Tuesday, October 04, 2011
HOLY SAINTED DEAR AUNT EDNA!!!! As someone who constantly lives in the past (Hiya Cheeks!), I am wont to remember vivid details of everything from the blackberry bushes in my neighbours back yard to Thor's drug store on Westfield Avenue where I bought a "Peanuts" paperback in 1974. So, its quite unusual for me to be taken completely by surprise with some beloved childhood artifact of which I had totally forgotten. But this is what happened today when I happened to stumble across a photo online of something I had and loved as a child but never remembered until now. It is the CASTLE DRACULA FUN HOUSE Colorforms Set which I had for years and somehow completely disappeared on me! I know I never would've given it up so I'm at a loss as to how it's no longer in my possession (and how I'd forgotten it all these years later). As a kid, I always loved Colorforms. If you don't know what they are, you probably need to consult the oracle. But basically they were a boxed collection of stickers made out of plastic (seen here) which you would peel off the black "tray" or "holder" and stick to the special boards included which had appropriate scenery on them (seen here) but they wouldn't stick to anything else. I even remember this aspect -- if you look at the coffin and the door you may notice they are designed to open so you can put a figure inside. Sweet! These were not stickers in the sense that we think of stickers today. Gosh, I don't know how to really explain them so they make any sense if'n you've no idea what Colorforms are. Do they even still make Colorforms??? Ah, you know what? It looks like they STILL MAKE 'EM! Wow, who knew?!?!! But anyway, when I unsuspectingly came across a photo of the front cover of CASTLE DRACULA FUN HOUSE, an intense wave of recognition and nostalgia wholloped into me as the memories came flooding back. A quick search of the oracle didn't being up much concerning this toy but I did manage to find these glorious photos which I shamefacedly admit to having hijacked from a blog called tracystoys.blogspot.com. I hope she will forgive me but these are the only images I can find of this long-lost and now much-lamented missing toy from my past. Go over to Tracy's Toys and read her amusing story of tracking down the colorforms set and her nerve-wracking odyssey trying to bid for each part of the set individually on ebay. Another painful point about my rediscovery is that this set apparently is considered one of the best Colorforms sets ever made and goes for a pretty penny on ebay etc. As Charlie Brown would say: "ARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!" But at least I can look at these photos and remember when. And what a perfect time for me to rediscover CASTLE DRACULA FUN HOUSE Colorforms then smack dab in the middle of the Halloween Countdown. This kinda thing is what doing this is all about!
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