Collectiblog

Although Halloween is merely one day out of 365, the sheer fun and popularity of the holiday inspired me to write an additional blog about the subject. It also gives me a chance to write about a very obscure collectible toy line that has always fascinated me: Kooky Spookys.

You'd have to be a genuine baby boomer to know about these, and they were not even big sellers, making them all but forgotten today. Kooky Spookys were a line of glow-in-the-dark ghost finger puppets. Seems like an odd idea, but they were released by HASBRO around the same time as the 1965 glow-in-the-dark board game "Green Ghost," which was a huge seller, along with its mystical side kick Ka-Bala (both by Transogram games). In the late '60s, kids went mad for shows like The Addams Family and The Munsters. Therefore, it makes sense that toys and games based on ghosts and ghouls like the creepy "Witch Witch" and the "Mystic Skull Game" were kid favorites.

In 1968 someone combined the concepts of ghosts, pop music and hippies. This resulted in the strangest line of dolls of all time. I welcome anyone to challenge that sweeping statement, but read on. Each of the six Kooky Spookys had its own hippie picket sign and fluorescent pink highlights. The most desirable of the Spookys is Mama Kaskit. The unmistakable reference to Mamas and Papas singer Mama Cass (who was still very much alive when the doll was manufactured) makes it both a toy and music collectible. Because of its scarcity, a Mama Kaskit in its original packaging can go for over $400, while the others go for far less. It is much easier to find them out of the package; therefore loose dolls go for a more reasonable amount, especially when they're missing their accessories. Tina Terror with her glowing "love" picket sign ( backed with the word "fun" ) is probably the second-most desirable, though the reference to Tina Turner is a little more obscure.

Daddy Booregard looks remarkably like Flavor Flav with his big glasses and oversized clock around his neck. Brother Mortimer comes with a banjo, while Grandma McCreak is equipped with granny glasses and a parasol. Baby Spook'em holds a sign that says "Boo!" Grandma McCreak ( which makes me think of The Mamas and The Papas song "Creque Alley" ) is the easiest to find of the lot -- though I've yet to find a Baby Spook'em to complete my collection. For a short time there existed a mail-away, premium haunted house, which is now very difficult to find.

Also a highly desirable vintage toy is the Kooky Spooky Whistling Tree, though it has no connection to the HASBRO Kooky Spookys. The large tree is a mechanical tin toy and was made by the Marx toy company. It routinely goes for $400 or more.

Of course, these aren't the only ghost-related toys and collectibles in the '60s. On the other end of the popularity spectrum was Casper the Friendly Ghost, who made an amiable appearance on items ranging from Halloween costumes, games, lunch boxes and even a jack-in-the-box. Casper also made a big comeback in the '80s, when his story was made into a feature film.

For a quick fix and reasonably priced collectible ghost, Halloween time sees the annual production of Boo Berry Cereal, which can easily be found this time of year at Wal-mart and Target if not at your local cemetery... er, I mean supermarket.

Photo credit (top photo): Don Cravens/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images