retro toy con | Screaming Soup!

SCREAMING AT 2025 HOLIDAYS!

08 Dec 2025 Leave a comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: 2025, animated, Billy, brian tochi, buddha mckeone, cartoon, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, eddie deezen, filmation, hanna-barbera, horror, horror host, james saito, jem and the holograms, kenn scott, larry kenney, matt cardona, monster, movie, pete cardonarozzi, peter newman, retro toy con, review, samantha newark, Screaming Soup!, silverhawks, skeleton, soup, teenage mutant ninja turtles, thundercats, tom cook, toy federation, twitter, youtube

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Or should we say Happy Halloween/Thanksgivin’ and Merry Christmas? Sorry it took so long to get back to ya, but we’ve been buried under non-stop holiday errands this year as the web’s #1 animated horror host show. Since October, we’ve hostin’ parties that scared, stuffed, and spread cheer fer numerous guests, switchin’ out countless decorations to keep pace with the back-to-back holidays, and makin’ public appearances while still findin’ every spare minute we can to finish our next episode while takin’ on other profitable ventures fer the benefit of Screaming Soup!

First off, our next episode is still on its way and will feature our unique search fer a new Phantom of the Opera to join Count Ted‘s new posse of classic monsters. Apologies it’s takin’ so long, but lots of stuff has been happenin’ behind the scenes here at Screaming Soup! HQ, and we’re movin’ as fast as an over caffeinated teen from Elm Street. Aside from havin’ to unexpectedly update our equipment earlier this year and jump on some financial opportunities we couldn’t refuse, some stuff that held up production was us takin’ a breather to create more promotional material fer Screaming Soup! and chase chances fer fundin’ we hope to use fer a hard ad blitz to get more peepers on what we’re doin’.

That said, we’re happy to announce we’re closer than ever to producin’ our first ever Screaming Soup! figures and replicas! Yessir, thanks to our diligent networkin’ and your support, 4″ Deadwest PVCs should be ready to sell next year ‘long with life size replicas of his heat slinger. Sweet, right?! Now Scream Freaks can take Deadwest wherever they go and add him to their horror host collectibles if not their favorite hodge podge team of random figures to play with from the toy chest. Or better yet, cosplay as Deadwest and carry ‘his signature sidearm that’s recreated from the show to the tiniest detail. Such an excitin’ moment fer us, and we can’t wait to use the profits fer makin’ figures of Billy and Mandy next! Only thang cooler is givin’ fans a sneak preview of the new Deadwest figure with a larger than life display at Retro-Toy Con.

Our amigos at our favorite toy store Toy Federation asked us to do the announcin’ once ‘gain at their annual Retro-Toy Con, and we were all too happy to oblige. With more toys than ever ‘fore, this was a real door buster of a weekend with the highest attendance yet. The dealer rooms were packed with toys, the lobby ‘came a jockey lot fer toy dealin’, and even rooms in the hotel were transformed into nine floors of mini-shops sellin’ anythin’ and everythin’ collectors might be lookin’ fer.

The highlight fer us, however, is always havin’ a space on the celebrity wall and gettin’ to rub elbows with all kinds of talents. All weekend, we joked with Larry Kenney, Peter Newman, and Peter Cannarozzi who were the vocal dynamos ‘hind the Thundercats and Silverhawks cartoons, got insider animation tips from Filmation/Hanna-Barbera animator Tom Cook, hung with the world’s biggest Thundercats fan Sean “Buddha” McKeone (promoting his new collector’s guide for any and all merch related to Thundercats, Silverhawks, and Tigersharks called Hall of Omens: Thunder-Verse!), meet wrasslin’ legend Matt Cardona, swap stories with James Saito who was the first to play Shredder in a live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles flick, talk cartoons with actor Eddie Deezen (Polar Express, Dexter’s Laboratory), have dinner with Samantha Newark (Jem’s speakin’ voice on Jem and the Holograms), and even got to unexpectedly eat pizza with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle actors Brian Tochi (voice of Leonardo from the first three live-action TMNT movies), and Kenn Scott (Raphael suit actor from TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze). Add all that action with us hostin’ the discussion panels that included the Thundercats reunion, sittin’ down to two straight nights of VIP celebrity suppers, singin’ karaoke, coordinatin’ local TV news coverage, and doin’ some interviews of our own — it was a busy fun time! The biggest highlights fer us had to be Jem callin’ Mandy pretty and learnin’ the Copper Kid from Silverhawks is the same synth voice ya hear in those ol’ Transformer commercials from the ’80s that says, “Transformers, Robots in Disguise.” Can’t wait to do it ‘gain next year!

So, ’til next time, Scream Freaks — Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and we’ll do our best to get our next episode under yer tree by the time Santa stops by.

Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, purchase Screaming Soup! Fan Club Kits and exclusive merch, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, watch our daily TikTok movie reviews and read recent bite-size reviews for the newer horror films we’re checkin’ out in our blog R-Rated Reviews, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets (are they still called that?), subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74 .

See ya later, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT RETRO TOY CON 2024!

25 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: 1, animated, art of g.i.joe, Billy, cartoon, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, facebook, five nights at freddy's, godzilla, hall of omens, halloween, horror, host, hurricane ryu, monster, movie, retro toy con, retro toy quest, review, screaming, Screaming Soup!, skeleton, soup, toy collector's wish book, toy federation, tsutomu kitagawa, twitter, youtube

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! It’s that time of year ‘gain — Retro Toy Con! And what a knee slappin’ blast it was! We returned as celebrity guests fer the South’s greatest toy show ’round and once ‘gain had the honor of emceeing the whole weekend ‘long with bein’ the exclusive host of the various panel discussions. Sweet exposure, right? Yessir, it was three days of unforgettable moments, bountiful toy huntin’, and friendships forged in plastic!

First off, thank ya kindly to every Scream Freak who made it a point to come out and give us a holler at our table! That’s always the highlight of these shows fer us, and we love yakkin’ with each one of ya. We upgraded our presence with Screaming Soup! playin’ on our biggest TV yet, had our Deadwest prop out fer countless picture opportunities, and was hard sellin’ our Screaming Soup! Fan Club Kits ‘long with pin-up prints we sell on the side of gals from ’80s cartoons.

As far as the toy scene was concerned, this was one terrific mix of vendors and collections ya had to see to disbelieve thanks to Retro Toy Con’s mindful screenin’ process. Ensurin’ there’s somethin’ fer everyone, there weren’t just miles of the usual big name IPs but booths blown out with Jem dolls and Barbies, multiple bins full o’ M.U.S.C.L.E. figures, Body Wars playsets on card, numerous board games I ain’t never heard of, and too many pop culture lunch boxes to count. The most desirable thing I saw, however, wasn’t even a toy, but the iconic She-Hulk funny book with splash page after splash page of her jump ropin’ in her birthday suit. Woulda snagged it off the showcase shelf then and there, but I make it a habit to not buy comics priced at a $100 and up!

Needless to say, the most fun had over the weekend was with the celebrity guests who proved to be some of the coolest top shelf talents anyone could ask fer. We got to partner up with the incredible WWE hall of famer “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart fer a few promotional announcements, got a surprise visit from Eddie Deezen, share a laugh or two with Daniel “Boba Feet” Logan and the stars of the live action Ninja Turtles movies Ernie Reyes Jr (Donatello/Keno), Paige Turco (April), and Kevin Clash who graced the con with some Splinter quotes over the announcements, and we even mingled a bit with two HUGE guests from Japan — Godzilla suit actors Tsutomu Kitagawa and Hurricane Ryu! They were a hoot durin’ their exclusive Godzilla dinner fer top payin’ fans, and had the whole room cheerin’ when they took center stage and acted out their interpretations of each Godzilla performance through the different eras of the movies. Even cooler, they were drawin’ up a storm at their table all weekend with beautiful hand inked kaiju art which Godzilla fans gobbled up like hotcakes. What can’t these guys do?!

The biggest takeaway fer us this weekend came unexpectedly. Our neighbors on the celebrity wall happen to be former room mates turned Hollywood suit actors and stunt men, Kevin Foster and Chris Daniels. Kevin’s been gainin’ alotta traction lately fer playin’ Freddy in Five Nights at Freddy’s and wrangled Chris into the convention scene on account o’ him playin’ Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man double in the Sam Raimi flicks. These guys were so much fun and incredibly down to Earth jokesters who’d answer any question a fan had whether it was ’bout the lore of one of their films or how comfortable their costumes were. Chris was so cool, he even allowed us the embarrassment of losin’ to him in an arm wrasslin’ match we’re at least proud to say lasted a couple o’ minutes. Gatherin’ crowds of onlookers cheered us on, folks told Chris to win fer Uncle Ben, and someone even tried to give us the advantage of a backwards hat as we did our best contorted Stallone face outta Over the Top. Despite the inevitable defeat that left us with an arm so tired we could barely hold our announcer’s mike fer the next hour, we still feel like we went the distance, and can honestly tell folks that excitin’ time we arm wrassled the real Spider-Man fer the rest of our days. But lose or not, we got Chris back when we scared the bajeebers outta him when we made him think we were ’bout to bring Arn and Brock Anderson over to challenge him after we started announcin’ Chris as Retro Toy Con’s arm wrasslin’ champ the rest of the weekend.

Other folks worth mentionin’ are the amazin’ authors we met and hosted panels fer this weekend who took it upon ’emselves to publish some uber sweet guide books on collectin’ everyone should know ’bout. There’s Retro Toy Quest’s Toy Collector’s Wish Book Vol 1-2 that showcases the history of short lived toy lines from the ’80s with interviews and articles with the talents behind their productions. The Art of GIJoe Omnibus that’s a coffee table of a tome slammed with high res art of all kinds of GIJoe masterpieces from the packagin’ art to story books and more that’s easily worth the $150 it’s askin’ fer. The Hall of Omens – The Unofficial Guide to the Thundercats Toys and Beyond which is a top notch accomplishment in self publishin’ from rockin’ author Sean “Buddha” McKeone which even features the most in depth info ever compiled on the Thundercats Live Action Tour from the ’80s. And the After Action Report books chroniclin’ the history of the G.I.Joe comics from their many different eras by Josh Eggebeen & Roger Taft.

So, as ya can read, it’s been a looong fun packed weekend. Throw in cosplay contests, karaoke, lobby swappin’, folks sellin’ toys outta their hotel rooms after hours, exclusive celebrity dinners . . .

Oh, and Big Announcement! Thanks to the roarin’ success of Retro Toy Con, the brains behind the operation had me pluggin’ their newest event planned fer September 2025 — Retro Horror Con! That’s right, startin’ next year, the South’s got an all new location fer horror, and it’s gonna be Retro Horror Con in Greenville, SC with none other than yer favorite animated horror host on the roster and the mike as emcee. What could be better than a horror host hostin’ a horror convention packed with hoards of scary collectibles and horror hall o’ famers from the silver scream? More details are comin’ soon, and we’ll keep ya up to date as they come in.

Endless thanks to all our amigos at Toy Federation, the toy store responsible fer puttin’ on Retro Toy Con. Ya treat everyone like stars, and we’re thankful fer all you do fer us.

Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, purchase Screaming Soup! Fan Club Kits and exclusive merch, come meet us in person at Retro Toy Con November 22-24 in Greenville, SC, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent bite-size reviews for the newer horror films we’re checkin’ out in our blog R-Rated Reviews, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets (are they still called that?), subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74 .

See ya later, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT PLASTIC, PRINT, AND PRESS!

25 Sep 2024 1 Comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: 1, 2024, animated, Billy, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, facebook, halloween, horror, host, interview, lost anarchy magazine, monster, movie, retro toy con, review, screaming, Screaming Soup!, skeleton, soup, toy federation, twitter, youtube

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! Ya know, we once heard the great funny paper artist Bill Watterson never got into the merch game, because it would only interrupt his daily grind at the drawin’ board and take him away from the joy of creatin’ new Calvin and Hobbes strips. Despite his dedication to steadily providin’ fans with countless adventures within a six-year-old’s imagination, however, we’re sure plenty of readers wouldn’t mind a brief hiatus now and ‘gain if it meant allowin’ Watterson the time to make it possible fer ’em to physically possess representations of their favorite characters. After all — who wouldn’t wanna stuffed tiger full o’ endless adventures, right?

That’s why we’ve momentarily hit the brakes as of late to shift our focus to more merchandise focused efforts. After listenin’ to you Scream Freaks over the years, we know what kinda Screaming Soup! stuff ya want, and we’re finally gonna see that some of it happens. Thanks to y’all’s generous donations on Patreon and the number of Screaming Soup! Fan Club Kits we’ve sold, we’re in a terrific position to work toward the independently funded production of PVC figures, a replica of Deadwest’s heat slinger, and additional tradin’ cards and posters.

If ya never made yer own toys ‘fore, let us tell ya — it’s alotta work! Wantin’ to make sure these shelf fillers are made to the exact specs of yer favorite animated horror hosts, we had to relearn every nook and cranny of our characters top to bottom as if creatin’ ’em fer the first time all over ‘gain. With plans to produce a first line consistin’ of Deadwest, Mandy, and Billy, it’s been a real learnin’ curve fer how to best imagine ’em in plastic fer fan consumption while capturin’ that vision on paper fer digital artists to grasp as they translate that art to digital renderings fer physical mass production. Doodlin’ a goat from hell is easy ‘nough, but now we have to think third dimensional with questions like of how far Billy’s eyes bulge from his head, if the sixes on his chest should be reliefs or slightly recessed carvings on the final sculpt, and whether or not his hoofs are flat or hollow on the bottoms. Things we take fer granted as animators when zippin’ past these forgivable details of anatomy and perspective on paper, but come to curse ourselves fer when havin’ to bring it into the real world. We might’ve gone a little overboard with pages and pages of angles and notes on how every little detail should be pushed and pulled outta the sculpts, especially since we were told we only needed to provide four sided drawings per character, but we didn’t wanna leave questions unanswered fer the fine folks turnin’ our 2D wishes into 3D reality. Funniest thing is, some of the characters’ looks subtly evolved over the course of this project, influencin’ how they’ll be appearin’ in future episodes. Nothin’ drastic mind ya, but positive jumps like comparin’ the look of The Simpsons from season one to season five.

And nobody panic over the future of Screaming Soup! episodes! We’re resumin’ our production schedule as these merch projects hit various waitin’ periods fer different reasons, and we’re really lookin’ forward to our next outin’ with Count Ted as we help him audition fer a new Phantom of the Opera. It’s gonna be one head bangin’ good time!

Our amigos at Lost Anarchy Multi-Media Pulp Magazine are at it ‘gain! With it bein’ time fer their Halloween issue, Mojo El Diablo has asked us back fer ‘nother interview which makes us happier than a tick on a bloodhound! Gettin’ our thoughts on recent flicks, killer tomatoes, and our upcomin’ con appearances, this is a Screaming Soup! collectable Scream Freaks can’t miss! Especially with LAMMPM’s cover to cover offerings of original comics, hard rock articles, and butt naked centerfolds! Hit ’em up fer a physical copy in the mail or visit their Website as well as their YouTube channel. Expect to see LAMMPM’s Mojo El Diablo in our next episode of Screaming Soup!

Lastly, we’re once ‘gain hauntin’ the upcomin’ toy convention to end all toy conventions at Retro Toy Con in Greenville, SC November 22-24. Ran by Toy Federation, this con has everything! Rare and hard to find collectables from all movies, shows, and genres, cosplay contests, and a multitude of guests from huge franchises like Star Wars, Godzilla, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Spider-Man, and — of course — Screaming Soup! We’ll be emceeing the event all weekend, hostin’ the panels, and joining in on all the celebrity VIP meals so ya better make it out there Scream Freaks! We’ll have stickers, cards, Screaming Soup! Fan Club Kits, and original prints waitin’ fer ya at our table as well as picture opportunities with Deadwest in person! Get more details at RetroToyCon.com and check out Toy Federation’s ever popular YouTube channel HERE.

See ya later, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT THANKSGIVING 2023!

22 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: alyson court, animated, Billy, cal dodd, cartoon, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, eric lewald, facebook, george buza, horror, host, interview, julia lewald, killer tomatoes, lenore zann, marc edens, marvel, monster, pixel dan, podcast, previously on x-men, retro toy con, retro toy quest, review, roscoe handford, screaming, Screaming Soup!, shartimus prime, skeleton, soup, toy federation, twitter, x-men, xmen, youtube

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! That annual belly buster known as Turkey Day is upon us ‘gain, and we’ve got plenty to be thankful fer!

First off, we just got back from one of our favorite cons still willin’ to allow us in the door — RETRO TOY CON! Presented by our amigos at Toy Federation, this playful plastic pickin’ weekend was one fer the history books we tell ya what. Three days of toy huntin’, pizza parties, lobby/room/and parkin’ lot toy swappin’, celebrity meet and greets, costume contests, panel discussions, and listenin’ to our big yap act as the emcee of the event, doin’ our best to keep folks entertained ‘tween announcements with jokes ’bout signin’ petitions fer a Popples panel and findin’ us a Polly Pocket fer our Mighty Max.

While we did manage to score some new shelf fillers from obscure Bad Eggz Bunch to bargain bin Goombas from the ’93 Mario Bros. movie (with the coats still attached! Whoa!!), the biggest highlights were the friends and memories we made. We screamed He-Man know-it-all Pixel Dan‘s name whenever he walked by (much to his annoyance, we’re sure), swapped YouTube war stories with toy fanatic Shartimus Prime, shared our favorite hot dog hang-outs with Eddie Deezen, got the skinny on Retro Toy Quest‘s new Toy Collector’s Wishbook, joked a little with WWE Hall of Famers the Steiner Brothers, and talked ’bout the current state of the film biz with Star Wars alum Chris Parsons.

The headliner of the week, however, was the reunion of the creative forces behind the ’92 X-Men cartoon from Fox Kids, and we can’t tell ya how wild it is to get to know the voices behind characters we have such fond memories of from childhood. George “Beast” Buza entertained us with tales from the set of The Brain (1988) with him playing a henchman eaten by a giant rubber monster of gray matter. Alyson “Jubilee” Court was kind ‘nough to say those famous lines of hers as Lydia on the Beetlejuice cartoon over the intercom system. Roscoe “Ms. Marvel” Handford gave us some good laughs over her photos with our Screaming Soup! props. We had a terrific sit down with Lenore “Rogue” Zann discussin’ her time playin’ Sizzle on the long forgotten Stunt Dawgs cartoon. Cal “The Wolverine” Dodd was a hoot and a half with his displeasure over some obnoxious boom box playin’ a butchered version of Wipe Out. And the ringleaders of this mutant circus, showrunners Eric and Julia Lewald with Mark Edens, were some of the kindest, most approachable folks anyone could ask to meet. The best time we had with ’em was talkin’ ’bout how many western flicks influenced the scripts fer X-Men, Exo-Squad, and Spiral Zone while tradin’ some of the dumbest jokes we could think of! If ya haven’t bought either of Eric and Julia’s books on the makin’ of the X-Men series, do yourself a favor and snatch these up NOW. Previously on X-Men has a ton of interviews with the cartoon’s cast and creators while featurin’ a ton of behind trivia per episode, and X-Men: The Art and Making of The Animated Series simply explodes with an unbelievable ‘mount of production art and notes not seen in most books based on toons from this era.

In addition to this overload of excitement, we also got to behold one mother of a 3D printin’ project an up and comin’ toy company blessed the con with — a LARGER than life reproduction of the original Masters of the Universe toy line by True Legacy Design. We’re talkin’ HUGE He-Man figures with all the same action gimmicks accompanied by unbelievably proportioned vehicles and playsets. Unreal, right? Currently workin’ on gettin’ the licensin’ rights from Mattel, True Legacy Design hopes to start sellin’ these bad mama jammas to the public in the near future and already started their own YouTube channel to get news buzzin’ on this incredible venture of theirs. Who knows? Maybe they can help us produce some Screaming Soup! figures!

Speakin’ of Screaming Soup! products, we finally got in the rest of the merch this week for the upcomin’ Screaming Soup! Fan Club Kit, and it’s shaped up to be one sweet package of tangible goodies. Full of various stickers, a mini-poster, buttons, and trading cards, this sucker’s sure to be at the top of every Scream Freaks’ wish list this holiday season and will be ready for sale shortly. Thanks ‘gain to the Scream Freaks on Patreon whose contributions made this treat possible. We’ll be contactin’ you for your mailin’ addresses to make sure you’re the first to receive this amazin’ package of soupy goodness!

And ‘fore we forget, the creators of The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes franchise just released the first handful of episodes fer their new Killer Tomatoes podcast that takes fans behind the scenes of the most hilarious cult flicks inspired by the produce aisle, and we’re a featured guest fer one of ’em! Listen to filmmakers Costa Dillon and Steve Peace yap with the series’ most recurrin’ actor John Astin aka Dr. Gangreen, Marc Price (star of Killer Tomatoes Eat France), and us fer makin’ the 3 hour long documentary on all things Killer Tomatoes! Listen to it all NOW on Spotify!

Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent bite-size reviews for the newer horror films we’re checkin’ out in our blog R-Rated Reviews, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets (are they still called that?), subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74 .

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT HALLOWEEN 2023!

25 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: 1, animated, beast, cartoon, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, eddie deezen, facebook, halloween, horror, host, jubilee, killer tomatoes, monster, movie, music, pixel dan, PLAYLIST, podcast, retro toy con, review, rogue, screaming, Screaming Soup!, skeleton, soup, steiner brothers, toy federation, twitter, wolverine, wwe, wwf, x-men, youtube

A chill hangs in the air as eerie winds weave their way through summer’s grasp, transformin’ luscious trees into gnarly silhouettes surrounded by colorful last gasps. Gourds are gutted and displayed on suburban stoops with grisly grins of fire ‘long side cacklin’ ghouls of plastic, circuits, and wires. Creeps put on their sinful bests and parade for candy as unwelcomed guests. Can it be? Could it mean? Why, yes, it’s a Happy Halloween!

Trick ‘r treat, Scream Freaks! Yup, it’s that spooktacular time of year ‘gain, and we’re happier than witches flyin’ over the full moon! Costume parties, horror flick marathons, scary pranks . . . just ‘nother day fer us ya could say, but Halloween’s a perfect ‘cuse to crank it to 11.

Speakin’ of rock references, don’t forget we got yer back when it comes to needin’ the perfect playlist of terror-ific tunes fer yer next hootenanny. With a jukebox full o’ nearly 600 diddies celebratin’ the scariest time of the year, y’all have access to 36 hours of our own hand picked songs havin’ anything to do with horror movies and TV shows as well as stand alone tunes packed with creepy themes and lyrics. Whether ya hit play and kick back, or use it as a springboard for creatin’ your own custom playlist, we just wanna help as many folks as we can who’re beggin’ fer more music than the usual go-tos like “Ghostbusters” and “Thriller.” Just visit our Howl-Inn Grub & Spirit Jukebox page HERE and enjoy!!

In the meantime, yer probably wonderin’ what’s goin’ on with Count Ted‘s situation since Frankenstein hooked him up with Wolfie in the Massacre Mountains. Well, they’re doin’ fine and Ted’s really comin’ up to speed fer how to be the Crossland’s new king of the vampires. Just in time too, ’cause he’s still game fer Wolfie’s plan to reunite Drac’s ol’ gang as part of his new regime, and the next guy we’re wranglin’ in’s gonna make one helluva splashy entrance. Rumor has it the long missin’ gill creature’s been sighted ’round the Crosslands’ favorite distraction Draculand, and let us tell ya — lookin’ for a creep ‘mong a sea of creeps in a fantasy getaway slammed with wall to wall theme park rides, mazes, and other sweet attractions ain’t gonna be easy. Parkin’s gonna be ‘nough of a nightmare!

Somethin’ else we’re excited to ‘nnounce is a Screaming Soup! Fan Club Kit in the works. Thanks to the generosity of Scream Freaks like y’all donatin’ to our Patreon, we now have ‘nough capital to produce some cool merch we’ll be packagin’ in one sweet bundle. Full o’ different kinds of stickers, buttons, coasters, tradin’ cards, pogs, and mini posters, it’s gonna be a regular treasure chest of collectables fer Scream Freaks everywhere wantin’ a piece of our show they can happily hold in their claws. So, keep ’em peepers peeled, ’cause that’ll be comin’ sooner than later!

Followin’ up on our Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Retrospective we released a few months back, we’re thrilled to learn the masterminds behind the franchise liked our three hour praise fest of their work so much, they now have it permanently featured on the home page of the Killer Tomatoes website! Just when we didn’t think it could get any better than yappin’ with every cast and crew member involved with our favorite cult series, somethin’ like this happens and makes us feel like we’re now part of that incredible history. And if that weren’t ‘nough, we just learned Killer Tomatoes co-creators Costa Dillon and Steve Peace are startin’ their own Killer Tomatoes podcast and asked us to be one of their first guests! Jumpin’ jack-o-lanterns!! Y’all know when that episode drops the second we do!

In other news, next month is the return of our favorite toy convention from our amigos at Toy Federation — Retro-Toy Con! Not only are we pumped to snag us a table at this supremo hot spot fer toy fanatics huntin’ fer plastic treasures from yesteryear and today, but the guest list we’re a part of this time is just uncanny! Believe it or not, yer favorite animated horror host will be huggin’ the celebrity wall with none other than the original voice cast of Fox’s X-Men cartoon from the ’90s, WWE hall o’ famers the Steiner Brothers, Eddie Deezen from Dexture’s Lab, Star War’s Chris Parsons, and Pixel Dan! You bet yer Halloween candy it’s gonna be one helluva good time, and ya won’t wanna miss out! We’ll be actin’ as the announcer of the dealer’s room once ‘gain and have exclusive art prints fer sale at our Screaming Soup! table ‘long with free candy and opportunities to take yer picture with Deadwest undead in person! Mark yer calendars and come out see me and the rest of these amazin’ guests next month, November 17-19 in Greenville, SC!

See ya later, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT THANKSGIVING AND RETRO-TOY CON!

30 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: 2022, animated, arthur burghardt, barry gordon, best saturdays of our lives, bloody social movie, cam clarke, cartoon, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, facebook, gijoe, greenville, hacksaw jim, horror, host, jem, killer tomatoes, mark mccray, million dollar man, monster, movie, ninja turtles, retro toy con, retrospective, review, rob paulsen, samantha newark, sc, screaming, Screaming Soup!, skeleton, soup, townsend coleman, toy federation, trandformers, twitter, warrington gillete, youtube

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! After weeks full of holiday parties, noisy parades, and belly bustin’ dinners, most folks would double over dead from exhaustion, but not us! We dropped dead forever ago and feel more alive than EVER as Thanksgivin’ returns, encouragin’ us to admit things we’re thankful fer.

Right now, we’re most thankful for bein’ a part of Retro-Toy Con recently, which is this unbelievable toy convention thrown by our compadres over at Toy Federation. These guys know how to party, let us tell ya. Not only did they make sure to pack the dealer room with an unbelievable mix of toys from yesteryear and today rangin’ from obscure Freddy Krueger knockoffs to mainstream mainstays like Star Wars and G.I. Joe, they even booked all kinds of celebrity guests from our favorite Saturday morning cartoons, Friday the 13th Part 2, the WWE hall of fame, and let’s not forget — yer favorite animated horror host Deadwest!

Yessir, as part of the star line-up, we happily spent the weekend meetin’ you Scream Freaks who showed up while as well as tradin’ quips with wrasslers Hacksaw Jim and the Million Dollar Man, doin’ Cobra Commander impressions with Arthur Burghardt (G.I. Joe’s original Destro), sharin’ candy with Jem and the Holograms‘ Samantha Newark, slingin’ back drinks at the bar with Warrington Gillette aka the first Jason Voorhees to kill onscreen, hangin’ ten with the first gang of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actors, Rob Paulsen, Cam Clarke, Townsend Coleman, and Barry Gordon, and catchin’ up with our amigos Mark McCray and Dan Klink from The Best Saturday Mornings of Our Lives podcast. Fanboy overload, right? Even better, we got to be Retro-Toy Con’s MC the whole time, makin’ important ’round the clock announcements while teasin’ the other guests with random messages. “Attention Hacksaw Jim. We checked, and we’re sorry, but you can’t use yer 2×4 when thumb wrasslin’ yer fans.”

Sure to go down as one of the greatest achievements of our afterlives was Rob and Arthur complimentin’ our pipes. Words can’t describe what receivin’ that kinda validation means to us comin’ from such talented voicebox dynamos. Only other moment that comes close to beatin’ it was at the end of the con, when we zipped from one cartoon superstar to the next for closin’ statements with the best one bein’ Samantha sayin’, “Show’s over, Synergy.”

This vendor had a beast of a My Pet Monster collection!

And if that weren’t ‘nough of a treat, we even had the honor of hostin’ all the celebrity panels! We asked Warrington ’bout his journey from Wall Street broker to bein’ celebrated as one of the few actors to play Jason over a little kumbaya campfire, and he pitched fans an offer to own a part of his newest flick, Bloody Social. Arthur Burghardt held our hand in shock as we revealed our interest in him takin’ us down memory lane to when he was a magic hobo in Full Moon’s Killjoy. The panel that was the most fun fer us, however, was forcin’ Hacksaw Jim and Ted “The Million Dollar Man” Dibiase to sit through a slideshow of their greatest hits in plastic as they gave their feedback on all the different toys made in their image over the years. We forgot to record our pow-wow with Arthur like dumbasses, but we’ll be sharin’ the audio from the panels with Warrington, Hacksaw, and Dibiase ‘fore long, so y’all can get a taste of the fun we had.

Speakin’ of yappin’ with talents, we even managed to steal Rob and Cam away from their turtle fans long ‘nough to interview ’em fer their work on the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes cartoon series for our Killer Tomato Retrospective we’ve been teasin’. Cam not only played Gangreen’s evil sidekick, Igor; he even voiced one of the killer tomatoes from the second season ‘long with Rob’s mutant veggie, Mummato. We still can’t believe our luck! We’re incredibly thankful fer their participation in our project and can’t wait to add their clips of ’em playin’ with their mutant tomato chew toys with everyone else’s stories of bein’ in such a wonderfully wacky series.

Speakin’ of the Killer Tomatoes Retrospective — UPDATE — We’re comin’ closer and closer to completin’ this bucket list of a dream project. Editin’ is just ’bout done, the animation shouldn’t take too long, and after we drop in the soundtrack –POW! We hope to have this sucker out there for y’all to enjoy ‘fore Valentine’s Day! What could be sweeter than the first ever behind-the-scenes feature of anythin’ and everythin’ Killer Tomatoes with ’bout 20 interviews of nearly everyone involved from the filmmakers to the cast and crew?! We can’t wait!

Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74 .

See ya later, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT HALLOWEEN 2022!

31 Oct 2022 Leave a comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: 2022, animated, Billy, cartoon, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, halloween, horror, host, monster, movie, retro toy con, review, screaming, Screaming Soup!, skeleton, soup, twitter, youtube

Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74 .

And be sure to catch us November 18-20 at Retro-Toy Con where we’ll be rubbin’ elbows with other celebrity guests such as the original cast of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, Jem and GI Joe voice actors, WWF Hall of Famers, and Jason Voorhees actors! Tons of toys, lotta panels, more fun than you can handle!

See ya later, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT THANKSGIVING 2021!

24 Nov 2021 Leave a comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: 1, 2021, afterlife, animated, cartoon, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, facebook, ghostbusters, horror, horrorhound, host, joe bob briggs, LAST DRIVE-IN, monster, movie, retro toy con, review, screaming, Screaming Soup!, sgt slaughter, shrunk 3d, silver bolo award, skeleton, soup, thanksgiving, toy federation, twitter, youtube

Howdy there, Scream Freaks! It’s that sappy time o’ year ‘gain when folks reflect on everythin’ worth reminiscin’ ’bout and what better place to vent our tear jerkin’ thanks than here with y’all?

Most recent stuff first, we’re super thankful to the fine fellas at our favorite toy chest of yesteryear and today’s playful plastics, Toy Federation, and had an incredible time at their momentous event this past weekend, Retro Toy Con. It was a full weekend cuttin’ up with ol’ friends, networkin’ with new talents, and meetin’ excited Scream Freaks in person.

We drew doodles of fans with their favorite pop icons from Michael Myers to G.I. Joe, haggled fer a buncha new wall art to hang at the Howl Inn Grub & Spirits, and had fun makin’ joke announcements over the intercom like requestin’ Sgt. Slaughter move his Sherman tank ‘fore it’s towed for bein’ double parked. The most memorable moments, however, had to be the accidental encounters we had sittin’ down with the celebrity guests over lunches. We got to shoot the breeze with Sgt. Slaughter fer a bite while talkin’ ’bout his amazin’ career from cameos on Super Mario Bros. Super Show to bein’ a He-Man figure this past year, then later found ourselves discussin’ the value of takin’ an actin’ class over pizza with Dan Gilvezan (voice of the original Transformers’ Bumblebee and Spider-Man from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends) and François Chau (Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Secret of the Ooze). Freakin’ awesome!

One truly amazin’ thing we saw that could be a new trend on the horizon for cons is a mobile service that turns folks into their own action figure size statues! Yup, a little company called Shrunk 3D hauls a trailer ’round the country containin’ this sophisticated camera booth, and when someone steps inside, it instantly snaps every visible nook and cranny of their essence. Feedin’ that info into a super computer, the photos are then crunched into a 3D image over the next few weeks that’s eventually spit out of a 3D printer in uber detail, colors and all, and shipped back to its life-size doppelganger. Jumpin’ jack-o-lanterns, that’s cool as hell! With six different size figures to choose from, we so badly wanted to create our first ever Deadwest figure but ultimately decided our miniature lifelike double would come out a little too fragile and misshapen compared to the sweet hand sculpted look we imagine in our heads. Still though, a fantastic idea fer anyone who ever wants to immortalize themselves in plastic, so look this travelin’ business up in time fer the holidays!

We’re also thankful ‘gain fer the Silver Bolo Award we received from Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder’s The Last Drive-In. The announcement was made back in April this year durin’ the premier of The Last Drive-In‘s third season, but we just now got the silver painted bolo and certificate in the mail which was just as excitin’! We value this win so much, we made a copy of the certificate to show off at Retro Toy Con and proudly wore the Silver Bolo from our necks for all to see over the weekend. It’s now a permanent accessory with our attire!

Somethin’ else we’re thankful fer is the new Ghostbusters flick not suckin’ and stickin’ with the canon of the first two movies which would have made up fer a lot of the problems we had with the 2016 version. Granted, we still had issues with the filmmakers recyclin’ the whole Gozer storyline, but it was still a fun and satisfyin’ return to a childhood favorite of ours.

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (2021)

Ditchin’ the Ghostbusters decades ago, Egon passes away on a dirt farm and leaves his inheritance to his grand young’ns he haunts into continin’ his fight as junior Ghostbusters’ gainst Gozer’s apocalyptic return. A fantastic sequel in spirit that keeps within the canon of the first two Ghostbuster flicks, this amazin’ lookin’ film boasts heartfelt actin’, stellar effects, one of the best scores since Back to the Future, and the triumphant return of the original paranormal eliminators I know and love for one brief moment. My only gripes with this sucker is I wish the filmmakers had come up with a whole new big bad to threaten the world ‘stead of recyclin’ Gozer and all his/her predictable plot points. I also didn’t like how quickly the story rushes to the final fight with Gozer as soon as the young’ns encounter their first free floatin’ booger, and the inclusion of Ivo Shandor was cool but pretty pointless overall. Spook chasin’, RC car ghost traps, spirit photography, possessions, spectral comets, ghost traps galore, CGI Egon, ghost chess, hidey hole puzzles, proton stream crossin’, slammer sequences, metal munchin’ boogers, terror dogs, mini-Marshmallow Men antics, Real Ghostbuster toy nods, soul pits, and ancient ruins! 4/5!

And finally, we’re thankful fer everyone who gave our show an opportunity this past year. We’re thankful fer Mr. Lobo, Sluggo, and Uncle Pete fer sharin’ it on their platforms. Thankful fer the fine folks at HorrorHound Magazine fer includin’ us as guest hosts at their virtual film festival. And most importantly, thankful to all you Scream Freaks fer watchin’ our show and sharin’ it with whoever would listen. All this has helped the show grow and fuel the creative fires fer us to continue doin’ what we love.

Other than that, please show your support fer our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo’s OSI 74!

See ya later, Scream Freaks!

SCREAMING AT HALLOWEEN 2021!

29 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

by screamingsoup in Uncategorized Tags: 1, 1978, 2018, 2021, animated, card, cartoon, child's play, chucky, comic, cowboy, Deadwest, e-card, ecard, facebook, halloween, horror, host, interview, kills, michael myers, monster, movie, original, retro toy con, review, roger jackson, scream, screaming, Screaming Soup!, skeleton, soup, tony moran, toy federation, twitter, youtube

Howdy there, Scream Freaks, and Happy Halloween!

Last we wrote y’all, we were in mad preparation fer an unforgettable night with one of the original Michael Myers, Tony Moran. Thanks to our amigos at our favorite toy chest for today and yesteryear’s playful plastics, Toy Federation, we were lucky ‘nough to kick off the holiday season hostin’ a QnA with Tony, whose claim to horror fame is playin’ Michael when he’s unmasked at the top of the stairs by Laurie in Halloween ’78. Needless to say, the night was electric!

After spending hours at Toy Federation with arms full of Myers memorabilia for Tony to grace with his John Hancock, Halloween die-hards eagerly followed the slasher of the hour over to the theater around the corner for even more unforgettable face time ‘fore kickin’ back to a candid QnA followed by a big-screen showin’ of Michael’s screen debut. There were Michael Myers cosplayers roamin’ the theater, folks teasin’ each other with the jingle from Halloween III, deep geek discussions over who Michael can whoop in a fight . . .

The highlight of the night fer us, however, was this one uber fan who rolled up without a clue what was even happenin’. With her car blinged out in bumper to bumper horror flick decals, we happily welcomed her, believin’ she could only be there for Tony and Halloween. Much to everyone’s surprise, she actually came to see Venom: Let There Be Carnage but began hyperventilatin’ at the mention of an actual Michael Myers actor makin’ an appearance. Things only escalated after she parked, ’cause she so happen to stroll up to the theater the same time Tony arrived, meltin’ her into a fan girl puddle. Ever grateful, Tony gave her one of the most genuinely down to Earth greetin’s we’ve ever seen from a celebrity and was kind ‘nough to sign the dashboard of her horror-themed ride with Michael proudly displayed ‘cross the top of the windshield. Class act if we say so ourselves.

After ‘nother round of photos and autographs in the lobby, we finally made our way to the theater to host the QnA, and let us tell ya —- Tony’s a hoot of a storyteller! Now, some convention videos on the web wanna spin Tony’s brash stories into portrayals of him bashin’ on the horror genre, its fans, and especially the Halloween franchise, but that’s all out of context. Tony does knock these things, but ’cause he’s sharin’ his initial thoughts and feelin’s as a twenty somethin’ actor bein’ cast in a little obscure horror flick. He admits he thought it was all nonsense 40 plus years ago, but has since come to appreciate the movie(s) and its impact on fans worldwide who he now has a deeper respect and love for.

So, after ’bout an hour of where-when-how he became involved in Halloween with reservations over wearin’ a mask in a non-speakin’ role for what he feared was a porno for a hot second (on account of a prominent jar of Vaseline that was actually used to prevent his hair from stickin’ to the inside of the mask), Tony gave his final heartfelt bow of the night and exited to a uproarious round of applause as the flick that brought him there began playin’ ‘cross the silver screen. It was a pretty memorable night, and we’ll be sharin’ video of it as soon as possible.

Even better, Tony teased at his involvement in the newest Myers flick, Halloween Kills, which most of us were pretty pumped ’bout this month. We say most, ’cause if you saw our latest Graphic Violence video reviewin’ every Halloween funny book ever published, then ya heard our rant on how dumb we think Laurie’s mission to kill Michael is now that they’re no longer related. We still had alotta respect fer the 2018 resequel, however, and was moderately anxious to see the latest installment in this revised timeline of the Halloween continuity. Already goin’ in with low expectations, no one could’ve prepared us fer the dumpster fire of a storyline we would witness!

HALLOWEEN KILLS (2021)

An immediate follow-up to Michael Myers’ newest mulligan timeline introduced in 2018’s Halloween, the infamous bogeyman remains at large and continues ruinin’ Halloween for everyone in Haddonfield with an indifferent murder spree that gains the attention of a town wide lynch mob led by survivors of Michael’s first holiday massacre in 1978. Easily one of my least favorite sequels ‘mong the Halloween movies, Halloween Kills is just a string of ridiculous moments that feels like some teenager’s attempt at fan fiction that’s neither fun or rewatchable. The dialogue’s wildly over the top and repetitive (“Evil dies tonight!), there’s way too many folks spillin’ a buncha needless exposition, most the characters returnin’ from the ’78 flick are shoehorned in as opposed to bein’ organically introduced with an actual role to play, there’s the stupidest case of mistaken identity that drags out waaay too long in the middle, and the biggest dick slap to the mug is the anti-claimatic endin’ the movie spends its whole runnin’ time buildin’ up to. Besides an impressive stand-in for Loomis in flashbacks and the funny scenes of the couple livin’ in the Myers house, the only positive thing I can say ‘about this farce is it absolutely delivers what the title promises, and that’s a non-stop gore-fest of brutal deaths that’s perfect for background horror at Halloween parties. Stabbin’ galore, vigilante justice, street pizzas, fatal freefall suicides, head smashin’ galore, home invadin’, carjackin’, house infernos, firefighter massacres, axes to the face, saws to the fact, lotta broken windows, impaled faces, keep away, turkey baster injections of courage, gushin’ neck wounds, gunshots to the chest, and panicked mobs! 3/5!

Thank Craven we at least had Chucky to save Halloween this year with his new show on Syfy/USA. That sucker’s a homerun in our opinion! The last couple of movies struggled to back off the laughs in favor of the fear inducin’ tension the first three Child’s Play flicks had, but this series perfectly strikes that delicate balance with dark nerve wrackin’ humor as well rounded characters are given meaningful deaths in contrast to Chucky’s laughable antics. If you recall our previous posts, we threw our hats in the ring to be one of the few lucky artists hired to animate show bumpers and design thumbnails fer the episodes, but we’ll be damned if any of that’s been seen anywhere yet. What’s up with that?

In other news, we got some Halloween goodies fer y’all! Below you’ll find our newest Halloween Eeeh-Cards! fer y’all to share with yer friends and frienemies, and we just released our latest horror celebrity interview with none other than Roger Jackson, the creepy voice of Ghostface from the Scream franchise! Roger was a riot to corner fer a conversation, and he really shows off what all his pipes can do fer our amusement. A voicebox dynamo all ’round, watch the vid and learn all ’bout his work in video games and yapp happy toys.

And BIG UPDATE! Screaming Soup! is back on the con scene! That’s right, November 19-21, 2021, we can be found at Retro-Toy Con in Greenville, SC. Yessir, we’ll be lined up with the likes of Sgt. Slaughter, a buncha G.I.Joe voice actors, and the fella who played Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, all thanks to our amigos at Toy Federation! So, if ya ever wanted to meet an animated horror host, stop on by, and we’ll shoot the shit while makin’ art and takin’ pictures together. It’s sure to be alotta fun, so don’t miss out! More information HERE!

Other than that, please show your support for our show with donations through Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and Ko-fi, catch up on all past Screaming Soup! Seasons, check out this week’s Howl’n Hottie, read recent reviews for the newer horror films and comics we’re checkin’ out in our blogs, R-Rated Reviews and Sequential Slime, and help us get the word out about the web’s #1 animated horror host show! Please use our social buttons in the upper right corner of the site and follow our tweets, subscribe to our video channels, like our Facebook, watch and share all our vids, and keep that fan mail comin’. You can also warm up some Screaming Soup! leftovers with reruns currently playin’ on Beta Max TV, Sluggo’s The Vortexx, and Mr. Lobo‘s OSI 74!