Counting Down to the 2026 Countdown to Halloween

Bugs Bunny is back in Tulgey Wood for his annual appointment as the auspicious  September 30th herald of the spooky season. In this typically cute and clever cover art by Ralph Heimdahl for Looney Tunes no. 180 (October 1956). Bugs joins Porky and Petunia to bob up and down for some fun-filled treats—especially the ones that will be part of our 2026 Countdown to Halloween blogathon starting tomorrow. Be sure to come back for some Halloween fun all through October. It all begins on October 1—how about them apples (or carrots!)? 

 

A Colorful Anniversary

Today is the 65th anniversary of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. To celebrate, here are some (ironically black-and-white) TV Guide ads, giving a sense of the scope of this classic chromatically-centric TV series. 

 

Yet Another Happy Thanksgiving With Captain Kangaroo

2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the Captain Kangaroo TV series. This long-running program was broadcast on CBS for the next three decades. Thanksgiving was always a special time at the Treasure House and the Captain's Place, so here's a YouTube Short I produced for my YouTube channel. Please click here to see the video. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! 

The Muppets Meet Rockwell

To recreate Norman Rockwell's famed (and often parodied) painting, "Freedom From Want," the Muppets team up for a Thanksgiving feast. 

Thanksgiving or Halloween?

 Two holidays clash in the great comic strip, Lio.  

Mouse On The Mayflower Monday

Celebrating Thanksgiving week with this publicity photo of images from the Rankin-Bass TV special, The Mouse on the Mayflower. This Rankin-Bass special debuted on NBC on November 23, 1968, Thanksgiving Day that year. Read my analysis about this unusual Thanksgiving animated treat (including a very Baloo-like, in terms of design at least, bear) here. 

Happy Halloween 2025!

October 31st is here, and our 2025 Countdown is over. Once again this year, I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted to with my countdown, as logistics and circumstances (such as work) interfered. So to all my followers and visitors this year, I hope you were able to enjoy what was here. To say Happy Halloween, here is a Sixty Years with Mickey-themed trick-or-treat bag. A tie-in with Mars Inc. to promote their line of confections (M & Ms, Snickers, Milky Way, etc.), these plastic bags were given away free in supermarkets. Happy Halloween to all! 

                         

Spidey For Halloween

Check out my latest YouTube Short starring Spider-Man and some not so Marvel-ous monsters from classic Marvel comics. The short was created especially for Halloween. And while you’re at my YouTube channel, head to my Halloween Playlist for other end-of-October fun. It’s all at Tulgey Wood TV. 

Archie's Here...Wait, No He's Not

That comic-book/comic strip Archie superstar is a Countdown to Halloween perennial...but that redhead from Riverdale is nowhere near to be found in this monstrously captivating cover (attributed to Samm Schwartz) for Laugh no. 130 1962, all the better to include that classic monster, the Creature from the Black Lagoon. 

 

No Muss, No Fuss—It's Those Monsterous Gremlins

There are good Gremlins and bad Gremlins, but the problem is that the good leads to the bad (but only when fed after midnight). Released in 1984, Gremlins was heavily merchandised (a lunch box, trading cards, publications, Golden Books), including this glorious Colorforms Adventure Set. Featured are lovable Gizmo, evil Stripe, and even Gizmo’s human friend Billy (Zach Galligan). Enjoy the ghastly Sticks Like Magic setup as we Countdown to Halloween.