Halloween Milk

 

It's November 10th and we're still talking about Halloween.  And really, why not?  So many people throughout the country have been affected in so many different ways this Halloween.  Between now and Thanksgiving, there's nothing but a lull anyway.  Sure, there are some who have already embraced the Christmas season and have moved past spooky things.  But, for others, this is down time before we feast.  So, again, due to my own personal circumstances and those who missed out on Halloween, we're gonna keep on truckin'.  I have at least two more quality posts to write before we put this season to bed.  With Thanksgiving only 12 days away, and Christmas right around the corner, that should bridge nicely between one Holidaze and another.

Seasonal milks seem to be the new fad as of recently.  Last year, we found the Red Velvet Holiday milk at Target.  Now this year, we find TruMoo Holiday milk at Wal-Mart in both Vanilla and Chocolate flavors.  There are two cool aspects to these.  First, the label art is great!  TruMoo could have gone with a more "Fall" approach and last on shelves longer, but they chose "Halloween" and that couldn't be any more perfect.  Not only did they make a ghoulish logo for "TrueMoo," but they made two separate labels for each flavor.  So Vanilla features a spooky pumpkin and tombstone, while chocolate brings us the haunted house, ghost, and "No Trespassing" type sign.

But the coolest part?  The fact that Vanilla TruMoo is colored Orange.  That's enough!  That was the selling point for me!  Had it been white, I would have kept walking.  But they did a great job.

Now, in the past, I've complained about the lack of decorative Halloween boxes from Kellogg's.  It's not because I hate Kellogg's, it's just that I know what they're capable of and hate seeing the holidays go to waste.  Throw a mask on Tony the Tiger, and we're good to go.  Add in a few Halloween marshmallows, and I'm set for a season.  

Last year, I didn't find any Halloween cereal boxes from Kellogg's, but this year is a different story.  Pictured above, we have plain old regular Rice Krispies and Cocoa Krispies, but they're in their Halloween costumes for the year!  The graphics are awesome and even if they didn't add in any special treats, it's good enough.  Especially when you want to add your Halloween Milk into Halloween Cereal.  See where I'm going with this?

Rice Krispies in Orange Vanilla TruMoo Milk tastes a lot better than it looks.  It looks like the milk went bad or, at the very worst, that you're about to eat chunky vomit.  Sorry for the graphic detail, but believe me, it's really good!  It may not look like your typical bowl of cereal, but who wants that on Halloween, anyway?  Throw some orange in there and change it up.  Look for this next year and give it a try!

This one really didn't make any difference.  Chocolate milk definitely have a different taste than that of regular milk or even the milk that becomes chocolate by the time you're done with Cocoa Krispies, but it wasn't very noticeable.  I guess you could say it tasted much more chocolatey from the start, rather than the bowl progressing as time goes on, but either way, it's really good.  Plus, it looks dark and evil like that haunted house on the label so that helps.

My only regret was not mixing the orange milk in with the chocolate Cocoa Krispies.  How did I overlook that?  Even if that tasted like garbage, that makes for the perfect Halloween color combo!  I'll have to remember to up my game next year!

Times Scare

Well before the Hurricane hit, my Girlfriend, my Cousins, and I took the train over to NY for a night out at "Times Scare."  I read about this online and I was excited to check it out because it provided two main attractions that I was interested in.  The first was the Haunted House.  I'll never turn down a good Haunted House and, because this Times Scare attraction is open all year-round, I figured this one would be amazing.  Plus, it also featured the "Crypt Cafe."  That's what I was really excited about.  It was a Halloween-themed restaurant.  How is that not a good time?

The Crypt Cafe was up first.  When we sat down at our Medical Slab tables (great touch) we waited for our waitress while I snapped that picture.  What is it?  That's the kitchen.  That's where the food was cooked and came out from.  How cool is that?  It's like our food was made by a demonic butcher.  It looks red, it looks plastic, it looks bloody.  Things were starting off great!

 

We weren't particularly hungry, but we wanted to at least try the appetizers.  Let me tell ya, the service here was pretty horrible.  Our waitress was nice and seemed to be doing as much as she could, but they were sooo slowww.  It was like they forgot all about us for 30 minutes.   We weren't in a rush, so it wasn't much of a problem, plus I'm not one to complain, but it was definitely something we took notice of.  If you're open all year-round, you should probably be on point.  I can't imagine it being easy to pay rent in Times Square when you're primarily a Halloween attraction.

Pictured above, we have the "Bat Wings," which were basically chicken wings.  They look burnt, but they weren't.  They were died black to appear as if they're bat wings.  It was a nice touch and, overall, they tasted pretty good.  But to be honest, I was more interested in drinking at that point.  They had really cool options on the menu.

 

So, as soon as these monster nachos came out, covered in just about everything you could imagine, we narrowed down our alcoholic choices and planned on living it up in New York City.  The drinks were probably the main reason I decided to mention the Crypt Cafe to my dynamic duo and, specifically, it was this Embryoelectroplasma shot.  It looks evil, it looks demonic, it looks disgusting, it looks like Halloween!!

My girlfriend had no interest in drinking underdeveloped babies, but my cousin and I had to give this a "shot."  These twins were meant to be thrown back, regardless of what they tasted like.  The menu said it was fruit with a hit of peach schnapps so we weren't expecting anything strong, but still, what were those "babies" made out of?  It looks like Kahlua or Bailey's, but there was only one way to find out.

Well, let me tell you, I have no idea what those babies were, but they were gross and chunky.  I have a rule that once you start taking a shot, you can't stop.  If you don't know what you're about to drink, then you either turn it down or go all the way.  There's no in between.  Well, as soon as I swallowed that first chunk, I knew the next three swigs were going to be just as rough.  It was horrible.  It wasn't the flavor, it was the texture.  The fruity blood at the bottom tasted great, but it wasn't easy getting there.  I think it's safe to say that I'll never take this shot again, but it was one of the highlights of my night and I'm glad we did it for Halloween.

Do you know what that is?  That's Absinthe! I've heard crazy things about Absinthe and I always wanted to try it.  I know it was outlawed in The United States until recently because of it's hallucinogenic inducing abilities (no idea if that made sense) but it's here now and I was excited to try it.  Apparently it's 120 proof and helped Edgar Allan Poe write his creepy classics.  I was ready to throw it back and start writing cryptic tales of birds and murder.  But first, it had to be prepared. 

Once it was ready, my cousin Phil and I were ready to go. My girlfriend sat this one out and chose to go with a safer drink of choice, but she changed her mind later that night, anyway.

The smell was intense and the aroma was really throwing me off.  It smelled like licorice and I realllly hate licorice.  Friends of mine told me how great this tastes and how much they liked it, but I'm guessing they like licorice because that's exactly what this was.  This was like somebody melted a black string of licorice, dyed it green, and told me to drink it for a hallucination.  The result?

They say a picture says a 1,000 words, and It's safe to say this one says at least that much.  My cousin Phil (in the yankee hat) looks like he just drank gasoline.  He looks like his life has come to an end.  Me?  All I can do is stare at him with the look of despair.  As if to say "Did we seriously just drink that?"  I think my eyebrows actually say more.  "Do we really have THIS much left before it's over?"  Yeah, it was that bad.  I hated it, but I loved what it represented and what it was supposed to do.  I didn't wind up seeing any Ravens, but, regardless of what our mugs say, it provided a nice feeling for the night.  

It looks pretty or, in the case of Halloween, it looks spooky.  Ya can't beat drinking a lime green drink at any time of the year.  But don't let it fool you, it looks so much better than it tastes and, for that reason, multiple photos were necessary.

My girlfriend ordered her own Absinthe after we did and it wasn't quite as strong.  Trust me, it didn't taste any better, but didn't hit as hard as the first two.  If, for nothing else, it makes for a great picture of my beautiful lady with a classic drink. 

We went a different route in our pose.  We wanted to warn you all that this drink is serious.  It's out to get you.  If you don't like licorice, it will attack your taste buds and demolish your throat on the way down.  It's dangerous and, for Halloween, what else could you ask for?  In all seriousness, it's a fun drink for October.  I'd drink it again and really push it's potential, but I'd rather a different flavor.  How about, instead of licorice, we go with Strawberry Twizzlers?  Same family, different impact.  Make it happen, Lucid!

It was now time to move on to the Haunted House so we got in line and waited about 45 minutes before getting inside.  Outside, they had a few characters walking around, but nothing like Blood Manor.  They did things right, inside and out.  Times Scare was a disappointment, but their decorative items throughout the halls were impressive.  Unfortunately, that was about as impressive as it got in terms of Haunted Houses.

 

When a building is completely decorated, from floor to ceiling, with realistic spider webs, a monstrous  Sistine Chapel, fake dirt and rust, you assume that the performances inside will be just as awesome.  I really wish I could say they were, but I was let down.  Most of the time, we walked through empty rooms, without any actors at all, only to find poorly decorated rooms with little to no props.  I don't get it.  You're open all year round, so why not put more effort into your main event?

To top things off, this guy popped out from his eternal slumber and stole my girlfriend.

Eh, he seems kinda skinny to me..

Seriously, to conclude, I wouldn't go to Times Scare again.  It has sooo much potential that you find yourself cheering the place on, just hoping that they would reach the brass ring and become one of the greats, but it lets you down just when you think it's going to be great.  I give it a 6 out of 10 and, in my book, that's failing.  I wouldn't recommend it to anybody, but I'd definitely have you check out the Crypt Cafe for the awesome Halloween drinks.  But that's it.  Don't buy any tickets, don't waste your money, just drink.. then go to Blood Manor.

Halloween is Over?

It's unfortunate, but the Halloween Holidaze did not end the way I wanted it to.  Due to Hurricane Sandy, I was left without power in Jersey City.  Believe me, that is nothing compared to the damage Sandy inflicted on the Jersey Shore, Queens, Manhattan, Hoboken, and Staten Island.  There are people left without homes and, in the worst cases, there are those who lost loved ones.  Going through 7 days without the capabilities of posting a blog about Halloween is, understandably, the least of anybody's concerns.

For the rest of the country, Halloween went as planned.  I was fortunate enough to enjoy the weekend prior to October 31st, but we were hit that Monday and, for the first time in my life, Halloween was officially canceled.  There was nothing we could do and canceling was the right thing to do.  To make it up to the kids and 25-year-old nerds, Governor Christie reschedule Halloween for yesterday, November 5th.  That would have been great if I had any way of enjoying it.  I was working and completely missed out on the second Halloween of 2012.  It's not that bad, really, because I start celebrating so early anyway.  But, I still refuse to accept that Halloween is over.  How could it be?

I didn't watch any Halloween or Friday the 13th movies, I didn't make any Halloween cupcakes, and I barely lived up the last two weeks of October.  Nope, sorry Sandy, Halloween isn't over until I say it is.  I have a few more posts left in the arsenal.  And since I'm nowhere near ready for Christmas, I'm going to extend Halloween even further!

I understand if my Holidaze readers don't want to take part in any more of the season.  If you were able to enjoy the day in peace, you may be ready to move on from Halloween and on to Thanksgiving.  But if you want to enhance the Holidaze and make it longer, join me in saying "Screw you, Sandy" and get ready for a few more Holidaze posts.  I promise I'll throw 'em all at ya quick and fast so we can put this one behind us and get ready for another.

Halloween Cinnamon Rolls

Remember when I said I was going to put up 1 post a day, if not more?  What the heck happened?  Well, I'll tell ya.  I work for the Brooklyn Nets and, for the past 9 days, I've been nothing but busy.  Unfortunately, between work and traveling through the NY Subway system, I've been pretty tired.  I hope you understand that I wanted to post more, and that I'm upset over the fact that so much of the Halloween season was taken away by work, but it has cut into my Holidaze.  On the bright side, I'm back today and I'm hoping to keep this ball rolling straight through Halloween.  Despite my lack of posting, I've been taking pictures and attempting to embrace Halloween as best I could.  Hopefully I'll have a few good posts left before things wrap up in.. believe it or not.. 10 days!!

Today's topic is nothing new, but one of my favorite traditions that wasn't covered last year.  We've all seen the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls at the grocery story.  They're always there, usually at the end, enticing you to heat 'em up and indulge.  If your anything like me, you probably do and, really, who can blame you?  These have always been delicious.  Since I was a kid, I've always loved Cinnamon Rolls.  I remember my Mom making them when I was in grammar school and it was always the highlight of my week.  I could be up to my head in homework, stressing out over who the Power Rangers would be up against next, and my Mom would save the day with Cinnamon Rolls.  To this day, this treat can turn my day around.

Now, white icing is one thing.  But, for Halloween, Pillsbury dies the icing orange!!  The flavor stays exactly the same, but it's orange!  That's it!  That's Halloween and, whenever I can find the Halloween edition, I snatch it up.  Last year, I couldn't.  But if there's one thing working in Brooklyn has brought me, it's these Cinnamon Rolls.  I found these at Path Mark across the street from Barclays Center.  Even when I'm working, I'm thinking Holidaze!

With the lid on, the orange icing looks like orange icing.  It could be so many things.  It could be a toxic ooze from Saturn.  It could be pumpkin blood.  It could even be, ya know, icing!  But, with the cap off?

With the cap off, this just looks like cheese.  It looks like I just stopped into Nathan's and they handed me a cup of cheese for their fries.  Believe me, I spent more than enough time at Seton Hall, where all we had to eat was Nathan's, so I know my melted cheese.  If you didn't know anything about this post, you'd think of nothing else when looking at that picture!

Now, after you start icing the Cinnamon Rolls, they begin to look like cheeseburgers.  So far, you're probably wondering why the hell these things are any good or Halloween related at all.  Justified, but I'm telling you what it looks like, not what it smells like.  Not what it tastes like.  When you bring all of your senses together, you're in Halloween Heaven.  It's the perfect combination for a late night Halloween snack.  Like I said, the white icing is classic, but when you start changing colors, you really add so much to the season.  In fact, I would like to see these released with multiple icing colors.  Maybe some green, purple, or red?  It could lead to so many marketing opportunities as well.  That would be great!

Besides my Freddy Krueger cookie sheet adding more horror to the photos than you'd probably like, these Halloween Cinnamon Rolls look amazing.  I wish I didn't already eat them so I could eat them again.  Look at the 2nd picture above and tell me you're not hungry now.  McDonalds pays big money to get their burgers looking like that.  If only they read the Holidaze and knew to fool you with Halloween Cinnamon Rolls instead.  That's the key!

When they've cooled just a little bit, plate them and prepare to get messy.  Don't eat these if you don't want to get messy because that's the best way to enjoy Halloween Cinnamon Rolls.  As for me, my girlfriend sat down with these, put the lights out, and caught up on two seasons worth of The Walking Dead.  Can you believe a Hallowgeek like me missed that boat?  Where was I?  That show deserves a whole blog, let alone a post, dedicated to it.  But now, thanks to Netflix and these Cinnamon Rolls, I'm all caught up and ready for tonight.  

Hopefully you're all still with me here.  I know I've missed a few days, but I love writing in this blog and talking about Halloween so I'll do my best to make the last 10 days worth your couple of minutes.  So stay tuned!

Pumpkin Spice Kisses

I spotted these about a month ago and they've been sitting in my kitchen ever since.  As you all know, I don't like the taste of pumpkin flavored anything.  I really really wish I did because everything comes in a pumpkin variety during this time of year.  There was such an uproar over Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte the other day and I wasn't able to take part in the commotion.  I wanted to be upset over the low supply and high demand as well!  But I couldn't have cared less because I never drink the stuff.  Such a shame.

I've tried tasting various pumpkin items over the years, but it usually results in the same outcome.  Granted, Pumpkin beer was good after it's taste was acquired, but that's about it.  I love the smell of pumpkin pie, but can never make it past the first bite.  I wanted to review pumpkin pie Pop-Tarts, but knew that would just be a waste of money.  It's really annoying, honestly.  I'd love to get my taste buds situated, but they can't stand pumpkin.

Regardless of my own personal preferences, the new Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses were just too new to pass up.  As soon as I saw them, I knew I'd eventually give in so I just went ahead and bought it right there and then.  As I said, for about a month, they sat on the kitchen table in their fancy fall bag, just waiting for somebody to enjoy them.  I admired the design, but didn't feel any urge to open them up.  But I knew, for The Holidaze, it needed to be done.  So I continued onward.

Much like Pumpkin Pie, the smell that hits you as soon as you open this bag is amazing.  It's very spicy, in the pumpkin sense, and gets your appetite working up a sweat.  Even though I knew I'd probably hate these Kisses, my nose was telling my tongue to have a change of heart.  I was giving into everything now and I knew I was on my way to trying one of these new Kisses.  Whether I liked it or not, this review was getting written for The Holidaze season!

First, though, we have to talk about the wrappers.  The Pumpkin Spice Kisses are wrapped in gold and brown foil.  I've always been a fan of Hershey's changing their Kisses' wrappers from color to color to represent the time of year.  For Halloween, it's black and orange.  For Christmas, it's green and red.  For Valentines Day, it's red and pink.  The little things mean a lot to me and, this time, I'm mesmerized by the swirls.  It looks like the Kisses are dressed up in Tiger costumes for Halloween.  I know this is a Fall item and probably isn't mean to be associated with October 31st, but I'm going to go ahead and change all that.  These Kisses can't wait for Halloween and they've taken this opportunity to dress up early and let the whole world know that they're Kissing Tigers made of Pumpkin Spice.  Scares me, at least.

On the bag, the Hershey's Kiss depicted in the lower right corner is light brown, so this was to be expected, but I got such a thrill opening up this wrapper.  Seeing how light and "caramelly" this Kiss looked made my day.  In fact, I wish it was caramel!  That would have been covered weeks ago.  But I love seeing something different, something new, for the change in seasons.  Hershey's made me proud with this one.  But I knew the moment of truth was coming next, so my pride was swallowed and I moved on to the next test.  It was time to eat Pumpkin Spice Kisses.

Honestly, not that bad.  It's not my favorite candy in the world, but it's pretty good.  I'll call it decent, how's that?  Like the bag states, It tastes much more like Pumpkin Spice than it does Pumpkin and, for me, that's certainly a plus.  I'm not sure what type of filling that is in the middle, but it adds a different type of texture to the Kiss.  It makes it chewier, if that makes any sense.  Other than that, it makes for a cool contrast in colors and, even better, awesome alliteration ;)

Overall, this was a good pick-up.  If you're like the majority of people who enjoy pumpkin flavored products, then I'd say this is a must-buy.  If I like it, even a little bit, then you're bound to jump for glory.  Despite my picky eating and low tolerance for anything outside my realm of preference, I do know that this is amazing candy and a great direction for Hershey.  I'm sure, if you try it, you'll like it.  So go ahead, pumpkin eaters!  Purchase a bag of Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses and give it a swirl.  Then let me know what YOU think!

McDonalds Happy Meal Classics

When I was growing up, McDonald's was always a hot spot.  I know it catches flack for not being healthy, and I understand that, but can we all agree that it tastes pretty damn good?  When I was a kid, I couldn't get enough of McDonald's and it's probably due to their advertising.  Activists who fight against child obesity today have made the classic fast food characters of my day an endangered species.  Now, only Ronald McDonald exists.  The rest of McDonaldland has gone into hiding.  But I remember when McDonald's and Burger King characters were just as prevalent on TV as Spongebob is today.  I even had a McDonaldland video game!  They were such a crucial part of McDonald's business strategy and, really, can ya blame them?  Ronald McDonald lured kids in, he showed them what type of cookies and toys he had, then he ran off with their Parents' money with a big smile on his face.  Talk about a Hamburglar!

That's an old commercial that I don't own.  I found it on YouTube and, apparently, it's from 1995.  I would have been about 7 and I greatly remember those Happy Meal toys!  The toys didn't move, they didn't have any fancy lights or sounds, but they had removable  costumes and that was better than anything I could have imagined.  There was something about putting those characters in costume that made the season seem so much better.  In my mind, I completely changed them from Grimace to a Ghost.  It was all in my mind, but the nostalgia stays with me to this day.

Because I miss those times and the days when Fast Food Cartoon Characters ruled over all Saturday morning commercials, I had to turn to Ebay and see what I could find.  Once I get my mind set on a certain time, I have to do whatever I can to relive those memories.  Luckily, I found a few!

 

Here's Birdie the early Bird!  She was known for representing the breakfast line at McDonald's, but became more of a fixture as the years went on.  Because I'm a boy, she was never my favorite.  "Pink is for girls!"  I never wanted to find a Birdie toy in my Happy Meal, but when you went as much as I did, it was bound to happen.  But, around Halloween, it didn't matter because it meant a new costume!  I always liked seeing what the characters would come dressed as so, even in this case, I would have been happy to find something new.  Now, at 25, I still would have rathered Grimace or The Hamburglar, but I'll take what I can get when it comes to 18 year old Happy Meal toys!

Here she is!  All decked out in her pumpkin suit!  I like this costume a lot because you can still see her face.  Plus, it's a pretty girly costume.  The last time I saw a boy dress up as a pumpkin, he was either 3 years old or dressed in one of those Creature Reachers.  That's totally different.  So I like how much McDonald's focused on who would wear what costume.  This is the perfect fit for Birdie.  The only thing that would have been better is a cat.  Ya know, since cats eat birds? How ironic would that have been? Hmm.. Stay tuned.

Here we have the Hamburglar.  It's not the one depicted in the video (that one was my favorite back in the day,) but he's still pretty cool.  I think this was released at a later time and his sole purpose was to work as a candy dispenser for kids.  I'm not sure how that would work exactly, but I believe the kids would store their candy (probably came with the Happy Meal) by lowering the Hamburglar's mask.  I guess the point was that his mask would scare any thief's away from stealing the one or two sweetarts you could fit in there.  I like the concept, but the removable costumes were so much better!  Either way, I can't hate on my man The Hamburglar.  He's always been my favorite McDonaldland character.

When you lower the mask, it fits perfectly around his head leaving just enough room for his eyes to peek through.  Let me point out how interesting of a mask this actually is.  The first thing that comes to mind is Freddy Krueger.  The rounded nose, the heavy wrinkles and, of course, The Hamburglar's hat only enhances the illusion.  Something tells me that's what McDonald's was going for in a time where slasher films were still relevant.  But I also see a green goblin.  Not THE Green Goblin from Spideman, but a generic form.  He's hideous, that's for sure.  And the kicker is the fact that his tongue is sticking out with a giant spider crawling up and into his mouth.  If this didn't scare kids from opening the candy dispenser, what would have?  This is a very cool McDonald's toy.  Not one of the best, but definitely a classic.

In the lot I purchased on Ebay, I received four legendary Happy Meal toys and Birdie was included twice.  That's probably why I snagged these for less than $3 shipped.  But in this case, I don't mind it because Birdie is bringing me back to the topic she originally started up above.  Wouldn't it be cool if the crazy minds at McDonald's decided to dress her up like a cat for Halloween?  Well..

 I may be the only one who thinks so, but this is extremely clever!  Obviously, Birdie was intended for young girls.  So there weren't many options to choose from in terms of making Birdie scary AND approachable.  We all know how much little boys love gross things.  That spider on Hamburglar's tongue would have made a little boy's day.  But a little girl?  She would have been disgusted.  I guess some things never change.  But for an adult with too much time on their hands, they can look at the Happy Meal toy and snicker.  Cats eat birds so, in Birdie's mind, this would be extremely scary!  I don't think it was going to keep kids from stealing your candy, but if your friend happens to be a bird, then you're in luck!  The only think that would have been funnier, is if she dressed up as a chicken nugget.  Oh, the irony in McDonaldland.

Last but not least, we have the head honcho himself -- Ronald McDonald.  Let's face it, this guy isn't clowning around.  He is, without a doubt, a world-wide icon!  He's a legendary figure and I don't think there's a kid on Earth who hasn't seen his seducing smile.  Even the hungry kids in Ethiopia have seen him.  They may not have seen any burgers, but they've definitely seen him.  He's everywhere, including my deck for the photo above.

This was one of my favorite McDonald's toys of all time.  When I think back to everything, I remember The Hamburglar, Grimace, and Ronald.  Halloween was such a big deal for me as a kid that this figure would have certainly enhanced my Holidaze tenfold.  The fact that I remember it so well is telling, but the fact that my heart skipped a beat when I saw his picture on Ebay is even more telling.  I'm a giant nerd, but I love Halloween.

 How amazing is his costume?  When Halloween rolls around, Ronald pulls out all the stops and dresses up as.. Frankenstein!!  And not just any old Frankie, but a traditionally green Frankie with BLUE hair!  What maniac at the McDonald's factory decided to paint his hair blue?  A genius, that's who!  It's crazy how much a stationary figure that doesn't make any sounds could do so much for me.  When I was a kid, I would act things out with the McDonaldland figures.  One second Ronald would be a clown, the next he'd be Frankenstein.  He'd scare the rest of the crew until they wound up having a Monster Mash costume party in the end.  I let my imagination do the work and, to this day, I try to uphold that tradition.  There's a time and place to be serious, but Halloween?  Nahh, that's not one of 'em!

Now that I've found a few of the classic Happy Meal figures, I'm interested in finding more.  Hamburglar dressed as Dracula is definitely one that I'd like to find, along with Grimace the Ghost.  I don't seem to remember much more than that, but the memories are vague so they could come back to me as I see them.  We'll see.  But if I do find anymore for a reasonable price, I'll place the order and review them on The Holidaze!  For now, just be Happy....Meal.  So corny.