Vinylmation Junior Series 3

Named the Good Luck + Bad Luck Jr. series, half of the designs in the series focus on items associated with good luck (such as horseshoes, four leaf clovers) and the other half on things associated with bad luck (like Friday the 13th, and a broken mirror).

Overall, the general consensus here at VinylMania HQ is that some of these designs seem a little too simple, if not down right lazy. Making this series assumably are least favorite Jr. series.

On the brighter side, there are some cool designs in this series, as we take a look at all 18 designs and let you be the judge for yourself!

Lemon and Cherry Slot Machine Jr.s 

While playing a slot machine, if any row comes up with a lemon there is no payout at all, which gives us the disappointed expression "It's a Lemon." Which in turn give us the "Three Cherries" which is almost as hard to come by as the Jackpot! So if you hit "Three Cherries" you better believe your lucky!

Friday the 13th & Four-Leaf Clover Jr.s

Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. The four-leaf clover is an uncommon variation of the common, three-leaved clover. According to tradition, such leaves bring good luck to their finders, especially if found accidentally. According to legend, each leaf represents something: the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.

Sad Face & Smiley Face Jr.s

After searching around the internet for awhile, nowhere could we find anything relating to a sad face or smiley face having anything to do with good luck or bad luck. Perhaps they just needed another design?

Spilled Salt & Fortune Cookie Jr.s

A European superstition holds that spilling salt is an evil omen.One widespread explanation of the belief that it is unlucky to spill salt is that Judas Iscariot spilled the salt at the Last Supper. While the fortune cookie contains a "fortune" which comes in the form of words of faux wisdom or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a Chinese phrase with translation or a list of lucky numbers used by some as lottery numbers, some of which have become actual winner numbers.

Open End Down & Open End Up Horseshoe Jr.s

The horseshoe is considered very lucky and used to be hung in many homes to protect and attract good fortune for the family residing inside. As with many superstitions, there are contradictions to be found with the beliefs associated with the horseshoe. For instance, many believe that to hang it with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it acts as a storage container of sorts for any good luck that happens to be floating by, whereas to hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out. Others believe that no matter which way you hang the horseshoe, good luck will come. According to this superstition, the ends-pointing-down display simply means that the good luck is able to flow out and surround the home. If the horseshoe is hung over a doorway, ends up will catch good luck and ends down will let the good luck spill over the door and stop evil from entering.

Black Cat & Lucky Cat Jr.s

According to superstition, having a black cat cross your path is unlucky. In the Middle Ages it was believed that a witch could take the form of a black cat. A story about an English father and son meeting a black cat they suspected of being a witch proves the point. They stoned the cat and the next day encountered the witch in her human form. Her face was bandaged and she died shortly thereafter.This story seems to be the origin of bad luck coming your way if a black cat crosses your path. Opposite is The Maneki Neko, literally "Beckoning Cat"; is a common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. A frequent attribution to several Japanese emperors is that one day the luminary passed by a cat, which seemed to wave to him. Taking the cat's motion as a sign, the unknown nobleman paused and went to it. Diverted from his journey, he realized that he had avoided a trap that had been laid for him just ahead. Since that time, cats have been considered wise and lucky spirits.

Snakes Eyes & Natural Jr.s

Because this is the lowest possible roll, "Snake Eyes" will often be a loser in many dice games, such as Craps, the term has been employed in a more general usage as a reference to bad luck. In the game of craps, a come-out roll (first roll) of 7 (or 11), also known as a "natural", wins and results in a payout for "pass line" bets.

Crow & Ladybug Jr.s

Crows have been used for the purpose of divination since the time of ancient Rome. A single crow over a house meant bad news, and often foretold a death within. Many cultures view ladybugs as lucky, and a great deal of superstition surrounds these small and stylishly outfitted insects. As often happens with superstition, it is actually a bit difficult to determine why ladybugs came to be viewed as lucky. One interesting thing about ladybug superstitions is that these superstitions are so universal: usually, superstitions about living things are quite varied, with different cultures attaching different meanings to everything. The most likely explanation for the general view that ladybugs are lucky is their dietary habits. Ladybugs eat harmful crop pests, so the appearance of ladybugs would have been welcomed by farmers and gardeners. In agricultural societies, it would have made sense to venerate a beneficial insect, encouraging people to leave ladybugs alone so that they could consume pests such as aphids. The appearance of a ladybug would also have been viewed as a blessing, which explains the positive associations with ladybugs in many cultures.

Broken Mirror & Lucky Penny Jr. Chasers

t is said that when you break a mirror, your cosmic penance is to endure seven years of bad luck, unless you can find a way to counteract the negative effects. The origin of the "break a mirror, face seven years of bad luck" superstition can be traced back to the Romans. The Romans, along with the Greek, Chinese, African and Indian cultures, believed that a mirror had the power to confiscate part of the user's soul. If the user's reflected image became distorted in any way, this could mean a corruption of his or her soul. "Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you'll have good luck." Everyone has probably heard this rhyme, or some variation of it, at one time or another. The superstition, actually, has been around for a quite some time. Finding a penny and picking it up is a relatively new spin on an old superstition. Many, many years ago, people believed that metal was a gift from the Gods, given to man for protection against evil. From that belief, we get the belief that metal brings good luck. In fact, it was widely believed that any form of metal was lucky. That is partially why people hang horseshoes over their doorways, wear charm bracelets, and carry a good luck coin!