This amazingness is on eBay right now: Ghana, West Africa – 1980s. Quasi-legal ‘mobile cinemas’ showed exploitation films on VHS around third-world villages, promoted by off-model movie posters painted by local artists. Luckily for the rest of the world, these … Continued
I’ve featured all sorts of collectibles based on the early 70s property Henshin Ninja Arashi. These might be the cheapest of souvenirs, but they’re among the coolest in my opinion. When punched-out and assembled, these 8″ cards produce nifty 6.5″ … Continued
What’s going on in this picture??? Yep, you’re right! Another hapless red ninja gets pig-stuck by a movie hero. Well what did you think was happening? You people disgust me sometimes… honestly. Franco Nero impales a hapless jobber in the … Continued
In the days before scanners, throwing “clip art” into a print advertisement took some work. You had to find a cool image to start with, then “threshold” it via a stat camera and toxic chemical-laden rapid processor. And what you were … Continued
OK, so there’s no direct ninja-ness to this post, but I have a serious love for weird 70s martial arts toys, and where else am I going to find a home for these pics? Circa 1974-75, Matchbox had ambitions beyond … Continued
When vengeance wore a mustache… Is it just me, or did Chuck Norris never look comfortable with a sword? Good career choice, sticking to uzis, nickel-plated handguns and heel kicks with cowboy boots. This awkwardly colored image of Richard Norton‘s … Continued
Love this Menko card portrait of either Kurozukin (The Black Hood) or Kurama Tengu. Artist and date unknown, cardstock and discoloration from age is consistent with other stuff I have from the 50s and 60s.
Merchandisers love VARIETY of offerings and EXCLUSIVITY of products at the same time. But above all else, they love a healthy PROFIT MARGIN. To those ends, you see ads like this one from the mid 80s a lot. Take the … Continued
Spotted in Pismo Beach, California today. Bad strip mall sign spacing, or greatest crossover business idea ever? I imagine students hand-wringing your dirty clothes, whipping them around like weapons to dry alá training montages in old Gordon Liu and Jackie … Continued
Spent the weekend selling vintage toys and collectibles at the big Monsterpalooza convention in Burbank. Normally, details of this wouldn’t land on this site, but to my surprise there was quite the array of martial artists and Japanese film legends … Continued