| You Belong in Brooklyn |
 And although you may be turning into a yuppie, you never forget your roots. |
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Quiz: Where Should Your Inner New Yorker LIve?
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Spacemen: This Week's Assignment from the League
Here is this week's assignment from the League of Extraordinary Bloggers. I've been on hiatus with the League since the new year began (lacking imagination lately!), so this will be my first post with them for 2013. This week's assignment is:
OK, this isn't exactly one of my favorite things. I'm not exactly into watching space movies and didn't exactly like space toys either. Wasn't into the "Star Wars" figures thing. However, there is one space toy I would have liked to have had, had it come along before I out grew playing with toys. The toy in question came out when I was 16, in 1987. I remember seeing the commercial for this toy line, Spectra (made by Mattel), on a TV station from San Francisco, during a rerun of "The Brady Bunch."
Above is a picture of the dolls in the Spectra line, along with the robot dog. The dog was sold both alone and with Spectra in a gift set. They were known as the Shimmerons. There were also a few playsets and 12 boxed outfits (11 for the girl dolls). The outfits had snap-on bodices. Below is the commercial, which focused on the lead doll and the robot dog:
As I said earlier, I was 16 when this came out and way past toy age, but if I saw one today, I may buy it and start collecting them, something that might be difficult--if not impossible--to do. The dolls may be hard to find. In 2000, I picked up a copy of the book 30 Years of Mattel Fashion Dolls 1967-1997 [link], and upon seeing the listing for Spectra, I remembered this commercial. The book noted how Spectra was the first toy shown in the 1987 Mattel retailer catalog, and how she looked like she would be a hit. The line, however, was discontinued within a year, without even appearing in the 1988 catalog. Space toys must not have been hot in 1987. According to this page, Spectra was an attempt by Mattel to cash in on the success of Hasbro's rocker line Jem which had been released a year-and-a-half earlier, but that Jem had already run its course by then. And Mattel had already jumped on the Jem bandwagon with its Barbie and the Rockers line in 1986. Even the Astronaut Barbie line didn't seem to help sell Spectra. Perhaps the space travel rage had already run its course by the tie Spectra was released, says the website linked above. This seems to have been the reason for Spectra's quick discontinuation.
It may be interesting to note that shoes used on the dolls were recycled for Barbie's teen cousin Jazzie's line, produced between 1989 and 1992. A line of fashions for Jazzie and her friends included the Spectra shoes. This was noted in the Mattel book linked above. Can't seem to find any online info about this.
The Spectra line form 1987 is not to be confused with a current Mattel character, Spectra Vondergeist, from The Monster High line.
___________________________________________________________________________
Other bloggers posting this week:
Hobgoblin 238
Fortune and Glory (Days)
Memories of Toy Morrow
Goodwill Geek
The Man Who Stares at Toys
That Figures
Travelin-Pics
AEIOU and Sometimes Why
And Cool and Collected's own post
“Spacemen.”
OK, this isn't exactly one of my favorite things. I'm not exactly into watching space movies and didn't exactly like space toys either. Wasn't into the "Star Wars" figures thing. However, there is one space toy I would have liked to have had, had it come along before I out grew playing with toys. The toy in question came out when I was 16, in 1987. I remember seeing the commercial for this toy line, Spectra (made by Mattel), on a TV station from San Francisco, during a rerun of "The Brady Bunch."
Above is a picture of the dolls in the Spectra line, along with the robot dog. The dog was sold both alone and with Spectra in a gift set. They were known as the Shimmerons. There were also a few playsets and 12 boxed outfits (11 for the girl dolls). The outfits had snap-on bodices. Below is the commercial, which focused on the lead doll and the robot dog:
As I said earlier, I was 16 when this came out and way past toy age, but if I saw one today, I may buy it and start collecting them, something that might be difficult--if not impossible--to do. The dolls may be hard to find. In 2000, I picked up a copy of the book 30 Years of Mattel Fashion Dolls 1967-1997 [link], and upon seeing the listing for Spectra, I remembered this commercial. The book noted how Spectra was the first toy shown in the 1987 Mattel retailer catalog, and how she looked like she would be a hit. The line, however, was discontinued within a year, without even appearing in the 1988 catalog. Space toys must not have been hot in 1987. According to this page, Spectra was an attempt by Mattel to cash in on the success of Hasbro's rocker line Jem which had been released a year-and-a-half earlier, but that Jem had already run its course by then. And Mattel had already jumped on the Jem bandwagon with its Barbie and the Rockers line in 1986. Even the Astronaut Barbie line didn't seem to help sell Spectra. Perhaps the space travel rage had already run its course by the tie Spectra was released, says the website linked above. This seems to have been the reason for Spectra's quick discontinuation.
It may be interesting to note that shoes used on the dolls were recycled for Barbie's teen cousin Jazzie's line, produced between 1989 and 1992. A line of fashions for Jazzie and her friends included the Spectra shoes. This was noted in the Mattel book linked above. Can't seem to find any online info about this.
The Spectra line form 1987 is not to be confused with a current Mattel character, Spectra Vondergeist, from The Monster High line.
___________________________________________________________________________
Other bloggers posting this week:
Hobgoblin 238
Fortune and Glory (Days)
Memories of Toy Morrow
Goodwill Geek
The Man Who Stares at Toys
That Figures
Travelin-Pics
AEIOU and Sometimes Why
And Cool and Collected's own post
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Quiz:Which Architectural Style Are You?
| You Are Art Deco |
 You think the world is a bright and brilliant place. You think other people have a lot to offer. You are the friend everyone invites to the party. It's not the same if you're not there. You are a free spirit, but deep down you are reliable and trustworthy. You honor your commitments. |
Friday, January 18, 2013
Quiz: The Bubble Bath Test
| You Have a Wild Imagination |
 You have a witty and snarky attitude. People can count on you to be subtly hilarious. You are energetic and fast moving. It's hard for you to slow down and relax. You are a very together person. It's hard to phase you. |
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Quiz: What Animal Were You in a Past Life?
| You Were a Parrot |
 But you are also wise, and you often think carefully before you speak. |
Quiz: What Does Your Birthday Predict About You?
| Your Birthday Predicts You're Sensitive |
 You enjoy supporting and being inspired by others. You appreciate the dynamic of a group. Getting along with others is essential to you. You are both fair and well mannered. You are very intuitive and easily effected by other people. Sometimes you are too delicate. |
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
New Year So Far
Hi, I haven't made a formal post for this year yet, so here are some quick notes. My Christmas stuff came down the morning of New Year's Day after being up for a month. This was the only time I had to get it down. Nothing much new to report, as the year is only nine days old. It's been Ok so far, with the first rain of 2013 in my area. Rain came down last Saturday and again now as I type this entry.
I joined a few reading challenges, something I have never done before. See my archives widget for December 2012 to see the ones I've joined if you are interested, or check out the Novel Challenges blog for more. I'm planning to blog more on this later.
Taking tomorrow and Friday off for my birthday on Friday, and was off Monday because of inventory day. Inventory always occurs just before my birthday. One thing I'm hoping will change is that I get away form this job one day. Can you just imagine how tired one must get when at the same job for almost seven years--longer than any other job I've had and the one I've disliked the most. Want this to change!
How has your new year been so far? I hope everything works fine out for you. No real plans yet, but I already know some things I'll be doing, including some new movies I want to see this year. Can't really decide too early what to do for the year, so just wait and see what lies ahead. Hope your new year has been good so far and that it will be good!
I joined a few reading challenges, something I have never done before. See my archives widget for December 2012 to see the ones I've joined if you are interested, or check out the Novel Challenges blog for more. I'm planning to blog more on this later.
Taking tomorrow and Friday off for my birthday on Friday, and was off Monday because of inventory day. Inventory always occurs just before my birthday. One thing I'm hoping will change is that I get away form this job one day. Can you just imagine how tired one must get when at the same job for almost seven years--longer than any other job I've had and the one I've disliked the most. Want this to change!
How has your new year been so far? I hope everything works fine out for you. No real plans yet, but I already know some things I'll be doing, including some new movies I want to see this year. Can't really decide too early what to do for the year, so just wait and see what lies ahead. Hope your new year has been good so far and that it will be good!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Quiz: Are You French Fries or Onion Rings?
| You Are French Fries |
 You are always welcome wherever you go, and people crave you more than they'd like to admit. You are extremely fun loving. You try not to think about responsibilities whenever possible. You are rich in personality and spirit. You have a lot to offer, but you never let it go to your head. |