Thirty Minute Stretch-Your-Legs Break At The Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia

On our road trip to the Maker Faire a while ago we stopped and had a great time at the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia in San Mateo County. It's an oddballkidfun kind of museum celebrating the wonderful world of Pez. But it's even more than that. Its small storefront also houses a gift shop, the Classic Toy Museum, and the recently added Banned Toy Museum.

There are thousands of Pez dispensers displayed. Everything from the first dispensers with heads like Casper and Popeye to an unusual 1968 psychedelic eye dispenser to current Disney movie characters. You can listen to a podcast audio tour from your couch if you can't make it to Burlingame for information on all the unique dispensers. 

The gift store has a wide variety of dispensers to buy from the most recent to old favorites. It also has the world's largest Pez dispenser. A snowman that's 20x the size of a regular dispenser. Instead of giving candy it dispenses a regular size, new Pez dispenser in a plastic box. Just be careful to not touch it. Read all three signs "Do Not Touch". Got it? Good.

The great thing about the museum though, is that there's always something new. Here's the latest from the museum: 360 degree videos of Pez dispensers. These are awesome. I can watch these for hours. Enjoy a few. 

Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia 214 California Dr. Burlingame 94010 

Tuesday - Saturday 10-6 (650) 347- 2301 Admission- $3 adult, $1 ages 4-12

Monty Python For The Kiddies

Is it important for kids to get references in entertainment? Is it a parent's job to point out that the SpongeBob SquarePant's Yellow Album is called that not just because SpongeBob is yellow and the cover is yellow but because it's a reference to the look of the Beatle's White Album? Do older kids like the movie Clueless more or less when they know it's based on Jane Austen's novel Emma?

On Phineas and Ferb when Doofenshmirtz pantomimes a force grip while fighting Agent P and says, "Just kidding. But I made you look, didn't I?" are we supposed to mention Darth Vader to our kids and how Vader finds a lack of faith disturbing? Or when you hear the Wicked Witch theme music from Wizard of Oz during chase scenes in shows should we remind our kids why that music is playing?

Are jokes and stories better when you get the references? I don't know. I mean, what kid in the 70's and 80's knew the celebrities caricatured in the Saturday black and white Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons anyway? Porky Pig racing with Greta Garbo, W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, and Clark Gable?

But coming up on Wednesday, September 26 there's a chance to increase your child's pop culture inventory by seeing Monty Python and the Holy Grail at Cinema City Theatre's classic series.

Out of love and concern for your children you'll give them a chance to learn more about killer bunnies...

and the bravery of the Black Knight who will never give up...even after a flesh wound.

The movie is rated PG but does include some adult language, gore and innuendo- especially at the castle of the vestal virgins. But you'll be increasing your child's bank of pop culture references so he or she can enjoy this wonderful world more fully, right?  

Entertainment and pop culture education all in one movie. Amazing. 

   Cinema City Theaters - 5635 E. La Palma Ave. Anaheim Hills 714-970-0865

   Classic Series Wednesday, September 26 - $7 admission - show starts at 7pm

Someday In Cincinnati

If our family ever gets to Cincinatti, Ohio, we'll make a stop at the American Sign Museum. We'll also catch a Reds game, play Cornhole, share a plate of six-way Cincinatti Chili at family-run Dixie Chili, stop at the Cincinatti Museum Center, educate ourselves at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and shop at Jungle Jim's International Market to check out their 2007 Hall of Fame winning bathroom. Here's hoping for a long road trip in our future!

Here are some photos of the American Sign Museum before their 2012 summer move to a larger location.

Gotta love the neon!

How To Make A Cheap Kid's Size Blow Gun With Giant Pixy Stix And Some Other Stuff

My son is a big fan of the Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction books by John Austin. So I decided to share one of my own school day weapons with him. Growing up I called it the gutter blow gun because I could usually find all the parts I needed in the gutter on my walk home from school.

Since blow guns are illegal in California, (Did you know that?) we made it and played with it for about ten minutes then took it apart.

We started with the supplies we needed: a pencil eraser top, a cigarette butt, a needle or long pushpin, and a long plastic giant Pixy Stix.

Next we took off the metal ferrule and eraser from the pencil. This will be the body of the dart. It works best with cheap pencils. Trusty Dixon Ticonderogas are just too tough.

Once we got the metal ferrule off we pushed a needle through the eraser. It's a little tricky getting the needle straight. We had to insert the needle a few times before we got it right.

Then we unwrapped the cigarette butt to get the filter. 

The filter will be the dart's fletch. We twisted the filter as we inserted it into the pencil eraser. 

We gently tore the cigarette filter to open it up so it would fly better and fit snugly in our pixie stick. 

After loading it into the long plastic pixy stix we were ready.

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My son gave it a try. I warned him about not sucking in when the blow gun is loaded. I also let him know the blow gun has the same rules as his BB gun. Shoot only targets, nothing that's alive. 

Success! It went right into the fence. 

He was able to shoot accurately to about 15 feet after some practice with his new darts. 

Here in Orange County we actually had a blow gun expert that lived in Orange in the fifties and was profiled in Modern Mechanix. 

Have fun. Be safe. Don't bring it to school for show and tell. 

Is It Possible For Flamin' Hot Cheetos To Get Any Better? Yes. Yes it is.

We found ourselves in East L.A. So for some oddballkidfun, we decided to follow a recommendation from Charles Phoenix and stop at Original Snow Cones and Funnel Cakes. Home of the world famous big snow cone bucket.

We went for the medium bucket with ice cream. Yes, that's the medium bucket. I know! It was more than enough for our hungry family. The three syrups we chose ended up melting into one super-sweet fruity flavor. Next time we'll get a sour flavor too like lemon or tamarind. If raspados aren't your thing, they also sell deep fried Twinkies and Oreo's, stuffed churros, and funnel cake. Fantastic fair food all year long!

If you want to keep it old school, order the Original Snow Cone- strawberry, pineapple, lemon. They say the original syrups are made the same way they were 70 years ago when the stand first opened. The building sits on the corner of Indiana and 3rd a few minutes from both the 5 and 60 freeways.

The star of the day was my new favorite snack - flamin hot cheetos with chili and cheese. Served right in the bag frito pie style. A little spicy, a little crunchy, and a whole lot of flavor. They've made Flamin Hot Cheetos taste even better! Doesn't it look delicious?

Original Snow Cone and Funnel Cakes - 3557 E. 3rd Street Los Angeles, 90063 (323) 269-0109