Flake Magazine

I have previously posted about my cereal box addiction, but here is some proof of how addicted to cereal box collecting I was. Back in 1993, I had a subscription to Flake Magazine, the Breakfast Nostalgia Magazine. That's right, an entire magazine dedicated to cereal and the boxes they come in!
For me, cereal box collecting started innocently enough. I was buying many breakfast cereals with cartoon characters on the boxes, and I started keeping the ones I especially liked the looks of. Some time in the late 80's the cereal manufacturers started going crazy creating new cereals to tie in with new movies, TV shows etc. A trip to the supper market cereal isle and you would be inundated with all kinds of amazing boxes filled with some pretty amazing looking stuff - not good tasting most of the time, just amazing looking!
I used to pick up all the new and cool looking cereal boxes and when I got them home, I would carefully open the bottom of the boxes and take out the bag of cereal to give to my mom who would give them to the food bank. I wasn't gonna eat that stuff, and I figured that some poor kid might be thrilled to get the chance to eat some florescent blue and pink cereal filled with crunchy marshmellows. Better them than me!
Two of the silliest cereal boxes I own are: Urkelos (Steve "Did I do that?" Urkel from the 1991 TV sitcom Family Matters) which was basically a two colour Froot Loops, and Mr. T Cereal which was pretty much Cap'n Crunch.
My favorite tasting kids cereals of all time were 1984's Strawberry Shortcake Cereal and Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter... mmmm, my mouth is salivating just thing about them!

TV Guide Pulls the Plug

I just picked up the Nov 4-10 edition of TV Guide Canada, and was semi-surprised to see a full page publisher's letter stating that TV Guide would be ceasing publication of the printed edition of TV Guide with the November 25, 2006 issue. I say semi-surprised as I guess it saw this coming some time ago.

Here is the actual letter:
"Dear Reader,
As you may have already heard, the Nov. 25, 2006 issue will be the last issue of TV Guide as a print publication. Instead, TV Guide will be produced as a web magazine starting Nov. 29. Allow me to explain...
TV Guide is a 53-year-old brand that has seen many changes in television though the decades. In TV Guide's early days, there were fewer than 10 channels on television and TV signals were adjustable with rabbit ears. Today, there are nearly 700 channels for our entertainment and we have invited HDTV, PVRs, and cable and satellite signals into out homes.
Times have changed. So, too, has your TV Guide. Now, TV Guide is evolving to take into account how we, as TV watchers, have changed how we choose what to watch on television.
Recent research has shown us that the demand for instant and more detailed TV listings continues to grow as technology permits. Today, on-screen TV listings though digital or satellite services and the Internet have changed people's habits when makings TV viewing choices.
On that note, I am pleased to announce that our investment in www.tvguide.ca will allow you to continue to enjoy all of TV Guide's articles. More importantly, you will be able to access the highest quality detailed TV listings, by community, FOR FREE. This new and exciting website will launch Nov. 29, 2006.
On behalf of all the hard-working staff at TV Guide, I would like to thank you for choosing to have TV Guide delivered to your home. We enjoy creating your magazine just for you.
We thank you for your readership, and we look forward to continuing to serve you at www.tvguide.ca.
Yours truly,
PAMELA MASTER, PUBLISHER"
I had a subscription to TV Guide for years, but didn't bother to renew my subscription once I got digital cable and was able to get an onscreen TV Guide with days in advance listings, search function etc. I did purchase the 3 issues in September which were their annual Fall TV Preview issues (I actually looked forward to those every year!), but since then, I only purchased two issues, an issue with the full NHL TV schedule in it, and the current issue, because it had a cover story on the new show Heroes. I guess its impossible to compete with online TV listings which are free!
As someone who grew up with TV Guide, I will miss seeing it on the news stands each week, and I will certainly miss their Fall TV Preview issues. Its a shame to see yet another thing in my lifetime become outdated and fall by the wayside due to progress. I guess the next thing I will miss will be physical music CDs when they stop selling them altogether in favour of digital downloads only.
TV Guide says they are going to move their magazine online. Will I bother to check it out... probably not.

75 Years of Disney Comics

Earlier this month, gemstone Publishing released Walt Disney Treasures. Subtitled Disney Comics: 75 Years of Innovation. This first Walt Disney Treasures TPB is a chronological 160-page retrospective of the form in general, with an emphasis on material that's never been reprinted before. From their birth in 1930 through a 75-year evolution, Disney comics have entertained us with imaginative stories, exceptional artwork, and a family of outrageous characters memorable enough to withstand the test of time. Walt Disney Treasures is a collection of stories carrying us through the generations of an artform, presenting tales by the greatest writers and artists the comics industry has to offer.
I have loved comics as long as I can remember and still visit my local comic shop every week to pick up my favorites including; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Scooby Doo, Patty Cake, The Tick, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and many more. When I saw the solicitation in Previews for Walt Disney Treasures, I was immediately drawn to the cover which looked like the Walt Disney Treasures DVD tins that I have been collecting for many years now, and the idea of a comic TPB with rare comics and special features (much like the DVDs of the same name), it seemed like a great idea. When it finally arrived at my local comic shop, I was not disappointed. This collection is 160 pages of comics and features. It starts off with a quick 2 page history of Disney in comics, and then jumps right into some of the earliest printed Disney comics, starting with a 1930 King Features Syndicate comic strip, and ending with the 2003 Mickey Mouse comic "With Friends Like These", and there is a little bit of just about everything else in between.
As for the look of the comics themselves, they are amazingly sharp and colourful, especially when you consider the age of some of the material. There is a great interview with David Gertein of Gemstone Publishing where he talks about the work that went into restoring the source material for this collection. The work was certainly worth it, as this is a great package and well worth the $12.99 cover price.

Popular Computing Circa 1983

I love collecting magazines and magazine ads, and I am a huge fan of Apple computer, so when a coworker told me he was tossing out a garage full of old computer magazines, I asked if I could have them. He thought it was a little strange that I would be interested in old computer magazines, but really, it's no stranger than having a garage full of old magazines is it!? He brought two large boxes of magazines to work the next day and I tucked them under my desk. That night, I got home and opened up my two boxes of treasures and was thrilled to find not only a bunch of great old computer ads for my collection, but some great magazine covers such as this March 1983 Popular Computing issue with the Apple Lisa on the cover!