K.A.C. 2012 - T - 17 ...

     Welcome back! So did you get all of our stars in Kringle's Khristmas Kuties contest? Let's see:

# 1 - Marta Kristen (with Robot B-9) from Lost in Space (also seen with cast at left).

# 2 - Annette Funicello (an original member of The Mickey Mouse Club and Disney icon).

# 3 - Yvonne Craig (aka Batgirl)!

# 4 - Elizabeth Montgomery from Bewitched.

# 5 - Barbara Eden from I Dream of Jeannie

# 6 - Anne Francis from Honey West.

     The eagle-eyed among you would recognize the last photo from an earlier version of the contest we put up. That's the ONLY Christmas photo of her I could find!

     Continuing with our TV theme for a moment, every year our family watches a version of A Christmas Carol. My personal favorite is the 1984 TV version starring George C. Scott and Edward Woodward (see my blog entry of November 17th, 2009). So when Laura asked me what version we were watching THIS year, I said, "How about the Six Million Dollar Man episode of it?" Needless to say, THAT got shot down MIGHTY quick ... the most SHAMELESS shot in the whole episode? Steve Austin (Lee Majors) in a toy store doing last-minute Christmas shopping for kids ... directly in front of a Six Million Dollar Man action figure (not to mention the PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED JAWS toy on the counter ... stay classy, Universal)! Click on the picture for a bigger view of Colonel Steve Austin and Mini-Steve.

     Cult TV and fanboys (and fangirls) have had a loooong love-hate relationship (and I'm speaking from personal experience). From my earliest childhood My Favorite Martian toys (including this spiffy beanie hat which I used to wear proudly as a kid ... what a shame there are no pictures of THAT!) to a STAR TREK Paint-By-Numbers set and a Land of the Giants Colorforms Set (and don't even get me started on the TV tie-in Aurora plastic models ... that's a whole separate entry all by itself!), the networks always knew their fan base and had the "must-have" goods for the tykes. The irony now, of course, is that many of these pop culture items go for Big Bucks on sites like eBay. But don't think that all went away years ago - no, indeed! Cult TV merchandising is HUGE these days ... what used to be suffered through by parents of "their weird kid" (see the aforementioned beanie above) is commonplace now. 

     Case in point? Admittedly I am a Whovian (Dr. Who fan) of the highest order, but the thought came to me of just how much has changed over time. From worried looks and being "the odd kid" to one of the largest yearly conventions (Comic Con) and all the merchandising and tie-ins to favorite shows and movies, the geeks truly have taken over the Earth. With that in mind, here are some amazing links for you to peruse covering a LOT of ground!

http://io9.com/5961850/gift-ideas-for-the-7-major-species-of-science-fiction-fan 

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     Sixteen days to go - come back tomorrow for more!