Skelton's Keys to the Classics

 I was going to do a Holiday Haul post but things are still scattered all around which means I'd have to actually make an effort to sort stuff and figure out where it's going to go. Too much for me right now, so instead, here's one of the cool gift(s) that Mrs Dex got me: Skelton's Keys to the Classics.

 

There's a secret library inside the old Skelton farm. Hidden within the collection of classics are keys to fantastic places, enchanted kingdoms and lost worlds. Find the library, and unlock adventure . . . if you dare. 

At first glance, these appear to be small books.

But when you open them...

Classic Creepy Comics - Spook

 Spook is another book brought to you from Star Publications, the same folks that put out last week's pick, Ghostly Weird Stories. It ran for nine issues From January 1953 to October 1954.

Spook is a bit of a mixed bag. You'll get at least one supernatural/monster type horror story but you'll also find crime, science fiction, and jungle stories along with a couple pages of prose fiction. This is probably due to it originally being a crime book that started in 1945 and changed names a few times.

The first issue kicks off with a Headless Horseman story (sort of) so I had to check it out. The stars of the story are teen Jerry and his pal Sergent Spook, who is in fact, the ghost of a cop. I'm guessing they had other adventures in the books leading up to this because it's just a weird place to start with no back story. The Horseman ends up being being a projection created by some guy that found oil and wanted to keep everyone away. Sounds like a case for the Mystery Inc.!

One of the things that jumped out at me looking through these books is the number of ads that seem targeted to girls. I'm not saying these comics are "just for boys" but were a lot of girls reading this stuff back then?

 

All but one issues of Spook are legally available online at Comic Book+. If you're looking to get the most horror out of your reading, I'd suggest issue 30. Although 28 has the below story, a scifi adventure, and some jungle girl action.

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The Headless Horseman Rides Off

 Can you believe it's already the last Monday before Halloween?

The Headless Horseman is riding out for another year.

While he "heads" off, here's a playlist of 13 versions of his song, starting off with local legend Dr Gasp (aka Dan Blakeslee)! You can get his cover of the Headless Horseman on the album Halloween Special which is one of my all time favorite spooky season soundtracks.

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Haunted Library - Amazing Monster Mazes 1977

 This week we have another devilishly delicious treat for the monster kids at heart.

Amazing Monster Mazes was published in 1977 by Hallmark. I remember going to the Hallmark store in our local mall as a kid at Halloween time and there was just so much cool stuff to see.

While the cover boasts 24 pages of mazes, there are actually only 13 because most of them are two page spreads. But that's okay! Even if mazes aren't your thing, the artwork is worth checking out.

You may find yourself tiptoeing through a mansion of sleeping monsters...

 

or even helping the Headless Horseman get back to Sleepy Hollow!

If you want to get lost in this book, just click on the library card.

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Headless Horseman Cartoon (1934)

 Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been around for over 200 years and while almost everyone is somewhat familiar with the story, they also probably imagine the incarnation from Disney's 1949 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad with his flaming pumpkin head. 

 

 

But this was not the first animated appearance of the infamous ghost. In 1934, Ub Iwerks created an animated short film called The Headless Horseman. Iwerks also worked on the Disney shorts The Skeleton Dance and The Haunted House. If you're a fan of classic animation, you'll definitely get a kick out of this.

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Funko's Return of the Headless Horseman Game

 If you're a fan of both Disney and tabletop games, you may have noticed Funko has been cranking out games like crazy. Most of them have been based on park attractions like last year's Haunted Mansion game. They've put out so many in recent years, I'm not sure if this is the first one not inspired by an attraction.

Now, I've only fully seen this one and the Haunted Mansion unboxed but I'm guessing they all have the same great level of art and care put into them.

 

Gallop on after the break!

World's Smallest Headless Horseman

 This year we're bringing back Headless Horseman Day, or Headless HorseMonday! What better way to kick it off than with the smallest thing possible?

Super Impulse has been cranking out the World's Smallest line for awhile with things ranging from action figures to working video games to classic board games and toys. I wasn't lucky enough to find a Mego Headless Horseman when it came out but I guess having a reeeally tiny one is better than none at all, right?

The exterior packaging seems to be put together in a way that makes it impossible to open without destroying it. But maybe you need tough packaging when you have small things that could easily fall into someone's pocket.

So just how small is World's Smallest?

Considering the size, they've done an outstanding job on everything including the packaging. There's a door on the back that lets you take out the figure and be able to put it back inside. They get a lot of points for that! In this series (Horror 2) there's also the Fly and the Mummy. There's also sets for classic and modern Universal horror figures, but no Creature as of yet.

The butler from the LEGO Haunted Mansion set stopped by to show you just how small this Horseman is. The figure has articulation on the arms and head and comes with a stand and sword. Although I'll be darned if I can figure out how to get the small sword into his itty bitty hand!

While I was messing around with him, I discovered that his head comes off! I mean, what good would a Headless Horseman be if his head didn't come off, right? It also explained why his right arm was in an odd position. Now if I could just get that sword in the other hand...

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Sleepy Hollow Stamp (1974)

 You can't have an Countdown to Halloween without including the Headless Horseman! Even though it's not specifically associated with Halloween, it's definitely one of my all time favorite spooky stories.

Some years ago, my stepdad gave this to me. I don't recall if it was for Christmas or my birthday which is at the end of September and usually includes Halloween related gifts.

 

Not only is this Legend of Sleepy Hollow stamped with first day of issue, but it was cancelled in North Tarrytown, the "real" Sleepy Hollow. It was released on October 10, 1974. It's almost as old as I am.

 

The envelope itself is pretty great too. I imagine they made these specifically for the stamp release.

 

 

Here's a closer look at the stamp itself.

This was the final stamp in the USPS's American Folklore Series which started in 1966. The previous stamps were Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Grandma Moses, and Tom Sawyer.

 

 Here's an alternate first day of issue I found from Mystic Stamp Company. While not as colorful as the one I have, it does highlight the Folklore Series.

 

Neato Coolville did a post back in 2014 celebrating the stamp's 40th anniversary. And if I'd been good at planning, I would have posted this on the actual anniversary of release in a few days!

 

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Cryptocurium Acquisitions

I've had a few additions to my Cryptocurium collection since October so let's see what new minions Lantern Jack has let loose in my home.

First up is the Pumpkin Clown. I actually got this one back in August and never got around to showing him off. He stands about 3.5" tall. I love the little tiny face on his trick or treat pail.

Here is the lore behind him...

On Halloween night in 1957 tales of a frightening encounter were reported by several bewildered homeowners in an undisclosed New Jersey town. They told of how they had opened their doors ready to dispense candy but instead of finding a garden variety trick or treater, they were confronted by something...else. A child sized figure dressed in a black and white clown costume stood before them. They were struck by the fact that in place of a head sat a perfectly carved grinning Jack O'Lantern. From deep in the cavernous mouth the raspy words, "trick or treat" issued forth with the sound of the autumn wind. Most complied, handed over the treats and hurriedly closed the door. However, it's said that one family didn't offer the strange visitor the requested sweets and kept their door shut tight. Strange noises were then heard throughout the night and the next morning they discovered that "curious damage" had been done to their front yard and their cat had gone missing. Frightful whispers of the "Pumpkin Clown" persist to this day.

I adore these figures so much and the fact that Jason puts stories with them just makes them that much cooler.

These next two I got in October and just did not have room to squeeze them in during the Countdown to Halloween.

This guy is a "Witchy Variant" of the Scarecrow Jackling and is a little shorter, standing at 3". I believe the regular versions were cast in a single color and not painted.

Scarecrow Jacklings are known to appear near freshly harvested fields and pumpkin patches in October. "Jacklings" are spirits in Halloween folklore that inhabit pumpkins and pumpkin patches. They are a physical manifestation of the vitality of a particular patch and are the minions of "Lantern Jack". Jacklings thrive on pure Halloween spirit and will appear clutching the gift of a candy corn to those who keep the customs and traditions of the harvest holiday alive. However, breaking the rules of All Hallows Eve will cause the Jacklings to inform Lantern Jack of your transgression and a swift and terrible punishment will be imminent! 

Saving the best for last, it's the Headless Horseman!

 
Despite not having a head, he's the tallest of this group at around 5.5". It's kind of hard to see in this angle but he is holding his pumpkin head in his right hand. In the other, a bloody axe...or maybe it's just rust?

If you dig these, the Clown and Scarecrow are still available at the Cryptocurium Etsy site. There's plenty of other great stuff to check out relating to Lovecraft and Ghostbusters. If you want to keep up with new releases, follow Jason McKittrick on Instagram.

Scooby-Doo - Shaggy & Headless Horseman Figures

Quick programming note: Yes, I know it's Wednesday. No, this is not an Addams Family post. It's pretty much the Wild West from here on out!

A couple or three years ago, Character Ltd released two series of Scooby-Doo figure two packs. Each pack had one of the Scooby gang and one of their villains. At the time, I passed on the Scooby/Headless Horseman pack and have been kicking myself ever since because now it's "hard to find" aka pricey.

Thankfully, Walmart recently released figure repacks for Scooby's 50th Birthday.

For around $6 you get two figures. Obviously they're not amazing quality but for the price, I think they're pretty great. They've got more articulation than I'd expect for "cheap" figures.

My biggest "problem" with Shaggy is that he's got a mouth but they didn't color it in. So he looks a little weird from a distance. I mean if you're going to put the beard lines on his face, would it kill you to color in the mouth?

Note to self: next time get matte finish backdrops not glossy

Ol' Headless has the same points of articulation as Shaggy but his cape (I guess it's a cape?) gets in the way of his full range of movement. At first glance, it looks removable but has a large peg fixing it to his back.

His hands are oddly positioned so that if his arms are anywhere except by his sides he looks like he's doing the robot. His head may not come off but at least he knows how to party!

These should still be available in your local Walmart and for the price they'd make a great Halloween gift for Scooby fans of any age. The girls have been hard to find in my area but Velma has Frankenstein's Monster and Daphne comes with Wolfman, for you classic monster fans.

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Headless HorseMonday - Custom LEGO

I've been eyeing a LEGO Headless Horseman on Ebay for quite awhile and decided this year was the time for him to come home. If you do a search for him, you'll find multiple variations. Some have plain black outfits, some have skeletal horses.

This is the one I ended up going with.

I'll probably try to hunt down a better looking body for him at some point. Not that the sinister gentleman look doesn't work for him but I'd like to find something more period appropriate. What sold me on this particular version is the horse. While the skeletal horses look cool, they can't rear up on their back legs like this one can. An essential pose for the Headless Horseman!

I took the flaming hair piece from an odd bootLego fig I got this summer. I even mention in that post that I'd likely use this piece on a Headless Horseman. I don't think it ever looks quite right in photos, it always looks like a big ol head of red hair to me.

It looks a little better with dramatic lighting.

 Headless "fact" of the day

The Horseman's iconic flaming pumpkin head was not a thing until Disney told the tale in The Adventures of Ichabod. In the original story, the Horseman throws a decapitated head at Ichabod and Disney thought that a little too graphic and inserted their own brand of nightmare fuel. I know I read this at one point but haven't been able to find proof again, so I"m just going with it!

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Headless HorseMonday - Books

The Headless Horseman owes his origin to the printed page so I thought it only fitting to discuss a couple other versions of his legend.

First is A Sleepy Hollow Halloween which is a Little Golden Book. The cutesy art style is completely adorable and the story is told in rhyme. Being aimed at a younger audience, it tells a different version of the classic story that's less scary and more fun.

But that's not even the best part.

The book also comes with a plush Headless Horseman Itty Bitty! This is the real reason I wanted it. The book is great and all but I just couldn't pass up this pumpkin head! In case you're wondering, his head does not detach from his body.

This set is available at your local Hallmark store. If they don't have it, they can order it for you or you can order it direct from the Hallmark site and get free shipping to your store.

The next one is for the slightly older kids.

While searching Amazon a few weeks ago I found this graphic novel adaptation of the story. Even more surprising is that this is made to be used in schools. Who thought we'd see a day where comics were allowed in school?

How do I know this is made for the class room? It says Common Core right in the product title. But don't let that frighten you away. There aren't any educational pop-ups during the story. There are some questions at the end of the book to promote reading and writing skills.

The art is good and while the story may not be as in depth as the original I think it does a decent job of telling the tale. But let's face it, I'm not here for a detailed account of Ichabod Crane's struggles in Sleepy Hollow. I'm here for the Horseman!

You can get this on Amazon in print or Kindle. This same company makes other classic lit graphic novels including the Hound of the Baskervilles, Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr .Jekyll & Mr Hyde, War of the Worlds and a whole lot more. It says these are for Grade 2-3, Ages 10-14. Maybe things have changed since I was in school but when I was 10 I was in 6th grade.

At any rate, I have to give Graphic Revolve a huge hand for making these stories, that may be hard for kids to read, a little more accessible without resorting to a movie. I will definitely be checking out more of these graphic novels.

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Headless HorseMonday - Roblox

Being a 40-something geek, I'm only passingly familiar with Roblox. I know kids are about as addicted to it as Minecraft and I've seen the toys in stores. They have some fun looking figures like Bigfoot Boarder and Circuit Breaker so I always browse to see what weird things they have going on. 

Imagine my surprise on finding a Headless Horseman figure! A while back, I found a Headless Horseman Scooby-Doo set in TRU and passed on it. It's now very hard to find and people are asking crazy money for it so I made sure this one wasn't getting away from me.

He's dressed in a purple and black uniform with a tricorn hat. His 'headless"-ness is accomplished with a translucent featureless head. That makes it a little difficult to tell where he's "looking" but the hat does turn so you can point his head in the right direction.

He's also got a wicked little hand axe for when he's out looking for a top to chop! I'm not sure why there's a bandage wrapped around his head. I think the figure would look a bit more striking without it.

The grinning Jack-O-Lantern he comes with isn't just a Halloween decoration.

You can swap out his ghostly head for it! Sadly the hat doesn't fit on the pumpkin head. 

How fun would that have been?

Overall, this is a cool little figure. The transparent head and swap option really make it worth picking up. The only thing that would have made it better is if it was a 2-pack and came with a creepy looking horse for him.

If you want to pick one up, you should be able to find him in Target or similar stores. Failing that, you can order from Amazon. Just check the prices and don't pay over $8.

Headless Fact of the Day

The Horseman may be the most well known spirit without a skull but he's by no means the only one. In 1978, Warren Zevon wrote “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner” about a merc fighting in Africa who was murdered by his comrades and returns seeking revenge.

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