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.