The Mausoleum of Madness, Part III!
Welcome to Dino Drac’s third annual MAUSOLEUM OF MADNESS! From now though October 31st, I’ll be posting teensy tributes to vintage valuables from Halloween’s petrifying past!
UPDATE: The Mausoleum is now complete for 2026! If you’re just catching up, get set for ten terrifying pages of everything from decorations to old advertisements to weird toys and beyond, all with a spooky slant! (You can also check out the prior Mausoleums here and here.)
#50: Spider Vacuform! (1970s) 🕷️
I really struggled to decide which item deserved to be the grand finale for this year’s Mausoleum of Madness. After all, I still have plenty of spooky things not yet featured on the site.
My brain said one thing, my heart said another, but in the end, I decided to listen to the blackest depths of my soul. We’ve GOTTA talk about this spider.
If you’ve never heard of “vacuform” decorations, trust me, you still know what they are. Vacuforms are those thin, plastic, molded things that in the Halloween arena can look like anything from a haunted house to a scarecrow to a berserk giant spider.
It’s not accurate to call the artform extinct, but it barely has a pulse compared to vacuforms’ heyday. They were produced in massive quantities from the ‘60s through the ‘90s, and while it’s tough to pin an exact year on this awesome arachnid, I’m gonna guess it’s from the ‘70s. It’s too psychedelic to be any younger.
I didn’t measure the thing, but as you can see, it’s enormous. A friend of mine ran a live auction on Facebook for some of his Halloween treasures, and when he yanked out this monster, I knew I had to have it. Given that I’ve since seen people list it for as much as ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS, I know I got a great deal.
The spider glows ominously under blacklight, but hardly needs the extra oomph. It reminds me of the Gray Widowers from The Mist, if The Mist was directed by crayons instead of Frank Darabont.
I love it, I love it, I love it. And I love you too, stranger. Thanks for reading this year’s Mausoleum of Madness. Happy Halloween! Don’t be too sad about the season ending, because in 10 months, we get to do it all over again!
#49: Monster McNuggets Sign! (1990s) 🍟
Oh man, I spent YEARS trying to track down this McDonald’s translite. This will take a little explaining!
You’ll recognize those characters from the first set of Halloween McNugget Buddies, released in 1993. BUT! In certain other countries where Halloween wasn’t much of a thing, McDonald’s rebranded them as “Monster McNuggets.” Still spooky, but with zero ties to a holiday that meant nothing in, say, Germany or the Netherlands.
You might also notice that they trimmed the original set down from six to four, eliminating Mummy McNugget and Pumpkin McNugget. I’m not sure what Mummy’s crime was, but Pumpkin McNugget got ditched because he was very obviously a Halloween thing.
The backstory is interesting, but the real reason I wanted this so badly is because it’s BEAUTIFUL. Pit it against the McNugget Buddies translite we got in the States, and there’s no contest. Monster McNuggets taking glamour shots in an icy tundra? I took a freakin’ OATH to love things like that.
It’s in the running for best-looking of all of McDonald’s Halloween translites, perhaps only trailing the sign they made for the 1989 trick-or-treat pails. It’s also insanely rare. Remember, it was never available in the States, and people hoarding fast food ephemera is as American as apple pie. Elsewhere in the world, that particular strain of collector ain’t nearly as potent.
#48: Bela Lugosi Blow Mold! (1996) 🧛♂️
The thing about blow molds is that each one seems like a good idea when you buy it, and then maybe less so when you’re challenged to find space for it. I’ve had a few come-to-Jesus moments on that front, but I’ll tell you this: I’ve never once regretted buying this GIANT PLASTIC DRACULA.
Designed by Don Featherstone and manufactured by Union Products, this was officially licensed through Bela Lugosi’s estate. While the ‘90s were littered with quirky-looking Draculas meant to skirt around infringement issues, this blow mold is 100% Bela. (I mean, it literally SAYS “Bela Lugosi” on the base!)
Standing at an impressive 42 inches, it’s by far my tallest blow mold. With these things, usually only Santa was blessed with such a mighty height. The good news is that Dracula is a lot thinner, so it’s easier to find a place for him.
Mine has a lot of paint wear, which I’ve decided to find appealing, because the alternative is accepting that I might have overpaid for it. In any case, this Dracula blow mold is never cheap. If you can score one for under $300, you’re getting a good price.
If you decide you need one, try to find it locally. This thing isn’t terribly heavy, but it’s huge, and shipping costs will almost certainly be severe. (And for God’s sake, don’t try to buy one before Halloween. If you’ve waited this long, wait a tiny bit longer, and enjoy the post-season market crash!) Read More…
Eight Great Haunted Houses!
The time has come! We’re ready to launch the Purple Stuff Podcast’s big Halloween show, and I do mean BIG. This is the longest episode we’ve ever published, because the topic was so good, we just couldn’t shut up.
Join me and Jay from Sludge Central as we brave the creepy creaks in EIGHT GREAT HAUNTED HOUSES, from all walks of pop culture!
We’re visiting eerie abodes from movies, cartoons, video games and more – everything from the Victorian mansion in House to Dracula’s literal castle from Inspector Gadget.
This one clocks in at more than a hundred minutes! (Consider that a thank-you for your patience, since I was too sick last month to record!)
Click here to listen to the new episode!
…which is also on Spotify, Apple, and wherever else you listen to podcasts.
As a reminder, the Purple Stuff Podcast is also on Patreon, where we post an exclusive bonus show every month. You’ll also get immediate access to our immense back catalog of prior bonus episodes, including the most recent one, where we dived into trivia relating to It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
As for this Haunted Houses show, it’s a friggin’ monster, and we hope you enjoy it! Stop reading here if you don’t wanna get spoiled, but to learn more about our picks, follow the links below!
1) Tales from the Cryptkeeper’s Pilot Episode!
2) Don Featherstone’s Haunted House Blow Mold!
3) The Real Ghostbusters Colorforms Playset!
4) The 1985 Horror Movie, HOUSE!
5) Inspector Gadget: The Haunted Castle!
6) Disney’s “The Haunted House” Short!
7) Elvira’s House of Horrors Pinball Game!
8) The CHILLER Arcade Game!
Thanks so much for listening, and for sharing the show around! We hope this adds a little something to your Halloween spirit as we head into the final stretch of the 2026 season. Just watch out for the cobwebs, because there are tons of them in this episode.
Dino Drac’s Halloween Funpack is here!
Dino Drac’s HALLOWEEN 2026 Funpack is here! The last of this season’s three all-spooky Funpacks has the biggest surprises, starting with this one: All subscriber boxes have already been shipped, so if you’re on the list, expect it soon!
Subscriptions are currently maxed out, but I have a small (tiny, actually) number of spares to sell on an individual basis. The cost, as always, is $25, and that includes shipping to anywhere in the United States. If interested, zip to the bottom to see if there are any left!
Now, let’s dive into this year’s Halloween Funpack and see what batty bits of eerie awesomeness await… Read More…
Dino Drac’s September Funpack is here!
Well, Dino Drac’s Spooky September Funpack is finally ready to launch, and if you’re wondering why it’s going up so late – or why I’ve been mostly MIA lately – I’ll point you to this post, for the truncated tale of my terrible two weeks!
That said, all subscribers boxes were shipped between Wednesday and Thursday, and they’re on the way. While subscriptions are maxed out, I have a small number of spares to offer on an individual basis. As always, the cost is $25, and that includes shipping to anywhere in the United States. If interested, zip to the bottom to see if there are any left!
Now, let’s dive into Dino Drac’s annual Spooky September Funpack to see what ghastly goodies are in store… Read More…
