World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch
Photo by Dinu J Nair on Unsplash

It’s that time of year again when we pay homage to the monster that brought vampires to the masses, the Count himself: Dracula.

As you can imagine, Dracula has sparked imaginations countless time since Bram Stoker’s novel was first published in 1897. The number of onscreen adaptations alone could keep you occupied for a lifetime. But today we’re focusing on a few of the products that have made it to market over the years– apologies if you have the sudden urge to start scouring flea markets and online ads…

Dracula Cha-Cha, 1960

The cover art alone makes this album by Bob McFadden worth seeking out…

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula Cha-Cha
More info here

The Dracula Cookbook, 1978

Featuring “authentic Transylvanian recipes” by Marina Polvay. Not gonna lie– I want a copy.

(Someone posted a few shots of the book on instagram, including a recipe for Veal Roast. Take a look here.)

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, The Dracula Cookbook by Marina Polvay
More info here.

The Dracula Cookbook of Blood, 1993

If you’re looking for something more along the lines of what Dracula himself would eat, Ardin C. Price’s recipes all feature blood. I wouldn’t say no to this one, either (although I don’t think I’d make any of the recipes.)

(There are also shots of this book on instagram, including a recipe for Totoga– Roasted Pig Organs. Take a look here.)

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, The Dracula Cookbook of Blood
More info here.

Genuine Soil from Dracula’s Castle, 1979

One gram of soil in a coffin amulet, and it comes with a certificate of authenticity. Just in case Dracula needs to crash at your place and doesn’t have any native soil on him.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, genuine soil from Dracula's castle

Dracula Statuette, 1930s to 1940s

Commissioned by Bela Lugosi himself to give to friends, it’s rumoured that only 25 were made, and of those only a few are left. Happy hunting!

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Bela Lugosi commissioned statuette
More info here.

Dracula: A Toy Theatre, 1979

Based on Edward Gorey’s original designs for the set of the 1977 theatre adaptation of Dracula. An updated version of the toy theatre is still in print.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Edward Gorey Dracula theatre
More info here.

I Vant to Bite Your Finger: The Dracula Game, 1979

I actually got to play this once when I was a kid, and I’ve got to say it’s pretty fun to get a vampire bite– even if it is only red marker dots on your finger. There are other Dracula games out there, but there might not be any better ones.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, I Vant to Bite Your Finger, Dracula board game
More info here.

Dracula Model Kit, 1962

Made by the Aurora company, these were meant to be assembled and painted. Some people like model planes, some like model monsters.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula model kit, Aurora model kit
Partially painted
World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula model kit, Aurora model kit
A completed version. More info here.

Dracula Dolls, 1980s to 1990s

These are probably the easiest items to find; it would be fun to collect as many variations as possible.

World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula doll
Travellers doll, 1985. More info here.
World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula doll
1980s. More info here.
World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula doll
Moving doll, 1990s. More info here.
World Dracula Day: Vintage Swag, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Dracula, Bram Stoker, Bela Lugosi, vampire, vampires, Dracula products, Dracula memorabilia, Dracula merch, Dracula doll
Animated doll, 1990s. More info here.

Do you have any of these? Which would you want to get if you could? Share in the comments…

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

The Count isn’t the only fanged fiend out there– download my books now and meet some new monsters…

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

🧿

Quote of the Day: World Goth Day Edition

Quote of the Day: World Goth Day Edition, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Quote: "It was night, and the rain fell; and falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood." by Edgar Allan Poe. Goth, Gothic, vampire, vampires

Wishing you a dramatic World Goth Day 🦇

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

You know how to set the mood– download my books now…

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

🧿

World Bee Day

Honor the Gods has written a great post on an important topic. Keep reading to find out about how you can help bees…

honor the gods

Roman statue: Antinous as Aristaeus

🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝

Aristaeus is the son of Apollo and the huntress Cyrene. He was raised by nymphs, from whom he learned the rustic arts of bee-keeping, mead-making, and cheese-making. He also studied with the centaur Chiron, from whom he learned the selection and uses of medicinal herbs. Aristaeus taught these arts to humanity and was widely revered as a benevolent deity.

🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝

Today, May 20, has been designated World Bee Day by the United Nations!

Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities.

You can help by:

  • planting a diverse set of native plants, which flower at different times of the year
  • buying honey from local farmers
  • buying products from sustainable agricultural practices
  • avoiding pesticides, fungicides or herbicides in our…

View original post 320 more words

Happy Weekend

Happy Weekend, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com. Victoria Day, Victoria Day long weekend, summer, Canada, Canadian, bbq
Photo by Szelei Robert on Pexels.com

Happy Victoria Day Weekend to my fellow Canadians! This weekend is the official first day of summer around here, and we celebrate with traditional activities, including: the first barbecue of the season, getting started on the garden, and your drunk neighbour setting off fireworks too close to your house.

For me, one of the best things to do on a long weekend is to get into a good novel. Join me and get your read on with one of my books:

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Blood Magic: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

Have a safe and fun weekend, no matter what your plans are… 🍁

Aspasía S. Bissas

🧿

Give from Your Heart (Vampire Approved)

Give from Your Heart (Vampire Approved), blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas, aspasiasbissas.com.  Give blood, donate blood, blood banks, giving, charity, pet blood donation, acts of kindness
Photo by Allec Gomes on Pexels.com

Considering how much of it exists in the world, it’s surprising (or maybe not) that blood banks are perpetually short of their key product. Blood and blood components are needed to help people with various medical conditions (including those with blood cancers), for surgery, and for emergency situations, like during childbirth or after a car accident. When there isn’t enough blood to go around, the consequences are devastating. So today’s post is to ask you to please consider donating blood, if you can– it takes only about 30 minutes. You’ll be rewarded with the warm sense of having done some good in the world (and a treat).

Your local vampires would approve 🧛

For more information on donating blood:

Canadian Blood Services: https://www.blood.ca/en

Société canadienne du sang: https://www.blood.ca/fr

American Red Cross: https://www.redcrossblood.org/

NHS Blood Services: https://www.blood.co.uk/

If your local agency isn’t listed, try doing an online search for blood services in your country/region.

(By the way, veterinary clinics need blood too. Find out more here, or search for pet blood donations in your local area: https://www.canadiananimalbloodbank.ca/#!cabb )

Wishing you a bloody good weekend…

Aspasía S. Bissas

PS: Reading is a great way to pass the time while you’re donating blood. Stay on theme and download one of my books.

Aspasia S. Bissas books: Love Lies Bleeding, Blood Magic, Tooth & Claw, book, books, free book, free books, freebies, freebie, free ebook, free ebooks, vampire, vampires, dark fantasy, dark romance, historical fiction, gothic fiction, gothic fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, supernatural, horror, dark reads, indie author, indie fiction, strong female protagonist, aspasiasbissas.com

Love Lies Bleeding: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books, Amazon
FREE Blood Magic: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books
FREE Tooth & Claw: SmashwordsBarnes & NobleKoboApple Books

If you prefer paperback, use this link to order Love Lies Bleeding from Bookshop – a portion of each sale goes directly to independent bookstores, as well as to myself. Thank you for supporting indie! ♥

🧿
%d bloggers like this: