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Spend The Holidays With Over 14 Hours of Christmas Nostalgia Packed Onto VHS Tapes!

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Growing up, I have fond memories of a VHS tape that played in rotation throughout the holidays for years at my house. A Christmas companion if you will, as that Polaroid tape strip was filled to the very last bit that contained every damn Christmas special WITH commercials, because my parents were too lazy to pause the recording- bless them for that. Specials that were continually added throughout the years that included A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, FROSTY, RUDOLPH, and the last bit at the end of the tape in 1989, the very first SIMPSONS airing that was also a XMAS episode. The 1989 holiday season was also one my music teacher, Mr. Barnes absolutely LOATHED my second-grade class as we would turn Jingle Bells into the Batman Smells rendition.

Thanks, Bart!

Alas, as time swallows everything worth a damn, my beloved XMAS VHS compilation was lost and I haven’t been right since. However, thanks to VHS cassette wizards, not all hope is completely lost for those who yearn for the nostalgic visuals from our childhood that once was.

Back in September, I let you guys in on a little not so secret VHS and BETA connoisseur Eddie Spuhghetti, and his HERE LIES compilation projects for the Halloween season that included several series’ of VHS tapes dedicated to the Halloween holiday. Now of course, we gotta have one to carry on that XMAS tradition and the site now has not one, but TWO fully-jacked and loaded with holiday nostalgia on steroids XMAS companions to choose from!

Each tape has been curated to a television standard with a film, and holiday specials included with enough XMAS commercials to boot you’ll be having nightmares of the little 7-UP Christmas critters in your sleep. Companion 1 is 8 hours long while the all new Companion 2 is 6 hours with QR Codes included upon purchase. Also worth noting the tape’s movie is a BETAMAX rip with extended scenes cut into it.

And just because you need to know, Volume 2’s movie is the wholesome Christmas epic, BATMAN RETURNS. Now, click on over to HERELIES online shop and get yourself nostalgically cozy with the Bat, the Cat, and an incredible amount of XMAS commercial memories that’ll have you sick with nostalgia!

Cool shit to buy, News

Scoobtober is Back and Bigger Than Ever, Celebrating SCOOBY-DOO’s 55th Anniversary!

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Continuing with the annual tradition that first began back in 2020 with the Cartoon Network, MeTV Toons and Max have climbed on board for the 55th anniversary to pay tribute to Mystery Inc along with a ton of new merch dropping from major retailers!

Sorry though, no surprise decapitated heads.

Per the press release:

Warner Bros. Discovery’s month-long extravaganza is dedicated to Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. Gang with spooktacular programming, groovy products, and global events honoring the world’s most beloved mystery-solving pup and his friends. This year, in honor of the Hex Girls’ 25th anniversary, Scoobtober spotlights the powerful girls of the Mystery Inc. Gang and Luna, Dusk and Thorn, known as the Hex Girls, iconic in the Scooby-Doo universe for blending supernatural vibes with their catchy, spooky tunes.

The festivities kick off with a thrilling lineup of Scooby-Doo episodes on Cartoon Network and MeTV Toons and Max will host beloved Scooby-Doo films as well as a “Velma” Halloween special. The spooky fun continues with a Scoobtober Movie Marathon, 48-hours of Scooby-riffic content streaming on MultiVersus Twitch channel and the WB Kids YouTube channel. 

Cartoon Network is gearing up for Scoobtober with a hefty load of Scooby-Doo episodes, starting Monday, September 30. Tune in on weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for your daily dose of mystery-solving fun. Saturdays will feature Scooby-Doo DTV Movies from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., while Sundays kick off with a morning marathon from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. The spooky celebrations culminate on Thursday, October 31 with Halloween-themed episodes and a special Scooby-Doo takeover from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

From October 1 to October 31, WB Kids YouTube channels will host a month-long Scooby-Doo livestream, featuring six fan-favorite episodes. For even more Scooby-Doo fun, fans can join the Scoobtober 48-hour Movie Marathon to livestream 37 Scooby-Doo movies and check out compilations of some of the most beloved moments from the series. The fun begins October 26-28 at 10 a.m.  

MultiVersus, the free-to-play platform fighter featuring an ever-expanding roster of popular characters based on Warner Bros. Discovery franchises, is celebrating Scoobtober with a 48-Hour Movie Marathon livestream on the game’s Twitch Channel from Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. PT through Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PT. Based on the amount of viewing time of the stream, MultiVersus players will be granted free in-game rewards, including the But It Has 3 Bathrooms profile icon, Mystery Inc. Shaggy character variant, and 100 Gleamium (in-game currency). Fans can also test their knowledge with rounds of live Scooby-themed trivia, enjoy Scooby-themed games, and join in Hex Girls Karaoke. 

MeTV Toons is the new TV home of Scooby-Doo!, airing weekdays at 6 p.m. ET/PT and Sundays at 3 p.m. ET/PT. In celebration of Scoobtober, on Sunday, October 27 at 3 p.m. ET/PT, The Sven Squad from MeTV’s House of Svengoolie will also make a special appearance on MeTV Toons to present the “Scooby-Doo! Sunday Special – Hosted by the House of Svengoolie.”  

Boomerang is pulling out all the stops for Scoobtober with 11.5 hours of Scooby-Doo programming every weekday throughout the month (Mon-Fri 7-8 a.m., 1:30-7 p.m., 11 p.m.-4 a.m.). Weekends will feature 24-hour Scooby-Doo marathons, each day spotlighting a different series.

For Scooby-Doo’s favorite month, Max will be celebrating Scoobtober with the return of some of the most beloved Scooby-Doo films including Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, Scooby-Doo Cyber Chase and Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo. And don’t miss the “Velma” Halloween special, from Warner Bros. Animation, streaming on Thursday, October 3, 2024, exclusively on Max. “Velma: This Halloween Needs to be More Special!” With just 24 hours to bring Velma back, the friends search for a dark spellbook while trying to avoid the wrath of a vengeful spirit. But as the annual Sexy Halloween party nears, Velma and the gang must face their biggest fears… if they all want to make it out alive. 

Some Scooby-Doo fans might remember a time when Saturday mornings were filled with the excitement of gathering around the TV for Saturday morning cartoons with the Mystery Inc. Gang. It’s time to recreate that magic and share it with a whole new generation…on TikTok! To celebrate Scoobtober Scooby-Doo’s TikTok will be going live on October 19th from 8 a.m.-8. p.m. with the Scoobtober Scoobstream with a replay on October 31. During the stream, fans will be able to catch some of the most memorable scenes featuring the Hex Girls and even some of the most requested clips straight from fans’ TikTok comments. 

In addition to a ton of programming, Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products (WBDGCP) has teamed up with partners like PUMA, Crocs, Walmart, Loungefly, BarkBox, BoxLunch, WB Shop, Spirit Halloween and more to release heaps of ghostly-good Scooby-inspired products!

The WB Shop is launching an all-new exclusive collection featuring the beloved Mystery Inc. Gang. Featuring one-of-a-kind apparel and homewares, this collection lets fans showcase their love for Scooby-Doo like never before. 

The new Scooby-Doo Crocs! The groovy collection of clogs and JibbitzTM charms will have the whole family walking in style. 

The all-new collection with PUMA is set to launch this November!

The new Loungefly backpack and wallet!

And check out the Scooby-Doo x RSVLTS collection of classic button-down shirts!

Not to mention Playmobil’s award-winning Mystery Mansion Playset!

Retailers including Walmart are bringing the heat with Scooby-Doo-inspired products including pajamas for adults and kids, perfect for displaying your fandom. The Hex Girls will be taking center stage at FYE with an exclusive backpack., and a new lineup of costumes dedicated to Scooby-Doo and his friends can be found at Spirit Halloween!

 Lastly, we can’t forget our fur friends! The Scooby-Doo Halloween Bundle from BarkBox has chew toys, treats, and accessories and Sassy Woof’s all-new collection of collars, harnesses, and leashes are over at Petsmart.

From those primetime airings to Saturday morning splendor, the simplest of premises of four meddling teenagers and a dog became such a staple spanning generations of fans.  Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created an idea that has carried television series, live-action big-budget films, numerous animated movies, and countless parodies. With its monster plots, Scooby-Doo became the ultimate introduction to horror for even the most timid kid.

For that, we salute you Scoobs.

Cool shit to buy, Home Video Releases

Make it the Ultimate Retro Halloween With Here Lies’ HALLOWEEN COMPANION VHS Collection!

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At this point, it’s almost become cliché to state the obvious: that Halloween wasn’t what it once was 40, 30, or hell even 10 years ago. The magic and beautiful mayhem of it has been lost by flashy, cheap décor, over-the-top yet underwhelming haunted houses, and what little treats given on Halloween night are simply pathetic compared to the spooky delights of yesteryear. I mean, yeah sure, I’m the Halloween nostalgic Queen and all, so I may be a bit biased, but I’d take the Universal Monster Pepsi Challenge any day of the week with anyone that wants to argue with me.

Just don’t forget the Ranch dip to go with some Cooler Ranch Doritos because you’re going to need the calories to fight me on this one.

Speaking of glorious Halloween commercials, exactly how often do we see them these days? Modern technology of streaming apps and social media has pretty much wiped out any television advertising for both big and small business brands and solely rely on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram and willing “influencers” to do their bidding for them without shelling out the big bucks for any advertisement slots. Shit, the commercials we DO see on streaming services such as HULU, are all ads for big pharma and greasy politicians. It’s such an eyesore to my senses and what I wouldn’t give to just see Captain Lou Albano pimping out a local Pharmacy for their on the spot Halloween deals…

Oh, wait… YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN NOW!

Emmy award-winning producer and nostalgic VHS warlock, Eddie Spuhghetti, has opened the doors to the memories of what once was (so long as you have a VCR anyway). Eddie has curated several series’ of VHS tapes dedicated to the Halloween season that are fully-loaded with 6 hours of commercials from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, Halloween special episodes, one movie, and seasonal bumpers galore. It’s enough to make any retro Halloween maniac to have countless spookgasms during a viewing.

I spent a week watching volume 3 and although you would think most of the placements would be totally random; they most certainly aren’t. Each commercial, bumper, and television special are meticulously placed to keep a flow of what you would naturally see if you were watching television on a crispy 80s October night. Though I don’t want to give too much away as far as what’s exactly on there, because I feel like you should be surprised like I was, I can say it’s a stream of Halloween fuzzies that made me sore from smiling so much. Worth mentioning, the movie I got to see on Volume 3 was custom converted to black and white, and it’s an 80s film. Never did I think this film would look amazing this way, but considering the material, it works- and it works WELL. The only clue I’ll give you is that it’s a 1983 movie and a sequel. That’s actually probably too much of a hint, but it’s devastating to have to keep something like a secret. What I can say, though, in no doubt, is that my absolute favorite thing about the tapes, is the LOCAL bumpers and commercials that are mixed in with mainstream ones. It’s exactly what I would remember watching when I was a kid, with short ads for local pharmacies and costume stores promoting their October specials. Also worth mentioning the movie that’s inserted in each tape, Eddie made custom “We’ll be right back” bumpers to add to the local TV movie feel of it.

It’s just too damn glorious.

Oh, and then there’s this guy. You might see him around from time to time.

Eddie Spuhghetti started creating tapes 12 years ago, and it started with a Halloween companion that was the meal of the hour at Halloween parties. While studying TV Broadcasting, he figured out how to capture and record content to use in course projects, and before he knew what he had, he had created a prototype for what would turn into a series of themed 6 hour-long VHS tapes that range from Halloween, to Summer vibes, to even Christmas ones as well! All without one piece of repeated content!

Interest rose from horror blogger friends, and he made the tapes available through a website and brand he created, HERELIES.COM.

Via Eddie Spuhghetti:

“I made the tapes available for purchase via donating towards my horror project (costs for shipping accessories, the tape media itself, etc…). This evolved into four proper Halloween Companions, one Xmas tape (another one is in the works) and a Summer series that focuses on late night TV during specific time periods. I aim in giving the viewer an experience that entertains but also hits some emotional tones-unlocking some forgotten pleasant memories while bringing new light to things they never knew existed! The tapes also work great for background atmosphere while you work, at parties or live events!”

As someone who watched an entire six hours of footage on one of these, he absolutely hit the nail on the head with what he set out to do.

For the Halloween tapes in particular, each VHS is a flat $15 donation with the exception of the newest addition, Volume 4 which contains 3D parts and comes with 3D glasses which runs at $25; all with a $10 shipping fee. If you own a VCR, and bask in the nostalgia of yesteryear, this is a no-brainer must have companion. Grab your copy of choice HERE at HERELIES.COM!

I also goddamn appreciate the fact that the Halloween 4 intro was placed in my version and remixed with Halloween III synth wave music. You have a fan for life, sir.

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