Happy 45th birthday Pac-Man

Pac-Man was first released in Japan on this day in 1980.

A small selection of my Pac-Man collection

I like to celebrate the brilliant video game character as often as possible!

Playing Pac-Man in Morecambe

Related blog posts:

• Pac-Man

Happy Shopper shops

Looking back at our visits to Happy Shopper shops since 2020.

We felt very nostalgic during the coronavirus pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper in Ipswich and I remember seeing the Happy Shopper shops and branded products a lot when I was growing up in Oxfordshire back in the 1980's and 1990's.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

The Happy Shopper branding was changed in the year 2000 and I think it lost a lot of its charm and individuality. Many of the former Happy Shopper shops have since been rebranded as Premier shops. Including this one we visited in Sittingbourne, Kent back in 2022.

This Happy Shopper shop in Sittingbourne has since rebranded to Premier

Visiting a fully branded Happy Shopper shop is like stepping back in time

Since spotting the old shop in Preston we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.

The most recent Happy Shopper shop we visited was S & A Singh on Sydney Street in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. There are still a few others in London and the south of England we need to get to.

Here's a list of posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

• Preston
• Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
• Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
• Ilkeston
• Hitchin
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Ashwellthorpe
• Ormesby St Margaret
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne
• Burton-on-Trent 1
• Burton-on-Trent 2

You can view my YouTube Playlist of Happy Shopper shop videos here.

Minigolf postcards from Knokke-Zoute in Belgium

A look at two postcards from the past.

Here are two postcards showing the minigolf course in Knokke-Zoute in Belgium. The sepia one was posted in 1955, while the colourised version is unposted.

Note the different names given to minigolf on the two cards - 'Golf miniature', 'Kleine Golf', 'Miniature Golf' and 'Minigolf'.

Knokke-Zoute - Golf miniature. Kleine Golf. Ern. Thill, Bruxelles. No 130. Posted 10 November 1955

Knokke-Zoute - Kleine Golf. Golf miniature. Miniature Golf. Minigolf. ARTCOLOR BRUXELLES. 25. Unposted. Undated

A minigolf postcard from New Brighton

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from New Brighton, Wallasey.

This unposted and undated postcard shows a long lost minigolf course at Victoria Gardens in New Brighton on the on the Wirral peninsula in Merseyside.

VICTORIA GARDENS & BATTERY, NEW BRIGHTON. Photo Precision Limited. R76713. Unposted. Undated

While this course is gone, you can still find two courses in New Brighton - at Championship Adventure Golf.

Crazy Golf at the Fantasy Island Theme Park in Ingoldmells, Skegness

A look back at the Crazy Golf course at Fantasy Island in Ingoldmells, Skegness, Lincolnshire.

What a setting for a game of crazy golf!

We played the Crazy Golf at the Fantasy Island Theme Park in Ingoldmells on this day in 2011!

At that point the 12-hole outdoor Crazy Golf course was the 240th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Fantasy Island website for more information.

Fantasy Island is now home to an 18-hole course called Lava Creek Adventure Golf. It's a course we need to visit on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Eternit Miniature Golf in Herne Bay

An old postcard from Herne Bay reveals a lost miniature golf course.

A postcard from the seaside resort of Herne Bay in Kent was an exciting and interesting find as it showed the town was once home to an 'Eternit' style of Miniature Golf course. A lovely piece of minigolf history.

The Eternit Miniature Golf course in the central foreground of the postcard (Herne Bay PT4524). The course was located on the town's Central Parade. The card is postally unused and undated. As the pier suffered fire damage in 1970 the card is from the 1960's. This postcard was produced by Colourmaster International Photo Precision Limited, St Ives, Huntingdon

KISS Mini Golf at The Rio in Las Vegas, Nevada

A look at the KISS Mini Golf course at The Rio in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Emily visited KISS World featuring KISS Mini Golf and KISS World Museum at The Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas last August.

The KISS Mini Golf course at The Rio became the 1,065th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Emily had previously played the KISS by Monster Mini Golf course back in 2014 in its previous incarnation at Paradise Road in Las Vegas. That course was the 580th visited on our travels.

Check out the KISS Mini Golf website for more information.

Butlin's Monorail Postcards

A look at some superb old Butlin's postcards.

Butlin's Minehead postcard M13. The Monorail. Postally unused. Undated

I love the British seaside with all its quirks, eccentricity and traditional entertainment. I grew up on holidays at Butlin's holiday camps in Minehead, Bognor Regis and Ayr - and spent many summers in the 1980's and 1990's at the Barry Island Holiday Camp which used to be a Butlin's camp.

I've got brilliant memories of the monorail, funfair, laser tag and arcades at Butlin's Minehead. It's little wonder that even now I'm such a big fan of the British seaside, monorails, crazy golf and video-games.

Riding the monorail at Butlin's Somerwest World in Minehead in the early 1990's

Emily and I also visited Butlin's Minehead (formerly Somerwest World) on one of our first holidays together in 2004.

Butlin's Holidays postcard from Somerwest World Minehead. Postally unused. Undated

Over the years we've built up a big collection of minigolf postcards, and we always keep an eye out for Butlin's cards as they're such colourful and fun cards, and seeing the monorail at Minehead brings back many happy memories.

Butlin's Minehead postcard M15. Monorail over a Main Avenue. Postally unused. Undated

Butlin's Minehead - Monorail over Outdoor Swimming Pool by John Hinde Studios. Postally unused. Undated

A Typical Butlin Monorail. Postcard S25. I also have a variation of this postcard with the caption 'BUTLIN'S SKEGNESS Monorail'. That card was posted on 27 July 1971

It's brilliant collecting old postcards of minigolf courses, monorails and holiday camps as they are superb pieces of social history.

Back in the 1970's the minigolf courses at Butlin's holiday camps featured some very big golf balls and tees - they make for a striking image!

Butlinland Skegness - Putting Green and Monorail by John Hinde Studios. Sent on 4 August 1980

Check out the Butlin's website for more information on their holiday parks.

A 'new' old postcard of the Putting Green at Denton Gardens in Worthing

A look at a miniature golf postcard showing the Putting Green at Denton Gardens in Worthing.

This old postcard showing the Putting Green at Denton Gardens in Worthing, West Sussex was posted from Worthing to Tunbridge Wells on the 20th September 1950.

PUTTING GREEN, DENTON GARDENS, WORTHING. H.422. Valentine's Post Card. Posted from Worthing to Tunbridge Wells on the 20 Sep 1950

We've got several other old postcards showing minigolf played at Denton Gardens, you can see them in this blog post.

Minigolf was first played in Denton Gardens on Tuesday 1st July 1924.

And it's still played there today! The gardens next to the seafront are now home to the 18-hole Splash Point Mini Golf course.

Check out the Splash Point Mini Golf website for more information.

A lovely postcard view from Germany

A look at an old miniature golf postcard from Germany.

How about this for a view of Kleingolfplatz Überlingen next to Lake Constance (Bodensee in German) and the Swiss Alps in the distance!

The postally unused postcard shows 'Bodensee-Promenade mit Schweisser Alpen' and 'Kleingolfplatz Überlingen'. Published by Erwin Burda, Freiburg

A note on the unposted card says the visit took place on the 29th August 1960.

It's always marvellous to see views such as this. I wonder how many golf balls were lost in the lake over the years?

Looking on the Minigolf-Atlas the course is still there! You can find it at Cafe Minigolf Kiosk, Seestraße 2, 88662 Überlingen.

GameStop in Sorrento, Italy

A look at a GameStop store in Sorrento, Italy.

Emily swung by this GameStop store while in Sorrento, Italy recently.

GameStop is the largest video game retailer in the world - however, it's never had much of a footprint in the UK, with the last of the few stores here closing back in 2012.

In Italy there are only a few GameStop branded stores remaining following the sale of the brand in 2024. The new owners, Cidiverte, are in the process of rebranding the GameStop stores to Gamelife stores. With the last signs of the GameStop brand disappearing this summer.

According to Wikipedia there are currently 3,203 stores around the world, with 2,325 in the USA.

Minigolf Pyramids - Landmark Golf at Wolsingham Sports Hall in County Durham (2019)

Playing the Landmark Golf course at Wolsingham Sports Hall in County Durham.

We swung by Wolsingham Sports Hall in County Durham back in 2019 for a game on the Landmark Golf course set-up there for the week.

It was fun to play around the world in 9-holes of crazy golf.

The Landmark Golf course was the 919th visited and 525th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Check out the Landmark Golf website for more information.

Mulligans Crazy Golf opening soon in Guildford - first look at the new venue and exclusive discounts for the first players

Mulligans Guildford is opening this summer.

Many thanks to the team at Mulligans for sending over the following information and photos giving a first look at the new crazy golf venue in Guildford, Surrey.

We've been to several Mulligans courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and look forward to checking out the two courses at the Mulligans Guildford venue in the future.

Adventure Leisure, the group responsible for Mulligans, BUNKERS, Total Ninja and Ninja Warrior UK, is set to open its 14th Mulligans venue, in Guildford, Surrey in time for the summer holidays.

Mulligans Guildford will install golf technology which will track each shot, across 18 exciting, themed holes. The market-leading tech will eliminate the need for score cards and generate chances for players to win a supershot points booster by trying their luck at trick shots.

The two 9-hole courses will be based on Night Life and Street Life, with themes including disco. Complete with glitter balls and a disco wall for photo opportunities, the holes will be a nod to Guildford’s iconic party past including the famous Cinderella’s nightclub, which formerly occupied the site. Other holes include casino, featuring a working roulette wheel, plus holes based on global destinations such as surfers paradise, inspired by TV’s Bondi Beach, and a mini version of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

Ahead of opening the doors, Mulligans Guildford are offering 50% off all bookings made before Monday 21st July, when you sign up to the mailing list. All guests that make a pre-booking will also be entered into a draw to win 1 of 10 Mulligans M.I.P (Mulligans Important Person) cards, entitling them to unlimited gaming for an entire year.

The two-floor venue will also feature high-tech activities including electro-darts and electro-shuffleboard, as well as American pool tables and classic arcade games including air hockey, curved air hockey, skeeball and basketball.

Mulligans Guildford will also be introducing a brand-new food and drink menu featuring burgers, small plates, sharing dishes and a new cocktails list.

Mulligans Guildford is taking over the former sites of TGI Friday’s, Slice and the iconic Cinderella’s Nightclub and is being brought to life by internationally renowned designer Zachary Pulman, who also designed venues for global brands Swingers and Top Golf.

Adventure Leisure’s Chief Operating Officer, Stephen Brown, said, "We’re working extremely hard behind the scenes to bring Mulligans Guildford to life and we’re so excited to be able to share a first look at the venue. We wanted to do something extra special for the people of Guildford and so we’re delighted to be bringing some brand new, smart golf technology into our experience for the very first time."

"Mulligans Guildford is shaping up to be our best venue yet and so we’ve introduced our opening offer to give as many people as possible the opportunity to visit and have some fun with us this summer. We’re looking forward to meeting the people of Guildford and beyond in just a couple of short months!"

The Adventure Leisure group currently has 13 Mulligans sites across the UK which include venues in Basildon, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cheltenham, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Norwich, Sidcup, Stevenage, Tonbridge, and Worcester, with the most recent venue opening in Hemel Hempstead in 2024.

Adventure Leisure Limited is a subsidiary of Burhill Group Limited (BGL), which also operates 10 golf clubs and the BUNKERS! and Ninja Warrior UK brands.

Check out the Mulligans Guildford website for more information on the venue and to sign up to the newsletter.

24 hour vending in Sorrento

A look at 24 Hour Coffee, Food, ATM, and Laundry Service Vending Unit in Sorrento, Italy.

Emily spotted this unique looking vending unit on her recent trip to Sorrento. What an interesting mix of products and services.

A Weetabix Gang Crazy Mini Golf Weeta-Card postcard from 1983

A look at a Weetabix Crazy Golf postcard from my collection of minigolf postcards.

This advertising postcard from 1983 shows the Weetabix Gang playing a game of Crazy Golf and is one of a set. Other activities the gang get up to include playing cricket on the beach, building a sandcastle, playing a test-of-strength machine and fishing on a pier.

A Weetabix Gang Crazy Mini Golf Weeta-Card postcard from 1983

This particular 'Weeta-Card' was used to enter a Golf Video Giveaway and posted from Reading, Berkshire to Leatherhead, Surrey. Unfortunately the postmark cancellation is too feint to make out the date of posting.

The Weetabix Gang consisted of Brian, Bixie, Brains, Crunch and Dunc. The Crazy Golf Weeta-Card shows Bixie playing the minigolf hole, Brian as her opponent, with Dunc and Crunch looking on. I don't know what Brains was up to as he's nowhere to be seen.

Mini Golf at Hylands Golf Complex in Ingatestone, Essex

There's a newly refurbished mini golf course at Hylands Golf Complex in Ingatestone, Essex.

Hylands Golf Complex in Ingatestone, Essex has recently reopened its 18-hole outdoor mini golf course following a refurbishment.

Check out the Hylands Golf Complex website for more information.

It's another course for us to check out on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

A train in Pompeii, Italy

An FE220 train on the Circumvesuviana railway network in Italy.

This is a train arriving at Pompeii railway station heading to Sorrento on the 13th May 2025.

Check out my Trains Playlist on YouTube for more.

A minigolf postcard from Golf Miniature Cabourg in France

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Golf Miniature Cabourg in France.

The postcard was sent, however the postmark and date are unclear.

CABOURG (Calvados). Le Golf Miniature. ARTAUD Père et Fils. Editions GABY. Posted. Date unknown

Looking online Golf Miniature Cabourg is still open - and still recognisable today. Amazing to see the past and the present of a course.

Visit the Golf Miniature Cabourg Facebook Page for more information.

Cabourg is a seaside resort on the coast of the English Channel. It's in the Calvados region of Normandy.

Gluten free food from Italy

I've got lots of gluten free goodies from Italy thanks to Emily!

Gluten free (senza glutine) food from Italy

It's always nice to try different things and see what's available for Coeliacs in other countries.

It's a superb haul of senza glutine food to scoff during Coeliac UK Awareness Month.

A Crazy Golf postcard from Skegness in 1946

A look at an old Crazy Golf postcard from Skegness, Lincolnshire.

One of the old postcards in my collection of minigolf cards is this nice one showing the waterways and pier in Skegness. Also clearly in view is a Crazy Golf course!

The Waterways and Pier, Skegness. The Graphic Series postcard. Postally used on 14th August 1946

The course in the card was on North Parade.

It looks like it had some fun and interesting obstacles on it.

On our last visit to Skegness in 2015 we found an abandoned Indoor Jungle 3D Mini Golf course at the Lost World Adventure Park. A world away from the Crazy Golf course in the postcard that was on more or less the same spot 70 years before!

There are still several miniature golf courses in Skegness - we need to revisit as a few of them opened since we were last there

The first Crazy Golf course in England opened on South Parade in Skegness in 1926.