Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Our mentor of disguise

Funny that Jeff mentioned the specific phrase "action figure" because it immediately calls to mind none other than Captain Action, the man who taught us the art of disguise.


"Ray gun: check. Lightning sword: check. Underwear on the inside: Oh damn it!"
We never learned his real name but that's okay. If there's one thing we understand, it's that it's important to guard your secrets in our line of work. Captain Action (or Cap or C.A. as we called him) never became quite as widely known or appreciated as G.I. Joe, but those familiar with him know that versatility was his strongest suit. He could become anybody!

"Bah! Your licensing restrictions are of no concern to me!"
That was not always the case, however. I said earlier that he taught us the art of disguise, but actually, we kind of learned together.
We had taken on the assignment of infiltrating a rogue paramilitary organization in order to steal their plans for a weapon of mass destruction. We had gotten in but were stuck in a corridor deep within the compound, unable to proceed without being spotted due to their armed guards and a state-of-the-art video surveillance system. We came across one of their shock troops and he tried to take us out. Of course, we handled that minor obstacle with little difficulty but figured we had only bought ourselves a precious few seconds before more troops were dispatched, in greater numbers and with bigger weapons. That's when Cap sprung into Action...
CAPTAIN ACTION: Quick! Help me put on that guard's jacket and hat!
US: (We help him)
CAPTAIN ACTION: Excellent! Now I can move among them and not be detected!
MICHAEL: That's great, except you forgot about the dozens of video cameras all over this place.
CAPTAIN ACTION: What about them?
JEFF: They totally just watched you put on one of their uniforms.
CAPTAIN ACTION: I don't follow...
CLARK: You have no element of surprise. They're all like, "Hey look, one of them just put on one of our uniforms!", "Oh wow, which one?", "The one that didn't have one on before and who is wearing his underwear on the outside!", "Oh, well, let's kill him and then his friends!".
CAPTAIN ACTION: ...
US: ...
CAPTAIN ACTION: Let me wear your sunglasses!

Anyway, it turns out that they were all watching some sports thing on tv and weren't even paying attention to the video cameras (the one guy we encountered was just on his way to the men's room) because we just kind of walked into their offices, found the plans and left through the front door. But we all got better at the art of disguise after that. Especially Captain Action.

A LOT better!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Sindy, Incidentally

A while back you will have read about the time we defeated the evil Sam Snow by disguising ourselves as Ken dolls and putting ourselves under Sam's Xmas tree with the aid of that total nut Bear Grylls. This got me to thinking about one of our favourite ladies.

Of course everybody in the States (and these days, the entire globe) knows about Barbie and Ken. Barbie's been around for many years, but her English counterpart Sindy has also been around a long time. The thing is, not many people are aware that she is a real person, not to mention an Unbelieva-Babe and field operative.

We first met her back in 1963 when she was working as an air hostess.


At least, that's what it looked like. She was with a group of gal-pals at a discotheque where we were just trying to blend in with the background.

And doing a pretty decent job of it, if I say so myself.
Well, we soon got to know her and found that Sindy was pretty much a perfect ally. She could hold down multiple jobs at once - 

Weathergirl...



Pop star...



News anchor...



Model...



And with the help of her on-again off-again boyfriend Paul (who was a real stand-up guy until he was discontinued) she could infiltrate any sort of low-life, sleazy, scumbucket club (you know, the sort of place where we Unbelievables wouldn't be seen dead) and blend in with no problem.



She was so great we even came up with a nickname for her... "Sindy-spensable". She wasn't keen, but we had a good chortle in that self-satisfied kind of way....

In short, Sindy was amazing. So amazing, in fact, that the toy maker Pedigree got wind of her talents and made a doll of her (and, for a short time, Paul). They wanted to make dolls of us, too, but we wanted to be called action figures, and they wouldn't budge. "No boy wants an action figure, " they cried. "Boys want man-dolls." This is probably why Pedigree went out of business, but that's another story. Anyway, it was too late for Sindy. The ink was dry on the contract and that was it. We never saw her again, but we'll still have the memories...

Oops! Sorry Sindy, didn't know you were in there...
No! Not those kind of memories. This kind...



I'm sure Clark and Michael have tales to tell about friends and cohorts of the Unbelievables that have just been declassified, so I'll leave them to it. But in the meantime, let me just say...

Love ya, Sindy... wherever you are. 

Friday, May 10, 2013

Cookies And Straws


You've seen a few examples of the devious cheaters who have attempted to pull fast ones without giving us our due: NBC's Grimm (who's still attempting!) and the Magnum P.I.

I'm here to lay out a couple interesting items in the same vein, but with little twists attached.

The first is an organization you know well: The Girl Scouts. 

Do you know the vaunted mission statement of The Girl Scouts? 

"Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character
who make the world a better place."

Don't be fooled ...

Seems upstanding enough ... doesn't it?

But ... did you know they also steal cookie recipes?  Of course you didn't.

That's right folks: 3.2 million Girl Scouts in more than 92 countries worldwide with nefarious intentions and clandestine methodologies ... some of which aren't so "upstanding."

What to do? Quite frankly, there's nothing anyone can do ... not even The Unbelievables. The paper trail we've personally run down is so vast and convoluted it appears impossible to overcome let alone get to the end of. 

 
They certainly look innocent ... don't they?

We happen to know at one point in their history they brazenly kyped the recipe for Do-Si-Dos in order to profit from it and make this cookie the popular item its become simply for the Scouts' own benefit!

The Scouts? How 'bout The Scoundrels! 

But again: What to do? Are you going to point fingers, embroiling yourself in a war you can't possibly win? A war that brings joy every cookie season to millions upon millions of Average Joes who want nothing more than the taste treat that is a Girl Scout (*ahem*) Do-Si-Do? Do you put the kybosh on all those funds rushing into The Scouts' coffers, benefiting not only their organization but other worthy causes they contribute to?

Exactly. No, you don't. To do so would make anyone look like the bad guy in all this. So ... we really don't have a choice. 

No one is actively crying out for the heads of The Girl Scouts (thank goodness!). But then ... no one really knows what we do about them. So ... it seems best to simply let well enough alone. Perhaps one day the truth will out. But for now? We'll just let sleeping dogs lie.

Another item is something near and dear to my heart because I was the one who originally came up with it, developed it, promoted it, marketed it ... and then had practically ripped out from under me without warning and unceremoniously.

Have you ever heard of ...

... The Michael Noble Good Time Whoopie Straw?

I already know the answer: No. Of course you haven't. That's because, long ago, I put together one of the most amazing and revolutionary products ever to simultaneously aid in youthful zest and while contributing to teen hormone suppression the world has ever seen. (Completely non-medicated, mind you.)

The Michael Noble Good Time Whoopie Straw ... yes sir. 

It's a straw, similar to most you've seen out there when you frequent your favorite local fast food establishment or when you meander down the aisle of a grocer's and eye-spy straws tucked in with the cupcake liners and maraschino cherries. But my straw - The Michael Noble Good Time Whoopie Straw - is quite different and unique.
 
Patented bendy action

My straw contains that little bendy, accordian-like elbow at one end. It's original, innovative design isn't just to aid in sipping your favorite beverage ... oh, no, no, no ...

That bendy elbow will commandeer hours of fun and frolickry, not to mention a safe and sane evening of enjoyment for those hyped up and hormone-enraged teens out there in Anytown, USA. Because of that little bendy elbow for example, one is able to blow in his/her own ear and give him/herself a hicky without hitting on a member of the opposite sex. Yes, with The Michael Noble Good Time Whoopie Straw parents can rest easy and head out for the evening confident their little Tom or Tina is safe and secure at home, yet still able to entertain themselves and get their jollies ... without "getting in trouble" so to speak. 

And those straws? Well ... they're hermetically sealed in their own individual wrappers, completely sanitary. 

So ... rest confident, parents of teens, knowing I've provided you a service like no other.


Sealed for everyone's protection

So, what's the rub? Well ... quite some time ago in the 1970s a big industrial conglomerate caught wind of my unique straw and tried ripping off my idea. Little did they know I had (shall we say) "an ally" on my side to assist in warding off their "advances." (For confidentiality, I'm not at liberty to mention who or what said "ally" by name, but they may have been mentioned in previous posting(s).)

And that's a good thing. Because the bottom line is: The Michael Noble Good Time Whoopie Straw is still out there, be it for beverage drinking or hickey embellishment and (usually) free of charge to you. Plus you'll note every time you happen to happen on one of my straws there isn't any sort of name, company logo or trademark on the wrapper. It's best it stays that way, anonymous and unencumbered, generic and ready for public use. The bad guys have tried otherwise in order to hock it for profit, but my sources have nipped their money-grubbing ways in the bud each and every time.

See? Not all things need end in hurtful feelings and un-neighborly shoulder-shoving. There's still good out there in the big, bad world ...



Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A Magnum Pain In The Rear

Like my compadre Clark said on Monday, we have had to threaten legal action on a few previous occasions. When you are three cool, stylish, butt-kicking, no-nonsense crimefighters with wicked moves and sweet wheels like we are, it's inevitable that some unscrupulous character is gonna try and steal your mojo in order to make a quick cynical buck or five. So it was with the show Magnum, P.I.

We looked forward to this show when we first heard about it, but as soon as it appeared on our sleek and stylish Zenith TV (below), we were shocked by the amount of the show's content that just had to have been lifted from our lives. We found out that it had been some sneaky CBS flunkey that had been taking one of our Unbelieva-Babes named Pearl Sandswine out on dates, getting her tipsy on Cold Duck and Annie Green Springs, and then pumping her for inside information. Poor girl, she was innocent as the day is long, but once the booze hit her, she just spilled the beans. We had to let her go, of course, but we made sure she had at least got bus fare back to her Gam-Gam's house in Enumclaw, WA.


We went right back to watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
We then set to with a cease-and-desist action against CBS Television, citing these similarities:

First, Magnum is a stylish dude (like us) with great taste in shirts (like us):




Secondly, he's got great facial hair (like us):



Thirdly, he kicks butt (like us):



Fourthly, he drives a cool car (like us):


Fifth, he is handy with weaponry (like us):







Sixth, he is constantly surrounded by beautiful women (Hello, ladies!) (exactly like us):



Tough gig.
















The similarities were so close it was scary. We could not believe the nerve of Donald P. Bellisario and Glen A. Larson. Giving away our secrets like that! If he'd lived under a laundromat it would have given the entire game away. So we had to keep on pressing the network to stop showing Magnum, until finally, after a mere 7 and a half years, the show was pulled. We had won against the big boys! And Mr. Selleck? Well, he was so ashamed at having been part of it that he shaved off his moustache. And what has he done of note since? Exactly. He doesn't look right.


Who are you?

Mr. Nobody.

Tom who?

Check please, waiter.
A word of advice to T. Selleck, Esq. - if you want to work again, stick with the 'stache. The ladies love it.



And as for anyone else that wants to create a TV show based on us, just remember, we tried to do it ourselves once. And where did that get us? All that is left is the opening credits....



Monday, May 6, 2013

Happy Birthday to the ultimate Unbelieva-babe!

(We'll return to your regularly scheduled stylish adventure after this...)

Now you know we love the ladies, ALL the ladies, all the time. However, we would be less than honest if we were to give any of you gals the impression that you ever have a shot at being our #1. That spot is reserved always and forever for our one and only. We're used to fighting evil-doers and crime-committers of all kinds but the only dame that ever caused us to fight among ourselves is Monica Lewis, a fight I'm convinced that I've won because there's no question she likes me more than Jeff and Michael.
Anyway, today is Monica's 91st birthday and we are united in wishing her an Unbelievably Happy Birthday!
And to the rest of you ladies out there, there's nothing wrong with competing for second place!