Generally speaking I try not to post anything that's mostly self-congratulatory nonsense. I don't like to post notices about holidays or too many anniversaries, because it's not what I started writing about toys on the internet - but today seemed like a good day to try it anyway. You may not know this - or care - but I started writing about Star Wars on the internet as a free newsletter on August 1, 1995. Word on the street was the Power of the Force relaunch by Kenner was hitting Service Merchandise stores, that the AT-ST may have shipped despite not being one of the four vehicles announced at Toy Fair, and the most juicy (and weird) rumor of all was that Froot Loops cereal would have a mail-in Han Solo in Stormtrooper Disguise action figure. In July of that year, it seemed difficult to find any proof of what sounded preposterous. A new mail-in cereal figure? From Kellogg's, and not General Mills? And for free? Preposterous.

A while ago on the Tumblr I posted a series of rambling, go-nowhere tales I called Toy Stories and now you people get to suffer through a few of them. Most of these yarns are spun around the well-worn topic of my aging into this hobby and watching most of the places I used to hunt go away, and tonight is no exception. One of the two Kmarts I frequented as a single-digits child (for those keeping track 3401 W Greenway Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85053) has a big "STORE CLOSING" banner up on it, and I had to go in to see if I could get some 90% off underpants. (This was not to be.) As a bonus, wouldn't you know it, the store is the new record holder of the oldest Hasbro Star Wars toy I've seen in the wild.