Family Circle Magazine December 1956

 Here is the Family Circle magazine from December 1956. It has a very nice Christmas story by Pearl S. Buck and visualized by Walt Disney and staff.

I Love my Local Library

I have always loved visiting my local library. I have always loved to check out the books in the entertainment / arts section. As a young kid, I would looking for books on magic, as a young adult I was looking for books on animation, and then it was books on Disney. I have always loved magazines, and since I can't afford to buy them all, the library has been a great resource to get all those magazines I want to read, but don't necessarily need to purchase. There are tons of graphic novels. Once I had a son, I started spending lots of time in the children's section. Now that video stores are pretty much a thing of the past, the library has become a great place to get movies... for free!
A number of years ago, I got an app for my iMac called Library Books from Harold Chu. Its one of the best apps on my Mac. It always sits at the top of my Macs menu bar and reminds me how many books I have out, let me know when books are due back by changing colour and lets me know when my requests are ready to be picked up. For just a few bucks on the Apple App Store it has saved me tons of late fees!

Another great feature of the app is that it makes is super simple to make a few clicks and do a search of books available though the library system and then place a hold on them. Once they show up, the app icon will turn green to alert you that you have an item to pick up. Most recently I have ordered Walt Disney's Imagineering Legends a great book by Jeff Kurtti, and the Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World, which is a great read! I also just picked up seasons 1, 2 & 3 of Anamaniacs which I am excited to share with my son. I am currently on the last disc of the IT Crowd season 3.
Our local libraries are also adding lots of new programs. This coming spring break, they are adding movie nights, a kite making session, board game nights (complete with pizza and snacks), Lego building sessions and more.
For those of you who have not been to a library in years, you may want to check it out again!

TV Week Fall Preview 2011 - Part 2

TV Week magazine Fall Preview 2011 Part 2 (Sept 17-23) focuses on the Returning Series. There are a bunch of shows I am looking forward to the return of, including (can't miss shows are in bold): The Big Bang Theory, Community, Chuck, How I Met Your Mother, The Middle, Modern Family, The Office, Raising Hope, Rules of Engagement, Supernatural, Two and a Half Men and my absolute favorite, Psych. Unfortunately Psych never seems to get a regular time slot on any particular channel here in Canada, so this is a show I have to watch online, which is too bad, as it is by far my favorite show over the past 5 seasons.

Both the wife and I have been watching Burn Notice since they started airing it here in Canada last season on Showcase. They have just started airing season 3 last week, and its always circled on our Tuesday night calender.

Then there is The Looney Tunes Show which is an update of all the Looney Tunes characters including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. I had initially stayed away from this one, as I was expecting it to be dreadfully awful, and after hearing the voice of Bugs Bunny in a preview clip, I was sure there was no way I could sit though an entire episode. But after watching a few episodes with my son, we are now both hooked. I am even getting used to the new voice of Bugs.

My guilty pleasure is Attack of the Show on G4 Tech TV. I have been watching the show since the early days when it was called The Screen Savers and featured Leo Laporte as one of its hots. I used to prefer its 10 pm time slot, as it seemed I would always be looking for something to watch around that time. With its new 4 pm time slot, I am very ofter not even home before its over, and sadly I still don't own a DVR. I am still using my 4 VHS machines to record all my shows.

And lastly, there is a listing for The Comedy Central Roast: Roast of Charlie Sheen on September 19th. I will definitely have to tune it to this train wreck!

Then there is the list of 40+ cancelled shows, most of which I'll be happy to see go. I will miss S#"! My Dad Says and Mad Love, as I enjoyed both. And two more shows which I never actually saw on TV, but checked out online and though were great; CHAOS, and The Paul Reiser Show have also been cancelled. I have to wonder, if these shows had actually been given a chance for an audience to find them, would they have been cancelled, or do I just enjoy watching crap!?

Of the 47 new shows that premired last season, just 9 survived and made it to a second season. Those shows are: Blue Bloods, Bob's Burgers, Body of Proof, Harry's Law, Hawaii Five-O, Mike & Molly, Nikita, Raising Hope, and Secret Millionaire. Raising Hope is the one returning show that I am looking forward to, as it is probably my favorite of last seasons crop of shows.

TV Week Fall Preview 2011 - Part 1

It's that time of year when those of us who are addicted to television get excited about all the new TV shows as well as look forward to the return of our old favorites. We also mourn the loss of those shows that didn't make it to the new fall season. I was going to do a list of what I liked from last year and which shows were still on etc, but unfortunately, I didn't do my list last season (I must have been too excited watching all the new shows to sit and write a post).

Last weeks issue of TV Week (for the week of Sept 10-16) takes a look at the 50 new shows for this fall season. Here is a list of the ten shows I will be tuning in to and checking out this fall (I'll give each show a rating out of 5 for how much I am looking forward to it - 5 being the ones I am most excited about):

PAN AM (1) - A big ticket drama which follows a quartet of comely stewardesses on the prestigious Pam Am airline during the early 1960's, an era when air travel was still fun and glamorous, and being a stewardess was a passport to international adventure. I am not a big fan of drama, but the subject matter seems interesting, so we'll see if I am able to stick with it after the first episode.

TERRA NOVA (2) - Exec producer Steven Spielberg returns to familiar territory with this much-anticipated series set in 2149. Humanity flees a dying earth entering a "time portal" that sens them millions of year into the past, where they begin colonizing the prehistoric planet. I used to enjoy Land of the Lost as a youngster, and Jurassic Park was lots of fun. But, I fear this will be given the "Lost" treatment and become to tangled in plot instead of just being a fun weekly bit of entertainment.

2 BROKE GIRLS (3) - The show follows a pair of NYC waitresses who work at a dingy diner alongside its new owner, a horny Russian cook and an elderly cashier. If its funny, it could end up being interesting.

LAST MAN STANDING (3) - Tim Allen retreads familiar ground in this half-hour sitcom about manly Mike Baxter, a husband and father of three daughters whose life is dominated by women. When his wife returns to work after years of being a stay-at-home mom, Mike is further emasculated when he actually has to do some parenting. Doesn't sound like there is much new here, but I'll give Tim Allen 30 minutes to convince me to come back the second week.

NEW GIRL (2) - Jessica Day's recent breakup has left her single, despondent and homeless. With nowhere to live, this lovely neurotic young woman becomes the new roommate to a trio of sloppy single guys, who ineffectually attempt to drag her out of her post-breakup misery. This show is getting lots of praise, so I might give it a try, but it is sounding a little to much like a 'chick flick' for my liking.

UP ALL NIGHT (2) - Another show about the father becoming a stay-at-home dad when the wife goes back to work. Been there, done that... but it does star Christina Applegagte, and after watching her for 11 seasons on Married With Children, I am fan enough to check out her now show.

SUBURGATORY (2) - A family moves from Manhattan to a bucolic suburb full of big-haired, silicone-boobed soccer moms. Big hair and soccer moms... could be worth tuning in.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS (1) - A reboot of the jiggly T&A cop show from the 70's. I may tune in, or I may now. I just know I won't enjoy it as much as I did as a 10 year old boy!

HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN (3) - Pretentious magazine columnist Andrew Calrson, pines for a more-civilized bygone era. When his editor threatens to fire him if he doesn't put a modern, sexy twist on his etiquette column, Andrew hires his one-time bully, Bert to teach him how to be manly. Sounds like it could be one of the sillier shows this season.

HAPPILY DIVORCED (5) - Based on her real-life marriage, former Nanny star Fran Drescher stars as a woman named Fran - again - shows husband confesses he's gay. Since this is a sitcom, they get divorced but tight finances causes them to continue to live together. I have downloaded the first few episodes back in July, and have liked what I have seen so far. Its just a fun and silly show.

Of the ten new shows I am going to check out, there is just one I rated a 5, three 3's, four 2's and two 1's. So, it looks like this could be a pretty lame season for new shows, unless there are some real surprises as the season gets underway. And there isn't much of interest waiting in the wings for the mid season replacement shows either. Thankfully a bunch of my favorites are coming back. I'll have more on that on Tuesday when I look at the Returning Series issue.

Here is a full grid of new shows. Click on it to make full size.

Let me know what you are looking forward to tuning in to this fall, in the comments.

RIP Cereal Mascots (1932-2011)

Here is a great article from the June 13, 2011 issue of Canadian Business magazine about the death of cereal mascots. On a recent trip to the grocery store, I picked up some great boxes to add to my collection, including Cap N Crunch, Cookie Crisp and Coco Puffs. I have been collecting cereal boxes adorned with cartoon characters for over 20 years now and will surely miss them in my local grocery store cereal isles. [click article to enlarge]

 

A Family Circle Christmas

I picked up this great old Family Circle magazine at a recent library book sale for 10 cents. Most of the magazines I picked up that day were recent magazines which I bought specifically to pull adds out of for my collection, but this December 1968 issue of Family Circle has been put into a magazine bag with a backing board and is now part of my Christmas decorations for this year. Its also in the bag to conceal the funky old magazine smell!

The Wonderful World of Pixar

I picked up this copy of the June 2004 WIRED magazine with a great Pixar cover story for 20 cents at a local thrift shop. I am a big fan of the Incedibles movie, so it is always great to find something to add to my collection. Inside the magazine is a great 8 page article with the title "Welcome to Planet Pixar, How the pixel-packing upstart became an animation superpower and left Disney in the dust.

Give Old Magazines A New Life

While we were out the other day we visited a few thrift shops I had never been to. One of them had piles and piles of old magazines. It took a while to go though them all (OK, not all of them, but lots of them!) and I found a ton of great full page ads for my collection. There were great ads for Apple, Saturn, Disney, Coca Cola etc. Once I was home, I had a ton of fun sitting on the couch listening to music while flipping though them all and pulling out the ads I wanted to keep. Any of the magazines that still have covers and are only missing a few pages will end up back at another thrift shop, and the rest that are to mangled to pass on will be send to the recycling bin.
One of the ads I kept was a two page ad that was promoting the idea that magazines are still relevant in an internet age. The text in the ad reads: "We surf the Internet. We swim in magazines.
The Internet is exhilarating. Magazines are enveloping.The Internet grabs you. Magazines embrace you. The Internet is impulsive. Magazines are immersive. And both
media are growing.
Barely noticed amidst the thunderous Internet clamor is the simple fact that magazine readership has risen over the past five years. Even in the age of the Internet, even among the groups one would assume are most singularly hooked on digital media, the appeal of magazines is growing.
Think of it this way: during the 12-year life of Google, magazine readership actually increased 11 percent.
What it proves, once again, is that a new medium doesn't necessarily displace an existing one. Just as movies didn't kill radio. Just as TV didn't kill movies. An established medium can continue to flourish so long as it continues to offer a
unique experience. And, as reader loyalty and growth demonstrate, magazines do.
Which is why people aren't giving up swimming, just because they also enjoy surfing."
The next ad is a recycling ad from the Publishers of America, which reads: "Give old magazines a new life. We all love our magazines, but when it's time to let go, it just takes a little extra effort to recycle. After all, helping the environment is everyone's responsibility. For more information on how to recycle your magazines, go to www.Earth911.com. Make it a habit. Recycle"
The third ad is for the Apple iPad. The ad shows a person sitting at home reading The New York Times on their iPad.
The last ad is for Movies on Demand.
Why do I include these four ads in this post? Because I think it really does show that we are in an age where physical things such as magazines, movies, CDs, and DVDs are becoming less relevant to many people, which means they could slowly (or perhaps quickly) become a relic of the past along with VHS tapes and 8-Track cassettes. Does this make me happy... hell no!
As a collector, the idea that physical things such as magazines, DVDs, CDs, even concert/sports ticket stubs could disappear is a very depressing thought. I bought tickets recently for a concert (a band I love called Skillet) and was disappointed to see that instead of traditional paper tickets they had wrist bands. The young person selling me the tickets actually made the comment that these were so much cooler than old fashioned tickets. I didn't bother getting into it with her, as she would probably just laugh at the old guy blathering on about the past. But I have been collecting tickets for as long as I can remember. I even purchased some ticket books from www.ticketalbums.com to keep all my concert tickets nicely organized. A piece of paper printed on my ink jet printer just isn't worth keeping as a souvenir of the event. As for my magazine ad collecting. a digital ad collection just isn't the same as the binders I have filled with page protectors full of ads. I have books for Apple ads, Coca Cola ads, Disney ads etc. Again, I have been collecting ads for as long as I can remember and my binder collections of ads are quite impressive. The ads I have collected on my iMac (and use as a screen saver) just aren't as cool. And then there is music. I am a self professed Apple fan boy, and I do love using iTunes to listen to my music - I have not had any other stereo for playing music since I started using iTunes. But I prefer to buy the physical CD and rip it into my iTunes collection. Paying to download the music online may be convenient, but if you don't get something physical for my cash, it just seems wrong. Collecting music CDs in my iTunes collection just isn't as cool as having a shelf full of my favorite records and CDs. But then I guess that's the point for so many people. They would rather have a hard drive full of music and movies as apposed to a taking up a bunch of space on their shelves with stuff that is just going to collect dust. So to those people... I can help you recycle your stuff. just send it to me!

Fall Preview 2003 Disney Store Catalog

While hunting though my room the other day, I found this great looking Disney Store catalog from 2003. I can remember how excited I would get when we would make it to a Disney Story and I was able to pick up a catalog, although it seems that more times than not they were out of them when I would ask. That was back when there were very few Disney Stores, and we didn't have any here in Canada yet. As they added more stores, and moved into Canada, it seems the stores become less of a 'must visit' destination and more an extension of WalMart. What had made the stores so much fun to visit, was all but disappearing from the stores. Now, on the rare occasion that I visit my local Disney Store, I am in and out in a matter of 4 or 5 minutes and since I don't meed any plush characters or any Disney Princess items, I never end up buying anything. Flipping though this old 2003 Disney Store catalog reminded me of how much cool merchandise the used to have for us Adults / Disney collectors.

Cracked: Jason Goes to the Hellton!

I picked up this great old issue of Cracked magazine from April 1993, with a parody of Jason Goes To Hell on the cover.
Along with all the horror movie parodies inside, it also has a 4 page listing of "Jason's Body Count". I scanned in the pages and am presenting them here for all of you trying to keep score at home. Of course this list only goes up to Part VIII Jason Takes Manhattan, so this list is for amusement only... no betting please!

Popular Science in the 70's

Someone was tossing out some old magazines and passed them along to me. Great stuff! They are old copies of Popular Science (the What's New magazine), Popular Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated (the How-To magazine) from the 1970's. I don't know about you, but I get a huge kick out of reading old science/tech magazines like these from the 50's, 60's and 70's.
Its lots of fun checking out what we did and didn't get from all the stuff they predicted. Its also a hoot seeing things such as this early "Take-Along Telephone" from the cover of the July 1973 issue, and this early Video Disc Player from the cover of the February 1977 issue..
I really like the two rows of number buttons on the phone. And the Disc player looks great. I wonder if I can hook that to my HD TV?
From the Feb '77 issue: "Sometime this year (1977), TV viewers in selected areas of the country should be able to schedule their own shows in an entirely new way. They'll select movies, musical performances, or other material on video discs, slip the discs into players wired to their receiver's antenna terminals, and push a button to watch the show.
A long list of glittering new video players has been promised, post-poned, or introduced in recent years, only to fade from sight. But there are definite signs that at least two major worldwide organizations with the financial muscle and marketing know-how to succeed will begin selling their video-disc players regionally in 1977.
One of them, RCA, is already field-testing a fer hundred of its capacitance-sensing SelectaVision disc players. N.V. Philips, the Dutch firm that brought us the standard audio cassette, and MCA Inc., an American entertainment-oriented firm, also plan to offer an optical video-disc system this year.
The latest price estimates: about $500 for the player, and $10 to $18 for a disc or set of discs.
There's even a possibility that a Japanese licensee of a British and German disc venture, the grooved disc TED system [PS, Nov. '74], could be marketing disc players, too. Players for 10-minute TED discs have been available in Germany since 1975, although only for European TV-signal standards. Sales have been poor. A TED changer that handlers 12 discs was recently shown. Spinning on the sidelines are other disc systems still under development.
Both the RCA and Philips/MCA players will appear in stores just when new home video cassette recorders [PS, Dec '75], video games [PS, Nov. '76], and pay-cable programming are teaching viewers that their TV receivers can easily display something other than fixed-time broadcast fare.
What's the difference about the new disc hardware and programming? After operating both the RCA and Philips/MCA players, trying some amazing manipulations of TV images, and listening to stereo hi-fi TV sound, I have found that the new machines offer spectacular gains in performance compared with other home program sources.
Stamping out tomes of discs at low cost is the biggest advantage of the new medium. Both Philips/MCA and RCA expect to offer a broad selection of discs when their players appear. MCA, which will manufacture most U.S. discs for the Magnavox-built player, plans 1000 albums initially.
MCA discs will include new and old films, ballet, opera, theater, sports, how-to and children's programs, and documentaries. MCA can also make a thin flexible disc that might be inserted in periodicals. Discs may also be distributed as entire magazines, catalogs, or talking encyclopedias.
Also a variety of independent companies will add other special interest discs to catalogs. One firm, Visiondisc Corp. of New York, for example, planned to tape last year's Christmas services and works of art at a large cathedral for transfer to discs.
Sounds truly exciting doesn't it... I can't wait!

2007 TV Guide Fall Preview: New Shows Issue

Ok, so as I have blogged before there is no more TV Guide in Canada. But that hasn't stopped me from checking out the TV Guide Fall Preview; New Shows issue. Since there is no print edition in Canada, I decided to download the electronic version (cost $2.49) from Zinio, an online electronic magazine distributor. I have also got a friend in the US picking up a copy of the American version of the magazine to mail to me - but for now, I have the computerized edition.
Let me just say that as long as I can pick up hard copies of my favorite magazines, I will continue to do so. I much prefer having the hard copy lying around the house, which I can pick up any time I feel, as opposed to having to sit at my computer to read. I also find it a bit absurd that they charge almost the same price for the downloadable version as it cost for the hard copy editions. For TV Guide, you save 50 buying the online version as opposed to the hard copy edition. I guess they feel that this new electronic version is the way of the future, but for me, I feel that the online version should be cheaper than the hard copy... a lot cheaper! Until the cost of the online versions drops drastically or the hard copies go away all together, I will stick with picking up my magazines at the local news stand
Now on to the issue at hand... or computer screen as it were. The cover says "the scoop on 78 hot new shows!". How many of those 78 do you think will make it past a few episodes before the networks pull the plug on them? It seems they are giving new shows less and less time to establish a following before they decide to cancel them. One exception would be last seasons Jericho, which was canceled after the first season, but then brought back to life as a mid season replacement show this season after a large amount of pressure from its fans - me included! I was greatly disappointed to find out it had been canceled after the first season, especially since the last episode of season one was left as a cliff hanger! Luckily the show will get to give the show a conclusion this season. something not all shows get to do... don't get me started on Gilligan's Island!
Here is the full 2007 Prime Time show grid. It will be fun to check this out in a few months to see which of these shows are still on the air and which have been given the axe.


PS: If anyone reading this would like a copy of this issue or the following issue (Returning shows), just post a message in the comments and I can send you a copy. Part of the purchase agreement from Zinio says that I can send the issues I purchase to other people - they even give me a button at the top of the Zinio reader which allows me to do it. So go ahead and ask!

Fall TV Preview Issue

It's September and that means the new TV season is just about here. Usually this means I am excited about two things; 1) all the new shows to check out, and 2) the special editions of the TV Guide with the Fall Previews. But as I blogged back in November 2006, the Canadian edition of TV Guide ceased publication, so, there will be no TV Guide Fall Preview issues this year. So instead, I picked up the TV Week Fall Preview issue. Although it has a listing of new shows etc, it really doesn't seem the same... it's just not the TV Guide tradition I am used to for the past 20 years.
Enough of my disappointment in the folding of TV Guide... let's get to the new shows.
This issue of TV Week lists 45 new shows, and these are the shows I will be tuning in to and checking out this fall (I'll give each show a rating out of 5 for how much I am looking forward to it - 5 being the ones I am most excited about):

CHUCK (5) - A nerdy computer geek accidentally downloads a secret government computer program concealing all the agency's intel within coded images, giving him instant recall of classified info and a unique ability to connect the dots to thwart all manner of terrorist threats. While keeping his busy day job at the "Nerd Herd" within a big-box electronics store, Chuck covertly assists his feuding NSA/CIA handlers.

THE BIG BANG THEORY (3) - In this geeky sitcom, a pair of brilliant nerds can tackle the toughest mathematical equations, but are completely stymied by their sexy - and not particularly smart - new neighbor.

SAMANTHA WHO (3) - After emerging from an eight-day coma following a car accident, Samantha Newly has total amnesia - and is horrified to discover what a nasty piece of work she it. This comedy follows her not-always-successful attempts to repair the mistakes of the past while learning about the rotten person she used to be.

JOURNEYMAN (2) - A San Francisco newspaper reporter mysteriously stars travelling back in time (but only within the confines of his lifetime), and discovers he must alter events in the past to effect changes in the present. Along the way, he reconnects with his estranged former flame, which complicates his rocky relationship with his wife, who doesn't buy the time-travelling excuse to explain his frequent disappearances.

CARPOOLERS (4) - A quartet of male suburban neighbours band over java and a lame Air Supply songs during their morning commute to work.

REAPER (5) - On his 21st birthday, a chronic underachiever discovers his parents sold his soul to the devil when he was just a baby, and now he must work for Lucifer as a sort of bounty hunter, tracking down evil souls who have escaped from Hell with the help of his wisecracking slacker buddy.

BACK TO YOU (1) - After an on-air meltdown derails his career, pompous LA anchorman Chuck Darling returns to the mid-level Pittsburgh station he abandoned 10 years earlier, where he wasn't exactly beloved by caustic co-anchor Kelly Carr, and the sparks fly in this workplace sitcom.

PUSHING DAISIES (5) - In this quirky comedy with a procedural crime twist, a shy pie-maker has the power to bring the dead back to life with a single touch - then sends them back to the great beyond with a second - a skill that he lends to a PI by briefly reviving murder victims so they can recall who killed them. But when he re-encounters his long-lost love (unfortunately, at her funeral), the gift of life he gives her will only last if they never touch.

BIONIC WOMAN (3.5) - Less a remake than reinvention of the cheesy 1970's superhero series, grad student/bartender Jamie Sommers is almost killed in a horrific car crash, but is then rebuilt with top-secret technology that requires she and her awesome new powers to be at the disposal of a shadowy government agency. But all bets are off when she meets her bionic predecessor, who's broken away and gone rouge.

MOONLIGHT (1) - Mick St. John is a Los Angeles PI with a secret - he's actually a vampire, but chooses to use his dark powers to help the living.

There is also a mid season replacement show I am excited about called THE IT CROWD, which is a remake of the hit Britcom following computer nerds as they keep the bits and bytes flowing at a major corporation. I have been watching the original British episodes on Tech TV and its one of the funniest new shows I have seen in a long time. Hopefully the American remake is as good.

Captain Canuck Vs the Walrus

The other day I was at the library and this particular magazine caught my eye. I could only see half the cover (there is a half cover with text, that can be folded back to reveal the complete picture without text), but the artwork looked very familiar. It turned out it was a drawing of Canadian super hero Captain Canuck, drawn by Captain Canuck creator Richard Comely. It was the February 2007 issue of a Canadian magazine called The Walrus. I took it out along with a pile of other great reads, including the Overstreet Comic Price Guide.
When I got home, I quickly thumbed through the magazine looking for an article on my favorite comic hero, but was disappointed to find that the cover drawing and a small note on the contents page, "Cover: Captain Canuck has been appearing in comic books since 1975. Painting by Richard Comely" were the only Captain Canuck items to be found in the magazine. Inside was an article which said "To The Rescue! Have the Liberals found their Captain Canuck? which is I guess why someone thought it would be a good idea to put a comic book character on the cover.
As for the magazine its self, its one of those magazines where its really hard to tell exactly what the focus (if any) the magazine has. The Walrus magazine is definently not a magazine I will be picking up again, but it was a neat treat to see my favorite super hero on the cover of a recent magazine sitting there at my local library... and now I have a scan of it here on my blog for all to see!

Who Framed Rick Flint?

Yesterday while visiting some new thrift stores, I picked up some great records, games, and lots of books! I am a big fan of the 1988 classic Disney film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and always love adding something new to my Roger Rabbit collection. I found these two great items;
1) Disney Adventures issue from April 1992 with Jessica Rabbit on the cover along with Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse. Although Jessica is on the cover, there is nothing to do with Roger Rabbit in side this one. I also have another issue of Disney Adventures with Jessica on the cover - if I remember correctly she with standing with a bunch of Disney female characters and someone from one of the Star Trek series.
2) Roger Rabbit: Who Framed Rick Flink? from 1991 is a graphic novel style reprint of issues #10 and #11 of the Roger Rabbit Disney Comics. The title of this graphic novel comes from the title of issue #11, which is printed first in this collection. If you never saw the Roger Rabbit comics from Disney Comics in the 90's, they are well worth checking out. Being a big comic book and Disney fan, I bought all the comics that Disney put out in this line of comics including Roger Rabbit and Roger Rabbit's Toontown.

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!

Some Great Magazine Ads

Here are a couple of the great ads that were in the 1983 issue of Muppet Magazaine. The first is for Disney videocassettes in collectors packages with video and hat. The second ad is introducing Disney RCA VideoDiscs. "A world of Wald Disney, Mr. Rogers, the Muppets, Charlie Brown, "Annie," Star Trek," great educational shows and more. All on your own TV. What's more, the RCA VideoDisc player is so simple to operate, a child can do it. Basic players start at $299. Discs as low as $14.98. And for your kids, the magic goes on and on."
I remember having one of those VideoDisc players. It was great, as when be bought the player, it came with a one year unlimited VideoDisc rental plan. I was able to take as many movies as I wanted, so I would take out 2 or 3 movies a night. I must have watch hundreds of movies that year... some, over and over again!
Funny enough, our family had VideoDisc and Beta. We didn't get VHS until both Beta and VideoDisc had faded into obscurity. When the VideoDisc systems were being dumped by video stores, we bought a bunch of the movies on Disc for next to nothing. I have some great VideoDisc titles in my collection including: The Pirate Movie, Friday the 13th, The Pink Panther, Pink Panther Strikes Again, Gold Finger and A Night at the Opera.

Muppet Magazine

While digging in the basement looking for something the other night, I found these two issues of Muppet Magazine from 1983 and 1984. I was a huge Muppets fan back in the70's and 80's and I am sure I pretty excited when I found these magazine on the local news stand. I do remember that at the time I thought they were pretty expensive at the high price of $1.50 an issue! Here were have two great covers; first is Battle of the space heroes (aka Star Wars), featuring Kermit, Gonzo and Piggy in Luke, Vader and Leia. The second cover features a young Ricky Schroder of of the TV sitcom Silver Spoons.

Also being a collector of ads, I was thrilled to see how many great full page ads there were in these two magazines. I will post a few of them once I have the time to scan them all.