Halloween Candy 2015 - Top and Bottom 10

It's time for an obligatory best/worst Halloween candy post!

Fist, the bad news:

The Bottom 10

(This list hasn't changed much)

10.  Tootsie Rolls- Fake chocolate 

9.  Fireballs- Too hot! They burn your taste buds right off!

8.   Dots- Stick to your teeth, not that good.  Only good for decorating ginger bread houses.

7.  Candy Corn- Great for decorating for Halloween, tastes like wax.

6.  Taffy- This stuff is parade fodder!  Plus, Ava had taffy in her Halloween pail and the wrappers don't  hold in the sticky, nasty mess that then gets all over the good candy!

5.   Good N' Plenty- Please, NO! 

4.  Bit-O-Honey- More like Bit-O-Hard-Nasty-Candy!

3.  Necco Waffers- chalky, inedible substance. 

2.  Circus Peanuts- Very similar to packaging peanuts in taste and consistency

1.  Anything that isn't candy, i.e. coins, toothbrushes, toothpaste, pretzels, chips (we seriously got a fun size bag of Doritos!), raisins, fruit snacks, pop corn balls, apples, granola bars, mixed nuts, cotton candy.  Cool toys are the only exception!

Nasty runners up: Life Savers, Smarties, Werther's Caramels, Whoppers, Bazooka Joe bubble gum, candy canes, peppermints, and gummy candies.

And now, with those abominations out of the way, on to the good stuff!

The Top 10

This list doesn't change much either, but this year there were some great new contenders.

10.  Jolly Ranchers- Yes, a non-chocolate candy made the top 10! Also, perfect for making your teeth stick together.

9.  Spooky Nerds- They're really popular these days, even without any chocolate

8.  Snickers- Watch that creepy commercial

7.  Milky Way Carmel Apple flavor- Chocolaty carmel apple flavor without having to fumble around with real apples

6.  Starbursts- Non-chocolate keeps making a comeback 

5. Mr. Goodbars- What can I say? They're good!

4. 3 Muskyfears (3 Musketeers)- this made the list mostly because it reminds me of Super Mario RPG.

3.  Orange, White, and Milk Chocolate Kit Kats

2.  Peanuts (the comic strip by Charles Shultz) Crunch Bars

And the uncontended winner is.....

1.  Reese's Peanut Butter Cups/Peanut Butter Pumpkin

A Family Portrait...OF EVIL!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

FROM OUR HORDE TO YOURS!

Work Jack o' Lantern Contest

I really wanted to enter a Jack o' lantern, but the double shifts and late nights with fussy baby boy did me in. There were some cool pumpkins, and I got me some pumpkin pie! Here are my favorites:

Ghosthunters

Before the Ghostbusters reboot we can watch this lovely little British knockoff, Ghosthunters! Again, this is another film that I just sort of stumbled upon recently. Will this be an amazing 5 star movie? No. Do I want to see it regardless? Yes! If they release toys based on the movie will I even want them? YES!! Slimer knockoff!!!

Tonight's Features: Ghostbusters

                               Ghostbusters II

Sunday Reflections: Nature Calls

With all the little man-made plastic things I hoard sometimes I forget to enjoy all this nature that surrounds me. So today Ava and me went on a little nature walk and came back with a nice haul.

Jackpot!

Later we'll debug the pine cones for Thanksgiving and Christmas crafting purposes. Glueing googely eyes to anything is an instant craft creation!

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXVI

All I knew about the new Treehouse of Horror XXVI was that Sideshow Bob will finally kill Bart Simpson, and Guillermo del Toro is back again for 2015. We'll see how the episode is tonight.

Last Year's Couch Gag.

Tonight's Features: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror I-XXVI 

The Shadow Temple Theory

take Bigfut home?

It's finally happening, the DI is giving away an 8 foot tall bigfoot, because Halloween!!!

 

I'm hoping my recently amassed plastic Halloween pails collection can help me bring home the big guy!  The only problem is hauling him away and finding a bed his size.  I'm not sure Laura would be too thrilled if I win.  Whom ever the lucky winner is they will be announced October 28th, just in time for Halloween!


DI FACEBOOK PAGE
OFFICIAL RULES

Rubber Halloween Specimens

Over the past couple of months I have found some awesome rubber monster toys at the DI.  Let's talk about that.

BATS

I love these little guys!  They don't make Halloween bats like this anymore, with the exception of bats that are purposely made with a "vintage style".  I'm pretty sure these are both vintage bats, probably in the 70's-80's range.

A "HONG KONG" marking is the best indication that you have a vintage piece.

Also, vintage rubber critters tend to have a mouth that is connected to the hollow stomach.  Be careful, they have a mean bite!

THE RAT

This was another cheap DI find.  I honestly don't know if it is a vintage rat, or if it is one of those "vintage style" reproductions.  I have seen these retail recently.  Either way though she's a fun classic toy with nice squeak action.

I love those whiskers!

"CHINA"

THE SALAMANDER

This Salamander was a must have! When I was a kid we would catch salamanders by the lake at by Grandparent's home and keep them as pets.  He looks pretty real for a rubber toy!

"MADE IN CHINA, SALAMANDER, © 1998"

Can I just say I love when toys actually have dates on them!  It would make things so much easier if everything had a date stamped on it.  I almost didn't get this because it's not an 80's toy, but I did spend a good portion of my childhood in the 90's too, so I got him anyway.

SPIDERS

You can never have too many spiders for Halloween.  I have to hide these away because my poor wife has an irrational fear of these cute eight-legged creatures.  

My pet tarantula

"MADE IN CHINA"

Creepy Long-Legs

"CHINA"

Bootleg Terrorantula from Rocks and Bugs and Things!

I could get lost in those googly eyes of his all day!

"MADE IN CHINA"

Terrorantula used to have a squeaky play feature, but the squeaker is broken.  Still an amazing find!

Rubber Halloween Critters
Total Cost: 50¢-$1

What's your favorite Halloween vermin?  Do you still have any rubber specimens from Halloweens past?

Happy Back To the Future Day From Jaws!

2015 is not as cool as BTTF2 led us to believe.  I always wondered what Jaws 19 would be like.  The first 3 movies instilled in me a fear of the ocean at a young age.  At least we have a fake trailer with a quick synopsis of Jaws 4-18.  

Zurchers Halloween Trinkets and Prehistoric Bootlegs

Recently I browsed through my local Zurcher's party store to see what Halloween odds n' ends I could find.  Here are the highlights:

Wacky JOL Stickers

I love the look of these guys!  They look just like those wacky pumpkins from the 80's.

I have never seen Skeleton Paratroppers before!  Why has this never been done before?  If it has, how did I miss it!?

Vampire & Witch Fingers, a Halloween staple.

"Bendables" I have the vendo counterparts to these weirdos.

Bouncy Heart Ball, perfect for my oddball collection display case.  I will be showing off the oddballs display tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Glow-In-The-Dark anything is good.

Very strange Faux Pinecone Spider...

And the star of the show are these beauties!  Annoyingly packaged with a cruddy Prehistoric Party Pack.  At least I was able to nab 2 of each of these!

These are bootlegs of the Knights Dragons & Horses / Monsters put out by Imperial in the 80's and 90's.  They produced both the large version and the mini version.  You can check them out at Fantasy Toy Soldiers and Little Weirdos.  

Have you come across any little Halloween gems this year? What do you think of the "Prehistoric Creatures"? Let me know in the comments below!