The Get Out! Kitschy Kitschy Coo Award is given by Pop Tart and reflects Pop Tart's enjoyment of mocking, amusing, and amazing comments made at any of her blogs, including her blog posts at CQ.
The award gives more than a nod to Elaine Benes, only Pop Tart's incredulity isn't mocking; she's really amazed &/or amused. Pop Tart reserves the right to remove the mocking element in the "Get out!" because the person commenting has already provided that. Plus, she's not shoving you.
Or perhaps it's that your comments are Elaine-esque, giving a full frontal shove to Pop Tart. But we'll leave that debate to the philosophers in the crowd.
Should you be clever enough to be given the "Get Out!" Award, feel free to display the award with a link back to Kitschy Kitschy Coo (either to the post where Pop Tart awards it to you, or the blog's main URL, Kitschy-Kitschy-Coo.Com).
Most collectors will admit they are more than a little mad... But it takes a special kind of crazy to collect old magazines.
First there's the sadness as you grab box after box of vintage and retro crafting, how-to, and do-it-yourself magazines at an estate sale or auction... All the unfinished work speaks of lives that weren't finished.
And then there's the general craziness of what's inside the pages. Who said these were good ideas? And when it comes to women's magazines there's the perpetual, "Who bought this crap -- bought into this crap?"
One cannot help but mull the sanity & happiness, insanity & unhappines, of the former magazine owners... Today, I do so with 13 examples of mockable magazine scans.
(And yes, whenever I mock the previous owners of these magazines I am reminded of what others will think of all these boxes of magazines that I'll leave behind. I said it's a special kind of crazy.)
1) Via this 1971 Pack-o-Fun, "The Only Scrap-Craft Magazine", I am reminded why I don't recommend putting your children in scouting. Or elderly folks into those crafting classes at the old folks' home. Little's much sadder than instructing people to make dolls out of garbage -- unless it's dangerous dolls made of plastic dry cleaner bags, stuffed with facial tissue, and drawn on with markers.
While they admonish giving these dolls to babies who will put things in their mouths, they also say that "these cuddly little dolls will become favorites of the toddler set." Toxic teethers, poisonous pacifiers; a garbage doll by any other name is just fine as long as your child is mature enough, by 2, to know better. (No mention that suffocation by plastic dolls or marker fumes may cause retardation, rendering your smart toddler as dumb as a baby.)
2) Foiled again. From the same magazine, this is eggs-actly what you think it is: egg cartons covered with tin foil, used as a lighting fixture.
What? You're waiting for me to add something? The idea should be enough -- plus, you've got the groovy photo.
3) Home Kinks magazine isn't what you think it is. Or maybe it is; maybe you're not as twisted as I am. Or maybe you are just as twisted, but you just knew this was a Popular Mechanics publication (1947). The cover boasts of a frying pan shield on page 18. I didn't scan it, but to end your suspense, I'll confirm that it's precisely what it looks like: a cake cover cut-out to allow access to the contents of the frying pan.
4) On page 9 we all learn how to make a Dutch Boy cutout to hold a kitchen broom. I'm not going to mock this; I long for the good old days when copying corporate logos for home use was de rigeur.
5)On page 94 we have (further) proof of my mental illness. Something has been cut out -- presumably the order form for the 102 time saving, money saving, money making, helpful, inexpensive easy to use... guides, as selected by the blue X's. But that's not good enough.
This magazine is incomplete; therefore I am incomplete.
6) The October 1975 issue of Women's Circle Homeworker "shows you the way to home money making." (I have to admit I read the title as 'homewrecker', but maybe that's because I just know a lady making extra 'pin money' isn't the sort of girl dear old dad can stay married to.)
The cover proclaims, "Women Paperhangers Earn $5 Per Hour". I guess that was startling in 1975 -- but not for the reasons you think.
7) As the story continues on page 31, the headline, "Women paperhangers are still around", tells us that in 1975 paperhanging was considered to be on the outs with the modern home working woman. I guess wallpaper hanging was that 'oldest profession' folks refer to.
I'd also like to note that in 1975, the was a shortage of pithy, pun-ny writers or else there should have been a pun about women paperhangers still hanging around.
8) At the end of the article, Edna Shimp, wallpaper professional gal, recommends, "If you are contemplating decorating, think wallpaper." Surprise, Edna shills!
9) Super double bonus points for a women's lib mag calling women 'gals'.
10) And tack on an extra 100 points for the corner call for 'junior achievers', women "below the age of 20". Sheesh.
11) In the January, 1964 issue of The Workbasket, there's an ad for Yum Yum perfume.
When you are asked say Yum Yum!
Our new perfume is so delightful that we just had to name it YUM YUM. The fragrance lasts and is very subtle. Its exquisite tones are remembered fondly.
When you are asked, say "Yum Yum!" OK, so picture it... Your meet a swell feller, and whatever he asks, you reply, "Yum Yum," as directed. Later on the feller asks his buddies, "What was the name of that retarded girl... I am fond of her smell."
12) On the opposite page, we are asked to choose between "this or this" with the choices being to have, or not to have, bunions.
Naturally, all we can reply is, "Yum Yum!"
13) Below that ad, an ad for a job to work at home doing invisible mending.
In many communities invisible menders are scarce: service is expensive -- often unavailable. Can you learn to do this fascinating, profitable work?
"Yum Yum!" is our instinctive reply. (Oh, yes; it sucks to have the ads near the Yum Yum Parfums-Degas ad.)
But then again, perhaps we are just high on the subtle but exquisite smell of our $1 bottle of perfume and so we think maybe, must maybe, we are able to learn such fascinating, profitable work... Or is that the smell of our marker colored suffocation doll? $240 a month buys a lot of $1 per bottle, postpaid, perfume. (We reckon about 180 of 'em.)
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
I'm smitten with AT&T's Valentine's Day ad -- not so much for the phones (I don't even think we get that service here, bastards), but as we all know, I'm a sucker for a puppet show. I partially married hubby for his puppet skills, and if that makes him The Puppet Master and myself the puppet, well, I can live with that.
In the commercial a red boy mouse finger puppet hits on a blue girl squirrel finger puppet:
Mouse: You know what I think? Squirrel: What? Mouse: Heaven must be missing a squirrel.
Ms Squirrel laughs, but you know she falls for it. Just as I have.
AT&T needs to sell me these finger puppets.
Seriously.
Are you listening, AT&T? I don't want an iPhone. Especially as I don't have service for it here. But even if I could, I'd still want those adorable finger puppets more.
I guess this whole post makes me AT&T's puppet, posting their ad like that... Unless they make me the puppets. Then I am The Puppet Master.
This photo is from the June 1966 "Women's Household" magazine. Upon leafing through such an interesting magazine, my eyes stopped at the "All About Pets" section. I stared, dumbfounded, until I read the caption: The caption is "This is Mrs. Noble Christopher holding her pet ground hog. He loves to be held as any other pet does. He is eating an ear of corn in this picture."
I wonder what Mr. Noble thinks of the groundhog...I suppose, until Mrs. Noble starts dressing up Mr. Groundhog in little dresses and petticoats, Mr. Noble will tolerate the critter -- "that weasel is the only thing keeping my Mrs. sane," he'll tell his buddies over coffee down at the Cenex before work, not knowing that his wife is slowly sewing frilly groundhog undergarmets out of his old handkerchiefs. No house-groundhog ever goes undressed.
I don't remember homes heated with coal, but I just thought while they push clean coal at us via commercials we should take this trip down memory lane:
The point of Mute Mondays is to only post images -- I know that. But as a meme, there's no screening process, and so people like me can come along and resist the muzzle. I had to -- today's theme is "collection/collections" and like, duh, that's 'me' to a 'T'.
You know, since I ramble about, & link to, writing at Collectors' Quest, I figured you all knew that hubby and I are columnists there -- but it has been brought to my attention that you did not. So I'm guessing you don't know about the CQ community either... For free you can make a profile, promote your blog, and (the most delicious part) show off your wacky/obscure/unique/valuable collection (or collections) to other nut-jobs collector. That's where all the following images come from...
And my favorite:
(No, he's not mine -- but how adorable is that photo?)
From volume 19, issue 5, of Modern Woman Magazine (1950), I'm not sure this comic has been published for maximum effect with the demographic is served...
Mocking a woman who is quick to race for her nylons, yet slow in traffic, is better suited for a men's mag. Even better, modify it to show a man eager to chase a golf ball about, yet too tired to do anything at home.
And to prove it, the 1953 catalog wants to show you that the little woman can even use the drill press.
One of the inset photos shows a woman with the Delta Shop drill press and the text reads, "Easy to swing drill press into position -- no heavy motor to lift. Tool is perfectly balanced."
And isn't that what every 50's man wanted -- a woman in his shop?
But the reality is that the little woman may object to you buying yourself a pricey, manly toy. In order to over-come any protests on her part, be sure to remind her how practical it is: "Mix foods, salad dressings, meringues, paints and similar things with your drill press."
Mmm, the vinegar and oil salad dressing finally has that manly smell & taste Dad loves!
Of course, if your little woman was one who had herself a job during the war, she really might want to use it. So let her use the drill press to clean those pots and pans; it's "one of many types of jobs women will appreciate."
This poor soul has come down with the deadly disease pomponitis, in which unsightly -- but pleasantly fluffy -- growths protrude from the head in unpleasant ways. Not particularly painful for the sufferer, unless they also happen to be a cat-owner, in which case secondary injuries may be sustained while sleeping. As the patient's illness progresses, the pompons eventually fall off and blow away like tumbleweeds, infecting any they touch. No cure is known, although cats tend to catch the tumbling pompons and extinguish them before they can infect others.
This, in fact, illustrates an advertisment for Brunswick yarns -- Brunswick Worsted Mills, Inc is still around (sadly, without a website), and their instructional booklets abound online. The photo of the woman with pompoms all over her face is not explained in the ad at all -- the only text consists of a catalog of booklet prices. Why would a woman have fluffy yarn balls attached to her head? Only her doctor knows for sure.
1) Rian Fike of Full Body Transplant says that I am "the Snark MASTER!" Likely this post disappoints in that regard, but there's always another post to be made...
The purpose of this meme is to give high-fives to 5 people, posts, blogs and/or websites you've admired during the week. I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 5 high-fives on Friday. Trackbacks, pings, linky widgets, comment links accepted!
Visiting fellow High-Fivers is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your High-Fives in others comments (please note if NWS).
From a 1953 issue of Mine, a Catholic children's magazine, comes this children's four-panel comic of two little people.
I'm not certain which is Tom, which is Tim; but one's thing's for certain -- one of these Christian fairies is secure enough in his masculinity to wear pink.
I was very serious today in my T13 at CQ. And that exhausted me. I could have gone to bed -- should have gone to bed; but then what would you do without your dose of Pop Tart T13 Snark?
Anyway, I had these images left over, see, and I don't want the scans to go bad! The trouble is, they really don't have a theme...
OK, so how about telling it like it is: Thirteen Old Things Which Get My Snark On.
1) Guys are worried about shrinkage.
That's about all I'm at liberty to say at this PG-13 blog. No, no; there'll be no comments from me about Moms, balls, or hot water -- or anything else.
2) Is it just me, or did Disney rip-off Lilo from these retro dolls?
3) And speaking of law suits, I hope Mary Jane's last name was "Moppet"...
4) OK, remember how we once called those big-boned boys "husky"? Heck, maybe we still do; I just don't have a husky son, so I don't know if that label has really gone away... But I am oh-so glad that McCall's et all stopped using the word "Chubbies" to describe their patterns for little girls who 'need' their "Pounds-Thinner" patterns. Oh, and by the way, while McCall's actually printed "Chubbie's" on the tab of the giant pattern book (June, 1972), there were a total of two such patterns available -- and no robes or anything. Fat and fashion-less may be one thing... But fat and naked is another. Tough-love, ey?
5) Mother, get the garbage can and some asbestos -- it's dinner time!
Both a time and a fuel saver, you say? The modern fireless cooker was featured in a 1948 Modern Woman's Magazine. Click it and you can follow the directions yourself. (Our lawyers remind us to remind you that we are only joking about that.)
6) Ooooh, beautiful answers to the fuel shortage! We can burn them!
7) Before L'Oréal had babes exclaiming, "Because I'm worth it!"...
Clairol said, "Girls, do it because he's worth it!" Huh. I wonder why they still don't use that pitch?
8) Does your watch tell you the year? Yeah, how about the year you got it? This Alf watch screams 1988 to me...
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Yes, Virginia, that's really a bunny-rabbit in a refrigerator. No, it's not a curb-side fridge.
"Why is he in there?!" you ask? Why are you asking me -- do you think I put him in there? Well, if you must know (and who the hell doesn't?) the article reads:
Contented Bunny Demonstrates How Air-Conditioning Works In Modern Ice Refrigerator
A black and white bunny with big gentle eyes and a contented expression attracted more attention at the recent Chicago furniture show than did all the modern sofas and transparent plastic tables shown for the first time.
Sheesh, what bunny wouldn't be more interesting than sofas and plastic tables? Oh, but you see, this is 1943. Apparently plastic tables, transparent or no, are all the rage. But they still can't out-do a bunny in a fridge, you say?
Hey, wait... It's 1943, there's a war on... Is that bunny for eating?
The bunny, prominently featured as "the Contented Rabbit," inhabited the food compartment of a new Coolerator ICE Refrigerator and looked out at the passing throng from a window in its door.
Why shut an innocent live rabbit in in a refrigerator? Because the Contented Rabbit demonstrated to the public in this dramatic manner that there is a constantly-changing flow of pure, fresh, properly-conditioned air within the food compartment of an Ice Refrigerator. If this were not so, the rabbit could not live in the tightly closed food compartment. He would suffocate for lack of air.
Click the scan to read the rest.
From Modern Woman Magazine, "a magazine published by the ice industry", George M. Wessells, Publisher, Volume 12, Number 2, copyright, 1943.
Dan at 'a sampler of things' has a cute bunch of vintage greeting cards. The biggest difference I see in these from today's cards is today, cards are wither gushy with sentiment, or else they harbor innuendo or a mildly naughty joke. Back in the day, you could make jokes about beavers on a greeting card, and nobody snickered.
Today my column at Collectors' Quest is on vintage women's publications, and so, surrounded by stacks of vintage magazines proclaiming to solve the problems of modern women, I've become obsessed... I can't bury them all again. I won't bury them all again. And so I bring you Modern Woman Mondays.
Today's bit is from Modern Woman Magazine, "a magazine published by the ice industry", George M. Wessells, Publisher. This specific issue is Volume 16, Number 1, copyright, 1947; Carolyn Hunter, Editor, and J. Russell Calvert, Associate.
We turn your attention to pages 10 - 11, Star Babies, by Modena Kyle:
Once upon a time -- not too many years ago -- it was not considered good publicity for a motion picture star to be called mother or dad. If a glamour gal or guy delighted in the patter of little feet around the home, it was never noised abroad.
But parenthood is nowadays deemed an asset to a star's box office appeal -- which is one indication that the general public has achieved healthier moral values.
Most of the famous men and women in Hollywood are as eager for children, when they marry, as any other normal people. In fact, there are few of the leading women stars who do not play the role of mother in real life.
We have gathered pictures of many well-known parents and their children. The faces of these parents are famous, but the look of pride and love is the same as in any other family pictures.
(Left column) Below, the top picture shows baby Teresa and Mother Virginia O'Brien, dead-pan singer who was featured in "The Harvey Girls." The lower picture is Judy Garland and her tiny daughter Liza.
(Right column) In the top picture, Gloria De Haven and John Payne beam over daughter Kathleen. Bottom picture, Richard Quine and his wife Susan Peters get a big smile from their son Timothy, who seems to enjoy his view of happy people.
Photos (click to enlarge!), with descriptions, from the second page:
Allan Ladd, above, who starred in "The Blue Dahlia," gets a hug and kiss from daughter Alana. Her mother is former screen actress Sue Carol.
William Bendix, husky comic, gives baby Stephanie her dinner. Below is Mexican star Ricardo Montalban with his wife and daughter Laura.
Blonde Lana Turner explains the science of hobby-horse riding to her brunette daughter Cheryl. Lana really likes her role as mother.
Above, Judith Ann, daughter of Brian Donlevy, looks very serious about having her picture taken. Below is Patrick Knowles at home with his family.
Van Heflin, above, can play any type of character assigned to him, but none can equal his enjoyment in that of "Dad" to daughter Vana.
Above Jane Wyman's record player fascinates son Michael and daughter Maureen. Below, James Craig tackles the inevitable problem of dry didies.
Update: Just found info on cover models buried on page 14. "Our cover shows lovely Ann Southern with her tiny daughter Patricia Ann -- nicknamed "Tisha" by Ann and husband Robert Sterling."
That's what Dad always used to say (still does), so in the spirit of equality and feminism, secretaries who blame their typewriters must be measured by the same, broken, yardstick.
So, blogging chicks, you can't blame your keyboard -- or Sally Hansen either.
Participating in High-Five Fridays gives me a chance to set aside the snark, the sassy mocking, and be nice -- by directing you to others who may, or may not, be equally filled with snark, sass, and mocking.
#1Susan Helene Gottfried was so kind with her comments on my T13 at CQ that I'm gonna high-five her for that. (And my apologies for scaring her cat.)
#2 Dump Diggers is serious about dump digging: Part One, Part Two.
#3There's Your Boyfriend is the blog that plays the game we girls all used to. The scary thing is that these are real people, and are likely someone's boyfriend or spouse. :shudder:
#4 If you miss the humor here, check out Humor-Blogs.
#5 If you miss the kitschy thrift store finds we usually have here (and will continue to post, really!), get your fix at Thrift Store Love.
The purpose of this meme is to give high-fives to 5 people, posts, blogs and/or websites you've admired during the week. I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 5 high-fives on Friday. Trackbacks, pings, linky widgets, comment links accepted!
Visiting fellow High-Fivers is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your High-Fives in others comments (please note if NWS).
Stephen's dad, an amateur artist (as the cake on the right shows) . Stephen wanted to know what, exactly, his dad was trying to draw on these cakes. His dad tried his best to explain, even drawing new versions, but with no luck. After a long search, and with some humorous help from his dad, the book his dad learned cartooning from was discovered. Memory is a fun filter: when it loses things, those things cease to be real, no matter how relevant it was.
Payday came out in the 1970s, and saw a brief burst in popularity; it was a pretty standard move-pay-move-earn game, with similar buying/borrowing/earning methods as Monopoly. It had two sets of cards: one, cards representing mail -- could be bills, could be a postcard -- and there were the Deal cards: similar to Monopoly properties, these were purchased, then sold for profit if a buyer was found.
The Deal cards were my favorite: they were excellent examples of 1970s popular illustration style, full of balloony curves, wiggly lines, and watercolory washes created by illustration pens and markers. Here's Thirteen (there were only a couple more):
Quick-Food Franchise
Pros: Get to wear a paper hat. Cons: Standing outside; Getting health code citations. Image: Classy, but the umbrella is too small, unless the only citation is to keep the sun off the buns.
John Smith's Autograph
Pros: It's the John Smith - you know how rarely he gave out autographs? Cons: Who the heck cares about John Smith's John Hancock? Image: GAH! John Smith -- he's invisible! His curly 'S' is awfully charming for a disembodied spirit, though.
800lbs Copper Pipe
Pros:The price of copper has gone through the freakin' roof -- $300 is a steal; 800lbs should be worth a couple thousand bucks on today's market. Cons: Where does a 800lb pile of scrap metal sit? Wherever it's at, 'cuz you ain't gonna move it on your own. Image: It looks more like hollow logs: check for badgers first.
Stamp Collection
Pros:Easy to transport; gives air of sophistication. Cons: Only nerds collect stamps, you nerd. Image: They shouldn't have left their stamp collection out in the rain.
Used Sports Car
Pros:Cool guys drive sportscars. Cons: That giant band-aid on the car's butt ain't gonna get chicks. Image: Hilariously 'used' -- this is one of my favorite cards. The missing tooth, the mismatched colors, it looks like it went three rounds with George Forman.
Family Camper
Pros: Fresh air in the great outdoors is good for you. Cons: You accidentally bought the bear-attracting model of camper. Count the kids. Image: The cranky bear is excellent -- note you can't see its feet. That bear is riding on the camper.
Coin Collection
Pros: Less nerdy than stamps. Cons: You know half will end up on the traintracks smooshed flat before the summer is over. Image: More detail than the stamps; they actually look coiny!
Two Acres, Vacationland
Pros: You have a place for your camper's bear to run free. Cons: Wal-Mart needs a place to build. Hello eminent domain! Image: Done in a very seventies-ish illustration style that's still emulated today, like this litter sign.
Antique Auto
Pros: More valuable than a used sportscar. Cons: Those flowers are actually growing up through the floorboards. Image: More of that great seventies style -- I'd pay $350 for a car like that.
Bottle Collection
Pros: There's actually bottle collectors who'll trade their grandma for one of these. Cons: You'll experience an event worthy of a classic movie; sadly, it will be reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy, starting at the top of the stairs and ending up in the emergency room. Image: While the image isn't exciting, it really does give the feel of old, collectible bottles -- and that transparency is excellent.
Unclaimed Furniture
Pros: You can actually make a buttload of money on reselling unclaimed shipments. Cons: That furniture was abandoned for a really good reason. Image: Huge pink stars on the upholstery -- how can you lose?
Tractor
Pros: Green Acres is the place to be! Cons: No electric starter. Shout out to my farmin' homies who know what I mean. Image: Now that's a tractor -- it's made up of so many non-tractory shapes, yet it does so well. I'm not sure what it is, but this image is so close to being a doodle in my phonebook, yet I don't go 'ick'.
Share Of A Race Horse
Pros: Drinking and betting and horsies? Sign me up! Cons: If you're only putting in $700, you're given overalls and a shovel. Get to work. Image: I absolutely love this drawing -- the rest of the images are sad, broken, old -- this racehorse is happy, he's got the winning mantle, and he's running so fast his feet don't touch the ground. The picture is absolutely dripping with style, and I love it.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
If you were a teen-age girl in the late 60's or early 70's you likely recognize these beauties...
Prissy the plush orange piggy bank was more than a piggy bank, he was a dust magnet.
Dudley Donkey sat on your bed -- tucked inside were your pajamas. He may have been a little juvenile in your teen years, but keeping him on your bed made your parents still think you were a little kid and so trusted you to have boys in your room. (When boys were in your room, Dudley was quickly tossed under the bed.)
When you weren't sobbing into your donkey pj holder that your boobs still hadn't come in, you consoled yourself crafting positive self-image dolls, like Uncommonly Easy Skinny Minnie. OK, so her real name is "Skinny Minnie" and the directions were "uncommonly easy", but your eyes were still filled with tears and you read it wrong, thus leading you into a confusing period of sexual promiscuity once your breasts did bud.
Ha Ha, grandma made you this crochet tic-tac-toe top!
Before the rick-rack shortage of '78 (also know as solid-hem Wednesday), you made snakes and dolls using nothing more than needle, thread, rick-rack, felt, and your imagination. Actually, little imagination was involved; there were patterns.
Sleepy Sally held your curlers. And scared your little brother. (A good place to keep your diary, no?)
Mod Maud was another curler holder, purchased to replace Sleepy Sally who was destroyed in that lighter fight with your brother that first night mom and dad left you in charge while they went to couples bowling. (Can't they trust you for a few hours? They almost had to drop out of the league because of you!)
Knot Freddie The Hung up Owl "added to your hangups", consequently you hated that your mother made him. (In her defense, Knot Freddie was therapy recommended by her counselor as mom got off the anti-depressants, let her arm-pit hair grow, and adjusted to dad's new pants-wearing secretary.)
A Logan's Run paperback -- because that Michael York's sooooo dreamy!
Kookie Komber was another pj bag. He was given to you by your BFF, Lisa, who thought Kookie looked like a pubic hair patch while you were out shopping at Spencer's Gifts. More than an inside joke, Kookie also held your reefer. (Making Kookie, what? An inside toke?)
Greta the autograph cat was a gift from Grandma. You screamed, "I love it!" when you opened the gift because anything other than a tic-tac-toe top was an improvement.
A copy of Gods, Demons and Space Chariots by Eric Norman. The man wasn't gonna keep the truth from you!
BFF Jill's mom was cool enough to order the Secret of the Sea beauty boutique by Dorothy Gray for you (a whopping $6, then a membership, but Jill's mom did use a lot of makeup anyway). Plus the DG eau de toilet spray covered-up the pot smell... Was mom getting suspicious, or was the pot making you paranoid?
Ooooh, who's got a groovy auntie who crochets hot-pants?
At first you thought you were cool because your mom actually let you wear them (the therapy was working, even if you had owls all over the house). But the joke was on you because you had knots where knots should never, ever be.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
We all remember the Trix Rabbit (who began his life in 1959 as a hand puppet before becoming an animated rabbit in 1960), right?
Well, have I got news for you...
The Trix Rabbit "is probably the most striking example of a cereal trickster who closely follows the mythic conventions of the North American tricksters in particular." As proof, I give you an excerpt from Tricksters and the Marketing of Breakfast Cereals, by Thomas Green, The Journal of Popular Culture (Volume 40, Issue 1, Page 49-68, February, 2007):
The plot of his 30-second tales follows a mind-numbingly predictable sequence. The Rabbit observes some kids eating Trix cereal, and decides to disguise himself in order to get some too. At first his plan appears to succeed, but then his manic enthusiasm for the fruit-flavor properties of the cereal cause him to convulse in such a way that his disguise is thrown off and the trick revealed. The kids take the cereal away from him and pronounce the ritual condemnation mantra: "Silly Rabbit. Trix are for kids."
In his basic form, the Trix Rabbit resembles mythical trickster figures in that he is an anthropomorphized animal, like the hare trickster Wakjunkaga. He exhibits the insatiable hunger typical of Wakjunkaga, but not for foods typically associated with rabbits. He desires only the Trix brand breakfast cereal, and is willing to cheat and deceive in order to get it. In the early days of Trix, the variations on the specific disguise that the Rabbit adopted were still closely identified with the plot premise: He was attempting to appear as something other than a rabbit, so a little old lady or astronaut disguise would do. In more recent years the disguises have begun to take on the form of whatever the advertisers perceive as popular with kids at the time, so in the 1980s the Rabbit disguised himself as a breakdancer, and, most recently, a karaoke singer. In any case, the Rabbit is using these disguises, to appear more human than rabbit, which emphasizes the way in which the Trix Rabbit most closely corresponds to the archetypal Radin/Jung trickster.
Jung, in particular, theorized, in a now largely discounted but still interesting way, that the trickster figure represents the psychological state of humanity making the transition from animal to human. Using Radin's description of Wakjunkaga as a touchtone, Jung describes the trickster cycle as demonstrating how the trickster gradually comes to greater levels of control over his selfish, predatory, animalistic impulses—associated with animal physical forms such as the hare, the coyote, and the raven. In this way, according to Jung, Radin's trickster evolves into a thereomorphic culture hero who sacrifices himself to give gifts to humankind, which is the hallmark of humanity in this scheme (144). The Trix Rabbit fits right into this design, not only in the way that his animal form matches that of the Winnebago Indian Hare that Radin studied, but also in the symbolic pattern of his advertisement narratives. The Rabbit desires the Trix cereal, which represents the outward sign of humanity: "Trix is for kids." He disguises himself as a kid, taking on the superficial form of a human in an attempt to make the transition. But the disguise is unable to conceal his baser selfish impulses—which manifest as frenzied enthusiasm—and his true animal nature is revealed to the kids who take away the magical humanizing substance. Whether or not one gives credence to the impact of Jungian depth psychology on the communal consciousness, the cyclical tragic drama played out over and over again produced a verifiable impact in at least one case. In the 1980s there arose such a public outcry about the Rabbit's plight that General Mills held an election allowing kids to vote on whether the Rabbit should be allowed to finally get the Trix. The vote came out in the Rabbit's favor, and he was rewarded with three spoonfuls of the cereal—although his advertisements then immediately reverted to the old formula.
I thought scholarly types might enjoy this bit of info on the Trix Rabbit (the rest of you, just enjoy another video).
While they're not exactly the thing my mom collects, My vote is for "terrifying" as these pass through town. "Alien Chickens Attacking!" the headlines will read, and parents will lock their kids in the basement for safety rather than being out past curfew.
They could just be from the UK -- in September, a study was released saying people reacted more quickly to animals in the road than other vehicles, so the only logical deduction to get there is that if cars looked more like animals, people would drive safer. I do admit, if a fifteen-foot-tall chicken were approaching at 100kph down the Autobahn, I'd do the bangers and mash on the brake pedal.
Now, before you think that this is a great idea for a fried chicken delivery truck -- because, I mean, if the truck looks like chicken, the fried chicken must be darn good, right? -- I'll type for you the caption on the back of this postcard:
SPERRY'S FAMOUS CHICKEN WAGON. Fleets of these animated trucks that cackle and crow are an important part of Sperry's CHICKEN DINNER candy bar promotions.
First, get past the 'animated, cackling, crowing' part, and then I'll wait for your double-take on those last three words. I don't know if this means that Sperry's, a candy maker from Milwaukee, experimented with different flavors, much like Jones Soda has -- there's lots of speculation online, but they might have just been chocolate bars with a chicken as the logo. There's a bunch more here, including earlier chicken trucks. If you want to read the side of the trucks better, this guy has a closeup of the fourth truck from the left.
The postcard itself was published by "Barg and Foster Candy Co., Milwaukee Wis., 91626" -- the ZIP code, but the old abbreviation, would probably place this card from the 1960s.
Taken from Sears catalogs in 1987 & 1988, these are the characters you slept with, envied your cousin for having, or put your kids to bed with...
(In no particular order)
#1 Pound Puppy Bedding -- complete with musical pillow.
#2 An American Tail Bedding
#3 Ghost Busters Sleeping Bag
#4 McKids Jammies: Notable for several reasons, such as cape and mask (no, the Ronald McDonald pj set doesn't come with a wig -- that's the kid's own hair), and the fact that these pajamas are part of the debut McKids line (1987).
#5 My Little Pony Sleeping Bag
#6 Popples Bedding
#7 Snoopy Sleeping Bag
#8 Retro Boys PJs: Many sets to choose from, presumably because little boys don't want to stop & sleep, so we dress them in costumes so they think they are still playing. Here the models wear Thundercats & Lazer Tag; behind them are Marshal Brave Starr, Superman, Transformers, Silver Hawks, and Masters of the Universe jammies.
#9 Retro Girls PJs: Fewer character selections than the boys, girls could be SuperGirl or She-Ra, Princess of Power.
#10 Pee-Wee's Playhouse Sleeping Bag (I'm resisting all comments!)
#11 Lady LovelyLocks and the Magical Pixietails Bedding.
#12 Barbie & The Sensations Sleeping Bag
#13 Sesame Street Sleeping Bag
OK, so you got more than thirteen, but I cut it as short as I could... I smell a sequel. *wink*
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Even though Xmas is past, don't knock the winter kids' music -- there's not a hint of Christmas in Frosty the Snowman. Recorded as a cash-in follow-up to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the silly little song gave a personality to every snowman made by kids since (well, up until Calvin took it a different direction) . We even overlook that the song ends with the disgusting death of the main character, and his ominous promise of resurrection...maybe there's something more Easter in the song than Christmas.
"Iggy The Creature with the crazy go-go eyes. He thinks he's a scream with his purple rayon plush body, orange shaggy hair and pink felt nose, hands, feet. Zipper bottom opening. Abt 14" long, 12" high."
