3-D Monster Pops

Holy Halloween!  I just got a huge kick of nostalgia, right in the feels this evening!  I was just scrolling through Facebook, minding my own business, when an article posted to Haunter's Hangout caught my eye.  A member of the group shared this post about zombie popsicle molds.  Normally, a zombie popsicle mold wouldn't necessarily catch my attention; while I do love frozen treats, I'm not a huge zombie fan.  But, as soon as my eye skimmed the accompanying photo, it was like a part of me automatically zoomed back to my childhood as I remembered eating monster popsicles.  Looking at the photo, I could literally feel that awesome sensation of my tongue going over all the little nooks and crannies offered by the unique designs, including Dracula, a mummy, Frankenstein's Monster, and possibly a skeleton.

The photo that sparked the memory. Source

Before that moment, I had completely forgotten these popsicles even existed. I hadn't thought about them for years, and now all of a sudden, I'm flooded with memories.  Memories are now a little fuzzy, but I'm pretty sure the only times I actually ate these were at my grandparents' house in Beckley, WV.  I grew up near Charleston, and I don't remember eating them at home, but I'm not sure if that's because we couldn't find them here...or my mom wouldn't buy them for me.

I'm also not 100% sure the time frame that I had these.  I remember eating them at my grandparents' old house, and I'm pretty sure it was before I was 10, so sometime probably between 1985 and 1992. I also don't think these were limited to just Halloween---I'm pretty sure they were available year round.  Anyway, like I'm apt to do, I went to Google to see if I could find anything out about my beloved childhood treat.

The Monster Pops from my childhood. Dracula was my favorite! Source

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out much, but I was thrilled to find a photo at least proving that I wasn't totally crazy; these things actually existed.  The picture above comes from the Gone But Not Forgotten Groceries Blog, which notes that they don't own the photo and aren't sure who does. The blog and its comments offered some good insight, though.  Turns out these 3-D Monster Pops were manufactured by the Good Humor and came in boxes of 12. When the author of the blog reached out to Good Humor, they couldn't provide any information.  Flavors included grape, orange, and cherry.  Like me, a lot of people commenting on the post remember eating these in the mid to late 1980's, but they could have been around as early as the 1970's and some people reported finding them in their local store as late as the latter half of the 1990's. It also seems like from the comments that these were marketed largely to the southern states; one person was even located in my general area of southern West Virginia.

I'm absolutely craving one of these 3-D Monster Pops now, so maybe I'll have to buy those zombie molds, if anything, in an attempt to recreate that unique sensation of a 3-D popsicle on my tongue. And, obviously, I'd love to know more about these!  If you know anything about these frozen delights, or have any memories of eating them yourself, please let me know in the comments below.

Halloween 1987?

Happy Throwback Thursday!  I'm that cute lil' princess, and that's my older sister as a gypsy.  I'm not entirely sure what year this picture was taken, but I'm guessing it was sometime between 1986 and 1988.  I still remember that crown as being not only a beloved Halloween costume component, but also a favorite everyday dress up item!  In fact, I'm pretty sure a year or two before THIS photo was taken, my sister wore that same crown as part of her Beauty Pageant Queen costume.

Before moving to Winfield, my trick-or-treating didn't take place around my neighborhood.  We lived in a rather smallish trailer park, so each year, my parents would take me and my sister to the mall in Kanawha City.  Back then, the mall was a bustling shopping center, and every store gave out candy to the trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.  But, before we collected our sugar haul, my mom would drag us into the mall's photo studio for our annual Halloween portrait! I'm sure back then I thought it was a huge drag to have to sit for a formal photo when all I wanted to do was eat candy, but I'm so glad my mom made us take the time to get them done.  I LOVE Halloween and now I have a beautiful photograph of my sister and myself to remind me of how we celebrated my favorite time of year as a child. This costume, like most of mine before the age of 10, was a simple one...a lacy, pink party dress paired with cheap sequined tiara headband...but I remember feeling just like a princess in it!

What was YOUR favorite Halloween costume as a kid? Let me know in the comments below, or join me over at Theresa's Haunted History Facebook page and share your own photos!  Happy Halloween 365, everyone!

Let Me Sing You The Halloween Song of My People!

Aww...I just love this vintage Halloween image!  From the wistful look in that jack-o-lantern's eyes to that apathetic crescent moon in the background....there's just a lot of cool Halloween imagery to see!  I'd love to hear the song that cat is singing as a serenade to his Halloween Gourd Friend.  

Vintage Kool-Aid Halloween Advertisement

Oh yeah!  I miss the flavor of 'homemade' Kool-Aid.  It seemed like no matter how much sugar I put into my mix, it still never had that too-sweet taste that today's Kool-Aid coolers/juice boxes have.  And, back when my hair was much lighter, a package of Kool-Aid made a quick, cheap dye!  The date I found for this advertisement was 1964 and multiple uploads of it can be found on Pinterest and other spots around the web. 

Halloween Safety 1977/1985

If changing your costume from black to white, and adding obnoxious amounts of red, reflective tape doesn't keep you safe from getting hit by a car on Halloween night, make sure you put your name and address on your treat bag so they can identify your body. Photo Source

Growing up, I was expressly forbidden to wear a mask at Halloween.  Not only did my mom swear that my vision would be impaired, she was also convinced that I wouldn't be able to breathe.  When my nephew was old enough to start picking out his own Halloween costumes, she reluctantly let him have masks....but not before she totally ruined them by enlarging the eye and nose holes to the point where there was no point in even wearing a mask.

So, when I found this Halloween safety film from 1977, I had to laugh.  I'm pretty sure that my mom was required to watch this as a young mother.  I can totally empathize with the little girl whose costume is completely changed to make it safer. 

This delightful little film was released by Centron Educational Films and is dated 1977.  It was lovingly brought to the internet thanks to a blogger named Jason Willis. Willis, then seven years old, makes a brief appearance in the film!  According to his blog, Willis was cast from his 2nd grade costume parade at school, thanks to his awesome Creature From the Black Lagoon costume. He can be seen at around the 5:26 mark in the film.  He's the kid putting in the wax teeth.

If the video won't play on the screen, here's the YouTube Link.

But...there's more!

I just recently found out that with the help of Coronet Films, they made a second edition!  The 1985 follow-up features an animated talking pumpkin walking you through various safety tips, including costuming, pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating and more. I thought it was funny that the 1977 film came out two years after my sister was born, while the 1985 version came out when I was two years old!  After watching both, I'm now thoroughly convinced my mom got her own Halloween safety tips from these videos! In fact, I could swear that I've heard her quote them, verbatim.

This version is a little more...funky...opening with deadly Halloween masks flying around a black screen while upbeat music plays.  The cast is also a little more diverse, and at the end, the pumpkin is joined by a cute, spooky lil' cartoon ghost. However, its still a major buzz kill, and I can only guess how many kids' Halloween memories were tainted by overzealous, safety-obsessed parents who were forced to watch this film. I-Mockery does a hilarious write-up on the original film, so definitely go check it out after watching.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

YouTube Direct Link

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Theresa's Halloween Wonderland! It's definitely my intention to further develop this blog in 2018! I'd like to take it from a simple repository of things for me to browse through when I'm feeling down to a blog that I'd be proud to share with everyone. Halloween is just one of those things that make me happy, no matter what time of year it is! 

1958 Halloween Poem

It's Thursday...so let's have a little throwback! This image, with the accompanying poem by Alice Swaim entitled Night for Pretending, was found on the Doo Wacka Doodles blog. The date given was 1958. 

Haunted Halloween Farm

I have a confession. I used to hate the color orange. I still loved Halloween, but my aesthetic definitely left out anything pumpkin-colored. But, as I've gotten older, my tastes have definitely changed. I have found myself falling in love with absolutely anything featuring black and dark burnt orange. There is just something so vintage and nostalgic about this color combination---I honestly cannot get enough of it! 

A beautiful example of such is this painting by Ryta (rytaray) entitled Haunted Halloween Farm. At one time, prints were available of this visually stunning piece of art, but unfortunately do not seem to be available at this time. However, go check her out on eBay and maybe you can get lucky! She has a wonderful collection of similar vintage images in her shop. 

The Pumpkin's Destiny

Lately, there's been a distinct, Autumn chill to the air here in the tri-state. The local stores are beginning to put out their Halloween stock, and I've been watching hours of YouTube tutorials on different Halloween crafts. Needless to say, I'm getting pretty excited about Halloween 2017!

Today's vintage image was found on the Facebook group, Vintage Halloween. I couldn't find any additional information on it, but it was too weird not to share with you all. The faces on the non-carved pumpkins are, well....horrific, especially that big guy in the middle! I can only imagine what is running through their minds as they gaze at lighted corpses of their own kind.

No Spirits Here

Good Sunday morning, everyone! I hope you're enjoying your daily dose of Halloween goodness here at Theresa's Halloween Wonderland. I'll be featuring some more in-depth articles soon, as well as some different types of Halloween subject matter, but one thing you may find weird is that I will NOT be posting much, if any GHOST related stuff. It's not that I exclude ghosts and spirits from Halloween, but aside from the occasional legend, craft, decorating idea, etc., things such as haunted places and true ghost stories will continue to be featured on my main blog, Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State. If you haven't checked it out yet, go now!

Miss Halloween

For all my fans of vintage Halloween postcards, here's another great example from the early 1900s. I love Miss Halloween's style, especially her pumpkin purse. Although, I'm not terribly sure what is being implied by the text underneath! 

Inside My Head

Yes, yes it is! I celebrate a lil' Halloween every day...but this weekend, something hit me and I have been absolutely obsessed! I've been watching video after video on YouTube, from Halloween DIYs to Disney's Not-so-Spooky Halloween party. This is the first Halloween we've had Amazon Prime, as well, so I've been enjoying finding what's available there, too.

Best of all, we've started planning our super, ultra, mega Halloween Party! This year will have a theme...I don't want to give it away yet, but I'll give you a hint. Our Halloween party this year will be based off a popular new Netflix original series. Anyone have a guess?

A Jolly Halloween!

Every day inches us a little closer to Halloween! I found and totally fell in love with this hilarious early Halloween postcard, featuring a line of strange lil' black cats getting ready to do some trick-or-treating! I like to imagine this is what my own lil' black cat, Ichabod, and her brother, Snowball, do when we're not watching.

For more hilarious vintage Halloween, check out this BuzzFeed article, 22 Truly Bizarre Vintage Halloween Postcards!   There are some HILARIOUS examples of why Halloween is my favorite time of the year...and why VINTAGE Halloween is the greatest thing ever.

Judy Garland and the Black Cat

I absolutely LOVE this photo of actress Judy Garland, snuggled up with a black cat and reading Ghost's Night Out. One of my favorite ways to spend a quiet evening is cuddled up with my own black kitty, Ichabod, and a good ghost book! 

This photo was taken August 16, 1938, by Eric Carpenter.

'Tis Near Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Melons!

What better way to say Happy Halloween than some weird little melon dudes brandishing weapons in the direction of a moon pie? I'm pretty sure this Throwback Thursday post comes from another Tuck postcard from the early 1900s...

A Halloween Poem

Happy Saturday! I found this beauty over on the Celebrate Halloween Facebook page.

 

A Vintage Ohio Halloween

Did you enjoy Halloween in West Virginia, a vintage collection of photographs from the Mountain State?  If so, you're sure to like today's Throwback Thursday post as well.  The Ohio Memory Project has an awesome collection of searchable documents, including newspaper archives, historic photographs, and other primary sources.  Of course I had to search the photos for 'Halloween' and was pleasantly surprised at the results!  Here's a few of the photos I found!

This first one is really intriguing.  Apparently, it wasn't in poor taste in Worthington, Ohio, circa 1950 to dress up as HITLER for Halloween...so long as you were doing it to express a popular belief that the Nazi dictator really wasn't dead.  More information can be found HERE.

Here are some slightly more acceptable costumes.  These contestants are awaiting the judges' decision in a Halloween costume contest on October 30, 1937 at Edgemont Elms in Dayton.

This final picture was taken at a Genoa Halloween party around 1900  Although the party-goers have largely decided against wearing costumes, the jack-o-lanterns are spot on!

 * More Halloween photos from the Ohio Memory Project archives! *

Halloween in West Virginia

I have recently discovered and fallen in love with the West Virginia History on View website, which is a HUGE database of over 49,000 historical images from all over the Mountain State.  You could spend hours browsing this site and finding images you've never seen anywhere else.  One excellent feature of the site is the option to search by keyword, and guess which keyword I tried?  Yup.  Halloween!

This first one's description is listed as Children Celebrating Halloween in Costume (ca. 1900-1910)

This next one features the Storer College Choir performing in Harpers Ferry.  The college was West Virginia's first African-American college, operating from 1865 to 1955. 

I love this next scene of a Halloween Party at West Virginia State University (1960-1970).  It doesn't seem like the girls are having too much fun, lol. 

Staying on the campus of West Virginia University, this next image looks pretty horrifying!  However, the description assures us that this is just a Halloween effigy hanging from Glennlock Hall around 1966.

The final photo is actually pretty interesting.  It seems to be an advertisement for an event at Morgantown's Warner Theater.  It's description simply states 'Fanny Foley, Morgantown, W.Va. (1920).'  The Warner Theater (which is haunted by the way!) didn't open until 1931, so I'm going to guess that this photo is closer to that date.  As for Fanny Foley, she may look somewhat like a man in drag in this picture, but Fanny Foley Herself was a popular 1931 movie starring Edna May Olliver as a woman attempting to revive her vaudeville career. 

1909 Tuck Halloween Postcards

While a LOT of this blog is going to be devoted to vintage and antique Halloween items and imagery, Thursdays are especially designated to showcase some of the awesome spooky goodness from a bygone era.  In today's Throwback Thursday we'll take a look at some rather...interesting...vintage post cards.

I'm almost positive that ALL of these postcard images come from the Raphael Tuck and Sons' Halloween series 160, dating back to 1909.  These seriously crack me up, especially the first one.  Look at the devil in the background pitchforking that strange fruit guy.  Apparently they made amends because by the 'end' of the series, they've all sat down to a homecooked meal, lol.