The Age-Old Dilemma: Coke® Or Pepsi®?

When I was sixteen I broke with family tradition and switched from Pepsi to Coke. My father, the most die-hard Pepsi drinker you’ll ever find, tried to hide his disappointment, but it was pretty obvious. Had he not raised me well? Instilled proper values and ethics?

What, one wonders, causes such headstrong loyalty to a soft drink? Perhaps the rivalry can be traced to the sock-hoppin’ fifties when hamburger joints and juke boxes ruled teenage life and nothing soothed a flunked exam or a pimple on date night like a frosty glass of pop with your pals. It was during these “Tutti Frutti” times when favorites were born over plates of fries—and most of us still drink what we drank then.

Whatever your preference, one thing’s certain: retro Coke and Pepsi memorabilia adds a touch of class. It’s a potent combination of “idealism” and “nostalgia” that evokes our warmest memories. It says to the world “I respect the generations before me and I’m also passing down my own traditions.”

Pledge your allegiance with our plethora of pop-related goodies! On the Pepsi side, there’s our adorable Ice Cream Float Cookie Jar and accompanying Salt And Pepper Shaker Set. And why not offer friends an ice-cold Pepsi in a genuine Pepsi cup straight from your own Cup Dispenser?

Leaning more towards Coca-Cola®? Serve up cheeseburgers and fries on this set of Soda Shop Placemats, complete with retro-look advertising. Don’t forget to display the ketchup, mayo and relish on the Lazy Susan and top it all off with the Juke Box Shaker Set!

I’ll be enjoying the cool autumn days with my own frosty glass of Coke. Unless my dad visits, of course.

The Witching Hour Is Almost Upon Us!

The Attic’s A Scream At Halloween

Halloween is right around the corner and I thought some of you might be doing what I do every year, which is to have this conversation with myself: Do I want to dress up this year? I never know what to be. I don’t want something boring. But not too crazy, either. But not like everybody else’s costume...Oh, it’s probably too late to find one anyway. I give up!

Fear not—Aunt Betty is here to turn October 31st into Your Costume Is Fabulous Day! Below are but a few of our many Costume ideas. The only question you need to ask yourself is just how fabulous do you want to be?

Does the thought of Lucy shoving mounds of chocolate into her cheeks give you a fun goofy grin? Recreate the classic I Love Lucy TM scene in our meticulous Lucy Candy Factory Costume. Just don’t forget to take the truffles out of your shirt before you go to bed.

Personally, I think there should be a picture of Elvira in the dictionary next to “fabulous,” and you’ll marvel at yourself in the mirror when you slither into the Deluxe Elvira Costume. Add the va-va-vampiress Elvira Wig to the sultry ensemble and get ready for gaping stares (mostly from men...and your grandmother).

Mr. Betty’s Attic and our son will be donning the Wheaties Adult and Wheaties Youth costumes this year as they make the neighborhood rounds. I’m trying to convince them both to wear hideous tube socks and throw in a pair of the Rocky Boxers, but they’ll probably wimp-out and wear jeans.

Maybe you just need a touch of make-­believe but aren’t ready to commit to a whole costume? The Herman Munster Mask is so lifelike, you’ll feel 12-feet tall! And one can never go wrong with a pair of Groucho Glasses! No one will recognize you! Not even your pets!

Whoever you decide to be this year, remember: Halloween is all about fun! And maybe stealing a few candy bars from your kids’ trick-or-treat bags to make sure they pass “inspection.” And some candy corn. Don’t forget those! And caramels...do they still make that sugary stuff you eat with the candy spoon...?

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Some Of My Favorite Holiday Goodies

As I stated in an earlier post, it can be a little hard whipping up holiday spirit way down here in sweltering Florida. Pumpkin pie and apple cider just don't taste the same when you're wearing bermuda shorts. Nonetheless, I’ve learned several tricks of the trade to kickstart my seasonal silliness so join me on this little tour I like to call Christmas With The Stars!

All of you who read this blog know I love the PEANUTS®—and I simply must watch A Charlie Brown Christmas every year (and then, listen to the soundtrack ad nauseum until SuperBowl® time). So, imagine my glee when we got this shipment of Animated Peanuts Sleigh toys! Charlie! Linus! Snoopy and Woodstock, all in soft plush form, wobble and bob in time to “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” atop a cute little sleigh perched upon fluffy fabric snow. It’s enough to make me book a flight to New York City just to ice skate in Rockefeller Center!

More of a Mickey and Minnie type? They’re the next stop on our tour! The Singing Mickey And Minnie Holiday Car is the same idea as the sleigh, only this time it’s the mice with the most at the helm, swaying side to side as they chirp out an adorable rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” I ask you, how much more retro chic can you get? And imagine the look on the little ones’ faces when they see these toys!

Need a little kitsch factor around your tree? The gloriously-goofy M&M’s®Tree Skirt may seem just an innocent piece of decor—but look closer. It’s a rich velour swatch of goofy goodness that’s guaranteed to make you smile every time you glance at peanutty Yellow and his lovable mug.

Then of course, there’s The Grinch. What holiday could be complete without the Master Of Mt. Crumpet and his beady little eyes? Dressed in Santa motif, he’s here to remind you of the first time you watched the cartoon classic and wondered what, exactly, roast beast would taste like.

Finally, we end our journey today with the pièce de résistance: The Giant Inflatable Leg Lamp! Worried your yard isn’t drawing enough attention? Perhaps the plastic reindeer just isn’t cutting it anymore? Feast your eyes on this baby! Inspired by the (in)famous scene from A Christmas StoryTM, it comes with the fan, adapter, stakes and everything you need to inflate it outdoors (or, if you have a ginormous living room, indoors), bestowing the ugliest lamp in history upon the entire neighborhood!

Let’s see if Bob next door can top that with his 5000 lights! Don't think so!

Nobody Expects The Spanish Inquisition!

Monty Python’s Flying Circus Debuts October 5, 1969

Of all my favorite childhood memories, watching Monty Python’s Flying Circus with my parents is right up there at the top! It was during the early '70s when the “let it all hang out” mentality was in full-swing, and even though I was too young to truly understand most of the jokes, I somehow inherently knew those irreverent wacky Brits were onto something revolutionary.

Later, as I got older, the fish slapping dance, Ministry of Silly Walks, and my personal favorite—Ricky Pule’s Mount Everest Hairdressing Salon—got a lot funnier. I realized that John Cleese, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam had inspired a generation of comics. Everyone from the early Saturday Night Live cast to ‘80s innovator Ben Elton of The Young Ones to modern-day funnymen such as Ricky Gervais, creator of The Office, exhibit the influence of The Pythons.

With so much gross-out adolescent humor in TV and movies these days—humor that seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator—it’s always a joy to stumble across an old episode of the landmark series or one of their wonderfully-looney films such as The Meaning Of Life, Holy Grail, or Life Of Brian. Just about everyone I’ve grown up with can rattle off a few quotes here or there (“It’s only a flesh wound! Bring me a bucket! Nudge nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean?”) and we proudly flaunt our Python knowledge as a badge of honor.

If it’s been a while since you last encountered “The Lumberjack Song,” the killer rabbit, or the “bright side of life,” slip into a cozy sweatshirt and pop in a DVD. Their surreal, slightly-deranged take on life makes the mundane world we live in much more bearable!

The Generation They Called “X”

Nirvana’s Nevermind Released Sept. 24th, 1991

There are certain things that make your Aunt Betty feel her age: buying a nice sauvignon blanc and not being asked for ID; accepting that “misses” fashions are never as cool as “20-something” fashions; not knowing who most of the bands on MTV are these days (causing laughter and ridicule from my kids)...and the list goes on!

But when I realized it’s now been over 15 years since Nirvana’s Nevermind album came out, I really felt the cobwebs starting to settle. I vividly remember the first time I heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” I was driving home from work, tires hugging a winding curve, when the local DJ announced he was going to play “a song from a new alternative band with a lot of buzz.” I already knew who Nirvana were, and owned their first album, Bleach, but figured they’d remain under the radar like so many other “indie” bands of that era.

The minute I heard the opening guitar riff to “Teen Spirit” I knew the world was about to change.

Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic had unleashed all the fear and frustration we wayward Gen X kids had felt since 1983. At least those of us who were more like The Breakfast Club’s free-thinking John Bender than the sushi-eating Claire.

Every generation has its musical lightning rods: Sinatra, Lennon and McCartney, Bowie, Bono. What made Cobain one of these is that 16 years later, “Come As You Are,” “Lithium,” “Heart Shaped Box,” and one of my personal favorites, “Pennyroyal Tea” all sound just as exciting (and a tad unnerving) as they did a decade ago.

That “lightning in a bottle” effect is what turns melancholy musicians from Aberdeen, Washington into icons, even when most of their music cautioned against the very concept.

So, for all of you Gen X-ers out there, take a moment and remember the first time you heard Nevermind. Because it influenced everything you’re hearing today.

Get Ready For Rudolph!

The 1964 Rankin/Bass Classic Is Just As Much Fun Today!

Hands up—who still believes in The Island of Misfit Toys?

Whether you’re a child of the ‘60s, the ‘70s or the proud parent of your own child, Rudolph The Red-Nosed ReindeerTM should be viewed at least once every holiday season. Why? Because it brings back memories of sledding all day long, bundled-up in puffy snow suits, barely able to navigate through thick mittens. And later, coming home to hot chocolate as your Christmas tree lights twinkled on and off in the background, fresh pine in the air as Mom took cookies out of the oven.

What sets this telling of the classic ugly duckling tale apart from the countless other versions is the magic of Rankin/Bass and their ability to create unforgettable characters from the painstaking process of stop-motion animation. Recently revisited by Tim Burton in his Nightmare Before Christmas feature, in 1964 stop-motion was still pretty revolutionary.

Basically, it involves arranging 3-D objects (usually puppets) into poses and then shooting them frame by frame—only moving them a tiny distance each time. Frames are edited together to create the illusion that the puppets are actually walking, dancing, flying, etc.

It’s truly an art form to be appreciated by film fans. But for kids, it was pure magic to watch Sam The Snowman glide across glistening ponds, Santa’s sleigh take flight and King Moonracer welcome Rudolph and his friends to The Island of Misfit Toys (King Moonracer is still my personal favorite character next to The Bumble).

So have a “Holly Jolly Christmas” and start counting down the days to “The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year’ with our brand-new Rudolph items, the Singing Rudolph Ornament Set (playing songs from the TV special) and our exclusive Jim Shore figurines of Sam The Snowman, Santa With Rudolph, and The Bumble.

But don’t stop there! We also have a T-shirt, musical mugs and more!

So what if it’s September? Be a kid again and start getting hopped-up for the holidays now! Just remember to take your mittens off before you surf the web!

Sweet Strawberry Shortcake

Over 25 Years Later, She’s Still Our Gal!

When I heard that Strawberry Shortcake was returning to Saturday Morning cartoons, I ran straight for my Scented Plush Doll and took a long yummy whiff of her strawberry-scented hair!

Originally created for American Greetings back in 1977, the ’80s belonged to Strawberry and her pals! With over 21 additional characters added between 1980–1984, every little girl from Causality to Syracuse pulled on her mother’s hem, begging for these plush cuddly dolls with soft yarn hair scented to match their names! And with names like Raspberry TartTM, Apple Dumplin’TM and Huckleberry PieTM, who could resist a sniff or two? Even the villains had names to make you drool: The Peculiar Purple Pie ManTM, Raisin CaneTM, Licorice WhipTM(2005)...Hello! Where was Brussels Sprouts Man or The Green Bean Goblin? THEY would've been scary!

Slated for debut Saturday, September 15th as part of CBS’s new KEWLopolisTM block of animated kids’ fare, Strawberry Shortcake makes yet another comeback, introducing herself to a whole new generation of girls. You can be sure your Aunt Betty will be up extra-early this Saturday with her coffee and English Muffin (not a Strawberry Shortcake character, btw) to see what imaginative adventures our sweet-scented heroine gets into this time!

While we wait for Saturday, treat yourself to the warm fuzzies of nostalgia! In addition to the aforementioned Scented Plush Strawberry Shortcake, we also have two unbelievably adorable dolls from Marie Osmond’s highly-collectible Tiny Tot series: Strawberry Shortcake Tiny Tot and Blueberry Muffin Tiny Tot!

And check back in October because rumor has it we’ll be adding the Lemon Meringue Tiny Tot to that scrumptious collection!Until then, I'll be here, fantasizing about a big giant bowl of Count Chocula®...