Lolly Gobble Choc Bomb Anyone?

I saw these badges online and thought yes! I remember the top three, Brrr Blobs, Lolly Gobble Choc Bomb and Freak Out.

If memory serves, these were all ice cream lollies.

Tonibell sounds like cheese.

But what on earth was/is a Walls Kerb Driller? 

The Train in Spain

 A while back I came across this cool Combat Man train set with Action Man style branding.

I was struck how great it looked in its box and no doubt attractive to kids in the toy shop.

Well I found a similarly handsome boxed set on Todocollecion so I saved the pics.

The Spanish Tren Nocturno.

I love the wet night box art! 

I was surprised the trains weren't black like they are on the cover.

Have you any interesting boxed sets like these? 

Oh MAN! From Alfred E. Neumann to Jack Carter: from Merthyr to Geordieland via Barton Upon Humber

 Bear with me!

I'm a big fan of LP cover artist, the American Rick Griffin.

Rick, among many fine things, did an amazing wet fish album cover in his gloriously unique style, the name of which or the group I'd sadly forgotten. 

Recently my friend fancied a MAN fest, an afternoon of listening to MAN, the old welsh rockers from Merthyr Tydfil.

Whilst researching for it I saw the fish!

 It's one of MAN's albums, called Slow Motion, a wet fish good enough to hang on a wall, but one that got into hot water with MAD magazine and the illicit use of Alfred E. Neumann's likeness and the famous MAD font!

An intermittent member of the MAN band was Malcolm Morley.

Malcolm Morley had originally founded a rock group called Help Yourself.

Help Yourself also had one Richard Treece playing for them.

Turns out that Richard Treece's Dad, Henry Treece, was a teacher at Barton Upon Humber Grammar School.

Attending that school was pupil Ted Lewis.

Encouraged by Henry, Ted grew up be a writer of novels.

He kicked off Brit-Noir with Jack's Return Home. 

This was then made into arguably the greatest British film of all time, Get Carter.

Starring Michael Caine, Get Carter's gritty gangster action takes place in England's North East (as it does in the book), with the famous vengeful climax grimly set on a lonely industry-strewn beach in County Durham.

So, there you have it!

Alfred E. Neuman to Get Carter via Barton Upon Humber, where me and the Missus have just been!

Voila! 

Go East!

 An impromptu Halloween getaway through to the east afforded us great views of the spectacular Humber Bridge dividing Yorkshire from North Lincolnshire, together with a breathtaking tolled experience for the car driver and passenger. 

Whilst mooching around North Cave indoor Sunday market, a vast sprawling hangar of collectables with an outdoor boot sale, together giving off a sort of frontier town vibe, I saw this odd vehicle grille. Anyone any idea what it's from?

Walking by the backstreet boatyard of Barton on Humber I clocked this dilapidated carriage. Not something you see every day! 

North Cave offered tinplate as well including this spiffing red Triang crane. 

Barton's docked boats seem piled together on the tidal mud. I wonder if Ted Lewis, Barton's famous son, was inspired by the wild industrial scenery, when he penned Get Carter?

And some craft are in drydock too.

This moored barge made me think of Fitzcarraldo ( speaking of German auteurs, we think we spotted Werner Herzog in our restaurant!)

Die-cast abounded at North Cave too.

And Barton's oozy stream was lined with reeds

Sadly these wheels weren't lined with reds but this old, albeit battered, Hot Wheels nonetheless was nestling in the shadows at North Cave.

What I did pick up were some vintage Action Man equipment, a Sunny Smile white armoured car, some fascinating old Disney keyrings, a bag of old soldiers and a COR annual from 1974. 

Gorgeous East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire are always worth a mooch! (Just don't call it Humberside!)

Have you been?

Have you any big bridges near you? 

Poster 21

 In its heyday Century 21 merchandising had a real broad reach.

Here's a racing poster they released.

I've never heard of Denny Hulme or the BOAC 500. Have you? 

TIME  TO SLEEP  IF YOU  CAN!

Don't have nightmares! 

🎃

Shallowed Ground 💀

In the dying sludge of All Hallows Eve, when the unruly graveyard beyond returned to sleep,

I took the begrudging midnight air one final time and thought of her, my dead sorceress,

Whence there it appeared, bled from her tortuous hell, that eerie crimson beast I had feared so much,

It grew groaning before me, the bloody corpulence I had come to dread, 

Between the rending trees it coalesced from fiery death into red and hateful eyes that,

Were testament to my dark madness, my last damnation in the yawning mouth of the feast, as she cast me within the ink-black gridlock of her fatal final spell. 

🩸

Creature Castle: Good Enough to Hang

 I reckon this is one of the best looking creepy board game boxes ever, from 1975, Creature Castle. 

I'd frame it for on my wall. Alas, I sold my example years ago. 

Can you think of a better box top?

A Halloween hoot. 

What would you play?