I Love Chiquita Banana, So I'm Here To Say...

Chiquita Banana was inspired by Carmen Miranda, and so before Chiquita was an animated banana, there was The Terry Twins in Chiquita Banana (1946):



Chiquita Banana was then drawn by artist Dik Browne who also drew the Campbell Soup kids and Hagar the Horrible.

According to Weird Wild Realm:

Patty Clayton was the first radio voice of Chiquita for radio in 1944, followed by Elsa Miranda for 1945-6 promotional tour. Elsa Puerto Rican not related to the Brazillian singer in the fruit hat who inspired the character of Chiquita Banana.

Also see Animation Archive's Chiquita Banana theatrical animation info.

Here's the original Chiquita Banana theatrical ad:



Chiquita became so popular that parody ensued... I give you Juanita Banana by the Peels (1965).



In 1987 artist Oscar Grillo, creator of the Pink Panther, transformed Chiquita Banana from banana woman into a woman. And that's about when I lost interest in her.

Future Hauntings

When at the Trash or Treasure event for CQ, students from Studio One guilted me into an interview which has now been posted.

In it you get to see more of me than I'd like. Not only do I discuss that ugly little sad folk art piece and my boudoir chair, but I threaten my children -- publicly:

"I keep telling my kids if they get rid of my stuff when I die, I will haunt them. So they are not allowed to get rid of it."

So I guess if I haunt them, I'd legally be without a leg to stand on. And, if the chair is one of the items they get rid of, I won't even be able to sit on that. But I don't suppose either of those things matter to ghosts.

The Beauty Secrets of Russian Women

It's Sharms, make-up that's good enough to write on mirrors!

If that doesn't sell you, how about the electronic version of Peggy Sue which plays in this 1976 cosmetics ad from the Soviet Union?