Goosebumps Has Returned!

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Goosebumps.  The logo pictured above was perfectly designed to reel readers in and it was what instantly caught my eye when my class received their Scholastic ordering forms.  I always enjoyed writing more than reading, but the book covers managed to, at least, make me want to read the horrific stories R.L. Stine came up with.  I mean, just take a look at some of these book covers and tell me you don't want to know what terror these pages are filled with!

These covers are still awesome today.  They say not to judge a book by it's cover, but I usually do and, for the most part, I'm usually right.  But when it comes to Goosebumps, everybody should judge the books by their covers because their amazing.  One of my favorite covers was the "Say Cheese and Die" cover.  I just love it.

However, like I said, I was never much of a reader and I don't think I ever made it through a single Goosebumps book.  It's not that I didn't want to, because what I started to read frightened the hell out of me, but I would always zone out.  I'd start to watch TV and look at my Sega Genesis and think, hm, I bet Sonic the Hedgehog could really use my help right about now.  That was it.  The book was closed, dropped, and only picked up again to draw the cover when I was bored.

So what do you do to, once again, attract a lost reader?  Simple.  Make a TV show based off of the books I didn't read.  Once Goosebumps came to Fox, I was hooked and, this time, I stayed put for the entire story.  My favorite episodes were parts one and two of "The Haunted Mask."  I remember my parents buying me the VHS and I watched it so much around this time of year that I memorized the entire script.  I also had an actual haunted mask that looked just a little bit to realistic for my liking.  I was young and way too afraid to put it on for too long so, ultimately, it was thrown out.  I could have sworn it came back from the dead and haunted my closet for a for months after that, but obviously that's impossible...or is it?  Either way, that's but it just goes to show how much I loved Goosebumps.

Then, out of nowhere, it was gone.  When you're a kid, you're unaware of cancellations, contracts and ratings.  All I wanted was my Goosebumps and I couldn't understand why it was no longer on.  Well, now, thanks to The Hub, Goosebumps...is... BACK!!  What a great move by an already great network to resurrect Goosebumps this Fall.  It has already begun to enhance the Halloween season and why wouldn't it?  Listen to the terrifying theme song!  For me, it ranks right up there with the themes from Are You Afraid of the Dark, Halloween and The Exorcist.  Classic!

Ahh, I could listen to it for hours.  If you're as pumped as I am about the recent return of Goosbumps to The Hub, then make sure you check your local listings.  http://www.hubworld.com/tv-schedule  Goosebumps is on every weekday so make sure you don't miss it.  Friday's episode is "The Return of the Mummy."  Enjoy!

Terror Behind The Walls Exclusive Pre-Sale

If you're a fan of Haunted Houses, the Eastern State Penitentiary is offering an exclusive pre-sale on all Terror Behind the Walls tickets (with no ticketing fees) to their newsletter subscribers!

I've been to this historic haunt on multiple occassions and, in my opinion, nobody does it better.  ESP has become a national destination during the Halloween season and, if you've been there, you know why.  If you have yet to experience Terror Behind the Walls, then you owe it to yourself to make the trip this year.  You will not be disappointed!

This year, Terror Behind the Walls is celebrating their 20th year!  The new year of fear kicks off on September 20th when the box office offically opens on Fairmount Avenue and the infamous gargoyles are installed on top of the penitentiary facade.  According the ESP officials, there will be music, games, "and even a few zombies" on hand to entertain the season's first official ticket buyers.  However, if you're already a subscriber, you don't have to wait!  You can get your tickets now with the promo code: JAILBREAK.  Offer expires on at 11:59pm on September 15th so don't miss out.  ESP officials believe Terror Behind the Walls is the most popular haunt in America and, speaking from experience, I'd have to agree.

To celebrate their 20th Anniversary, ESP has a few tricks up their sleeve with the first being two brand new attractions:  The Gauntlet and The Breakout.

According to Associate Director of Design Services, Jason Olsen, the Gauntlet is "specifically designed to confuse and disorient the visitors."  That sounds like a good time to me!  Who doesn't love being confused and disoriented while zombie inmates chase your through the prison?  If that doesn't put you in a Holidaze, then I don't know what else will!

There hasn't been much information released in regards the The Gauntlet and there is even less known about The Escape.  According to Olsen, The Escape will take place as visitors are getting ready to leave the penitentiary and become "part of a large-scale escape."  That sounds like we're going to be chased out by zombie inmates and ghastly prison guards.  Like every good horror movie, the killer always needs to come back for one final scare.  That's what I'm expecting from The Escape.  Time will tell.

I'll definitely be visiting the Eastern State Penitentiary this year because, unfortunately, they were sold out by the time I got there last year.  I can't miss it again so I'll be sure to take advantage of the exclusive pre-sale this year.  Of course, once I return from my trip to Philly, I'll be sure to give my review here.

If you've never heard of Terror Behind the Walls, then you need to go to http://www.easternstate.org/halloween and do your research.  If you're looking for a few good scares, then this is the place to be during the Halloween season. 

Tickets go on sale to the general public on September 20th with the first show being September 23rd at 7pm.  Don't miss Terror Behind the Walls!

Monster Cereal Treats

When it comes to baking, my girlfriend knows what she's doing.  She's really good and I'm sure I'll have a few posts dedicated to what she makes in the future.  But, when it comes to making Cereal Treats, neither of us had ever attempted their creation.  Well, I did once.. When I was about 8 years old, I tried making Fruity Pebble Treats.  My Aunt had made something similar earlier that week and, I figured, that must be easy.  So, I melted butter and marshmallows in the microwave, poured an entire box into the mix and immediately ate them.  I don't think I have to tell you how horribly disgusting they tasted.  I had no idea what I was doing and was too young to realize that I actually needed a.. ya know.. recipe.  Yeah, so that was my only attempt at making any variation of Rice Krispies Treats and, because it was such a mess, I choose to pretend it never happened and you should too..

When I found Frankenberry and Boo Berry cereal at Walgreens, I wanted to do something with them that I hadn't done before.  I wanted to take things up a notch and decided to turn them into Monster Cereal Treats.  At first, I thought about making them separately, but changed my mind.  No, I wanted to combine these two worlds and watch them collide to create Frankenboo.  Oh yeah.. it was on!

To avoid the debacle that was my last attempt, my girlfriend and I wanted to make sure we had the recipe right.  We looked online and watched videos to make sure these treats came out perfect.  We had two boxes of cereal and Walgreens was completely sold out so we were only going to get one shot at this.  We picked up butter and a pack of Jet-Puffed Marshmallows and we were ready to go.  Our ingredients were in hand and we were prepared to create Frankenboo Cereal Treats.

Unlike me, you probably already know how to make these marshmallow treats but, just in case you don't, you basically melt half a stick of butter, followed by a 10 oz bag of marshmallows.  I used the larger marshmallows but that was probably a bad move.  If I were to do it again, I'd use the smaller ones because, from what I've read, they melt faster.  Either way, Once the two are completely melted and create what appears to be a batter, you're ready to pour in the cereal.

We used about half of each cereal box but, as you may be able to tell, something started to go wrong.  As I've said, I don't have any experience when it comes to making these treats, but even I started to think this idea was quickly going downhill.  I figured the marshmallows would make things sticky, but this just didn't look right.  I knew better than to leave the stove on and I removed the pot from any heat, but I don't think that even mattered.  I was having flashbacks of my last attempt 16 years ago and my inner 8-year-old was laughing at me and my girlfriend.  How could I have this wrong?  Maybe I didn't.. Maybe it was supposed to be this way.  Yup, that's what I told myself as I continued on with the process.

We took the sloppy mess of Frankenboo and poured it into a pan.  Well, I really shouldn't say "pour" because it definitely didn't "pour."  Water pours, coffee pours, soda pours.  But this goop? No, this stuck.. This slowly but barely fell into the pan and, parts that didn't, had to be forced out with the help of parchment paper and strength.  That certainly didn't seem to be the standard, but what do I know?  I've only done this once and for as bad as this appeared to be going, it was already better than last time so we spread the mixture out and put it in the fridge to cool.

A few hours later, we woke Frankeboo from his slumber and this was the end result..

Wow, now that looks appetizing.. Seriously, what happened?  These things were hard as a rock and, if you did manage to bite a piece off, they tasted more like butter treats than marshmallow treats.  I'll admit, they weren't horrible tasting.  Afterall, they did have that Frankenboo flavor, but it was so overwhelmed by half a Hotel Bar that it was impossible to take more than two bites.  Very disappointing.I don't know what wrong, though.  Did we use too much butter?  Not enough cereal?  Was I not supposed to refrigerate them?  I have no idea.. All I know is that these did not come out the way I expected them to and, when it comes to marshmallow treats, I am now 0-2.

At some point this Holidaze season, I'll most likely make another attempt at making these Monster Treats.  I just need to figure out where I went wrong.  Maybe they just don't come out as well when you're not using Rice Krispies.  I don't know, but I'm determined to find out.  Until then, enjoy looking at this picture of the final product.  I know you're dying to taste them, but there's a reason why they title says "caution."

 

Monster Cereals

Count Chocula. Frankenberry and Boo Berry have once again returned for another year of terror.  Now, I absolutely love my General Mills Monster Cereals.  Every year, I go out of my way to search the aisles for these boxes and just when I think they're unavailable...BOO... their colors pop out at me and fill my heart with happiness.  In recent years, they've been a bit easier to find, but it hasn't always been that way.  About three or four years ago, I couldn't find them anywhere and, for me, it just isn't Halloween unless I get to pour a bowl of Frankenberry.  I became so desperate that I paid $30 for three boxes from http://www.hometownfavorites.com/.  When it comes to cereal, that's insane.  But thankfully, places like Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Rite Aid keep me from having to do that every year.

I'm actually quite shocked that these Monster Cereals have already hit stores, but I'm not complaining.  Now that I've found them, it's officially time for Halloween.  Sure, It was 85 degrees in NJ today but that doesn't matter now that these creeps have come out from their hiding place.  As far as I'm concerned, it's time for Halloween and, regardless, they taste so good that General Mills could release them in June for all I care.

Now, I assumed that these boxes would be around for a while now that they've been released so early, but when I returned to the store, all but two boxes of Boo Berry were sold out.  This really surprised me.  I know how much I look forward to them every year, but I didn't think they were so popular that over 30 boxes would sell out in two days.  With these cereals returning for such a short period of time, it may, once again, begin to get more difficult to find them than it's recently been.  That's so Boo Berry..

Honestly, I'm not all that in to Count Chocula.  I've seen him multiple times throughout the year and it doesn't taste any different than Cocoa Puffs.  Marshmallows are great, but I'd rather Frank and Boo over good old Choc any day.

Boo Berry was introduced in 1973 as the third monster in the Monster Cereals line from General Mills and, today, is one of the hardest cereals to find.  For whatever reason, Frank and Choc are always more out and about during the Fall season while Boo tends to act like more of the ghost he is.  While I was lucky enough to find a box already, it's already become almost impossible again.  Depending on where you live or you plan on ordering from Amazon or some other online retailer, you'll probably have to wait until we get a bit closer to Halloween.  Either that or find a really good paranormal investigator..

All jokes aside, I wonder why Boo Berry tends to be the most popular.  I really don't know because, in my opinion, nobody beats Frankenberry but I guess I'd have to attribute it to the fact that he's blue and so is his cereal.  Boo Berry is well-known for being the first "blueberry" cereal and that excites people.  Now, I don't think Boo Berry tastes anything like blueberries but, when I was a kid, I did like drinking the "blueberry" milk once the cereal was all gone.  Using that personal experience, I'm assuming kids still love to eat blue things, regardless of their flavor.  As far as I can tell, Boo Berry has cornered the blue-cereal market since '73.

Frank is my dude.. Every year, he is who I wait for to make my Halloween complete.  I don't know what it is about this cereal, but I just love it.  I mean, the strawberry flavor is awesome, but the tiny red ghouls are really no different than the red crunch berries found in Cap'n Crunch.  In fact, the same can be said about Boo Berry and the blue crunch berries.  But either way, I love Frankenberry and it's probably all based on nostalgia.  I remember having a lot of Frankeberry as a child, especially around Halloween, and I always loved the commercials on TV during my morning cartoons.

That commercial was on well before I was born, but it's the perfect example of why I love FB.  It also explains why I've always grown up with a bit of hatred for Count Chocula.  This rivalry was the first "Twilight."  Team Edward?  Team Jacob?  No thanks.. I'm Team Frank..

As you may have already realized, I'm a big fan of package art.  I've always had an interest in graphic design and I'm fascinated by the designs artists use for food packaging.  All cereal boxes have amazing packages and have had them for as long as I can remember.  It's part of their marketing strategy and, yes, it works.  I'm 24 years old and I still stop to look at new packaging.  This is another reason why I love the Monster Cereals so much.  Just take a look at the original box art.

Compared to the graphics of today, there wasn't much going on in the original boxes.  But, as somebody who enjoys drawing, I have to respect the initial Count Chocula, Frankenberry and Boo Berry character designs.  Even the logos stood out from one another and made the boxes pop.  These designs were perfect for their time and, even now, I wouldn't mind General Mills releasing retro boxes.

I know there are people out there who collect cereal boxes and, while I never gave it much thought, I can understand the appeal.  In fact, I'm thinking about starting myself.  I want to frame classic cereal boxes and hang them in my kitchen.  For Halloween, the classic Monster Cereal boxes would be perfect.  I'd much rather the retro boxes than the ones they make today, but even the modern versions would work.  Those, alog with Halloween Crunch and the other classic Halloween cereals that were released throughout the years would look great.  Hm.. now I'm already opening up a new tab to look on Ebay.  I have to see if any of these are available.

Actually, when it comes to Monster Cereals, what boxes are more classic than these?

Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy!  Both of these legends died out way before their time.  Frute Brute was discontinued in 1983 and Yummy Mummy only lasted into the early 1990s.  Unfortunately, I was too young to have enjoyed either of these cereals and that upsets me.  Just look at them!  Sure, they were probably nothing more than Froot Loops with Marshmallows, but those characters would have been enough for me to love them just as much as the Trio of Terror.  I don't know why these Monsters didn't stand the test of time, but I think General Mills is truly missing out on a great opportunity to resurrect these long lost beasts.  If you're only going to release these products once a season anyway, then why not go all out and bring back two guaranteed money makers?  Ah well, maybe in 2012. 

Assuming I'll be able to find Count Chocula, Frankenberry and Boo Berry again, there will be many more entries dedicated to them in the future.  Little did I know, there is plenty of Monster Cereal merchandise out there and, if I come across any, I'll be sure to share it here with you.  In the meantime, you can look forward to checking out Monster Treats.

Tomorrow, I'll be talking about the marshmallow treats my girlfriend and I recently made using Frankberry and Boo Berry cereals.  If nothing else, you may get a good laugh out of it.

Halloween Treats

Growing up, Trick-or-Treating was one of the highlights of my year.  I loved everything about it.  That cool crisp air whistling through your Halloween mask.  The sound of dead leaves crunching as you walked over them to get to the next house.  The sights and sounds that come from highly decorated houses.  Everything about Trick-or-Treating contributed to the amazing memories I have now and, if I wasn't as tall as I am, I'd probably throw on a Scream mask and do it again!

But..come on, the atmosphere may provide an extra hint of spooky, but we all know what Trick-or-Treating is all about...The CANDY!  Halloween and the season I love to celebrate has become an unofficial holiday in The United States with 9 out of 10 kids in America hitting the streets in search of free goodies.  In recent years, over 2 billion dollars worth of candy flew off the shelves and you can bet your jack-o-lantern that this year won't be any different. 

Now, I may not be out there with the kids, but I sure as hell like the candy and, as I've gotten older, I've grown to love the Fall and Halloween packaging that distributors develop every year.  Anytime you take an ordinary Kit-Kat package and enhance it with cartoon bats, color me interested.  Anytime you change the actual candy itself, consider it bought.  I love those things and, every year, I look forward to seeing what these big companies are going to roll out.

To my surprise, we're already starting to see Halloween merchandise.  I'm pretty sure this is earlier than ever before, but that may just be my own experience.  Either way, here are a few things I picked up while out at Walgreens.

Here's a perfect example of packaging playing a major economic role.  I'm not the biggest Tastykake fan.  I don't dislike their donuts, but I don't love them.  I'd much rather pick up a dozen Dunkin' Donuts than this box but, unfortunately, DD hasn't impressed me with any orange donuts with chocolate bats just yet so, until then, these will have to do.

Regardless of which flavored donut you prefer (I'm boring and go with the plain jane cinnamon), you can't deny how great this packaging is.  It's completely fall with the perfect hit of Halloween.  Those pumpkins make me happy.  The one on top of the powdered donut gets me downright jolly.  I mean, if that pump isn't excited for this season, then I don't know who is.

Even the back of the box is completely decked out in Autumn.  Not only is this how you sell a box of donuts during the Holidaze, but it's also how you get a jump start on the competition.  September?  As soon as my family saw this box they said "wow, pumpkins already?"  Yep, already.. That's why there's a box of uneaten Tastykake donuts in my kitchen and not Entenmann's..

Next up.. Candy

Reese's, Butterfinger and York Peppermint Patty all have their Halloween candy out already and that's just how I like it.  This is nothing new but, for me, these packages are a symbol of tradition.  As soon as I see them in the aisles, I know the ominous spirit of Halloween is nearby.

Now, knowing that the flavor never changes in these legendary candy recipes, we have to look at the packaging and candy size and shape to see just how invested Hershey and Nestle are to pleasing that die-hard Halloweenies like me.  First up, York Peppermint Patty..

This is not your grandpa's Peppermint Patty.  No, this is a horrifying York Peppermint BATTY.  Nice touch.  Now, it's not the greatest looking package art I've seen, but I like what they've done.  They stayed true to their classic color scheme but added an overly round bat with yellow eyes.  I'll take it!  But most specifically, I like the fact that this isn't a pumpkin.  Everybody seems to make pumpkins.  Where's the love for Frankenstein and Dracula?  I'd love to see Hershey make a Frankenstein shaped Symphony Bar.  That would be insane but, oh well, at least they created a mint bat.  At least we're making progress here.

Now, let's see what this bat looks like unwrapped..

This is supposed to be a bat. I mean, I see it but he'd have to be mostly deformed.  It's, again, overly round and his sides are uneven.  I was also expecting the filling to be orange when I should have figured it'd remain white.  But, yeah, he's a bat.  See?

Obviously!

I know I've seen this packaging before but I like it so much that I don't mind that they haven't changed it.  Unless you're into the disgusting white chocolate Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, you know Reeses rarely strays from their orange wrapper.  But, every Halloween, they bring out that black and purple.  In my opinion, there are only 4 Halloween colors:  Black, orange, purple and green.  Yellow gets an honorable mention.  Reeses gives you three out of those four.  I love it..

With packaging like that, you know they pulled out all the stops on their peanut butter pump!  Right?

Are you serious, bro?  This is what I get for falling for that same old packaging every year?  This looks like they took two melted peanut butter cups and smashed them together to create a circle.  This is just unacceptable.  I love the taste of Reeses, but no flavor makes up for this complete lack of disrespect...

Obviously, I'm not taking it that serious.. but almost..

Regardless, this is one sad Pump

Ok, we have one left and we're breaking away from Hershey here to see what Nestle has in store for us with their Butterfinger Pumpkin.  Yep, another pumpkin..

Give it up for the package art!  This Butterfinger pumpkin obviously comes from an evil patch and one that we probably wouldn't want to pick from.  Not unless we were gullible enough to believe that Scarecrow Pump wasn't going to come to come alive, unhitch and chase us.  Ha, there's no fooling me, Nestle!

However.. Pedazos en chocolate con leche??  Last time I checked, this was America and our one and only official language is English.  If you don't understand the language, then you don't get to know that this candy features Butterfinger pieces in milk chocolate.  Come on, Nestle.. stop drinking the Kool-Aid.

Anyway.. ¿Qué hace este dulce parece?

To quote one-hit wonder Montell Jordan, "This is how we do it!"  Look at this Pump.. He's perfect.  Not only does he have a face, not only does he have a stem, but he actually looks carved.  He appears to be your typical Jack-O-Lantern and, for that reason, I am willing to forgive Nestle for forcing me to use Google translator.

So, in conclusion, which treat should you pick up when the time comes to make that decision? Well, I'd say get them all but, if you can only pick one, it comes down to who you are.  Are you the type who only wants to eat some candy?  Then go with what you think tastes best.  BUT, if you're the type who cares about the little things and attention paid to detail then, there's no decision to be made.. Butterfinger wins!

This was fun.. I enjoyed reviewing the Holidaze treats and I'm sure there will be many more to discuss in the coming weeks.  Like the Holidaze, this was a nice break from the real world.  But, on this day, there are obviously more important things to keep in mind and remember.  There's a reason why we're able to spend hours talking about candy and donuts and that reason is freedom.  Thank God we have it and may He continue to bless the United States.

Never forget.

Caramel Apple Pops

First, let me welcome you to the Holidaze!  Chances are, you've accidentally stumbled across this blog without any real interest in hanging around long enough to check things out.  My guess is that you're either clicking through random blogs or may have misspelled "holidays" in the Google search box.  In that case, I'm hoping you're dumb enough to give The Holidaze a chance and join me in celebrating each season of the year through everything from candy and toys to cereal and vacations. 

You may or may not be familiar with http://www.x-entertainment.com/.  If you are, then you already know what i'm looking to do here with the Holidaze.  If you're not, then you owe it to yourself to give that link a click and dive into his archives.  I came across the site a few years ago and though, "wow, this guy likes everything that I like!  What an awesome idea."  Now, every Halloween and Christmas season, I can't help but to refresh his site for the newest updates.  There is no doubt, X-Entertainment is the place to be for all your nerdy pleasures and I am in no way trying to steal any thunder or attempting to outshine a site that I am such a big fan of.  Nope, XE is surely an inspiration, but I'm just talking about what I like and relating it to the seasons that make me happy.

So, let's get into the nitty gritty..

While shopping at Walgreens with my girlfriend, we came across this pack of Caramel Apple Pops made by Tootsie.  To be honest, I hadn't had one of these lollipops in years and probably would have passed them up had I been alone. However, my girlfriend loves them because they remind her of Summer at the Jersey Shore.  For that reason alone, they were worth dropping down a mean three dollars, but what good does that do for my new blog?

Well, upon returing home, I opened one of these suckers up and was instantly taken back in time.  These were first produced in 1995 and I would bet the last time I had one was around that time.  They might remind my girlfriend of Summer but, for me, they are nothing but Fall!  Everything about their flavor screams falling leaves, 45 degree weather and hoodies.  I picture myself picking apples in late October with my Sugar Daddy... the candy, of course.

I'm surprised, but I actually liked these things a lot.  I think the sense of Fall brings their rating up higher than the way they taste but, regardless, these are worth picking up if you're looking for something to snack on this Halloween season.  Sure, you can do better and this blog sure as hell can too, but we're only getting started.  Hang with me!