Godzilla "Mystery Minis" Vinyl Figures (Funko, 2018)

Uh-oh, Funko has made another adorable Godzilla product! Besides the "Pops," there has been one Godzilla "Mystery Mini" before, which was part of a blind-boxed set of Science Fiction characters.  This 3-pack is all-Godzilla and all new.  It's a Previews exclusive, which means comic shops only--but Amazon is also an alternative!

Aaaaaand speaking of Amazon, let's talk about the obfuscated "mystery" figure.  A couple of Ebay sellers had opened photos, and their figure was also the orange "Burning Godzilla." However, take a look at this photo supplied by an Amazon customer in their review:

Godzilla in 1954-ish color scheme? The question becomes, how many figures are in this line, anyway? The entire back of the package is taken up with stock art from the American movie--a film that's already over 4 years old, by the way--and gives us no clues!

What worries me is, the answer is probably "it's Funko." They have reinvented the art of collector manipulation!

"Magnetic Godzilla" (Jumbo Puffy Magnets (Item #2129, 1978)

You have to take this item with a grain of "Why?" because I can assure you, even in the late 1970's, a Jumbo Puffy Magnet caused consternation.  Yes, Puffy Stickers were a thing, and Character Magnets had long been a thing, but someone decided to combine the two, and this was the result.

An unopened one has been a minor "grail" item for me for several years now, in that the last packaged specimen eluded me:

The one that got away...fortunately, it was Godzooky.

When this one appeared, I leaped upon it, and I'm glad to say, it featured the much-preferred Godzilla.  "Jumbo" is a good word, and should be in the title.  The whole thing with header card measures 11.5" tall.  Apparently though, like the Puffy Stickers this nameless company also made, these were offered in different sizes.  About a week later, a loose example came up that I also bought, and it was much smaller:

Also, much Godzooky-er.

I do have one other loose example, which is also the "Jumbo" size.  It was in a display header card from an old gumball machine. It's elsewhere on this blog, but for completeness:

Back to the packaged Jumbo specimen at hand, here is a bit better photo of the header card:

On both this, as well as the packaged Godzooky specimen, the Item Number has a (reproduced) first digit that is written in, so there was some sort of running change or error in the numbering.

The magnets are pretty weak.  The small Godzooky will stick to the refrigerator, but needs to be undisturbed to stay up there, and would never hold up a sheet of paper.

Another "most wanted" item checked off.  Now, "KING OF THE MONSTERS Pressbook" moves to the top of the list.

Bootlego Ultraman and Baltan minifigures!

Yes, these are Chinese bootlegs, but they are irresistible ones...I was very surprised to see these pop up, as the people who produce "bootlego" have moved into lots of original directions. First up is Ultraman:

It goes without saying (or typing), but I certainly hope they produce some more of the Ultra Brothers in the near future.  I ordered two of these figures, and I'm glad I did, because the dreaded Quality Control issues definitely come into play with a figure that has such a complicated paint job.  I had to mix and match parts to make one passable figure...he's not 100%, but close enough.  You will see the leftover parts shortly, in a photo below.

Next up is the Baltan:

I hope they don't go too crazy with villain kaiju, but Ultraman definitely has some great and iconic foes to be made.  There is a design flaw in the giant claws, in that they won't insert completely into the arms, and with bootlego, if it "don't fit," you "don't force it."

Baltan attack! (Insert scary slow-motion laughing here.) Here you see some of the "factory error" parts that I couldn't use, including an Ultraman head that is so mangled and mispainted, it looks downright creepy!

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

World's Fair 1982 Shopping Bag!

In going through a drawer looking for something ELSE this weekend, I uncovered this shopping bag from the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee! As you can see, Pac-Man was all the rage at the time.  I also remember a giant motorized Rubik's Cube that rotated as it "worked itself." Both those things were huge at the time.  I think this bag has survived so well because of the thick plastic they used to use!

By the way, I did eventually find what I was looking for:  a feather from a vintage Big Bird suit that a friend got for me 20 years ago! Mission accomplished, with a bonus.