ARE YOU OUT OF ROBOTS?

An ad found in Astounding Science Fiction, December 1956:  “HOW IS YOUR ROBOT SUPPLY HOLDING OUT?”   Is last year’s model broken, or have they all just wandered off?  I suppose there’s also subtext as to whether your robots have revolted and killed all their masters, or…well, I suppose that’s where all roads lead anyhow.

It’s offering a ‘turtle’, a light-sensing robot with ‘hungry’ and ‘avoid’ states called the Machina Speculatrix, which was actually a significant leap in technology: remember, this is the mid-1950s, experimental robotics wasn’t something they taught in an afterschool program using Legos, Radio Shack was still focusing on radios, and the original plans are vacuum-tube based.  The ad was from Oliver Garfield Company, whose biggest contribution was the Geniac calculators, and also offered basic instruction in ‘hyperspeed reading’, modelling a nerve cell in electronics, and digital and analog computers.

The instructions for the Machina Speculatrix were $5, which is a pretty hefty amount — $50 in today’s dollars — and buying the unassembled kit would set you back a cool grand in 2019 money.  But, really, isn’t a few weeks’ salary a small price to pay for cutting edge robotics technology?

I Love You Tutti Fruitti Elvis Hat

Authentic vintage Elvis hat: black-and-white gabardine crew hat with six-color images, song title graphics and original 1956 brown white and red tag still affixed. Part of a lot from that Auction At Graceland.

vintage elvis tuttie fruitti i love you hat

Modern Woman Mondays: It’s OK To Eat The Pink Elephants

OK, normally I save the food recipes for Things Your Grandmother Knew — but this? This is not food. …Technically edible; but not food. Plus, it involves pink elephants. And pink elephants are pretty darn kitschy. A recipe from a 1956 Wilton candy & food molds booklet:

“Pink Elephants”

These are fun to make and serve as a garnish on an Hors d’Ouevre Tray! Use the little elephants as socles or holders for toothpick appetizers (such as olives, cubes of cheese, miniature meat balls, etc.). Should the guest be inquisitive, he can just eat the elephants!”

Number one, I am surprised that last sentence doesn’t read, “Should The Guest be inquisitive” — because I hear that said with a sigh and an eyeball roll, like there’s always that one guest, aka The Guest.

And number two — and that may be a pun? — once The Guest gets that pink elephant socle on his tongue, he is not going to be happy. The ingredients are dry cream of wheat; salt; cold water (I am guessing the temperature is important); onion juice Worcestershire or Tobasco sauce, pepper or mustard; and food coloring. Ugh.

Well, at least I learned the word “socles.” Hey, I may be a lowbrow, low-class, kitsch lover; but even without knowing the name of those things I know better than to eat one of ’em.

Full “recipe” details below, which include options for “Tawny Tigers” and “Bears”. (Poor bears, they get no cute colorful name.  …Though it does just beg for a crappy name anyway due to the emphasis on brown coloring for this pasty concoction.) Click for a bigger scan if you need it.

vintage wilton molds appetizer trays

The Saturday Morning Cereal Flashback Post

It’s Saturday morning, time to eat your cereal! How many of these vintage Post cereals do you remember?

vintage 1950s post cereals

Personally, I was most happy to recall the old Post-Tens and Treat-Paks. So much cooler sounding than today’s “assorted” or “variety” packs. I don’t even think Post makes the small boxes like that anymore… *sigh*

Found in in Cookies Galore (from Frances Barton, Consumer Service Department, General Foods Corporation, copyright 1956).

Come Sit For A Spell, Kids, & Meet Mr. Mod Bunny Rabbit!

Back in 2008, we showed you the fabulous TV Tuffets of the 1950s. But now we can do even better.

This here is a large Mid-Century modern stuffed white bunny rabbit with a turquoise vinyl seat — because it’s a stool for kids to watch TV on!

vintage kitsch mod retro stuffed animal stool chiar for kids

Just imagine the joy of watching TV on an old television set with rabbit-ear antennas while holding the ears on this bunny!

This plush white rabbit is at least 15 inches long, roughly 13 inches wide, and the seat is approximately 8 inches off the ground. This stuffed tuffet of a kids chair was made by the Atlanta Novelty Manufacturing Corporation sometime between the late 1950s to mid 1960s.

And, yes, you can buy it from me. I’m downsizing my collections. (More details here.) And with all our pets this raving beauty is one of those gems that remains hidden to remain safe. But I do love it so… Better buy it quick — like a bunny — before I change my mind.

vintage kitsch stuffed huge white rabbit

mid-century modern stuffed kitschy bunny

mod bunny rabbit kids stool