Scouting Blog for Cool Vintage Finds

Halloween Monster Pocket Screamers

10/3/2018

Creepy modern day Halloween collectibles

So a while back we came across one of these vinyl squeezable creatures that makes a blood curdling sound when you squeeze its belly. It was strange enough to pique my curiosity and prompt me to assume someone out there is probably collecting these dudes. Turns out they have a variety of names—Halloween Screamers, Cacklers, Monsters, Screechers, among others—and shape shift from season to season, with different manufacturers and varieties filling the market.

I did some research, determined the going price and listed our discovery in our Cool Vintage Finds Store on eBay. Sure enough, it sold pretty quickly. So naturally we've been on the hunt for more screamers to satisfy the collectors who want to fill their pockets (and shelves) with these fascinating monsters.

This past summer, we came across a handful of pocket screamers dating back a few years. Again, these early screamers flew off our shelves. In the process, we had a conversation with Hugo, a customer and collector with his finger on the pulse of the pocket screamer craze.

"They use to come out like crazy in the beginning. over the years they have trickled down to only a few stores now. Use to be Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Jewels grocery stores, oh, and Party City was good for some classic ones. The ones with hair are the older ones and considered classics."
- Hugo
Cool Vintage Finds Store customer

Hugo was kind enough to share a pic of his collection of "way too many screamers." We think it's awesome!

Hugo's good friend maintains a Pocket Screamer page with an extensive compendium of screamer personalities—a page I had consulted to identify our monsters. Hugo got a kick out of that ... apparently his friend named the creatures himself, and his nomenclature has caught on—not just by us, but others as well! (Check out "The Screamers" to learn more about each variety.)

Be forewarned, this page features the creepy screams, cackles and moans of the screamers, so you may want to turn down the volume on your device if you're viewing in a public place (or you may just scare the be-jebuzz out of those within hearing range)!

For the ultimate authority on pocket screamers, Hugo recommended we visit the BOO-GLEECH blog.

You can also check out the conversations on the Pocket Screamer Facebook page, which has a rather small but dedicated following.

Start your screamer collection now

It's not always easy to find these Halloween noisemakers, with eyes that light up and sounds that send a chill up your spine, but the hunt is half the fun! We'll keep looking and we encourage you to, too. For Halloween 2018, it looks like Kroger's is the place to hit up for the newest abominations.

Here's what Hugo is stocking up on this season!

To see what we have in our inventory, check out the Halloween Scene in our Cool Vintage Finds Store on eBay.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Halloween!

4 Comments

Halloween Down Under

9/15/2017

1 Comment

Cool Vintage Finds attracts shoppers from all over the world. We love hearing from people who are thrilled with their purchases and eager to tell us why. It’s especially fun to get the backstory—why something caught their eye, how they plan to use it or why an item is particularly meaningful. A recent transaction with an Australian eBayer (I’ll call him Mr. Halloween) was so special and inspiring, it deserved its own blog post.

It started with a Gemmy animated bookshelf ...

Next to Christmas, Halloween is the most popular holiday with our customers. We snatch up Halloween collectibles whenever we can. So when we saw an animated bookshelf by Gemmy at a local sale, we knew it would be perfect for our store.

Here’s the item Mr. Halloween purchased for his fabulous Halloween house.

Sure enough, Mr. Halloween came across our bookshelf and got in touch. He sent an email to be sure the item would work for his purposes before buying. When I assured him the books were motion-activated (creepily moving in and out as an eerie soundtrack plays), he knew it was something he and his daughter would love to add to their (not so little) Halloween display … down under. Yes, that’s right. Mr. Halloween hails from a small town in New South Wales, a state on the East coast of Australia.

Every Halloween, in a small town in New South Wales, Australia, you can find an IMMENSE AND FRIGHTENING home-assembled Halloween display enjoyed by friends and neighbors far and wide.

Mr. Halloween was pleased and let us know it!

We received a nice message from the ultimate champ of Halloween haunting after his bookshelf arrived safely.

“Dear hockandsocdad,

Thanking you so very much for getting the Haunted Books here to us in Australia … on our door step nice and safe.

I have given you a very good feedback and also all 5-stars rating.

The books are going to look good with some other Animated books on Halloween night in our Front Foyer [Car port] as it is fun and noisy and slightly scary for anyone and everyone will think that everything should be put into a museum.”

When I say this guy goes all out for Halloween, I mean ALL OUT!

Mr. Halloween was kind enough to share photos of his elaborate ensemble, which takes up much of their house, carport and yard! I thanked him for his business and the great photos and asked if I could share them in our blog. He was happy to oblige.

The creepy fun starts with a ghastly graveyard ...

... and a marketplace of monstrosities.

Needless to say, the displays are totally bewitching.

"Bloody good job, bloke!" -- Said some Englishman somewhere.

Make no bones about it, this smorgasbord of specimens is out of this world!

But wait, there's more inside!

Right this way, past the gallery of ghouls ...

... super creepy Dracula finds these ladies dead gorgeous.

Watch out for the wicked wall of weaponry and the possessed bear rug.

Looks like someone's lost their head over Halloween!

Even the dungeon ... I mean basement ... is chock full of horrors!

The mummies are amazeballs, just like in Tales from the Crypt ...

Hats off to the creators of this massively spooky spectacle!

Many thanks to our Australian friends who work so hard to put together this entertaining Halloween Hall-of-Fame-worthy haunted house. We're proud to know that Cool Vintage Finds played a small role in making this October 31 even more spectacular.

Inspired?

Surely it's taken years for Mr. Halloween and his daughter to amass their amazing collection of Halloween props. So better get started, you've got some catching up to do! If you’re in the market for Halloween collectibles, see what we have in store in the Halloween Scene corner of our store.

Shop for random and fun Halloween collectibles in the Halloween Scene category of our Cool Vintage Finds eBay store.

Whatever you do, be sure to have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN this October 31!