Friday, October 31, 2008

10 Little (Vintage Halloween) Indians

1 An antique photo of a boy dressed as an Indian, with a rifle, on a bike.



2 Corey was once a sweet little Indian maiden for Halloween.




3 An adorable photo of boy dressed as an Indian, posed by a Tipi.


4, 5 & 6 Three bare chested Indian braves at the Kansas School for the Deaf party in 1958.



7 Five boys dressed up in 1905 -- we're counting just the one little Indian (and we're calling it a Halloween costume too).


8 Dana Collins wearing Halloween costume inspired by Native American clothing, Johnson County Museum photo.



9 Inspired? Make your own for next Halloween with this vintage Indian costume pattern.



10 Or, you could cheat and buy a ready-made costume. How about the retro Ben Cooper Tom Tom costume?

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Halloween Parties Of Yesteryear

As I wrote, the JoCoHistory site is an amazing historical database; I knew I'd find some great Halloween images there.

From the Kansas State School for the Deaf, the Class of '53 in costume. I have no idea what the sack costumes are... "Sack race contestants" is a costume?


Don't you just hate it when other kids have the same costume? (Kansas State School for the Deaf, Halloween, 1959)


Well, at least you weren't the kid in the black face jack-o-lantern costume.


At the school's 1956 party, someone took their costume very seriously and spent much of the party scrubbing floors. Yes, I do believe that is a dude.



In 1958, one kid went dressed as Big Ben -- but looks more like a 1950's cartoon alarm clock.


The Johnson County Museum shows us Zorro; a Space Ranger; a girl with an oval white mask over her eyes, white cardigan sweater buttoned partway down over satin dress (lame!); and Droopy Dog.


Before we leave these Halloween parties of yesteryear, let's not forget to thank the Halloween Party Committee, the bakers and hostesses, the decorators and chaperons, for all their hard work!

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Reflecting On The Halloween Safety Concerns Of 1960

Via hubby's Infomercantile blog, comes this lovely reminder to be safe on Halloween.

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You Know What Sucks?

Not Mia's first attempt at "narrative embroidery":



Which makes me think my first attempt to narrate via needlework would also be be a hand -- only with one finger raised, as a political statement. Make of that what you will.

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Thursday, October 30, 2008

A Reason To Get Pregnant

No, Brooke Shields, it's not the VW Routon which has me in the mood for a baby; it's BambinaMia who makes the most kitsch-tastic baby duds for dolls and dudes! (Also available at Etsy!)






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Loser's End

I love the vibrantly illustrated covers on these vintage 1940's books. If only I had more shelf space :sigh:

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So Your Parents Are Celebrating Their 50th Wedding Anniversary -- I'll Tell You What You're NOT Going To Do

When it's your parents' Golden Anniversary -- or any anniversary, really -- do not buy them a plate or other glass or ceramic gift ware with 'happy anniversary' on it.

I don't care how personalized, pretty, or 'golden' it is. One trip to any thrift store, and you will see isles littered with such token gifts nobody wants.





Sure, you could argue (insensitively, yet pragmatically) that a couple may, in fact, pass away not long after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary -- but the lesson here is that no one in the family wants to keep such mementos.

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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

When Illustrations Collide

Jay Hyde Barnum's illustration of a sexy songbird with a lifted hem shares the page with an ad for Perfect Circle Triple-Action piston rings.



The incongruity of such juxtaposition of pinup with what I lovingly call 'racing troll babies' makes me stare long and hard at this vintage magazine page for clues... At first I thought sex appeal was being applied by Perfect Circle, but the three babies, a regular gimmick used by the company, are drawn by Pete Hawley. Why the editors decided to print the pinup facing the ad is unknown to me -- but I'm sure it helped Perfect Circle sell piston rings.

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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A Unicorn Missing Its Horn Is Not Just A Horse

I've asked you before, but you've ignored me. So I'm asking again: What is this?



Aside from missing the bulk of its horn, this unicorn has strange holes as well. More photos of the odd details here.

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Daylight Savings Time: Bane of Clock Collectors



If you're a clock collector, there are two things you hate: spring forward and fall back. Crazy-clock-lady, above, has 4,000 clocks to re-set, while crazy-clock-guy here, will spend two weeks re-setting his clocks to the correct time. That's a sign of a true clock collector: no matter how many you have, ten, a hundred, a thousand, if your clock collection isn't accurate, you may as well toss the whole lot in the trash. You're not a real clock collector.

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Monday, October 27, 2008

Squirrel Found!



SQUIRREL FOUND! "Johnny C" over at A Hole In The Head had this on his fridge for a while, after meeting the creator, an underground comic artist. The webpage has a version big enough to print out and spread around your own little bubble of the world.

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You Say "Fez Monkey Huggers" Like It's A Bad Thing


Vintage salt & pepper shakers via -- where else? -- eBay.

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Samurai Shodown II Arcade Marquee


Last seen at the thrift store. The eldest didn't want it -- at least not enough to spend her own money on it.

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Never Too Much Gay Head

I had to drop another 50 cents, even when hubby thought we already had this -- because you can never have too much Gay Head.



Now, you may be thinking that Dear Gay Head: Letters from the Mail Box answered by Gay Head (aka Margaret Hauser) is just another silly out-dated etiquette book for teens. Well, it is. But that's precisely why I love it. Exhibit A:

Q. I wanted to ask a certain girl for a date, but when I talked to a couple of the fellows in the gang about her, they told me she's a "square." I hardly know her, since she's a grade behind me at school, but I still think she's cute. Would I be foolish to go ahead and ask her for a date anyway?

A. You'd be more foolish if you didn't ask her for a date! Changing your mind just because a couple of the fellows said she's a "square" isn't straight thinking at all. Besides, don't you like to make your own decisions?

Why did the other boys call this girl a "square"? Because she doesn't interest them? Because they heard it from someone else? Whatever their reasons, it doesn't necessarily follow that your opinion would be the same as theirs. The only fair way to judge a person is to get to know him or her for yourself.

"Labeling" people is a habit to avoid. Who has the right to say what's genuine and what's synthetic about another's personality? Everyone has good qualities and bad qualities; all individuals have different interests and characteristics. And people value their friends for different reasons, too.

Develop your own beliefs and opinions, and reject unfounded hand-me-downs. You'll not only avoid hurting others needlessly, but you'll gain new respect for yourself.
Amazingly hip, that Gay Head. Note the troublesome areas she blithely skipped as she seamlessly melded teen lingo and lecture so that those kids would really hear her. Not to mention the homosexual double entendres!

Describe your favorite Gay Head parts and maybe I'll toss an award your way.

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Scary Holiday Caroler

The holiday seasonal stuff is, like the mall, now being dragged-out for sale at the thrift stores. I spotted this turquoise caroler and briefly considered pairing it with this one -- but decided this one was not only too new & lacking in retro appeal, but too startled looking. Scary even. What on earth could happen to a caroler to make her look like that?

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Rosie The Riveter, More Than A Hill Of Beans

At the museum conference last week, I had a chance to meet the Famous Be'an Collectibles. Yes, I hugged the beanie version of Rosie the Riveter. But the saleslady made me give her back.

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Sitting Pretty With Boo-Boo Kitty

When I see photos like this baby girl with her toy kitty I always wonder just what sort of idiot doesn't keep family photos. I may have to 'adopt' and add her to my ever-growing collection of homeless photographs.

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Saturday, October 25, 2008

It's Always Gaggy in Philadelphia



We don't always get to watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but when we do we're usually well satisfied by the experience. Last night's re-run, Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life, however, had us crying with laughter, due to the scene above. Seriously, we had to re-watch the few minutes after it later, once we'd calmed down, to see what happened. Timing is one of the hit-or-miss aspects of the show, but in this case it was dead on.

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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Think, Edward!



(from superpoop)

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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Peter Pan, MST3K, Spiders, and Snakes

Listen to intro:



A couple afternoons ago I found a funky album at the thrift shop -- it's a Peter Pan "Power Records" album with a weird comic book cover, entitled Gemini Man. It contains four radio-show style mystery stories about a secret agent who can turn invisible, but for only a maximum of 15 minutes, otherwise he'll "fade away," forever. If you can imagine how a purely-audio story works around a story of invisibility, the answer is, "not so good." While it's no acid-trip like the Six Million Dollar Man Christmas Album, it's got about the same production value. While the latter actually had Lee Majors, the Gemini Man album doesn't appear to have any of the actual actors doing voices. It turns out that Gemini Man was a failed mid-1970s science fiction spy TV series produced by Stephen Bochko and starring beefcake actor Ben Murphy.

I know this only because I watch Mystery Science Theatre 3000. The episode Rising with Death features a badly-edited movie, strangely made up of two different storylines with only a few characters appearing in both. Riding with Death is actually two episodes of Gemini Man edited together to make a full-length movie...strangely because of one actor common between the two. Jim Stafford played a southern yokel in both halves, a truck driver in the first and a racecar mechanic in the second.

Jim Stafford, remember, was no stranger to record albums. He made a name for himself writing humorous country rock songs -- most famously, Spiders & Snakes, a story of boys being stupid with horny girls.



You know, the kind of boys that sit around listening to dramatized versions of crappy sci-fi TV shows on their record player.

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Thursday, October 16, 2008

Thanks, But I Prefer Bald Condiment Dispensers

OK, so you know I collect these figurines with pasted on rabbit fur; therefore you might not think I have the right to mock these retro S&P kitties...


But honestly, who wants to shake salt or pepper from them, knowing full well that dust & whatever else sits in the rabbit fur will also be shaken, not stirred, onto your food?

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How Much Is Your Spare Time Worth?

You can earn up to $1.50 an hour, representing Curtis Publishing. Or at least you could according to this old ad.


This ad was a lot funnier pre-financial melt-down, when I found & scanned it. Now we're all just wondering if we'll be lucky enough to make a $1.50 an hour.

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The Man Who Never Was -- Until...

The previous owner dared to defy the author, Ewen Montagu, and draw in the face of The Man Who Never Was. Now he was. Albeit in pencil.



I wish I knew the kid's name; he'd get 20 extra bonus points for the "nice head" comment with arrow.

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Sani-Flush Your Gunk Away

We've all heard how Lysol's been used to clean the err, "female engine"; but did you know that Sani-Flush was once peddled as the do-it-yourself car radiator flush?

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James Brown In National Geographic



Heh. Made you look. ...But if you read the text, it really could be him because "the Machiguenga refused to reveal their names; the men called this one Marino." So maybe James Brown traveled as Marino to avoid the crowds.

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Monday, October 13, 2008

Pussy Doesn't Love The Canary For Its Song

An odd old postcard with an illustration of a creepy kid -- presumably "he" painted the saying on the wall.



Maybe the kid's only creepy for being on the card. Maybe you don't think he's creepy at all. But I'm pretty certain he's the 1920's version of a goth graffiti artist. But in any case, I found the vintage postcard well worth the $1.

Postmarked 1921; SB postcard number s.204.

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Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Nock-A-Bouts

After the Trash or Treasure event at the Plains Art Museum today, we stopped in one of our favorite local antique malls where I snapped-up, at $1 each, these 8 x 10 promotional photos of the band the Nock-A-Bouts.




I believe the men are older in the second photo; hubby says the photos were taken the same day because of their suits. I insist the first photo of the trio is them in their hey-day, playing the college & club circuit; the latter them on the way down, older musicians trying to get a gig -- the same suits are the result of not being able to afford new suits.

A little research shows very little on the trio, other than they were Dorsey, Flo & Jimmy Clark (Dorsey presumably the one, in both photos, with the "D" hanky in his pocket) and they cut at least one comedy/party album. As the title of the recording is The Two Sides of the Nock-A-Bouts, I'm guessing hubby is right. And now I'll need to eat my own hat. Or pith helmet. Or whatever.

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Thursday, October 9, 2008

Destiny Meets Wes Cowan

In association with the Plains Art Museum's Trash or Treasure event, tonight we met Wes Cowan:

Wes is an anthropologist, auctioneer, appraiser, and in his spare time he appears on TV. Tomorrow, D and I will be meeting with Wes for Collector's Quest (more over there during the weekend), but tonight was Destiny's only opportunity to meet Wes. We were early, so he sat down and chatted with us for a while after we introduced ourselves. During the Q&A, one of the audience asked about how to improve childrens' interest in collecting, and he pointed to Des as an example -- but pointed out she was weird, because she had weird parents. Des was taking notes, and I saw her scribbling like mad to write down his commentary on her interest in collecting. She had a great time, we enjoyed Wes' speech, and look forward to more in the next few days.

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Saturday, October 4, 2008

Put Gum On A Kitten


OK, so this vintage kitten is porcelain; does that make it right?

Love the seller's line: "Should you require this oddity, shipping will be $3." That almost sounds like a dare.

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Wednesday, October 1, 2008

WHERE IS YOUR YODA NOW?

Dear God, I am so mixed with this. I mean, stormtroopers hunting my droids killed my aunt, uncle, and a sandcrawler full of Jawas, so that' s bad. However -- it's freakin' BURGER KING.

via.

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