The PopCulteer
April 8, 2011

Where The Toys Still Are

Way back in January 2007 I brought you guys a photo essay of my visit to Canonsburg Pennsylvania’s world-famous specialized antique shop, Where The Toys Are. Last week I got to go back for the first time since that visit, and was delighted to find that the store’s stock had almost completely turned over since last time.

Melanie and I stumbled into a shop filled with brand-new old toys. Even though I was only armed with my crappy cell phone camera, I managed to snag quite a few images. We’re kicking off this week’s PopCulteer with part one of a NEW photo essay devoted to PURE UNADULTERATED TOY LUST!

Sometime in the next week, we’ll bring you part two. Be patient.

Before we start, here's a cool shot from our early-2007 photo essay. I didn't get a decent shot of the whole store this time.

I don't know who this action figure is, but I want him! If anyone can identify this guy, leave a comment. He's about 14 to 16 inches tall.

Rare Star Wars guys in the front window. Yeah, that miight attract customers.

The 12" Kenner Boba Fett, with other space toys.

More space toys, including an AT-ST, ET and a couple of MEGO Spocks.

The Flying Sub from Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, included here to fill Mark Wolfe with TOY LUST

You can get a plush EWOK to commemorate when Lucas jumped the shark

No Pee Wee! Don't Jump! You have so much to live for!

Hey, wanna play doctor? By the way, here's the shocker: all of the above photos were taken IN THE FRONT DISPLAY WINDOWS. We haven't gone inside yet.

In 1965, Gilbert, the toy company famous for Erector Sets and American Flyer trains, made 12" action figures based on James Bond and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. This was the first time I'd ever seen an OddJob figure (from "Goldfinger") in person!

A complete, out of the box, GI Joe Adventure Team "Fate Of The Troubleshooter" set. This one filled me with TOY LUST!

They keep the rare 12" Kenner Star Wars figures that are in near-mint condition in a case in the back of the store.

A built-up Lost In Space model kit. Even with the sloppy paint job, this one will fill my brother Frank with TOY LUST!

Beatles cake-toppers from the height of Beatlemania.

A cool double bill that will fill Mark Scarpelli with POSTER LUST!

The store is jam-packed with display cases filled with cool stuff like this.

The walls are covered with cool items, too.

Anybody like Matchbox Models?

They'd just acquired a huge collection of Britains toy soldiers, some of them over a hundred years old.

"I see in the cards, your future holds part two of this photo essay, coming next week."

Video Evidence Of Three Cool Weekend Shows

There are three great shows in town this weekend for which we can bring you video samples.

Friday night The VooDoo Katz are at The Empty Glass. The show starts at 10 PM and the cover is a measly eight bucks. For a taste of The Katz’ killer party music vibe, check out their songs on RFC number 104, from last Summer.

Saturday night at The Glass, Beaver Knievel will return in support of The Lords Of The Highway. The show kicks off at 10 PM and the cover charge is seven dollars. Here’s the Beaverish lads with a song that’s not quite safe for work.

Heavy Metal powerhouse, WhiteChapel District, tears up the stage at Tomahawk’s Smokehouse and Saloon Saturday night. The show starts at 9 PM and there is NO COVER. Check out Nick Harrah’s interview with the band in this week’s Gazz, and watch for the band on next week’s RFC. Here they are with the song, “Revolution” from RFC 118.

Don’t just sit there, get out and listen to LIVE MUSIC this weekend!

KVDead

Some of you may remember KVLive from its brief affiliation with Radio Free Charleston last year. Wanting to help out the fledgling entertainment news site (or “entertainment portal” whatever that was) I let the site run RFC without monetary compensation. In return the site’s owner helped me score the location for our gala 100th episode. Things were cool for a while.

After a few months, I had a disagreement with the site’s owner and guiding light, Thomas Sayre. I don’t see any need to go into details, but as a result of me voicing my opinion, all references and links to RFC were quickly scrubbed from KVLive. It didn’t really hurt the show any, since the site was only responsible for 15 web hits over the course of four months, so we somehow managed to get by without those extra views.

Well, last Thursday, while I was away from the internet for a few days for a post-April Fool’s show mini-vacation, Thomas Sayre shut down his website. He posted a farewell message, which you can see here. I’ll let his words speak volumes about why the site failed.

It’s sad to see any diverse voices silenced in a town as small as Charleston, but anyone watching the drama unfold over the past year saw it coming. It would be great if someone wanted to start up an alternative entertainment news site here in West Virginia, but they’d be well-advised to learn from the many, many mistakes that Sayre made, not the least of which was expecting to earn a living producing a website that anyone could do in their spare time with no overhead. Even though it was no surprise to anyone who was paying attention, it’s sad that it unfolded the way it did.

That’s it for this week. Next week Radio Free Charleston returns with a show that is still being assembled as I write this. We’ll also have our usual features, and Cool Comics will look at the Captain America library in advance of the big summer movie starring Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s creation.