Collectiblog

Like many people who grew up at the tail end of the Baby Boom and beyond, my Saturday mornings were always spent watching one Sid and Marty Krofft show or another. I was savvy enough at an early age to recognize these shows as cheap and juvenile... even though I myself was fairly juvenile when the best-known ones debited. But that didn't matter. They were colorful and engaging, and had an unexplainable charm regardless of their low budgets.

Earlier Krofft shows like Lidsville and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters were on the silly side, but Land of the Lost , with its time travel and magic crystals, actually stood out as a solid piece of Science Fiction Fantasy that transcended its Saturday AM roots. Because of its combination of retro cheese and moviegoer's fascination with dinosaurs, this summer's big-screen remake will most likely be a big hit.

The first time around, Land of the Lost was so popular it lasted three seasons on NBC. That was unheard of at a time when most kiddie shows made 16 episodes that ran endlessly until the following fall, never to be heard from again. It was also popular enough to warrant the release of many tie-in items that are now quite collectible.

In the '70s, having a lunch box is the ultimate symbol of success in the kid market, and Land of the Lost had one. There was also a second Land of the Lost lunchbox two decades later when The New Land of the Lost debuted on ABC in 1991. Though harder to find, the later one was merely mold-injected plastic with an illustrated decal of the show's logo and some dinos. The '70s model featured action scenes with Will, Holly and Chaka fighting Grumpy, the T-Rex and was way cooler. There's also a trio of Sleestaks depicted on the side. And speaking of Sleestaks, one of my all-time favorite Halloween costumes was that of a Sleestak. I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt that way, as I hear there will be a new Sleestak costume available this coming Halloween. Very scary! I'll probably just stick with the Sleestak Bobblehead.

There were the requisite coloring books, puzzle and board game, but Land of the Lost also spawned a series of carded toys of the dime-store variety including a plastic pinball machine, plastic telescope and "Time Machine" (also known to the less imaginative as a toy watch.) There was also a View Master and Give-A-Show Projector film-strip as well. These days, you can by the whole DVD set, but back in 1974, these two items were the only way you could watch your favorite Saturday morning characters at a will.

While the original Land of the Lost memorabilia is generally harder to find, the New Land of the Lost had the benefit of being after the post Star-Wars toy licensing renaissance. There were action figures, bendies, wind-up toys and plush dolls. There were also VHS tapes of the episodes (remember those ancient relics?) along with the fanfare generated by the theatrical release, will hopefully appear for the first time on DVD. In the meantime, the original series which was reissued in a collectible lunchbox.

The new movie will no doubt spawn some collectibles. There already is a set of collector cards and drink cups at Subway sandwich stores as well as T-Shirts and posters popping up. I've also seen a very creepy Chaka backpack. Subway even transformed a Santa Monica, California branch into its own virtual Land of the Lost. For those prefer collectables for the modern world, the Land of the Lost movie web site offers ring tones.

I'm generally not a fan of remakes of classic TV shows, though I believe the new Land of the Lost movie has the right sentiment. With the creative participation of Sid and Marty Krofft, it retains essence of the original while adding the benefits of modern filmmaking. The fact that Sid Krofft has Enik's original crystals built into the staircase of his wonderful tree house home in the Hollywood Hills is proof enough that these guys really care about their work. And, after seeing the fabulous and warmly received tribute made to the Kroffts at the 2009 TV Land Awards, I believe the world is ready to ride down the waterfall again.