My Rad Monster, or the story of a banned sneaker design...

Heya friends, I hope that you are doing well. I did some art recently that lead me down a history tangent. If you are familiar with my blog then you know that I am a huge fan of sneakers, and sneaker culture. With that said it isn’t easy being a sneaker freak. Not because there are too many options, but because I am tall, and have a big shoe size. Most sneaker companies only make shoes up to size 13 or 14. Anything above that wouldn’t be cost effective for them. There is no doubt that I would have had a massive sneaker collection if I were a smaller person. Because of that I collected sneaker magazines from Japan. I could only appreciate their designs, and long for shoes in my size. When I started working I didn’t spend too much money on shoes, Instead I focused on art toys, magazines, game books, and comics. Like many sneaker fans I have certain shoes that I wish I had. At the top of most collectors lists are things like the movie accurate Back to the Future II Nike Hyperdunks. Also from the movie Aliens the Alien Stompers from Reebok worn by Sigourney Weaver were peak hi-top fashion. I’d love to have those boots in my size. Aside from that I actually had regular sneakers are on my grail list.

I’m a huge fan of clean, and classic designs. Movie sneakers not withstanding there were two types of shoes that I wish I had in my collection. The first pair were nothing fancy, and didn’t have people camping outside of the sneaker shop days in advance. Nike released a design called the Sweet Lew around 1995. The name was more than likely based on Lew Alcindor the birth name of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was a retro-styled sneaker that was a nod to the classic Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. It was interesting that almost a decade later Nike would actually buy their competition at Converse. I was absolutely smitten with the look of the Sweet Lew. The black version especially oozed style. In my eyes it was a peak example of classic fashion. Then there was the opposite end of the spectrum that appealed to me. There was the pair that could be considered closer to high art. It was the only artist collaboration that I wish I owned, or had actually came out. It was not a pair designed by Michael Lau, The Godfather or Urban Vinyl. Designer Jeremy Scott created a pair for Adidas. These hi-tops featured gray stripes, and purple nubuck. The standout features were plastic orange chains, and ankle cuffs. I just about lost my mind the second that I saw them back in 2012.

I instantly recognized the inspiration behind the sneakers. These Adidas shoes were an homage to the toy line from the ‘80s called My Pet Monster. American Greetings were known mainly for their plush figures which could be located in the greeting card aisle of any store. Their most successful line were the Care Bears. The company recognized that there was an untapped potential for stuffed toys for boys. Rather than make a manly Care Bear they invented an entirely different line that would appeal to the rough and tumble, and sometimes gross world of boys. Around 1986 they introduced us to a large plush character with dark blue, and purple fur, massive teeth, and orange handcuffs. The cuffs had a breakaway action, and were large enough for kids to wear as well. I thought it was a phenomenal toy back then, and still think it was one of the greatest toys ever made. I never owned one of the Pet Monsters, and I could have if I had asked my parents for one. It was an expensive figure back in the day, and mint editions go for hundreds today, if not a thousand if they are in the box. With both of my parents working it could have been a birthday or Christmas present.

Yet when the figure came out I was getting older, and I knew that I had to be selective with my present requests. So a BMX bike was at the top of the list, followed by monster truck toys of all sorts. I got the bike, and over the years I was gifted some amazing Hot Wheels, and monster truck toys. I gave away my bikes, and most of my Hot Wheels to my younger cousins. I held onto a few monster truck things, until a storm destroyed my magazine collection. On the blog I talked about losing my monster collection, and spending more than a decade getting it back. During that time I never forgot about how cool the My Pet Monster toy was. When the collaboration with Jeremy Scott was announced I was super hyped. Even if they didn’t make the sneakers in my size I wanted to buy a pair just to have, and appreciate. It joined my love of the toys, and sneakers. To me it would have been an art piece. Sadly the project was cancelled because critics said that the ankle cuffs were akin to slave chains. They didn’t even ask the artist what the influence was, they just ran with the narrative that he was mocking Black culture. It was the dumbest possible take, but it got the press, and public to force Adidas to cancel the project. I would forever be mad about it.

The entire reason I started thinking about those sneakers from years ago was because I had been watching YouTube videos on retro toy collectors. Several of them would feature rare Monster figures on their channel. Watching them do the toy hunting rekindled my love of the character. I began thinking about what I would do with the Monster if I were to reboot the line, or do a collaboration. The first thing I immediately thought of was making a skate version of the monster. So I came up with an ink drawing called My Rad Monster. It was essentially the classic toy holding a skateboard. Then I began thinking about how my version would be a different color, and even have different accessories. I’d give my version a helmet, torn sneakers, and put the cuffs on his ankles instead of his wrists as a nod to Jeremy Scott. I’d even give him an open mouth with a green tongue. The original version had a closed mouth.

My first illustrated version had bold flat colors. It looked very much like the graphics we would have seen in the late ‘80s / early ‘90s. It had no highlights, shadows or anything else. It looked good to me, but I thought it didn’t really capture the feel of a fuzzy plush figure. So I went and did an updated version with more of a fur look to it. I made his eyes a little bit bigger as well to make him look more cartoonish. I even used my rainbow checkered skateboard that I had created for a different retro illustration. I think it did a better job of looking like the kind of toy that would have hit in the ‘80s. What do you think?

If I had lots of money I’d commission a toy maker to build me a figure. At least my illustration captures the heart of what I wanted to see in a reboot. I’d like to know if there was a toy from your childhood that you always wanted but never got. Would you collect it today if you could, or would you rather reboot it? Tell me about it in the comments section. If you enjoy this blog there are several ways you can support me. You can sponsor me directly on Patreon. Or like and subscribe to my videos on YouTube. You can even subscribe to the Pink Monorail Podcast featuring my wife, and myself. 

 

Bookmark This Page; The roots of street basketball, and freestyle culture

I like basketball, and I especially love street aka playground basketball. If you want a history on the legends then Bookmark This Page.

Streetball: The Big Picture, Part 1 - A 1UP classic from May 26, 2005

Streetball: The Big Picture, Part 2 - A 1UP classic from May 27, 2005

Streetball: The Big Picture, Part 3 - A 1UP classic from May 29, 2005

Streetball: The Big Picture, Part 4 - A 1UP classic from May 30, 2005

How freestyle became high profile - A 1UP classic from January 8, 2009

Who do you think you are? The Abbas Farid interview - A 1UP classic from January 9, 2009

The Best There Ever Was, Part 1 - A 1UP classic from March 10, 2005

The Best There Ever Was, Part 2 - A 1UP classic from March 15, 2005

The Best There Ever Was, Part 3 - A 1UP classic from March 16, 2005

Were you a fan of basketball, or freestyle culture? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Pink Monorail Manufacturing the Magic Ep 26: The Beginnings of Busch Gardens

Heya friends, I spent the summer of 2025 recharging my creative batteries, and working on side projects. One of which was to continue the podcast series featuring the missus. This podcast is designed for Disney fans, amusement park visitors, and history buffs. You’ll learn the roots of the multi-billion dollar theme park industry from ancient history all the way to today. The missus, and I worked hard putting these episodes together through 2024, until we had a family emergency and had to stop working on it for 7 months. We are back on it through 2026. Click on the picture or link to visit our streaming page hosted on Jim Hill Media. I hope you get a chance to listen, subscribe, and leave a review so we can climb the theme park podcast rankings!

The Pink Monorail Podcast Manufacturing the Magic Ep 26: The Beginnings of Busch Gardens In the 26th installment of this educational series, Shelly & Noe Valladolid takes us back to Tampa, Florida in 1959. Which is where a bird sanctuary built next to a brewery hospitality center eventually turned into thrill ride central. 

Over the course of this episode, listeners will learn about: 

• Where was the first Busch Gardens located? 
• How did Busch Gardens in Tampa react to the opening of Walt Disney World? 
• What happened to the wooden coaster Gwazi? 
• What American dynasty backed Colonial Williamsburg? 
• What became of Busch Gardens Houston’s Orient Express railroad? 

Are there any current or former theme parks, or attractions that you love? I’d like to hear about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

The Oswald cards come home, or why I really hate scalpers!

In the previous blog I talked about the cards that were given away during the D23 Expo in Anaheim this summer. I mentioned how I would likely never open the cards that my friend Erin gifted me. That was until another friend reached out with a free pack as well. My family knew Jeff from the Disney community for years, and years. He went to the presentations in the Honda Center with his friend Darren, who was actually visiting from the UK. Darren didn’t care for Oswald, and gave Jeff his pack. Jeff said he would find a good home for it, and reached out to gift me the pack.

He said the scalpers were acting like complete idiots after the show. He said there were boxes at the exits, with employees saying please only take one, but people were grabbing handfuls, and walking out. Then they would circle around to the next exit and grab more. Literally kicking the empty boxes over in the lobby. They left hundreds of attendees without cards. To add insult to injury these people were walking around the parking lot trying to sell these freebies for $50 each.

I didn’t care much for scalpers, and resellers, and had even less respect for them after hearing similar stories. I told Jeff that If I opened the packs that I would scan the cards, and share them for the fans that couldn’t get to the D23. I said the most important part was the QR code. Once you had that it would load a SnapChat filter or webpage that they could visit. Then all you had to do was point your phone at the cards to see the animations. So if you had a computer monitor then you would still be able to see the effect. I decided to open the packs so that I could share them here.

The animations were very clever loops. Oswald danced around in front of a Disneyland landmark. The song playing in the background was a jazz standard from over 100 years ago called “I’ve Found A New Baby.” According to Wikipedia the song was written in 1926 by Jack Palmer and Spencer Williams, and first performed by Clarence Williams' Blue Five. Yet there was a recording from 1925 by Ethel Waters, so I’m not sure who to believe. Either way it was a great detail. Oswald was created in 1927 so the music was period appropriate.

The two packs that I got only had only two repeat cards. Which meant that I managed to get six out of the ten possible cards. I was going to gift my doubles to the kid of my friend. He was also a big Oswald fan. I planned on waiting for the remaining four to show up on eBay. Or if someone was selling a pack for not a lot then I would get it. I was very good at waiting out scalpers, and hunting for a deal. Even if it took me years I would collect the set without breaking the bank. In the meantime I would like to share the ones I got. Open this blog up on your computer, scan the QR code with your phone, and scroll over the cards to see the animations. I hope that you enjoy them.

In the meantime I was able to find some good pictures on Reddit that I could use on the blog. Based on the people trying to trade for cards online it seems that the four missing cards for me also happen to be the four most rare cards. Of these cards the Indiana Jones temple is the more common. Less common than that is the Monstro the Whale card. The second most rare card appeared to be Oswald stuck in a popcorn cart.

The rarest card based on the demand seems to be Oswald dancing on top of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon sign. I’d like to know if you ever had to deal with scalpers to get something that you wanted in your collection.

Tell me about the rarest thing that you had to search for in the comments section. If you enjoy this blog there are several ways you can support me. You can sponsor me directly on Patreon. Or like and subscribe to my videos on YouTube. You can even subscribe to the Pink Monorail Podcast featuring my wife, and myself. 

 

Bookmark This Page; Muscle Bomber / Saturday Night Slam Masters. The Capcom wrestling games deep dive.

Did you know that Capcom had a wrestling canon that was connected to the Street Fighter universe? If you want to learn how the creator of an influential manga built this world then Bookmark This Page.

Muscle Bomber - the Capcom wrestling series, part 1

Muscle Bomber - the Capcom wrestling series, part 2

Muscle Bomber - the Capcom wrestling series, part 3

Did you ever play any of the Saturday Night Slam Masters games in the arcade or home console? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Oswald gets an exclusive trading card set thanks to D23

Hello friends, I hope that you have been doing well. I’ve been on an Oswald kick all year long, especially as we are rolling into his 100th birthday. One of the things that I had been searching for was any footage or news on the television show that was announced for Disney+. I talked about the cancelled cartoon a couple of times on the blog, and the long development cycle for the live action show. The first public reveal for the new series happened during the D23 Disney Community event in Anaheim this past August 14-16, 2026. Director Jon Favreau said he was doing the reveal early because the next D23 event would have passed after the TV show had already come out. I watched the panel as it was streamed online.

To celebrate the reveal Mr. Favreau announced that all of the attendees in the arena would receive a free pack of trading cards. These had special AR features that you could activate with your phone. They showed Oswald interacting with several of the iconic locations within Disneyland. When I saw this I lost my mind. My family hadn’t attended a D23 event in more than a decade. Tickets were prohibitively expensive, just as going to Disneyland had become. My family was pretty much priced out of going anywhere near Anaheim. We used to cover the convention for the press, but it had been a long time since we could apply for that. With that said I needed to track down the cards for my collection. I jumped online to see if anyone was selling them on eBay. 

Unfortunately they were, and they were asking insane prices for the free cards. Packs quickly jumped from $40 for a set of 4 cards to $50 for a single card. Eventually they started asking $300 or more for a single pack. There were thousands of people that attended the show, with possibly 20,000 packs or more given away that night. The fact that a handful of them turned into scalpers wasn’t a surprise. Flippers had ruined just about every collector community in recent years, especially the trading card community. Original Paradigms did a YouTube video talking about how sneaker resellers went broke with their absurd levels of greed. With the Oswald cards in mind he did a separate video on how scalpers and resellers had ruined everything.

Mind you that I was a prolific collector of many things. Toys, comics, and magazines included. I had a large collection not because I was rich, but because I was diligent. I had a tight budget (often less than $50 a month), and stuck to it. It sometimes took me months to save up enough for a single purchase. I would keep an eye on rare items on eBay, and international shops. Sometimes I would wait years, if not decades until I could justify a purchase. For example I waited 36 years to buy a toy that I had always wanted.

Even when I had the money I needed to justify it to myself. There was no way that I could defend  hundreds of dollars for essentially free cards. As much as I loved Oswald, and as great the cards would be in my collection I simply couldn’t afford the ridiculous markup. I knew that I had friends, and contacts in the Disney community that I could reach out to. So I asked on social media if anybody had a lead on the cards. I was willing to pay a reasonable price for some cards. Right away a friend that had attended the convention reached out. I had known Erin from the days of the 1UP community. This was about 20 years ago. She moved on to work at many big companies over the years. She was always super-cool, and we remained friends online. She was happy to give me the cards, adding that the pack was in better hands with me. A couple day later it arrived. I was so happy with the gift that I drew a thank you illustration for her.

I don’t think I’ll ever open this pack as it meant too much to me. Perhaps in a year or so I might be able to get all the cards online for cheap. If Disneyland ever sells the cards in the future then I’ll be glad they destroyed the resale market. I was grateful to Erin, and wanted to share this story on the blog. I was blessed that a lot of my friends actually reached out to their contacts as well in a hunt for the cards. I hoped that there were people in your life that were as generous. I’d like to know if a friend ever did something very kind for you, how did you thank them? Tell me about it in the comments section. If you enjoy this blog there are several ways you can support me. You can sponsor me directly on Patreon. Or like and subscribe to my videos on YouTube. You can even subscribe to the Pink Monorail Podcast featuring my wife, and myself. 

 

Some of my favorite Disney illustrations from 2026

Hello friends, I hope the year has been good for you. When I last posted I was getting out of my art block because I was doing some pieces featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Here’s a continuation of those pieces, including a rare drawing featuring both Oswald and Mickey.

I had an idea about putting Mickey in a race car, and having Oswald be his mechanic. I put Oswald in the uniform from his Service Station which was featured at Disney’s California Adventure. This was the sister park across from Disneyland in Anaheim.

The thing I love about working in Adobe Illustrator is that I can adjust colors, and gradients easily, and separate the characters so that I can place them exactly where I want to. This worked for me much easier than painting in different layers in Photoshop. For example here was how Oswald actually looked while standing behind Mickey’s race car.

After doing an Oswald and Mickey drawing I got an idea for another one. I was wondering how they would have gotten along as kids. I imagined Oswald was the big brother even though he was only a year older he took his job seriously. He decided he would show Mickey the ropes. One day he took him to the old fishing hole where they saw a giant butterfly along the way. One of these days I'd like to do a children's book featuring the two visiting Disneyland.

Since the summer had wound down I was in the mood for the holidays. Of course I started with the most important fall event. I wanted to do a witchy Minnie, but not with the pointy cap, or cape like she would wear in the official Disney art. So I went with her classic bow, and dress, but moons, and stars instead of polka dots. I think my version worked very well. What do you think?

As long as I was putting Minnie in costumes I had an idea for a game. One of my favorite Genesis games was Valis III. It was one of the rare anime games translated for the US. I was wondering how it would be to reboot the franchise, but swap out Minnie, and make her the fantasy warrior. I could almost see it now! Have you ever done any Disney fan art? Tell me about it in the comments section. If you enjoy this blog there are several ways you can support me. You can sponsor me directly on Patreon. Or like and subscribe to my videos on YouTube. You can even subscribe to the Pink Monorail Podcast featuring my wife, and myself. 

 

Bookmark This Page; Street Fighter 6 is a master class in game design

Street Fighter 6 was a revelation when it was released in 2023. My deep dive on the game almost sent me to the hospital. If you want to find out why I called it a master class in game design then Bookmark This Page.

The Street Fighter 6 master class index

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 1

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 2

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 3

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 4

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 5

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 6

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 7

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 8

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 9

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 10

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 11

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 12

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 13

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 14

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 15

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 16

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 17

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 18

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 19

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 20

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 21

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 22

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 23

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 24

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 25

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 26

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 27

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 28

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 29

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 30

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, part 31

Street Fighter 6: A master class in game design, final part

What was your impression of Street Fighter 6, was it the best game in the series or not? Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Skeletons, Disney, and Oswald break me out of my art block

Hello friends, I managed to get some more art pieces done in ink, and even illustrator. The going is slow, but I feel good after each piece in the sketchbook. I started with the reliable skeleton drawing, but this time switched it up to a surfer, instead of a skateboarder. I think it came our very well.

I shared a number of my illustrations on Reddit. I had never really used that site before, but decided to post my drawings there, as well as on DevianArt. I was surprised with how responsive the community was to my art. I dug up my old skate skeleton drawings there as well, and got a huge response. It was very affirming to hear the words of positivity. I had a few people reach out asking about a commussion or art trade, but I had to decline. I am very sporadic with my drawings. I can literally go years without touching my sketchbook. So I never want to commit to something unless I really am passionate about it. I did promise one Redditor a drawing from my sketchbook because he asked very kindly. The one doing an ollie over the slippery signs below is what I sent out. 

Skating skeletons were always a surefire way to get me to draw. I even found time to do one of the old Neversoft eyeball monster from the Tony Hawk video games. A lot of people were commenting on how great my art would be on a tee shirt. A few even said that I would make a sick tattoo artist. That was high praise, but I think I'm too old to start tattooing. With that said one person did reach out and ask if I could design a tattoo for him. I messaged that I never did commissions or requests. However the idea of designing a tattoo did catch my attention. The person asked for a skull and skate crossbones, similar to the old Four Star / Crailtap logo, but in the Vernon Courtlandt Johnson style. I said that sounded like a request right up my alley. I accepted the request and came up with this drawing. Do you think this would make for a good tattoo?

Then I got into a Disney rhythm, and did a drawing of one of my favorite classic characters. I love Horace Horsecollar. He is one of a handful of characters that I would give a team to in a Disney Sports Soccer reboot. I could just imagine him having different galloping animations each time he scores a goal in the game. I’d give a team to Oswald of course, or possibly have Oswald and Horace on the same team. I’d give a team to Ian the ghost from Epic Mickey. I’d also have Panchito Pistolas be a hidden character, and the hidden team would be the Three Caballeros. It would feature Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and Panchito.

Once I was in the rhythm of drawing I was able to crank out two illustrations on back-to-back days. Three years ago I did a piece celebrating Oswald’s 98th birthday. Then I wanted to do one for his 99th, and 100th. The first cartoon that was finished featuring Oswald was “Poor Papa.” This was a lost cartoon that was rediscovered in 2016, and a special concert was put together to celebrate the discovery. I talked about it previously on this blog.

Unfortunately the cartoon wasn’t enjoyed by the Universal Studios Producers Mintz, and Winkler, so Walt Disney went back to the drawing board. The first cartoon that was actually released in theaters was Trolley Troubles in 1927. I did a version of that Oswald for the 99th Birthday. Then I wanted to do something special for his 100th birthday. I wanted to include three historically important rabbits to be celebrating with him. Bugs Bunny was the first choice. Bugs debuted in 1940. The second would be Roger Rabbit, whose film came out in 1988, but was based on a story from 1981. I was on the fence for who would be the third character. I didn’t think Rabbit from Winnie the Poo was big on celebrations. I thought Max from Sam & Max would be too chaotic. I wanted another classic character. Bre’er Rabbit from the 1946 film Song of the South was my choice. Unfortunately he was tied to a culturally insensitive film by Disney.

Just about any trace of the characters from Song of the South had been scrubbed from Disney history, these included the parks. I decided he should still be a part of the celebration. In my book these classic characters should always be remembered. I’m grateful that the global community never forgot Oswald. After a century he was finally getting the spotlight that had been taken from him. I’m certain Walt would be happy to know how beloved the character was. I’d like to know if you had a favorite character, and if you created any art to celebrate them. Tell me about it in the comments section. If you enjoy this blog there are several ways you can support me. You can sponsor me directly on Patreon. Or like and subscribe to my videos on YouTube. You can even subscribe to the Pink Monorail Podcast featuring my wife, and myself.