happy 75th birthday viewmaster!

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a ghost.. a real ghost.. has no need to die.. what is she except a being without access to the universe that she has not yet managed to forget? ~ randall jarrell

ghost

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my ghost toy catalogue ~ an inventory of ghost toys & collectibles old & new including toxic toys, toxic's library & halloweeniana..

ghost stories
(blood & butterflies..)

these are excerpts from the book toxic & i wrote about our childhood... it's called 'brenda was here'.. let me know what you think/comments? p.s. stories here are non fiction/true. (privately hosted ~ if you're interested in reading this just ask:)

links ~

www.flickr.com

Go to ghost at the gate's photostream

toxic tricks & treats album (sound up)

Collector's Corner LBPT

Spotlight Posts

tiny accents
some more fun additions to my collection ~ peewee & margaret hamilton :D ~ disneyland pin ~ & a sasquatch hide & seek champion pin for my hubby ;) ~ also a universal monsters pillbox ~ click on pins & buttons in the category list in the left sidebar for...
tin wall art
hey there's a new tin sign in the toyroom ~ it's gumby & pokey! ~ & there's alice & dorothy chatting over the ghostcloset ;) ~ in the vampire suite ~ with the cheshire cat & toto too! ~ & there's a crying monster <3 ~ i love radiohead :)...
flashback friday - retro tin
as is obvious, i like tin, so the decor at our house includes a bunch of retro styled tin signs ~ as a ghost i personally appreciate these vintage style halloween signs ~ & over our kitchen table are pepsi, coke & popsicles ~ this gumby sign is up in...
grickle
for this weird wednesday, a look at grickle art by graham annable ~ some of the oldest youtubes on my page are on my favorites playlist here ~ grickle's halloween madness & joy to the weird! ~ & i only recently realized he's on instagram & followed him there ~...
kermit stickers
you say you need some fun stickers for your new journal? ;) ~ how about these kermit ones from temu? ~ i've always loved jim henson's kermit :D ~ & here are a couple other good ones i got with them ~ flying monkeys & a bumble! ~ bren
notebooks again
yep notebooks again :D ~ with moons & butterflies ~ i like this cover ~ glass butterflies? ~ i use to be embarassed about my need for blank journals & notebooks ~ till i saw this meme online ~ yes! this is me!! ~ butterfly freedom ~ these were pretty...
flashback friday - my books
today i'm sharing some of my own books ~ art books that i've made through shutterfly over the years ~ selected paintings from the ghost gallery up at gumbyland ~ including gumby & the snowman ~ & my paintings & installations ~ come on over to my gallery hallways anytime,...
more adventure time stickers
more adventure time stickers to wrap up the weekend ~ a fun assortment ~ bren
adventure time stickers
more adventure time today ~ check out these cool reusable sticker pages ~ finn & jake ~ & all their friends ~ marceline ~ cool :D ~ you choose the expressions ~ more like this tomorrow ~ bren
flashback friday - adventure time cards
i noticed these adventure time trading card packs at my local comic book store recently ~ from cryptozoic & cartoon network 2014 ~ like most of these collectible cards there's a game involved that i'll probably never play ~ cool holos! but no autograph, bummer. ~ omg it's lumpy space...
mcdonald's happy meal collectibles
wrapping up this mcd weekend with a cool reference book i have in my toyroom library ~ this mcdonald's collectibles second edition has happy meal toys & other mcd collectibles up through 2000 ~ all the mcd characters ~ mcd history ~ chronology ~ early test toys ~ the early...
mcd collectors meal
so have you gotten one of the new mcdonald's collector's meals yet? ~ instead of a happy meal it's a grownup size meal with special collector cups ~ there's 6 different ones including ty beanie babies, hello kitty & peanuts, minions, barbie, mcd characters & coca cola ~ we got...
flashback friday - kids' meals
so i mentioned in yesterday's post how my inner kid is going through happy meal toy withdrawls these days ~ since we're not out collecting as we use to & hitting the fast food lunch spots for toys & prizes ~ there was a time when, if i didn't get...
alice
wrapping up an all alice weekend ~ as a child i discovered an old version of the alice in wonderland book in my great grandma's closet & was fascinated & freaked out by the illustrations i saw there, the duchess & baby, alice stretched up tall :o ~ i've been...
american mcgee's alice playthrough
it's more american mcgee's alice today as i've been replaying this favorite classic oldie after many many years & adding the captures to my youtube page ;) ~ starting here ~ it's been so long it's like starting over again ~ good to see old friends? like the duchess &...
flashback friday - american mcgee's alice
this is a flashback friday favorite post from many years ago.. today i'm sharing what is my most favorite videogame of all ~ american mcgee's alice by ea games on pc from 2000 ~ what can i say except that i just love this game ~ at the time i...
little golden books ~ julie andrews
a little golden book today ~ as tcm is running a tribute right now to julie andrews ~ the story of her early life ~ her classic movies ~ just click on movies & little golden books in the category list in the left sidebar for more like this anytime...
coraline stickers
more coraline today ~ because of course there are stickers :) ~ a cool animated film now 15 years old & coming back in 3d on august 15th! ~ check out coraline's curious cat trail here in pdx!! bren
coraline bracelet
more coraline today ~ check out this cute little coraline charm bracelet from temu ~ includes kitty! did you know today dozens of coraline cat statues appeared around portland?! :D ~ more coraline tomorrow ~ bren
flashback friday - coraline
remember the movie coraline? ~ made by laika stidios here in portland, the same folks who did paranorman ~ these are some carl's jr cool kids prizes from 2008 ~ including cards, a puzzle, keyclip & tic tac toe game ~ i think this movie had a small influence on...

ghost gamelinks..

ghost's top eleven rpg's:
#1 ~ down the rabbit hole... "here's a riddle.. when is a croquet mallet like a billy club? ..i'll tell you... whenever you want it to be..." cheshire cat to alice (american mcgee's alice: the original) this game is my favorite above all others...
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you thank you mr mcgee for alice madness returns!!! (with the original i still rate these the best!)
#2 is primal, especially the wraith world where i felt right at home.. what a relief to play a strong female for a change, and with scree the gargoyle at my side... loved this game and want more!!!
#3 is fable/fable:lost chapters/fable 2.. get lost in this incredible world and determine your own fate... good or evil.. or somewhere in between... fable 3 is out!!!
#4 city of lost children.. based on the french movie of the same name.. you are miette, an orphan, use your thieving and sneaking skills to free the childrens' souls from the evil inventor who is stealing their dreams...
tied at #4 the kingdom hearts games (2).. disney meets final fantasy! play in disney worlds alongside jack skellington in halloweentown, jack sparrow in the caribbean or alice at the mad tea party..
#5 is van helsing.. if you liked the movie, play this gothic masterpiece and face werewolves, the frankenstein monster, mr hyde and count dracula himself...
#6 are all of the lord of the rings games, which are all worth mastering, including the hobbit game.. (watch out for the spiders!)
& the old classic snes lord of the rings.. (another good old favorite.. i spent forever lost in the barrow downs...)
#7 are all the ultima games.. my favorites were 'quest of the avatar' and 'the false prophet'.. but if you like the classics try out 'black gate' and 'exodus' and the other oldies..
#8 is the original nes game shadowgate.. the one that turned me into an rpg junkie in the first place all those years ago.. hunched over my controller in the dark in my camper in the middle of the night.. still a classic...
#9 is final fantasy, but i'm an old time gamer, so i mean the original final fantasy games on nes/snes like 1, 2, 3 + mystic quest.. still the best even without the graphics of the newer games...
#10 is lemony snickett's series of unfortunate events.. ok, so this game is not terribly hard..
(i was able to complete it even while fairly intoxicated..) it is still creative and fun if you enjoyed the movie, which i did...
i needed a #11 on my list for all the honorable mentions.. unforgettable games like wizardry, king arthur's world, tombs & treasures, deja vu, faxanadu, the immortal, breath of fire and the dragon warrior games.. also baldur's gate, the ren & stimpy games that wrecked my nerves, zombies ate my neighbors, fester's quest, maniac mansion!!! ...gasp... too many to remember... aargghh! all those years spent in the dark deep in some labyrinth scribbling cryptic notes and maps.. is that what is was that made me mad? or did they save me from madness...? the world may never know.. (p.s. i never made it without biting..)
!X! a bonus: i absolutely approve of the gamecube's eternal darkness: sanity's requiem.. lovecraftian & hallucinogenic.. i dare you!
the post-apocalyptic fallout games, F3, new vegas & F4 coming soon!
dante's inferno ~ go to hell!
gothic victorian lovecraftian bloodshed :D bloodborne!
i highly approve of the other from software games besides bloodborne, demon's souls & dark souls 1, 2 & 3.. not for the faint of heart, gotta get good for these!

vintage recipes for children

deliciously classic or wonderfully gross, these vintage recipes for kids from the golden magazine for boys & girls or jack & jill magazine are fun even if they don't make it to your table..
~ copyright 2012 all rights reserved

kids' meals

kids' meal boxes, buckets, bags & cups for various promotions from over the years ~ (a work in progress, there are more of these to come..)

cards

collector cards, trading cards, card games & stickers etc..

our game gallery..

my comic book page..

Amazon.com Widgets

other cool sites ~

stars antiques portland
featured us at their site :)
pdx estates services/sales
these ladies are the best! i'll see you in line ;)
the bloggess ~ jenny lawson's blog
so much cool & funny stuff here..
culture of comics blog
cool blog by jeff whitman of papercutz..
bright & tiny gems blog
vintage & other cool things here..
dinosaur dracula
cool site i just discovered on twitter..
mystic halloween blog
a cool halloween blog i discovered..
jnk davis ~ celebrating creative togetherness
a cool creative site..
view from the birdhouse
fun vintage to be found here..
vintage teen books
a great site full of young adult books..
ravensblight haunted paper toys..
one of my favorite sites..
zombo's closet
a scary cool blog..
the collinsport historical society
for dark shadows fans..
little people meet mr potatohead
this site is a blast!
tracy's toys
a cool toy blog..
retroland
everything retro
timewarp toys
buy old toys here ~
vintage valentine museum
some good vintage ephemera here ~
tommy's toys
a cool vintage toy blog..
dis forum
for fans of disneyland..
vintage halloween toys
cool vintage halloween stuff here..
collectible vintage toys
an auction alternative to ebay..
kathy's fastfood toys
kid's meal prizes
online antique mall ~ toys
lots of cool antique toys for sale here..
imaginary world
lots of good retro stuff
halloweentown
nightmare before xmas site
doombuggies
haunted mansion site
this old toy
fisher price store
enchanted world of rankin/bass
rick goldschmidt ~ rankin/bass historian
scar stuff
vintage halloween blog
greenleaf miniatures
for dollhouse enthusiasts
little golden books
steve santi's site
sam's toy box
cool old toys..

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« dinosaurs | Main | viewmaster »

08/25/2013

happy 75th birthday viewmaster!

last week was viewmaster's 75th birthday so i wanted to devote a few posts to this portland native toy invented by william b. gruber ~

this vintage 40's viewer was less of a toy & more of a cool novelty ~

made by the sawyer company here in portland, it was a more modern version of the old victorian stereoscopic viewers & used reels to show 3d views of local scenic points of interest such as the columbia river highway & multnomah falls & other spots we like such as these in my own album ~

& the long gone lambert gardens ~

vintage reels ~

the complete list of reels available was not very long at that time ~

interestingly, it all started at the oregon caves ~

it would soon become a classic toy we all remember ~

more tomorrow! ~

ghost & toxic

Posted at 09:43 AM in ephemera, novelty, viewmaster | Permalink

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