Thanks for fighting to keep the candles lit in our Jack-O'-Lantern Hearts. Also, nice shirt!
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you!
@jimmbo22 ай бұрын
Happy Halloween... Amazing collection per usual Raymond 🐈⬛🤠
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you!
@chadsillustration2 ай бұрын
Great video as always Mr Castille!! Commentary at the end is always my favorite! I am always inspired by your keen sense of the monster kid spirit! I passed on these due to everything you pretty much said. Vintage monster toys are the best! We need to get back to monster kid joy!!! Keep the message going!!! Hopefully it will inspire others to create the joy we all had for future generations! We need a raymond castile monster toy museum!
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you! I don't think we're getting back to monster kid joy any time soon. But we can enjoy our memories and the legitimate artifacts of that time without letting ourselves be exploited by companies trying to capitalize on our nostalgia.
@mick_c_horror_and_pop_culture2 ай бұрын
Awesome episode. I totally dig these little plastic Halloween Ben Cooper/Collegeville figures. Thank you for featuring these figures and your honest opinion.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you!
@Fallingtower9692 ай бұрын
Happy Halloween! I love your show. You always amaze me with your sagely collector wisdom and the history of vintage collecting. Hope your Halloween turned out good. Looking forward to your next show. We...my wife and I had a very busy Halloween. We had a ton of kids and ran out of candy and LED flashing rings and bracelets.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you! I had more trick or treaters than I expected. My next episode was the TMNT one, which has proven to be my least popular episode in two years! I guess my audience doesn't want to see turtles, even if they are monster turtles. But I have another panel discussion coming up, which will be turtle-free and filled with monster kid memories.
@lostonwallace13962 ай бұрын
Thank you for sharing Halloween with us all again. Like you, I crave and long for the Halloweens of old
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you!
@danriley58482 ай бұрын
This is a nice Saturday morning surprise thanks Raymond! I want to pick up these figures myself Neca has been putting out so many cool figures I have been been draining my budget lol. Keep up the great work. ✌🏻🎃
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you!
@danriley5848Ай бұрын
@RaymondCastile Your very welcome and a happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Raymond. 🦃
@clydehall99902 ай бұрын
Happy Halloween, Raymond! We also live in an older neighborhood, but we still had about 50 kids come trick-or-treating this year. Best costumes: Twins who looked like contrasting bookend as the Grim Reaper and an Angel, a very period-accurate Wilbur Wright of aviation fame, and a Jack Skelington with full suit and makeup.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you! Those costumes sound delightful! I didn't see anything that wonderful in my neighborhood, but I was just glad to see kids trick or treating.
@kevinshauntedtoybox81212 ай бұрын
I hope you had a great Halloween, Raymond! Thanks for the great videos, as always. Though I've had great luck with this line of Ben Cooper Monster Kids, I can understand the frustration. It's not just NECA, however. I collect modern DC toys from Mcfarlane and it's the exact same experience. Preorders for figures are sold out in seconds, and you can forget about seeing most of them in stores. Though I love the quality of the figures they are producing at under $25, it's somewhat exhausting at times. I decided to scale back on modern figures and focus on more quality vintage items. Your videos are a great resource for this! Thanks again for continuing Basement of Horror! Every episode is like a visit from an old friend. Happy Haunting!
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you! It wasn't a bad Halloween. Better than last year. I'm hearing that many other companies engage in the same practices. I think they are trying to squeeze the last drops out of a limited market that is about to dry up. I don't think younger Millennials and Gen Z are as nostalgia-driven as older Millennials, Gen X and younger Boomers. Obviously, Gen X is the driving force behind this market. How many years can these companies continue to milk this? Boomers are dying off and Gen X is heading toward retirement (in an economic landscape where retirement isn't really possible in the same way it was for older generations). The toy companies can see the caboose on this gravy train. It's coming. So they have to shake down aging collectors as hard as they can in the few years they have left before the bottom falls out of the market.
@darrencooper42512 ай бұрын
Great collection very cool & great Halloween show 🎃☠️🎃💥👍
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you!
@Vulcanfanatic2 ай бұрын
Raymond, I understand exactly what you are talking about. Having such a hard time finding toys just drains the fun of collecting for me. I experienced that with the Mego superheroes that were exclusive to big lots and extremely hard to get. I’ve been a Mego enthusiast since the 1970’s but the last few years have made me think about mainly sticking with vintage things that I enjoy and not the modern stuff so much. FOMO that companies create among the collectors community is killing the hobby in my opinion.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I watched the Big Lots Mego drama from a distance. Thankfully, I don't collect those. I know NECA isn't the only company that engages in these shenanigans. Is there a major toy company that doesn't? I have to really wonder if the people who run these companies have a sneering disdain for their customers. After all, they are not producing these for kids. They are making them for grown men (mostly) who spend irresponsible amounts of money to buy new plastic dolls of goofy comic book and movie characters. I can easily imagine how the people running these companies might take their customer base for a bunch of suckers who deserve whatever they dish out. There is obviously a mercenary attitude at play, or they wouldn't engage in these practices. I just can't give them the benefit of the doubt anymore.
@VulcanfanaticАй бұрын
Thanks Raymond. I’ve spent a little time and been able to collect all of wave 2 and wave 3 without having to spend more than retail. I have wave 4 on preorder from NECA , that also includes Frankenstein and Phanton from wave 1 that they found and I ordered it with wave 4. I’m going to think of these as representations of the fun I had as a child wearing Halloween costumes and trick or treating for candy so long ago. I choose to think of that rather than the money these may bring.
@user-xv3zp8gl7j2 ай бұрын
Whoever at neca came up with that idea needs a raise, i cant find those figures anywhere, sold out bigtime.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I wonder at what point they realized what they had. They put out the story that the first wave was kind of a lark, just to see the response, a fun side project, and they were surprised at how popular they became. I don't buy that. I'm sure the response exceeded their expectations, but I think they launched the first wave with subsequent waves already planned (and prototypes ready) and they hoped that it would be a successful toy line that would have some legs. I don't buy the "Gee whiz, what a surprise!" angle. This was a major push for 2024, and they had umpteen waves ready to go in a matter of weeks.
@StephenPike2 ай бұрын
Thanks for helping to make the Halloween season better
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you!
@superiorcybergodzilla56702 ай бұрын
I was very excited that NECA released these figures
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I think the toys themselves are very neat. All the drama surrounding them is awful. If they produced two waves per year and kept them in production as long as people wanted to buy them, I'd feel more positive about the whole thing. You don't see me badmouthing the Universal Ultimates standard editions. Now those Remco versions...well...that's a different story. They were doing OK at first, then they started playing the same games they played with the Ben Cooper kids. I didn't buy the "Remco" Invisible Man and probably won't buy the Bride when she comes out, however they finally put her out.
@Elise-px9gc2 ай бұрын
Thanks for your well researched content, Raymond! I find it surprising they couldn't get the Collegeville/Cooper stuff straight. Granted, for many of us, it blended together. But for aficionados, these details are important!
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you! I think they do know the difference between Ben Cooper and Collegeville costumes, more or less. I think they believe it's "cooler" to not care. Since they now own both IPs and all their associated designs, they can mix and match them and call them whatever they want. These aren't Ben Cooper or Collegeville designs anymore. They are NECA designs.
@Elise-px9gcАй бұрын
Thanks for the explanation.
@fiddlechips85552 ай бұрын
BTW I love your new intro.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you!
@RetroRecreationsАй бұрын
I didn't know about these figures until I saw this video. They look great. They would be even better if they made these figures with the right combination of mask, costume, and box art, for each one. But I can see how that may have lead to a higher price for each figure. Still, they're great looking collectables.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you! I agree, accuracy would be better. It certainly wouldn't have made them any worse or hurt sales if they had the correct mask/costume/box combinations.
@christopherpara61832 ай бұрын
This video is amazing. Thank you! I am collecting these figures as well... With the Collegeville costumes creeping into this line does that mean NECA has the rights to both companies, but are just marketing everything as one cohesive Ben Cooper line?
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
It is my understanding, based on what I've heard in interviews, that NECA owns Ben Cooper and Collegeville. They purchased them from Rubies. I thought they had a licensing agreement with Rubies, but it seems NECA purchased them outright.
@christopherpara6183Ай бұрын
@@RaymondCastile Wow! That's amazing info, thanks so much! Can't wait to see what else they have planned!
@johnfronczek26582 ай бұрын
Thank you, Raymond for the great video. Personally, I only buy the new toys/ action figures that are available in stores. I want the other collectors to have the same chances and access to new action figures, toys, and physical media as me. It’s really no fun if others can’t have it.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I'll let toys slip by because I can't find them on a store shelf. Yes, I could just order them online. But I want to see them on a shelf.
@richhansel30682 ай бұрын
Great episode. I was wondering if NECA had to make a licensing agreement with Rubies Costume Co. Since they now own the "Ben Cooper" name, and if they did, would all the other IP's (i.e. DC, Gremlins, Alien) come with it? If so, that could explain how NECA can have all these pop-up waves happen so fast. NECA has had the molds for the children's bodies for a while. The bodies are the same as the ones from a set they released years ago of "Halloween III" kids. What's your thoughts?
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I don't think the rights to all the licensed characters are carried over with the costume designs. They still have to get a license from WB and Fox and Universal, etc. But since they have relationships with those studios, it's probably easier and quicker for them to get that approval than it would be for a smaller company that didn't have those inroads.
@joewenzel5142Ай бұрын
23:51 I had a devil costume in 1969.
@CoolerPlastix2 ай бұрын
I love these! Are you getting series 4 & 5?
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I did order the licensed set with the Alien. I don't know if I will actually receive them. They are listed as shipping in January 2025, even though everyone else in the world received theirs two months ago. I'll probably get a notice saying my order has been cancelled, after waiting months. I have not ordered the fantasy wave, and I don't plan to. I did not order the glow wave, either. If I see some of them for sale individually at retail prices, I might buy a few. But I wasn't interested in ordering the entire set within a surprise 24-hour window before they sold out.
@butchersblade70682 ай бұрын
I only have three of these. I found the two Wal-Mart exclusives,which are the only ones I've ever seen on store shelves. I found a vendor at a convention selling the entire first and second series but for $45 a piece.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I found a few at Target, so I know they did get out there. Now that NECA has "discovered" extra stock of the first wave Frankenstein and Creature, perhaps people will calm down a bit and realize how artificial this scarcity is. NECA can "discover" another warehouse full of Wave One figures any time they choose.
@THEBATMANCOSTUMECHANNELANDMORE2 ай бұрын
About three years ago I bought a cool independent company's version of the Ben Cooper Batman action figure (I bought two of course). I did a little vid on my channel entitled: **OFF TOPIC! BRENT'S DOLLS BEN COOPER TRICK OR TREAT 6.5 INCH FIGURE! Great video Raymond always love what you do. :-)
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you! Yes, Brentz Dolz and Monsters International by BKC are two custom toy companies that have made similar figures. Super7 also made Ben Cooper-style figures before NECA.
@theghostisdead2 ай бұрын
What's interesting is that Halloween merchandise is doing great Nation wide. I just think that all the negative propaganda from religious groups and the fact that some houses don't give candy to adults has been killing trick or treating! I give candy to anyone!!!! Another Great Video!!!! 🎃
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Thank you! It's not just religious groups. The society is so bitterly divided that there is no sense of community or unity, except in religious and political groups, who have an "us versus them" mentality. It's your bubble against the world. How can you have communal traditions in a social climate like that?
@StMichaelWarrior2 ай бұрын
I remember as a child wearing a few of these costumes, they all had a distinct smell about them and the masks always hurt around the eyes. The plastic was thin, hard and kinda sharp
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
They required some determination! It was a challenge to keep the masks on all night.
@tmcheech2 ай бұрын
Got paid today and the glow in the dark pre-order is gone 😢
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Yup! They put them out on a Thursday (Halloween), knowing a lot of people would want to wait until payday on Friday. I decided to try to enjoy my Halloween instead of fussing with NECA nonsense.
@M-1132 ай бұрын
dropping Mego completely because of quality control , the rubber bands they use are crumbling only after a few years with the newer figures , and the glue that attaches the bubble to the card is so ineffective , the bubble just falls right off .. .. cant trust the product .. so see you later Mego .. I will take my money some place else ..
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I stopped collecting the modern Mego figures after the Topps deal. That killed it for me. I haven't looked back. I got off the Super7 crazy train, too. I think I'm nearing my last stop on the NECA Express. All of these companies jump the shark at some point.
@YosimetySam2 ай бұрын
Neca has re released some of the series 1&2 in glow versions,but changed the genders and races of the kids,like the glow skeleton girl NYCC exclusive.
@curtisjoyce56752 ай бұрын
Showed up on NECA’s website yesterday, and once again INSTANTLY sold out!😡😡😡 I think I might be done with these.
@YosimetySam2 ай бұрын
@curtisjoyce5675 I passed on those,did pre order wave 4 though,I'm less than impressed with their shipping quality,cost.Still waiting on my Crypt Club set,hope it's not beat up.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
That fantasy wave has not been selling as well as the legit Ben Cooper/Collegeville waves. That's why NECA had to "discover" some additional Wave One figures to throw them in with the fantasy wave as a special "bundle" to blackm...er...I mean, entice people to buy a wave they didn't really want. I wonder how people feel if they ordered the fantasy wave before the Wave One bundle was announced. Can they add the Wave One figures to their order? Can they cancel their order and re-order with the bundle offer? It's a mess. I'm glad I'm not interested in the fantasy wave.
@voodoopowder2 ай бұрын
The Loot Crate Burger King NECA Universal Monster figures put me off on NECA. I had to get a Loot Crate subscription to get some of them and then NECA released the whole set on their website. I’m just tired of their hustle.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I'm tired of any hustle, whoever is doing it and wherever it comes from. I'm anti-hustle. A hustle-based society is an evil society. I'd rather have more help and less hustle. To paraphrase Chaplin, we need kindness, not cleverness.
@blakelycreative31712 ай бұрын
NECA's marketing seems geared to create a chasm between those who appreciate and those who just want to collect in order to resell. It's insulting.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
NECA's marketing seems geared toward creating all kinds of chasms. There is no reason why they couldn't have produced a second or third run of the first wave and another run of the second wave, then spaced these out a little more so we had maybe two waves per year. That would be normal, traditional, sensible, and customer-friendly. Instead, they created a frenzy by making them so limited and putting out each wave right on the heels of the previous one.
@fiddlechips85552 ай бұрын
The problem is these aren’t toys. These are figures adults only collect. I’m done with modern. I’m done jumping thru hoops. Give me vintage, with toys children actually enjoyed.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I agree. These are not toys. They look like toys. But they are not designed to appeal to children, and they are not made for play. They are not durable. They are display pieces designed to appeal to nostalgic adults.
@M-1132 ай бұрын
anyone who pays those secondary market prices is a sucker and deserves to be taken .. I dont jump threw hoops for figures anymore , these types of things just get to convoluted , and it takes the fun out of collecting .. and like you said we all have jobs , I dont have time for this kind of shit anymore .. if it was as easy as going to the Neca site and ordering them , then fine I would do that .. but I am not going to chase my tail all day for figures ..
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
Why do people struggle to buy toys from a company that obviously doesn't want them to buy their toys?
@MrJoseoz2 ай бұрын
Trunk and treat ,2 thumbs down, this episode was a pleasant surprise, was blue that Halloween is over, i saw lots of Michael myers content on KZbin, masks discussion, movie discussions, ❤
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I'm sure there were modern horror-themed videos. I want classic horror or folklore-themed content. That feels more like Halloween to me.
@ElGranjefe666-2 ай бұрын
💀
@M-1132 ай бұрын
I am not collecting Big Rubber Guys for this exact reason .. to expensive , to hard to get them , and company manipulation gets old and boring , and again takes the fun out of collecting ..
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I had to google Big Rubber Guys. For anyone reading who doesn't know, they are wrestling figures in the style of the solid rubber wrestling toys of the 80s. Those are completely off my radar. But it's not surprising to hear that the company producing them is playing games and frustrating customers. That is standard procedure now in the nostalgia toy business. The older we get, the less money we spend. They have to figure out some way to keep squeezing it out of us.
@randymccoy91892 ай бұрын
Raymond I have a bunch of mask catalogs toys novelties magic, if interested let me know
@RaymondCastile2 ай бұрын
@@randymccoy9189 message me on Facebook at Ray Sharif Castile
@RaymondCastile2 ай бұрын
You should be able to post right on my Facebook page, so your message doesn't go into a hidden folder.
@randymccoy91892 ай бұрын
@@RaymondCastile Raymond it wont let me message on facebook. Let me know and I will send you a list of catalogs.
@RaymondCastile2 ай бұрын
@ are you on Instagram? You can message me there. I shouldn’t be hard to find. I don’t want to out my email or home address on KZbin.
@Collector2612 ай бұрын
“Why create hysteria? Why make all these goofy games?” Hey, it worked good for Donald Trump.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
We're talking about Ben Cooper and NECA Halloween costumes and action figures. It's quite a reach to connect them to presidential politics, unless you're inclined to connect every topic to current politics.
@Collector2612 ай бұрын
The reason it does not feel like Halloween? You should state the Obvious. The reason starts with a T and ends with a P.
@RaymondCastileАй бұрын
I would say the election was a big reason why it didn't feel like Halloween. Not one candidate or the other, but politics in general. It was hard to get into a spooky fall mood with such a dramatic event looming and tensions running high.