Saying Goodbye to our dear fellow “Goolie,” Joan

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Not long ago I posted a list of things I’d learned from attending so many Svengoolie public appearances; listing “making new friends” as Number Seven. Today I’ve been given a painful  reminder that this should actually have been number one.  I received a call from my friend, Bill Yingst, informing me that his beautiful wife, Joan (far right in the above photo) had died, suddenly, this morning.  Joan was not only a contributor to this blog but had become a dear friend and I felt as if I’d been hit with a baseball bat.

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Rhinos, Wrestlers, and Rich Koz! Conservation with a touch of Svengoolie!

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The seeds of this event were actually sewn during Svengoolie’s  appearance at “The Squared Circle” (covered HERE). I mentioned in that post meeting a couple of zoo keepers from The Lincoln Park Zoo; one of whom, Marisa, had arrived with local Chicago Red-eye writer, Elliott Serano. Elliott’s a fellow Svengoolie fan and had just written a big story on the host. He’d brought Marisa along that night so she could sign folks up for her zoo’s AAZK Chapter’s (American Association of Zoo Keepers) “Bowling for Rhinos” with Sven as one of their celebrity guests. Svengoolie has graciously assisted my own Brookfield Zoo AAZK chapter with our annual Vital Grounds fundraiser (providing opportunities for the New England Terror Dave, David Albaugh, to meet him as covered HERE and HERE) and accepted her invitation…even if appearing only as his mild-mannered alter ego, Rich Koz.

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Delving into the Dynamics of Svengoolie’s New Coffin!

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By now most of us have had a chance to see national commercial TV horror host, Svengoolie’s, new coffin which debuted last Saturday on MeTV. My kids and I actually turned it into an event as we prepared snacks and camped out in front of the television set…not unlike when I was a kid and my mother brought my brother and I our glasses for his “Son of” 3D airing of Revenge of the Creature. My fellow Goolies and I kept in touch via Facebook; enjoying a cyber huddle before (and after) the big moment arrived. Indeed, the show had barely begun before Social media became flooded with viewer feedback and public reaction to the new coffin created by Acme Design.

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Svengoolie’s New Coffin Unveiled TONIGHT!

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After nearly a year since national horror host, Svengoolie, was presented with the prototype for his new coffin (seen HERE) the big night has finally arrived! During tonight’s presentation of The Mad Ghoul (check your local MeTV listings) Svengoolie will reveal the amazing creation of Ryan Guenther and Acme Design! And if you thiought the prototype was fantastic, you’re gonna love the finished product! Thanks to Sven’s assistant, Jim Roche, we’ll be posting detailed shots of it tomorrow (for the benefit of those who don’t get MeTV  and tune in tonight) while pointing out a few details some may have missed during the broadcast.

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Gene Simmons gives my Svengoolie shirt a KISS Make-over!

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(Gene Simmons at Fright Night Continues)

The door opened and we were escorted into a large ballroom full of empty chairs facing an almost equally vacant stage. There stood Gene Simmons in front of a long table, arms folded. He was clad in a dark blazer, button down shirt and jeans while wearing sun glasses. With his head tilted up, it almost looked like he was trying to recreate the Sphinx cover from the KISS Hot in the Shade album.

Making the journey towards him in silence was nerve wracking enough before Simmons started  snapping at the crew member accompanying us. “You DO realize that at the rate you’re moving we’ll be getting through about sixteen people per hour, don’t you? You HAVE done this before, correct?”

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What I’ve Learned from 35 Svengoolie Appearances!

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Last weekend I went to see national horror host, Svengoolie, at a Chicago store called Cook Brothers (“We stack em Deep and Sell em Cheap!”). Though not as remarkable as his previous appearance at The Squared Circle, it did represent a bit of a milestone for me. Since discovering that he’d return to the airwaves in 2003, this would mark my 35th time seeing him (either as Svengoolie or Rich Koz) at a public event.

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