Hot Zam!

Party Stores may be slowly disappearing, but Halloween is a great time to look back at the fun they once offered. Your local party store was a great place to get balloons and cups for a birthday party, but Halloween... man. Not just party supplies, but these stores would have costumes, decorations, neat little doo-dads and trinkets... they were truly something special. Zam's looks like it would have been the best place for a Wolfman mask and some orange streamers. Really wish I would have had one local while they were around!

Still Going

It's probably hard for some in today's world of rechargeable devices to imagine it. That there was a time that keeping batteries around the house was absolutely necessary. These days I just keep some around for the Roku remote, but everything else just takes a USB charger. If anything, it's just a struggle to find a charging box sometimes. But back in the day, just about everything needed them and not an old one that lost it's power in the junk drawer. Once again seasonal appropriate commercials were there to remind you of the things you needed anyway... but with a little flair.

Duracell batteries last a long time, just like Dracula! This Halloween, you damn well better have a flashlight (or glow stick) on hand to light your way while trick or treating. For whatever reason the neighborhoods side walks become death traps and the ability to operate a car competently just escapes most drivers. YOU NEED THAT LIGHT. Hopefully there's a Duracell in it to ensure that not only will you be able to safely trick or treat... but also the rest of the year when your mom keeps it on her nightstand in case the power goes out.

Don't be a Halloweenie

Growing up is hard, especially in those early teenage years in that limbo of leaving childhood and becoming an adult. I was the youngest of my siblings, so there never was that little brother or sister still doing those things I was now 'too old' for. Big Pete, well, he has Little Pete to deal with. You try resisting him. Little Pete wants to set a new world record for most houses visited for trick or treat. Sounds awesome right? Well it is, but he needs help... and the only one who can do it is Big Pete... whose now 'too old'. Good thing he can wear a mask to hide his embarrassment right? Well... Halloween is a dangerous holiday sometimes. One such danger is older kids who like to bully Halloweenies.

originally posted 9/8/23 

Halfway 2 Halloween~Watch Halloween this Halloween

It's no surprise that a movie series named Halloween would be popular during Halloween. Though, if you're around my age, you'll remember it being a more forbidden thing. The escaped mental patient that killed kids on Halloween urban legend spread like wildfire during October. At the time, Halloween was a popular movie... but not the institution that it is now. Kids were often more sheltered by their parents from these movies, and Michael Myers was one of the more taboo movie monsters. So of course your local television station commercials had an aura of mystique. I'm glad these old local spots somehow survived and got uploaded. They're firmly a relic of days gone by.

Originally Posted: 10/12/2023

Happy Halloween from Zone Base!

Happy Halloween Zone Base readers! The big day is finally here and I hope you've got your costume ready. Thank you all for celebrating another Halloween with me here on the site. This is my favorite season and I look forward to it all year long. Thankfully tonight's the big night, so Halloween 2024 will go out with a bang! I hope each and every one of you enjoy the holiday. Give out some candy, go trick or treating, carve a pumpkin and watch the all night horror marathon. Whatever you do, I hope you have a great time doing it. Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem 2024 has been a great one. Thanks for reading Zone Base and sharing the site with your friends. Spooky Season might be coming to a close, but we've still got plenty of robots, monsters, and misadventure!

Orange Beard the Pirate and Odie the Stupid

We love Garfield in my household. From regularly watching his channel on Pluto TV to the army of plushies in our bedroom. So of course his holiday specials are required viewing. Garfield's Halloween Adventure/Garfield in Disguise is one of my favorite Halloween specials that's so good it gets regular viewings all year long! It's Halloween and Garfield wants some candy. Along with Odie (where's Lyman?), he goes trick or treating and gets the scare of his life! It's the ideal Halloween night!

Who Spooked Rodney?

Rodney is a a big old fraidy cat. If there's a superstition, Rodney is scared of it. Which one begs to reason... why does he even go trick or treating? Or even to a haunted house? Does he just relish is pooping his pants or something? And what's up with that one kid while they're in the haunted house? Is he ok?

Originally Posted 10/25/2023

Trick or Trek

If you were a kid in Oakland County trick or treating on Halloween night 1995... you probably ran into the biggest wieners in the galaxy. Somebodies cousins decided to dress as a Klingon and host a 'fun' trick or treat party on public access TV. There, kids could have a safe and happy holiday while learning about Klingons. You can tell the kids loved it by Robin's excitement. No, no... he was excited... not ... the free candy wasn't worth it.

Originally Posted 09/01/2022

 

Double Bubble Saftey and Trouble

Halloween is a very dangerous holiday, which is part of it's allure. I mean sure, you can get robbed while Christmas shopping... but is there razor blades hidden in candy canes?

Spooky Things with Bad Skin

You probably guessed after watching the above commercial that I would talk about how much I love Halloween make-up kits. However I just wanted to throw out some love to Kooky Spooks for outright using the cheapness of the make up as a selling point. Real ones know cheaper Halloween make up usually cracks on your face as it dries. Kooky Spooks cracks as it dries to give the illusion that it's old and gross skin. Way to go Kooky Spooks... just passing off your cheap ass product as psoriasis.

Originally Posted- 9/20/2022

Meet and Treat Yourself

This old PSA from the 70's advises it's best to trick or treat in groups. That's not the worst idea, though I can't help but to notice all the Tootsie branded candy. That's because Tootsie sponsored this spot. I guess they felt the need since so many of their products are handed out on Halloween night. Come to think of it, I never saw Tootsie Rolls outside of Halloween and Christmas as a kid. These days it's in every waiting room I see, their full of Tootsie Rolls candy. They should really make a waiting room safety tape.

Holy Pumpkin Spice Batman

Batmania pretty much ran wild in 1989... I've professed my love for it here before. It's to no surprise that Batman and Joker costumes were super poplar. It's great seeing the costume suggestions based on what was then current popular movies. I'd like to point out the 'Jason' costume is the ever popular dollar store hockey mask. That thing is as much a part of Halloween as pumpkins at this point.

The Long Ass Halloween

Somebody, somewhere decided having kids trick or treat with a character would be a fun thing to do. In theory they were right. In practice they get your drunk Uncle dressed as Batman. In this special community event where a handful of kids get to meet the caped crusader and receive "a pot of gold". You know, it's hard to poop all over something like this... but something about... somebody help those kids. Not Batman.

Originally Posted 08/25/2022

Sugar Crash Maybe?

Nothing says it's Halloween like a local news reporter finding the most uninterested kids possible for a segment. While I really enjoy the montage of decorations, I really wonder where the kids absolutely bubbling over with the Halloween spirit were at?

Spooky things with bad hats

I'm way more familiar with the Kooky Spooks Make-Up kits than their costume brand. To be honest, I've only learned of these costumes in the more recent years. Before I go any further, can we all give a round of applause for that great music shared across the Kooky Spooks commercial universe? It's so great! I'm not so sure I would have liked these costumes though. The allure of an inflatable costume is hard to resist. Just... a giant inflatable hat just doesn't say "hey, wear this all night".

Originally Posted 9/22/2022

Bait and Switch

Thanks to Goodwill's selection of second hand costumes at low prices, you can afford to easily swap costumes and hit the same house over and over again! Or you could just wear the same costume and go to other houses. Of course if your Goodwill is anything like mine, I'm pretty sure the only thing you'll find are small red flannel shirts and worn out JNCOS. Pretty sure your neighbors will catch on pretty quick.

Silent Cries of your Teeth

The ADA is very concerned about your Halloween candy and the business it will bring them.

Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem 2024!

It's the first week of August and you know what that means... IT'S HALLOWEEN TIME ON PLANET ZONE! That's right, 3 whole months of Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem from now until Halloween! For readers that are new to the site, Halloween is my favorite time of the year and I love it so. To celebrate, between every regular post is a Halloween post. Sometimes it's nostalgic, maybe weird, or downright obscure. This year, we're stepping it up a notch and even the regular posts are a little spooky for the season!

The Halloween Playlist is back again as well! Bigger and better than ever for 2024 with more than 10 hours worth of scary tunes. It's a Spotify playlist, so if you're listening on random, it's practically a new experience every time! Thank you so much for coming to the annual Zone Base Halloween party and celebrating the best time of the year with me. Put on a costume and crack open a glow stick, it's time to go trick or treating for the next 3 months!

Halfway 2 Halloween~ Spook Sticks And Wrapped Candy

Before Spirit or Party City, the best place to get your Halloween on was a small store. Halloween in the old days was tailor fit for a smaller store like a Woolworth or your local drugstore. Those old smock and mask costumes always looked at home in the middle of the store where seasonal items usually would reside. Places like Dollar General and CVS are still well regarded by those who bleed pumpkin spice.

They're almost a tradition for me. I'll make a point to pop in and out of them and check out the wares. Admittedly these days the luster isn't as bright as it was back then. What was once a wonderland of seasonal spooky shit these days is generally a few pumpkins with 'live, laugh, love' on them and maybe some dollar hockey masks. The bullshit ones with a circle shaped vent pattern on the mouth instead of holes. Lame.

originally posted 8/27/2020

Who Spooked Rodney?

Rodney is a a big old fraidy cat. If there's a superstition, Rodney is scared of it. Which one begs to reason... why does he even go trick or treating? Or even to a haunted house? Does he just relish is pooping his pants or something? And what's up with that one kid while they're in the haunted house? Is he ok?