Popo GhostalCodename: Popo Ghostal
Not to be confused with: Topo Gigio
History: Born and raised in New England, Popo Ghostal has pulled off some of the most amazing toy coups over the years, successfully tracking down rare imported Godzilla toys, the original Godzilla Nintendo game, and a Ninja Turtle figure named Ray Fillet.

PG: Did you own any action figures as a kid? G.I. Joe, Major Matt Mason, Mego superheroes?

Didn’t have much in the way of action figures in the 50’s and 60’s. I did have a lot of army men, both American Civil War and World War II. I spent many ours playing with them.

PG: What was your favorite toy growing up?

To the story above, my favorite toy was a boxed Civil War play set, which included plastic union and confederate soldiers molded in various action poses, cannons, earthworks, bridges, etc. I could re-enact entire Civil War battles in my sand box, and did just that with great regularity through the age of at least 7.

PG: What are your fondest Christmas memories? (Your own childhood or otherwise.)

Going to get the Christmas tree with my Dad a week or two before Christmas. Because the trees had been cut down weeks before we got to the tree lot at Hearthstones in Weymouth, Mass., the smell of the oozing sap was incredibly strong. To this day, passing a tree lot or getting a whiff of balsam tree sap transports me to being a young boy again..I am actually AT Hearthstones with my Dad.

The Morman Tabernacle Choir and Vienna Boys Choir Christmas albums my Dad played also holds special memories for me, along with, yes, my Mother’s Christmas cookies…the best.

My first Christmas with my wife after we met, and every one since have all been special.

The looks of surprise on my children’s faces upon seeing the presents under the tree, as well as the look on their faces while they waited impatiently for their Mother and I to get our coffee before they could go into the room and open their presents. I STILL get a kick out of that one…we make them wait to this day!

PG: Whose idea was the Great Turtle Hunt of 1990? (In October of that year, Popo Ghostal and I went on a quest to find as many Ninja Turtles figures as we could find, to get them before the Christmas rush. They were then hidden away until the big day.)

That was mine…Young Poe was a good student, so I knew playing a little hooky wouldn’t hurt him, and the absolute joy those turtles brought him as action figures to play with led me to think it would be fun to go on a turtle hunt. They were so popular, you had to catch them right when the new shipments arrived at the stores. I made a few phone calls to see when different stores got their deliveries, and we were off. If memory serves me correctly, it was a successful hunt and we bagged a number of rare turtles!

PG: Which particular Christmas gift was the toughest to track down for young Poe?

I would have to say it is a toss up between an Evil Dead Movie that had been out of print for a while, and a Pearl Jam CD made in Canada. Both took numerous phone calls and research, but ultimately, successful results in both cases.