange was the home of the Now and Then Second Hand Store, which is owned by Jarrod Schulz and Brandi Passante of Storage Wars fame.  (No, as expected, they were not there in person.)

We had no trouble locating the shop, which is in a strip mall at 810 N. Tustin in Orange.

The big truck parked out front is a dead give-away, too.

Inside, the shop was very neat.  There were shelves of knickknacks, housewares, electronic things, holiday decorations, toys, etc.  Glass cases held jewelry and Jarrod/Brandi merchandise such as autographed photos, playing cards, shot glasses, etc.  We didn’t pay much attention to the furniture, but there was an entire room of it.

We were looking for vintage things, and there actually were some.  Most items in the shop were probably between five and fifteen years old, but here and there something older popped up.  I was leaning toward buying a tiny Woodstock (from Peanuts) bobble-head that was about forty years old and cost $19.99.  That was a little more than it was worth, but I wanted a souvenir.  Then Jim spotted a Rittgers plaster baseball player figurine for $14.99.  He had some condition problems on one leg, but we know a restorer who can easily fix that.  (Her name is Amy.)

A quick check on eBay turns up many Rittgers sculptures.  Most date to the 1940’s (This one is dated 1941 right on his foot.) and have quirky, cartoonish faces.  Many, but not all, have a sports theme.  The baseball and boxing figures are quite collectible.  Examples of our baseball figure brought anywhere from about $20 to $50.  We didn’t steal him from Brandi and Jarrod, to be sure, but we felt that we got a good deal.  Plus, he’s something we would have bought at any antique shop, show, or flea market at that price.

It was fun to visit a second shop connected with a well-known TV show on this trip.  Unlike Antique Archeology in LeClaire, the Now and Then Second Hand Shop does not bill itself as an antique shop and, therefore, cannot ask the moon and the stars for its merchandise.  Compared to thrift stores back home, we thought the prices were a bit high, but we didn’t visit any other California thrift stores for comparison.  Still and all, our visit to the Now and Then Second Hand Store yielded something we liked, and that’s what it’s all about.

 

 

 

Posted in 1940's, Americana, Carol, Humor, Jim, Road Trip, Weird | Leave a comment

Travel-Log #4: Abilene, Kansas 9/12/12 Submitted by Carol

Posted on September 28, 2012 by

Note:  Our apologies for the lack of Travel-Logs during the past two weeks.  It’s not that we haven’t been antiquing; we have.  However, between very busy days on the road and sometimes very poor wi-fi connections at our motels in the evening, we’ve fallen behind.  Here is our report from Abilene, Kansas.  We hope to give you more reports from Florence, Colorado; Leadville, Colorado; Virginia City, Nevada; and Orange, California.  In fact, after Abilene, we plan to jump ahead to the Now and Then Thrift Shop in Orange which we visited on 9/26/12.  Then we’ll backtrack.

Since the last report, we have seen some fabulous museums.

First, we visited the Truman Presidential Library and Museum and the Truman house in Independence, Missouri on September 11.

Then, we went into Kansas City to see the Steamboat Arabia Museum.  This was a priority on our itinerary, and we’re so glad we saw it.  The Arabia was a steamboat on the Missouri River that sank in 1856.  Everyone on board survived, but the ship’s cargo went to the bottom of the river and stayed there for over 130 years.  The course of the river changed, and the ship ended up underneath a Kansas farm field.  It was excavated in 1988 and yielded an unbelievable treasure – dozens and dozens of boxes and barrels containing all sorts of sundry items for mid-nineteenth century pioneers.  Dishes and utensils, tools, buttons and Indian trade beads, bolts of fabric, hats, and boots, bottles, perfume, and more are all on display in a dizzying array that boggles the mind.

On September 12, we set off across Kansas and reached Abilene by late morning.  Abilene was the boyhood home of Dwight Eisenhower, and his parents’ house, his presidential library, and his museum are all there to tour.

Downtown Abilene is a typical Midwestern business district.  Most of the buildings date to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.  Thankfully, many of them are thriving because they’ve been turned into antique shops and malls.  We wish we had had more time to browse through the Abilene shops.  We saw about five or six of them, and got into about three.  (According to one website, there are a dozen shops in the town.)  Mud Creek Antiques and the Downtown Antique Mall were side by side, and we thought both of them were impressive and well worth a visit.  We could have easily spent more than we did, but Jim bought two items that he’s quite pleased with, both at Mud Creek.

One of the first antiques that caught our eye when we walked in was a glass honeycomb fly/wasp catcher.

Made of ribbed glass in a beehive shape with openings at both the top and bottom, the fly catcher, which is about five or six inches in height, has a wire hanger at the top.  It would have been plugged at the top.  We don’t know if something was put inside to attract flies or wasps.  I guess once they got in, they couldn’t figure how to get out.  We thought $18 was a reasonable price for it.

This is what the bottom looks like.  The hole has been drilled out.

The other item that really excited Jim was a cast iron advertising string holder.  It’s the kind of country store item that we rarely see at an affordable price anymore.

This string holder looks like a little footed kettle with a small hole in the bottom.  The ball of string would sit in the opening of the “pot” with the line of string coming out the bottom.  It could have sat on a countertop, but there are also handles on the kettle, so it’s possible that it could have been strung up and hung from an overhead beam or a ceiling.

The neat thing about the string holder is the advertising.  It says “S.S.S. for the Blood” on both sides.  We had never heard of such a product, but it sounded like an early version of Geritol.  Sure enough, once we were able to access the laptop, we googled it and there it was!  S.S.S. for the Blood is a product that was first produced in 1826 and is still available today.  Supposedly, the formula for the blood tonic comes from the Creek Indians.   S.S.S. stands for Swift’s Southern Specific.  Col. Charles Swift was the second person to possess the formula and offer it for sale.  The S.S.S. Company is located in Atlanta, GA and is the oldest non-prescription drug manufacturer in the country.  Often, the fun of antique collecting is doing the research and finding out obscure facts like these.

A string holder like this would probably date to about 1890-1910.  Unfortunately, of course, antiques made of cast iron have often been reproduced.  The classic cast iron beehive string holder certainly has been.  That’s why collectors must proceed with caution when buying items like this.  While Jim had little doubt that this string holder was the real deal, a check of eBay later on in the day showed that at least one string holder of this type has been reproduced.  Numerous examples of a Jaxon Soap cast iron kettle-type string holder could be found on eBay.  Obviously, a genuinely old string holder like that existed and someone unscrupulously copied it.  We will certainly keep an eye out for more S.S.S. for the Blood string holders, but none have shown up on eBay recently, so that’s probably a good sign as to the authenticity of ours.

Posted in 1800's, 1900's, 1910's, Advertising, Americana, Carol, Cast Iron, Glass, Historical, Jim, Kitchen, Road Trip | 1 Comment

1950’s Donald Duck Wall Decoration – A Ducky Disney Whodunnit

Posted on September 25, 2012 by

One summer morning about two years ago, on what was to become a very hot day, I was on one of my typical hunting and gathering missions at my favorite weekly flea market.  I had already been through the market once and didn’t find much to get excited about so I decided to go back a second time to see if I had missed something.  My second round wasn’t yielding much either until I went into a booth that I had skimmed through before and noticed a Donald Duck wall decoration that looked like something I thought Amy might like.  I picked it up and began examining it more closely.

The devil is in the details as they say and the closer I looked at the details of this piece, the more excited I was starting to become.  I asked the dealer the price and was pleased to hear that it was only $20.  I also asked the dealer if he had any idea where it came from and all he could tell me is that it came out of a house sale in North Jersey – not much help there.

What I noticed that I thought was unusual, among other things, was that it was in an asymmetrical frame.  Now if you think about it – making an asymmetrical frame is not the easiest thing to do. Whoever did it would have to be a pretty good carpenter.  I also noticed that the background was painted using an airbrush along with hand painted details.  That’s not the easiest thing to do and certainly not typical of a mass produced decoration.  The most obvious part, of course, is Donald Duck himself and his furry friends, who are getting Donald all tangled up.  This was all hand done and carefully cut out perfectly in every detail.  It is also beautifully painted by what I suspect was animation paint.  Donald is mounted about a half inch in front of the background giving the piece a three dimensional effect.  Also, every Disney piece I have ever seen is marked with a copyright – and this is not.

Here is a close up of some of the figures.  Notice the incredible jigsaw work around the dog leash and small detailed areas.  Also, notice the airbrushed background.  The paint on the figures has extremely fine detail, and the paint job has next to no brush strokes.

The back of the piece has no markings to speak of, which is very unusual for a Disney piece.

There is sloppy paint and ink on the back of the piece, which suggests that this piece was never meant to be sold to the public and that this piece was in no way mass produced.  It truly is a mystery piece.

So what have I found?  Well I still don’t know exactly.  What I think I have found was something created in house at Walt Disney Studios to be used as a wall decoration possibly at the Walt Disney Studios or somewhere else with strong Disney connections.  It could have simply hung on the wall in an office or hallway or possibly been some sort of decoration at Disneyland.  The artwork also reminds me of cover art on the Donald Duck comics of the era.  Some connection there perhaps – who knows?

Whatever it is, it is one of the coolest Disney pieces I have ever found.

I would be thrilled to hear from our readers if they have any ideas about this Disney mystery.

Posted in 1950's, Americana, Art, Disney, Hand Made, Humor, Jim | Leave a comment

Thunder Wings Lion-O

Posted on September 20, 2012 by

I’m a huge Thundercats fan now, but as a kid, I was only really familiar with some of the toys and had only a passing knowledge of the cartoon. It wasn’t until Cartoon Network’s Toonami started rerunning old episodes in the early 2000s when I was in high school before I gained the “sight beyond sight” needed to appreciate one of the wildest toy properties of the 1980s.

Chances are, if you’ve stumbled upon this article, you are already pretty well-versed in Thundercats lore, but for the uninitiated, Thundercats was a cartoon that aired in the early 1980s. This was at a time when there was a renewed interest in the fantasy genre thanks to the success of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Dungeons and Dragons. The cartoon followed the escapades of the titular Thundercats and their quest to rebuild their civilization on a planet called Third Earth after their planet was destroyed. Unfortunately, they run into the evil entity known as Mumm-Ra, who recruits a team of mutants to thwart the Thundercats’ plans and help him obtain the Eye of Thundera, an especially powerful ancient stone that serves as the source of power for Lion-O, the lord of the Thundercats.

While Thundercats debuted at a time when toy companies made toys that television studios then turned into cartoons, Thundercats was the opposite. Work began on the cartoon as early as 1982, and the toy line, which was made by LJN, was released concurrently alongside the show in 1985. The cartoon actually lasted longer than the toy line did, with the last new episodes airing in 1989, about two years after new toys were being made.

Thundercats has one of the most dedicated fan and collector communities of any 1980s toy line. It’s a much smaller line to collect than other big 1980s franchises like Masters Of The Universe or Transformers, but that means there are fewer toys to collect for the legion of fans who want to keep the memory of the Thundercats alive. While Thundercats toys were quite popular and many of the figures are relatively easy to find, several of the toys released late in the line’s lifespan were produced in extremely small numbers. As such, there are simply not enough examples around to fill the demand, and when that happens, the prices soar.

I’ve been collecting Thundercats in earnest since my high school days when I would watch Thundercats reruns after school on the aforementioned Toonami block, and a few years ago, I had a streak where I managed to find a lot of key pieces for my collection in a relatively short period of time. Pieces like the spectacular Cat’s Lair playset, a Thundertank with the original rubber treads, the Sword of Omens role play toy that was still in working condition with the battery cover intact, and rare late figures like Jaga, Ben-Gali, and Lynx-O all found their way into my collection somewhere between 2006 and 2008.

Unfortunately, as difficult as those pieces are to obtain, I still have many gaps in my collection. I can never seem to find a nice loose example of the Astral Moat Monster at toy shows or flea markets (I see them boxed all the time, though). I have Driller, but finding a loose Stinger with the wings intact is a challenge. And I don’t think I’ve ever come across the Tongue-A-Saurus monster in person. However, I did find one of the holy grails of Thundercats collectibles recently.

To the naked eye, this appears to be just a plain old Lion-O figure with some wings slapped onto him. Now, the wings themselves are not too easy to find. They are called the Thunder Wings, an accessory set that was made available in 1987, the last year new toys for Thundercats were introduced. They could be placed on pretty much any Thundercats figure (except for some of the Berserkers, obviously). They’re not too easy to find, but since they’re just a pair of wings, collectors don’t go too crazy for them.

However, in order to squeeze just a few extra bucks out of kids in the 1980s, LJN decided to repackage Lion-O with these wings and creatively call him “Thunder Wings Lion-O.” They did the same thing with Mumm-Ra with another accessory set, and they called him “Luna Lasher Mumm-Ra.” If you’ve ever seen the episode of “The Simpsons” where they stick a hat on a Malibu Stacy doll in an effort to convince kids to buy a supposedly “new” toy, this is essentially the same thing.

In creating these cheap cash grabs, though, they decided to cheapen the figures themselves. Lion-O and Mumm-Ra were somewhat deluxe in that not only did they have the Battle-Matic lever found on many LJN action figures of the era, but they also had battery slots on their backs. Stick a battery on their back, and their eyes would light up. This was a nifty little feature that set these two key figures apart from the rest of the line. In creating Thunder Wings Lion-O and Luna Lasher Mumm-Ra figures, LJN decided to keep the price point down by eliminating all of those features. However, by doing so, they created two of the rarest and most desirable action figure variations of the 1980s.

On the left is a basic Lion-O action figure with light up eyes.  The figure on the right is the much less deluxe Thunder Wings Lion-O with painted eyes.

The left hand Lion-O is the basic figure with Battle-Matic lever and a battery slot to make his eyes glow.  The Thunder Wings Lion-O has neither of these features.

All of the factors that help determine the rarity of a particular action figure apply here. These were essentially the last two Thundercats action figures released. Since the line was on its last legs already, they didn’t sell too well, so not a lot of kids owned them originally. Likewise, Thundercats figures were being produced in far less quantities to begin with. And chances are, even if you liked Thundercats in 1987, you could easily find a Lion-O or Mumm-Ra figure still on shelves. And why would you want these figures if they didn’t have the awesome light-up feature? As such, these figures remained very obscure and nearly forgotten until interest was rejuvenated in the early 2000s.

Collectors are diligent when it comes to variations, and Thundercats collectors know that if Lion-O is missing the lever and the battery slot on his back and his eyes do not have the light-up feature, then it’s definitely one of these rare figures, since Lion-O was never released this way otherwise. Because the wings are rare but not too difficult to obtain, many collectors scour flea markets, hoping to find this subtle variation in among a bin of old childhood toys and prey on an unsuspecting seller. I know I would have loved to have found one that way!

However, because of the absurd rarity of this piece, it’s very difficult to determine prices even if you have one. As more collectors have become aware of this piece, more examples have surfaced, and so they don’t bring the absolutely nutty prices they brought about 8-10 years ago, when carded pieces would easily soar over $1,000 and loose examples would easily sell for $300-$500, depending on condition. But I always try and get a deal if possible. I managed to get this at a collectible toy store for $70. I was initially hesitant because I figured they had probably stuck the wings on a regular ol’ Lion-O to drive up the price, but that wasn’t the case. The only other time I’ve seen an example for sale in person was at Toy Tokyo in New York City at some point when I was in graduate school and I could check the store on a near-weekly basis. I know I couldn’t afford it then and I doubt I could afford it now. $70 was in a price range that I was thrilled with, and this brings me just a little bit closer to a complete LJN Thundercats collection.

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

Travel-Log #3: Platte City, Missouri – 9/9/12 Submitted by Carol

Posted on September 19, 2012 by

After several hours of soaking up history in St. Joseph, Missouri and Atchison, Kansas (Pony Express Museum, Patee House, the house where Jesse James was killed, and Amelia Earhart’s birthplace), we were heading south along the Missouri River toward Kansas City and Independence when we stumbled upon the W. D. Pickers Antique Mall at Exit 20 of Interstate 29.

A giant, new, 10,000 square foot building with no personality whatsoever, it didn’t look like the kind of place where any antique bargain could be found.  However, as we know from experience, an antique hunter can never tell where a great find will surface, so in we went.  Many of the 120 dealers inside dealt with the kind of antiques and collectibles we like – toys, advertising, political items, paper things, holiday decorations, etc.  For the most part, they knew their prices, too.  However, every dealer offered a minimum of a ten percent discount, and many were offering twenty percent off, so that made the prices much more appealing.

We walked out with three items that we were quite happy about:  a Roosevelt-Truman bumper sticker from 1944, a plastic patriotic WWII pin with an eagle, a shield, and the word “Son” on it, and a large, approximately five-inch tall bisque long-billed Donald Duck figurine.

Jim learned early on in his political items collecting that Truman pieces are relatively rare, especially among 20th century candidates.  He had joked before the trip that he hoped to find a Truman piece in Missouri.  Lo and behold, there was the Roosevelt-Truman bumper sticker.  The price of $30 may seem steep, but it’s the first one Jim has ever seen.  After all, bumper stickers aren’t the type of thing usually saved for posterity.  A nice, large Truman button for $30 would have been better, but collectors know to take what they can get.

For the past several years, both Jim and I have been looking for affordable WWII home front collectibles.  As the “Greatest Generation” passes on, the younger generations are becoming more fascinated by this dramatic period in history and more appreciative of what their parents and grandparents went through and accomplished.

I don’t know how many women actually wore the patriotic jewelry from the 1940’s that I see at flea markets and in antique shops, but it’s very interesting and colorful.  I thought that this pin made of early plastic and accented with sparkling jewels was a good buy at $12.  Obviously, it was intended to be worn by a mother whose son was in the service.

The most expensive item we bought was the bisque long-billed Donald Duck.  This jaunty guy stands relatively tall at about five inches.  His paint is excellent (Many of these bisque figurines have severely faded paint.) and he’s marked “Walt Disney” and “Made in Japan.”  Donald Duck had a long bill for only a few years.  He started out that way in 1934, but it was already shrinking by 1937, so it’s pretty easy to date these figurines.  We especially liked this Donald because we don’t ever remember seeing one this size playing a violin.  He cost $58.  That may seem expensive, but we’ve seen comparable pieces for more than $100 on numerous occasions.

Lesson to be learned from our experience at W. D. Pickers:  Don’t overlook large, interstate antique malls.  There may not be as many bargains as can be found at a flea market, but good quality items at affordable prices are not that unusual.

Posted in 1930's, 1940's, Americana, Carol, Disney, Ephemera, Historical, Jim, Political, Road Trip, Toys, WWII | Leave a comment

Travel Log #2: LeClaire, Iowa 9/7/12 Reported by Carol

Posted on September 13, 2012 by

We entered LeClaire, Iowa, which is just north of Interstate 80 and on the banks of the Mississippi River, at about 9:45 a.m.  I was taking note of the price of gas at a BP station when Jim shouted, “There they are!”  I thought he meant that he had seen Mike and Frank, the American Pickers, out and about in their van.  Actually, he had spotted Antique Archeology, which sits uphill just behind the BP station.

There was the familiar 1950 Nash out front.  And there was the shop itself.  Ten minutes before opening, the small parking area was already filling up with fans of the show like us.  Most were out-of-staters, and most were at least middle-aged.

Suddenly, the “closed” sign was turned around and said, “open.”  Then the garage door opened and a young female employee (No, not Danielle.  Apparently she only works after hours.)  wheeled out the familiar little electric car.  I was busy snapping pictures, but Jim was already inside the shop.  It’s divided into two sections.  The original office portion of the old garage is where they sell all sorts of souvenirs:  caps and t-shirts, shot glasses, tote bags, banks, magnets, etc.  Were they reasonably priced?  No.  A basic postcard of Mike cost $3.  T-shirts averaged about $22.  Did we leave with some items?  Of course.

The work area of the garage is where the antiques are sold.  Did we recognize items that were picked on the show?  Yes, we did.  Were they expensive?  Yes, they were.  Do not expect bargains at Antique Archeology.  Remember the huge pile of moon landing souvenir felt pennants that were picked a couple of seasons ago?  You could buy one for $40.  Remember the toy metal police cars that were picked earlier this season?  Several were out for sale at $100 each.  Some items in this area were very familiar but were marked “not for sale.”  High up on a shelf were those goofy Laurel and Hardy heads that Mike and Frank wore a season or two ago, but no one was taking them home.

We did, however, find one little thing to purchase.  In a basket were a few dozen small metal license plates that had been cereal premiums in the 1950’s.  They were priced at $10 each.  We knew this was a little more than they were worth, but they were in good condition.  And they were small, which is a prerequisite for almost everything we purchase on this trip.  We had hoped to find an Iowa plate, but, alas, had to settle for our home state of New Jersey.

While we didn’t score any bargains at Antique Archeology, we didn’t expect to.  We scored an experience.  American Pickers has become a cultural icon; even people who never go out hunting for antiques love this show.  We appreciate what Mike and Frank have done for antique collecting.  More and more people, especially younger people, are discovering the fun of “the hunt” thanks to them.  Frankly, I don’t blame them for cashing in on their fame while they can.  If you’re ever in LeClaire, Iowa, be sure to check out their shop.

That said, make sure you don’t leave town without checking out some of the other shops, too.  We would especially recommend the Big River Antique Mall at 423 N. Cody Road on the other end of town.

This antique mall contained some really fabulous stuff, particularly when it came to antique advertising items.  They were pricey, to be sure, but the quality was outstanding.  There were plenty of moderately-priced items as well.  We left the shop with two items that we liked a lot and that we felt were reasonable in cost.

The first was an adorable bobble-head clown.  He’s in excellent condition and was marked “Japan” on the bottom, so he probably dates to the 1950’s.  And he only cost $18.

The other item we purchased was a cardboard sign that advertised the Marx Brothers movie, Animal Crackers, which would date it to the 1930’s.  It would have been used on a bus or trolley.  Most of these signs would have been tossed out shortly after use.  This one, while not in perfect condition, seemed like an excellent buy at $16, and it’s small enough that we might actually be able to find a place to display it when we get home.

Posted in 1920's, 1930's, 1950's, Advertising, Americana, Carol, Ephemera, Humor, Jim, Road Trip, Signs, Toys, Vehicular | Leave a comment

Pick of the Week: Miniature House

Posted on September 10, 2012 by

This week’s “Pick of the Week” comes from one of our favorite flea markets.  This is a prime example of a “diamond in the rough” in that when I found it a lot of the porch railings as well as pieces of the roof and other details of the house had come unglued.  Everything was with it though, so I picked it up for $100, which seemed very reasonable for a piece made with such beautiful craftsmanship.  This piece must have taken hours upon hours to create, and had to be a labor of love.

This little house is not a doll house,  The roof is removable, but the inside is completely hollow.  There is a small hole in the center of the floor on the inside that might have been for rigging lighting for the house,  This piece could have been an architectural model, a student model, or maybe even a very elaborate train platform model.  Whatever it was made for, it is simply adorable, and we all just love it.

Posted in 1900's, 1910's, Americana, Art, Hand Made, Historical, Jim | 1 Comment