It's the Dog Days of Summer here in New York!

Wow it is HOT here in upstate NY as we are into the 3rd day of our heat wave. It's the kinda weather where you don't want to do anything but stay inside an air-conditioned room. I thought it would be a good time to go through our stock of T-shirts here at Fun Cool Collectibles and clear out to make room for the new tees that just arrived!  So that's what I have been doing today from my air conditioned room of the house...most tees are marked down to $5.99 and we are offering free shipping on the tees on top of that! See them here:  T Shirt Blowout Sale - Free Shipping

Did you ever wonder why they call the hottest, humid days of summer- Dog Days?   And what they really are? 

The Dog Days of Summer start on July 3rd and ends on August 11th, this period of time signifies the hot, humid weather we usually experience. It is named after the dog star Sirius of the constellation Canis Major. During this time of year, Sirius is the brightest burning visible star. It rises in the east with the Sun and the Ancient Egyptians believed the heat from this star added to the Sun's heat, hence creating these hotter than normal weather, hence, the Dog Days of Summer.

Sirius was also blamed for the withering droughts, sickness, and discomfort that occurred during this time.

Tough luck for that star huh? So next time someone mentions these Dog Days of Summer, you can nod your head knowingly and cast your glance up to that bright star Sirius.

Don't forget to beat the heat this summer with one of our cool licensed tees! Pick up a few extra during our Blowout Sale and save with free shipping!

Knuckles the Echidna: Sonic's Friend or Foe?

Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's all star mascot that long ago went toe-to-toe with Mario, who's fast paced games are the heart of many childhood memories has returned to pop culture in the form of not only new games, but clothing and accessories. When you think about the franchise, there are several characters that come to mind in addition to the title character. His sidekick, Miles Prower, better known as Tails, the evil villain Dr. Eggman. and the last one: Knuckles the Echidna. What's an echidna? An echidna (which is not recognized by spellcheck for some reason) is a spiny anteater that is in the same family as the platypus, which means its an egg laying mammal. This, of course, has no relation to the character himself. Knuckles is an interesting character, the tough guy that, while no means stupid, is very gullible. While not really stated in the first games that he appeared in, its revealed that although he knows Eggman is evil, he quite often gets manipulated by the evil genius. Knuckles is the guardian of the Master Emerald and the Chaos Emeralds, which Eggman is constantly trying to get control of. I titled this "friend or foe" for a reason, since while Knuckles is technically Sonic's friend, they are almost constantly fighting. Like I said, Knuckles, more often than not, tends to get tricked by Eggman into fighting Sonic, sometimes honestly believing that Sonic has stolen the Chaos Emerald or Master Emerald shard. But through thick and thin, Sonic can always count on Knuckles to have his back. Friend or foe? I think Rival is a more appropriate title for him, since he's never truly an enemy. Maybe this should have been titled Knuckles the Echidna: Sonic's Friendly Rival.

Guest post by Peter DelCoro

Knuckles Hoodie Sweatshirt

What's New for 2010 @ Fun Cool Collectibles?

Fun Cool Collectibles has been steadily holding its' own as a successful online store. This year expect to see more sales tying in with the holidays, and more regularly updated. We had a very successful memorial day sale and I am working on putting the finishing touches on our Father's Day Sale.

We just received 2 new shipments of Disney and Nightmare before Christmas merchandise so check in next week to get 1st dibs on the new stuff!

My favorites so far:

Nightmare before Christmas Fedora and Jack Skellington Black Suspenders

Stay tuned to this blog in the upcoming weeks for a special savings code for even more Summer Savings!!

This Nightmare Before Christmas Jack Skellington Watch Would Make a Wonderful Valentines Day Gift

This is a great little watch to give to that special someone. It is so small. Take a look at it here - Fun Cool Collectibles. This would make a great little Valentines Day gift for that special someone.


We are lucky if the temperature is going to get above 18 degrees today, right now at 1:00pm it is 9 degrees! I have had to venture outside twice today and it was super cold. Kitty, went out a few times, but has been laying on the heat vent most of the day. Usually, getting him indoors is a test of my wit, but not today, he was more than willing to come indoors.

Valentines Day Sale!

Even though we discount our product, we are giving you even more of a break. With every $30 that you spend we will give you $5 off!

We have a great selection of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise for Valentines Day - We have watches, earrings, necklaces, and more check out this abbreviated RRS feed for some great Valentines Idea. Check out the my Valentines Day is a Day For Lovers. Show Them Some Love on Valentines Day. This lens is great for some Valentines Day Gift Ideas.

Have Fun With Invader Zim

Invader Zim Flats

Invader Zim Slipper

Invader Zim merchandise is still very popular. Our cupcake eating little alien still has an audience who still enjoys his videos. He is very popular with the Aussies. That is where we sell a lot of products. Our children still love watching him when he is on TV. You would think that the brass in one of the networks would bring him back to TV where he belongs

Nightmare Before Christmas Reversible Hoodie

This is the reversible hoodie - it is like having two hoodies. I especially like the blue side.

We received a new shipment of clothing and jewelry over at Fun Cool Coolectibles. This beautiful Reversible Jack and Sally is an example of the clothing that we received. We have purchased hoodies, shoes, jewelry, even some record albums! The clothing with t-shirts and hoodies were the best items that we purchased. We also purchased some great Invader Zim products - especially footwear, I will make a blog post about that tomorrow.


The beginning of January for business stunk, but the last week has been quite successful. It always seems that the last week in December and the first week in January always stink, and then it always gets better.

Hello, We have Finally Set Up a Form For Mail

We are trying to make ourselves more accessible and set up a better customer service. We have set up a Mail Form if you have any questions to ask about our business or any thing relating to what we have sold or are selling. This form mailer goes directly to our mail box.

We have also set up Yahoo Messenger. My Yahoo Messenger ID is utradesports4u and my name is Richard McDuff. So, give me a call if you want to talk about anything you want to talk about.

We will be making fairly regular entries on this blog, at least that is my 2010 New Years Resolutions. We have added several new products in 2010, and hope to be adding more shortly. We have discounted many of our products, you will see some of them on our Sales categories

Little Gifts are Always Welcome

If you think your mate is in the dumps one of the best things to do for them is to show them that you love them with a little gift. Many people like to know that you just care. You don’t have to do anything huge, but a little token of appreciation can really work wonders and can really put a smile on your loved ones face.

The important thing to remember is not to get carried away. It should be a gift that is not expensive and it should show that you are thinking about them. It is not about materialism or spending lots of money. In order for small gifts to work on your mate, they need to show that you are thinking of them and that they are special to you.

You don’t even have to spend money, it can be a letter, or you can make them a special dinner. Most people who receive small gifts of appreciation change their entire mood from sad to happy within a few moments. So do your part and make that special someone happy. Create that gift that will put a smile on the face of the person that you love.

The Top 10 List of Gifts to Give Your Love on Valentines Day

There are so many unique gifts that you can give the person that you, it is so hard to narrow it down to the Top 10 Valentine gifts. But we will try and list the 10 top valentines gifts below:

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #1 – With the advances in technology of all kinds, it is now possible, and affordable, to purchase a customized Valentines Day gift for your lover. One such gift is a throw blanket which is made with your image, your lover’s image, and your names woven into it. They are available online for less than $75 and are a gift which will be treasured forever.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #2 – If you would like to send you lover a message in a bottle, you can take an empty wine bottle, remove the label, print up a new one on your computer, and fill it with hand-written love notes written especially for your lover.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #3 – Fine jewelry is always a great gift choice. Not the cheap stuff at your local WalMart, but the good stuff that comes from a jeweler. The item itself does not need to be terribly expensive, just of good quality.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #4 – Whether your lover is a man or a woman, a gift of sexy boxers or lingerie can be a wonderful choice which you can both enjoy for many nights to come.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #5 – If you are buying for a woman, consider buying her a designer bag which she has been coveting but won’t purchase for herself. Women often put others first and will do so to their own detriment. Show her you care about her and want to indulge her a bit through your gift.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #6 – If your lover likes to take digital pictures, the new digital photo display frames is a wonderful gift option. They allow your lover to download their photos into them and then enjoy them over and over again as time passes. These are especially great for people with children.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #7 – If your lover has precious items such as jewelry, it is always nice to present them with a nice jewelry box to keep them in. This idea can even work for the men in your life if you stick to a nice quality wood box.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #8 – If your lover is an animal person, or they are into nature, consider the DVD of either Plant Earth or March of the Penguins. If they love a particular television series, such as “Sex in the City” that makes a great gift as well.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #9 – Purchasing your lovers signature scent always shows that you care and that you notice which products you use. Sneak a look on their dresser or in their bathroom cabinet to get ideas on which to purchase.

Valentines Day Gift Suggestion #10 – If you want to do flowers and candy then make sure you stick to high-quality in both areas. Don’t do cheap flowers or candy as it shows lack of commitment on your part.

Hopefully these ten Valentines Day gift suggestions will give you something to think about while you are shopping for the perfect gift for your lover this Valentines Day. It is always important to keep in mind that Valentines Day is a day for both romance and some fun. Try to keep your choices classic and even spread a bit of humor if you think your lover would appreciate it.

Nightmare Before Christmas Sally and Jack Throw

This is another beautiful Throw with Sally tenderly holding a cat in her lap looking up to Jack lovingly. These throws add so much character to your lounging around on your couch or laying around on the bed. We have children that just carry them from their bed to the couch in the living room. This throw while not a favorite of everybody is still loved.

We still have two at Fun Cool Collectibles

Nightmare Before Christmas Nightmare Jack Skellington Blanket

This is an excellent looking looking Nightmare Before Christmas Blanket. I love the way the moon is used as a backdrop for Jack and Scary Teddy! The bats in the background are also great additions to the atmosphere. We have so many Nightmare Before Christmas blankets in our house that the kids and my girlfriend keep bringing them out to show to the guests! We are constantly checking the web for Nightmare Before Christmas blankets. We purchased three of these blankets - we kept one for our youngest son and we are selling the other two at Fun Cool Collectibles. So, if you are interested take a look at them

Christmas is Over and The New Year Is Here

Wow, it is hard to believe that the New Year is here, and that we have to start discounting stuff that we couldn't sell for the Christmas rush! I figure we should just about sell everything that did not sell for Christmas. January should be discount month. We have lots of merchandise that should sell in the next month.

We have brought in a lot of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise, which I have been putting up over the last week or so. It is so hard to list merchandise during the Christmas/New Years period because of the constant distractions - Dinners, friends dropping by, going out to visit friends, etc. I also had the misfortune of stepping on some glass and getting four stitches in the bottom of my foot.

I think that business in 2010 is going to be busier. Everybody is talking about the economy being better, and that is a good sign. The Dow is back well over 10,000. The stock exchange is generally a good indicator of how well the economy is doing. The general business state of mind is more positive, which will help to stimulate the economy. So 2010 is going to be a busy year. It looks exciting. I am really positive about 2010!

We are clearing out a lot of merchandise at Fun Cool Collectibles We see 2010 as being a turning point in our business! So, visit us during our New Years Sales, and buy some great merchandise.