Saturday, February 12, 2011

Product Placement: TZ Pub Light Sign


This isn't quite as unexpected as the shocking and misguided Invaders thong (which I passed on, thank you very much), but it's still unexpected... in a good way. Hell, in a great way.

I periodically search eBay for Twilight Zone-related items. If I see something new (and if I can afford it!), I'll typically bid on it. In late October, I stumbled across something that made me scream like a 14 year-old girl seeing The Beatles for the first time. Ladies and gentlemen, it's my distinct pleasure to present.... The Twilight Zone Pub Light Sign.


Last month, I reported that our friends at Bif Bang Pow! would be releasing a slew of non-toy TZ items later this year, including coasters, shot glasses, and beer steins. With this sign, an enterprising fan is that much closer to opening his or her own Twilight Zone pub....


It's not neon creating that spectral blue glow. It's an LED fluorescent tube. My god, it looks glorious. What a thing of beauty.


My only complaint pertains to the power cord. It's way too short, and it comes out of the top (okay, I guess it couldn't really be placed anywhere else). I was fortunate to find a wall outlet way up high in my daughter's room (which I took advantage of for photo-taking purposes only; the sign is currently sitting on top of my dresser, awaiting a more permanent home... the garage, perhaps?), but I imagine that's pretty atypical. Most of you undoubtedly have normal floor-proximity outlets, so you'll need to run an extension cord up the wall and find a creative way to hide it.


Want one? Hit eBay and search for "Twilight Zone bar sign." There are usually at least 1 or 2 auctions in progress. For some unknown reason, the alphanumeric phrase "P365B" can often be found in the auction title (probably a manufacturer serial number). It costs a measly $9.99, plus $19.99 for shipping (sometimes there's an alternate version of the auction in which the total cost is $28.49 with free shipping; the seller "helpulpa77" is the same for both). I received mine about three weeks after ordering.


The sign comes from Hong Kong, so of course the included instruction sheet is riddled with grammatical errors (no racist intent):



The flip side shows a detailed diagram. I suppose an enterprising person could use it to take the sign apart and swap out the bulb for a different color. Mine came fully assembled, but your mileage may vary:



This sign is infinitely cool, and really pops (especially in the dark). I'm pretty sure this isn't an *ahem* licensed product, but I highly recommend it nevertheless. I suspect these won't be available forever, so if you want one... well, set aside thirty bucks and get yours now.

By the way, the seller ("helpulpa77") has many other similar faux-neon LED signs for sale (including a really nice vinyl turntable sign that I've got my covetous eye on), so you might find something in addition to the Twilight Zone sign to trick out your man cave/game room/garage/whatever. I really wish they made an Outer Limits sign... oh, and speaking of The Outer Limits... well, stay tuned.



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