In visits to flea markets, garage sales and those beloved thrift stores, we at
Let’s Go Thrifting have encountered many a strange find over the years. And judging by a few specific finds I myself have acquired, I believe it's possible that I’ve discovered a unique ability to successfully scare family and friends.
This oil painting on canvas was found at
my favorite secondhand bookstore in Philadelphia. I was at first hesitant to spend $20. But then I wondered if I would ever again encounter such a vivid depiction of a multicultural clan of doll-children escaping from some post-apocalyptic wasteland... It's now hanging in my bedroom.
This is, quite possibly, the most inappropriate book in publication. The most frightening thing about this find? Well that's a tie between a title that's straight out of an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the author whose sole credentials on the supposed scientific matter of staring at people lie in his self-appointed expertise as a "Chief Watcher." Creepy? Yes. Hilarious? With a hearty guffaw, yes! In a future experiment, I plan to take this book to the nearest Starbucks and occasionally peer above the pages to practice the science of "body watching." My hypothesis? A swift escort off the premises.
In an effort to literally scare my sister, I bought a plastic bag of clown heads. 17 assorted smiling and crying decapitated clowns for .99 cents. What a deal! I lined a row of crying clowns inside the bathroom medicine cabinet. And I left a handful of smiling clowns neatly arranged on her bed. Then I just listened for the reaction. It was priceless. Since the initial scare, I’ve kept the clown heads in a
wicker basket displayed in the living room…as a sort of conversation piece. The conversation usually goes:
Are those clown heads? Why, yes they are…Followed by an awkward silence.
And in a special contribution to things that go creep at the thrift store, friend and Let’s Go Thrifting fan Angie Schlauch of Langhorne, PA sent us these:
This was described as a “mummified Tony Harrison” due to a striking resemblance of this character from The Mighty Boosh.
It’s uncanny!
Also, Angie documented a disturbing case of animal cruelty, when this knitting grandma chimp was spotted working at the sweat shop, then retired to the shelves of the Holy Redeemer thrift store.
Thanks for sharing, Angie. Contributions and comments are always welcome!
Funny how we encounter, document and occasionally feel the need to buy these cultural oddities...these hideous, inexplicably strange artifacts of other people's bad taste reflected by our own sick sense of humor.
What strange and horrifying secondhand things have you spotted lately?
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