The Christmas Fallout: 2025!

With a fresh pile of nerdy loot unwrapped and a metric-ton of glitter invading every orifice, Christmas 2025 is officially a done deal. I hope that each and every one of you guys was able to have a good time this past week, regardless of any big holidays.

More to the point, let's cap off the year with another glorious dive into my annual gift pile. As always, you can shout out your own blessings in the comments below. This is our big chance to use up any last little bit of Christmas in our tanks before a loooooooong wait, so go nuts! Here's what I got:

$20 Nintendo eShop Card 

Spicy Slim Jim 14-Pack

Oreo Stocking Stuffer Pack

Lots of Candy (Gummy Krabby Patties, Frosty Nerds, M&Ms Minis, Reese's Trees, Hershey Kisses)

Beginning with the treasure found in the depths of my festive sock, mixed in with a variety of snacks was a $20 eShop card, which is always greatly appreciated. (Used it to score the Sonic Collab DLC for a certain game you'll see a bit further down.)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy Buds3 FE

This was probably my biggest surprise this year (even discounting the fact that my family gave it to me a bit before Christmas because they miscalculated how soon they'd need to trade in my old one): a shiny new phone! I've only been using it for a little bit, but I'm already VERY pleased by the MUCH improved battery life and storage compared to my last phone. (Case in point: I had to delete Persona 5 The Phantom X off of my previous model because I wasn't playing it enough to justify its 20+ GB size taking up a grand majority of my remaining storage. However, with THIS one, I can actually keep P5X downloaded in addition to all of my other files and still have WAY more space left over than my last phone did WITHOUT it! Ain't tech advances just grand?)

Also got a new pair of earbuds with it! (Tried those out, too. Loving them so far!)

Pokémon Legends Z-A Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Kirby Air Riders

Metroid Prime 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Yooka-Replaylee (Switch 2)

Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2

Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac (Switch)

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide (PS5)

Nicktoons and the Dice of Destiny (Switch)

Digimon Story Time Stranger Ultimate Edition (PS5)

Video game haul was VERY heavy on the 3D platformers and RPGs this year, with a sprinkle of racing and first-person adventure thrown in for good measure. I look forward to frittering away the first chunk of 2026 taming both pocket AND digital monsters, combing Viewros for collectibles, launching back into space with Yoshi, reclaiming the One Book's Pagies with my favorite lizard and bat duo, chomping my way through Pac-Land (and Green Hill Zone), saving Bikini Bottom from a feud of godly (and ghostly) proportions, LARPing with some of my favorite Nicktoons characters, and unlocking absolutely EVERYTHING in Mr. Sakurai's latest immensely addictive masterpiece.

Digimon: The Movies 4-6 Collection 

Pokémon Black & White 4-Movie Collection (Blu-ray)

Pokémon XY Mega 3-Movie Collection (Blu-ray)

Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! (Blu-ray)

Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us (Blu-ray)

Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle (Blu-ray)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy (Arrow Store Exclusive) (4K)

I already picked up the latest Pokémon DVD set during my Florida vacation, so this year's home media batch was all about MOVIES! Not only did I score the last of the Pokémon Movies that I needed for my collection (including the only one that I've never seen, the Volcanion movie), but also the next three Digimon Movies from Discotek (including my personal favorite, Runaway Locomon, which they somehow made EVEN BETTER) and THE FIRST LEGITIMATELY GREAT HOME RELEASE OF THE ORIGINAL TMNT FILM TRILOGY EVER. Seriously, it has new 4K restorations of each film, tons of bonus physical items like posters and a booklet full of essays, and most importantly, TONS OF ACTUAL SPECIAL FEATURES ON DISC!! I don't know why it took so long for these films to get a release in the states that includes more than just their original trailers as bonus content, but better late than never, I guess. (Bless Arrow Video.) Excited to soak up every last minute of these discs in the new year!

DC X Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 18: Extreme Competition 

Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 19: Collision Course

Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 20: Cause & Effect

On to some comics, my annual IDW Sonic fix went multiversal this year with the wild new DC crossover mini-series. (Which features everything from Shadow and Batman having a heart to heart to Beast Boy turning into a green Knuckles.) Accompanying that is the "Phantom Riders" storyline, which should make for very appropriate reading material as Sega releases more CrossWorlds content.

Console Heroes Sega Genesis Supervillain Bundle

Console Heroes Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Carnival Night Zone Diorama

Speaking of Sega, these were a fun surprise! I had seen these little Mighty Max-esque playsets based on different Genesis games before, but I'd never actually picked up any of them. Now I can build a collection! While I had a few issues assembling the Sonic 1 diorama (pro-tip: make sure Dr. Eggman is securely attached to the little plastic rod BEFORE you try to stick it on one of the playset's pegs), I still REALLY dig the mini-figures. (Especially the Mecha Sonic MKII included in the Supervillain Bundle. This is actually his very first toy!)

Page Punchers Leonardo

My first McFarlane figure AND my first IDW TMNT toy (that I actually opened, anyway), this is a pretty cool Leo. While his accessories aren't too interesting, he's decently-articulated and does a good job of repping the IDW universe on my shelf. Now I'll have to grab the other Turtles from this line. (Especially Raph and Mikey. They come with Pepperoni and Klunk!) I also really hope they make Slash eventually.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Knockoff Knockout 2-Pack - Donnie & Danny

This probably got the biggest reaction out of me of all of my gifts. (Which is saying something!) Ever since I first saw that Playmates were actually making the hilariously derpy "Tubular Tortoise Karate Warriors" knockoffs from the new TMNT theatrical short, I knew that I HAD. TO. HAVE. THEM. I mean, they come on their own separate bootleggy packaging and everything! That's amazing! Still, at 25 bucks a pop, I couldn't really justify pre-ordering all four two-packs just for the sheer novelty of officially-licensed knockoffs, so they sold out on Target's site and I've been kicking myself for letting them slip away ever since. Cut to Christmas, and I finally own one of them! Needless to say, Danny here is getting a place of prominence on my wall, and I REALLY hope that the others go back in stock at Target eventually so I can complete the team. As one of Playmates' last ever outings with the Turtles, these are seriously cool. Horse-a-bunga!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Visual History: Revised & Expanded Edition

Let's Bake Bake-In Brownie Skillet w/Oreo Cookies

Blue Rebel Juicy Drop Pop

Skittles

Finishing things off, my sister's family also gifted me a few things. Not only did they add the expanded edition of the TMNT visual history book (now with a chapter dedicated to TMNT video games, which I'm really excited to check out) to my already-towering reading pile, but my little niece and nephew also contributed a bit to my snack stash.

That closes the curtain on 2025! Sad to see it end without any spandex-clad police forces being established, but ya can't have everything, I guess! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys in 2026!

The Christmas Fallout: 2023!

Well, the curtain has fallen on another Christmas, and VERY soon, another year. I hope you were all able to spend the last week in relative peace and/or happiness, regardless of any formal celebrations. 

With that, it's time for the annual Fallout post, where I show off my gift haul for the year and you guys can also chime in with yours via the comment section. It's the last bit of Christmas fun we'll get to have this year, so let's relish it! Have a peek at my goods:

HP Laptop

This was definitely the biggest surprise of everything I received this year. I've had the same HP Laptop since 2015 and, needless to say, it's been showing its age something fierce. The disc drive died, the thing couldn't stay on unless you kept it plugged in, and to top it all off, it was slower than Christmas. It became frustrating to use, but I still put up with it because, hey, at least it still mostly functioned, right? Well, now that my family has blessed me with a brand-new model that runs like a dream, I no longer have to put up with said frustration. God, it'll be nice to not have to constantly worry about killing the thing by accidentally pulling the cord or wait like an hour for it to shut down.

Super Mario RPG 
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Super Mario Bros. Wonder Walmart-Exclusive Trading Card Pack
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe 
Sonic Superstars (Switch)
Sonic Superstars Acrylic Stand 
Persona 5 Tactica (Switch)
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Launch Edition 
Marvel's Midnight Suns Enhanced Edition (PS5)

2023's gaming crop might be one for the books. Alongside the hotly-anticipated sequel to Insomniac's Spider-Man with two Spideys and a load of Symbiote fun, the year also saw a wonderfully (ha!) bizarre new 2D Mario game all wrapped up in an adorable new art style, a new 2D Sonic game with five different playable characters (which includes a brand-new REPTILE from Sonic's co-creator), another addition to the Persona 5 world with a strategy-based twist, and, oh yeah, A FULL HD REMAKE OF MY FAVORITE FREAKING GAME EVER COMPLETE WITH BRAND NEW CONTENT!!!!! 

*phew* So yeah, I've mainly been spending the past week playing the latter. (Just beat it, in fact, including the new post-game battles. PHENOMENAL remake that had me grinning from ear-to-ear, especially from a lot of the new additions, such as added dialogue and the Monster List.) 

Rounding things out are another turn-based strategy game (this time with a Marvel flavor) and an enhanced remake of a Kirby title from the Wii days. I actually had to reorder the latter from Amazon because the shrink-wrapped copy that I received as a gift didn't actually have a game card inside. (Seriously.) In luckier news, I definitely scored with those Walmart pre-order Mario Wonder cards:

I ACTUALLY GOT the infamous "limited to 1000 copies" Elephant Mario card!!! If you're wondering why I'm so pumped over a trading card, just look up "Elephant Mario card" on eBay and watch your own jaw hit the floor at the prices. It's the luckiest I've ever been with a trading card pack pull, and I'm definitely not letting this little rarity go to waste. With a little luck, what this sucker pulls on eBay has the potential to fully cover the cost of that nice laptop gift from before.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Steelbook (4K Combo) (W/Walmart-Exclusive Mini-Poster)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (4K Combo)

Spider-Man: No Way Home (4K Combo)

Spider-Man Trilogy (Blu-ray)

The Amazing Spider-Man Collection (Blu-ray)

MOVIES! Across the Spider-Verse's release inspired me to finally finish off my collection of Spidey's cinematic starring roles (now I'm only missing Infinity War and Endgame) while the latest TMNT film starts off a whole new era for the franchise. (I was originally going to opt for the normal 4K release, but the Walmart-exclusive version of the Steelbook including that rad mini-poster made it irresistible. IT'S GOT FREAKING LEATHERHEAD ON IT!!)

Pokémon BW Adventures in Unova and Beyond: The Complete Season

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003): The Ultimate Collection 

More physical media fun! While the latest Pokémon set brings Unova to an end, the Turtles on the right are definitely the much bigger deal. After YEARS of being largely ignored by Nickelodeon (particularly in the realm of physical releases), they've finally, FINALLY released every episode of the 2003 TMNT series on DVD in a nice Complete Series collection. It's a legit miracle. Sure, the release isn't perfect, with particular attention given to both spotty video quality in places and the version of Turtles Forever included, but after NOTHING for SO LONG, I'm frankly just incredibly happy to finally be able have this show on my shelf next to the others. I never thought the day would come.

Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 13: Battle for the Empire
Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 14: Overpowered
Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 15: Urban Warfare
Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island

Moving on to some books, my annual Sonic reading pile promises a showdown with Surge and Kit, the formation of the new Diamond Cutters, the return of Team Dark, and a creepy little adventure starring Mecha Sonic. Definitely a lot of Sonicy fun to look forward to!

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Necessary Evil Part 2 Deluxe Edition 

Mighty Morphin/Power Rangers Book 1 Deluxe Edition 

Didn't get any PR comics last Christmas, so I decided to more than make up for that this year by finally catching up on the Deluxe Edition hardcovers. Now I'll be able to experience the saga of the new Green Ranger! Also thrown in is the somehow-even-more-bonkers sequel to MMPR/TMNT, featuring everyone from Slash to Dinosaur Mutant Rangers. That should be a fun one to bust out on a rainy day.

LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog Shadow's Escape Set

SpongeBob Comics Volume 1: Silly Sea Stories

Yu-Gi-Oh! Minifigure (Got Dark Magician!)

Also scored a couple rad things from my sister's family. The Shadow set gives me my first taste of the LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog line (unless you count the Dimensions set from 2016) while the first collection of SpongeBob Comics adds to the illustrated nautical nonsense on my shelf. Rounding things out is a tiny Dark Magician figure from a blind bag. 'Cuz why not?

$50 Amazon Gift Card
Bluetooth Earbuds

Finishing things off, some dear family friends who didn't have the opportunity to drop by for Christmas last year gifted me some Bluetooth Earbuds (always handy to have spare headphones) and 50 bucks of Amazon cash. (You'll see how I'm gonna spend it in the next post.)

That's all 2023 wrote! Thanks for reading, and I wish you all the best in 2024!

The Christmas Fallout: 2022!

It's that time again. Santa's back at the North Pole for another year and I've got a spread of shiny new goodies to enjoy. Hope you all had a nice season or at the very least found a tiny bit of peace or happiness some time during it.

This is our FIFTH Fallout post, so you should know the score by now. I share my gifts with you, you can share yours in the comments, and we're able to have one last bit of materialistic holiday fun before the new year comes. Always love doing these each year, so let's put a cap on The Lazy Shell's 2022 in the most proper way!

$20 Nintendo eShop Card 

Peanut Butter M&Ms

Fudge Brownie M&Ms

Reese's Pieces Candy Cane

A Whole Squad of Mini Reese's Nutcrackers

Palmer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Milk Chocolate Bumble

Sour Big Chewy Nerds

Stocking pickings were a bit less varied this year, but they still provided me with a HUGE pile of candy, including personal favorites (can never go wrong with Peanut Butter and Fudge Brownie M&Ms) as well as some more interesting inclusions. (Those Nerds in particular I'm intrigued by.) Rounding out the sock filling was eShop cash, which I used to score some Switch DLC and an old gem or two on the 3DS and Wii U Virtual Consoles.

Sonic Frontiers (Switch)

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope Gold Edition

Pokémon Violet

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion (Switch)

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway (Switch)

Digimon Survive (Switch)

Was treated VERY well this year on the video game front, as every one of these titles promises to engross me for hours upon hours. Currently alternating between Sonic Frontiers (it's like 3D Sonic mixed with a collectathon and an action RPG!) and Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3. (It's understandably janky, but I've been having a TON of fun mastering each course and unlocking the LOADS of customization options. Plus, any game where I can have Invader Zim drive a hover version of the Turtle Van complete with tailpipes that look like Sal Ami from Wacky Delly is a GOTY contender by default.) Definitely excited to start digging into the other titles as well. (Especially the NEW OPEN-WORLD POKÉMON WITH A CROCODILE STARTER and the MARIO + RABBIDS SEQUEL WITH MORE RPG ELEMENTS AND PLAYABLE BOWSER. Can you tell that those two in particular have me a bit psyched?)

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series (SD Blu-ray)

Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm (Blu-ray + Digital Code)

Sonic X (English): The Complete Series (SD Blu-ray)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): The Complete Series

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past

Pokémon BW Rival Destinies: The Complete Season

Went big on the physical media this year!

Starting with the Blu-rays up top, despite growing up with the show as my primary televised Sonic entertainment, I had never actually gotten around to picking up any previous disc release of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog for a variety of reasons. Well, Discotek recently provided the PERFECT opportunity to finally add it to the collection. Their amazing set features the ENTIRE series (including the Christmas special) on just two Blu-ray discs with a ton of special features all wrapped up in a gorgeous case complete with multiple pieces of brand new artwork based directly on the old Sega Genesis Sonic game covers. I certainly couldn't pass the series up again with THAT kinda extra mile physical presentation. Adding to the animated Sonic fun, Discotek had ALSO previously released the English dub of Sonic X on SD Blu-ray and despite already owning the entire show on DVD, I figured there'd be no better time to finally pick the set up than now alongside AoStH. (Especially since it features all 78 eps on just TWO discs, making it ideal for a marathon rewatch, AND includes the previously-unreleased US pitch pilot.) Rounding out the BDs is the new Aqua Teen movie. Didn't quite measure up to the first in terms of hilarious insanity IMO, but this release has one BIG advantage over the first film's DVD: IT FREAKING WORKS. (AND it included a digital code so even if the disc DID stop working, I'd still have access to the movie. PLEASE rerelease the original movie with these upgrades, WB, I'm begging ya.)

Moving on to the DVDs, I had been collecting the 2012 TMNT sets pretty casually throughout the series' run, owning only Season 1, the first chunk of Season 2, and the Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady part of Season 5. When a budget rerelease of ALL of those old discs in one set surfaced on Amazon, however, I knew that it would be the PERFECT way to complete the show on my shelf all at once. (Sure, the new packaging has several of the discs stacked, but since this is 124 episodes of Turtles for less than forty bucks, I ain't complaining.) Also threw in the Half-Shell Heroes special for the sake of absolute completion. (It wasn't included in the Complete set because it wasn't technically part of the series proper.) Wrapping up this section is the latest Pokémon set, featuring Ash's remaining Unova gym battles, the return of Dawn and Cynthia, and the awesome debut of Krookodile.

Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 9: Chao Races & Badnik Bases 

Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 10: Test Run!

Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 11: Zeti Hunt!

Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 12: Trial by Fire

Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome

More Sonic action with my yearly dose of super speedy comics! Multiple new characters are introduced in this batch as part of the leadup to the milestone Issue 50. (Which will be available in trade form itself next year.) Evan Stanley also joins the book as a writer. (Alongside mainstay Ian Flynn, of course.) Excited to finally check out some of her stories. (Especially the first one where she introduces Shadow's little Chao buddy from the Sonic Channel artwork into proper canon.)

Invader Zim Volume 5 Deluxe Edition

Invader Zim: Oodles of Doom

More comics by way of the Irken Empire! Volume 5 completes the 50-issue ongoing run of the Oni Press Invader Zim series while the Oodles of Doom trade collects the four Quarterly issues that released after. Provided that they never reprint the Dookie Loop Horror one-shot in a trade (which I picked up digitally,) these should be the final Oni Press Zim books that I pick up. Looking forward to finishing up Zim's adventures on the printed page!

Sonic Mania Shirt

Shadow the Hedgehog Shirt

Kirby Shirt

Squirtle Shirt

Nerd shirts! My favorite's the Shadow one. (My sister's too, who helped pick it out.) The Kirby one's also really neat since I didn't really own any shirts representing the franchise before. (Aside from a cameo on a Smash parody shirt or two.)

Jakks Pacific Shadow the Hedgehog Figure 

Jakks Pacific Rouge the Bat Figure

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amazing Adventures: Robotanimals!

Finishing things up, my sister's family added to my Jakks Pacific Sonic collection with Shadow and Rouge, allowing me to represent two-thirds of Team Dark on my shelf. (It's ESPECIALLY nice to finally own a plastic representation of Rouge, who had only ONE previous action figure to her name.) Now all I need me is an Omega! They also gifted me the final mini-series that IDW did based off of the 2012 TMNT show, Robotanimals, which, as evidenced by the title, features the Mighty Mutanimals being turned into evil robots. The irony of that particular book being included alongside SONIC figures is not lost on me.

That does it for the last of this year's Lazy Shell posts! Hoping you all have a great 2023!

31st Birthday Haul

31st Birthday was today, so it's time for the obligatory loot post! Got it up on the actual day-of this time because I did most of my official celebrations on Sunday. Today was more of a "chill out" kinda day. Anyway, lookit mah stuff:

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Kirby and the Forgotten Land 

Bit of a smaller game haul this year, but there's a reason for that: one of my gifts was actually a pre-order for ANOTHER game, and ohhhhhhh it's a big one with a lot of extra goodies packed in. Unfortunately didn't get out in time for my Birthday, but it's still releasing this month, so I won't have to wait that much longer. You'll see it in the next post and I'm ALREADY salivating over it.

Anyway, looking forward to taking Kirby into the 3rd dimension for the first time and mastering a whole new way to catch Pokémon. Only played a bit of Forgotten Land so far, but it's just delightful. I love all of the collectibles and optional objectives. Scratches that 3D platformer itch something fierce while still feeling perfectly Kirby. Good stuff.

Sgt. Frog: The Complete Second Season (SD Blu-ray)

The Worlds Ends With You The Animation: The Complete Season

Two times the anime Blu-rays! Sgt. Frog Season 2 on SDBD finishes off the Funimation dub and moves into previously-uncharted territory for the show on US physical media with (sub-only) episodes 79-103. (Which also includes a cute little transition that Discotek added in to mark the point when it switches from dub to sub.) While I got into Keroro through the dub, I'm still overjoyed to finally own these previously-unreleased episodes and the subs are honestly of great quality. Already watched the whole set, in fact. (One of my favorite new-to-me eps was the one where Keroro forces everyone to play along with a Sentai-style TV show that he personally writes where he tries to kill off every other hero character for higher ratings and "drama." 🤣) Super excited for the future Season 3 release as that's COMPLETELY new stuff for me!

As for TWEWY The Animation, it's a great little adaptation of my favorite RPG story ever. Wish they had brought more of the original English cast back (instead of just Kariya) and it's missing certain elements from the game (everything's a lot faster paced, so stuff like Neku's character development doesn't have as much build-up,) but as far as turning a 20+ hour long JRPG into a 12-episode anime goes, I think it was still really well done and any fans of the game should check it out. Animation also looks really nice, so it's great to have it on Blu-ray. (Really wish it got a Special Edition version with extra swag like a Player Pin replica, though. Serious untapped potential there.)

Transformers: Beast Wars Volume 2

Marvel's Secret Reverse

Time for some comics! Added to my shelf's Beast Bot representation with Volume 2 of IDW's recent series (which also happens to include my favorite story from the run, "Thicker Skin") and dipped back into the old Marvel well for a Spider-Man/Iron Man team-up brought to us by the late, great Kazuki Takahashi. (RIP.) Yes, really. The heroes fight a corrupted game designer and everything! Plus, even though it's a manga, it's laid out like an American comic with full color artwork! Needless to say, definitely looking forward to fully experiencing one of Takahashi-sensei's final creative contributions. There's nothing quite like the creator of something you love (Yu-Gi-Oh!) creating what's essentially a giant love letter to something ELSE you love. (Marvel.)

Pokémon Adventures XY Volume 1

Pokémon Adventures XY Volume 2

Deadpool Samurai Volume 1

Deadpool Samurai Volume 2

More reading material in the form of manga! Marvel's up to bat again with Deadpool's take on the medium (complete with thinly-veiled Spider-Man expys, Symbiotes, fights with Thanos, My Hero Academia cameos and Wade's trademark mastery over the fourth wall) while Pokémon Adventures heads to Kalos. (REALLY excited to finally give the XY arc an official read!)

My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron (Amazon)

The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Volume 1: Scary Tales & Scarier Tentacles (Amazon)

Lastly, here's some stuff that I ordered with Birthday cash acquired from my Sister and Grandma. The second MLP crossover completes my collection of IDW TF books that I wanted to pick up before the license changed hands and the Simpsons comic collection gives me a whole tome of frightful funnies to indulge in for the upcoming spooky season. (It's HUGE, too. Over 400 pages of comic-exclusive Simpsons Treehouse material all wrapped up in a large, hardcover book with a slipcase and glow-in-the-dark cover for just under 40 bucks. THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST OF THREE VOLUMES, TOO!)

That officially puts a cap on Birthday #31! Next post will probably be around October/November, so I'll see ya'll again closer to the holidays!

Pre-Birthday Post of Bowziness, amiibocity, and Many Limbs

Time for another post, but this'll be a quickie! My Birthday is actually this Friday, but I've got a couple things I haven't shared with the blog yet in the meantime, so I decided to go ahead and post about it now so I can focus on strictly Birthday-related matters on Friday. Without further ado, here's more stuff!

Build-a-Bear Bowser (w/Sounds)

I've planned to pick up this guy for quite a while! When Build-a-Bear announced that one of their Super Mario collection plushes would be Bowser, I was interested, but I NEEDED it when it was revealed to be a TALKING one! There's actually a personal reason for this. 

Y'see, the guy on the right in the above photo is the larger-scale talking Bowser plush from Nintendo's old merch line from the 90's that you could order from the Power Supplies Catalog or find at Target/Sears/Babbages back in the day. I've actually had this guy since childhood and he's one of my most prized possessions. (Despite the fact that he no longer talks.) He was even in my 2000 school photo! So, needless to say, the possibility of adding an updated, modern-day talking Bowser plush that can still talk and uses his Kenny James voice clips from more recent games rather than his N64-era stock monster noises to my collection made me very, VERY giddy and I'm quite happy to finally score him. Plus, now I don't have to worry about buying more Build-A-Bear plushes! (Unless they make a Mewtwo. Or a Shadow. Or a Slash. God HELP me if they make an Armored Mewtwo.)

Marvel Legends Doppelganger (Amazon)

I've mentioned my love of Doppelganger in a previous post, so it stood to reason that I HAD to have him in Legends form. (Now I just need to figure out how to work him into my display without him knocking my other Spidey figures over with his superfluous limbs.)

Pokemon Trainer amiibo (Walmart)

King Dedede amiibo (Gamestop)

Wrapping things up with some more amiibo! Pokemon Trainer joins Charizard on my amiibo shelf, waiting for the rest of his team, while King Dedede finally rounds out the Kirby characters in my Smash collection. (Actually missed him the first time around, so I jumped on his reprint's Gamestop pre-order page when it went up.)

Told ya this'd be a quicker one! See ya Friday!