Maybe they just didn't have'em in your area They were desirable PB, the tech and web wasn't available for a long while so yeah, these were quite convenient and fun to have and I still prefer this way.

Could be. I didn't go there looking for CDs so maybe I never noticed them or just don't remember them. There were a couple rental places in the area back then so I didn't always go to Blockbuster.

Well yeah, Blockbuster was great but they weren't perfect. As I said in My Glory Days of Movie Rentals showcase, Star Video was really Our first one when We moved to Holly Hills and then Blockbuster moved in and We took turns going to them or went to both or when one didn't have what We were looking for We went to the other. We supported both of them enough, We were always loyal customers till they were no more. Thanks PB

So here we go with a very unique showcase that you may not have expected and first it's gonna be...



Yes, it be some stuff of Disney, Peanuts & Kelloggs of some very special Utensils when I was a wee youngster that My Mom got Me They are a spoon & fork of Disney's Pluto & Donald Duck and Peanuts' Snoopy and last is Keloggs' Dig'em spoon. She got'em all through special promotions and We still use'em from time to time this very day




They're actually made in Korea & Japan and not China like most of everything is now Here's the Copyrights of 1958 & 1965 Bonny & Danara that made the three cartoon characters and apparently Kellogg's made the Dig'em. I have always loved that he was sculpted really raised there and look at that 1983 copyright, I was only about two years old and that's forty years ago this year...can you believe it and how great these still look overall





Here is My special Oreo Cup that she got Me as well around that time. I always used this way back when I was a youngster but I haven't actually used it in ages as it has just become a special piece of history in Our kitchen cabinet but ya never know, I might want to one day Look at that, it's still Nabisco long before Kraft took them over



Here is My Oreo Cup with My previously seen [/b]MOTU Cup[/b] that My Grandma MiMi got Me that I used a ton as well during My early years. You can see that and a heck of a lot more in My Vintage Action Figure Topic





Oh yes, I was big on Chef Boyardee and I craved him when I was a youngster and heck I still do. I recall the WWF adverting him even in the Attitude Ear for kids & adults so he was still quite popular, he had the best home made style pizza & lasagna back then too So My Grandma got Me this special Chef Boyardee Mug around 1988/1989 during a special promotion. I remember it like yesterday when she got it for Me and it came in the mail...I was pretty excited about it. It's a sports themed one with Basketball, Soccer, Figure Skating, Tennis, Baseball & Football. The Mug still looks ok for being well over thirty years old and I still use it regularly and in fact I just used it last night drinking a big amount of Schnuck's Mountain Summit



She also got Me a Chef Boyardee Dinosaurs one too cause I loved his Dinosaurs. I have misplayed it but once I find it i will showcase it here Here's the inside & bottom of My Chef Boyardee Mug.



Here they are together, isn't that simply amazing and I feel fortunate that I was able to put it together



NOTE: That is a hint of baseball coming to this very topic soon

Well that will do it for this one, I hope you liked it and were surprised. Next will be one your really not gonna expect, until then I'll see you around

Oh wow, I had those Disney spoons when I was really young, too. I distinctly remember them now even though I probably haven't thought about them in decades. Cool to see them again after all this time!

Oh that's good you had those and that your were surprised here, thanks PB

So here here is a HUGE MAJOR showcase that I have been longing to do for such a while now, here's a quote from earlier this year when I presented My Star Wars Grand Finale in My Vintage Action Figure Topic...

BrandonDaCollector wrote:
VERY IMPORTANT!! Now this will be a totally unexpected entry because I never expected to showcase this simply because I couldn't locate it for a very long time then I got the urge to look for it one more time and only a few short days ago I FOUND IT, I found My Playing Cards Box with tons of Playing Cards within it that I had been searching for years for Ever since I was a youngster I loved to play Cards with My Grandma and We'd play for hours late at night, it always so much fun She got Me a lot back in the 80s & 90s. I loved to play War and I usually would beat Her after long games. Now within this box is a ton of Card Game Sets with many not even shown. My plan is to one day show them all in My Odds & Ends in all of their glory which I expect the showcase to be a huge one. Now in this box I have on top some of My main ones like My giant MOTU Cards, those are so awesome, My Dinosaurs & Sea World, Busy Bee & WWF Superstars which also are great. There is also a superb Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Set as well which you are going to see all of it in fantastic detail in just a bit as it's the final yet a huge surprise entrant here in My Part 6 Vintage Star Wars Showcase Now there is one that I couldn't stop thinking about all year last year in 2022 and that was My Batman Returns Playing Cards It was the 30th Anniversary of the film Not only that, it holds a very special feat, milestone & memory to Me because it was THE LAST THING I EVER GOT AT NATIONAL before they went out of business I remember when Me & Grandparents were checking out I saw them in the little area there where books, Mattel Hot Wheels & small supplies were there I saw Batman Returns and I wanted it really bad and they got it for Me and this has always been one of My most cherished moments I ever had there which I will talk about this more and showcase it properly in time...you have no idea how important this was for Me to finally locate it after all of this time

So do you recall that I have so much to talk about. Now this is going to a massive presentation, I'm old school and like to present things big with detail unlike this generation so get some time. What I'm about to show was during the days when things were so fun and you can play with your Family & Friends for hours so long before this modern age where people are obsessed of staring into their phones instead of having good times & face to face conversations with the household. I played with My Grandma countless times over the course of eras when I was a youngster to a young man in My 20s so get ready for one of the biggest & most grandest VINTAGE Playing Card Game showcases you will ever see

Snap, Animal Snap & Old Maid: I don't recall where I got them nor played them much but they are pretty old.



War & Hearts: I cannot recall where these came from hence the Price Stickers which I suspect it was possibly from a Grocery Store, possibly Kroger or even National which I'm going by simply how they look however it is really a shame that whomever My Grandma got them that they didn't have their name on them While We really never played Hearts, I always wanted to play War and most of the time I would win!




They are made by Whitman/Western, the same company that made My 2 first comics ever Brothers of the Spear and Tragg and the Sky Gods I posted earlier in this very topic of My crucial Odds & Ends on the first page



Really I don't think We ever played this at all, I probably wanted it for a collectors's purpose simply because it was Dinosaurs really anybody that loves them should want them!



Now these look pretty good and you can tell what specie is what however they' don't have realism of the ones I played for very time that you'll see in few short moment however these babies are pretty darn nifty in their own right



OK so here's My Holly Hills Walgreens on Gravois that I talked about numerous times previously. I really expressed about this in My superb Odds & Ends Topic Glory Days of Movie Rentals because Blockbuster Video was right across the street. So you see Walgreens. I've gotten so much from there since around 1991, it's always been a fun store. See the little building on the left, that used to be shared with a great Video Rental Place with a nice blonde woman that owned it that I really liked that I still cannot recall the name of...she had so many wrestling & cartoon VHS tapes, I would hate to think that everybody forgot about her Her building used to be shared with Zito's Pizza in 1993 30 years ago this year!



There's the Red Box, the darn thing that so many foolish plebeians went too instead of Blockbuster right across the street...I know cause I was there every week watching one person after another in line no matter what kind of weather it was outside instead of going to a nice, big & cozy Blockbuster...I really have despised it then and even more now I have complained about that enough, see My aforementioned topic for more on that Anyway that Walgreens is quite good as it was always fun looking at the toy isles, the Holiday isle especially when it was Halloween time



I believe I got these Hoyle Cards at National around 1990. The Old Maids are good but I just love the Fish/Go Fish one, I've always loved the cleverly fun colors and characters





I also believe I got these Garfield Cards at National around 1990/1991, they are pretty dandy



These are made by The United States Playing Card Company.





I love how these are depicted with some of the great funny costumes they wore in Garfield's Halloween Adventure



I believe these Ed-U-Cards were actually My Mom's and they were given to Me



Look at that, that Copyright is 1951... these Go Fish Cards ARE OVER 70 YEARS OLD Now you talk about VINTAGE, this is like the oldest collectible in My entire collection of anything I used to play these with My Grandma so much, gosh those were such good days



Here's Busy Bee, I absolutely loved playing this one as well, look how I put it together, My goodness that's a wonderful looking Card Game, it has always been one of My favorites and look at the 1965 Copyright



Now Story Cards is the other game that was in the two pack. It was never one I wanted to play but it was quite decent looking and see the 1967 Copyright, see, you always gotta look for them, they are so important for so many reasons



Here's two of My all-time favorite Old Maid Decks. Both is by Whitman/Western Publishing. Notice how it says "Kids Tested", yep this was the days when kids were kids however both are quite different from each other as one is a regular sized Deck in a Plastic Case while the other one is Giant Cards which I have always loved this type of style. I really like how old fashioned they are with all of these cool yet silly characters. Notice the 1975 Copyright Take a gander of all of them in their funny creative glory, Me & My Grandma had such fun playing these









Now here is a great Wildlife edition of Old Maid + Memory, I love the pictures of them






Now this is the realistic Dinosaurs that I spoke of just a few moments ago. These Dinosaurs & Mysteries of the Deep are two of My favorites. Their just not Rummy but actually extremely educational. Back in My day kids wanted to know & learn about creatures of the past. These truly fantastic Cards are made by Safari, they are known for decades of making superbly real animal figures from many periods of time which you can see a some of them In My Dinosaur Topic




I love how it begins with the first stages of complicated life from the Paleozoic to the later age of reptilian fauna of the Mesozoic to the era we're in now which is the Cenozoic age of the mammalia. These are some of the best if THE best Dinosaur Cards of this nature you could ever get, take a look at this greatness






Here the Mysteries of the Deep which shows you some great life that is extant now



Amazing I'm showing this during Shark Week

BrandonDaCollector wrote:
So now here we go with yet another extremely desired finding of Mine within My Playing Card Box that you just saw because it's not only the 35th anniversary but also because I have always loved...



Yes, I had this on My mind a lot while I was preparing to do this massive 6-part presentation a long while back without any luck because I really wanted this to be a part of it then lo & behold only a little while ago I found it which was so great that I did, I was in tears of joy when I accomplished this and of course the whole Box of Playing Cards seen above Now this Star Wars: Return of the Jedi which is subtitled Play-For-Power is a terrific looking set. It's made by Parker Brothers whom was a divisional side of Kenner/Kenner Parker. Unfortunately when those corporate locusts Hasbro took over Tonka & Kenner, they also got Parker Brothers as well My Mom got this for Me when I was at Toy Chest, I recall this great time quite well. I wanted this little game really bad as I loved the silver packaging, it really caught My attention which I believe this is when discovered that I loved silver over gold and it's still that way, I prefer silver over gold anyday The packaging is still in good condition, I was wise enough to take care of it as best as I could. It just looks so marvelous, just as much so as it did 40 years ago on Toy Chest's shelves when I first saw it



Here is the back of the packaging with tons of Information



Here is the top of the packaging plus a nice look at what it looks like from the inside You see the 2 Decks of Cards but what is that Thick Paper there near the tab insert



Oh that's an Instructions Booklet to explain how to play the games since there is like 5 in 1 here also notice the SW:ROTJ Proof of Purchase and the 1983 Copyright



The Instructions fold out to an absolute huge sheet of sheer learning goodness, gosh I miss the days when companies went the extra mile and actually told the customer how to use what they just bought, now you gotta look for it on the web cause for countless years now they think every plebeian can figure everything out for themselves, if that was so braniacs, this society and day & age wouldn't be in the pathetic state it's in now Here is the Front & Back of this massive Instructional Sheet




Here is a close up of the Card Examples as they tell you how do it all




Here is the Parker Brother, info again I loved it when companies actually cared for their customers, Kenner did a similar thing but seems as though Parker Brothers were even more considerate



Now here is what the actual Cards look like. Here is the Back of'Em. There is 4 different colors for various characters which is Blue, Green, Red & Black and there is several duplicates of each card but I am only showing one of each in all of their great detail glory



Here is a great look at the pictures of the characters which is two versions of Master Yoda cause [bYodaMania[/b] was still runin' wild Here is Lord Darth Vader, the AT-ST/Chicken Walker and another depiction of it with one of our main heroes "The Mighty" Chewbacca and at last is our heroes "Skiff Guard Disguise" Lando Calrissian, Han Solo, "Boushh Disquise" Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker The art of them is good but I love the Villain Face Cards art more



Here is the face or portrait cards I just mentioned. Look at the difference between these and the ones above. There is such a huge difference in the style and like I said I prefer these more. By looking at them they are actually in a similar manner of My recent Star Wars Mad Magazine Spectacular that I recently posted in My main SW topic (head on over there for all of the great stuff I posted before & recently as it looks like the pictures were used with the same paint possibly even by the same artists, this is one of the reasons why I fell in love with that terrific cover So these Cards are all of Scum & Villainy as we have Jabba the Hutt, Salacious Crumb, Bib Fortuna and the dreaded Rancor. All of these are such great renditions of these iconic Star Wars characters



Next up we have the Gamerrean Guard, Weequay, Barada & Squid Head. These look fabulous also



Last is Yuzzom, a character that was briefly seen during the scene when Oola was struggling with Jabba. He's actually a very obscure character during this time and because of that however he would be seen more often with CGI in the Special Edition among other SW media. Next is the cool Trap Door Card and one of the Guide Cards as well



Here is a Size Comparison of the awesome silver Box, a Card with Kenner's Vintage SW the gambler himself Lando Calrissian, as you see this makes such a fun classic looking SW display and I am quite thankful that I have these and that I'm able to to do this



Here is the Parker Brothers Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 1983 Copyright & Info

Now if you didn't see that totally awesome Parker Brothers Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Card Set in My Vintage Action Figure Topic when I originally showcased My Vintage Kenner Star Wars collection, you didn't miss out this time which something that darn great you should never want to miss out on and want to see it more than once Now if that wasn't enough during this time when I got My PB SW: ROTJ Card Game over at Toy Chest, I also got the Parker Brothers The A-Team Card Game Now take a good look at that because this here is such a great one and one I really wanted to present



Now could you imagine My excitement getting this too This is truly a great one as well with great pictures and features which Parker Brothers knocked this one out of the park too






Here is the 1983 Parker Brothers Copyright, that's 40 years ago this year



Here's My A-Team & SW: ROTJ side by side, now look at that how radically cool that is



Here is Toy Chest. Sadly they went out of business due to TRU moving across the street & KB around the corner in the once big mall in South County. My last time there was in the great year of 1990 which was quite a crucial trip, I explain a lot more on PAGE 27 of My Vintage Action Figure Topic and you don't want to miss it if you haven't read & seen it already but now we're going down a slightly different route that will expand this wonderful last time I had over at Toy Chest even further Notice the nice Logo that I put together says many locations, I only went to and knew the South County one which I'm thankful for



Sadly, nobody ever talks about Toy Chest anymore and quite frankly they have been mostly forgotten in these pathetic oblivious times and I hate that, I mean I really despise crap like that Here was Toy Chest's Price Sticker



Here is what the building Toy Chest was located at in recent times looks like and now it's a JCPenny's believe it or not which really I'm glad their still around cause it was looking like they were falling into the same path as the web & P!@mD3mic was tearing them apart



So during this "last" trip to Toy Chest it was Me along My Mom & My Grandparents. My Grandpa wanted to stop in Po'Folks for dinner which was a nice country type restaurant. Sadly I didn't appreciate this cause I was a stupid picky kid not really wanting to go to places like that as I wanted to go to places like McDonalds & Pizza Hut I don't recall what We ate there but I remember it was a good time. Unfortunately they closed their kitchen not too long after this day which was really a shame cause My Grandpa loved that joint Here is the Po'Folks area as they were the building on the left with Toy Chest in the background. Note that Tucker's Place is on the right, they are still there, they were one of My Mom's favorite restaurants, she'd have her boyfriend Nick take her there all the time, she loved their salads & salads dressings, some of the best you could ever taste It was such a memorable time...you can see the whole thing here ---> http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/post46649.html?hilit=Marvel%20Super%20Heroes#p46649 as I showcased My Toy Biz Marvel Super Heroes as well as My WWF Hasbro figures and even the Andre the Giant by HG Toys that I found on the floor and I kept it...if you never saw this then you need to click the link because it was a such time I had in 1990 and quite frankly I never had a time like that since but I am still very grateful that I did had that experience, that I'm able to talk about and to show it because I recall it like it was just yesterday



Oh boy now here is a tremendous selection and it's by International Games Here we have Sea World, Land Rover & Slap Jak which all have their 40th anniversary as I speak. Notice it says from the maker of UNO, this is nearly a decade in 1992 before Mattel took them over



This Sea World is officially licensed with many of their characters which is something that kinda dropped off of the planet like so many other good & fun things of the past I loved to play this version of Fish but the thing is there is actually no fish here, just marine life Cetaceans and other Mammals as well as Birds.



Now this here be arguably My favorite of the bunch if not My whole collection. If you love 80s Sci-Fi & Fantasy back in the day and now then this would really grab your attention like it did Me. Slap Jak looks to be something that Mattel did I mean they made a ton of art for MOTU among other properties in the 80s & 90s just like this but again they didn't own International Games till 1992, this is 1982/1983, I wonder about this Anyway this is a deuce mixture of MOTU & Star Wars with a little Greek Mythology thrown in for good measure First here is the villains of the Game, Slap Jak and his twin sister Jaki along with her bodyguard Irdi. Amazing isn't how He-Man & She-Ra & Luke & Leia are twins yet this predates BOTH of them



The hero of the game is Corel who looks like Han Solo a lot, his name even mimics Corellia which is where Solo is from...strange isn't it. The other characters are pretty cool too



Here's the 1982/1983 International Games Copyright with the Slap Jak Cover and special bonus of all of the characters together, any fan of SW & MOTU should want a copy of this, look at that



Here's Land Race which is also a dandy fun game with art very similar like Slap Jak



Here's the 1982/1983 International Games Copyright



So now we're getting into the 90s where Mattel took over International Games. Here's My Uno collection of UNO, UNO Hearts, UNO Deluxe & Skip-Bo along with Hernard's Raise the Roof.




Here's the 30th Anniversary of these editions of Mattel's UNO dating 1993 & 1994... look at those Copyrights



Here's Hernard's Raise the Roof, I loved playing this all the time with My Grandma and sometimes My Mom would play it too, these were truly great times back I love how these cards are designed, feel and smell



Here's Rook, I really don't ever recall playing this at all for some reason I don't know if We got it and I wasn't interested in or what cause I was different then however it's quite special because it's Parker Brothers



Here's the 1992 Parker Brothers Copyright and that it's a division of Tonka. Notice that the advertised game Mille Bornes is owed by Tonka and that other advertised game Rack-O is Hasbro's game...this Rook is one of Parker Brothers' LAST GAMES EVER because they, Tonka & Kenner were taken over by those corporate locust Hasbro a year prior in 1991 which I have expressed many times within My showcases. While I love this history it's quite pitiful and really is even more so than the one I revealed above with Mattel & International Games



So as a very special bonus here's a really cool Parker Brothers group of Rook and the above seen A-Team & SW: ROTJ, gosh that is so darn cool and it feels really good to know that I've done this amazing set together



So as I just talked about Slap Jak of how it's like MOTU, well here's My actual Masters of the Universe Playing Cards. Now these are GIANT SIZED ones like My Old Maid seen above. They are of Golden which is actually Whitman/Western hence their similarity, I loved playing these which is actually two games in one, War & Conquer. I played these a ton with My Grandma. The Card Backs are cool. Notice the 1983 Mattel Copyright, this year marks it's 40th Anniversary




Now while I love these Cards and the overall art of them, the character selection is rather slim with only He-Man, Duncan/Man-At-Arms, Teela & Skeletor. I never knew the questionable choice behind this lacking decision I mean this set could have been so much more because there was so many other characters that they could have chosen Despite that, this is one of My most prized items in My entire collection regardless of genre and I'm quite thankful to have it



Oh boy, now here is My World Wrestling Federation Super Stars Playing Cards and these are arguably My grandest wrestling collectible of all My Grandma got Me these in the WWF Catalog when these were so cool to get and when they truly meant something. It has a great amount of the Roster of the WWF Superstars back then. This is actually the updated version with a few extra entries which is cool because I was unable to get the first edition. Notice the 1988 TitanSports Copyright, this year marks it's 35th anniversary Now the Case is really worn out due not only age but how much I played these which you can pretty much tell was a lot Oh and remember what I said about Hogan & Marvel that it's on just about every collectible I have of him Well here's a tremendous example of what I mean



The art of the pictures are great and the Card Backs look so classic, first we have "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart which cleverly he is a Joker & Bobby "The Brain" Heenan...



Next is Miss Elizabeth, "Macho Man" Randy Savage & "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan and notice Hogan is an ACE and Liz & Savage are Queen & King



Here's The Ultimate Warrior, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake & "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan...



Koko B. Ware, Jake "The Snake" Roberts & The Honky Tonk Man are here...



and last but certainly not least your major wrestling villains are here which is "The Eighth Wonder of the World" Andre the Giant, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase & "Ravishing" Rick Rude with the 1988 TitanSports Copyright which again this is a pretty darn good roster



Now here's the big one that started My yearning of wanting to find My wonderful Playing Card Collection as you saw above in My quote, this entry is none other than Batman Returns Look at the gorgeously beautiful blue box with The Dark Knight himself on there. Now this is the one like I said before I got at the South Town National Grocery Store and it was THE LAST ITEM EVER that I got before they went out of business thus being taken over by Schnucks. I recall it like yesterday, I was out with My Grandparents shopping there with'em in the early Autumn around November 1992 which I also recall Us going to Movie King and Me renting the SNES Title King of the Monsters which is a great Kaiju Wrestling/Fighting Game. It was such a great time I recall seeing these at the cashier's where'd they have the little supplies, books & magazines, candy bars and even Mattel's Hot Wheels. I saw this Batman Returns Playing Card Deck Set which it was just only months prior that We saw the movie at the Kingsland Theater twice...My excitement for it was still there big time.I am so thankful that I found this at National I was going to post this last year for it's 30th anniversary but as I said before in My quote I had found a while later in the new year but hey, I'm so grateful that I did because this is one of My most crucial items I have My entire arsenal of collectibles, bar none



First here is the awesome DC Hologram Sticker. As you can see there is three different shots of it, one above, two below. I love those Holographic Stickers like that. These are by The United States Playing Card Company, the same ones that made My cool Garfield Cards seen earlier on. It has a 1991 & 1992 Copyright



Here's the TUSPCC's Logo Seal and the Set being opened...



Now here's the actual Batman Returns Cards. The Backs are really cool with TUSPCC's other Logo there. They included three Bio Cards of the main characters which is Batman, The Penguin & Catwoman. This was great for Me because I'm a bio freak and I guess I'm one of the last ones around because I see so little passion about that sort of stuff nowadays like a lot of stuff that just is fading away in this modern day & age but it will never with Me in My book



Here's the Aces, look how cleverly done & placed the Batman Logos are within them



The Penguin is the Jack which is quite a poetic choice



Catwoman is the Queen which is only proper



Batman is the King which should be quite obvious



Now The Jokers are cleverly done as two members of the Red Triangle Circus Gang which are both of the Skull Riders, those guys along with the entire gang was so radically fun The Cards' Back is so great looking. I love the two-tone color scheme of the Blue & Black and notice the 1992 Copyright



Now I have talked about National many times here in My Odds & Ends Topic, Vintage Action Figure Topic as well as others. It was one of the important stores of My childhood that I had great times & memories at. I saw My first wrestling books at their newsstand there, live lobster that I loved to look at but never ever thought about eating them, a wonderful bakery plus they had a great Halloween section and there is one event that I captured and posted here on the board in My Vintage Action Figure Topic which is My Cowboys & Indians which you can see that and so much more here ---> http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/general-toy-discussions/my-vintage-action-figure-collection-willow-1988-t1087-220.html
Don't be one that never goes back and only checks for new posts, you'll miss so much if you do and besides, My showcases are worth more than a second look because you'll always notice something new that you never seen before Now here's a picture collage that I made of National a while back. Seeing this really brings Me back to those great times of My childhood. As I said before I deeply go into detail and express so much within the link I provided. While there's not a ton of stuff of National online there is some and I hope this is one store that never ever falls to oblivion because I'm trying My darnedest of preventing that from happening



VERY IMPORTANT STORY!!!

One day in the early Summer of 2004. When I got up the power was out and it was due to a massive storm near by. It was pitch black in the house. The whole region was in a blackout despite it was daytime. We went outside and My Auntie Wanda was out there and she was telling Us (Me & My Grandma) about how the leaves are turning up meaning bad weather (unfortunately that's the poor tree some drunk prick hit and killed with My Grandma's Red Hyundai Accent aka her Garfield Express which We never got any justice for ). So with the power out, no phone, now web and all that risking the food & beverages in the Fridge to go staled, We didn't take no chances so Me & My Grandma unexpectedly made Our rounds to Schnucks in Loughborough Commons which was still the old building & area before everything changed 15 years ago this year in 2008 to how it is now which there is no comparison sadly so this picture here is how it is currently and it's nothing like how it was back in the 90s & early 2000s.



While We're there of course We're checking out the Claw Vending Machines that I've talked about in My Odds & Ends Topic early on with My huge Belt Buckle Collection taht We got out of the Machines for many, many years. It starting storming while We're there and We're getting everything We need like Candles and the usual supplies for when the lights go out. So We check out and when We get outside it is pouring really hard outside and We get to the street at Carondelet Park and hail & tree limbs is hitting the wind shield of her Garfield Express and since it was Summer We were listening to Marc Mancina's, Trevor Rabin's & Van Halen's 1996 Twister which was so apropos for this time which I loved it So We get home and the power is still off and We can't do much in the house because We can't cook and haven't eaten or anything yet. My Mom went & stayed with her Boyfriend Nick for the night. So We went back out and We went to Steak 'n Shake in South Town across the street where National was Their power was on and they're 24 hours and I loved going there, it was always fun. It quit storming for a while and was looking like it cleared up. One part of the night sky was clear with an Eyebrow Moon shinning while the other half of the sky was super cloudy then all of a sudden started raining huge time again and We're like gosh, this storm is relentless So Our food is ready which I ordered a Double Cheese Steakburger, Fries & Large Diet Coke like always. I ate it pretty fast because I was darn hungry and she's like if want more order some more Angel so I ordered another one then I was kinda full So We stayed there for a long while, talked about various things including the storms...you know face to face like the good old days before the today's obsessive hurry up mentality phone staring that is way more important than the person your with no matter who it is These pictures are from 2011 that I took of Steak 'n Shake, notice the Shop 'n Save sign in the background, it was never a thought back then that the the P!amDemic would happen and by 2020 they would be bought & taken over by Schnucks because of it Me & My Grandma shopped there a lot and basically became like another National for Us because it was right across the street from them, such good times there in South Town



So about after an hour or so We left and then We went to Our cool & nice 24 hr Walgreens on Gravois & Hampton that I've talked about earlier within the topic. We were there getting whatever and kinda just looking & foolin' around. I was looking at their toys cause you never know what they have as I have expressed many times prior. I saw Version 2 of ToyBiz's Dr. Octopus from the new Marvel Spider-Man 2 movie that was coming at the shows. I already had V1 but I'm like dang, this one is much better looking so I bought & got him before anybody else did even thought the place was like empty. I believe he was only $7.99 which is such a pathetic far cry from the insane prices of today's modern market. About a year later in 2005 I had a similar situation because I found ToyBiz' 1st Fantastic Four Movie Version, half-standard, half- clear Invisible Woman, she was there about a week and I'm like I better get her now before she's gone so I got her and you'll see these Marvel figures in an upcoming showcase in My great Marvel Topic soon This is still how this location looks, it's still a pretty good place to be




Then We went back to Schnucks to get more supplies because she's like we better get this and that and I'm like OK MiMi I noted earlier I love going out late at night as Me & My Mom used to go to Venture, K-Mart, Target, TRU, K-B & Walmart and various stores really late at night as late as 1AM or so...it was such fun times because you didn't have a ton of plebeians picking everything up before you plus I loved the feeling of it being quiet and nearly by Myself with her. Too bad TPTB has changed the ways of life and hardly anything stays open past 10:00 PM now...these times now are beyond ridiculously pathetic So When Me & MiMi got home in the dark she lit a ton of candles and We used our newer light lanterns which thank goodness We have them! So we get all settled and I set My new ToyBiz Movie Dr. Octopus aside to open when the power comes back on the next day. So We had enough light on the table so what did We do when there's no web & no power WE PLAYED CARD GAMES... some of the VERY CARD GAMES you just saw above Now see how these times were...now that was great While We were playing I was talking to her that I pre-ordered Alan Silvestri's Van Helsing & Nerida Tyson Chew's Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid scores on CD from Deep Discount which believe it or not they are still in business When I got them I was so wowed because even to this very moment they are two of the most exciting scores ever and I mean ever Here's Deep Discounts' logo...how apropos I'm doing this during Shark Week They have toys, DVDs, CDs and classic stuff that made the physical era fun. As I said before, it's always good to have a physical copy in hand because you never know when the situation will arise when you need it if that isn't bad enough NASA has been threatening about an INTERNET APOCALYPSE BLACKOUT for the past 5 years or so that they saw will last for months perhaps even years This has been in the news off & on. If you count on this digital age to be unstoppable think again. Believe Me, I know the net is quite imperative but Family comes first See how important it was back then in 2004 when Me & My Grandma were together and We played these great fun Card Games seen above...We didn't need the web and all that, We were right at the Dining Room Table with Our candles & lanterns face to face talking to each other...plebeians is gotta start thinking of preparing for this sooner or later. Here's Deep Discount's logo which is really cool looking as it was back nearly 20 years ago with a nice design along with Silvestri's Van Helsing & Chew's Anacondas that I put together



Then it started storming again...it stormed 3 times that day & night. We stayed up all night & morning because We were so wired, probably until it was good and daylight around 7 to 8 AM. A time like this with the power out is like you would imagine it to be a horrible day but this wasn't and in fact it was one of the best and most memorable days of My entire life because of all that time with My Grandma MiMi and playing those great Card Games

FIN!

Holy Batarang, I actually did that and made it happen Now if that isn't excellent Vintage Playing Card Game history of fun times I don't know what is I hope you liked this and were really moved & mesmerized about this massive showcase of My Vintage Playing Card Games Before My next update you can take a second gander at it to sync it all in because hey, nobody says that it's gotta done in one setting you can also check out what you missed within this grand & very important topic of Mine too because there's tons of great entries that you may have missed and/or want to see again We'll see what'll be next for My Odds & Ends, until then I'll see you around

Wow, how do you still have all those? Lol. I have the vaguest of recollections of that MOTU set. I know I had that.

I kept'em in the closet in the back room in the box you saw plus large bags for the UNO Games.. It took Me like forever to find them as I said in the beginning because while I knew they were in the back room I really didn't think they were in that closet OK, their special to Me. Stuff like this I never ever want to get rid of especially now I mean would you throw away special stuff of good times you had with your family I don't like getting rid of any collectible especially stuff like these that I love. Well maybe you did have those MOTU Cards. Thanks for checking this out and for your reply PB

BY THE WAY - TWO IMPORTANT NOTES:

1. It's funny that I just talked about the storms, that Our power went out and had a blackout in My climax. Well, just yesterday We had a big storm in the Afternoon and it made Us have a power surge for a tiny bit but thank goodness the power came back on right away. Now the street lights & houses were out all night across the street and even the alley street across the cemetery was too, there was not one light on over there...hopefully they will soon...see what I mean of what I said in My special story

EDIT UPDATE - OK, it's the following night and the street lights or on and the houses across the cemetery in the alley street are on too. I always like to look at Our little suburban area and see the lights through the trees all that

2. I'm gonna have another very special showcase quite soon so be on the look out for that

So after getting done with one of My most impressive showcases ever of My Playing Card Games here we go with a very special double feature that I have been waiting to do for quite a while now and what a place to do it other than this very topic, My Odds & Ends You may not expect this at all so here we go

These were all adopted by Me a long time ago back in the late 80s. They were My Grandma's but she knew I liked them so just really let Me have'em and they've been in My big bookcase ever since. I don't know where she got them but they were all pretty cheap at only $2.00 & $2.95. What I have here is a great Vintage hardcover book of The Element's Rage and Golden Press's Weather & Sky Observers Guides. See, at a young age I was really getting into stuff and wanting to know things. Many kids around My day were but then many of My friends didn't know a lot so like I said before I was always teaching them a thing or two which I was always good in school and hopefully I helped them out and that they still recall Me, today's generation I feel pity for because they have such little interest and desire for anything kinda like a one and done scenario which is not good for their future nor the future in general...it was never like that with Me nor will it ever be with anything I'm interested in So here's these great books



I'm only going to briefly show these beauties off. Now The Elements Rage is a very old book by Chilton Company & Ambassador Books with a 1965 Copyright, that's going on 60 years old and as Vintage as some of the Cards Games I showcased in My previous presentation and the thing is this is the first version I've always been fascinated by Weather since I was a youngster and I still am and you can see many pictures that I took in My Cryptozoology Topic. I love this picture of this Tornado that was taken in July, 1927



Also these are quite cool that a massive Twister destroyed an Air Force Base in 1948 and a ginormous crate that was made many millennia ago



Now here's My Golden Press Books, they are the same company as Western/Whitman that made many of My Playing Cards & My 2 First Comics seen within the very topic. I love how their books are and their small & so compact. I just don't love Weather but I love the day & night skies and I love outer space, the Planets and all of that which I have expressed about before. I mean if you love Star Wars & Star Trek among other Sci-Fi films then how can you not like & wonder what's beyond this Earth I've always been a person of wonder & wanting the answers




Here's the Golden Press Logo and all those Copyrights from the 50s to the 80s



Here's the Back Covers, such great stuff



OK, now here we go with the main entry of this showcase. First off I'm going to provide this quote from one of My greatest showcases I've ever done seen on page 5 here in My Odds & Ends and that's My Glory Days of Movie Rentals which if you loved how it was back in the day renting movies & video games in physical form then it's one of the most imperative presentations of the kind to check out and I may update it from time to time too so there's another great reason to see it. So here's the quote

BrandonDaCollector wrote:
Now here is a very, I mean very special prologue to another great movie rental store that I loved and that I have talked about previously in other topics.

BrandonDaCollector wrote: I had commented on the Wuzzles on your Toon topic before PB. This is really cool, I only had the figures from that ad and still haven't located them yet I'll tell ya again, My Grandma took Me to her great friend's shop, her name was Annie Burke (she was a wonderful person) and she had the Wuzzles figures and I was interested in them and My Grandma got Me all she had (big stores like Venture, K-Mart & Target didn't have them) and they were fading out elsewhere like TRU. This brought back them memories

So as you saw My quote above, I have spoken about Annie Burke's Store before. I only saw her a handful of times. She was older than MiMI I believe. We still have her old grocery kart down the basement. She passed on in the 90s I have never forgotten her but unfortunately I think most has and I have no clue about her family. Here is a current picture of what was once her nice store on the left, I am trying hard to not let her memory fall into oblivion



I have spoken about her daughter before, I don't recall her name, she was very nice looking and bumped into many times over at Tru-Buy. She owned a video movie outlet called Movie Mogul which I have mentioned many times here. This was a terrific movie rental place as I had tons of great memories there that I will get too soon. Many times Me & My Grandpa would just walk there as they were on Juniata, again everything was so close to Our old house. We'd rent movies & wrestling tapes and NES games but there was one time that was so outstanding for Me. I wanted to rent this Pink Panther cartoon tape. My Grandpa liked just about everything I did, he watched this with Me and he just cracked up so much as he thought it was hilarious. We liked this so much We walked to Movie Mogul and rented this Pink Panther tape again. I would buy it many, many years later on the web



So like usual, MiMi cut deals with her friends cause she knew everybody just about everywhere, you wouldn't believe how she was, she was so good. It was unbelievable the deals she did for Me over at Movie Mogul For My Birthday in 1988 which I was about se7en, she got Me 1982's Swamp Thing on VHS I was astounded about it. She was telling Me how hard it was to get at the time and its one of the rarest tapes to obtain. Of course its different now but back then, We didn't have the web and things like this was quite difficult to come by as stores like Venture, Target & K-Mart just didn't carry every film you'd want to buy. This is one of My most prized VHS tapes in My entire collection



For the same Birthday from Movie Mogul. She got Me Legend I have explained about this extraordinary film in My Go-Bots showcase. If you want to see & read My extremely emotional post there then go to My Vintage Action figure topic on page 27. It will shock you. So I loved Ridley Scott's Legend so much and she knew this and pulled the string and made them pull the VHS off the shelf and she bought it for Me, it was like brand new





Legend & Swamp Thing together!!



So here is what was once Movie Mogul. I have no idea what it is now. As you see it was a very homely building. We rented so many great movies over there. This is where I first saw Spaceballs, you can see My VHS in My Star Wars topic. My Grandma noticed Howard the Duck, Harry and the Hendersons, Uncle Buck & The Burbs thinking I'd like'em and I did, all so great. Movie Mogul had wrestling tapes too. Many WWF plus some classic ones and rare independent ones as well. They had a great selection of cartoons for kids but I always loved going down the hall in the darker area of the store where they kept the horror films, and it was darker room, so fitting for a feeling of terror as they had such a huge selection of spooky movies that would make you scream in joy However, they had a tremendous selection of NES games too. I was so game crazy then I got about $65 to spend I spent nearly all of it on these games and My Grandpa is like are you sure you want to spend this all on games and I'm like yep. I look back on that and I think it was a foolish thing to do but hey, when your a kid and you love what you love then it's all good cause I had fun doing it Even though We had Mr. T's (I believe Rainbow Video was on her way out unfortunately) We were faithful to both because one had that the other didn't. After We moved in 1990, Movie Mogul went out of business, We lost contact with Annie Burke, her Daughter & company. It was all sad and again, I'm probably one of the very, very few people around that remembers these people and Movie Mogul or even knew about this at all. Its so pathetic about this whole situation but again I am not letting this slide...not on My watch as I feel so fortunate to know this fantastic history

So as you can tell it was great times. While I posted that last year, nearly a year ago believe it or not. Those movies of Legend & Swamp Thing I got for Birthday in 1988 was 35 years ago this year My Grandma really pulled off some deals with Annie's daughter off the grid at night, I recall going to her home and getting NES's Ice Hockey if you know what I mean This time has never left Me. For some reason Annie Burke has been strong on My mind all year long and now it's about time I show a little something that We got from her because it's the only thing that's I've adopted that is in memory of her

While I still haven't found My Wuzzles from Annie Burke, I'm thankful that I do have something in her memory as here's Annie Burke's Grocery Cart. It's in it's folded stage. I don't know if My Grandma bought it from her at her shop or if she was given it. Either way it's in the basement as I speak & write this. I only cleaned it somewhat as I didn't want to clean it fully because it really still looks as classic Vintage when We got it and I wanted that look to remain to represent the age of this Cart because this is older than Me and I find those little wheels cute



Now in it's unfolded stage it looks really nice, the wheels still movie fluidly. I don't know who made this or anything like that but whomever did it is really good quality. Take a look at the Grocery Cart from Annie Burke's



So here's an updated, more views of Annie Burke's Shop-Store-Place. I have no clue what it is now or lives there.



Gosh I so recall opening up that door and seeing her sitting in her chair with tons of old fashion items all over the place. My Grandma would just talk to her and have conversations. I recall she had the Wuzzles on the floor in a box or basket all on the card and apparently they were waiting for Me because nobody wanted them and she had a lot of customers



Here's the back-way, I never went over there before because her store was always opened from the front.



Here's Annie's building from a far down the street.



And here's one more look at her store from a distance



Sadly I don't know much about Annie Burke other than all what said within this showcase other than she was Native American and just gelled with My Grandma because they could relate to each other. Now her daughter who owned Movie Mogul was a blonde and heavyset. I believe when I saw her she was the first one that kinda sparked the little fire in Me of thinking that not all good & pretty women have to be thin She was kinda classy and like I said We bumped into her many times over at Tru-Buy. Just recently I showcased My Mel Apell Weird Ball Wrestlers and a very special entry of Tru-Buy as well as The Ringmaster/Ringmaker in My Vintage Action Figure Topic that you don't want to miss here ---> http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/post47938.html#p47938. Movie Mogul was just down the street like I said before, Me & My Grandpa used to walk down there. We had so much fun in that area as it was so good. Unfortunately I cannot compare them who they looked like at this time as it still questionable in My mind like I did for others but when I do I believe I'll post it here It always get's Me that when We moved from that area in 1990 to where We are now everything changed. So many people & stores were going out of business or they left this Earth like Annie Burke and when she was gone her daughter's Movie Mogul was too...what a darn shame all of this is but I'm quite grateful that I knew them

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: Just quite recently I posted a long message on a blog-like page that focuses on buildings in My area/region that is for sale, how big they, the dimensions and all that...I'm like I don't give a rat's@$$ about that...I care about the history, who owned them and all the times I had there...that page isn't about that and the webmaster of it really doesn't know. What I did was posted about Mr. Yummy (one day I'll showcase him here!) down the street from Me because I was reminiscing him when I was outside in the middle of the street watching a very weird thunderstorm around 2:30 AM about a week or so ago. People hadn't posted there in about decade which is so ridicules and they really know nothing of his little diner but I do so I posted a lot about him there as well as many places that I've posted here on the board in My Vintage Action Figure Topic as well as this great Topic, My Odds & Ends like Annie Burke & Movie Mogul, Rainbow Video, Verna's Mr. T's Video Rentals, The Ringmaster, Paramount Drugs, Judy's Spectrum, Woolworth, The Baazar & Globes, Televideo and Movie King just to name a few. I said how pathetic it is during this androgynous modern era how nobody does anything to preserve these great places & people I mean it pains Me that nobody seems to want to talk about their special times from their childhood and that they want to keep that memory and times going. It's just another way for history to go away and fall to oblivion like so much has already Nobody has replied any further on it but I hope there's people in My region other than Me that is doing this...surely I'm not alone in this matter Even if I am I know I'm doing My part and you can never, ever say I didn't try My best

If Annie Burke is in heaven or somewhere I hope she somehow sees what i did about her and likes it

Oh wow, that was great one. I hope you like My Weather & Sky Books. I know nobody knew Annie Burke here but she was a great person and this is the only way I know how to preserve the times of her. I know it was very little of what I did but unlike most if not all of the plebeians in My area over the decades at least I did something to keep her going Now I'm going to have a cool item next that is very famous, until then I'll see you around

UPDATE EDIT: I just posted a cool TRU Commercial here of the Wuzzles

http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/post48022.html?hilit=Annie%20Burke#p48022