Earl Gray III
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earlthird.bsky.social
Earl Gray III
@earlthird.bsky.social
190 followers 300 following 640 posts
Some languish in obscurity, I prefer to lounge in it. Creator of the angle neck toothbrush. He/Him

thingsyoumightenjoy.com
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earlthird.bsky.social
While digging through my Game Boy carts last night I found what might be my favorite bootleg find. The title and label really capture what I love about unofficial releases.
A bootleg Game Boy cartridge of The Blues Brothers (1992, Titus). Despite being a black and white Game Boy game, it’s in a Game Boy Color style cart (albeit with a notch in the back so it can still physically fit in an original DMG-01) that’s molded in yellow, and says “Game Color” where an official cart would read Game Boy Color. Despite being a copy of The Blues Brothers, the cartridge label has a picture of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith as seen on the poster for Men in Black. According to the cartridge label, the game is simply called “The Blues Brother”. Rest assured, you can indeed still play as both Jake and Elwood. I purchased this at a GameCrazy in 2005, where it sat among the other Game Boy/Color games as if nothing was amiss.
December 12, 2025 at 10:12 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
Look out honey, cause I’m using technology!
An Analogue 3D sits atop a colorful blanket. In its cartridge slot is a GB Hunter adaptor, which itself contains a copy of Infogenius Spell Checker and Calculator. In the controller port is Nuby’s Boomerang 64 controller. The Boomerang 64 controller is surprisingly usable, and is a decent alternative to the usual N64 trident. The only frustrating thing about fun packages is the fact that sometimes they arrive just before you have to leave for a three day work trip. This was the case today, and as such, I only had time for this brief photo shoot. From what I hear, this system can really enhance the Nintendo 64 experience, and I’m looking forward to revisiting the library.
December 12, 2025 at 7:40 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
Goodwill may not be what it once was, but for $2 I’m about to quintuple the versions of Culture Beat’s Mr. Vain that I’m currently familiar with. Over 26 minutes of knowing not only what Mr. Vain knows (what he wants), but also when he wants it (now).
The back cover to the CD single of Culture Beat’s 1993 dance hit “Mr Vain”. Five versions of the song are listed: Radio Edit (4:17) Intense Radio Edit (3:52) Vain Mix (6:35) Mr. Intense (5:28) Mr. Hardcore (6:38) 90s dance music is great, and I refuse to pretend I’m too cool to admit that. If I was, people would probably call me something like “Mr. Egotistical” or something.
November 29, 2025 at 7:29 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
Absolute missed opportunity by Magic here. Do they realize how many of us would buy into a game with Urkelbot, Waldo Faldo, Stevil, or Stefan Urquelle? I’d build an entire Waldo Faldo deck.
A stack of Magic: The Gathering boxes labeled "Family Matters"On a shelf at a game store. Disappointingly, they are not named for or themed after the beloved 1990s sitcom of the same name. Reginald VelJohnson is an underutilized actor.
November 16, 2025 at 2:14 AM
earlthird.bsky.social
It never dawned on me until now that Capcom’s Fighters Edge logo was possibly just using some slightly modified clip art.
An advertisement for Capcom’s Fighters Edge releases of PS1 fighting games. Image credit to retromags.com.
October 3, 2025 at 6:36 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
I ended up looking up copycat recipes after posting that because I want to give it a shot as an adult. Then I was advertised this pin as if the internet itself wanted me to try and recreate the burger in question.
An eBay listing for a pin promoting McDonald’s Arch Deluxe hamburger. Or reads “If you don’t like it, I’ll eat it” below the logo for the Arch Deluxe. You know that at least one unfortunate McDonald’s employee was instructed to eat a partially eaten Arch Deluxe by a distinctly rude customer. McDonald’s put a lot of faith into the Arch Deluxe, it would seem. They also didn’t like food being wasted.
September 24, 2025 at 11:10 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
“Very unpopular RPG” brings to mind phrases like “detested sandwich”.
A portion of an ad for McDonalds Arch Deluxe, a hamburger from the 1990s that was very poorly received.
September 24, 2025 at 10:52 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
HE SHALL NOT BE STOPPED
Mr Domino from No One Can Stop Mr Domino! Above him are the words Anno Domino, which means “Year of Our Domino”, and is a play on Anno Domini, the origin for AD.
September 24, 2025 at 10:48 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
Let’s give more candy bars sequels.
A candy bar labeled Milky Way 2. At first I thought it was just because it was a double pack of smaller candy bars. After opening and eating it, however, it’s a variant on the classic milk way that doesn’t have caramel. Light research leads me to believe this is just what Milky Way bars are in Europe, but I could be mistaken. Either way, pretty good.
September 22, 2025 at 2:18 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
I think we’re about due for a new Samba De Amigo spinoff.
The cover of a book called Sega with the subtitle The Mauritian Folk Dance, by Jacques K Lee. The cover features two people presumably performing said dance.
August 22, 2025 at 12:03 AM
earlthird.bsky.social
Genuinely psyched to have found a copy of Gorby’s Pipeline (Gorby no Pipeline Daisakusen) for Famicom at a reasonable price. It’s probably one of the only Pipe Dream type games I actually enjoy. Now to find the Game Gear version.
The box art for Gorby no Pipeline Daisakusen, a Nintendo Famicom game. Two children ride through the sky atop a disassembled pipeline. The large yet unthreatening figure of Mikhail Gorbachev looks at us in the distance with an expression of great hope and expectation. Less than a year after this game’s release, the Soviet Union would collapse. Don’t worry, I’m sure everything will be fine and Dendy.
August 15, 2025 at 10:41 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
Picked up the G Fans Lawson diorama. It’s really well done, and it’s nice to have a diorama that isn’t a showroom or parking garage. Once I figure out some secondary lighting. I’ll add some more scenery to complete the space.
A small illuminated model of a Lawson convenience store, like one would see in Asia. It’s at 1:64 scale, and parked outside is a Toyota Crown Comfort taxi, and a Suzuki Hustler kei car. The background is dark, as if to recreate a nighttime scene.
August 7, 2025 at 7:59 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
The great things about antique malls is how you can find a really cool set of drinking glasses, and then be completely blindsided by a Billy Ray Cyrus commemorative 18 Wheeler.
A toy 18 wheeler tractor trailer adorned with both the colors of the American flag, and Billy Ray Cyrus. Billy is featured on the trailer, looking towards its rear. His name is written in gold, and just below it are the words “Ain’t Your Dog No More”, the name of a single from his sophomore album, It Won’t Be The Last. I can’t help but find myself fascinated with Billy Ray Cyrus. When I was a kid, Achy Breaky Heart came out, and absolutely dominated country music for a solid six months. Then he was considered largely to be a joke, but then had some sort of syndicated drama show that I recall showing up in the late 90s. He was also in Mullholland Drive, which is absolutely nuts. Then there was that whole Hannah Montana thing, which was an odd late career renaissance for the guy. In 2010 he was in this pretty forgettable Jackie Chan movie called The Spy Next Door. My friends and I saw it and the four of us were the only people in the theater. Then the dude was quiet again, until he teams up with Little Nas X and Old Town Road becomes a massive hit. Just an absolute bonkers career trajectory.
July 14, 2025 at 10:39 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
Here’s more pics of Matchbox’s 1:64 1985 Nissan Pathfinder with some added weathering and spare tire detail. I’ve also added a screenshot from the YouTube channel SmallModelCar to give an idea of what it looks like out of the packaging. The temptation to look into interior detailing is strong.
A 1:64 scale diecast model of a 1985 Nissan Pathfinder in a man’s hand. It has been weathered to look more realistic. A rear view of a die cast 1:64 Nissan Pathfinder made my Matchbox. It’s being held in a man’s hand, and has been weathered to look like it’s seen a lot of use. A screenshot from the YouTube channel Small Model Car, who did an overview of the same model. It’s included here for comparison to the final weathered product.
July 10, 2025 at 11:57 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
The Giygas duckpin bowling ball paired nicely with the vaguely SNES color scheme of the plastic chairs at the bowling alley.
A molded plastic chair. It is light grey with light purple accents, reminiscent of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System’s color scheme. Only time will tell if the bromine within the plastic will result in the chair eventually taking on a jaundiced tone.
July 9, 2025 at 3:12 AM
earlthird.bsky.social
“I feel…g…o…o…d…”

You can not comprehend the true form of the Giygas duckpin bowling ball!
A man’s hand holds a red and black duckpin bowling ball. Its swirl pattern resembles the background of the Giygas boss battle in Earthbound. Duckpin bowling is a regional variant of 10-pin bowling that’s popular in the north and central east coast of the United States. The balls are much smaller, and you get three rolls instead of two. It’s a good time, and has physics that will throw those used to regular bowling for a bit of a loop.
July 9, 2025 at 3:01 AM
earlthird.bsky.social
I’ve been trying my hand at some die cast weathering lately. It’s been fun, especially since the fact that you’re only spending $1.19 to experiment with making a car look old encourages trying out new ideas. 85 Pathfinders are not meant to look pristine, which adds to the fun.
A matchbox model 1985 Nissan Pathfinder, weathered to look a bit more realistic. The whole thing has been lightly buffed with a nail file to reduce shine, then washed with gunpla panel liner. The hood has been scraped to recreate the look of paint chipping. The next step is to black out the side mirrors and handle for accuracy.
July 6, 2025 at 2:55 AM
earlthird.bsky.social
It’s Hoagiefest time at Wawa, which means that summertime, and by extension, legally distinct Sandwich John Lennon is here.
A bespectacled, mustachioed man who appears to be from the late 1960s. Although his mustache is almost zappaesque in its inclusion of a soul patch, it’s pretty clear this is supposed to be a caricature of John Lennon. He appears during Hoagiefest, which is the summertime sandwich sale at American convenience store chain Wawa. Imagine a better convenience store. I wonder if you can.
June 26, 2025 at 1:33 AM
earlthird.bsky.social
Update: Switch 2 Game Cards are just as bitter as their predecessors, but now in red flavor!

Tune in. Turn on. Switch out.
A copy of Yakuza 0 for Switch 2 rests upon a man’s tongue. Original Switch games were coated in a bitterant to deter children from swallowing them. Switch 2 games are just as bitter as ever! They’re red now, too.
June 5, 2025 at 6:59 AM
earlthird.bsky.social
Today at Goodwill I decided against buying either one of the 3 (!) Macarena Christmas CDs or 7 copies of The New Testament in Kurdish (?), and instead purchased this interesting looking Behringer bass synthesizer for $6! Time to learn about bass lines and synthesizers!
A translucent green Behringer TD-3 bass synth. The silver/green color combo reminds one of a circuit board. This is made all the more notable by the fact that the unit’s actual circuit board is partially visible due to the translucent nature of the plastic. Because of this, you can compare the design of the interior and exterior simultaneously.
May 30, 2025 at 11:05 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
The product of attending a Devo concert after watching Nosferatu.
On the left, a member of Devo (Mark Mothersbaugh, given the glasses) sings a line from their song “uncontrollable urge”. On the left, Nosferatu, a vampire, completes a phrase from the song. The song is probably not about vampires, but he identifies with it nevertheless.
May 26, 2025 at 9:49 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
My minuet copy is in pretty rough shape, but for ¥550 I didn’t expect a museum piece. While visiting and sifting through the all the copies of Tetris in each Hard Off I went to. This is the only minuet copy I found. Massive thanks to @megamatttv.bsky.social for taking me to some far away Hard Offs!
A copy of Tetris for the Game Boy. This is a Japanese copy, and one that’s dirty and worn from years of use. It could use a cleaning. Early Japanese copies have a few differences from later ones. Most notably that Korobeiniki (you know, the Tetris song) is replaced with a minuet. It’s one of those little oddities of video game history that are just fun to have.
May 24, 2025 at 7:07 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
Sifting through all the copies of Tetris finally paid off, here’s the Minuet Version of Tetris (cursed hardware remix)!
May 24, 2025 at 6:53 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
I’ve never actually picked up a copy to listen to, but I’ve always thought it was pretty cool that the cover art for Neil Young’s Silver & Gold was made with a Game Boy Camera.
A copy of the album Silver & Gold by Neil Young. The cover art is pixelated due to being made with a Game Boy Camera. Perhaps some day, Stephen Stills will use a Nintendo DSi to create his own album art.
May 18, 2025 at 10:20 PM
earlthird.bsky.social
Lucked out at my local GameStop! From the looks of it, they designated about a dozen copies for the entire eastern seaboard. It’s Power Stone time!
A copy of Capcom Fighting Collection 2 for the Playstarion 4. It’s held inside a car, which itself sits in the parking lot of a shopping mall. There was once an arcade at this very same mall that had CVS2. This disk looks to be jam packed with Dreamcast era must plays.
May 16, 2025 at 8:44 PM