Treats for Tricks with the Lockwood Gift Machine
by BONZO, HSM Editor
The most recent set of companions from our friends at Lockwood included a trio of animals representative of North American wildlife. My absolute favorite of these was of course the bear cub, but it also included a skunk and an amazingly well-translated wolf. We have had canine companions for some time now, and I would still love to see every breed available, but that is probably impractical. Who knows. However, the wolf itself hasn’t been done until now — which is surprising, because who doesn’t want a wolf pet? While the silver fox looks great, it also looks too friendly as far as wolves go. He’s way too adorable to look vicious; you want to hug him, not run away from him.
This being October, a month which terminates in one of the most anticipated holidays of the year, Lockwood is updating the gift machine with amazing Halloween content. Among these is Calcifur, the dark wolf. You can preview this companion in the Lockwood gift shop, and he looks — well, I’ve been called out on using the word ‘awesome’ too much, and being a California boy it’s hard not to, but seriously: Calcifur is awesome. Who doesn’t want a dark wolf with red eyes? Only Dracula had cool pets like this. The only thing I can think of that would top this as a companion is the pair of jaw-less, literally disarmed chained zombies Michonne keeps around in The Walking Dead.
Last year we saw a dark variation with a voodoo-style skeleton paint job on the Stitchkins, Casper, and a couple of black wizard cat companions — and they have returned to the gift machine as well. The gift machine has seen updates almost weekly, particularly with the Halloween content.
Aside from Calcifur the dark wolf, there’s also a miniature Haunted House with glowing windows: a disjointed, asymmetrical Gothic Victorian-style house miniature. Eye gear is usually represented in glasses or goggles, but also in a few variations of contact lenses. The variations have ranged in glowing colors, to detailed irises, to cat or dragon eyes. This new introduction takes a few liberties which will be hard to see unless you are really close to someone or pan the camera to a close up of yourself. With Jolly Roger contacts for your eyes, you have an alternative to the eyepatch for completing that pirate outfit.
The Latin culture celebrates “Dia de los Muertos” — or day of the dead — which is ironically a celebration of life in memorial of those who have passed. The day of the dead falls on November first, the day after Halloween, and before All Saints Day. The most notable icon of this particular holiday is the skull and skeletons. Makeup is usually applied in very flamboyant colorful representation of skulls and the gift machine sees an homage to that holiday with a sugar skull and ring hand item.
The South Pacific nations have many variations of creation theories. One recurring theme is what has seen some disambiguation in the Tiki mask and idols. Tiki is a representation of the first man given life by the creator. But the Tiki totems, idols and masks have been used by natives to mark sacred spiritual locations, and the western misrepresentation of the occult. This new item, the enchanted Tiki party mask, adds headgear to conceal your face behind this creepy wood carving.
Bats are also staples of the Halloween theme, and a great way to decorate a space is with a Bat wall ornament. These guys won’t fly around, but they will look cool just hanging around your personal spaces. Last year we saw a great avatar costume with Skinny Vinny, a reanimated skeleton. This was unfortunately a male-only avatar, and this year it’s your turn, ladies, with the female variation of Skinny Vinny: Skinny Minny.
What’s Halloween without a basket to trick-or-treat with? The trick or treatin’ candy cauldron hand item for both genders completes the theme. You may be too old to trick or treat in real life, but you don’t have to be in Home. But really, when are you too old for Halloween?
(Never mind, I don’t want to know; I’ll never be too old for this holiday.)
Halloween is just one of those holidays which, although it isn’t a national holiday and you cannot take the day off, you can dress in any off-the-wall outfit and not look like a complete loon for doing so. How many days out of the year can you show up at the office splattered in blood, or dressed as a witch or superhero, and not have the white coats with a butterfly net show up to take you for a one-way trip to a padded-room resort where you might just not leave for a while?
Halloween is a holiday which is age neutral — which is somewhat appropriate, since it deals with death. You may get to a point where you are too old to go knocking on doors asking for candy, but you’re never too old to celebrate it. The interesting thing about this holiday is that while holidays change in how you celebrate them from childhood to adulthood, it is one of the few holidays which seems way more fun as an adult then it was as a child.
Christmas changes in your perspective as you age; all holidays do. They mostly seem like more work and less fun as you get older. But Halloween is one where you get to cut loose, really go nuts, and drop all the pretense of propriety. And this doesn’t have to change because you are in Home; in fact, it seems to last even longer in Home than it does in real life. In the real world, Halloween is just one day; in Home, it seems to be for a whole week if not the entire month of October.
And, thanks to Lockwood with the gift machine, it gets to be part Halloween and part Christmas all year ’round — as we have the opportunity to gift each other some very cool gear to celebrate the holiday season once more.
October 24th, 2012 by BONZO | 3 comments
BONZO is an editor and artist for HomeStation Magazine.
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Yeah, that wolf looks cool. Apart from my dismembered hand in EU, and my MIB Worm Guy, I’ve never bought any pets in Home. This black wolf though, he might look pretty good following my vampiric self around for the next couple weeks. I’ll be interested see first hand the other items in the LKWD GM in a few hours though.
I used to go trick-or-treating up to my senior year in high school. I just used my younger siblings as an excuse to keep going as long as i did. Hey, free candy, dressing up, what’s not to love!
I agree with your comment that Halloween is an age neutral holiday. We are all still looking for fun, so it’s great on Home that Lockwood and others are dishing out the treats.
The only difference is that the candy changes when you get older.