This is the longest of shots but still probably the best place to ask...

Time frame: 1979-82 (estimated)

There was a novelty shop in the buildings on the left side of International Street (as you enter and face the Eiffel Tower).

They sold typical teenager impulse buys and Spencer Gifts-type items, many of them with a pirate or Halloween theme - plastic swords, rubber masks, etc.

As a traffic-stopper and a come-on they had a blank mannequin head near the doorway. A film was projected onto the head, making it look as if it were speaking.

The film ran in a loop and lasted about 30 seconds in which a bald-headed pirate delivered a dramatic Treasure Island spiel involving, well, piracy on the high seas.

One line I can recall: 'We collected our booty. 25 Spanish gold doubloons!' (I may have the number wrong)

Goofy bored preteens that we were, we managed to memorize the speech after a few viewings. We entertained ourselves and annoyed those around us the rest of the summer by reciting it verbatim.

 

Which leads to the following questions if anyone knows or remembers:

-What was the name of the shop?

-Does anyone remember the pirate-head film?

-Did anyone happen to work in the shop or the park at the time who remembers it?

-Going for broke here, did anyone have an involvement with the production of the film or setting up the projection display in the shop?

 

It's just one of those things you remember vividly.

thx.....

 

The magic shop with the upstairs area?

 

On 1/18/2025 at 11:55 AM, Patchy said:

-What was the name of the shop?

-Does anyone remember the pirate-head film?

 

It was called the "Mod Shop" - and it was in the Swiss building next to the Magic Shop (where Starbucks is now.)

And yes, I vaguely recall it.

Here's a discussion about IS shops from 2007 with some insight.

 

4 hours ago, Shaggy said:

It was called the "Mod Shop" - and it was in the Swiss building next to the Magic Shop (where Starbucks is now.)

And yes, I vaguely recall it.

For the life of me I've never been able to figure out what a Mod Shop is supposed to have sold and am too stubborn to Google it. 

"Mod" was a hold-over term from the late 1960's that carried through the 1970s.  It means "hip", "current", bold" etc.  So it was an eclectic mix of pop-culture/boutique type novelty items geared to kids/young adults.