This Is Halloween: 2021

 I originally intended to do a series of posts as a lead-up to Halloween this year. However, with the amount of rain and overcast weather my area has been getting lately, I kept putting off trying to take photos, so the time ended up getting away from me. Still, I did sort of promise Heathersmoo, my keychain collecting email pen-pal, that I would show off the tarot card 'Death' keychain I bought at Spencer's a while back in my 2021 Halloween post. So, here's a quick post wishing my readers a Happy Halloween.

As I said before, this keychain was bought at a store called Spencer's, which specializes in 'edgy' and 'irreverent' novelty items. The original backing card for this keychain stated that it was "distributed by Kalan LP".

As a bonus Halloween 'treat', here's a set of keychains based on that late 90s trend-setting horror film, The Blair Witch Project, a film credited with popularizing the 'found-footage' genre. These keychains were manufactured by Hot Properties! Inc., though I can't remember now what retail store I actually bought them from. I do recall that I got all four of them on clearance, after the initial hype for the film had run its course. I'm pretty sure I hadn't actually seen the movie at the time I bought these, since horror isn't one of my preferred genres, and generally I don't like going to movie theaters anyway. I'd rather wait and borrow films from the public library, so that I can watch them from the comfort of my own home with the volume adjusted to a level I'm more comfortable with and with the ability to pause the action for bathroom breaks.

I think the reason that I picked up these keychains originally was because The Blair Witch Project qualified as what I call a 'pop culture touchstone', to reuse a phrase from one of my previous posts. I like having keychains in my collection that serve as artifacts from a particular time, representing the trends and fads that helped define that point in time. Either that, or I just thought these Blair Witch Project keychains looked cool.

Signed, Treesa

My Hometown

 (Note: I had to make some slight alterations to this post, since I originally drafted it prior to the Corona virus pandemic.)

I live in a large city, with a thriving (pre-Covid) tourism industry. Consequently, there are a lot of keychains to be had that celebrate my hometown. The City Of Brotherly Love, The Place That Loves You Back - whatever you choose to call it, Philadelphia certainly has made a name for itself. And from the Liberty Bell to Rocky to Will Smith and Kevin Bacon, Philadelphia is a city of cultural icons.

Below are just a few of the keychains that I've collected to show my hometown pride.

I'm particularly fond of the keychain celebrating Philadelphia soft pretzels. I've eaten many a soft pretzel in my time.

I'll end this post with an obligatory 'Philly cheesesteak' keychain.

 

Signed, Treesa

Pound Puppies Clip-Ons (A Keychain Sighting And Review)

 

First off, I know that in general I tend to shy away from clip-ons. But just look at those big eyes and those droopy, furry ears! How could I not cave and buy one, especially being an 80s child who loved the original Pound Puppies?

To start at the beginning, just before the extended Fourth Of July weekend I was running some errands at the shopping mall near where I live when I decided that, since I was there anyway, I might as well stop in at Five Below and look around. For anyone who doesn't know, Five Below is a discount store chain that primarily features items priced at five dollars or less. Anyway, when I first saw the little cutie pictured above, I had to get him. He's just too adorable! I also have a lot of nostalgia for the Pound Puppies brand. Like a lot of kids in the 1980s, I had some Pound Puppies, and Pound Purries, plush toys, back in the day.

The $3.99 price sticker didn't hurt either. To my eyes, $3.99 seems like a great deal for something that's officially licensed, and it states on the backing card that this clip-on was actually licensed by Hasbro. It was also produced by Basic Fun, which is now a subdivision of Good Stuff, LLC. Anyone who reads this blog regularly will probably remember my fondness for the original Basic Fun products line.

According to my online research, there were 4 different Puppies to collect in this series release. The Five Below near me had more than one style in stock the last time I visited, so I could theoretically pick up one or two more if I wanted to, and if the stores in my area haven't already sold out.

Let's start the actual review with the packaging. I love the graphics used on the backing card, very retro and nostalgic. The Pound Puppy itself is attached to the card with little, plastic 'anchors' that pass through two of the paws, and also through the tail area. These 'anchors' will need to be snipped, and depending on how tight they are that could be a little tricky.

Thankfully, there was enough slack in the 'anchors' that I was able to cut them without too much difficulty, and the Pound Puppy's 'fur' is plush enough that I'm not noticing any really obvious holes left behind by the 'anchors'. The plush also feels very soft, almost velvety. The furry ears are quite soft as well. The stuffing is packed firmly and holds the Puppy's shape without being floppy. So if you prefer your plush toys on the floppy side, keep this in mind. Personally, I think that the firm stuffing works better in this small scale, especially considering how this little cutie is meant to be clipped onto something and carried around.

I was impressed that the eyes appear to be stitched on, rather than being hard plastic or worse, printed decals. The heart-shaped, Pound Puppies logo is even stitched on the Puppy's side, like it would've been on a 1980s Pound Puppy.

I'll sum up this review as follows.

Good Points:

Where do I start? From the retro packaging to the stitched logo, this clip-on pushes all the right nostalgia buttons with nice attention to detail. It also has the look and feel of a good quality, well made product.

Bad Points:

This is a minor quibble, but to my eyes the Puppy seems just a little too big to be practical for daily use, even as a clip-on and not a keychain. But then again, I've certainly seen larger clip-ons.

Final Verdict:

Overall, I'm really pleased with my purchase, even though it is a clip-on and not a traditional keychain. I'll most likely be adding a split ring to it at some point.

Signed, Treesa

P.S. I want to apologize for how late this post is. I intended to post it sooner, but family obligations over the extended Fourth Of July weekend got in the way.

Half-Birthday Care Package From Heathersmoo

 This may sound like a bit of an exaggeration, but making contact with my keychain-collecting, email pen-pal Heathersmoo through her Livejournal site has been practically life changing for me. I know I've probably said this before, but keychain collecting can be a lonely hobby. Finding someone online who shares that hobby has made a big difference for me. It's helped me feel more...normal I guess, like maybe collecting keychains isn't such an out-of-left-field pastime after all. And it's so nice to have a keychain collecting friend that I can swap duplicates from my collection with. It's also nice knowing that if I find a decently priced, mixed lot of keychains secondhand but don't actually need and/or like all of them, I can always send the extras to Heather. Although the fact that she lives in another state is a bit of a downer, since it means we'll probably never get to meet in person. Steadily increasing postage rates to send each other stuff could also be a hassle.

Over the past few months I've sent Heather several small, keychain care packages. She has been going through a rough time in her life, and I was hoping that a few keychains and the reassurance that she was in my thoughts would help to cheer her up a little. Well, Heather decided that it was past time that she returned the favor. Using the excuse of celebrating my half-birthday, she sent me a care package filled to bursting with keychain goodies.

Heather structured this care package around a zoo theme, with keychain versions of various critters, for example bears.

The bear on the end is a 'birthstone' keychain, and the color is meant to simulate topaz, according to Heather's note. Topaz can be found naturally in more than one color, with the more familiar Golden Topaz being used in modern times as a November birthstone while Blue Topaz is associated with December, my actual birth month. However since this care package was intended for my half-birthday, which would fall in June, Heather might've been aiming for that. The modern day June birthstone is apparently Alexandrite, which according to my online research looks green in sunlight but has a red tone under incandescent light.

Heather also included a flamingo keychain, stating that, "It's not a trip to Florida without them." Heather herself resides in Florida.

Other animals featured in keychain form were a dog,

a cat,

and, as Heather described them, a "herd" of unicorns. No two members of the 'herd' look exactly alike, although one of the 'unicorns' has wings as well as a horn, so it's technically an alicorn. I know some mythical creature fans can be persnickety about that.

This "pine tree" keychain, as Heather called it, was part of the package as well. I'm not normally a huge fan of sequins, but this colorful conifer is just plain fun.

According to Heather, this purple crystal keychain is an amethyst. Heather must've remembered that my favorite color is purple.

Something else that Heather apparently remembered was an email conversation that we had months ago where the topic of anime came up in passing. I mentioned, again in passing, that "anime wasn't really my thing". But I then admitted that I had been into Cardcaptors back in the day, when shows like Pokemon were still all the rage in the U.S. This pink winged keychain is the Star Wand symbol from Cardcaptors. It sort of amazes me that Heather actually remembered my Cardcaptors comment when I think I only brought it up once. I wish my own memory was that good.

Thank you so much for the generous gift Heather! When I went to bring in the mail and found a package with my name on it, it really brightened my day, sort of that 'child seeing the wrapped packages on Christmas morning' kind of feeling. I sincerely hope that the clouds are lifting in your own life.

Signed, Treesa

When "Buy What You Like" Backfires

 No matter what someone collects, collectors who are just starting out are often told to, "buy what you like". The reasoning behind this seems to be that since novice collectors are inexperienced, they're also more likely to pay more for something than it's worth. When this happens, it's a lot easier to accept the outcome as a learning experience and move on if what you overpaid for is something you don't mind being stuck with. This doesn't seem to be as much of an issue with keychains as it is with some other collectables. After all, I've never heard of anyone collecting keychains for investment purposes.

However, the problem with 'buying what you like' is that there are times when it can backfire. If my personal experience is anything to go by, then a collector who buys whatever catches his or her eye is also more likely to buy too much. This can not only result in storage issues, but can also cause the collection itself to lack any sort of unifying theme or focus. My own collection is very...eclectic, to put it politely. Below is a list of some of the stranger reasons why I've added a particular keychain to my collection.

1. I liked the color or the color combination

I've never listened to the Smooth Jazz radio station that is being promoted on the keychain at the top of this photo. Jazz isn't one of my preferred music genres, unless you count Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas, and I'm not even sure if the station still exists. However, I was drawn to the purple design on this particular keychain. Purple is my favorite color. I am also not familiar with the Health Alliance that's advertised on the keychain below it. But I really liked the dark maroon color of the text, especially against the stark white background. And while I know nothing about credit unions, I know that the number one shaped, credit union advertisement keychain pictured here is a beautiful shade of blue-green.

2. I liked the shape and/or the design

I bought these two keychains second-hand at different times. But I think they make a nice 'matched' set, thanks to their identical flower shape. However, I have no idea what the 'message' on the pink flower is supposed to signify.

The two keychains pictured above both feature guitar designs. One is for a radio station that I've never heard of, and the other one is from the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant at Niagara Falls. There are actually two Hard Rock Cafe locations at Niagara Falls, one in the United States and one in Canada. I've been to the U.S. location, once. However, this keychain if from the Canadian one, according to the information on the reverse side.

3. I liked the logo.

The first two keychains pictured above were part of a mixed lot that I purchased online. I decided to keep them because the design of the TP logo appealed to me, though I'm not quite sure why this was. The appeal of the Dolphin Cruise Line keychain is something that I can easily explain. Given my childhood love of dolphins, how could I pass up on this neat looking dolphin logo?

This starfish shaped keychain from Dolphin Cay at Atlantis resort in the Bahamas has a somewhat similar dolphin logo.

4. I liked the name of the advertised business

As far as the shape and the design go, there's nothing really remarkable about the yellow keychain pictured above. It's just a basic advertising keychain. But I really liked the name of the advertised location - Beachcomber Camping Resort. It brought to mind thoughts of strolling across the sand, collecting seashells and other beach treasures.

The red keychain has a little more going for it, design-wise, with its eye-catching color and a shape that's meant to suggest a tree. But it was the name Cherry Creek Village that really caught my eye. It makes the place sound so quaint and homey, doesn't it? The blue keychain is from Riverside Hospital. Hospitals have a reputation for being cold and sterile places, but naming the place Riverside makes it sound picturesque. I also liked the cool looking wave design on this keychain, as well as the blue and white color scheme.

5. mental associations

This keychain from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory ended up in my collection because it sounded like the type of location that would be featured on the tv-show The Big Bang Theory. My mom and my best friend both love that show, and I watched it off and on in the early seasons.

The reed boat, or 'cabillito', keychain pictured above was purchased from the Smithsonian in Washington DC at their annual Folklife Festival. I wanted it because it reminded me of the 'basket boat' that Donald Duck uses in the Lake Titicaca segment of the Disney 'package film' Saludos Amigos. Frequent readers of this blog might remember that I have a fondness for all things Disney.

As for this keychain from the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, the island was prominently featured in an episode of the tv-series Reading Rainbow, hosted by LeVar Burton. The fact that the island was later severely impacted by a volcanic eruption made the keychain seem 'rarer' and more valuable in my eyes, despite the fact that there were probably hundreds of these made. I was still young when I got this keychain, and at the time I didn't consider just how many were likely in circulation.

6. pop culture touchstones

Remember when foam clog shoes were all the rage? I do. I never owned a pair, but I do have a few in keychain form.

I think the majority of us remember when Harry Potter mania gripped the world. The golden snitch keychain pictured above was a gift, but I bought the London To Hogwarts train ticket keychain myself at a flea market. According to the information on the back, the ticket keychain originally came from The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando theme park. To be completely honest, I never actually got through the whole book series. I was a little TOO invested in the characters, and because the stakes seemed to keep getting higher as the story progressed, trying to read the later books was just too stressful for me, especially once characters started dying.

Does anybody else remember the big fuss over Y2K? There was a time when everyone was talking about the New Millennium. I bought this keychain cheap at a flea market in 2017. I'm guessing that it was so cheap because nobody cared anymore. But I think it's still interesting as a historical artifact. And who knows, there are people who collect all the mass-market stuff that was produced for the United States bicentennial, so maybe millennium memorabilia will become a hot collectable someday. But I won't hold my breath.

As you can see, it doesn't always take much for a keychain to pique my interest. Maybe that's why I have so many of them.

Signed, Treesa

Birthday Surprise Box From Heathersmoo

 My first introduction to Heathersmoo was through her Keychain Of The Day posts on Livejournal. Before the internet, having a collection or interest that wasn't prominent in the mainstream could often feel like a solitary, or at worst an isolating, pursuit. When I first started collecting keychains in my childhood, it was easy for me to believe that I was the only person on the planet who did, judging by the way people reacted when they found out about my collection. I'm pretty sure I got some odd looks when I went flea marketing with my dad and he explained to sellers we bought keychains from that I collected them. And none of the adults in my life had ever heard of someone collecting keychains before, though they were willing to indulge my odd hobby and help me build my collection. When I showed off my keychains to my grade school peers as part of a class project, I'm fairly sure that they just added 'keychain collecting' to the long list of things about me that were strange. I was never one of the 'popular' kids to begin with, but collecting keychains just reinforced the idea that there was something off about me. Anyway, I was really happy when Basic Fun Inc. created a pop culture craze with their mini board game and classic toy keychains. Not only were the keychains cool, but knowing that there were other people in the world who also collected them made me feel like less of a weirdo.

The World Wide Web has made it much easier for people to connect with others who share their particular interests. Thanks to the internet, collectors who previously felt isolated have been able to form vast, global networks with other collectors. However, keychain collecting is such an obscure hobby that even online I had trouble finding anyone who shared my enthusiasm for keychains. So it was a real thrill for me to discover Heather's posts.

Heather and I have been corresponding by email off and on for quite a while now. We've also sent each other small packages from time to time. I've mentioned Heather here on the blog before, since I try to upload a post any time she sends me something for my collection. But I was especially touched by Heather's kindness when her most recent package arrived. Despite the fact that she had recently suffered a loss in her family, Heather still took the time to put together a gift box for my December birthday because she wanted me to have, as she put it, "a big birthday surprise". But that was only the beginning of Heather's thoughtfulness.

 Here's a photo of everything that was in the box. Heather took the time to individually wrap each small gift with My Little Pony wrapping paper. Being a child of the 80s, I had quite a collection of My Little Pony toys back in the day. So I do have a sense of nostalgia for the My Little Pony brand, even though I never got into the more recent iterations of the franchise.

Heather handmade this hemp macrame keychain and this knit Santa hat ornament just for me. The fact that Heather put in the time and effort to craft something by hand makes the gifts even more meaningful, in my opinion.

But to show you the full extent of Heather's thoughtfulness, let me tell you about the two keychains pictured above. In a previous blog post about my ancestry, I mentioned that I was looking for a keychain from Hungary to round out a sub-collection of keychains that I'd assembled to represent my mixed 'cultural heritage'. Well, Heather got one for me. I had also emailed Heather earlier that year to ask her if she had any extra Cypress Gardens keychains that she could float my way, since she lives in Florida and she's mentioned before that she holds on to her duplicate keychains. Heather didn't have any spares in her collection to send me, but she went to the trouble of going online and buying me one instead.

Heather also sent this BFF keychain from Claire's. Keychains like this are typically sold in pairs, and according to the note that Heather included in the package she kept the coordinating pink cat for her own collection. She also said that she considers us "keychain best buds", which to me really means a lot.

There were several other fun inclusions in the package as well, like this railroad museum sticker and keychain set.

I really like the architectural design on this Budapest keychain. The use of light in the composition is striking and gives the building an almost ethereal glow.

This Buzz Lightyear clip originally came with a McDonald's 'Happy Meal'. I'm glad I'm not the only one who still thinks about ordering kid's meals to get a particularly tempting premium. I am feeling a little divided over whether or not I should open this, since the bag is still sealed.

Last but not least is this Uzbekistan keychain, shaped like a boxing glove. I 'googled' Uzbekistan and boxing to try and figure out the connection, and apparently boxing is a very popular sport in that country, thanks to Uzbekistan's stellar participation in several of the Olympics.

Thank you so much Heather! You really went above and beyond with this 'birthday surprise', and I am blown away by your thoughtfulness.

Signed, Treesa