There's Something About Mary Hair Gel

In 1998 at advance screenings for There's Something About Mary the audience were given little packets of hair gel. The packets were covered with risque double entendre jokes. If you liked the film you should get a kick out of the jokes. As always click the pics to enlarge.

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Personally I don't know how well the hair gel works. I've kept mine safely sealed in its little foil packet. I'm sure it's a fine untainted product, but why take chances.

Real Fake Wacky Packages Poster

If you're reading this you probably own, have owned, or at least heard of Wacky Packages.

They've been extremely popular from the sixties up to this very day.

This popularity has spawned down right rip-offs, but I prefer to think of this poster from 1977 as an homage.

What's fun about this poster is that it's a photo of a real fridge stuffed with "real" wacky products.



It's very well done, but not quite as funny as actual Wacky Packages. I don't know where this poster came from exactly, but I believe it's from one of those monthly Scholastic book order things you got in elementary school. If you know anything more about its origins please leave a comment.

Anyways, click on the image below for an extra super huge almost poster-size picture.

Click photo to enlarge

Do the Roo!

French Fry bag circa 1985-ish

Beef-A-Roo.

It sounds made up, but it's the name of an actual restaurant chain. It's a very, very small chain, but a chain nevertheless.

While on a family trip to Michigan's upper peninsula in the 80's we ate at the Beef-A-Roo in Marquette, Michigan. I even saved the above fry bag because I thought the name was so funny.

MySpace picture

I'm happy to report the Marquette Beef-A-Roo appears to be still in business, and even has an unauthorized MySpace page.


It's nice to see it has retained its retro style graphics. It's not only nice, but downright amazing if you check out what the official web site looks like. (Well it's kinda sorta the "official" web site. The web site is only for the Illinois Beef-A-Roo stores.)

Web Site

Look at that logo! Awful souless early 90's crap! It painfully lacks the charm of the original font and the fun cartoon cowboy graphic.

If anyone reading this can shed any light on the Beef-A-Roo story (like the relationship between the Marquette restaurant, and the ones in Illinois), or know of other locations please leave a comment.

Alfred Hitchcock presents WHY a Mystery Game

In 1958 Alfred Hitchcock "presented" a Milton Bradley board game named WHY. The premise for the game is that six people were coming home from a masquerade party one night, and took shelter from a storm in a spooky old house. They were never heard from again. Now their ghosts are haunting the house, and you need to find out "WHY." The game is similar to Clue, and if you care about how it's played you can read the instructions here.

The game has fun and cool art work. First here are the murder weapons cards...


Here are the masquerade ghost cards...


Now here's the spooky house game board. It's extra huge so you can use it as desktop wallpaper, or actual wallpaper for your home.


And last, but certainly not least. Possibly the greatest motion picture director ever... Ladies and gentlemen please give it up for Mr. Alfred Hitchcock...

Travel Brochures from the Darkside

I have a ridiculously large collection of travel brochures. I started collecting them as a kid on family vacations, and it's been a habit that has carried through to adulthood.

Here are two vintage brochures for haunted attractions near and on Mackinac Island.

First is the Haunted Fort. (To read brochure text, click photos to enlarge)

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Now the Haunted Theatre...

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It's interesting the that both of these attractions were advertised as a "entertainment experience" or even "educational" - not scary or terrifying.

Sadly the Haunted Fort is no longer with us, but the Haunted Theatre is still around! Check out their website, and their very, very reasonable prices. It you do check their website you'll find they're still using the pictures from their 20+ year old brochure. And weirder still, pictures from the Haunted Fort brochure are on the site too! So it looks like the figures from the Fort found a home in the Theatre.

Finally through the amazing power of YouTube I found a short little video of the Haunted Theatre. If this doesn't get you to book a trip to Mackinaw Island I don't know what will.

Halloween Animation Spectacular

Above is an honest-to-goodness fortune cookie fortune that I got not too long ago. Although I don't believe in supernatural nonsense like this, I choose to look at it as a sorta cosmic green light to do things like the holiday animation below.

Now if you're the type who likes your internet videos to feature Jackass-like stunts, or overly emotional pleas to leave Britney alone - you'll be sorely disappointed.

But if you're looking for something fun, unpretentious, and crudely animated I think you're in for a treat.



Well I hope you appreciated that just as the fortune cookie foretold.

You know, I got this honest-to-goodness ticket at the supermarket the other day. I wonder if this has any cosmic significance for my life.

My Favorite Martian

I was looking through some old files, and found this Photoshop drawing I made. I thought it turned out pretty good, but any similarities to Frankie Muniz is purely coincidental.