Rather ritualistically, the run up to Halloween always seems to find me looking for The Lost Boys on dvd, binge watching old horror B-movies on youtube and spinning the dusty vinyl of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Bauhaus.
I like the cooler temperature, the magnificent colours of falling leaves and the spooky vibe which prevails as the veil is said to become thinner and the bat decorations come out of the belfry. The media I consumed as a kid played an influential part in sowing the pumpkin seeds.
Old Universal and Hammer movies, childhood horror comics, Warren publications, Pan paperbacks, monster themed gum cards, ghoulish glow-in-the-dark Aurora kits and Mego's Mad Monsters all conspired! I was bitten by Halloween and spellbound for life.
Three old tinplate toys which personify the enjoyment of Halloween for me are - Hootin' Hollow Haunted House, Whistling Spooky Kooky Tree and Frankenstein, all sold by MARX in the early '60s.
Haunted House films, stories, toys and games have always been a popular Halloween hoot. Hootin' Hollow Haunted House is a beautiful example of a tinplate toy from this genre. It's a fun filled des res of cobwebbed spooks and spooky spectres.
Eight old fashioned typewriter keys make the magic happen.
They unlock the door to Hootin' Hollows hidden horrors. These included; a jumping black cat, a moving back-lit ghost seen through a window, a suspiciously welcoming vampire opening the front door, a window shade, a rattling roof, a friendly skeleton who pops out of the chimney, spooky noises and whistling wind sound.
As if all that wasn't captivating enough, the bewitching litho is a work of art which draws the eye and lures the imagination.
'Rudy's World' youtube channel gives an exceptional review of his own Haunted House and demonstrates it spooktacular functions.
'It's in the Trees!'... erm, well actually it is a tree... a Whistling Spooky Kooky Tree! This tinplate gem with a wacky appearance could be seen to laugh at our unease of scary childhood fairy tales and foreboding forests, or from an adult perspective, paganism, folklore and even folk horror!
A rare oddball amongst tinplate toys, this lavishly lithographed moving tree has big rolling eyes, a moving mouth, a twisty branch for a conk, all topped with a crown of moving leaves. Its long gnarly arms wave up and down as it moves through the mist.
To intensify the fear factor, the tree emits an eerie whistling noise to enchant those unfortunates stranded in the forest when darkness descends. This adorable tree trunk terror is definitely a cut above the rest for far-out Halloween fun. Incidentally, Marx branched out and made two versions.
The darker Autumn/Winter tree (seen here) and the lighter Spring/Summer example, which has identical functions but a different litho design.
'It's Alive, It's ALIVE!'. My final Halloween fave is Frankenstein (The Monster). It isn't lightening or electricity which sparks him to life... it's a plastic battery operated remote control. By pushing various buttons he walks, he bows, he raises and lowers his long arms. He can also open and close them to grab torch bearing yokels. (These functions are also found in two other popular robotic toys from that era - Mr. Mercury and Dux Astroman).
Frankenstein's litho is based on Universal Studio's dark movie costume, which is polarised by a vibrant green Glenn Strange head sculpt and hands. The brooding box art could've been taken from an old cover of Eerie, Creepy or Famous Monsters.
For those with an interest, Raymond Castile has produced a lovely in-depth youtube review of his own Marx Frankenstein.
All three of my Halloween favourites come from a time when top toy technology was battery operated. All three feature ingenious mechanical functions. All three of these old childhood relics is beautifully lithographed with colourful detail and design. Each has a charm and appeal all of its own. Over the years, I've enjoy being their 'temporary custodian'.
It's a bit like looking after fragile old friends who were around when I was a kid. In return, they make me smile. They conjure up a happy carefree time when my world was full of imagination and wonder, where things were magical and anything seemed possible.
Happy Halloween 2023.
Tony K
UK
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