Oct 19, 2026

Disney Doorables - Squish'Alots Poppin Pinball

 I wasn't expecting to have another Doorables post this month but I ran into these Squish'Alots Pinball sets and here we are!
 

 I'm not so big on the Squish Doorables, I prefer the regular, non-squishy ones. But here, they aren't the main focus. As with most Doorables, these are blind boxed but I keep the cheat code website bookmarked on my phone for cases just like this!
 
Each box has one of 8 mini-pinball machines and I grabbed the Nightmare Before Christmas one.
 
 
The set comes with one regular size Squish that goes on top of the scoreboard. 
The machine stands about 4.5" tall so it's not a good fit as a prop for your 6" or 3.75" figures...unless you want to have your 3.75" figures pretend this is a Hercules machine. All of the "cabinet art" is stickers that come with it. I love that they included the coin box detail on the sticker. It just helps sell it more for me.
 

It comes with four balls. Three of them have itty-bitty squishy characters and the fourth has a couple additional stickers to decorate your machine.
 

 And yes, it actually works! To release a ball, you press the back button and then you can use the flippers to hit it into the hole in the center. The ball then rolls out a chute right to you.
 

 The score 10,291,993 is an Easter Egg for when the movie was originally released: 10/29/1993. The other sets aren't really any I'm interested in, maybe Alice in Wonderland, but I'd definitely pick up a Wreck-It-Ralph or Tron one.It may not get much play, but it's a really fun display piece!
 
What's the cat looking at? The full list of Countdown to Halloween blogs!
Give a click to see for yourself. 
 

Oct 18, 2026

R2-WRWLF Star Wars Figure

 From the moors of a far off planet comes R2-WRWLF!
 

 For the past several years, Disney has been releasing themed droid figures around Halloween and Christmas. These are park exclusive but can usually be found on ShopDisney also. You can see R6-W1CH and R7-FNG in my 2022 Countdown post.
 

 This droid hails from Zanbar which is a moon "marked by stretches of swampy vegetation pierced by towering plateaus of striated rock." Not sure why they picked this one other than it having swampy vegetation. Outside a couple episodes of the Clone Wars animated series, it hasn't really appeared anywhere else.
 

 It's a little off seeing a brown R2 unit but between the flannel, the dark eye, and the ears, it works!
 
 Click the witch to see the list of participating Countdown blogs!
 

Oct 17, 2026

Bicycle Classic Halloween Playing Cards

 Halloween themed decks of playing cards used to feel like a novelty but now they seem to be putting out more every year. I guess they know there's suckers like me out there that have to have them!
 

 One of this year's new offerings is the Classic Halloween deck from Bicycle. These are standard poker size cards but as you can see, what's not standard is the inclusion of a third Joker! It's and added bonus for me as a Headless Horseman collector that he makes an appearance. The card back is simple black and white and nicely incorporates ghosts, pumpkins, and spiders in their webs.
 

 The numerical cards are fairly standard but the court cards have fun split designs. Jacks are animals (familiars?), Queens an assortment of women, and Kings various monsters. I really like the cartoon artwork in this deck because it reminds me of Disney's Skeleton Dance.
 
Swing by and see all the Countdown to Halloween blogs!
 

Oct 16, 2026

Halloween Hot Wheels 2026 - Alpha Pursuit

Would a Halloween themed police car have ghostly wails in place of a siren?
 

 Alpha Pursuit has been around since 2020 but this is only its eighth incarnation. Not surprisingly, it's often been included in Rescue/First Response 5-packs.
 

 It's got a futuristic design to it which I think comes through a lot better with some of the other paint jobs it's had over the years. The Boneyard Patrol logo makes me wonder what the car does. Does it just drive around cemeteries? Does the name come from skeletal drivers?
 

 Whatever it's role, it's got some glow in the dark features to help light up the night!
 
Be sure to check out all the Countdown bloggers by clicking the link below. 
 

Oct 15, 2026

Skelton's Keys to the Classics - Vasilisa the Beautiful

Back in January 2025, I did a post about the amazing Skelton's Keys to the Classics that Mrs Dex got me for Christmas. She recently gifted me another to add to my collection from the Russian fairy tale Vasilisa the Beautiful. You may not think that sounds Halloween adjacent, but we'll get there.
 

 The keys come in boxes that resemble books from the outside.
 
 
But when you open them, there's a keyhole window showing off a metal key inspired by the story. Vasilisa's tale just happens to feature the infamous witch Baba Yaga as the villain!
 
 Baba Yaga has definitely entered the pop culture zeitgeist in recent years thanks to John Wick. She's even appeared in a couple Scooby-Doo episodes! But I remember first learning about her back in my early Dungeons & Dragons days in the 80s. I didn't know much at the time other than she was a witch that lived in a hut that walked around on giant chicken legs. Not an image you forget! 

 
The key is solid black except for yellow highlights in the hut's windows and the skull's eyes and nose. There's some really great line detail put into it, especially in the upper leg area. Even if I had the key to Baba Yaga's Hut, I don't think i"d be using it anytime soon!
 

 Baba Yaga and Vasilisa now join my other Keys to the Classics, filling out this collection box. 
 
 Click the witch to see the list of participating Countdown blogs!
 

Oct 14, 2026

Classic Creepy Comics - Haunted Thrills

 All the comics I'll be talking about are legally available for free on Comic Book+. You can read them online or, if you create a free account, you can download them. The site navigation may take some getting used to but I'll be providing links to the specific titles featured. 
  

Haunted Thrills was published by Ajax-Farrell from June 1952 until November 1954 and ran for 18 issues. Unlike a lot of previously covered titles, I couldn't find much about this series so enjoy some random picks from various issues.
  

The first issue has the story Ghost Gloves, which makes me wonder if there's been any stories since of a ghost boxer.
 

Apparently issues 5 and 6 (above/below) are the most sought after as they're the only ones that have record sales around $2000! And that probably explains why those particular issues are missing from the database.


I have to say, they are pretty striking covers!


 Issue 16 has a classic gaming with Death cover.
 

 And I just had to share this crazy panel from Web of the Widow.
 
If you want to give yourself some Haunted Thrills, head over to ComicBook+ to read them online...if you dare!
 
What's the cat looking at? The full list of Countdown to Halloween blogs!
Give a click to see for yourself. 
 

Oct 13, 2026

Now Hear This - Halloween 2026 Part II

Every Tuesday, we'll be comin' at ya with a Now Hear This Halloween post featuring some spooky sounds to get your coffin rockin'. They may not all be new releases but hopefully they'll be new to you.


Click on the album cover to go to its Bandcamp page where you can purchase it or listen for free. I am not affiliated with Bandcamp or any of the artists, just spreading the word on good music. 
  
 
Sean Keller is back with the fifth (final?) installment of his Killer Sounds of Halloween mixtape series. These are essential Halloween listening for me! The bands are fictional but they'll definitely sound familiar.
 

The Jazz Hop Cafe takes you on a retreat to a Cabin in the Woods with 27 of their closest friends. Don't let the chill lofi beats lull you to sleep. There's someone lurking out there waiting to strike.
 

 Submitted for your approval, Haunted House Party offers up 18 lofi tales perfect for any spooky gathering around a campfire.
  

Veil Witch conjures up Little Plastic Halloween, a compilation of their first three pumpkin synth EPs. This release includes a bonus track of a reel-to-reel tape rip of all three in a single, continuous track complete with audio hiss and warble to help set that classic Halloween mood.
 

 A "newly discovered" score to an unreleased Italian Halloween short film shot in 1979. This soundtrack was composed by the legendary Vincenzo Malsano, who experimented with analog synthesizers and degraded magnetic recording tape for truly unnerving soundscapes.
 
 Click the witch to see the list of participating Countdown blogs!
 

Oct 12, 2026

Disney Doorable Park Moments - Haunted Mansion

One of the gifts Mrs Dex got for my birthday was this Disney Doorable Park Moments diorama. Like most things Doorable, these are blind packed and you can get one of three sets: Small World, Jungle Cruise or Haunted Mansion.
 

 I hadn't heard of this series before and found out it is exclusive to the parks and ShopDisney. From what I can tell, it looks like you have the same odds to get any of the sets. In retail items like this, there are usually rarities involved.
 

 I was thrilled to see that I got the Haunted Mansion's Hitchhiking Ghosts! There is a clear plastic case that normally goes over the display which lets you easily stack them up but for photo purposes, it was much easier to shoot without it getting in the way.
 

 The reverse of the backdrop pays homage to one of the original attraction posters.

 
 And of course, you can't have ghosts without glow in the dark features!
 
 
Looks like they dropped a new album! 
 
 
Swing by and see all the Countdown to Halloween blogs!
 

Oct 11, 2026

Spidey D takes over Salem Dunkin!

It's fair to say Salem is like a circus in October. 
The downtown Dunkin took that to heart this year!
  

This same store got taken over by Spidey D (Dunkin's Spider Donut mascot) last year but it was nowhere near this level! The line last year was just as long so I didn't go in but this time we stuck it out because I really wanted to see the inside.
 
Below where it says Step Rite Up is one of those big spinning wheels where someone gets strapped in and spun around while a performer throws sharp objects at them. This one doesn't move but it does have handholds to pose for a photo op.
 

 Here's the other side of the building. To the right is normally a chain link fence where the dumpsters are hidden away.
 

 But even that area got a make over with a faux fence and midway style posters.
The line actually moved fairly quick but I wouldn't recommend going inside if you're any kind of claustrophobic!

Oct 10, 2026

Spooky Cat Press Vintage Monster Mask Mini Cards

 If you're a lover of Halloween and somehow haven't discovered Spooky Cat Press yet, hold on to your wallet! They had a sale recently and I couldn't resist picking up these mini monster cards.
 

 I'm a sucker for anything with classic Halloween costume vibes so I had to snag these monster mask cards.
 

 There's 12 cards in the set, each with a different image. They don't open like traditional greeting cards but are double sided. The cards are 2"x3" and I would absolutely collect a trading card series like this if they decided to make more. Below the names is a fun little tagline and boxes where you can check Trick or Treat. The backs are all identical allowing you to select the type of Halloween wishes you want to bestow.
 

 The set also comes with 12 mini envelopes to put the cards in and one of four mystery stickers that aren't part of the card set. I was really hoping to get Mr. Gilly (the Creature) but the Bride is pretty cool too.
 
If you want to pick up a set, or just browse some great Halloween/horror merch, head over to Spooky Cat Press today!
 
Hitch a ride with the ghostly gentleman to see the participating Countdown to Halloween blogs.