DANDY FUN HOUSE PODCAST

watch the video below: listen to the podcast below: It's time to close out yet another year of the Dandy Fun House. While all those “other shows” are slacking off and giving you retrospectives of everything they've already done in the past year, it is instead our tradition here at the Dandy Fun House to leave the past exactly there… in the past and instead look ahead to the brand spankin' new year coming at us like Frehley's Comet and take a glimpse at the coolest stuff we've been able to find that's waiting for us in 2026! We're going to look at theme parks, movies, pinball and of course the TOTY AWARD NOMINATION picks for the upcoming 2026 Toy of the Year Awards! Are you ready to get your kicks in 26? Then LET'S step into the FUN HOUSE! Hello and welcome to the Dandy Fun House 2025 year-end extravaganza where we wear the hats and blow our hooters about the very best in retro pop culture, toys and games and all the fun stuff! I’m your host Neil Dandy and in this episode we're going to look ahead at WHAT’S HOT ON THE HORIZON FOR 2026 in the worlds of theme parks, movies, pinball and my personal picks for the 2026 TOTY AWARDS (Toy of the Year). BUT FIRST! I have to show you these amazing DANDY FUN HOUSE T-Shirts before time runs out! Perfect for swaddling the baby new year, They have a front and a back so you don’t get cold and we even cut 4 holes in them! One to crawl your body into, one to stick your head out of and two to poke your arms through! Find them in the Dandy Fun Shop at the Dandy Fun House website at dandyfunhouse.com before the Dandy Ball Drops! Alrighty, hold on tighty and let’s get right into what's hot on the horizon for 2026 starting with… THEME PARKS! And up first is going to be UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, HOLLYWOOD (which isn't actually in Hollywood, it's in Studio City kind of like the LA Angels baseball team is actually in Anaheim and how they call the Embassy Suites here in Murfreesboro, Tennessee “Nashville South” which we absolutely are not. But anyway that's a rabbit hole rant for another day.) Anyway, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS in the greater Los Angeles, California area is breaking ground on a new roller coaster where each individual car experiences its very own 360 degrees of rotation. The coaster is called FAST AND FURIOUS HOLLYWOOD DRIFT themed after the Fast and Furious movies obviously. This one is expected to peel out in 2026! And Legoland California is busy building the Lego Galaxy space-themed land including an indoor roller coaster. Over at Kings Island in Ohio they're opening what they are calling a new “dark ride” in 2026 called “PHANTOM THEATER: Opening Nightmare.” It's in the location that has most recently held an attraction called Boo Blasters but is apparently the site of a previous attraction also called PHANTOM THEATER and this is apparently the return of that attraction with some various upgrades. I went to the Kings Island website to get more information and there's just a teaser video showing two girls walking into Boo Blasters and ending up in the Phantom Theater which appears to be a very loose sendup on the Phantom of the Opera. The cartoon phantom character they show in the teaser graphic is obviously based on the classic Lon Chaney silent film character, and visitors ride inside cars that resemble opera boxes. So… yeah. Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (my neck of the woods kinda sorta) will be undertaking a $50 million expansion and also opening the world's first ever hybrid indoor family coaster and whitewater river raft ride called the “Night Flight Expedition.” Then under at Sea World, Orlando Florida they're diving into a new dark ride called SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep. If you don't know what a dark ride is, it basically means it's indoors and you get moved from scene to scene. It doesn't necessarily mean it's actually dark. Anyway, this new dark ride at Sea World Orlando will be what they are calling a suspended dark ride. The only information about this ride currently is that the rider will “discover dazzling ecosystems, legendary sea life, and breathtaking stories of resilience and wonder.” NEW MOBILITY DEVICE POLICY AT SEA WORLD! And speaking of Sea World, they have a controversial new policy which has been making the news lately that has just rolled out regarding mobility devices for the disabled. It appears that rollator walkers with seats are no longer permitted. The official updated policy from the Sea World website is as follows: “For the safety of our guests and employees, rollator walkers with seats on them are not permitted at SeaWorld Orlando. Alternative personal transportation options, including standard wheelchairs and Electric Convenience Vehicles (ECVs), are available. Walkers without a seat are permitted.” I'm guessing that more than a few guests were using their rollators like wheelchairs and it was causing some sort of safety concern in the parks. As someone who transports disabled people as my profession and handles mobility devices all day long, I can tell you from personal experience that a wheelchair itself is something you need to exercise caution with while pushing someone around. A rollator walker would be very, very easy to tip over if someone were attempting to use it as a wheelchair. So while I am disappointed at the inconvenience some disabled guests are going to face with this new policy, I want to be very careful not to demonize Sea World too quickly on this new policy. Guests can still borrow suitable mobility devices from guest services. Ok, time to work our flippers over to the world of PINBALL! Here are the rumored pinball releases expected in 2026 that caught my eye during the research for this episode. Please keep in mind these are only rumors… AMERICAN PINBALL is rumored to be releasing a CUPHEAD pinball machine in 2026 based on the wildly popular video game featuring some amazing vintage animation styles. I'll admit I'm not familiar with the character or the video game but I do love this vintage cartoon style! SPOOKY PINBALL is said to be working on a MOTORHEAD pinball machine for 2026. NO offense to guitarist Wurzel or drummer Mickey Dee (now playing with the Scorpions) who were crucial to keeping the band going in its later years, but I'm really hoping it honors the original lineup of Lemmy, Philthy Phil and Fast Eddie! BARRELS OF FUN PINBALL appears to be cooking up some GOONIES pinball for the new year! RAMPS PINBALL will be coming out with LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS! Oh please let the carnivorous plant eat the ball! And last but not least in our pinball 2026 rumours we have PINBALL ADVENTURES bringing us SUSHI MADNESS! Ni Ohashi Kudasai ! And if you're REALLY a pinball nut as we know you are, you'll want to put March 20th through the 22nd on your calendar because that's when Frisco, Texas braces itself for the annual TEXAS PINBALL FESTIVAL! Over 440 games. One incredible weekend! The website says tickets go on sale October 4th 2026. I have to imagine that's a typo and they really mean 2025 otherwise only those with the ability for reverse time travel will be able to attend. There will be tournaments and challenges, special guests and panels, exhibitors, parts, memorabilia, new games and there will be a special tech day for those trying to upgrade and/or fix their own machines. That's the TEXAS PINBALL FESTIVAL 2026! Rope you a ticket today! Yeehaw! Alright, I think we're ready to “steer” away from pinball and “drive” this herd into… MOVIES! First I'll start with letting you know a few of my favorite movies of 2025 before we get into what's ahead for 2026: JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH: Ok, it was pretty much par for the course but it had Scarlett Johansson carrying the entire movie on her shoulders alone and she pulled it off amazingly! MICKEY 17: This is a movie about a guy who signs on to do very dangerous grunt work in space for a corporation and every time he gets killed, the company just prints out a new copy of him with all his same memories. The crux is that the new copy never knows if he's actually the person being reborn every time or if he really dies and the new copy just has his memories and merely thinks he's the same person. Weird stuff. THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS – After many fantastic fails at trying to make this work on the big screen, they finally got the Fantastic Four right! The retro future vibe was spot on and all the actors were perfect! SUPERMAN: I was really upset about losing Henry Cavill as Superman, but James Gunn came back with a fresh new fun feel on this one starring David Corenswet, even bringing in Supe's dog Krypto! This movie was just a great time! More please! THE SMASHING MACHINE: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a dramatic role co-starring Emily Blunt. It's the story of Mixed Martial arts and UFC Champion Mark Kerr and how he conquered his biggest opponent: addiction. And finally in my roundup of my favorite movies of 2025 I bring you… BUGONIA! This movie was a crazy trip with some really wild twists and many moments of pure cringe and I loved it! Starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons who seems to be showing up in everything lately! It's a story about two conspiracy nuts who kidnap a corporate CEO thinking she's a space alien trying to destroy the Earth. This was easily my biggest delightful surprise of 2025. But before we get to 2026, I'd like to give a special nod to TRON: ARES because I always expect anything starring Jared Leto to suck eggs and this did not! And SPINAL TAP II: The End Continues… Rest in peace Marty DiBergi. MOVIES I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2026! THE ODYSSEY Expected Jul 17, 2026: After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Circe along the way. starring Matt Damon, Mia Goth, and Anne Hathaway. This could be really good or it could be really stupid. I'm betting this is going to be good and double or nothing that Mia Goth will be a siren or maybe Medusa. I think she'd make a good Medusa! EVIL DEAD BURN Expected Jul 24, 2026 – I'm a sucker for the Evil Dead movies. This one is not likely to have any Bruce Campbell, but they're keeping the details under tight wraps for now so who knows? COYOTE VS. ACME Expected Aug 28, 2026 PG A story set in the ACME warehouse, the manufacturer of anything and everything used by the Looney Tunes characters. And apparently John Cena is voicing one of the characters! Oh please oh please oh please get this right! If 2025's “The Day The Earth Blew Up” starring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig is any indication, I think we can have high hopes here! Ooh, that’s another one of my favorites from 2025 I left off the list! INSPECTOR GADGET – No details are available but I think we're long overdue for some Go Go Gadget action! DUNE Part Three Expected Dec 18, 2026 It follows Muad’dib, heir to unimaginable power, as he brings to fruition the ancient scheme to create a superbeing ruler among men, not in the heavens. And according to imdb it’s starring Starring Rebecca Ferguson, Timothée Chalamet and Anya Taylor-Joy. Did you pick up what I just picked up? Zendaya is not listed as a cast member on IMDB! How can this IMD Be!? You tell me! PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (untitled) – That's all we know folks. Hopefully they got things squared away with Johnny Depp. That is if they want to sell tickets. I AM LEGEND 2 – Military scientist Robert Neville seems the sole survivor in virus-ravaged New York. He’s waging a fight against “Darkseekers”, mutants resembling vampires trying to capture him as he searches for a cure. Starring Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan Alright! I could go for a sequel to I AM LEGEND! Especially when you add Michael B into the mix! I'd really like a sequel to iRobot but this'll do me for now! BLADE – That's right they are teasing a new Blade movie for 2026 with Mia Goth listed in the cast but of course the burning question is DO THEY HAVE WESLEY SNIPES??? They gave him a cameo as Blade in the Deadpool vs. Wolverine movie last year. But Snipes is NOT listed in the cast on IMDB as of yet! There is also an Untitled Denzel Washington Project Based on the historical figure of Hannibal, considered one of the greatest military commanders of all time. The film covers the crucial battles he led against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. You had me at Denzel, not to mention I love historical action movies. Bring it on! THE BRIDE Expected Mar 6, 2026 In 1930s Chicago, Dr. Frankenstein asks Dr. Euphronius to help create a companion. They give life to a murdered woman as the Bride, sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale THIS IS THE ONE I'M WAITING FOR! Love Christian Bale and love the concept of setting the story of The Bride of Frankenstein in 1930's Chicago! Let's go! SCANDALOUS! This will be the story behind the Hollywood romance of Sammy Davis Jr. and actress Kim Novak. I love anything related to Sammy Davis Jr. “It's gonna be fantastic baby!” CLAYFACE – Expected Sep 11, 2026 A shape-shifting creature made of magical clay haunts Gotham City, alternating between villain and ally of Batman. Ok, it's a Batman villain and not a super obvious one! Looks interesting! EVEL KNIEVEL ON TOUR – This one is going to be about Legendary motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel and apparently the drama that surrounded the run-up to his 1974 attempt at jumping the Snake River Canyon in Idaho.Starring Leonardo DiCaprio Ok, first of all, Evel was planning to jump the Grand Canyon but couldn't get the ok from the US Government so he made a deal with an Indian tribe to jump the Snake River Canyon seeing how it was located on sovereign tribal land. Anyway, a new movie about Evel Knievel? Heck yeah! THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING – Expected Nov 20, 2026 This new installment of the Hunger Games will explore Panem 24 years before Katniss’ saga, starting on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, where a young Haymitch Abernathy participates. Ok, this could be alright. I'm not super excited about it but I could be swayed since it won't have Jennifer Lawrence in it. And that's it for THE MOVIES I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2026! Now for TOYS! What I like to do this time of year is see what toys from 2025 have been nominated in various categories for a coveted TOY OF THE YEAR award otherwise known as a TOTY and let you know my personal picks, not that anyone in the industry is giving me a vote. Maybe someday. BUT TODAY I bring you MY PERSONAL 2026 TOTY AWARD NOMINEE PICKS! ACTION FIGURE OF THE YEAR: I like Avatar Interactive Shoulder Banshee by Disney Consumer Products – This thing looks pretty cool. It's basically a small, colorful looking dragon that sits on your shoulder and attaches via a magnetic base you wear under your clothing. A handheld controller allows you to control head and wing movements as well as its voice. This thing is pretty darn awesome! In the COLLECTIBLES category: There are two different nominees that caught my eye. One is Sticki Rolls Series 2 by Sky Castle Toys which is basically charm bracelets marketed to girls with rolls of small stickers on them with different fun graphics. The other nominee I like is Wigglitz by ZB Designs. These are tiny toy figurines of almost every type of fun character you can imagine that have some sort of wiggly aspect to them, or better put: something that moves when you wiggle them. If I had to choose between these two, I'd probably go with Wigglitz because it's something you'll get continual enjoyment from whereas the Sticki Rolls are only fun until you run out of stickers. CONSTRUCTION PLAYSET OF THE YEAR: I have to give it to GeckoBot 2.0 by Thames & Kosmos, This is a kit where you build your very own robotic gecko that actually climbs up your windows. Thames & Kosmos just keeps knocking it out of the park! CREATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR: Crayola Marker Airbrush has got my vote (that is if I HAD A VOTE which I don't!). If you've ever dreamed of someday making awful-looking t-shirts and hats on the boardwalk, then THIS could be your starter kit! It's an actual working airbrush sprayer courtesy of everyone's favorite crayon company, Crayola! It even comes with various spray color cartridges so you start saying it by spraying it! DOLL OF THE YEAR: Admittedly, I as a 57 year old man should absolutely NOT be voicing my opinion on the Doll of the Year Award (DOTY award?) but if I had to choose from the list of 2026 nominees I would hands-down pick Woof & Co by Sunny Days Entertainment. It's a collection of fashionable dogs of various breeds who all dress FABULOUS! Yeah, this is the one I'd go for. EDUCATIONAL TOY OF THE YEAR: In this category I am really liking the SNAP CIRCUITS SPY KIT by Elenco Electronics. This has a bunch of components that you just snap together to make all sorts of cool stuff like a vibration sensor, motion detector, trip wire, voice changer and a whole lot more. Oh the trouble I would have gotten myself into if I had something like this when I was a kid! GAME OF THE YEAR: I've gotta tell you, there's not a bad one in the bunch of nominees this year for Game of the Year! They've got an EXPLODING KITTENS BOARD GAME where you actually flip the entire board and all the pieces stay in place! There's a Simon game (you know, the memory game Simon?) where they took it and incorporated it into a dance mat called SIMON JUMP. So you stomp out your moves on the dance mat! Then there's COWS IN SPACE where magnetic flying saucers dangle from your forehead via a sproingy headstrap and the object is to abduct cows from a field with your flying saucer! But the game that caught my attention the most was TETRIS TUMBLE XL! It's sort of like Giant Jenga except there is a base that rocks side to side and you roll a die to see what tetris pieces you have to stack on top of it and of course whoever makes the stack fall to the ground is the LOSER! I like this. It's like a great big fun yard game you could also play in your living room. TETRIS TUMBLE XL for Game of the Year is my choice! INFANT / TODDLER TOY OF THE YEAR: Ok, maybe another category I might not be the best judge for but I'm who you've got pal! And in this category I choose Pour ‘N’ Grow Pop-Up Garden by Yookidoo. This appears to be mainly a bath time toy kit but you could play with it really anywhere as long as you have some water onhand. It's pretty simple: you've got three different toys, The fill and water flower, Peek A Bee and Pop Up Worm. You pour water into them or onto them and the water turns some internal mechanisms to make the flower open, the worm come out and wiggle or gets the bee to play peek a bee with you! Very unique and inventive and in my opinion, the absolute best of this year's bunch! KIDULT TOY OF THE YEAR: Kidult? That means it's made for ages 14 and up. And I'm really torn down the middle between two nominees on this one. I like the Miniverse Make it Mini Food Diner Series 4 by MGA Entertainment which is an art kit for making your own food minis that you control the designs and colors of. Have you ever walked past a restaurant that had fake food on display showing examples of their most popular dishes? Well that's what you'll be making with this kit only really, really small. The name is way too long though. Or if you just want something cool to play with that doesn't really take any time and effort, I offer you the ZipString Aracna, which is a newer version of the ZipString string loop toy, but it attaches to your wrist so you can shoot it out like Spiderman! (although they obviously aren't allowed to actually invoke Spiderman but they sure are bending over backwards suggesting it as extremely as they legally can!) The really cool feature of this Kidult toy of the year nominee is the glow feature! Flip a switch on the ZipString wrist launcher, turn off the lights and do all sorts of awesome tricks and shapes in the dark with a glowing string loop. So… Miniverse Make it Mini Food Diner Series 4 or the the ZipString Aracna! The Miniverse Make it Mini Food Diner Series 4 triggers me relentlessly with that obnoxiously long name, so on that basis alone I am giving the nod to the ZipString Aracna! OUTDOOR TOY OF THE YEAR: I think there should really be two sub categories here. One for younger kids and one for older. For the older kids, I was really blown away by the Crazy Cart Shuffle by Razor USA. This thing is like a Big Wheel or a Green Machine on steroids. Not only can you pedal around in this thing but you can spin and also drift. It's really neat. And speaking of neat, for the little ones I absolutely love the Outdoor Kitchen by Hape. It's not a real kitchen of course but it's a really cool miniature toy version of an outdoor kitchen setup! Come on TOTY Awards, let's break this one up by age groups! PRESCHOOL TOY OF THE YEAR: Ok, there were some good ones in here and maybe I'm judging on my own male bias from a bygone era but my favorite here was the Little Tikes Creative Construction Power Cuts Set by MGA Entertainment. It's a woodworking shop playset with an actual working , low-powered plastic chop saw which cuts through foam 2x4s and also comes with a play hammer, nails, measuring tape and carpenter pencil which is actually a marker. In the video demonstration I watched, the chop saw did struggle getting through the foam wood, but when you're talking about preschoolers, that's probably about the best you can hope for. We desperately need more encouragement and inspiring of our youth towards the skilled trades in my humble opinion and this is a refreshing step in that direction. Nicely done! SPECIALTY TOY OF THE YEAR: I was truly taken by the Yes & Know Original Invisible Ink Trivia Game Books by Tree Town Toys. These are basically activity books where different things are revealed with the use of a special invisible ink pen. This looks fantastic for keeping the younguns busy on a road trip or maybe in a waiting room or anywhere you want to keep them distracted. That is until you run out of invisible ink and invisible ink activity books! And those are my picks for the 2026 TOTY AWARDS and THAT'S our look ahead at what's hot on the horizon for 2026! What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know! If you’re enjoying this episode on one of the socials, leave a comment. Otherwise you can email me at neil @ dandyfunhouse . com And even though I said I wasn't going to do a retrospective of this past year, I will tell you my favorite Dandy Fun House episode from this past year of 2025: Oh, who am I kidding? It's always the Halloween episode where the Dandy Fun House becomes the Dandy Spook Shack and I get to dress up like a ghoul. But my second favorite might have to be the deep dive into the iconic toy company WHAM-O! I learned so much doing that one! You might think I just come on here and already know all this stuff I talk about but on the contrary, I do a great deal of research in the weeks leading up to producing an episode and I'm constantly learning amazing new things which is why I really love doing this! DANDY FUN HOUSE Plans for 2026? More of the same of course! We're getting really close to monetization on YouTube. Technically we're already supposed to be there but YouTube gives conflicting information on this and is notorious for constantly moving the goalposts. So while we love publishing to YouTube, we certainly don't put all our Dandy Eggs in that basket. We also publish to Instagram, Facebook, X, Tik Tok and Rumble as well as our very own DANDY FUN HOUSE WEBSITE AT dandyfunhouse.com where you can watch the video, listen and subscribe to the podcast or read the entire episode in written form along with pictures! Who does that!? WE DO! THAT'S WHO! And we do it by hand. No AI stuff. Okay, full disclosure, we DO use AI to help transcribe the episodes into written form and also the captions for the short form videos, but it always gets things wrong so we always go over it personally and make the needed corrections. But while you're on our website checking out all the episodes and buying stuff from the Dandy Fun Shop, be sure to visit our PATRONAGE PAGE where you can support future productions with your modest financial gifts! SUPPORTERS gain access exclusive bonus content AND SUPER SUPPORTERS gain that same access plus I’ll personally send you something amazing from right here at the Dandy Fun House Studios if you include your mailing address! Podcast Listeners may often support through a donation link in your listening app of choice of the app offers it, I understand not all do. And your 5 star reviews wherever you can leave them are always highly appreciated! And THAT ladies and gentlemen sticks a fork in 2025. Please don't forget the reason for the season, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and come on back next year for some amazing new frivolities in 2026! You never know what kind of crazy trouble we could get into, right here at the Dandy Fun House where everything is always FUN AND DANDY! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everybody! Neil Dandy is the creator of The Dandy Fun House and the alter-ego of Neil Smith, the Big Cheese at Neil Smith Entertainment, follower of Jesus, musician, Emcee, Paratransit Driver and Author. Aren't you impressed?

watch video below! listen to the podcast below! It’s scary season once again which means it’s time for the Dandy Spook Shack Halloween Special! This year we’re haunting the Spirit Store to see what’s new. We’ll also have a look at the new MUPPETIZED Monster Cereals with one very conspicuous absence and I will share my favorite fright flicks of 2025 along with what’s hot on the horizon! It’s alive! Halloween 2025! Let’s step into the SPOOK SHACK!  Hello and welcome to the DANDY SPOOK SHACK annual Halloween special! 2025! I’m your ghost, Necro Neil Dandy and in this season’s spooktacular, we’ll be visiting the Spirit Store to see what’s new this ghoul year. We’ll also talk about the most notable scary movies of 2025 thus far and the ones to watch out for on the creepy horizon. And last but not least, we’ll feast!… Our eyes upon the new box designs for the classic Monster Cereals by Jim Henson Studios with one very notable character that has apparently been given the deathly cold shoulder!  BUT FIRST! I’d like you to drink in these frighteningly fashionable DANDY FUN HOUSE t-shirts!  Woven from the threads of my dungeon spiders, you’re going to look drop dead fabulous. They come with fronts AND backs because nobody should be backless walking through the chill of a nighttime graveyard alone don’t you agree? Want to abscond with one for yourself? Simply visit the Dandy Fun Shop at the official Dandy Fun House website at dandyfunhouse.com and orders yours this evening. And if you’re watching closely watching on YouTube, we have a miniature Dandy Fun Shop set up there as well! Absurdity is Amplified at the Dandy Fun Shop!  Ok, let us begin with a visit to the Spirit Halloween store to see what’s freshly alive for 2025! SPIRIT STORE 2025 We visited the Spirit Store in Nashville’s Opry Mills where the legendary theme park Opryland used to stand… but that’s a story for another time. We wanted to see what was new for Halloween 2025 and we were not disappointed. As we entered, we noticed the centerpiece for this year was haunted subway system. Very original. Of course it was monster rat infested which was quite a shock to the conductor. Once we escaped the train we took in a little animatronic target practice on a decapitated clown. Mama’s not gonna like this! Scary clowns seem to be a thing this year. Moving on from the animatronics, we find an assortment of un-welcome mats for the front door including the Bates Motel complete with bloody footprints, Mars Attacks, with Killer Klowns and Pennywise keeping the clown theme alive. M3gan seems to still be holding her own with the young ladies (you know it’s the dance)! And for the little ones we have the cutesy line of dolls known as Tiny Terrors with adorable baby versions of Chucky, Frankenstein’s little monster and Little Mikey Meyers. Moving on to more costumes we find many food items like pizza and ramen which is about all you’ll be able to afford after blowing your paycheck in this place, hard tea and you can also make yourself a few fries short of a happy meal dress as a pack of french fries. For the couples you can be chips and salsa, plug and socket, peanut butter and jelly or milk and cookie Awww! There’s also a great assortment of inflatable costumes like the inflatable banana, penguin, alien abduction, blow up chicken, big rubber chicken so you can throw yourself at Svengoolie, chicken abduction and giant balloon animal! Also I didn’t realize that Spongebob was still so popular but there’s an entire wall with every sort of Spongebob Squarepants character you can imagine and you can even buy your own supersized spatula perfect for flipping your crabby pattys and also for scraping your carcass out the door and back into the mall once your cash has all run dry in the Spirit Store 2025! Ya know, every year I always wonder just how the Spirit Store is going to top itself from the previous year and they always do. The animatronics get better, the products overall get better and there's always something new like for example, I don't recall seeing the Terror Tots before this year and I just thought making those iconic movie monsters into cute dolls was just a really neat idea. And speaking of movie monsters, I think it's time we have a look over…  THE MOST NOTABLE SCARY MOVIES OF 2025! Ok, now why am I calling this the most NOTABLE scary movies of 2025 instead of my favorites? Quite honestly it's because, while I have seen my fair share of them, I haven't seen them all. There's just too many and when it comes to certain types of scary movies like vampires, zombies and themes that have really been beaten into the ground, it's tough to motivate me to go see a show about a type of monster I have already seen a thousand times before. Therefore I'm going to do a rundown of the notable ones that stand out to me whether I've seen them or not and also give you my thoughts on the ones I have seen, then at the end I'll let you know which upcoming scary movies I'm looking forward to in 2026! Sound good? Alright, let's get started! SINNERS: I have not seen this one but it tops Rotten Tomatoes as the number one scary movie of 2025 and stars Michael B Jordan. It's set in 1932 and revolves around a pair of criminal brothers who return to their hometown and find themselves confronted by a supernatural evil which turns out to be vampires. I'm sorry but I'm sick of vampire movies. I'm sick of zombie movies. I like the fact that it's set in 1932 and has a great lead actor but come on, let's do something more original here.  COMPANION: Ok, I haven't seen this one either but after reading the synopsis, I'm intrigued and thinking I need to pull this one up at home and give it a watch! Companion is a science fiction thriller about a couple, Iris and Josh, who go on a weekend getaway with friends to a remote cabin. The trip spirals into chaos when Iris discovers she is a companion robot controlled by Josh, leading to a series of violent and shocking events as she fights for her autonomy! I like it! WEAPONS: I did see this one and I must say, it was pretty good! It's about an entire elementary school classroom that goes missing except for one child. It's an investigative part thriller , part horror movie involving witchcraft. The ending is fantastic and fantastically hilarious dark comedy.  28 YEARS LATER: I did not see this one mainly because it's a sequel of a sequel of a sequel and I'm just over it, not to mention it's just another zombie flick. The only reason I'm mentioning it here is because it has been a very successful franchise thus far so it is actually notable. I just have no interest in it at all.  THE LONG WALK: This is one that has been recently in the theatres and has a somewhat original plot in that there's this group of people being forced to walk no slower than 3 miles per hour and whomever is the last one remaining is the only one who is allowed to live. Ok, it's original. It's just not interesting, at least not to me. I live near the historic trail of tears. You want to make a horror movie about people being walked to death? Make a movie about that because it actually happened! LONGLEGS: I saw this one which co-stars Nicolas Cage and revolves around an FBI investigation which turns up some very disturbing occult happenings. Nic Cage turned in an amazing performance as if one would expect anything less. By the way, if you're wondering why Nic Cage has been turning up in a million oddball B-Movies as of late, it's because he supposedly racked up a mountain of debts from living like… Nic Cage and he decided that instead of declaring bankruptcy that he would pull himself out of the red by taking on every oddball role he's offered until he gets his finances back in the black. I for one am hoping he never gets his finances back in order because I am thoroughly enjoying all these whacked out mini productions he keeps popping up in! A QUIET PLACE DAY ONE: I saw this one and thought it was fantastic! If you're familiar with the Quiet Place series of movies then you already know that Earth was invaded by blind aliens who hunt by sonar. SO if you want to live, you have to stay completely silent. There's a terminally ill woman with a kitty cat and all she wants is to get across town for a slice of her favorite pizza before her time runs out, when the alien invasion happens. Along the way, she happens to team up with a young businessman who decides in the midst of sheer hell on earth, that he's going to help this woman get her dying wish of achieving her favorite slice of pizza. I'd have to say, this was easily my favorite scary movie of 2025 even if it was the third installment of a sequel. Great original story line and fantastic acting.  SMILE 2: I'll just say it, I didn't care for the original so I didn't bother with this one.  NOSFERATU: This historically was the silent film that Dracula was derived from and has many, many similarities. The only big name actor here is Willem Dafoe and he is mainly relegated to a supporting role. I suppose it's neat in that they brought the original vampire movie to life for modern audiences, but my opinion is that they got the story polished and perfected with Dracula and while I can respect what they've done here, it's just not really needed.  ABIGAIL: A little kid vampire who likes to toy with her victims. Once again, I'm sick of vampire movies so I didn't subject myself to this.  ALIEN: ROMULUS: I saw this one. It was the same ol same ol. A bunch of people in space encounter the aliens. A bunch of them die and a couple of them make it out alive.  ARCADIAN: Here's another one of those Nic Cage clawing out of debt movies! I saw it and it was decent. In a post-pandemic world a single father (Cage) and his two teenage sons try to survive in a a world where they have to hole up in their fortified farmhouse at night to protect themselves from bloodthirsty creatures who hate the light so they only hunt at night. It was ok. Just ok.  BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE: Yep, I saw it. Was it as good as the original? Nope not hardly. Was it still good? Yes it was good and worth seeing. Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton were both amazing. Nothing really stood out about it however other than the fact that Michael Keaton can still deliver a character this physically demanding after all these years. RESPECT! METH GATOR: I know a guy who's in this movie and happened across it while channel surfing one day and said what the heck, let's watch it. It's largely a mindless B-Movie that's so bad it's good. I will say there is a part in the movie where my friend Wade Williams delivers a monologue which I thought was an incredible bit of acting. And about the only bit of acting in this movie at all. It's a fun, campy, bloody escape. If you liked Cocaine Bear, you'll like Meth Gator. I'm still waiting for Crack-o-dile! M3GAN 2.0: I really like the premise of M3GAN and I saw the first movie but didn't see this one. I have caught a few clips online however. My feeling is that they accomplished what they needed to in the first movie and bringing her back as the hero instead of the villain was a misstep and the clips I have seen have only bolstered that opinion.  And then you have a smattering of movies which have taken classic characters who have aged out of their copyright protections and have been gloriously turned into Scary Sendups! Some examples would be PETER PAN'S NEVERLAND NIGHTMARE, SCREAMBOAT (which is a horror sendup of Steamboat Willie which is where Mickey Mouse made his debut to the world), and last but not least we have POPEYE THE SLAYER MAN which is one I had in my list of upcoming must-sees from last year! Well… I saw it. And while it is quite gory, I thought it was overall pretty decent. Popeye has holed himself up for decades in an abandoned warehouse by the docks living on tainted spinach which has made him homicidally crazy. Basically anyone who dares to enter the warehouse he lives in gets their head crushed by Popeye's bare hands. In a nice twist revealed towards the latter part of the movie, he and Olive Oyl's daughter tries to rescue Popeye from his addiction to glowing spinach but ultimately fails and Popeye continues on as a murderous maniac with hopefully many sequels to come.  There were also two other Popeye horror releases this past year: POPEYE'S REVENGE which I attempted to watch on TV but it was so bad I turned it off about a quarter of the way in. And then there's SHIVER ME TIMBERS which I have only seen the trailer for and it appears to be the worst one of the three.  And that mummy wraps up the scary movie rundown of 2025! But what am I looking forward to in 2026 you ask?  THE BRIDE: (March 2026) THIS is the one to watch for! Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Penelope Cruz, Annette Bening, Jeannie Berlin, Julianne Hough, Peter Sarsgaard and more. It's an all-star modern interpretation of the Bride of Frankenstein and the trailer looks amazing! I absolutely cannot wait! EVIL DEAD BURN (July 2026), Ok, I'm a sucker for the Evil Dead movies even without Bruce Campbell, but of course they would be better with him it goes without saying.  And that's our Dandy Spook Shack Scary Movie Rundown but we've got just one more item to get to before we close the coffin lid on this year's Halloween Special and that would be the very special treatment the Classic Monster Cereals have gotten this year from Jim Henson! That's right, they have muppetized Count Chocula, Frankenberry, Boo Berry, Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute. And the characters look amazing! They really did a fantastic job… BUT! I have a skeleton bone to pick with General Mills! They left out their newest monster, coolest monster and while I'm not a particularly social warrior type of ghoul, it's notable that the character they left out is the first and only female monster they have ever introduced. Basically what I'm trying to say is… WHERE THE HECK IS CARMELLA CREEPER!? Did General Mills actually discontinue her? Carmella Creeper was amazing! Was it because her cereal wasn't very popular? Granted, caramel apple flavored cereal isn't exactly the most appealing flavor in the world, but let's be honest here. With the exception of Count Chocula, all the monster cereals taste like cubes of sugar-coated styrofoam! I'm sorry, they just do! Nobody buys these for the cereal. The only reason people buy them is for the monsters. And Carmella Creeper was a fantastic new monster and I'm upset that she wasn't given her due.  I'd like to know what YOU think about the notable exclusion of Carmella Creeper from this year's Monster Cereal lineup. Please let me know in the comments of whatever platform you may be devouring this special Halloween 2025 edition of the Dandy Spook Shack or just drop a line through the Dandy Fun House website at www.dandyfunhouse.com where you'll also find our Dandy Fun Shop along with the PATRONAGE PAGE should you wish to support future productions.  SUPPORTERS get access to exclusive bonus features not available to the general public And SUPER SUPPORTERS get all that same stuff PLUS I'll mail you something ghoulish from right here at the Dandy Spook Shack IF you provide your mailing address! Maybe a ball of fluff from Carlamity the Dogsaster! PODCAST LISTENERS may support via the donation button in your listening app of choice IF the app supports it And FIVE STAR REVIEWS anywhere you can leave them will always gain our UNDEAD SUPPORT! OK, that closes the coffin lid on yet another Halloween Spectacular edition of the Dandy Spook Shack! Come back and haunt us again real soon right here where everything is always FUN AND DANDY! Stay Ghoul! Neil Dandy is the creator of The Dandy Fun House and the alter-ego of Neil Smith, the Big Cheese at Neil Smith Entertainment, follower of Jesus, musician, Emcee, Paratransit Driver and Author. Aren't you impressed?

Hula Hoop. Slip n Slide. Frisbee. Super Ball. What do these names mean to you? To many, these are just the names of some fun toys from years gone by. But to others, these names all culminate into just one… WHAM-O!

I'll be giving my thoughts after seeing the new Jurassic World Rebirth movie starring Scarlett Johansen while I simultaneously unbox, assemble and review the Jurassic World version of Hungry Hungry Hippos where the hippos are replaced with Velociraptors entitled RAVENOUS RAPTORS!

we find it prudent to dedicate THIS episode of the Dandy Fun House to counting down the Top Ten Weirdest Roadside Attractions in America! Let's step into the FUN HOUSE! 

It's the tabletop game of PICKLEBALL BLAST by Moose Games! And in this episode of the Dandy Fun House, I'm going to unbox this sweetly sour barrel of fun, show you how to assemble and play it, give my honest thoughts and also share the history of the game of pickleball!

Once upon a time there was a man who perfected the art of the pie in the face. This man hosted a 1950s and 60s children's show where one day he got a wild hair encouraging the kids to steal money from their parents and send it to him in the mail promising a post card from Puerto Rico in return.

We're going to unbox, assemble, play and review the 2025 TOTY AWARD NOMINATED STEM experiment kit: PINBALL MACHINE MAKER - GUMBALL RALLY!

We're looking ahead to 2025 for theme parks, movies, pinball and my favorite TOTY AWARD NOMINATION picks for the upcoming 2025 Toy of the Year Awards!

In this very special Thanksgiving episode of the Dandy Fun House, I'm going to count down my TOP TEN FAMILY FUN FAVORITE GAME IDEAS FOR TURKEY DAY! And we're gonna get to gobblin' down on 'em... right now! Let's step into the Fun House!

Today, we're going to dig into some Carmella Creeper cereal as well as review the board game Finders Creepers...

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House, I'm going to give you all the Osmonds you can eat! Let's step into the fun house!

Ten-year-old Cooper Dean of Valrico, Florida entered into a Young Inventors contest and caught the attention of international toy company, GOLIATH GAMES with her idea to bring a farmland pastime to kitchen tables everywhere. In this episode of the Dandy Funhouse, we're going to shovel in to the game of… Chicken Poo Bingo! Let's step into the Fun House!

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House, we venture to ask the eternal burning question... Are We Not Men? For THIS is the story of DEVO! Let's step into the Fun House!

Do you have a fat, stingy grandma? Have you ever wanted one? Well today's your lucky day because on this episode of the Dandy Fun House we're going to unbox, assemble and play none other than the game of GREEDY GRANNY! Let's step into the Fun House!

watch the video below! listen to the podcast below! Hey there! It's me, your old pal Obnoxio the Clown. I know it's been a while but I couldn't help but crawl out of my clown hole once I heard what the Dandy Fun House had planned for this episode of their show! Not only that, but they also made the incredibly bad decision to ask ME, your old pal Obnoxio to host!They would have asked the Nebbish, but he doesn't really talk so much. Ok, by now I have to imagine about two of you are really excited but most of you are really confused, so let me bring you up to speed. I used to be the mascot for CRAZY Magazine and I'm here to tell you the story of this wacky little rag that had a pretty good run back in the 70's and 80's! So without further ado, Let's step into the Fart House! What? Oh the Fun House! Yeah that's it! Hello and welcome to the Dandy Flop House, Fun House or whatever they call it! Video Show, Podcast and Blog! I'm your old long-lost pal, Obnoxio the Clown and I'm here to tell you the story of an obnoxious humor magazine that existed from 1973 to 1983 which yours truly was honored to be the mascot for during it's final few years. But first, let me show you these crazy new t-shirts from the Dandy Fun House (did I say it right this time?) now available in the Dandy Fun SHOP! It's got a front AND a back so you don't get too cold and comes with 4 holes in it. One to crawl your body into, one to stick your head out of and two to poke yer arms through! You can find it at the Dandy Fun House website at http://www.dandyfunhouse.com or go directly to the store at http://www.dandyfunshop.com . Now back to this glorious freaking episode! Ok, CRAZY MAGAZINE! We were published by Marvel Comics believe it or not and were sort of in the vein of Mad Magazine, Cracked, Sick Magazine and National Lampoon. In the beginning back in 1953, Marvel Comics was actually called Atlas Comics and they decided to try their hand at competing with the behemoth of all novelty mags, MAD Magazine. So they published 7 issues of a comic book called CRAZY! Which skewered pop culture and included gags galore. It was a nice trial balloon, but didn't exactly take the world by storm so they shelved the idea of publishing a satire for the next TWENTY YEARS until 1973 when it was revived for the purpose of republishing some of Marvel's more wacky bits from their late-60's comic called “Not Brand Echh.” What the heck kind of a name is “NOT BRAND ECHH!?”   STAN LEE MARV WOLFMAN For some reason they decided to give the old CRAZY Magazine another crack at success and kept things rolling under the guiding hand of the Marvel man, myth and legend himself… Stan Lee along with Co-Editor Marv Wolfman. Lee wanted to go for a straight up Mad Magazine and Cracked Magazine vibe while Wolfman wanted something more along the lines of National Lampoon. They came to an agreement somewhere in the middle and this gave CRAZY its own unique flavor. Kind of like sardine ala mode! It was decided that CRAZY needed a mascot, and so kicked around ideas until they came up with a small, buggy looking guy in a floppy hat and some sort of black cape-looking trench coat thing and they called this guy “The Nebbish.” Later they gave him the more proper name of “Irving Nebbish.” This Nebbish guy served as the mascot for CRAZY Magazine for seven solid years and he did a fine job I must say. I mean, I eventually STOLE his job but no hard feelings Nebby! That's show biz! STEVE GERBER Wolfman wasn't the only editor Crazy Magazine had. A man named Steve Gerber took over editing for issues #11-14 with a desire to set the magazine apart from its competition and try to convince the readers that the creators themselves were crazy. Gerber's run as editor came to an abrupt end however when he published a very dark feature called “... And the Birds Hummed Dirges” which featured high schoolers engaged in a suicide pact.

I'm gonna unbox, assemble, play and review an awesome looking game from PlayMonster called PIGS ON TRAMPOLINES!

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House, we're going to give three off-brand toaster pastry underdogs a chance to dethrone the mighty Milton and claim the title TOASTER PASTRY CHAMPION OF THE WORLD! For this is the Strawberry Toaster Pastry Showdown!

Sid and Marty Krofft created iconic TV shows like Land of the Lost, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Bugaloos, HR Pufnstuff, The Banana Splits and a whole lot more.

I'm going to unbox, set up and show you how to play the Monopoly spinoff game - MURFREESBORO*OPOLY! And at the end of the show, I'm going to do a quick rundown of some of the best movies I enjoyed from the year 2023 and ones I'm looking forward to in 2024!

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House, I'm going to unbox, review and show you how to play a true game of glorious disgusting fecal flinging fun! THIS is the game of MONKEY SEE MONKEY POO!

The Monster Squad was a Saturday morning tv series produced by D'Angeleo-Bullock-Allen Productions that aired on NBC from September 11, 1976 to September 3, 1977 and starred a young Fred Grandy who later went on to greater tv pop-culture fame playing the role of Gopher on The LOVE BOAT.

I bought a more modernized game with the same basic premise and an overall better looking design that only cost 20 bucks. It's called SHARK BITE and I'm going to unbox it, set it up, teach you how to play and give you some fun facts and history along the way!

Two amateur comedians working nightclubs for peanuts in the 70s ham-handedly and quite accidentally stumbled into the roles of a lifetime portraying what they felt were their least likeable characters but instead found themselves leaving an indelible mark on tv pop culture history for generations to come. Their names? David Lander and Michael McKean. But you might remember them better as... LENNY AND SQUIGGY. This is their legend. Let's step into the Fun House!

The object of GROUCH COUCH is: you get some game pieces, you put them on the couch, the couch eats some of the pieces, and if it likes what it ate, it spits coins at you! And at the end whomever's got the most coins wins!

In this episode number "31"of the Dandy Fun House... how in the world could I help but tell the story of two brothers-in-law with a post World War II entrepreneurial spirit and how they joined forces to combine business ambition with their passion for all things ICE CREAM! Together they built nothing short of a worldwide ice cream institution. For THIS is the story of BASKIN ROBBINS! Let's step into the fun house!

As of December 5th, 2022, the final live performing version of Sha Na Na have at long last announced that it is indeed time to sing "Goodnight Sweetheart" for the final time. BUT with their story now complete, WE can finally TELL the complete story of SHA NA NA!

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House we're going to unpack the tale of how a college student's 1960's class project based on surviving Death Valley on foot was sold for next to nothing to a company who redesigned it into everyone's favorite surgery game trying to cure a guy named Cavity Sam! You and I have been trying to fix him for over 60 years in the game of... OPERATION! We're also going to unbox, assemble and play the 2023 version of OPERATION while sharing fun facts and history along the way. Are you ready doctor? Let's step into the Fun House!

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House we're clowning around on the basketball court to bring you the story of the Harlem Globetrotters! Where they came from (not Harlem), their many historic achievements, how they didn't just just penetrate the color barrier of the NBA, they shattered it like a cheap glass backboard without ever even BEING an NBA team, what spawned their innovative act: part circus, part comedy, part sports, PURE ENTERTAINMENT, and what they're up to now!

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House, I'm going to unbox, assemble and show you 3 different ways to play the classic game Hungry Hungry Hippos. I'm also going to give you some history along the way about this pop culture classic!

Dr. Demento, the man who brought comedic novelty music to the masses for 40 years disappeared from the airwaves in the year 2010 and has not been heard on terrestrial radio in over a decade since. Was he abducted by bloodthirsty clowns? Did he join a monastery? Did he move to the planet Meep Morp? In this episode of the Dandy Fun House I'm going to attempt to answer the question on nobody's mind... WHERE IS DR. DEMENTO!!!!!?????

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House, we're going to look ahead to the great new amusements coming in 2023 from the worlds of theme parks, pinball, toys, board games and movies!

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House, I'm taking Emma-Lou, the Dandy Dog to the dog wash! I'm also going to unbox, assemble and show you how to play the TOTY Award Winning game - SOGGY DOGGY! Let's step into the Dandy Dog House!

And on the Spook Shack today, I am going to do a little tasting of all the classic Monster Cereals and give you my expert opinion on which one is THE BEST! Let's dive right into THE SPOOK SHACK!

In this episode of the Dandy Fun House, we're braving the tundra to bring you the TOTY-award-winning game, YETI IN MY SPAGHETTI! Let's step into the Dandy Warming Lodge before we freeze!

Soda Cake is one of those oddball sweet treats from south of the Mason Dixon Line like RC Cola, Goo Goo Clusters, Moon Pies, Chess Pies, Sweet Tea you can stand your spoon straight up in and for some reason God only knows - molded Jello with marshmallows and fruit inside! Yikes!

The FLINTSTONES! How one of the most loved animated series in television was born, interesting history, fun facts, star-studded guest appearances, near death experiences, merchandising fever, reasons to fear the Flintstones Kids, jumping the shark and to top it all off I'm going to conduct a head-to-head taste test of the Flintstones cereals Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles!

We're going to explore the history of the game of Mouse Trap along with unboxing, setup and putting it all into action!

In this installment of the Dandy Fun House, we're going to melt down the history of MAD Magazine! How it all started, the back stories of some of their most iconic contributors, battles with J Edgar Hoover, corporate takeovers and how a lawsuit against MAD Magazine filed by Irving Berlin set in place the legal protections for parody and satire that we take for granted today!

In this extra special installment of the Dandy Fun House we're gonna pull out some new tricks, roll over and invite you into the DANDY DOG HOUSE instead where we're going to explore the TOP TEN PUP-FRIENDLY ATTRACTIONS IN AMERICA!

In this episode, we're going to explore the storied history of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus and break the story on its imminent comeback!

RINGLING BROTHERS CIRCUS IS DEAD! ... OR IS IT!???

In this installment of the Dandy Fun House, we're going to unpackage and taste test the iconic Stuckey's Pecan Log Roll

In this installment of the Dandy Fun House, instead of coming to you from our usual haunts of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, we figured we'd go inster-state-ular to the great state of Florida! We're taking a family day-trip to Busch Gardens Tampa and you're invited!

If there was a popular movie or TV show back in the 70's, 80's or 90's there's a good chance Kenner was crankin' out a line of toys for it! But their history goes back farther than that. (echo voice) MUCH FARTHEEEEEERRRRRR!-------

Wanna check out the Halloween Spirit Store with me and see what's new for 2021!? Let's do this!

I hope you're strapped in  because today we're going to get into the nuts and bolts of one of the most enduring action-packed games with over 50 years of metal skull-punching mayhem! I'm talking about none other than ROCK EM SOCK EM ROBOTS!

Show host Neil unboxes and assembles the 2021 version of Rock Em Sock Em Robots!

Dandy Fun House counts down the Top Ten best inflatable pool toys and floats for Summer 2021

Koolickle Man, the pickle-powered superhero shows you how to make Koolickles (Kool-Aid flavored pickles)!

Full review of the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle reissue from California Creations!