Category: Amusement Park

Mares Eat Oats & Does Eat Oats — But Who Eats Magicdotes?

Luring ’em in with a bunny, Robert Orben serves up the Magicdotes, “A book of anecdotes and stories about magic, magicians & mentalists”. (Published by Louis Tannen, copyright 1948.)

An excerpt from the introduction:

The stories in [the second and third sections] represent a good cross-section of magic as the layman wants to see it. So, when you’re introduced as a magician, don’t just do a few card tricks — relate some sort of folk-lore of magic and you’ll be surprised at the interest it will create. The names Houdini, Thurston, Dunninger, Herrmann, strike up all sorts of imaginative thoughts in the mind of the lay public. They can listen endlessly to the stories concerning Houdini’s countelss escapes, Houdin’s adventures in Africa, or Dunninger’s amazing feats of mentalism.

magicdotes

May I Interest You In Some Retro Merchandise?

I have a thing for old photos of retailing situations. These two, featuring a Disney Donald Duck bag and a Muppet Show lunchbox and thermos, are from a lot currently listed on eBay.

Captain & Tennille Reconsider Love Song

Once they see this mighty fine pig at what appears to be a Springfield, MA, fair, the pop song due must have been rethinking Mustkrat Love. That’ll do, pig; that’ll do. Via

Tally-Ho, The King’s Crown Goes To Aladdin

I was researching the old King’s Crown hotel and casino in Las Vegas in order to see if that’s was the King’s Crown on this vintage keychain. I didn’t find any concrete evidence (even when asking my casino-knowing pals; if you know anything, please do tell!), but why waste the info I did find?

The old King’s Crown casino was the second name of the original Aladdin, located at 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South. The property originally opened in 1963 as the English Tallyho Motel. It was built in 1962 by Edwin Lowe, inventor of Yahtzee, who was going to prove that a resort motel without a casino could be successful. It wasn’t and the Tally-Ho became the King’s Crown (or the King’s Crown tally-Ho) in 1964. The King’s Crown was dethroned after just six months when it was denied a gaming license.

Milton Prell then purchased the property, and created the Aladdin casino, which opened on March 31, 1966.

Along with the legendary kitsch design, the Aladdin is probably most famous for hosting the wedding of Elvis & Priscilla Presley on May 1, 1967.

And the fact that the casino property has had a lot of problems; a lot of owners.

In 1969, Parvin Dohrmann Corporation took over the Aladdin, and in 1972, using the name Recrion Corporation, sold it to Sam Diamond, St. Louis politicians Peter Webbe and Sorkis Webbe, and St. Louis attorney Richard L. Daly. The resort was sold to Wayne Newton and Ed Torres in 1980; Newton sold off his share to Torres within two years. In 1984, the Aladdin went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In 1987, Japanese businessman Ginji Yasuda purchased the Aladdin, but state regulators stepped in, removing Yasuda and putting the resort in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 1988. In 1994, Jack Sommer and the Sommer Family Trust purchased the hotel, only to close it on November 25, 1997. And the old Aladdin was imploded in 1998.

Sommer took on London Clubs International as a partner and a new Aladdin re-opened, late, in 2000. But it was sold in bankruptcy on June 20, 2003 to a partnership of Planet Hollywood and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

A more complete story of the Aladdin, aka The Vegas Jinx, can be found here.

Seems Like The Holidays Are Right On Top Of Each Other

If you walk through any shopping malls or stores it may be a little less graphic than this huge black Halloween spider and this large vintage stuffed Rudolph, but we still stand er, uh, behind the statement.

Pooh To You

I’ve shared my thoughts on the old Jell-O recipes, but there’s a recent story I haven’t shared with you…

Recently, at one of our yard sales, I sold a couple of college guys a retro Jell-O cookbook simply because of this firm beliefs that meat-gelatin salads are disgusting — not only that, I also sold him a retro Wilton cake pan in the shape of Winne The Pooh to go with it. That way, he could mix up a batch of some slimy-meat-salad, let it set in the mould, and serve “Pooh Salad.”

Hey, he bought it all; hook, line, and stinker. But as of yet, I’ve no invite to such a dining experience.

Thank heavens.

Thrift Store Shopping Rap!!!

Quite possibly the best thing this week (and it’s been an exciting week for me) is Macklemore & Ryan Lewis‘ Thrift Shop Rap.

Warning grandmas & grandpas: there’s some offensive language — but that’s OK ‘cuz he’s still gonna wear your clothes!

“VeganVille versus the Maynards Sour Patch Kids”

Lex is the Grand Prize Winner in our Sour Patch Kids Contest — when you see the entry, you’ll know why!

Hello. I swear I have no life. I just found Kitschy Kitschy Coo about 3 hours ago, saw your contest for the sour patch kids, realized that the contest ends in 2 days and that I have no time between now and then to send anything and haven’t gone shopping and…. anyway… this is what I did. It’s the great battle of the citizens of VeganVille versus the Maynards Sour Patch Kids. Please check out the official CNN coverage below.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151992963895048.880489.753885047&type=1&l=26b1abf960

And check out these exclusive pics from the battle.

Oh yeah, in case Maynards wants a new slogan (besides “Maynards: Crown your mouth”)- I came up with “Maynards: get chummy with the yummy gummy!”)

My name is Lex Kinast, I am 30 years old, I should probably grow up and I hail from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I really would like to win this, because I have never won anything before and because… I want the T-shirt.

My cat also wants for me to win the T-shirt so I will be as cool as she is: