Tuesday, October 29, 2013

T*S*E Rant ~ Watercolor Memories pt. 2



Here we go --- the final update of “Off the ‘Spice’ Rack” for two (2) whole months :(
I just KNOW you guys are broken up about it {….right}; but my attention has been shifting to other projects like that story that I’ve been hinting forever and a day.
The ones about my Dad and the mentioned ‘sneak peeks’ of the book….

It’s time I start making a dent in it. That’s one of the reasons for the hiatus period; the other is that my family will be traveling this winter for the upcoming holidays starting with my 30th Birthday being celebrated in my home state MD. Interested? Well, too bad! It’s invite only :P
Of course, if it were up to me I wouldn’t bother acknowledging that I’m getting old by society standards and just skip to the week in NYC; but such is life.

Here’s the good news {depends if you like these segments, then we just made your day}!
The monthly updates --- Anime of the Month/CK’s Fashion Tip of the Month --- will still continue; I figured that I don’t REALLY have an excuse to put them on the backburner since I can add to those each day until perfected; plus we’re still in proceedings with Fashion Tips seven (7) through eleven (11).

Also, I got in touch with my co-host, Frankie D; and she has informed me that she will continue her segment ‘Being Real: Sex, Lies and Drama’ however don’t expect her updates to be on Thursdays. She now has full reign of this page I created for her posts and will add her thoughts of wisdom whenever she chooses. If you want her to update more frequently, make some noise!

As for the old posts, you know the drill.
The link will be released next Monday. They will stay open and displayed on social networks Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Tumblr.



Now that that’s out of the way, onward to part 2 of Watercolor Memories; an extra LONG one, just for you guys. Sit back, relax & enjoy the trip down memory lane.
If you recall, I had listed the top offenders of movies that had warped our childhoods in some way by means of hidden messages that we couldn’t comprehend while young --- now for the other half of the ‘conspiracy’.
I had found this link on Likes.com that was more humorous than corrupting in my opinion. Let’s begin with this one~

Motorized Ice Cream Cone
>I think we had this thing around because they were A) fun to collect due to different colors and B) it was ‘recyclable’ {i.e. can be used over and over after one wash and fresh batteries instead of stocking up on edible cones @ $10.99 a box}. Though I do get why this was debatable as a whole --- batteries were MORE expensive.

Bread Gloves
>Yeah….this is one of the one’s that made a person think “what was the creator smokin’/snortin’ to come up with this?”
Let’s hope no fingers were lost due to it {although, they deserved it if they ACTUALLY spent money on this}; I did like the .com’s wrap up of the ‘sister products Bread Shoes and Bread Condom’ :D

The Wine Rack
>The most inexpensive ‘Boob Job’ on the market & best for sneaking alcohol to minors. I know perverted Security Guards and Bouncers of dances and clubs are grateful to the company that endorsed this product w/o calling attention to Sexual Harassment.

"I Poop Glitter"
>If you look closely at the picture, you can see this isn’t a solo product as Barbie’s arm is shown in the corner {like having a doll with its own doll}. Honestly, this wasn’t so different from Dog Walker Barbie with the dog doing its ‘business’.

The Comfort Wipe
>Once upon a time this was made only for the Elderly that still had functioning bowels and Disables who couldn’t reach all that well to clean themselves; they made a point that its misuse nowadays are people who refuse to diminish Diabetes and Heart Disease by cutting Mickey D’s down to once a month.

Crap
>No, really.
This one was hilarious because of the summary they used {meant to be both literal and figurative}; I laughed for a good 10min. :)

The French Fry Holder
>Again revisiting the Obesity problem….there really isn’t anything I can say about it that hasn’t been said in the synopsis.

American Shreds
> If I didn’t see the picture that went with it, my first thought would’ve been newspaper clippings at the bottom of a cage {you pick the animal}. As it is, I still don’t get why the word ‘cheese’ is apparently so offensive since it was never used to describe the product.

Hello Kitty Assault Rifle
>I don’t know what’s more upsetting to me: The fact that this was manufactured for actual combat or that this made it and Lisa Frank didn’t {I know most of you are saying ‘who?’ --- I get that same reaction at my workplace. LF was before your time if you were born in the late ‘90s}.
If you can guess, Hello Kitty products are not my fave >:(
Creepiest Chocolates Ever
>Tis that season.
You want to know HOW creepy? Find out for yourself ;)
I will say this: I always thought Tales from the Crypt was freaky….this blew it out of the water.

Shnitzel Candle
>I personally love the smell of Jelly Beans. Everyone has something to soothe them; don’t start worrying unless they come out with a candle that has the scent of Toilet Water or Vomit like Harry Potter’s Burtie [sp?] Botts Every Flavor Beans.

Ghost Turds
>….You wouldn’t believe me if I’d told you.

Full-Body Knitted Suit
>For the first-time crafters. They had asked the question “How does one use the bathroom while wearing it?”; here’s another:
How’d he get the damn thing on? It doesn’t look like it stretches.

Hyper-Realistic Sex Dolls
>Having the whole package instead of vibrating genitals or a balloon Booty filled w/ warm water for effect. You know what’s better? Actually getting some from a REAL human being.
Also, I hear these things give one a nasty shock causing blisters.

Lenny Kravitz's Gigantic Scarf
>Name sounds familiar….been awhile since he’s done anything worth remembering. Still, this bizarre trend was remembered by somebody to end up #1 on this list.

And now, the link to this list called “Products That Really Shouldn’t Exist”~
http://likes.com/comedy/products-that-really-shouldnt-exist?pid=105960



The first half was just for “shits and giggles”, the rest to follow will have some of you being more choosey with what to purchase for your kids this upcoming Christmas. Remember, just because these toys are no longer on the market doesn’t mean that the dangers haven’t passed. I was just gonna do the standard ‘top ten’ but since I did say this would be the last update for a while, why not list them all? ;)
Mind you, the products mentioned are the ones that were frequently repeated online and have no true origin~

Fisher-Price Power Wheels Motorcycle
Cause of Injury: twisted intestines; Reason: throttle sticks
*
This was how most of us got the jump-start on learning how to drive at an early age. Ultimately from my POV this vehicle was no threat if it was used on flat ground like the backyard instead of on top of a hill w/o Adult Supervision.

Battlestar Galactica Missle Launcher
Cause of Injury: impaired vision, torn intestines, choking hazard, death; Reason: ingestion, launch spring mechanism
*
Classic tale of again lack of Adult Supervision plus adding the factor of a child’s curiosity. I would put in an argument of if the kid knew about ‘common sense’ but seeing as how I myself swallowed a marble during a time at an age where I knew better and only did it to see if I CAN; I’d be a hypocrite.

Johnny Reb Cannon
Cause of Injury: impaired vision, choking hazard; Reason: launch spring mechanism
*
Never heard of this toy; might’ve been before my time….maybe they were all the rage when they talked about WWI and WWII in history class.

Creepy Crawlers
Cause of Injury: 1st to 3rd degree burns, toxins; Reason: arson, ingestion
*
Now here’s something from my past. To this day, I can recall the theme song for the commercial; real big hit with the boys mostly {unless one’s a tomboy}. I’m surprised that the stench of melted plastic didn’t give the parents a clue of the dangers involved; said so on the box “Requires Adult Supervision”. I’m guessing this was allowed to stay on shelves at the time cuz it kept the kids quiet :P

Bat Masterson Derringer Belt Gun
Cause of Injury: 1st degree burns; Reason: friction towards lower regions
*
Another toy before my time cuz I’m PRETTY sure I would’ve heard of the cause/effect of this on the playground {hell I still remember that news report of a woman cutting off her husband’s penis….and I was 9-years-old at the time!}, I also had cousins that were obsessed with all-things ‘action’ and any type of gun would’ve been right up their alley.

Sky Dancers
Cause of Injury: temporary blindness, broken ribs, chipped/broken teeth, facial laceration, mild concussions; Reason: launch spring mechanism
*
So far, this is only proving the point that parents REALLY need to watch their children during play time. Why the hell would they put this near their bodies with the speed these toys were generating?! Plus at that age, some of them were still learning to read so they missed the warnings indicating to aim AWAY from the face and body….

Snack Time Cabbage Patch Dolls
Cause of Injury: dismembered fingers; Reason: motorized mechanism {grind gears in the mouth}
*
Many have also lost bits of hair but I felt that wasn’t a big crisis compared to only having a total count of nine (9) fingers or less.
The makers of CP’s should’ve stuck to their merchandise made out of just stuffing and thread; if that had happened to me, Ma and Daddy would’ve seen to it that they’d get MORE than a measly refund.

Mini Hammocks
Cause of Injury: asphyxiation, death; Reason: entanglement
*
I haven’t even gone through half of this list and I’m still repeating myself --- these need Adult Supervision!
Why would you trust your toddler to be in this manufactured ‘spider’s web’ by themselves? But it’s not just them sadly….some of the age of pre-teen and up have fallen victim to it as well. They couldn’t recall these fast enough.

Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab
Cause of Injury: radiation poisoning; Reason: radioactive {Uranium}
*The kids who had survived it unscaved were the lucky ones….not sure if they suffered later in Adult years {like reproduction problems} though.

Lawn Darts/ ‘Jarts’
Cause of Injury: blindness, facial laceration, body laceration, death; Reason: sharp projectiles
*A product that didn’t stick around long enough in the ‘80s, wouldn’t have known this existed since I was born in the 1983.

Red Ryder BB Gun
Cause of Injury: Do I really need to say it? :P ; Reason: launch spring mechanism of small projectiles
*I might as well for those who don’t know this phrase {if that’s the case --- WTF?! How do you NOT know this? The movie’s on EVERY year on ABC’s 25 Days of Christmas if one of your family members don’t already own it….they even made a sequel for crying out loud!} that associates with it~

“You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”

There. I said it.
However, the recall wasn’t just for this particular gun. Others like this product were pulled as well; which is why you don’t see them in Dollar Stores anymore because the ones that really fell victim to the BB guns were friends and loved ones more so than the shooter.

Slip ‘N’ Slide
Cause of Injury: dislocated shoulder, broken bones; Reason: non-grip surface {duh!}
*They had a vid on YT that had a title of how this girl got killed when using a make-shift one with blue tarps and the driveway. The title was misleading of course but I did see the aftermath of it when one of the kids slammed into another while using it.

Agent Zero M Sonic Blaster
Cause of Injury: deafness; Reason: launch spring mechanism
*Though full of air {literally}, it has caused this injury due to it being so bulky it had to be handled by supporting it on one’s shoulder next to the right/left ear depending on your dominate hand.

Swing Wing
Cause of Injury: vertigo, neck strain; Reason: physical strain
*This was mentioned and demonstrated in a show called “Ed, Edd & Eddy” called ‘Whiz Whaz’ {the name’s stupid, but the toy was a hit in the neighborhood} in case you guys want better than a mental picture of a metal helmet with a heavy tetherball attached to it.
They did bring this concept back though --- in the form of “Skip It”; back then, the biggest worry we had was tripping over it and falling flat on our face while playing with it.

CSI: Fingerprint Examination Kit
Cause of Injury: lung cancer, mesothelioma, dyspnea {shortness of breath}; Reason: asbestos
*It was because of this show that a lot of us went into this field {not me though --- I suck in all things science}. We were so focused on creating junior crime catchers we failed to give them something harmless to use when dusting for fingerprints.

Magnetix
Cause of Injury: twisted intestines, choking hazard, death; Reason: ingestion
*Sadly, I still see this product from time to time in stores under another name.
These attack the intestines by attaching themselves inside the walls. There is on record 34 injuries and one (1) death of a 22-month-old before action was taken.

Inflatable Baby Boats
Cause of Injury: near-drowning; Reason: faulty equipment
*Sometimes I wonder if they actually Beta-test this junk before releasing it to the public….
The harnesses to the thing easily erode that causes infants to slide through; took their sweet time getting this stuff off the shelves.

Hannah Montana Pop Star Card Game
Cause of Injury: lead poisoning; Reason: lead {again…duh!}
*Are we sure it wasn’t because of the CHARACTER herself that was the real threat? As you can guess, I’m not a Miley Cyrus fan {and it was WAY before her ‘new image’}.
Anyway, the game was so hiked up on lead it had lasting long-term effects for people in close proximity. However since it still met regulations no matter how poisonous it was, it remained on the shelves until Miley herself destroyed her credibility.

Aqua Dots
Cause of Injury: GHB; Reason: ingestion
*For those not familiar with this abbreviation the common name is Date Rape Drug.
When the kids that swallowed it began to vomit or go into a coma-like state, it rose up the red flag.

Austin Magic Pistol
Cause of Injury: arson, 1st degree burns; Reason: core combustion {calcium carbide}
*The distant cousin of the BB guns so you know it’s ‘potential’.
Adding “Magic Powder” with a touch of water and you too can have the world’s miniature dynamite.

Easy-Bake Oven
Cause of Injury: 3rd degree burns; Reason: arson
*I was actually surprised by this one. Here’s the proof that some things are better off just being left alone.

Cinderella Battery Powered Toy Car
Cause of Injury: arson, 1st degree burns; Reason: defective battery compartment
*Another car of destruction; this time it’s the preverbal ‘hot seat’.
Research indicated that this toy had no safe outlet for the engine to disperse the access heat, so where else could it go but up a little girl’s backside?

Trek Girl’s Bike
Cause of Injury: near-fractured/near-broken bones; Reason: faulty equipment
*Like these things weren’t dangerous enough when learning HOW to ride them --- although, this does remind me of something from my past.
[SIDE TRACKING] I had an active imagination; since Mom and Dad wouldn’t get me one of these motorized cars {glad they didn’t….} I wanted to build one of my own. We went to Home Depot for supplies and I fell in love w/ a certain wood {can’t recall the name of it}. My Dad had informed me that if I had used it, when it rained the car would go to pieces.
Right after he said that, my Ma made this comment~
 
“Imagine that it rains and the car falls apart….”

Yeah --- this bike’s like that, only it didn’t need the water to fall apart.

Professor Wacko’s Exothermic Exuberance
Cause of Injury: arson; Reason: combustion
*Wouldn’t it just be easier to say it’s called a science kit in the study of heat and fire? Then MAYBE it would’ve been yanked off the market sooner.

Manley Toys Disco Ball
Cause of Injury: arson; Reason: faulty equipment
*You could find this at any party company or Dollar Store a long time ago once they pulled them from the Chuck E. Cheese’s counters. This ball of wonders should never be left unattended unless you want to claim insurance fraud.



Well, there you have it. Eight (8) pages dedicated to pure terror of ‘kid-dom’. I’m afraid history’s repeating itself when it comes to the latest and greatest toys of the millennium.

Sorry again for the late delay. Remember that BR: S/L/D will update, just not always on Thursday.
Be here on Friday for my Fashion Tip ;)
 

See you then!  

No comments:

Post a Comment