Reese's and Hershey Candy Bags

We all know how important the randomly assorted bags of candy are to the Halloween season.  Every year, they fill the aisles of department stores in giant orange boxes.  It's the time of year when candy companies take every one of their products, miniaturize them, and combine them to create a pinata-like bag of Halloween goodies.  I'm sure you've seen hundreds on shelves already, but here are two that stood out to me.

For me, Reese's Miniature Peanut Butter Cups have become synonymous with Halloween and Christmas.  Every year, they fill up bowls in my living room and usually don't last very long.  Right now, there are probably about 6 left and they'll be gone by the end of the week.  That's the problem with celebrating Halloween so early.  By the time the big day actually arrives, I'll have nothing left.

The bag is perfect for Halloween.  It's simple, effective, and horrifying.  They couldn't have picked two better colors without being confused for their very own bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins.  It's good.. I like it.  What else can I say?

These mini peanut butter cups are nothing new.  You know exactly what you're getting and that's a good thing because they taste great.  But the cool thing about the Halloween edition?  The black and orange wrappers.  Much like the Rice Krispies Treats, these wrappers make me happy.  Again, I love seeing companies go the extra mile and they did with both the bag and wrappers.  It's sad how much I enjoy staring at stupid candy wrappers, but that's what puts me in a Holidaze!

The Hershey bag has a similar style, and that makes sense, because Hershey makes Reese's Peanut Butter Cups too.  So, it's no surprise that this bag is decked out for Halloween.  It doesn't take much to celebrate the season.  All you have to do is throw a pumpkin on a bag and draw a few bats and you're set.  It's that easy.  Hear that, graphic designers?

The designers at Hershey must have "heard that" because they've done a fantastic job.  They could have easily wrapped the miniature candy bars in their primary colors, but they didn't.  They chose colors that contrast well with each classic logo.  For example, they used green to go along with the Mr.Goodbar logo.  That means they were thinking logically rather than simply throwing things together.  Plus, they used what I consider to be the only true Halloween colors - orange, black, purple and green.  This is my type of work.  I think Hershey should give me a call and offer me a job.  We could do great things together.

As I said, we've all seen these types of bags before.  If you want to pick them up, they're everywhere and easy to find.  It comes down to which variety of candy you prefer and what looks best in your living room.  So far, these two bags have proven to have the best of both worlds.  But, the Holidaze is still young and there's still plenty of time to see what else is out there.

Halloween Krispies Treats

I found a box of Halloween Rice Krispies Treats at Rite Aid and, unlike the Monster Treats I attempted to make a few weeks ago, these actually taste good.  Normally, I'd pass up on a box of Rice Krispies Treats.  I love them so much that they never last long so it's usually not worth the seven bucks, but this time I had to make an exception.  Assuming Kelloggs isn't going to release many Halloween themed products this year, I figured this was a good item to pick up.  Sure, as expected, all 40 miniature squares are already gone, but at least I have this cool box to look at for the next month and three days.  That's something..

The package art is cool.  I like the fact that Snap, Crackle and Pop are dressed in Halloween costumes.  Snap seems to be some type of wolf man or scarecrow, Crackle is obviously a clown and I think Pop is going for the dracula look.  That's awesome.  Combined with the haunted house casted in the shadows, surrounded by bats, the candle-lit pumpkin and a frightened cat, this box is spectacular for Halloween.  But, was that enough to make me buy it?  No.. That didn't do it for me.  Had this box been black, orange, purple or green, this would have been an easy decision.  But blue?  So boring.  If it wasn't for the wrappers pictured in Crackle's Trick-or-Treat bag, this box would still be sitting on a shelf in Rite Aid.

With this much orange, I can handle a little blue.  This was, for me, the selling point.  I couldn't wait to see just how horrific these midgit 'Krispie Treats looked wrapped in their orange blankets.  Plus, they're great for Trick-or-Treaters.  Yeah, I know, I ate all of mine so why am I talking about Trick-or-Treaters?  Because, if you're not a glutton like me, then these would be perfect to share.  I wish I would have gotten something like these when I was an 8-year-old.  Instead, some people actually gave me pennies.  Are you serious?  What kid wants a penny?

If you're thinking about buying Halloween Rice Krispies Treats, then you need to know that these things are insanely small.  I could have easily devoured one in one bite, but I usually took two to prolong the happiness.  That's what I'd suggest you do too.

Like I said, the only reason I bought these was because of the box and, more specifically, the wrappers.  This is the Halloween season and I'm looking for things that remind me of the Holidaze as much as possible.  Tiny orange wrappers do just that.  Unfortunately, Kelloggs doesn't release as much as they used to for Halloween.  When I was younger, they used to do a lot more.  So far, all I've seen are the Rice Krispies Treats and Halloween Pop-Tarts.  But what about the cereal?  Just look at what they used to do..

Those five boxes are classic!  Not only did they take their box art to the next level, but they added marshmallows into the mix.  I remember most of these cereals, especially the Kooky Cocoa Krispies with marshmallow ghosts.  Pictured above are the Rice Krispies boxes, but Kelloggs did the same for a number of their cereal brands.   That was when Kelloggs actually did their part to contribute to the Holidaze.  Now they have to persuade me with orange wrappers.  Ah, such a shame.  Maybe next year they'll step it up and bring back their Halloween boxes.  Until then, we'll have to settle on a somewhat acceptable box of Rice Krispies Treats Mini Squares.

Halloween Oreo Cookies

Nabisco has already impressed me once this Halloween season with their black and orange Chips Ahoy cookie bag.  Now, they've done it again with their Halloween Oreo's!  Really, Nabisco simply knows how to do it right.  They understand the importance of packaging during the Holiday seasons and how much attention must be paid to detail.  I don't have any statistics to back up my claims, but it has to lead to a sales increase.  I just wish more companies and distributors would get on board and release special edition products.  Kelloggs used to do it all the time with their lines of cereal and it always made me happy.  I know the economy is bad, but is it really affecting package art?  Can we seriously not afford an extra 20 marshmallows a box?  I don't know why we're seeing less and less Holiday edition products, but thank God we have Nabisco!

What I love most about special edition Oreo Cookies is that Nabisco always goes the extra mile to change their packaging, the Oreo's and the center Oreo creme.  They know they could get away with just throwing a few pumpkins on the bag, but they're obviously aiming to impress us with the trifecta.  Nabisco simply isn't messing around and is out to prove a point and make a profit.  They've accomplished both.

Unlike most Oreo lovers, I'm not as much of a fan of the creme as I am the Oreo cookie.  I'm most likely in the minority, but like my girlfriend suggested today, Nabisco should really think about releasing the cookies alone and forgetting the creme for a change.  They can advertise with the theme that "something went wrong in the lab."  Everybody can say "Oh no, the creme is gone," yada yada.. Ya know, something like Cap'n Crunch's All Berries Cereal.  Sure, I still twist the top from the bottom and play games with my Oreo, but I usually save the best for last.  And what's cool about this Halloween edition is that there are 5 "Boo-Rific Shapes" to choose from.  Perfect.

If you can't tell from the picture above, these are the five Halloween shapes -- Bats, Pumpkin, Cat, Ghost and Witch.  They're really designs, not shapes, but who am I to get technical?  I couldn't care less about what they're called, I'm just happy to see something different.  But, if they want to impress me even more next year, actual shapes would be amazing.  Too bad nobody ever reads this to steal my idea.  I'll have to tweet Nabisco.

While the packaging designs and cookie "shapes" are great, the true selling power of this product comes from the creme filling.  Oreo is world-renowned for their center and we all know just how classic the white creme truly is.  Well, for Halloween, they've changed the creme from white to orange to make Oreo cookies extra spooky.  Now, not only are you eating tasty cookies on Halloween, but you're eating cookies decked out in Halloween colors.  Again, Nabisco, you just do it right..

Just look at that Halloween paradise.  When you first pull down that easy-open-tab, you're instantly reminded of what purpose these Oreo's serve.  You know exactly why they've been released.  You're not thinking Christmas, you're not thinking St. Patrick's Day and you're definitely not thinking 4th of July.  No, this is Halloween and everything about these cookies screams it out loud.

In fact, if you look closely at the photo above, you might even be able to make out a demon of sorts.  Do you see the creature's teeth?  I think I see some type of monster opening his mouth wide enough to devour my entire bag of Oreo's.  Yep, I'm sure of it.. see?

Way to go, Nabisco.  Now I'm seeing Monsters...Amazing

The Ultimate Halloween Breakfast

There are vast varieties of Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal, but when it comes to the Holidaze, my favorite of the bunch is Cinnamon Roll.  I love cinnamon.  I always have.  My favorite cereal is Cinnamon Toast Crunch and I attribute it to my Grandmother who used to always have it in her cabinet.  I can still remember her putting it on my toast when I was just three years old, and If I can remember that, then you know I must love me some cinnamon.

Cinnamon Roll Instant Oatmeal is not only perfect for Fall and Halloween, but Winter and Christmas as well.  It has great flavor, and since Cap'n Crunch's Halloween Crunch has yet to be released, this is the perfect spooky breakfast to instantly mix-up and create.  Well... almost perfect.

See, this Halloween season, I'm trying to take everything up a notch.  I want to create new Halloween memories with those that celebrate it with me and, to do so, we have to take things to the next level.  While Quaker Oats Cinnamon Roll Instant Oatmeal is great, there isn't anything "Halloween" about it.  Today, we're going to change that by creating the Ultimately Haunted Halloween Oatmeal Breakfast.  Oh yeah..

Step one in our process is easy -- grab yourself a few packs of Cinnamon Roll oatmeal and pick up a box of food coloring.  There are two ways of going about creating this breakfast beast.  There is a simple Halloween oatmeal, and the ultimate Halloween oatmeal.  If you want to go the loser route and be simple, then just dye your Cinnamon Roll oatmeal orange and call it a day.

I'd like to think that most people understand the color spectrum enough to know how to create the color orange, but if you don't, you're going to need the colors red and yellow.  Of course, you can dye your oatmeal any color you wish.  I thought about making it green or purple, but nothing says Halloween to me like the color orange.

The box will give you the necessary instructions to precisely mix the preferred color of orange, but I don't have time for any of that.  I want this breakfast to be ultimate and that means taking risks.  We're simply going to wing it.  Pour a little red, pour a little yellow, and keep going until I find exactly what I'm looking for.

Ahhh, yess!  Just look at what we've done!  The best part about Halloween treats is that they don't have to look appetizing at all.  Does orange oatmeal look good?  Of course not!  It looks like vomit or whatever Bridget the Bobble Monster was brewing in her cauldron, but that's the point!  Everybody knows that food coloring doesn't change the flavor of the food it's applied to, so you never have to worry about how it's going to taste.  But like any good optical illusion, orange oatmeal will make you forget that and have you think that you're about to ingest poison.  How great is that?

Okay, so like I said, simply dying your oatmeal is easy.  Anybody can do that.  But if you want your morning to be ultimate, then you need to be creative and add some figurative spice to your breakfast.  I say figurative, but hey, if you want to literally add some spice, I say go for it.  When we aim for the ultimate, we know we're jeopardizing flavor.  It may not taste as great once we throw in things that don't belong, but it's sure as hell going to look good!

Remember those Jet-Puffed Swirlmallows?  Well they're good for more than just toasting.  My girlfriend took one of the jumbo marshmallows and made a Ghostmallow.  He kinda looks like one of those things that chase Pac-Man around, but I'm pretty sure that they're ghosts too so we're right on track here.  He's perfect and you can tell he's looking forward to being a part of the Ultimate Halloween Breakfast.  We're close, but not quite there yet..

Now we're cookin'..  When it comes to creating the Ultimate Halloween Breakfast, there is one rule -- there are no rules!  But if you want my advice, just use what you have and make it look like it serves a purpose.  Here, we threw in the Little Debbie Fall Tree Cake, Trick-or-Treat Berry Fruit by the Foot and Boo Berry marshmallows to go along with our orange Cinnamon Roll oatmeal and Ghostmallow.  Is it going to taste good?  No way.. not together, anyway.  Individually, these treats are all amazing, but they're only here now to make things look and sound better.  Remember when Buddy the Elf poured syrup all over his spaghetti in Elf ?  Well that sounded awesome, but we all know it would taste horrible.  Yet, every year, I think it would be great for Christmas morning.  That's what this Ultimate Halloween Breakfast is.  It's our spaghetti and syrup.

It honestly doesn't taste bad.  The Boo Berry marshmallows add a lot to the orange oatmeal and the Fruit by the Foot makes you feel like you're eating right out of a pumpkin patch.  The Fall Tree Cake doesn't taste good covered in oatmeal, but the Ghostmallow needs his shade anyway so we don't have to eat that.  All in all, this is an amazing Halloween treat.  I wasn't sure if we could do it, but yes, we did create the Ultimate Halloween Oatmeal.  Now we have to come up with new ideas in terms of taking regular food and Halloweening them out.  It's all about taking things to the next level!

Happy Friday!

Halloween Paintings

My Mom is one of the major reasons behind my love for Halloween.  Ever since I was a child, she always did whatever she could to make Halloween, and the month leading up to it, as exciting as it could be.  What I remember most are her paintings.  In particular, I'll never forget the Ernie and Bert pumpkins she painted one year.  They were perfect.  I know most people prefer carving pumpkins, and that's great, but thanks to her, I'd much rather paint them.  She's always been crafty, and just about every year, she makes little things here and there to add to her collection and, more importantly, my memory bank. 

It's very early for Halloween related art, but when she heard I was making a blog that nobody reads, she knocked out two quick paintings for your viewing pleasure.  I love them.

She painted this Pumpkin Patch in a matter of hours using nothing but her mind and Folk Art Acrylic Paint.  She's never been one to create nasty, gory images.  I'm actually happy she doesn't because I think it would be weird to have a mom that's into flesh-eating zombies and blood.  I love my Mom's paintings so much because they're innocent.  Far too often, Halloween is portrayed as an rated-R horror movie and, while that is fine at times, it doesn't always have to be.  Halloween can be fun.  Halloween can be cute and, even for a 24-year-old man, Halloween can be girly.  That's what my Mom brings to the table with her paintings and I like that it can appeal to everybody.  Even if you hate Halloween, you'd still love her art.

For me, the classic monsters are the epitome of Halloween.  I remember, when I was about 7, I went to Pizza Hut with my Dad and they had the Universal Monsters plastered on everything.  Their snarling faces provided so much to the ambiance of that time and, because of that one day, Pizza Hut has become a Halloween tradition.  Sadly, they don't get into the Halloween spirit like they used to, but the memories remain and I'll still do anything to grasp at nostalgia.

In this painting, my Mom portrays the monsters in her own way and, once again, it's innocent.  I doubt I need to do this, but from left to right, we have the Mummy, Frankenstein, The Witch, Dracula, Ghost and The Wolfman.  The Pumpkin gets an honorable mention.  They're all smiling and the blood on Dracula's chin is about as gory as my Mom can get.  Again, I like it that way.  However, I like to pretend that these monsters aren't really monsters at all.  No, I think they're really just kids dressed up on Halloween.  They've been Trick-or-Treating all night and now, just as the sky is ominously turning purple, they're posing for one last photo before they dump out all of their candy and begin their sugar rush.  That's the type of innocence I derive from her paintings.

My Mom is already working on more Halloween art.  She loves creating new things and I always enjoy seeing what she'll come up with next.  Whether it be a Halloween painting or a Christmas stocking, she always impresses me with her talent and ability to tell a story through art.  As somebody who attempts to create my own, I can appreciate the time and energy spent in each new piece.

As she creates more and puts the finishing touches on works already in process, I'll be sure to post them here.  Even if nobody reads these blog posts, I like knowing her art is out there to be seen.

Bat Dots

I've seen these pictured before, but I've never seen them in stores.  But finally, while looking through Michael's Craft Store, I saw these, along with a few other Halloween-themed candy, on my way out.  As soon as I did, I knew I had to have them.  The box art was perfectly designed for Halloween and apparently, somehow, these black Bat Dots were going to taste like something other than licorice.  Hm..

This packaging screams "Halloween."  The bats and colors just drew me right in and I'm sure they've done the same to many others.  But as I said, the most interesting component to this product is the fact that these black Bat Dots are being advertised as something other than licorice.  I absolutely hate licorice and everything that tastes like it.  I even hate the smell of it and I don't know how anything remotely related to licorice sells at all.  But, I was going to take a chance on these black Bat Dots anyway.  Tootise has led me to believe that they're "Blood Orange Flavored Gumdrops" and I just had to see what that meant.

Despite what the box says, I would have bet my Frankenberry that these gumdrops would have tasted, at least somewhat, like licorice.  Have you ever eaten anything black that didn't?  I haven't.  Black jellybeans, black Twizzlers and black Dots have all tasted like licorice.  So, I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst.  At the very least, I'd have an adorably happy bat to look at as I spit his brothers out into the trash.

Well, to my surprise, these things actually taste nothing like licorice.  They taste like orange.  I don't know what "blood orange" is supposed to taste like or if that is just a clever pun, but they're orange and their delicious. 

However, they're not black, at least not entirely.  For the most part, these Dots are blue.  They're a dark, deep, navy blue and the dye has a tendency to run.  But, who cares?  We get to eat something bluer than Boo Berry and have it taste like orange.  That's the magic of Halloween, baby!  However, it still holds true -- I've never tasted anything black that didn't taste like licorice...and I never will.

Cookies and Candy

Cookies are never a bad thing, especially when they're Chips Ahoy.  Every time of year is the perfect time of year to have cookies and milk.  It's so classic that it has the ability to take you back to any time of your life.  I'm usually brought back to when I was a child and couldn't understand why my cookie kept breaking off into the milk.  One of the best things about adulthood is you come to realize what's important in life.  Learning not to keep your cookie drowned in milk for over a minute is one of them.  You gotta be quick about it.

Although Chips Ahoy are best served at any time, I appreciate the fact that they still release special editions throughout the various seasons and holidays.  They've been doing so for Halloween for quite some time now, but they've never done this well in terms of packaging. 

I'll admit, my photos aren't doing this bag justice.  This is one of the greatest displays of Halloween graphics I've ever seen in a product.  Not only did they change their primary bag color from blue to black, but they also included the words "haunted" and "Halloween!"  Along with the pumpkins, bats and moon, we're looking at a true piece of art here.  Plus, we all know Dracula took a bite out of that cookie.  At least that's what I'm telling myself.  It's awesome.  I rarely keep packages, boxes or wrappers once they've been gutted, but I think this will be one time that I do.

The cookies themselves are exactly what you'd expect from Chips Ahoy, but they've added orange coated M&M like chocolate into the mix.  They've done this before and we all know what it tastes like so there's no need for me to explain.  Sure, less explanation means a shorter paragraph, but I just added a lot to it by typing this unnecessary sentence.

These Chips Ahoy are, as always, very good.  But, of course, the Halloween packaging takes it over the top.  So if you're shopping and you see an old, boring, regular, blue bag of Chips Ahoy right next to that beautiful, black and orange masterpiece, then you know which one to get.

Here, we have Fruit By The Foot - Mini Feet.  Now, I'm not entirely sure that this has anything to do with Halloween at all.  Sure, there's a disgruntled Mummy on the box, but we also have Scooby-Doo.  This could very well be a Scooby themed box of Fruit by the Foot.  Everything about Scooby and the gang can be related to Halloween in some way anyway, so I'm not sure if this box is special in the least.  However, based on the flavor, I'm going to guess that it is.

Trick or Treat Berry!  Would Betty Crocker actually release a Trick or Treat flavored anything during the months of January and February?  Nah.. that would just be moronic.  This has to be themed for Halloween.  I can't say they did an amazing job on the box art, but there is a Mummy and, as usual, Scooby is scared out of his mind.  That counts for something, but I always look for a little bit more.  Regardless, "Trick or Treat Berry" was more than enough to make me want it.

The wrappers are essentially the same as the box.  I would have liked to see something different, but that's because I'm a nerd who geeks out over cool packaging.  Little kids couldn't care less about what the wrapper looks like.  They just want to rip it open, unroll their Fruit by the Foot, and come up with new ways to turn their tongues orange.  Who can blame them?

What's best about these "mini" feet is that they're perfect for Trick or Treaters.  With 28 pouches in a box, you can afford to throw one into each kids' bag.  Of course, around here, we get 35 year old bums with masks on who expect you to dump out an entire bowl of Halloween goodies into their garbage bags.  Sadly, I'm not joking.  And, even sadder, they would probably get a bigger kick out of an orange tongue than the kids.  But, anyway, for those of who you don't have to worry about being mugged when you open your door to strangers, these Trick or Treat Berry flavored Fruit by the Foot snacks will be perfect for the youngins'.

Fall Treats

In addition to the Holidays, The Holidaze is about celebrating a certain time of year and all that comes with it.  When it comes to Halloween, it just wouldn't be the same without this cool weather.  Even though it isn't technically Fall just yet, Mother Nature is surely giving us a prelude of what to come.  Sure, she's a bit of a tease, but I'll take it.  For at least another day, I'll be rocking the sweats and hoodie.  By Tuesday, we'll be rising back into our average temperature but, to enjoy this while it lasts, we have two Fall treats that are sure to enhance this faux Fall.

The first of our two treats comes to us from Kraft.  I introduce to you Jet-Puffed Swirlmallows!

If the packaging doesn't get you, then the overwhelming smell of chocolate and vanilla most definitely will.  The aroma is so strong that you can smell it right through the bag.  As soon as you come within 5 feet of these jumbo marshmallows, you'll instantly think of hot chocolate, smores and camping.  I've only been camping once, but if ever go again, I'd make sure it was in the Fall.  This weather is perfect for everything marshmallows bring to the table.  Who wants to toast these delicious Swirlmallows in the Summer?  The Winter?  No way, man.  Sure, they'll be just as good to eat during the Christmas season, but they had to have been designed for Autumn.  They go together so well.. just like chocolate and vanilla!

Kraft also makes these Swirlmallows in caramel/vanilla and strawberry..

Look at how big these Swirlmallows are! When Kraft says "Jumbo," they weren't kidding around.  They're massive.  If you're not careful, they're definitely a choking hazard, but when are marshmallows not dangerous?  We know the risk we're taking with every bite.

If you happen to be one of the two people who actually read this blog, then you know you laughed at what I just typed.  You definitely smiled or, at least, chuckled to yourself.  If you didn't, that's okay, because I know these guys did..

Now that I've humanized these Swirlmallows, it becomes a bit harder to enjoy their deliciousness.  I think I'd feel bad dropping that second one into a scolding cup of hot chocolate.  Ah well, I'll start with the third one and slowly get over it.  They're just too good not to..

On to our second Fall treat..

Aptly named, Little Debbie has released their new "Fall Tree Cakes."  It's not the most creative name for these delectable goodies but, because Little Debbie acknowledged the Fall season, we'll let it slide..

I really like the box art for what it is.  When it comes to fall tree cakes, there isn't much you can do in terms of graphics so, all things considered, I'd say they did a pretty good job.  In my opinion, you can consider your package design a success when it catches the eye of a potential customer and this did just that.  As my girlfriend was shopping at Wal-Mart, these popped out at her and led to a sale. 

The Fall Tree Cakes are basically slight variations of another popular Little Debbie snack -- Their Christmas Tree Cakes.  If you've never seen them before, picture a vanilla version of the chocolate tree pictured above.  I can't describe it simpler than that.  Actually, I just googled Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes and, turns out, they've also been released in chocolate so, if you've seen them, you know exactly what to expect with the Fall Trees.  However, Unlike the Christmas Tree Cakes that feature garland with red and green sprinkles, the Fall Tree Cakes are decorated with red, yellow, purple, and orange sprinkles shaped like leaves.  See, if I didn't tell you that, you probably wouldn't have been able to tell the difference..

All in all, these Little Debbie Cakes taste great.  They're perfect for these cool, chilly days and, if you want my advice, go pick them up.  Grab a box of Fall Tree Cakes, some hot chocolate and a bag of Jet-Puffed Swirlmallows in whatever flavor you prefer.  Rent a classic horror movie and indulge in an overly chocolate adventure.  You'll enjoy it.

Bobble Monsters

Fall is in the air here in New Jersey.  I love Summer and all that comes with it but, once we reach September, I'm ready for the heat to subside.  Let the Sun take a break and have the wind pick up the slack.  Usually, we don't begin to feel that chill in our bones until late September but, thankfully, things have already begun to cool down around here.  Oh yeah, it's hoodie season.

To celebrate the unofficial return of Autumn, the Halloween Bobble Monsters are making their Holidaze debut.  Things things are about 8 years old, and I couldn't tell you where we bought them, but I thought they'd enjoy being photographed outside and displayed here for nobody to see.

First up, we have The Witch.  I've never named these Bobble Monsters before, but I think it would be a more interesting read if I did so right now.  So, let me see.  I think I'm going to name this Witch.. Bridget.  It's not a very menacing name and, in fact, it's my girlfriends middle name, but I've been to Salem, MA enough to know that Bridget Bishop was the first person to be put on trial and executed for being a witch.  So, this tiny green Bobble Monster is named in her honor.  Of coure, the ghost of Bridget Bishop will most likely be making me a visit now, but that's to be expected when you mention the Salem Witches.

Now that Bridget the Bobble Monster has her name, let's discuss her appearance.  She is your typical Halloween witch with green skin, warts, a big black hat and orange hair.  Why are witches always depicted this way?  I've never met a witch but, if I ever do, I'm willing to bet she won't be green.  Actually, if she was green, my first guess would be that she's an alien, not a witch, and that wouldn't even scare me.  No, regular old ladies are much more frightening.  Walt Disney had the right idea when he created the witch in Snow White.  Now, SHE was scary!

Of course, like every other witch ever portrayed during the Halloween season, she has to be stirring some form of magical brew in her cauldron.  What could it be?  It appears to be brown or yellow.  It looks like corn, but it could be oatmeal.  Regardless of what spell, potion or posion Bridget is mixing up for all of us, I know I won't be taste testing.  No way.  Just look at her smirk.  She's up to no good.

Secondly, we have a goofy looking skelaton who we're going to name Femur.  Now, really, is anybody afraid of a skelaton?  What is he going to do?  Witches can cast spells, Dracula bites, Frankenstein has super strength and the Wolf Man is, obviously, half wolf.  When you come across those monsters, you know you're in trouble.  But, a skelaton?  I don't know.  I guess he can bite you or hit you over the head with one of his bones, but that's no different than any other living human being.  So, I'm guessing Femur is a good guy.

See, Femur is obviously walking through the graveyard, and that would be scary if Femur wasn't a skelaton.  Now, had this Monster Bobble been a zombie, then this would be an all new ball game.  Zombies are undead beings who have risen from their demise in search of human flesh.  I can think of at least 9 movies based on zombies and rightfully so.  But a skelaton?  I can't think of one horror flick based around a skelaton.  That's why Femur has to be our friend.

Now I feel bad that I've made fun of Femur and his monster race.  It's not his fault he has no skin or special powers.  He's just a bunch of bones looking for a body bag.  Sorry, Femur.. Oh well, on to the next..

Ahh, yes.. I've decided to name our third Monster Bobble.. Dr. Acula.  Eh, okay, that one sucks.  Get it?  See what I did there?  Sorry, now I'm just being a pain in the neck.  Damn, I did it again..

Dr. Acula is doctor of hematology.  He's a very smart man who always wanted to be a vampire.  He appears to be a menace to society, but it's really just a front.  He recently purchased this Dracula costume from Party City and used his Mom's lipstick as under eye make-up.  He knows a good optometrist who hooked him up with some yellow eye contacts and he bought the fangs at Spirit Halloween.  He looks great, he's even posing, but he's just not the real deal.  Dr. Acula is not a vampire, he's just a doctor..  But hey, that's better than being a lawyer.  They're real blood suckers..  Oops, I did it again

Last, but not least, we have our final Bobble Monster and his name is, of course, Frank.  I was going to attempt a bit more originality, but when it comes to this infamous monster, nothing seems to fit better than Frank.  I guess we can call him Frankie, or even Franklin, but I think he prefers the more classic variation.

This is my favorite Bobble Monster because he's so damn happy.  His smile is huge and, considering I've seen bums dressed better than Frank, I give him a lot of credit.  Really, Frank is an inspiration.  He's obviously gone through some type of head trauma.  His clothes are ripped, barely fit him and don't match.  He was born with green skin and abnormally big feet, yet, here he is walking through life with a smile on from bolt to bolt.  If only we could all be more like Frank.  Of course, come at Frankie with a flamed torch and he'll flip his lid.  There's only so much a man can take.

Even though nobody reads this blog, I hope whoever does enjoyed reading about the Bobble Monsters.  They're all very unique and have their own personalities.  In fact, I think I can make some sort of cartoon based off of what I wrote today.  Maybe they can all be roommates or live in the same haunted town.  I'm not sure yet, and I'll probably never develop the idea, but it's fun coming up with one.  We'll see..

Well, until next time, say goodbye to the Bobble Monsters.  Bridget, Femur, Dr. Acula and Frank all big you a fearful farewell, but I'm sure they'll make some type of return before this Holidaze comes to an end.