31 Days of Spook – Winchester Mystery House

Today, I’m focusing on the Winchester Mystery House.  Have you heard about this mansion that is located in San Jose, California?  Have you been there?  It’s claimed that some people are there and they have never left.  The Winchester Mystery House is just that – a mystery.  It was the residence of Sarah Winchester.

In 1862, she  married William Winchester – who came from the family that created the famous Winchester guns.  Everything seemed like it was grand and wonderful …for a while.

In 1866, the Winchester’s infant daughter, Annie, passed away from a childhood disease called marasmus.  (Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition and causes a child to look emaciated.)  Losing her child caused Mrs. Winchester to fall into a deep depression.

In 1881, Mrs. Winchester’s husband, William, passed away from tuberculosis.  Can you imagine watching two of your very close loved ones pass away so early in life?  Mrs. Winchester was beside herself and sought help from a spiritualist.  Through consulting with the spiritualist, Mrs. Winchester believed her family and her fortune were haunted by the ghosts of the people who had fallen victim to the family Winchester rifles.  She was advised that the only way she could appease the ghosts was to move west and build them a house.  Not just a house but to continuous build them a house.

In 1884, Mrs. Winchester moved west to San Jose, California and bought an unfinished farmhouse .  Work began immediately.  Mrs. Winchester  would hold nightly seances to speak with the spirits to help guide her in how the house would be worked on the following date.  In the morning, she would meet with her construction workers and give them the plans.  Did the plans make sense?  You decide.

• There are roughly 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms;
• 2 ballrooms (one completed and one unfinished);
• 47 fireplaces;
• Over 10,000 panes of glass;
• 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others);
• 2 basements with three elevators.  
• It has gold and silver chandeliers and hand-inlaid parquet floors and trim;
• There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials.
• The home’s conveniences were rare at the time of its construction. These included steam and forced-air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push-button gas lights and Mrs. Winchester’s personal (and only) hot shower from indoor plumbing.
• The number 13 is repeated frequently in the home – whether in stairs, candles, wall hooks, stained glass windows or even 13 holes in the drain covers.  Also every Friday the 13th, the large bell on the property is rung 13 times at 1300 hours in tribute to Winchester.   Mrs. Winchester even signed her will 13 times leaving everything to a niece and personal secretary.

Construction continued every day around the clock until Mrs. Winchester died on September 5, 1922.  Upon her death, all hammering ceased.  When they looked in Mrs. Winchester’s safe they found the things that meant the most to her.  Not money.  Not diamonds.  Not riches.  It was two pieces of hair – one from her husband and one from her daughter.

And until this day, it is said that you can still hear the construction work taking place, that you can see the workers inside and outside of the home.  And, people still say that Mrs. Winchester herself is still in the home.

 

 

Let’s Play a Game

Okay my friends – Let’s Play a Game.  Mom/dad went out to dinner the other night to a local hamburger place.  They sit at a table and mom always faces the door and looks around like a sniper – hilarious.  She sees this older gentleman – probably in his 60’s – sitting at a table across from them.  He has older clothes on, he has a beard and mustache, long hair and he’s using an iPhone.  Now mom said that picture didn’t look right in itself.  It was like he was trying to ‘look old and out of place’ but yet he was hip enough to have an iPhone.  That was what caught mom’s eye.

Then, mom saw him tell the waitress that he was leaving his briefcase on the table, he was going to the bathroom and would pick it up on the way out.  Now look at that briefcase.  Really?  Awkward looking huh?  Clue two that caught mom’s eagle eyes.

Mom watched the guy go to the bathrooms, come out and walk right beside his table, look at the briefcase and proceed to pay his bill at the register.  Then, the man left the restaurant.  He walked right out the door and left…. without the briefcase.

Did you hear the bells going off in mom’s head then?  Odd – very odd.  Of course mom is giving dad a play by play of the activities.  Mom calls the waitress over and tells her that the guy left and to bring the situation to the manager’s attention.  You would, right?  Mom sees the waitress walk over to the manager, tell him something, the manager laughs and then the waitress comes back.  The waitress says that the manager was going to give the guy a couple of minutes to come back.  W.T.H.  Really?  Then the waitress says, “He looked like a nice guy”.  DOUBLE W.T.H.  Nice guy?  Well heck Ted Bundy looked like a nice guy too.  And??

So by this point mom is shaking her head and ready to call in the bomb squad herself.  Then something more mysterious happened about 15 minutes later.  This woman came into the restaurant.  She was holding one of those huge refillable drink cups like you would get at 7-11 or some gas station.  She stops the waitress and asks her to fill it up.  The waitress does it and gives it back to her.  On the way out of the restaurant, this lady picks up the briefcase and leaves.  This woman is walking – she didn’t drive to the restaurant.

Now you tell me what this is all about.  With everything that is happening in today’s society, what could this had possibly been?  AND to top it off, the management here didn’t have a care about it.  So let’s discuss – put on your investigator hat and let’s play a game of what (A) was in the briefcase and (B) what was going on.

 

31 Days of Spook – Winchester Mystery House

Today, I’m focusing on the Winchester Mystery House.  Have you heard about this mansion that is located in San Jose, California?  Have you been there?  It’s claimed that some people are there and they have never left.  The Winchester Mystery House is just that – a mystery.  It was the residence of Sarah Winchester.

In 1862, she  married William Winchester – who came from the family that created the famous Winchester guns.  Everything seemed like it was grand and wonderful …for a while.

In 1866, the Winchester’s infant daughter, Annie, passed away from a childhood disease called marasmus.  (Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition and causes a child to look emaciated.)  Losing her child caused Mrs. Winchester to fall into a deep depression.

In 1881, Mrs. Winchester’s husband, William, passed away from tuberculosis.  Can you imagine watching two of your very close loved ones pass away so early in life?  Mrs. Winchester was beside herself and sought help from a spiritualist.  Through consulting with the spiritualist, Mrs. Winchester believed her family and her fortune were haunted by the ghosts of the people who had fallen victim to the family Winchester rifles.  She was advised that the only way she could appease the ghosts was to move west and build them a house.  Not just a house but to continuous build them a house.

In 1884, Mrs. Winchester moved west to San Jose, California and bought an unfinished farmhouse .  Work began immediately.  Mrs. Winchester  would hold nightly seances to speak with the spirits to help guide her in how the house would be worked on the following date.  In the morning, she would meet with her construction workers and give them the plans.  Did the plans make sense?  You decide.

• There are roughly 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms;
• 2 ballrooms (one completed and one unfinished);
• 47 fireplaces;
• Over 10,000 panes of glass;
• 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others);
• 2 basements with three elevators.  
• It has gold and silver chandeliers and hand-inlaid parquet floors and trim;
• There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials.
• The home’s conveniences were rare at the time of its construction. These included steam and forced-air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push-button gas lights and Mrs. Winchester’s personal (and only) hot shower from indoor plumbing.
• The number 13 is repeated frequently in the home – whether in stairs, candles, wall hooks, stained glass windows or even 13 holes in the drain covers.  Also every Friday the 13th, the large bell on the property is rung 13 times at 1300 hours in tribute to Winchester.   Mrs. Winchester even signed her will 13 times leaving everything to a niece and personal secretary.

Construction continued every day around the clock until Mrs. Winchester died on September 5, 1922.  Upon her death, all hammering ceased.  When they looked in Mrs. Winchester’s safe they found the things that meant the most to her.  Not money.  Not diamonds.  Not riches.  It was two pieces of hair – one from her husband and one from her daughter.

And until this day, it is said that you can still hear the construction work taking place, that you can see the workers inside and outside of the home.  And, people still say that Mrs. Winchester herself is still in the home.

 

 

The Great Post Office Drama

    Oh friends.  I’m not sure if your post office is like our post office but you gotta enjoy a great hide and seek game.  Oh wait a minute, you don’t know the whole story of The Great Post Office Drama – snorts.  Pull up a chair, get you a drink and some popcorn.  This is the mystery.

Okay here it goes.  Last Friday, there was a knock on the front door of the Hotel Thompson.  Before dad could answer it – which trust me was only moments – the mail person jumped in their truck and went on down the street.  What?  Was that a run by post office… a run by knocking… a test to see if anyone was home?  Was there a video camera somewhere with people going to jump out to say “Gotcha”?  I mean it was that quick.  Later on when mom came home, she found a piece of paper in the mailbox saying they tried to deliver a package.  Yeah, okay.  On the notice, it said who it was from so mom told me and I got so excited I squealed.  The notice said you could come the next morning, Saturday, to the post office and pick it up.

So all night long, I waited.  I tossed and turned.  All in anticipation of what the package contained.  Saturday morning, I got mom up early and her/dad went to the post office.  Now, our post office for our neighborhood is like 10 miles away which is really odd because we have a post office like 3 miles away.  But that is post office guidelines for you.   Mom/dad get to the post office and guess what.  It’s closed.  Locked down.  No one home.  Nada.  What the heck?  Mom looks at her notice again.  Yep, she’s at the right place.  How’s that for service, huh?

So mom/dad go back home.  Later on in the day, mom just happens to see the postman or should I call her postwoman.  She runs out to meet her waving the slip of paper in her hand.  Mom in so many nice words tells her about how it was ‘attempted to be delivered’ and fusses.  Of course the carrier apologizes and doesn’t have the package today.  Mom then tells her she even went to the post office on the slip she left and guess what – they were closed!  The carrier took the slip and said she would have the substitute deliver it Monday.  Great.  My package will have to wait until Monday.  Drats.  Stomps hooves.  Has a hissy fit.  I don’t wanna wait.  I want it NOW.

So here we are – Post Office 2 and Me -0-.  Monday comes around finally and mom just happens to get off early due to a meeting.  She gets home just in time for the mailman thinking she will have my package.  Guess what – no package.  He knows nothing about it.  This pig can only take so much my friends.  I beg mommy – please go find my package.  We all know it’s out there somewhere…. probably in package purgatory begging to come home to me.  I can almost hear it now – “Find me Bacon”.

So mom/dad jump in the Jeep and go to our post office.  All the way daddy is telling mommy that package is gone like the wind never to be seen again in these parts of the South.  But mom, she has the patience of a saint.  She goes into the post office and explains the dilemma.  What do they say?  “You are at the wrong post office.  You have to go to this post office”.  Which might I add is a bit further.  When mom says the paper said this one.  Are you ready for it….. the post person laughed and said, “Oh, those are old papers.  We changed a while back.”

So mom goes out to the Jeep and hears daddy say it again, “Bye-Bye package”.  Of course by this time mom is determined she will track my package down.  She goes to the second post office and of course, they can’t find it either.  What is this, the great treasure hunt of the south?  She asks for a supervisor, explains the situation and do you know what they told mommy?  When mommy told them about ringing the door bell and then promptly leaving, they said that the carrier will only wait a second or two.  WTH?  This almost made mom lose her mommy mind.  That’s hardly enough time to get off of the sofa.  Then the supervisor went on their great hunt and find mission.  And guess what?  They couldn’t find it either!  Talk about your customer service and don’t get mom started on the attitude everyone was having with their attitudes like mom was just plain crazy.

Now mom is getting a little upset and puts on a thick southern charm.  She asks to speak to the head person in charge.  He comes to the desk and she explains the entire situation again of course this times she is keeping her calm but oozing her forceful southern stand.  They then go on a hunt and find mission.  And guess what?  They come back with the package!  It was on the supervisors desk of all places.  OMP – happy dance – happy dance.  Mom takes the package, squeals in the post office, says thank you and goes out to the Jeep… just waiting for dad’s response.  He’s in shock.

They come home and give me the package!  Now you are probably asking, “Bacon, who is the package from?!”  I’m glad you asked my friends.  It was from my brother Easy across the pond.  What a brother and pal he is.  He sent me this package for my birthday.  And let me tell you something.  Easy you are the best!  We loved it!  My mom/dad laughed so hard when they opened the package.  We loved everything.  Thanks brother!!

Look at these goodies – squeals with piggy delight.  Now the pink pig is a bank.  That way I can save some of my allowance for my future trips here/there in the world.  I even let mommy put STAR (that’s his name) on the new book shelf in the living room.  That way we can make sure he doesn’t wonder off and get hurt.

And then there is Pee and Pool.  Oh.my.piggy.heavens.  Can you belief that?  I ❤ them!  We have all laughed and laughed over them.  Pee and Poo.  You want to take a better look don’t you?  Are they not the funniest duo you have seen in sometime?  You just gotta love them.  Heck mommy even picked them up and hugged them – now *that* was funny!  Oh brother – thank you so very much for thinking of me.  I love everything!!  ❤ Bacon

 

 

Bacon’s Tales of Terror

Oh my friends – we have an excellent Tale of Terror today on this 13th. It’s so scary, that I scared myself while typing it out for you to read. Are you ready? Do you think you can handle this today? It’s definitely a nail biter. You might want to turn on the lights. Don’t say I didn’t warn you my friends – enjoy.

Becky finally met her one and only – the man of her dreams. Not only was he good on the eyes but he was charming, had a great job and a great home. His house, that he referred to as his ‘bachelor pad’, was just a miniature mansion that had been in the family for years. They had only been dating for nine months but the day Josh proposed to Becky was one of the happiest days of her life…almost. They were in the drawing room and upon her saying yes to his question, a dove flew into the window breaking his neck. Should that have been a sign? A warning of such?

Becky moved into Josh’s home and started making it hers. Little by little, she put a feminine touch on it – adding pictures, flowers and dreaming of the day she would be married to Josh. Once she moved in though, that’s when the little things started. A slam of a door. A framed picture of her and Josh falling off the wall and across the floor shattering. Cabinet doors opening. Noises. All of this happening when she was alone. It was strange. Even one day when Josh was leaving, he had forgotten his phone. She ran out the front door to give it to him. She could have sworn she saw a woman in the back seat of his car. Was it just her imagination?

Then one night, they were in bed together and something woke her. When she opened her eyes, she could have sworn she saw a woman in a wedding dress walking out of their bedroom. She must have been dreaming… well that’s what she thought anyway.

The next day when Josh came home, he dropped his bag in the living room where she was sitting and a picture almost fell out. She reached down to pick up the picture and it was a woman. Why would her fiancee have a picture of another woman in his bag? She questioned him. That’s when he told her it was his wife. Wife?! His deceased wife. His deceased wife who fell down the stairs and broke her neck in that very house.

Of course that bit of news put a little ice on the situation. The next day after Josh went to work, a neighbor came over to talk to Becky. She told Becky that things weren’t as they appeared. The deceased wife was a good friend of hers and that was actually her house. Becky didn’t want to believe such things and asked her to leave. Upon her leaving, she gave her a cut out news article telling about the woman’s death and how the husband was actually a suspect. What?! What had she gotten herself into? He couldn’t have been. Instead of leaving, she stayed to discuss this with him. There’s always two sides to every story and she was in love with him.

When he came home, the questions began. He said it was his deceased wife’s house but he inherited it and thus it was a family home. And he was upstairs taking a shower when his wife fell down the stairs. He had nothing to do with it. Would you have believed him?

They went to bed that night and Becky couldn’t sleep. She just stared at him thinking and replaying everything in her mind about the information she had learned. Finally she got up to go downstairs to watch television to get her mind off of the situation. Upon her going down the staircase, she saw what appeared to be a woman laying at the foot of the stairs. The ghost like woman got up and floated up the stairs towards her. She was frozen in fright. The woman stopped in front of her and she could have sworn she heard, “Look in his nightstand”. Then the woman disappeared.

Now, she was not only seeing things she was hearing things? She went back into the bedroom and went to Josh’s nightstand. Taped underneath the top of the shelf of the night stand was an envelope. She quietly removed it and went downstairs to open it in the kitchen. When she did, she took off her engagement ring and left it on the kitchen counter with the paperwork. She left that night with the clothes on her back and never looked back.

What exactly was in the paperwork? It was a life insurance policy on her, Becky, for $250,000.00 – something she didn’t even know Josh had taken out on her.

 

The Great Cookie Caper

Call Scooby Doo.  Call Sherlock Holmes.  Heck call my cousin Sherlock Bones.  We have quite the mystery here at the Hotel Thompson.  This is cookie season – you know Girl Scout cookies.  We here ❤ the Girl Scouts.  Our front door has a sign that reads, “No Soliciting… unless you have Girl Scout Cookies”.  That sign is fully enforced – snorts and rolls with laughter.

So mom buys boxes of Girl Scouts cookies (I’m ashamed to say how many but I can tell you they freeze well for during the year in emergency cases).  She gets her box of gold and brings them home.  Dad’s all time favorite is Samoas.  Dad’s mouth has been watering all day long since mom called and told him she had him a stash.  He gets him a tall glass of milk and he is going to have him a few while watching Jeopardy – which is another post for another day.

He reaches for his box and what the pig?  The box is light.  Maybe it’s a new formula – light? Snorts – no really the box is empty!  What the cream cheese he says followed by where are my cookies?!  I need cookies in my belly.  He bellows for mom to come here.  She does and he hands her the box and says, “Are you playing with me?”  That’s when she feels the box which is EMPTY.  The box is sealed, stamped and still intact.  Mom takes these pictures for proof.

 Someone had ONE job to do and guess what?  They failed miserably!  Snorts.  Mom called the person she bought the cookies from and explained what happened.  Even he was like what?  Mom did bring the box to the guy the next day and the box was replaced but…the mystery is still there.  What happened to the cookies?

Were they not put in the box to begin with?  Were they invisible for people on a DIEt?  How many other people got empty boxes?  Has this happened to you before?

And let me just nip the rumor going around – snorts oinks – me and Houdini did NOT – repeat DID NOT – have anything to do with the mysterious disappearance of dad’s cookies.  There was no Mission Impossible music playing and there was no ninja moves being done by either of us.  For real.  Innocent the both of us.

 

 

 

31 Days of Spook – Winchester Mystery House

It’s getting closer my friends – the day that we look forward to once a year – Halloween.

Today, I’m focusing on the Winchester Mystery House.  Have you heard about this mansion that is located in San Jose, California?  Have you been there?  It’s claimed that some people are there and they have never left.

The Winchester Mystery House is just that – a mystery.  It was the residence of Sarah Winchester.

.

In 1862, she  married William Winchester – who came from the family that created the famous Winchester guns.  Everything seemed like it was grand and wonderful …for a while.

In 1866, the Winchester’s infant daughter, Annie, passed away from a childhood disease called marasmus.  (Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition and causes a child to look emaciated.)  Losing her child caused Mrs. Winchester to fall into a deep depression.

In 1881, Mrs. Winchester’s husband, William, passed away from tuberculosis.  Can you imagine watching two of your very close loved ones pass away so early in life?  Mrs. Winchester was beside herself and sought help from a spiritualist.  Through consulting with the spiritualist, Mrs. Winchester believed her family and her fortune were haunted by the ghosts of the people who had fallen victim to the family Winchester rifles.  She was advised that the only way she could appease the ghosts was to move west and build them a house.  Not just a house but to continuous build them a house.

In 1884, Mrs. Winchester moved west to San Jose, California and bought an unfinished farmhouse .  Work began immediately.  Mrs. Winchester  would hold nightly seances to speak with the spirits to help guide her in how the house would be worked on the following date.  In the morning, she would meet with her construction workers and give them the plans.  Did the plans make sense?  You decide.

• There are roughly 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms;
• 2 ballrooms (one completed and one unfinished);
• 47 fireplaces;
• Over 10,000 panes of glass;
• 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others);
• 2 basements with three elevators.  
• It has gold and silver chandeliers and hand-inlaid parquet floors and trim;
• There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials.
• The home’s conveniences were rare at the time of its construction. These included steam and forced-air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push-button gas lights and Mrs. Winchester’s personal (and only) hot shower from indoor plumbing.
• The number 13 is repeated frequently in the home – whether in stairs, candles, wall hooks, stained glass windows or even 13 holes in the drain covers.  Also every Friday the 13th, the large bell on the property is rung 13 times at 1300 hours in tribute to Winchester.   Mrs. Winchester even signed her will 13 times leaving everything to a niece and personal secretary.

Construction continued every day around the clock until Mrs. Winchester died on September 5, 1922.  Upon her death, all hammering ceased.  When they looked in Mrs. Winchester’s safe they found the things that meant the most to her.  Not money.  Not diamonds.  Not riches.  It was two pieces of hair – one from her husband and one from her daughter.

And until this day, it is said that you can still hear the construction work taking place, that you can see the workers inside and outside of the home.  And, people still say that Mrs. Winchester herself is still in the home.

 

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION RECEIVED

This just in – mom received word a couple of days ago and just NOW told me that Bashful my little international rolling stone has landed at his destination.  Can you believe that mom just told me??!!  She said she forgot.  That mom of mine – what am I going to do with her?  I was getting scared for the little tyke and was giving him until tomorrow before I called out the Coast Guard.

So little Bashful is with his host family and all is well.  AND they are going to post something soon.  Can you wait?  Isn’t this exciting?  I’m so tickled that I’m rolling around on the floor chasing my tail – don’t tell anyone okay.  Let that be our little secret.

You want to know where he is?  You do, don’t you?  Well, my lips are sealed.  I’m waiting for the mysterious destination host family to tell you.

 

31 Days of Spook – Day 28

It’s getting closer my friends – the day that we look forward to once a year – Halloween.  Just a couple of more days now.  Until then, here is Day 28 of my 31 Days of Spook.

Today, I’m focusing on the Winchester Mystery House.  Have you heard about this mansion that is located in San Jose, California?  Have you been there?  It’s claimed that some people are there and they have never left.

The Winchester Mystery House is just that – a mystery.  It was the residence of Sarah Winchester.

.

In 1862, she  married William Winchester – who came from the family that created the famous Winchester guns.  Everything seemed like it was grand and wonderful …for a while.

In 1866, the Winchester’s infant daughter, Annie, passed away from a childhood disease called marasmus.  (Marasmus is a form of severe malnutrition and causes a child to look emaciated.)  Losing her child caused Mrs. Winchester to fall into a deep depression.

In 1881, Mrs. Winchester’s husband, William, passed away from tuberculosis.  Can you imagine watching two of your very close loved ones pass away so early in life?  Mrs. Winchester was beside herself and sought help from a spiritualist.  Through consulting with the spiritualist, Mrs. Winchester believed her family and her fortune were haunted by the ghosts of the people who had fallen victim to the family Winchester rifles.  She was advised that the only way she could appease the ghosts was to move west and build them a house.  Not just a house but to continuous build them a house.

In 1884, Mrs. Winchester moved west to San Jose, California and bought an unfinished farmhouse .  Work began immediately.  Mrs. Winchester  would hold nightly seances to speak with the spirits to help guide her in how the house would be worked on the following date.  In the morning, she would meet with her construction workers and give them the plans.  Did the plans make sense?  You decide.

• There are roughly 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms;
• 2 ballrooms (one completed and one unfinished);
• 47 fireplaces;
• Over 10,000 panes of glass;
• 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others);
• 2 basements with three elevators.  
• It has gold and silver chandeliers and hand-inlaid parquet floors and trim;
• There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials.
• The home’s conveniences were rare at the time of its construction. These included steam and forced-air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push-button gas lights and Mrs. Winchester’s personal (and only) hot shower from indoor plumbing.
• The number 13 is repeated frequently in the home – whether in stairs, candles, wall hooks, stained glass windows or even 13 holes in the drain covers.  Also every Friday the 13th, the large bell on the property is rung 13 times at 1300 hours in tribute to Winchester.   Mrs. Winchester even signed her will 13 times leaving everything to a niece and personal secretary.

Construction continued every day around the clock until Mrs. Winchester died on September 5, 1922.  Upon her death, all hammering ceased.  When they looked in Mrs. Winchester’s safe they found the things that meant the most to her.  Not money.  Not diamonds.  Not riches.  It was two pieces of hair – one from her husband and one from her daughter.

And until this day, it is said that you can still hear the construction work taking place, that you can see the workers inside and outside of the home.  And, people still say that Mrs. Winchester herself is still in the home.

 

 

31 Days of Spook – Day 24

Day 24 of my 31 Days of Spook here my friends.  Count Baconula reporting on a show that has withstood the test of time – Scooby Doo.  Who can resist Scooby Doo??

This picture to the left was from the first episode of Scooby Doo, Where Are You!.  The show was titled What a Night for a Knight and came out in 1969.  Do you know who is a big fan – no HUGE fan – of Scooby Doo?  My mommy.  She has every animated episode, every film and even some knick knacks around the Hotel Thompson.  AND, did you know that mommy once had her picture taken with Scooby Doo in person? Yep!

Scooby Doo and those meddling kids seem to get around and are always finding a mystery to solve.  By the end of the show, the scary monster/person is always unveiled to find a real person.  But hey, half of the fun is getting there and seeing Scooby and Shaggy shake out of control!  And who in the world can forget Fred’s plans and Velma losing her glasses or saying “Jinkies”.

The 30 minute shows were wonderful.  Mom says she remembers coming home, her mom popping popcorn for her as an afternoon snack and her watching the series before hitting the homework.  Life was grand, huh?  Then, the greatest thing happened – around 1976, they started The Scooby Doo/Dynomutt Hour.  An hour long time of fun, giggles and adventure.  Could it get any better?

Not really – snorts.  In 1979, the creators went down a slightly backward curve and introduced Scrappy Doo.  And then in 1980, The New Scooby Doo and Scrappy Doo.  Yawn fest.  These were good don’t get me wrong.  But, they just weren’t the same.

There was just something about that little whiney ‘let me at em’ pooch me and mom just don’t care for.  I can’t put my hoove on it but it was just wrong.  He was… annoying.  Yeah, that’s it.  Annoying.

Now, in 1988 they came out with A Pup Named Scooby Doo.  This was actually a fine show.  Scooby Doo as a puppy was great – he wasn’t anything like that little character called Scrappy.  Go figure.

In 1985, they came out with – The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo.  This movie even “Ghost Starred” Vincent Price – snorts.  Even though some of the kids weren’t in it (only Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy) it was still a great first show.  Of course, there were only 13 shows – you know until they caught everyone – snorts.

Vincent Price played Vincent Van Ghoul and traveled the world trying to capture thirteen of the most terrifying ghosts upon the face of the earth.  Shivers – for the day and time, it was scary to the bone for this little oinker!

After this, they actually turned out some intriguing movies –

Scooby Goes Hollywood; Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (one of my favorites); Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School; Scooby Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf; Scooby Doo in Arabian Nights and Night of the Living Doo.  These were the forerunners of something great to come.  Although they had some mystery and intrigue, the writers were getting better with the characters.

In 2002, Scooby Doo, the first film that wasn’t animation came out to spook us all.  At this time, we find that the gang have went their separate ways.  They are all approached to go to Spooky  Island – of course to solve a mystery.  And trust me, this island was spooky – and that Daemon Ritus – shivers.  By the end of the movie, Mystery Inc has been reunited and all is good in the world once again.

In 2004, Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed was released.  This movie is my all time favorite!  It highlights all of the past ‘monsters’ they have met throughout the years at the new opening of the Coolsonian Criminology Museum.  And, BONUS, the monsters seem to be coming back alive!  Shivers.

And they came out with other animated cartoons that were movies over the years.  Some of my favorites: Scooby Doo on Zombie Island; Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost; Scooby Doo and the Legend of the Vampire; Scooby Doo and the Monster of Mexico; Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness Monster; Scooby Doo Legend of Phantosaur; Scooby Doo Music of the Vampire – just to name a few.

So yeah, either animated or film, those kids have some awesome adventures out and about.  Who you gonna call – I’m going to call Mystery Inc.  So the next time you are feeling a little down and need a pick me up, why don’t you pop in a Scooby Doo video.  It always makes us smile here at the Hotel Thompson.

 Do you remember some of their monsters from the past?

The Black Knight; Captain Cutler’s Ghost; 10,000 Volt Ghost; Tar Monster; Phantom; Miner Forty-Niner; Indian Witch Doctor; Ghost of Elias Kingston; Ape Man; Ghost Clown;  Redbeard’s Ghost; Ghost of Mr Hyde

AND, do you know the full names of all five characters?  Don’t look, answers are below my friends.  🙂

Freddie Jones * Daphne Blake * Velma Dinkley * Norville “Shaggy” Rogers * Scoobert Doo