💰 Greed - 7 Deadly Sins - Living Dead Dolls - Series 7 💰

I bought this doll loose some time ago. I'd never thought that much of her prior to seeing her for sale - having only seen her as part of photographs of the series as a whole.

Apart from Gluttony, which my son bought me as a gift a few years back, the other "Deadly Sin" I coveted (see what I did there?!) was Vanity.

I find the whole plastic surgery for vanity thing to be a sad and very amusing concept - just think "Celebrity Plastic Surgery Disasters" and you'll get where I'm coming from.  

Don't get me wrong, I think the invention of Plastic Surgery as a medical corrective procedure is an amazing thing. My Son, has been under the care of a Plastic Surgery Consultant since early childhood following an accident. I just find perfectly healthy people having surgery to alter themselves to stay young etc very sad.

But I digress, this post is supposed to be about Greed so I better get back on track...

When I received her I was smitten, I love how her eyes are darting to the side, probably focusing on some soon to be acquisition. She is dressed in a lavish "Look at me, I have money" type of way, I imagine her dress and gloves are one- off Designer creations (another thing I find amusing). Her fingers are covered in jewellery. She also has pearl and gem earrings...

But the best thing about her are her chains - reminiscent of Jacob Marley wearing "The chains he created in life" through his love of money. From her chains hang her "Worldly Spoils" - chests with strings of pearls tumbling out of them and mini Piggy Banks.

She is a very good take on something that is symptomatic of one of the problems in Society today, in fact, the whole range of & Deadly Sins dolls are.

While, checking out prices on my other Living Dead Dolls, I checked out Greed and found the above listings and prices for her on Amazon.uk. This was several months back, so I guess prices may have changed somewhat, and as my doll came to me loose, she isn't worth quite so much. 

That said, I have recently managed to secure a spare box for her, which unfortunately came without the plastic cover and inner lining inserts. 

I made a new insert for the tissue paper lining and a name tag insert by tracing around Gluttony's and then decorating them as per some photo's I found online, then bought and lined the insert with yellow tissue paper so it resembles her original one.

I will also be making her a replacement Death Certificate soon,

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Gumby & Pokey Mega Mini Kit by Running Press

retrotvmemories.com

Gumby is a strange green humanoid created from Plasticine by Art Clokey in the 1950s.

 He is the main character of his animation shorts made using stop-gap animation, during which he goes on adventures and solves problems alongside his side-kick Pokey, an orange horse who talks.

Between 1953 and 1969, these shorts were aired on NBC as The Gumby Show, there was a revival of the show during the years 1982 to 1989 called The Gumby Adventures and was the subject of many reruns over the years.

In total Art Clokey made 220 episodes featuring Gumby and Pokey's adventures all of which have been shown on T.V in many countries over the course of the last 50 years since his creation.

It was also released on Home Video and there was even a film called Gumby: The Movie released independently by Clokey Productions in 1995.

Amazon.uk

The Running Press Mini Kit  features posable miniature Gumby and Pokey figures and a mini book which is crammed full of Trivia and information on The Gumby Story and his creator Art Clokey.

It's a perfect little set for anyone who loves these too funny little characters and wants to relive their childhood or even Gumby and Pokey's adventures themselves!

For more information on Gumby, Pokey and their creator Art Clokey check out his website at:

http://www.gumbyworld.com/

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🎃 Trick R Treat - Sam - Living Dead Dolls 🎃

cromeyellow.com/beyond-fest-vlog-trick-r-treat/

I've always had a thing for Portmanteau Anthology Horror Films, some of my favourites were made by Amicus Productions such as Asylum, Dr. Terror's House of Horror, Vault of Horror and Tales from The Crypt (not to be confused with the T.V Series). 

I love the way they tell the individual stories and link them together with a common thread. Amicus and Hammer Horror do this particularly well and unlike some, it doesn't seem forced.

It's very rare that I find a modern film in this genre that gets it right most have one or two stories which really leave their mark on me and the rest are just at best so-so or worse absolutely crap.

                             

So it was a nice surprise to discover how good Trick R Treat is, although not scary it is one of those films that I can happily watch again and again, it never gets old for me, and has many concepts and is so aesthetically pleasing that it really gets my creative mind going.

The stories in the film are tied together in a very unique way, time wise, the characters are shown in the background (starting their own Halloween stories) as another story is the focus by the end of the film all the fragments and stories tie together perfectly.

One recurring character is "Sam" he appears in each of the film's five stories, taking the form of a Trick or Treater until his real purpose is revealed.

He wears an orange footed pyjama suit with a burlap hood covering his face, carries a burlap sack to hold his "Treats" and is often seen with a pumpkin shaped Lollipop which he holds in his little hand as he wanders around, taking note of the film's events.

Sam is the keeper of the customs of Halloween and punishes those who he deems to have broken the rules of the holiday for which he is named. Throughout the film there are many instances of people committing these indiscretions and being punished by Sam because of it.

The Rules of Halloween:

1) Always give sweets to Trick or Treaters - Sam has a sweet tooth!

2) Always wear a costume - Sam hates people who don't get into "the Halloween Spirit"

3) Never extinguish the flame of a Jack-O-Lantern before Midnight. This rule includes destroying pumpkins - Sam has an afinity to pumpkins, you'll find out how later!
4) Always Respect The Dead.

The Living Dead Doll depiction of Sam is 10 inches high and wears his trademark grubby romper suit. It comes with a removable mask made of burlap, a mini Lollipop with bite mark in it and his "Treat sack" exactly as he appears in the film.

My Son, knowing how much I love the film and Sam in particular, bought me this adorable little man for Christmas 2016.

The only difference between the film version and Mezco's version is his hands, which sadly are plain white on the doll but look like normal children's hands wearing burlap finger less gloves in the film.

I will be fixing this on my Sam as soon as I get the chance!

His mask is removable and once removed reveals Sam's true face; his creator Michael Dougherty describes him as being "a cross between an embryo and a pumpkin". 

For me this is the perfect description, the more I look at him, the more I see the merging of both, not only in terms of his face, but the whole of his head.

He is just as cute from behind too, not least because his romper suit has a little bum flap but you can also clearly see the pumpkin shape of his head too!

When viewed from above you can see his little head even has a little stalk on top of it just like a pumpkin. Although unlike a pumpkin his head is not bright orange and the stalk is not green, this not only adds to the "realism" of him but is also very much inline with the film character which he represents.

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Tetris Board Game by Tomy - 1989

http://vadim.oversigma.com/Tetris.htm

Created in 1984 by Russian Computer Engineer and Video Game Designer Alexy Pajitnov while working at The Academy Of Science in Moscow, it quickly became one of the best known and most loved games in existence not least because it was available on every home computer (Commodore 64, Spectrum, P.C etc) as well as Arcade Machines and hand held consoles. 

http://vadim.oversigma.com/Tetris.htm

The premise is extremely simple, the player must rotate and fit one of 7 different coloured, randomly generated Tetrominoes into a grid as they fall from the top of the screen. The aim is to make a complete line across the grid, each time you do so that line is removed from the grid. 

 As the game progresses the Tetrominoes fall faster - if you aren't able to make enough complete lines and remove them from the grid, the Tetrominoes will pile up higher and higher until they reach the top of the grid. If this happens the game is lost.

In 1989 Tomy released a board game version of the well known game which works on the same principle. The grid is smaller as unlike the computer version of the game you play against another player.

To begin you move the central dividing slider to dead centre of the board and then press the button at the side of the board.

This generates the shape of the Tetromino and like the Video Game its entirely up to you which way you rotate it and where you place it in the grid.

When a player completes one or more lines, they move the central slider towards their opponent the  number of lines indicated by the key on the side of the board. The game continues until one player runs out of room on their side of the board.

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ª"˜¯¨¨* Oz The Great and Powerful - Oscar Diggs doll by Jakks Pacific*¨¨¯˜"ª

Maybe it's the purist in me, but I really didn't enjoy this film. I enjoyed reading Frank Baum's OZ books and the 1939 film with Judy Garland e al, this film however really grated on my nerves.

It has some interesting aspects, artistically it's brilliant, the flying monkey, while I found him out of place and very annoying is adorable, same goes for China Girl and the adorable little pink fairy thing. The background story of The Wicked Witch of The West was interestingly portrayed and I loved the look of her, I also liked that they gave more of a background on the charlatan who went onto become The Wizard also known as Oz The Great and Powerful. 

I did however, love the look of him, he's very dapper with his top hat, three- piece suit and Gladstone bag. So when the doll version of him was released, I couldn't resist him. 

Amazon.co.uk

I have a bit of a thing about boy dolls, although the ones I like tend to be very few and far between. 

The fact that he came with a mini China Girl only added to his appeal for me, that said though I would definitely have preferred a little flying monkey too instead of the charm included in the packaging.

google images

Jakks Pacific's Oscar Diggs Doll is also one of the more facially attractive male doll's I've seen in a long time, most have very generic faces, such as in the case of MyScene boy dolls.

His outfit is beautifully made and presented and puts me in mind of Steam Punk style, which was another reason I wanted him. I think he's a really good candidate for customisation and would benefit from a make over to put him more in line with the way I've been envisioning him.

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👣 The Bigfoot Board Game By Waddingtons - 1987 👣

https://www.coasttocoastam.com

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but as I'm sure by now you all know how much of a geek I am, so I guess it will come as no surprise to learn that I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the legendary creature known in some parts of the World as Bigfoot.

http://mauiwatch.com/2017/04/looking-back-harry-hendersons-1987/

Ever since I was a small child, I've loved the thought of this big beasties living as part of our World, but apart from the Human Race, I read all the books I could on the subject, watched as many documentaries as I could and so when Harry and The Henderson's came out in 1987, I was well up for watching that too!

To be honest with you I can't remember much about that T.V. Show, but I do remember "Harry" and how innocent he was, the expressions on his face which conveyed so much emotionally and how I so wanted to find my own Bigfoot to love!!

In later years, I of course realised this would never happen, not least because of geography but also the elusive nature of these beasties, which adds so much to their lure.

Still I did manage to get myself a posable Bigfoot Action Figure and yay, also a board game, which comes with an adorable mini Bigfoot who lives on top of a mountain!

www.ebay.co.uk

As my game is currently in storage and the only photo of the board I could find on my laptop was far too fuzzy to show much detail, I had to use one of the board which I found on Ebay.uk, which is a much better photo as it not only shows the Explorers and Bigfoot better but it also shows how cool the artwork is on the box and how it not only is useful for storing the game but also becomes part of the game itself when the board is taken out and placed on top of the bottom section.

The game box itself is decorated around the edges with images of mountain scenes, the board itself can be taken out of the box to play but I think it's better played inside the box, that way, you'll never lose any of the parts, as those boulders have a tendency to roll off into hard to reach places!

Google Images

 You play as one of 4 coloured teams of 3 very happy looking Explorers, who are following Bigfoot's trail, marked by footprints around the board and eventually up the side of the mountain in order to find Bigfoot.

boardgamegeek.com/image/582255/bigfoot-game

This is obviously making Bigfoot very angry so at the same time that the Explorers are tracking him, Bigfoot is trying to keep them away by hurling (Subbuteo style kicking) boulders at you as you travel in an attempt to either scare you off his scent or make your Explorers fall off the side of the mountain as they climb closer towards him.

Bigfoot rotates throughout the game as he throws his boulders, so it isn't possible to stay behind him and try to hide from the falling boulders as they come tumbling downwards.

To win you must get each of your 3 Explorers to the top of the mountain, .

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🐵 Donkey Kong Board Game by Milton Bradley - 1982 🐵

Growing up in the 80s and frequenting Arcades as we all did in those days, it was impossible not to have heard of the platform game Donkey Kong.

http://gifsgallery.com/donkey+kong+gif

When home consoles became available it gave us all the ability to play our favourite Arcade games and even some of the most popular Arcade games which we always wanted to try but could never get a go on in the Arcade, without the need to have a load of coins to feed the machine with.

For those without access to Games Arcades or Home Consoles or just geeks like me, Milton Bradley had it covered when they launched a board game version of the Arcade hit!

I've already posted about my other Milton Bradley board game versions of popular Arcade games - Frogger from 1981 and Pac man from 1982. It seems like a weird concept at first, after all much of the Arcade games or even Home Console versions of these games comes from the difficulty, sense of achievement, sounds, music and speed in with the games move, but they oddly translate pretty well; this may of course depend on how big a Nerd you are, but meh I'm a pretty big one, and I like these versions for different reasons to why I like the Video Game versions but in some ways, just the same!

Anyway, on to game play and contents... The board is set out like the Video Game with the different levels and girders between each, for your Jumpman / Mario character counter to move up the board in an attempt to rescue The Lady / Pauline from the clutches of Donkey Kong. 

In keeping with the Video Game Donkey Kong throws Barrels and fireballs (once the barrels land at the bottom of the board)  in an attempt to hit and kill you.

The game features a large and quite dominating looking stand alone Donkey Kong, with a movable arm into which you place individual barrels which he then "throws" down the board. These barrels rolls are determined by throwing the "Donkey Die" which gives options for throwing barrels, or Donkey Kong taking a rest, so more more barrels or fireballs enter play until the next throw.

The game is for up to 4 players, each one has a different colour in order to differentiate while all the tokens are on the board. At the start of the game each player chooses one of the 4 Jumpman characters and is then dealt 3 cards before the game can begin.

The cards give players the ability to Jump or Smash the barrels with a hammer as you approach then, they also give the number of points you score when performing these acts as you move along and up the board. 

There are also opportunities to avoid obstacles on the board, again these opportunities are played with the use of cards. It is also possible to loose points accrued by not having enough cards in play during your turn and your opponent also has the opportunity to take a card off you at various points in the game. This of course makes the game harder than if it was just a case of getting to the top of the board to win.

 The winner is the player who scores the most points while travelling across and up the board.

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KOJAK Detective Board Game by Arrow Games Ltd - 1975

Growing up in the 80's there were a load of great cop shows to watch on T.V. one of my favourites was Kojak, it was gritty, and unlike our British cop shows, American Detectives had guns! 

While I enjoyed the punch ups our T.V crime fighters dished out on a variety of villains, there was something so alluring about the idea of living in a big city like New York and going on wild car chases, waving guns and saying things like "Book 'em Daddio", "say it to the judge" or in the case of Kojak "Who loves ya baby" while taking them "Down Town to get Booked" that found it's way into our pretend games far easier than anything The Sweeney or Body & Doyle from The Professionals had to offer.

The best thing was if you wanted to play at being Kojak all you needed was a plastic gun, a pair of sunglasses (optional) and a lollipop!

A few years back I found another way to play Kojak, when I happened upon a board game version of the series from 1975. Of course, I just had to get my hands on it and give it a go!!

The game is for 2 to 4 players who play the role of a Detective in the Manhattan South Precinct. The Detective counters take the form of two colour coded cars; choose from Red, Yellow, Green or Blue, which you move around the board as you hunt one of the 4 Criminal counters; also coloured Red, Blue, Yellow and Green. 

The idea is that 4 serious crimes have been committed and a file for each has been opened at the precinct; these are also colour coded: The Red File concerns a Bank Raid, The Yellow File a Political Corruption case, The Blue File a string of scams by a team of Confidence Tricksters and The Green File is a case of a Gangland Killing.

To set up the board to begin the game, each of the the 4 Criminal Counters (also colour coded) are placed on one of the areas of the board marked Bank, Club House, City Hall and Hotel on the sections of that area denoted by a black dot.

The Detective cars are placed in the Down Town Car Park in the centre of the board at the start of the game, the person with the highest number on the dice begins the game by travelling in a clockwise direction around the board until they reach the Contact Card Room, this is where you collect your assignment. 

After you receive your assignment you are able to draw Trap cards which will assist you in catching the Criminal you have been assigned to arrest. You will also need a Warrant card to do this. 

Once you have the correct cards to capture your Criminal you can proceed around the board until you get to one of the 4 buildings in which your Criminal is hiding. When you get there you Stake Out the building while the Criminal moves to a position in the building denoted by the red area in which you are able to arrest them.

Once your Criminal is caught you return to the Down Town Car Park and start again, until all the Criminals are captured. The winner is the Detective who makes the most number of arrests.

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