Bill was not only an incredibly talent artist, but also a wonderful human being. he and I struck up a friendship online, which led to us collaborating on a comic book.
Bill and I had a lot in common. a lot. had things been just a tiny bit different he and I would have met years ago, become friends, and worked on many happy collaborations. unfortunately, he and I lived here, in the "almost" world.
one of our common interests was a Saturday morning television series titled "H.R. Pufnstuf". I once mentioned to him that as a child I had mailed in box tops from kellogg's pop tarts for a plastic toy flute that was based on one of the show's characters. I was very young, and receiving that toy flute is one of my earliest memories. I remember how excited I was when I got the thing. to me it looked just like the talking magic flute on the show (and I really liked the flute on the show. I remember it was pretty upsetting to me when the evil Witchiepoo would try to capture it. the poor little flute would cry out in its high pitched voice "help, jimmy! help!", and i'd be all worried that thing was good to get hurt.).
I played with that cherished piece of plastic for years until it was broken to bits. imagine my surprise when bill informed me that this toy had become an item that is coveted by collectors, and that it sells for hundreds of dollars. bill also told me that as a child he had an almost complete collection of kellogg's toy premiums. the only one his collection missed was the magic flute.
well, me being me, my mission in life became to get my hands on a toy magic flute for bill. of course I wasn't going to pay hundreds of dollars for the thing. I was certain that with a lot of patience and with a lot of hunting I would find one. and I did! I managed to find one in nice condition; sold to me by its original owner for next to nothing.
the perfect gift for bill, or rather it would have been. though I managed to find the flute, I found it AFTER his passing.
as I said, bill and I lived in the almost world. i'm sorry bill. I really wanted you to have this.
1 comment:
Very amazing find. I honestly still watch that show.
Even though the timing was beyond your control it's still crazy how things happen.
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