A TV LOVER’S GIFT GUIDE
These nostalgic holiday presents will be sure to bring a smile to the faces of fans
There’s no nostalgia quite like TV nostalgia, for just the right binge-watcher or oldtime fanatic, at least. A few ideas for retro TV gifts pegged to hit shows through the decades:
THE HONEYMOONERS
Search around for vintage doll sets of favourite characters in original packaging, autographed photos and framed studio stills with show stats. Head to eBay, Amazon or other sites and shops that deal in collectibles. Otherwise, go for chuckles with a mouse pad or T-shirt emblazoned with “The International Order of Loyal Raccoons” or an “Alice Kramden is my role model” mug or onesie, for the next generation. A particular favourite on Redbubble.com: A nicely done graphite pencil drawing of Ed Norton doing the Hucklebuck on hoodies and T-shirts ($25 to $52, all figures in U.S. dollars).
STAR TREK
We’re talking the original series. These collectibles are plentiful. Know what you’re doing and how much you should be paying for this stuff. There are tons of Star Trek gift items all over the place, including an oven mitt with the split fingers of the Vulcan peace and prosperity greeting on Thinkgeek.com ($6.99). Shirts abound on CBSstore.com, including a retro look for women in a yellow crew with original characters ($24.99). The shop at startrek.com put the Delta symbol on a 16-ounce wine glass for $9.99 and offers a USS Enterprise bottle opener for $14.95. Or gift an ugly sweater that reads “Trek the Halls” ($64.99). Or how about a set of Vulcan earbuds, complete with pointy ears, from Anovos ($35)?
GOOD TIMES
Pick up a “Dyn-O-Mite!” T-shirt. CafePress even has one in white for dogs ($19.95). The actor-comedian who played J.J. Evans, Jimmie Walker, made that word his signature. He wrote a book with Sal Manna, Dyn-o-mite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times — A Memoir. The book details Walker’s violent and abusive upbringing in the Bronx, his rise as a standup comedian and tensions on the set of this hit CBS program. Dig around for the best copy or look for digital or audio versions to gift. Got a Janet Jackson fan who appreciates her time on the show as Penny Gordon Woods? Pick up something special on Jackson’s official website. It’s full of State of the World Tour and Rhythm Nation merch. How about a black, vanilla-scented Janet candle in a black box? It’s $24.95 at janetjackson.com.
THE GOLDEN GIRL
The gals, especially Betty White, are having a prolonged moment. There are Golden Girls-branded Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit and Clue board games because, why not? There’s a Sophia “action” figure, fleece throws and Pez dispensers of the entire gang. Not good enough? How about a backpack with the cast of the NBC hit on it, a Shady Pines retirement home mug or Rose socks? Still not just right? Search Amazon for a pink sweatshirt that reads “Squad Goals,” with Blanche, Rose, Sophia and Dorothy heads on it. Fans with cars might enjoy the Golden Girls car windshield sun shade with true-to-life likenesses of the ladies that might prompt a few turned heads from passersby. Available at Toynk. com for $29.99. That site also sells a set of four colourful shot glasses, one Golden Girl per glass ($19.99). And thanks to a company called Funko, which makes licensed pop culture collectibles, the holy grail of Golden Girl items is a purple-hued, Cheerio-shaped cereal with a toy figure inside. It was so hot that private sellers are now asking up to nearly $85 a box.
MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD
This year is the 50th anniversary of the first airing of the iconic PBS show back in 1968. The PBS online store is ready. There’s a fabulous mug adorned with favourite quotes and song lyrics and the man himself. When you add hot water, his attire changes from his business suit to his cardigan ($13.99). There’s a colourful wood replica of the show’s famous Neighborhood Trolley for $59.99, an array of socks emblazoned with his visage, sticky notes with inspirational quotes and even a branded bar of soap that runs $3.99.