1980 SPACE INVADERS MUSIC VIDEO

I usually post videos on Friday but when I discovered this one I just couldn’t wait that long.

The song is called Space Invaders by Player One from their 1980 album Game Over.



Now I can’t get it this catchy old new wave tune out of my head.

THE BLACK PHANTOM PAPER AIRPLANE

Going through an old box of stuff from my childhood I discovered an old friend that was trapped under piles of old book reports, newspaper clippings, and greeting cards. Memories came rushing back as I pulled it out from the bottom of the box.

I had just found the great Black Phantom known as the flyer of fear, the sky demon of the air and the master of all paper airplanes.

My older brother and I went through a paper airplane making phase. We even made up fleets and had airplane battles. One night after my fleet had suffered significant losses I decided to create a plane that would send fear into my enemies fleet. Using black and red markers and a sheet of regular notebook paper, I was able to build the best of the best. After he was folded and colored he looked as if he needed something else, something that would make him stronger. I found a bottle of shellac in my Dad’s workshop and brushed it over the airplane for the finishing touch. Now he would be invincible!

Over the next few weeks with The Black Phantom leading my fleet into battle, the great paper air war turned to favor my side. I think I was winning!

I guess after a few months of building and destroying hundreds of paper airplanes we finally got bored and moved onto something else. (I think we got our Atari that winter.)

Now the Black Phantom might be yellow and brittle, but at least he has survived as an artifact from childhood.

Yippee! I think I’ll put off work and make paper airplanes for the rest of the day!

JESSE JAMES HIDEOUT

Wow I just found Jesse James Hideout and Jesse and Frank are there with all of their old west pals!

Well I guess I’ve known about it all of my life, but really only remember taking the tour a couple of times when I was a kid. You see this tourist trap has been part of my local area, Lake of the Ozarks, MO, before I was born. I need to do some research and find out when it first opened, but I do know it’s been in a couple of different locations along the Bagnell Dam strip on Hwy 54. About ten years ago it was next door to the Haunted Hotel and now it’s in a building where the Legend of Bigfoot exhibit was at one time. (More on these lost tourist traps later)

I paid my two bucks and got a brass token, my ticket to see some of the greatest western outlaws created in wax!

There’s even a Boot Hill with funny tombstones to read.

A 1997 newspaper article about the wax sculptor who created and reworked the wax figures.

Click here if you would like to read the article!

Mr. Yuck

I remember slapping these Mr. Yuck stickers on everything. I was on a mission when I got home from school with a sheet of these anti smiley faces to mark everything that was hazardous to my health!

HorrorShow Magazine

I discovered a gruesomely good new monster mag called HorrorShow. This high quality mag with full color photos has nothing more than monsters, horror flicks, special f/x make-up, latex masks, models, and even collector profiles. Issue #3 is dreadfully fun with the focus on everyone’s favorite lagoon dweller, the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

I really enjoyed the article called Return to the Black Lagoon where Ben Chapman revisits the original lagoon on Universal’s backlot. There’s an article about Mark Alfrey, who makes the amazing lifesize Creature statues. Also, you’ll drool all over the pages looking at the photos from Johnny Gilbert’s incredible collection of Creature memorabilia.

So next time you find yourself at a bookstore look to see if they have HorrorShow or you can go to their official site http://www.horrorshowmagazine.com/
and order one.

1954 SUPERMAN STEREO-PIX

One morning in 1954 some kid finally finished his first box of Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes and carefully cut a masterpiece off the back of the box.

I’m sure as he added his new acquisition, a Superman Stereo-Pix, to his bedroom wall he was thinking of the second cutout still on a new box sitting in the pantry.

He probably even wondered if his Mom would notice a big square hole cut from the back of the box.

I know if I was him, I’m sure I would’ve been tempted to cut the back of the box up to get this beautiful Superman battling tanks picture.

I like how the first one has the caption, Best wishes from your friend Superman.

SKULL TOSS

I did this for Illustration Friday's topic Play.

FRANKENSTEIN, MISSOURI

I visited the small town of Frankenstein, Missouri yesterday, the only town in America named Frankenstein. It is located in Osage County just outside of Jefferson City.

No, Dr. Frankenstein didn’t settle here to get away from the bad press over in the old country. The town was founded by Gottfried Franken who in 1890 donated land for a church to be built.

I was hoping to find a Frankenstein Motel or a Frankenstein Diner, but the town is way too small for those types of establishments. There’s not even a gas station and the only thing there is the old church and a baseball field.

In 1999 the town was invaded by 25 skydiving Peter Boyle style Frankenstein monsters in honor of the 25th anniversary of Mel Brooks’ funny movie Young Frankenstein. As they jumped from the plane they yelled “Putting on the Ritz” and landed in the Frankenstein Community Ball Field. The monsters handed out Young Frankenstein DVD’s and the Mayor even renamed the town Young Frankenstein.