Shopping for Saint Nicholas, December 2, 1960.
God Jul On Your Tablecloth
It’s not what you think (maybe?) as God Jul is the Swedish “Merry Christmas” so it makes sense on the elf-ridden yule linen. Via.
Dames & Dogs #50
Bruno of Hollywood photo, circa 1960s, of Hedy Bader with a dachshund. Via. Win your own Dames & Dogs photo here!
Modern Woman Monday: About Those Smiles…
The November 1964 cover of ‘Teen is covered in America’s Smile Queen contestants. Can you guess the winner? Nope, me neither. But I am intrigued…
I also want to know more about Why Boys Lose Interest In Girls. We may never know — unless we can get a copy of the vintage magazine to read. Is it due to poor smiles? Or do they mean this is a more significant way, as in the loss of interest in girls combined with the increase of interest in boys?
“Here Are Your Reading For Meaning Stand-Up Figures” Circa 1966
From the Houghton Mifflin Company, glossy, colored, cardboard die-cut stand-up figures of Janet, Penny, Betty, Jack, Bill, Tip & Mitten — companions to the school text series Reading For Meaning, Fourth Edition, Pre-reading – Grade 6.
I’ve got the set up at eBay, so if your teacher never let you touch these as a kid, now’s your chance to get your hands on ‘em!
Here’s the rest of the vintage educational ephemera from the original mailing envelope and info on the ephemera…
Also included, the little light blue flyer titled “A Vital Role?” which tells teachers how to use the figures.
Envelope number I-40234, litho in USA, DN40M366. Flyer, also a litho in USA; RFM/SUE, DN40M466.
No date; circa 1966.
Modern Woman Mondays: Gelatin Edition
After WWII and continuing through the 1960s, an emphasis on kitschy culinary arts kept little women busy in their places: the kitchen. How else do you explain the Joys Of Jell-O?
Perhaps the best thing about the miracle of gelatin based foods was the fact that, other than boiling water, one didn’t ruin their makeup in the heat. No, I don’t think the best thing was food stuff themselves… So bright, yet so wrong. Vegetables? Waldorf Salad? Shrimp?! Even the photos of the desserts make my teeth hurt. …Although that Jell-O and ice cream gum-drop number might be worth it. For more on the miracle of gelatin foods, check out Retro Mimi (my interview with her here) and my Things Your Grandmother Knew blog.
Certified Meats & Giants
Wilson & Co., originally meat packers, liked big things. Big sales and big people, like certifying giants. They certified Henry Hite, born Henry Marion Mullins in 1915, and put him intp sales promotion in stores and on promotional pieces for their certified meats. Hite also appeared on items dubbed as or promoting Wilson’s Corn King.
A 1962 Bouffant Optical Illusion
When I first looked at this cover of the 1962 Christmas Recipes booklet, “To you, best ever, from” Wisconsin Power and Light Company, I thought the image was of one woman with a huge bouffant — or some furry hat. But apparently it’s a woman and her child.
That Annoying Kid On The Bus…
On the plane, in class… You know, that guy with his feet on the back of your chair? Well, he’s just avoiding strain on his back while sitting.
Photos from Care Of The Back, Industrial Edition, William K. Ishmael, M.D., F.A.C.P. and Howard B. Shorbe, M.D., F.A.C.S., Distributed by Safety Department with Approval of Abbott Skinner, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Great Northern Railway Company.
Standard Kitchen Counter Tops In The Late 1960s
Or at least how Standard Brands wanted your counters to look. A photo of all the Standard Brands, Inc. brands, circa 1968, which included Royal “Shake-A Pudd’n (as well as other puddings, baking powder, & cheesecakes) Planter’s peanuts (including Mr. Peanut peanut butter), Fleischmann’s yeast and margarine, Blue Bonnet margarine, Siesta coffee — the oxymoron beverage of choice, Chase & Sanborn coffee, Tender Leaf teas, Hunt Club Burger Bits dog food…
Photo inside Fleischmann’s New Treasury of Yeast Baking: Introducing Rapidmix, The No-Dissolve Method.




























