The "Checkers" Speech

Ok, so this is me, on my 7th birthday, exactly thirty years ago today. It was quite the birthday haul, so much so that it left me plum exhausted and passed out on the floor of our cabin in the Poconos--a Shogun Warrior (Mazinga), some Star Wars items not pictured, and a DC Superheroes Checker Set. And therein lay the tragedy.

Over the years, I have been able--if I ever wanted to--repurchase all the wonderful toys I had as a kid, except, for some strange reason, this DC Superheroes Checker Set. I have never seen it on eBay once, or at a convention, ever. The only evidence I have of its existence outside the above photo is this shot of it from a catalog:

...as you can see, its way cool. Its got little pieces featuring the usual suspects like Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, but also The Cheetah, Gorilla Grodd, Dr. Light, Hawkman, and Black Canary!

Over the years, my desire to own this thing again has grown in direct proportion to my inability to find it. If I saw it on eBay all the time, I'm not sure I would even want it all that bad. Its because I can't find the damn thing that its become one of the Holy Grails of Aquaman Collecting.

So, basically, what I'm saying is, if one of you out there ever finds one of these, can you please let me know? You'd make the seven year-old me--and the + thirty years older version--very happy.