Interviews – Page 7 – Poe Ghostal's Points of Articulation

Ask Mattel > 5/1/08

May 1, 2008 | Poe

Welcome to another round of Ask Mattel here at PGPoA. Let’s get right into it…

Poe Ghostal: Will the Lobo SDCC exclusive be produced in at least the same numbers as Man-Bat last year?

Mattel’s “ToyGuru”: Sorry, but we can’t comment on the production run of any of our exclusives!

When should collectors start keeping an eye out for the Wal-Mart DCUC wave?

June-ish.

What ratio will the Deathstroke/Sinestro variants be packed in wave 3?

Sinestro will be a 50/50 ratio, Deathstroke will be a bit less.

Any word on if and when the DCUC modern Red Tornado variant might be available to collectors?

Not at this time but we will continue to work on ways to bring him out to store shelves.

Just a clarification: is the Wal-Mart DCUC wave now the official “Wave 5,” and what online retailers had offered for pre-order as “Wave 5” is now, technically, Wave 6?

Yes, the Wal-Mart Wave is Wave 5, Wave 6 will have Hawkman.

—
My thoughts: 50/50 Sinestro ratio? June for the Wal-Mart wave? All I have to say about that is: “awesome.”

5 Questions with > Geoff Beckett of Shocker Toys

March 5, 2008 | Poe

Codename: Geoff Beckett
Occupation: Founder and co-owner of Shocker Toys
Base of Operations: www.shockertoys.com

Greetings all. Recently, in an attempt to make sense of the saga of Shocker Toys, I compiled a timeline from whatever news I could glean from the Web. The founder of Shocker Toys, Geoff Beckett, responded and very graciously agreed to answer a few questions. He also provided his own version of the timeline, which sheds a bit more light on the company’s trials and tribulations. (more…)

5 Questions with > Scott Beatty

February 21, 2008 | Poe

Got a real treat today, folks: an interview with Scott Beatty, comic book writer and walking DC Universe encyclopedia!

Codename: Scott Beatty
Specialty: Wordsmith, Plastic Raconteur
Base of Operations: www.scottbeatty.com
Bio: Scott Beatty has worked extensively for DC Comics since the mid ’90s. His latest work includes DC’s weekly series Countdown to Final Crisis.

(more…)

5 Question With > Mattel’s Toy Guru, 2/15/08

February 14, 2008 | Poe

Mattel’s marketing extraordinaire, “Toy Guru,” has graciously agreed to answer a few questions regarding their DC Universe Classics line.

PG: Does Mattel view DC Universe Classics as a collector-oriented line that can appeal to kids, a child-oriented line that can appeal to collectors, or a mix of both? (more…)

5 Questions with: Jim Bell of Foamheads

January 25, 2008 | Poe

A few weeks back, I posted my review of Foamheads’ excellent Fox Sports Robot (which, to give credit where credit is due, I first heard about in a post by “Industrial” on the Fwoosh forums). Soon after, more glowing reviews of the figure appeared on OAFE, Figures.com and Michael Crawford’s site.

I recently spoke to Jim Bell, creator and co-founder of Foamheads, about how Cleatus went from marketing gimmick to action figure phenomenon. (more…)

5 Questions with: OB1

January 14, 2008 | Poe

Codename: OB1
Base of Operations: OB1og
History: Grumpy and intimidating software/web developer by day, whiney and sassy Xbox gamer by night, OB1 is a semi-closeted toy geek. If it weren’t for the huge amounts of cake he already blows on comic books every month, he’d probably be blowing it on toys. In fact, it is due to the G.I. Joe toys and cartoons that he finds himself buried in stacks of yet-to-be-read comic books and presumably thousands upon thousands of dollars poorer. Paper route earnings were put into G.I. Joe comics and that led to the rest of the Marvel Universe. It circled back to toys with the release of McFarlane’s original Spawn figure (which he still believes is one of the best he’s ever seen). Neglecting his blog and comics at the expense of increasing his Gamerscore at night with Poe and Mistah Plow, he dreams that his toys never come to life and exact revenge for being boxed up in the basement.

What was the first action figure you remember owning?

I got a Spider-man figure for my seventh birthday (second grade). He was probably eight to ten inches, had a cloth costume and a knob on his back, which when turned, would spin his arms around (I’m guessing for some kind of punchy motion). Some time around my last few years of high school I found out from my friend that gifted him to me that he was forced into it. Spidey was supposed to be one of his Christmas presents, but his mother wrapped it up as a gift for my party when he needed one. He never got a Spidey of his own and apparently still held some resentment. That’s too bad too because since my birhtday is just a few weeks before Christmas, Spidey ended up at the bottom of my toybox after Christmas (see Question 5).

Oh, and for first action figure memories (because I didn’t own them), it is some original G.I. Joe dolls. You know, the twelve-inch suckers where you could put different clothes on and outfit with weapons, etc. My grandmother’s house had a few of them and I laid claim to them when I would visit.

What was your favorite toy fad growing up, and why? (Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Transformers etc.)

This is a tough one. Ultimately, I’d have to say LEGO, but that wasn’t really a fad and since this is an action figure-centric site, I’ll go with Star Wars, just because it lasted past childhood. Of course, I was into G.I. Joe and the Transformers a lot–thanks to the cartoons–and I amassed a decent collection of those toys, more Joes than Transformers, but those also came later in my *childhood* years and I started feeling funny about wanting to play with toys as a kid in high school. Of course, now, it ain’t no thing, right?

I have fond memories of my Joe’s. I had the hovercraft and I used to take it with me when my Mom would work nights at our athletic club. I’d take that sucker into the locker room and play with it in the jacuzzi. That all seems very wrong these days. Transformers don’t lend such fond memories as they caused my juvenile run-in with the law. I was the unfortunate bag man accomplice for my friend boosting the Autobot that turned into a microscope. We got busted at the Hanover Mall Zayre’s by security as we exited the store. A call to the parents instead of the fuzz was our reward.

Anyway, back to Star Wars, I think I have to go with that because I was big into them for the first two films–I don’t think I owned any toys from Jedi–and it caused a resurgence in my toy buying when those films were re-released 10+ years ago. I found myself buying a lot of figures and vehicles I used to have when I was a kid. I still can’t explain why, except maybe it was because I was already having a toy buying resurgence due to McFarlane’s Spawn figures.

Too bad there weren’t Star Wars LEGO sets when I was a kid, that would have been right in my wheelhouse. Instead, I settled for the first Space sets, which at the time, were pretty cool too.

What’s the last toy you bought?

A Star Wars Galactic Heroes two-pack with the middle-aged Obi-Wan Kenobi and a Clone Trooper. We had a little bowling tournament at work this past Spring and our trophies were a Galactic Hero (or their Marvel equivalent) glued onto a Jenga block (we played it during team building/status meetings). Anyway, I had Yoda for being on the first place team and a Clone Trooper for having the lowest individual score (yeah, my team was really good). Well, me being me, I wasn’t satisfied with the Yoda, so I had to replace him with an Obi-Wan if I was going to display them at work. (No one would know the difference.)

Last toy I received was McFarlane Toys’ Manny Ramirez. I believe Poe (or future Mrs. Ghostal) stole him from me during a Yankee Swap and the person that bought it gave me a replacement for my birthday a week later. Now I might need a Big Papi and worry this may snowball…

If they made an action figure of you, what would it look like, what would its features be, and what accessories would it come with?

Well, to look at me, you have to go with a figure looking something like Jack “The Pumpkin King” Skellington because I’m tall and almost as pale. I’m not quite as lanky as I used to be, but it is still a good fit. As for accessories, I think you’d have to have a DSLR and a laptop for sure, then let’s throw in a ray gun of some sort for fun.

What’s your fondest toy-related holiday memory?

Christmas of ’78. I’m a fresh seven years old and am somehow rewarded with a huge bounty of Star Wars toys under the tree. Coming from a single parent home, we didn’t have a whole lot of money at all and I probably had a haul that was on par with a rich kid. It’s a vivid memory because that year I remember asking Santa simply for an X-Wing, Tie Fighter and a few figures, probably Luke, Vader, Han and Chewie. After Santa laughed at me and I got booted down the slide, my Mom asked what I asked Santa for and I refused to tell her. She calmly explained that I had to tell her and of course I didn’t know why. (I think we’ve all had that moment.) Well, I relented and told her.

Come Christmas morning, I stumbled out into the living room and saw those same toys I asked Santa for staring back at me from under the tree. All of them. That’s before I started opening anything wrapped. (In my family, Santa leaves things unwrapped under the tree.) Once I started unwrapping, I added the Landspeeder, a Dewback, Stormtrooper, Leia, Obi-Wan, R2-D2, C-3PO and an action figure case. I’m pretty sure I have never been as happy in the 29 years since that morning. I was just blown away by that take and to this day, I still don’t know how my Mom pulled it off. I mean, that was just after the toys came out–remember that the toys dropped a year after the film did–and everyone had to wait in lines before stores opened to get their mitts on these things.

Anyway, I hope to do the same thing to my own future spawn and it would be super cool if it were by way of the action figure.

5 Questions With: Michael Crawford

January 10, 2008 | Poe

Codename: Michael Crawford
Occupation: Pop Culture Collectible Reviewer
Base of Operations: Michael Crawford’s Review of the Week
History: Michael has been reviewing various forms of pop culture collectibles (including action figures, busts, statues, games, and various toys) for more than 12 years now. He started back in the Usenet group days of rec.toys.misc, and started his own website at the beginning of 2000. His style of review has been adopted by dozens of other reviewers, and he’s well known in the industry as a fair and honest critic. In the last eight years, he’s reviewed thousands of items, and also regularly writes a column called The Toy Box for director Kevin Smith’s entertainment website, Quick Stop Entertainment.

Your toy review site is one of the most popular on the Web. Why did you start it way back when?

I had been writing reviews on several Usenet groups, but they weren’t all that I wanted them to be. They needed to include photos, and I also wanted there to be a historical record, so folks could go back and see reviews from months–and now, years–earlier. And so was born Michael’s Review of the Week.

Why the weird name? Because that’s what it had been called when I was doing reviewers for the Usenet groups, and I wanted consistency. Since then, folks know it better by it’s url, www.mwctoys.com, or just “Michael Crawford’s site.” A few years ago, I had a friend do an updated design for me, and he labeled me “Captain Toy” at the time, which has sort of stuck as well.

How much of your daily life does managing the site take up these days?

Well, I try to keep a very regular schedule–that’s the trick to being able to get new content up consistently. I have reviews go up every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday night, and I’ve missed that schedule maybe once or twice in the last five years. I also do the Quick Stop column mid-week each week, which means I do about four reviews a week. Each one takes two to three hours, depending on the complexity. That’s the whole shebang–photos, writing and so forth. I try to spread the work out over the full week though, and get as much of the reviews done in advance. That means the Thursday night review is always half done by the time I’m posting the Tuesday review, for example. Of course, that doesn’t always work, and there are plenty of occasions where I get something new and want to get the review up ASAP, so there are some marathon writing sessions. But I’d say that I spend about fifteen hours a week specifically on the site.

What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you as a result of running the site?

The coolest thing is getting to know the wonderful people that are involved in the hobby, both the collectors and the folks in the industry. Oh, occasionally you meet a complete moron, but that’s few and far between. The vast majority of the people I’ve come to know in the industry and the collecting community have been friendly, considerate and helpful.

Let’s talk about the Poppies. What are they, and how did you come up with them?

Last summer I started the process of thinking and planning for my own yearly best and worst picks for 2007. Every site does their own picks, but there isn’t any cross industry type awards for pop culture collectibles. I figured it was time to do something about that, and thus was born the Poppies. The inaugural year has over ninety judges from five categories–Companies, Retailers, Websites, Collectors, and Artists. They’ve come together and nominated their top picks in each of ten categories–Best Company, Best Overall Line, Best Male Figure 18″ and up, Best Male Figure 12″ – 18″, Best Male Figure under 12″, Best Female Figure (any size), Best Statue, Best Mini-Bust, Best Vinyl, and Best Misc Item. They’ll start the final vote this week, and I’ll be announcing the winners on January 15th. There’s also a contest for readers to enter. They can try to guess which items will be the winners, and I’ll draw one name from those that match the judges final choices the closest for a cool prize.

What’s your fondest toy-related holiday memory?

Hmmm–that’s a tough one. But I think it was getting Eric The Viking, the Marx figure. I was very big on the Marx stuff as a kid, but I remember that Eric was one that I really begged for, and finally got one Christmas. It was pretty exciting, and I still own that Eric with almost all his accessories.

5 Questions with: Mistah Plow

December 26, 2007 | Poe

Codename: Mistah Plow
Base of Operations: The Ed Zone
History: Mistah Plow was born in the early 1970s–mere moments before Pong would change the world forever. A quick pick-up-and-play session of Yars Revenge led to a lifelong obsession with video games. Plow attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst from 1990 to 1994 and graduated with a B.A. in journalism. Realizing quickly that the road to Chris Hansen was an uphill battle the likes of which only Sisyphus had seen, Ed quickly went for the paycheck and took the offramp to Corporate America. Although he has worked in the financial industry since his graduation, he has continued to scratch that creative writing itch through an alarming number of failed screenplay attempts. Regardless, that call forever beckons–hence his personal blog, The Ed Zone, was born. Ed utilizes that site to pontificate on all manner of topics. It is a forum for relaying anecdotes, providing news of the day, dispensing his observations on all manner of pop-culture (movie, television and game reviews) and beaming like the proud family man he is with tales from clan Humphries errr…Plow.

PG: What were the major toy fads of your childhood?

I was 5 when Star Wars–Episode IV–A New Hope launched so the Kenner Star Wars figures were the go-to-guys for me. I had the Landspeeder–which boasted this mirrored adhesive along the bottom track which provided the illusion that the speeder was floating over our shag carpeting. I recall the exact moment I was gifted that piece. Asleep in my hospital bed–hours after a tonsillectomy–I had Obi-Wan’s sweet ride dropped on my noggin’ by my Dad–his little way of waking me and surprising me at the same time. Back then, when someone tossed a toy at your head, you smiled broadly and begged for more. These days, you call the Department of Social Services.

A neighbor of mine had the Death Star Play Set with that cool, “working” trash compactor (complete with sewer monster and foam rubber blocks of trash). Oh, the things we crushed in that. I think we even gave someone a vasectomy but the memory is fuzzy on that.

I’d say the other big lines I got into were G.I. Joe and Transformers. Both became popular right around the time I was cresting the top of junior high (eighth grade) when it was no longer cool to play with toys. But those toys looked so cool. It wasn’t my fault the world hadn’t realized how to properly mold plastic before that time. Why should I suffer? Plus, I had my first job (a paper route which saw my first day begin in September 1985–the same day Hurricane Gloria hit southeastern Massachusetts) which provided me with the necessary funds to feed the hobby.

I remember one pay day–just a few days shy of Christmas–where after collecting my customer’s weekly debt and paying the Patriot Ledger its share–I took my cut and proceeded to the local K-Mart to complete some Christmas shopping for my family. I waltzed in with fifty bucks in my pocket and laundry list of assorted baubles that would make them beam bright the next morning. I walked out with Destro, Cobra Commander, Snake-Eyes and the entire line of Dreadnaughts (including their vehicles.) Oh, and a few of those 99-cent Three Flavors-in-One Popcorn Tubs for the fam. Two days later I unwrapped Destro, Cobra Commander and Snake Eyes…all three, gifts from my parents. With each guy now sporting a doppelganger, there was only one thing left to do. Execute Order 66 and initiate my own personal Clone War. Out came the Death Star playset. In went Destro’s junk.

PG: What was your favorite action figure?

The Shogun Warriors Godzilla figure. This mammoth thunder lizard stood about a foot tall and boasted a launching fist and a fire tongue to make Gene Simmons jealous. Imagine what some fetish websites could do with this bad boy. I was a HUGE Godzilla fan (I cried when the Smog Monster almost snuffed him for good) and this replica allowed me to get my Man-in-the-Suit action on. I probably received Godzilla sometime in the late 1970s/early ’80s, meaning he got to mix it up with all of my other figures. In my playtime, Godzilla was always one mean mutha, so he’d show Duke who was boss, wallop a Wookie and put flames on Optimus Prime all before breakfast. The greatest thing was lining up my guys and then playing a little fist bowling with Godzilla’s rocket hand (look, I understand why Gaiking had working missiles, but why the hell did Godzilla’s fist fly and how did he get it reattached? You stomp on my city–I’m not covering you under my medical plan).

What is great about Godzilla is how much he has endured. When I had my Toy Story 2 moment and eventually grew older, leaving the big guy behind, I gifted him to my cousin, Poe. It must have hit at just that sweet spot where childhood dreams merge with life long obsessions as Godzilla instantly fused himself to Poe’s DNA (you should see this guy breathe radioactive fire and fly backwards–it’s really impressive at Thanksgiving).

Then at my son’s baby shower–just a few weeks before his arrival–I unwrapped a special gift from my cousin. Godzilla had returned to the nest. And there he stands sentinel in four-year-old Colin’s room awaiting the impending arrival of my boy’s own toy obsession.

PG: If you were made into an action figure, what would you look like, what would your features be, and what accessories would you come with?

As I now have a completely shaved cabeza (that’s Spanish for head), I’d have a bar code on the back which would ring up $531,8008. The mirror accessory in my back pocket could then be used to decipher that code. Yup, my figure would promote BOOBIES and send Huckabee into a tizzy. I would have 156 points of articulation and would cause the deaths of at least thirty-six sweatshop workers toiling on such a complicated toy. I’d be recalled for the massive amounts of lead paint on my body and then I, personally, would die a horrible death after I ignored the warnings on the box and tried to eat myself.

PG: Does your own son like action figures, or is going right to the videogames?

My son is four, so he is just on the precipice of joining the fray. He does like pulling Godzilla down to stomp on Lego Town but right now trucks and trains rule the day. Oh…and the Backyardigans. I think the sweet spot for action figure play comes in around five or six, so we’re almost there. As his old man is a veritable video game junkie (we’re currently a Wii60 household) and I have owned most everything from the Atari 2600 on up, I have already taken him under my wing and have begun to teach my young Padawan my trade. At the tender age of four, he can successfully make it to World 1-2 all on his own in Super Mario Brothers (bless you Virtual Console!) But I have no doubt that we’ll have a healthy mix of action figures, video gaming and good old fashioned outdoor activities.

PG: What’s your fondest toy-related Christmas memory?

The Christmas I opened Optimus Prime. Growing up, my family didn’t have a lot of cash to go around, meaning I was often gifted the Go-Bots in place of the more expensive Transformers. The one gift I wanted over all–call it my own personal Red Ryder BB Gun–was Optimus Prime. At the time, he was one of the largest Transformers and arguably the coolest. I remember hinting around for it constantly and feeling that nagging notion in the back of my head that try as hard as I might, Optimus would remain in dreams. So imagine my ‘surprise’ when I awoke Christmas morning, rushed to my pile of presents, and unwrapped our great leader in all his Prime and glory.

I say imagine my surprise because that’s exactly what I had to do. Imagine it. Fake it. As the surprise had been spoiled a week earlier by this site’s founder, and my little cousin, Poe himself.

That little bastard. He ruined the best Christmas ever!!

5 Questions with: Santa Claus

December 24, 2007 | Poe

Codename: Santa Claus
Specialty: Philanthropist
Base of Operations: The North Pole
History: The origins of the magical being known as Santa Claus are shrouded in mystery. Despite popular depictions in hundreds of books, television shows, and movies, the real Santa Claus remains as much an enigma as ever.

OK, I’m officially as giddy as a schoolboy. Today I have a real treat for everyone–an interview with none other than the jolly ol’ elf himself, Kris Kringle, Ol’ Saint Nick, the man known best as Santa Claus. Don’t ask how he managed to fit me into his busy schedule–I just shot him an email and he wrote me back.

PG: Thank you for taking the time for this. I realize you’re a busy man, particularly today. Let’s get right to the important questions: what’s your distribution plan for the DC Universe Classics line this Christmas?

Well, the deals I make with the toy manufacturers require that I not make or distribute anything that they haven’t gotten to the stores. And I don’t think those are out yet, are they? Honestly I can’t keep up with such things.

PG: While we’re on the topic, how do the toy manufacturers feel about the way you manufacture and distribute their items for free, which technically amounts to industrial espionage, plagiarism and copyright infringement, to name just a few?

I work closely with the toy companies to ensure that all my products are built to the same standards as their own. As for recompense, the contracts my account elves make with these companies guarantees satisfaction for all parties.

PG: What are your thoughts on the sculpting vs. articulation debate?

Until about a century or two ago, all toys had only a few points of articulation–especially figures. Personally, I’ve always thought of toys as something to be played with, but I understand where the collectors are coming from, too.

PG: What’s the hardest part of your job?

These days, it’s the videogames. And I thought board games were hard to make when they first came out! The videogames are so complicated…I’ve had to send thousands of elves to training seminars at Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and so forth. Endless headaches. Sometimes I long for the days when a child was enchanted by a little wooden horse.

PG: Ha ha, yeah. Moving on…what’s the strangest present you’ve ever been asked for?

Oh, my…where to begin? A boy once asked me for fifteen yards of dolphin intestines–I don’t know what for. There was an excitable American lad who wrote me for years asking for weapons of mass destruction–flame throwers, mustard gas, atomic bombs, you name it. Young Howie Lovecraft wanted an ancient Mesopotamian scroll. And I won’t even tell you what little Donatien de Sade asked for back in 1753.

I’d like to thank Santa again for his time. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

5 Questions with: Mumma Ghostal

December 23, 2007 | Poe

Codename: Mumma Ghostal
Base of operations: The Great White North (Boston, MA)
History: A Navy brat and the second child in a family of seven kids, Mumma Ghostal grew up here, there and everywhere, causing havoc with her siblings and generally raising hell. Then one day she met my father, Popo Ghostal, and soon, instead of raising hell, they were raising me.

No one has nurtured (or spoiled) my love of action figures more than my parents. In honor of their lifelong support of my hobby–particularly over the holidays–I’ve decided to interview both of them, braving the risk of lifelong embarrassment.

PG: How early on did it become clear I was a child who loved toys?

Mumma Ghostal: When you were about three-and-a-half, you cried uncontrollably because I had put a shirt on you that didn’t “have a guy” on it. Once I had gotten that information out of you, I assumed you wanted one of your superhero shirts! From about that age, you were always carrying around “a guy,” whether it be a dinosaur, superhero, some random little pocket-sized guy, or Space Dragon perched on your hand like a pet parrot!

We were probably guilty of feeding the monster [pun intended? –PG] since we found Godzillas when you were watching Creature Double Feature at the age of four, Star Wars guys after you saw the movie for the first time, and I gave up the hard-saved $25 Dad had for my Mother’s Day present so that we could get you the aforementioned Space Dragon at Mr. Big’s Toyland in Waltham, Mass. when you were five–because you loved the cartoon.

I will say that you never really abandoned a toy, and most of your toys were action figures and you kept them because you needed them. It was also kind of fun to be able to surprise you with that elusive Boba Fett or Admiral Ackbar, because you were so appreciative and not really demanding. Maybe you just assumed that you would COLLECT ALL EIGHT…then twelve….then twenty…and so on!

PG: Which of my toy fads did you like best: He-Man, Transformers, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

While it was fun to watch you transform the Transformers (we used it as a party trick!), I liked He-Man the best. It was really your first collection group, and we would sit and watch the show together. I tried so hard to get all the guys for you, then they added more…and more…and so on!

PG: What’s your favorite story regarding the search for a hard-to-find toy?

After seeing Star Wars (am I compelled to add “A New Hope”?) for the first time at the old Braintree drive-in (wearing your Superman pajamas AND matching robe) you wanted an R2D2 more than anything. How were we to know that it was damn near a collectible THEN! We looked every time we went to the Hanover Mall, where Child World was located, no luck.

Finally MONTHS later (I know, because you saw the movie in the summer and I distinctly remember you wearing your winter coat and earmuff hat!), we stopped at a Child World in downtown Quincy after visiting my grandfather one Sunday. Nothing on the shelves, but at the bottom of a returns cart, there he was! We pulled him out and you LEAPED around the aisle saying “We found him! We found him!” And I think the Poe Ghostal we know and love was born right there in the store!

PG: What’s your favorite toy-related Christmas memory? (Your own toys or otherwise.)

My favorite childhood childhood memory was when I was eight and living on the water in Key West. I am the second child of seven, and have an older brother whom I idolized as a child. The next in line is a sister I am very close to, but I had absolutely NO INTEREST in dolls or girly playthings. Santa apparently thought she and I should always get matching dolls and dresses and stuff. I hated it.

But that Christmas, my brother Rick and I got matching Zebco spinning reel and rod sets! I was in heaven!! I can still see the plastic packaging and cardboard back. I loved to fish with Rick and he taught me a lot the years we were in Key West. He also would play wiffle ball with me, but I loved to fish. Santa also brought him a rowboat, and I’ve been meaning to talk to the Man in Red about that, but I suppose I should get over it by now.

One of my favorite memories of your Christmases was when you got “Caskill of the Grayskull.” It was expensive for us back then, but I really liked the playhouse-for-boys idea! Also, once we bought a King Kong board game at a bargain store , it had been stepped on and the box was clearly damaged. We left a note that Rudolph had put his hoof through it. You bought it, and it was one of your favorite toys. (Not the game, just the King Kong figure!) And Sister Ghostal [my younger sister –PG] as a child brought out the sweet little girl I never was and I loved seeing her with little dolls and girly things! I just wasn’t any good at playing with them.

PG: What was your favorite toy as a kid?

I didn’t have a lot of toys of my own as a kid. But I was the reader in the family and can still vividly recall the books I got at Christmas. I do remember a little pink metal play oven with little tiny plastic pots and pans that I had as a toddler. When I was about five, the Navy lost the boxes that had all of our toys in them during a move and we had to start over. When I was about ten, the family got a big set of Legos, I really liked building stuff with those. I had some dolls and Barbies, but I would torture them to make my sister cry. And I loved that spinning reel. About a year later, Rick took it and used it for parts to fix his broken one.