Invite The Gang Over For An Old-Fashioned Automobile Party

From invitations and decorations, to party games and activities such as the recharging batteries game (in which women spoon-feed men an entire glass of water), a "Ford" stunt and Mason jar "Blow Out" game, The Social Hour section of the The Royal Neighbor (October, 1932) has you covered.

There's even menu ideas such as "Hot Gas" (hot chocolate) and "Extra Tires" (donuts) -- which surely will lead to the more popular spare tires about the midsection.

Because Clowns Just Plain Ol' Scare Me

I'm so grateful that my dad's selling this antique wooden clown ring-toss game -- heck, the clown even has the X eyes of death! Someone, please, buy it so I do not have to deal with it in the estate in 100 years.

Posts Of Halloween Past

I've been busy this Halloween; here's a round-up of the Halloween posts I made this year:

1. Vintage Halloween party recipes, from this issue of The Royal Neighbor.

2. Halloween's a blast! Back when you could shoot children who annoyed you, anyway.

3. My review of the retro skeleton game based on Dark Shadows' vampire, Barnabas Collins.

4. My review of a gravedigger's memoirs.

5. Did you see the antique vampire killing kits up for auction?

Answers For Those Questions You Asked Your Erudite Friends

The answers to the Spring, 1930, Tatler Puzzle Page:

Vintage Bridal Shower Party Games

Inside the front cover of Bridal Shower Party Games, ads for baby & bridal party games and products by Leister Game Company, Toledo, Ohio.

Mess Around With One Of The "Mediums"

From that Scholastic Crosswords for Teen Agers book, one of the "medium" puzzles called This Or That:



Click for a larger scan; I'll post the answers in a few days.

Using Peer Pressure To Hook Teens On Crossword Puzzles

The back cover of Scholastic's Crosswords for Teen Agers not only uses the "C'mon, join the crowd!" to push the crack of word games that is "crossword puzzles", but employs sexual dance euphemisms to lure the teens in:

Dozens of delightful puzzles

Tailored to your taste...and your tempo

Pick up speed as your do along:

Enjoy yourself with the "easies"

or...

Mess around with the "mediums"

or...

Tangle with the "toughies"

Crosswords for Teen Agers, by Murray Rockowitz, copyright 1958 (TAB Books, published by Scholastic), 6th printing, May 1963.

The Game Of Stickerchief

Found in The Book of Knowledge, Vol XL, The Game Of Stickerchief:

A splendid game that can be played by any number of children is "Stickerchief." It is quite as exciting as hockey or lawn-tennis, and it has the advantage of not requiring expensive balls, racquets, or sticks.

Stickerchief is played with a handkerchief and some short pieces of bamboo, of the sort used by gardeners to hold up tall flowers. A dozen of these bamboos can be bought at any florist's for one shilling.

One shilling? What am I, made of money?

Who compares hockey to lawn-tennis? Well, I might; I find neither "exciting."

The Sands Hotel First Annual Domino Tournament

It was held the weekend of April 28-30, 1967. I know -- not because I went to the tournament; I'm not that kind of loser. I know because I have the brochure, complete with registration card. Yup, I'm that kind of loser.



Want it? Make me an offer.

Pac Man This

Looking for appliques for an article at Things Your Grandmother Knew (a new blog where I focus more on the vintage living & practical home ec tips & less on the kitsch and snark), I found this pattern for making Pac Man appliques.

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.

Why Mom Never Let Us Play Billiards

Via CardCow.

Not Playing With A Full Deck Myself...

In an old coffee can of toy parts I found these vintage slide puzzle pieces of cowboys & Indians.



I know pieces are missing; but I'll keep looking. One day, I might just find 'em.

Too Excited

I'm listing in the store, and as per the usual I get all excited over the junk inventory.

It doesn't matter what it is really, but I have to stop and enjoy it while listing it. I rationalize that buyers want to know all about it, but really it's just because I love stuff.

When playing What Shall I Be? The Exciting Game of Career Girls I coincidentally drew the heart-shaped personality card shown here. It reads:

You get too excited
Bad for: Surgeon, Lawyer and Astronaut

Yeah, well, I don't want to be any of those things anyway. I don't want to be anything which has a threshold of 'too excited.'

But the reason I'm telling all of you this is that the posts might just be coming all fast-and-furious like. Just one vintage magazine could keep me here for 24 hours -- and maybe you too, huh.