And here it is: the Scary-Crayon review of the 2007 Series 1 Madballs, complete with comparisons to the original designs and our standard brand of observations and whatnot. I probably enjoyed writing this piece a bit more than the usual article -- doubtless because of my longstanding love affair with the Madballs -- so I hope that you enjoy it as well.

And speaking of enjoyment, this year we've sought to diversify the kiddies' delight by modifying the Donatello Christmas Tradition to include other toys -- this time a Raphael as well as a Madballs Skull Face (which explains why he stays carded in the review and is absent from the final group shot). I still need to find somewhere to drop them off -- hopefully I'll get around to that tomorrow!

Anyway, happy holidays to y'all -- and thanks again for visiting and reading Scary-Crayon. I'm still hoping to get in an actual Christmas-themed article before (or on) December 25, but I'll try to have that stocking stuffed by New Year's even if it's a bit late. Homemade cookies are still just as delicious the following week, so I'm sure Santa won't mind.

So -- finally -- here's that article I promised: a review of the Street Blazers 7" Dante tractor trailer. However, as with many of my reviews and articles in general, the review only takes up the latter portion of the article -- the rest consists of my reflections on the line and related toys, reasons for picking up the item in the first place, and so forth. You may not find the prospect of a dollar store toy with an actual backstory to be as exciting as I did, but hopefully you'll find my musings to be a little bit interesting at the very least.

Anyway, I will eventually return to the QC Dinobots (I promise!), but they've been preempted yet again in favor of a subject that is way too near and dear to my heart. Here -- instead of saying what the next article will be about, I'll just show you:

Stay tuned, minna-san.

So, here's that other "Heroes" Hot Flash I promised. In case you can't tell what's going on in the last panel, the explanation is that Parkman has inserted Tay Zonday singing "Chocolate Rain" into Mrs. Petrelli's mind. That thing has really taken off, as evidenced by the recent Dr. Pepper "Cherry Chocolate Rain" version. YouTube is making people rich.

Almost makes me wish I'd done that condom taste test article from a while back as a video review, except in my case I probably would've ended up with an inbox full o' hate and the Westboro Baptist Church protesting on my lawn.

Anyway, I should have a new article up in the next couple of days -- not the third part of the QC Dinobots review, but it will be of a dollar store toy. There isn't a whole lot to say about the toy itself, but the packaging alone should inspire three or four paragraphs' worth of discussion. So yeah, look for that! And there will be yet another "Heroes" Hot Flash in the future as well, though certainly not in time for the season finale tomorrow. And so the influence of this horrible season will extend past its televised run.

TTFN!