Some fresh toy show photos!

It's a great weekend whenever we can get out to a toy show again, in these post-pandemic times. Yesterday it was a small toy show at the New Baltimore Trade Center on the east side of Michigan. Even though it was only a few toy vendors, between them and the regular vendors at the facility there were plenty of juicy TV-related goodies to be found. Some vintage "Starsky and Hutch," "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie," some not-really-vintage "Justice League" and "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," even some not-at-all-vintage "Wandavision" and "Stranger Things" stuff!

#Bewitched  #IDreamofJeannie  #TheAddamsFamily  #StrangerThings  #Wandavision  #Batman  #StarskyandHutch  #Babylon5  #Spider-Man

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

Copying with credit is OK; a link would be grand

"Dynasty" goodies shine in this Norway museum

This museum in Norway may boast an array of pop-cultural items, but our eyes are all a-ga-ga over the "Dynasty" items. These photos come from our friend Bjørn, who always sends us such great "Dynasty" stuff. (See the July 30, 2021, July 3, 2018 and May 21, 2018 posts, for instance!)

"The museum is called Antonius Groenings Snurrepiperi museum," Bjørn tells BRBTV. "A local inventor and rumoured time traveler. We have built his office and time machine. The museum is located one hour outside Oslo, in Aurskog Mall, and is open on request, with guided tours available. Lots of costumes, props, vintage toys, Disney animation,  etc. etc. I'm sure u recognize stuff. ;) Had a few American visitors already, saying it was great. ;) A shop full of vintage NIB items as well. ;)" 

The museum includes a Michael Jackson display, and these are original items, such as clothing the pop star actually wore. Bjørn says that BRBTV's "Dynasty High" book is displayed, too -- super-cool!

What a breathtaking collection! Thanks, Bjørn, for sharing it with us!

Photos courtesy of Bjørn; please do not copy without permission.

Catch the newest episode of "Reanimated"

Our motley crew of survivors executes a bold new plan for survival in the latest episode of the web series "Reanimated," from talented Michigan filmmaker John Vincent. This is a zombie apocalypse, after all, so if ever there was a time for a bold plan ...

It's the Season 1 finale, and you can watch all the episodes at the playlist on the Evil Genius Entertainment channel. The series has been a joy for this author to be involved in!

Terrific non-TV Toys: Batgirl True Moves figure, Mattel, 2018

I guess this one had been on the store shelves a while before I snagged it in April 2021, as some research produced a 2018 release date for it. And it's yet another lovely addition to the Batgirl collection at BRBTV headquarters. It's a 12-inch figure by Mattel, but a Barbie it is not, and it's the focus of the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys series ...

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Terrific TV Toys: Snoopy PVC summer figures, Whitman's / others, 2000-2012

Snoopy on motorcross? Snoopy playing tennis? Snoopy as the Masked Marvel? He's the star of the show, as we look at three of the classic Peanuts primetime TV specials (and the novelizations of them, actually), and we examine our next batch of Snoopy PVC figures. We've looked at the PVCs themed for Valentine's Day and Easter already earlier this season, and we've got Halloween and Christmas later this year, but there are lots of these wonderful figures that are not themed around a holiday. So we're throwing these into a general sports / summertime vibe bucket!

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Card-carrying Angel? Sure, why not!

Special thanks to Miguel, honorary procurement chief of BRBTV, for securing this simple but fine piece, an official "Charlie's Angels" fan club card. With a shot of the three original Angels -- Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson -- and in the name of the Charles Townsend Detective Agency, it's all official-like, ya know?

Announcing the third edition of the e-book version of "Destination: Dallas"

Weeeellll ... we've got to blame our friend Patrick Shawn Bennett of the Pop Ninja podcast for this one. He traveled to Southfork Ranch in Texas recently and got some great new photos that he offered up for this blog, and it really got this author to thinking ... maybe I should include these in the e-version of "Destination: Dallas." And so here we are, unable to resist the temptation. 

The third edition of the e-book is still in full-color throughout, and it includes a few other updates here and there, as well (like our friend Josh Eilberg's amazing photos of the Southfork reunion events), and still for the same low price, $6. The print edition of the book remains the same, but who knows -- maybe I'll eventually find enough hours in the day to update that one with the continuity of the newer TNT series and all that. It would be pretty time-consuming. But for the time being, I hope you enjoy this up-to-the-minute e-edition update.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Batgirl Artists Alley statue (iridescent), DC Collectibles, 2019

We're knocking out a backlog of non-TV-related collectibles here at the BRBTV headquarters for the Terrific non-TV Toys series, and after focusing on vintage Archie earlier this month, we now turn to modern stuff for several episodes. This Batgirl PVC vinyl statue is part of an "Artists Alley" set by DC Collectibles, featuring various color schemes for the ladies of the DCU we know so well. This one is dark and iridescent, glimmering in a rainbow of colors along her lean, curvy lines. 

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Happy Friday! We're talkin' classic TV again on the Pop Ninja podcast

It was a great time once again on the Pop Ninja podcast, and this time around, this author got to chat about classic cop TV shows, more specifically "Adam-12" and the eternally lovable "Columbo." In the first part of this episode, part of the podcast's third season, Lisa and Patrick discuss some of the great cop movies of the '70s and '80s, then Patrick and I switch it over to the TV "channel." Be sure to listen for the secret code word and PM it to the FB page and you could win your favorite cop movie on DVD! Here's the link to the podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1265612/10952366-pop-ninja-podcast-season-3-episode-5

Hello to our friend Jim in Boss Hogg's Caddy

You might recognize this wonderful piece of machinery as a replica of the Caddy that Boss Hogg drove on "The Dukes of Hazzard." Well, hello to our friend Jim of Jim's Creations, an artist whose talent has been profiled on this blog and in the BRBTV books. He's driving this car today at the Swap Meet and Car Show in Chatham, Ontario. Wish we could drop by!

Terrific non-TV Toys: Archie bendy figure and fan club items, 1988-89

Since there's a backlog of non-TV-related collectibles here at the BRBTV headquarters, we're going to knock out several episodes of the Terrific non-TV Toys series before we get back to some Terrific TV Toys stuff. So this month, for the first of two episode of the non-TV variety, we return to Riverdale. Specifically, we've got some vintage items from the 1980s celebrating the Archie Comics lore. This bendy figure by Jesco was purchased recently but dates to 1989. And this little geeky kid once joined the Archies Fan Club and has most items from that still around.

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

And this geeky girl hasn't just written letters to Archie Comics over the years -- read about the interview and friendship with longtime Archie artist Dan DeCarlo.

Just Beneath the Surface: Taking on the Twilight Zone episode "Howling Man"

Our friend Brian and his friend Bruce have dropped another episode of the "Just Beneath the Surface" web series, this time discussing the classic "Twilight Zone" episode "The Howling Man," which this author has always loved. If you want creepy, this TZ episode is creepy. And I actually got to talk to the star H.M. Wynant at the Motor City Comic Con a few years back. Bruce and Brian disagree on the merits of this episode, and you'll find out why as you listen in ...

Green Hornet and Lone Ranger star in exhibit at San Diego Fair

Special thanks to Mary Kay Johnson, granddaughter of Green Hornet creator George W. Trendle, for sending along these photos of items exhibiting at the San Diego Fair (formerly the Del Mar Fair) at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in California. The theme of this year's fair is "Heroes Reunite!", and how appropriate it is to include the Lone Ranger and his nephew, the Green Hornet. The fair is going on now through this weekend.

****

From the Trendle family:

G. W. Trendle (1884-1972) owned the first radio station in Michigan – WXYZ “the last word in radio” and knew children needed heroes so he created some: The Lone Ranger (1933), The Green Hornet (1936, descended from the Lone Ranger's brother who owned a silver mine and made The Lone Ranger’s bullets), and Challenge of the Yukon (1938, which became Sgt. Preston of the Yukon on TV in 1955).

The Green Hornet was also made into serials for movie theaters in the 1930’s. The Green Hornet’s car – The Black Beauty – was the first super car with radar, a drone, and rockets.

Ned Jordan Secret Agent (1939) was an undercover FBI agent.

Bob Barclay - American Agent (1950) was a CIA agent in Europe with the cover of a newspaper reporter. But the U.S. government asked that the program be discontinued when newspaper staff in Europe were arrested by governments who thought all the stories were true and all newspaper correspondents were spies!

In 1949 The Lone Ranger became a TV series, followed by Sgt Preston in 1955, and The Green Hornet in 1966.

The message in all of these is “one person can make a difference.” At a time in history when only Caucasians were portrayed in stories, these scripts had major characters that were of other ethnicities: Native American, Asian, , Eskimo, Irish, and Black.

www.greenhornet.com

****

Photos courtesy of April Johnston and Mary Kay Johnson; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Daphne Barbie doll by Mattel, 2001

Anticipation was pretty high for the first live-action Scooby-Doo movie, released in 2002 and featuring Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, and Linda Cardellini as Velma. Mattel did a series of dolls as part of the merchandising effort for that big-screen release, and the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys series highlights one of those dolls. It's Barbie as the beautiful Daphne, clad in fuchsia satin and accompanied by our favorite Great Dane. This is an out-of-the-box experience, so you can check out each and every accessory -- even the ones that fly across the room. LOL on that ...

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Linda Gaye Scott dishes on “Green Hornet,” “Batman” and more

BRBTV knows her as the beautiful blond alien-seeming creature clad in shimmering gold on the classic “Green Hornet” two-part episode “Invasion from Outer Space,” but since she’s been doing her podcast, we feel like we know her a whole better. With her gentle voice, Linda Gaye Scott invites you into the “Bumpy Road” of her world as she talks about her various roles over the years, her childhood in Hollywood, her parents, her school embarrassments, her bonding with Bruce Lee, the family’s chance roadside run-in with Frank Sinatra … all kinds of different stuff. If you are a fan of classic Hollywood, then similar to the autobiography of Yvonne Craig (which we also recommend), you will dig these fireside chats. There are lots of places to tune in:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lindas-bumpy-ride-on-bumpy-road/id1591376249

https://www.lindagayescott/podcast

https://rss.com/podcasts/lindagayescott/

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9tZWRpYS5yc3MuY29tL2xpbmRhZ2F5ZXNjb3R0L2ZlZWQueG1s/episode/ODhlYTNjMGItOTNiMi00OTEwLTk2ODktOTBlZjRiNmRhMDli?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwjm2JeihOL2AhWPDkQIHTkDCkkQjrkEegQIAhAF&ep=6

https://www.audible.com/pd/Podcast/B08JJP3FYR#episode-list-preview

Linda Gaye Scott as Vama on “The Green Hornet,” 1967.

Terrific TV Toys: Riddler and Creeper figures by Kenner, 1998-1999

Kenner had a great run through the 1990s with action figures from the "Batman: The Animated Series" and "The New Batman Adventures" shows, and you've seen a few of them already on the T3 series. Now we turn our attention to the Riddler and Creeper figures by Kenner. The Riddler is part of a "Mission Masters" subseries Kenner released at the time, and he is officially the "Rumble Ready Riddler." The Creeper evidently had some kind of "Dynamic Decoder" / "Crime Solver" component that this author was unable to locate in the gizmos box downstairs, plus his microphone is missing. But hey, besides that these two are intact!

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.

Southfork Ranch photos, part 2!

On Monday, we stepped inside Southfork Ranch, courtesy of our friend Patrick Shawn Bennett of the Pop Ninja podcast. There were a lot of great photos there, but here are a few more ...

Look for a  new Kindle edition of the BRBTV book "Destination: Dallas" that will include a bunch of Patrick's photos and other updates!

Photos courtesy of Patrick Shawn Bennett; please do not copy without permission.

Fresh photos from Southfork Ranch (even with cows!)

Well, I have to admit when I first saw the first photo below I had to wonder if it was a postcard picked up at the Southfork Ranch giftshop and not an original photo taken by my friend Patrick Shawn Bennett of the Pop Ninja podcast. The shot is so iconic -- so "picture-perfect"! But hey, that's just Patrick's talent for capturing the moment, because indeed, these are all Patrick's own photos, and he kindly offers them for this blog. He got a chance to tour Southfork a week or so ago. 

"I liked that they used the interior of it on the reboot series," he says. "That patio table is the original from the ‘70s where they would eat breakfast and argue." Yeah, and there's the famous pool that Ken ("Cliff Barnes") Kercheval was all too familiar with, along with Mary ("Kristen") Crosby. Super-cool. Thanks, Patrick!

There's so much good stuff here we've got to run this in two parts -- part 2 coming Wednesday!

Photos courtesy of Patrick Shawn Bennett; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific non-TV Toys: Snoopy ceramic musical stein, 1971

Here's quite the vintage piece, dating back to 1971, one of a set of three by Schmid featuring our beloved Peanuts characters. This ceramic musical stein is a bright orange and depicts that crazy beagle as the World War II flying ace. So does it play its song ("Fly Me to the Moon") after all these years? Well, it did, when this author first got it. Watch the latest episode of the Terrific non-TV Toys series to see how this mug is holding up ...

See the other episodes in the Terrific non-TV Toys series.

Catch the latest episode of "Reanimated"

Well, that evil Dr. Sworski has the upper hand no longer, as the action moves along in the apocalyptic zombie series "Reanimated." In previous episodes, we saw that the doctor had escaped a certain death at the hand of his former partner (turned "undead") and had insinuated himself into the company of a local farmer and his young associate. Blanche Lancaster, played by this author, was rescued from a helicopter crash only to find wake up inside her worst nightmare -- the evil doctor is not only alive, but must be the one to save her life. So now, in episode 6, the group is gelling together, reuniting with others who had gotten separated. They try to decide what to do with the doctor, now that all has been revealed, but danger closes in, as always ...

Come get your photo with the Mystery Machine and Scooby!

Happening right this moment: If you're anywhere near Metro Detroit, hop on down to the Motor City Comic Con and visit the Mystery Machine and a whole bunch of Scoobies ... In fact, if you are a viewer of the Terrific TV Toys series, then these Scoobies will look familiar to you. They've been featured in episodes of the show over the years. See the playlist that focuses on Scooby-Doo! These BRBTV-provided plush Scoobs are part of the display of Motor City Reel Rides at this weekend's con in Novi, Michigan.

Photos courtesy of Motor City Reel Rides; please do not copy without permission.

Terrific TV Toys: "Dukes of Hazzard" sleeping bag, 1980

For your next camping trip, or perhaps when you just need an extra blanket around the house, it's this delightful vintage piece, a sleeping bag celebrating "The Dukes of Hazzard." This 1980 item, produced right when a slew of "Dukes" stuff was hitting store shelves to capitalize on the show's success on CBS, features Bo, Luke, Daisy and the gang and is the focus of the latest episode of the T3 series ...

See what else is on the Terrific TV Toys playlist.