ARTHUR RANKIN, JR.

Going through the RANKIN/BASS archives at my house....

SARA Elf!

SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN mini-book

Picked up this cook little hardcover book of RANKIN/BASS' SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN at UNCLE FUN today. I think I remember these coming out a few years ago from www.runningpress.com I like that the actual images from the TV Special are used through out the book.

Saturday December 1st, 2007

We had to cancel our STARVING ARTISTS performance at BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC tonight, due to terrible weather in the Chicagoland area. First we got some snow around Noon, that later turned to rain and then Ice. We ended up in the Wrigleyville area during the heart of the storm and did some shopping at Pete Wentz's store CLANDESTINE http://www.clandestineindustries.com/ . Pete was in the store Wednesday and Joseph talked to him about the project we may work on. We also did some shopping at UNCLE FUN and QUAKE (Bought an EVEL KNIEVEL lunch box and a FRANKENSTEIN SOAKY for Josh). UNCLE FUN had a postcard for sale that I actually published.

Sara designed her own hoodie with Joseph...

My new CLANDESTINE shades... BORDERS BOOKS was actually kind of relieved that we canceled. They said that there were few customers in the store and we could play some music next weekend, before the book signings I am doing at Noon Dec. 8th and 9th. Since I will be doing TV and Radio appearances this week, we expect to have a much larger crowd and we will have the SANTA & RUDOLPH Animagic figures there.

TV

There is a chance I might wind up on the FOX BUSINESS NEWS NETWORK show "Money For Breakfast?" early Monday morning (7:30am Eastern time) and several other Morning News Shows next week after the AP Wire Article breaks and the BROOKFIELD ZOO weekend is coming up! I will keep you posted.

DECEMBER 1st

THE STARVING ARTISTS are playing BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC in Schaumburg, IL tomorrow night at 6pm. We will only be playing for an hour and may even go on a little earlier. We will be signing CDs and Books there as well and showing the un-cut 1964 version of the RANKIN/BASS Musical TV Spectacular RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER.

A RANKIN/BASS workout in Ohio last weekend

http://www.timeandspacetoys.com/ for all of your RANKIN/BASS toys!

AUSTRALIA DVD release

Also, just learned that THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS Deluxe Edition DVD is being released in Australia now (Region 4). It is available in the states already and contains a GREAT RANKIN/BASS Documentary!

ASSOCIATED PRESS article

Just learned from Doug Whiteman that the AP article will break this weekend or at the latest by Monday. Just sent him some facts for a sidebar on the original RANKIN/BASS TV Special!

OCTAVIA

Talked with Ken Grezslo at the BROOKFIELD ZOO this morning and may bring along my ANIMAGIC figures for the event on Dec. 8 and 9th as well. She is from THE FIRST CHRISTMAS (1975) and I have all of her eyes and mouths. She has two sets of clothes due to the fact that she played Mother Mary in the Christmas pagent at the end of the TV Special.

HANNA-BARBERA book

There is a REALLY nice HANNA-BARBERA book out by my friend JERRY BECK called THE HANNA-BARBERA TREASURY! This is the book all of us vintage HANNA-BARBERA fans were waiting for! It is a HUGE scrapbook of vintage items and drawings...some you can pull out of the book like the DISNEY books that have come out...only better! My only complaint (and it is minor) are the images on the slipcover (which I took off) IE. airbrushed SCOOBY DOO and modern FLINTSTONES drawing, etc.?

EXCLUSIVES!

These www.timeandspacetoys.com EXCLUSIVES are REALLY nice. The GRINCH is REALLY small and nicely detailed. The MOONRACER & HUMBLE BUMBLE are BIGGER than I thought in a REALLY nice box. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

My kids....

First of all we want to THANK Kevin Kreiss at www.timeandspacetoys.com for being such a gracious host as always at the MID-OHIO CON! I never could have done the con without the help of my kids SARA & JOSH! They make me happy when I am sad and I am proud to be their Dad!

The End (photograph by Sara Goldschmidt)

Deluxe FROSTY THE SNOWMAN figures

I picked both of these up from www.timeandspacetoys.com over the weekend and I am really impressed with them! The FROSTY below has a magnet in his hat that brings his eyes to life and you hear audio from the ORIGINAL Frosty saying "Happy Birthday" etc. Very cool! The figure above also has audio from the original and is well sculpted from ROUND 2.

THE STARVING ARTISTS Live at BORDERS This Saturday Night 6pm

We will be at the Schaumburg BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC this Saturday Night December 1st at 6pm. We will have CDs on hand and my MAKING OF RUDOLPH book. Come out and say hello!

MID-OHIO CON continued

My Friend JOEL RASMUSSEN stopped by our booth. He was the one who originally lent me that GREAT image of SANTA & RUDOLPH for my books!

Josh and Sara man the http://www.timeandspacetoys.com/ booth!

Major Don West from LOST IN SPACE

Josh and I stopped by to meet TV's original Don West of LOST IN SPACE Mark Goddard! He liked my RUDOLPH book and even signed a picture to Josh for FREE. Super nice guy and a television original!

My pal STEVE 'The Dude' RUDE

Steve did this Sketch for my son Josh of DAREDEVIL. Josh has been collecting early issues of the comic book and spent some time during the con watching Steve's son BRANDON ("Mr. Silly").

I looked through an early copy of this NEAT Coffee table book that is coming out on STEVE in 2008! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it! Check out http://www.steverude.com/

A RANKIN/BASS Associated Press Article to break next week!

Kevin Kreiss http://www.timeandspacetoys.com/ and I were interviewed by Doug Whiteman of the Associated Press for a large RANKIN/BASS article that will be on the wire next week to coincide with the CBS airing of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER December 4th. This interview can appear in Newspapers, TV and Radio! Doug is a SUPER nice guy and we want to THANK him for everything! He also interviewed some of the RANKIN/BASS fans at our booth.

Our friend NOEL NEILL!

Noel Neill was at the MID OHIO CON and what a classy lady and friend! I highly recommend her new Coffee table book BEYOND LOIS LANE by Larry Thomas Ward (Also a VERY nice guy!). NOEL is the BEST LOIS LANE and a BIG RANKIN/BASS fan! I gave her the new www.timeandspacetoys.com EXCLUSIVE ornament set of the BUMBLE and KING MOONRACER! She was VERY impressed. Her Birthday was this past Sunday Nov. 25! Happy Birthday Noel!