Monday, June 06, 2022

Walt Disney World, November 9th, 1971

I want to start off by wishing our pal Steve Stuart, aka NANOOK, a very Happy Birthday! Thanks for your years of friendship and participation! I hope you have a wonderful day.

All of today's photos were shared by Sue B, including the first one - it is from her personal collection of slides, but was NOT taken by her father, Lou Perry. As you can see, Grandpa is mighty proud to be there with his grandkid's 2nd birthday, especially since chocolate cake is his favorite. Meanwhile, what is up with the texture on that wall? It's like dinosaur skin (I've watched "Jurassic Park" a million times).


Sue also included this photo of a Replicant named "Steven" as he blows out his candles. He believes that he is seven years old because of the implanted memories. Tupperware bowls hold all kinds of edible wonders, including popcorn and potato chips. Yum!


The rest of today's photos are photo prints from The Magic Kingdom, from the early days of November 9th, 1971. Imagine being there when WDW was just over a month old! That's where I would head if I had that time machine working - but I designed it to run on Donkey Kong Crunch cereal, which isn't made anymore. Why didn't I choose Frosted Flakes?? 

The fire station is pretty grand, it's quite something to see those tall thin buildings when compared to the Disneyland counterparts. I'm told that the taller tower is where they would dry their cloth hoses, but don't understand why they didn't have a Ronco Hose Drier. "Engine Co. 71"... if the park had opened the following year, would it have been called "Engine Co. 72"?


I hate to admit it, but Cinderella Castle really does make a pretty amazing impression. I think they had to attach cables to prevent it from rocketing into space. Here comes a yellow Horseless Carriage, was it just like the ones at Disneyland?


If I was building a castle, I'd want it to be a nice one-story ranch-style castle. Who needs all those stairs? Still, it's fun to throw things from the upper parapets, especially watermelons. Just make sure you watch out for serfs below, you don't want them to get bonked.


Here's a pretty, late-afternoon look down Main Street towards the magnificent train station. At this point the sweepers wore outfits that recalled the "white wings" from Disneyland's early days, a fun detail. Ha ha, that man is carrying a purse! Well, maybe it's a camera in a case, but that's not so funny. Let's go to the ol' Cup & Saucer. Did they serve coffee? Did they sell crockery? Was it named after Sir Albert Cupnsaucer? I guess we'll never know.


THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

44 comments:

"Lou and Sue" said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NANOOK!

We hope you have a wonderful day - you deserve it!

Lou & Sue

Nanook said...

Major-
Geez... I almost forgot it was my birthday. I see you honored the occasion beginning with a flopped image containing [what appears to be] a 'creepy-looking' doll's hand-?? extending from a black/white checked sleeve on the far-right of the image; a plastic slip cover on Grandpa's chair; and hopefully a glass of sherry on the end table. (I only wore sweater vests).

Those are Tupperware 272-series bowls, and what appears to be a Pyrex 'Cinderella Bowl' - how apropos - adorning the table for "Steven's" birthday celebration. And the Cup 'n' Saucer was actually a china shop which sold find china - including that from Lladro and Hummel.

Thanks, Major, for the good wishes, and to Sue, who is "pulling the stings" behind-the-scenes to make it all happen.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Hi, Nanook! I hope you have a fun day planned. If not, just invite us all over and we'll make your day a ton o' fun - guaranteed!

P.S. to all: Those first two images are in my collection, like the Major mentioned above, but only because I obtained them. I have no ties to those folks - so feel free to make silly comments.

TokyoMagic! said...

Happy birthday, Steve! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Thank you Sue, for sharing more of your family photos! Are you going to tell us who the individual people in the photos are? Thank you also, for sharing more of Lou's WDW photos!

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, I had already written that comment, but was distracted by the TV and didn't hit "Publish Your Comment" until after you had already answered my question!

Anonymous said...

TM! I have no idea who those people are. They were purchased. The slides - not the people.

Sue

Anonymous said...

TM! It took me a while to type out my last response, on my cell, so I missed seeing your last comment until I hit publish, haha!

Sue

JB said...

Major, not just the texture of dinosaur skin, but the color as well. At least, all the dinosaurs I've seen walking around were that color.
It does look interesting. That collection of knickknacks also looks interesting.

Looks like Tupperware was also used for the punch bowl at Steven's party. All the usual party equipment is there: Plastic spoons & forks, paper cups, paper plates, foil-clad cardboard to hold the cake. It all goes into the trashcan afterward. Even the tablecloth appears to be disposable.

In the Castle close-up, "it's fun to throw things from the upper parapets, especially watermelons". Don't forget coconuts, Major; carried by African swallows. They could grip it by the husk.

Happy birthday, Nanook. Have a nice birthday feast of whale blubber and walrus meat. And don't touch your tongue to the North Pole.
How the heck did you spot that "creepy-looking doll's hand"? Looks sort of like a ventriloquist dummy's hand.

Thank you, Sue. You're the glue that holds us all together. And thank you, Major. You're the caffeine that keeps us coming back for more everyday. ;-)

MIKE COZART said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANOOK!!! - all the best to you!

Is that a sealed up fireplace ? Or a mantel added to a fire-place-less wall??

MAJOR: Walt Disney World had THREE Horseless Carriages …. In Red , Yellow and blue. They have a similar look to the Disneyland two, but Florida’s are slightly larger.

There’s also a Fire Engine , a Jitney two Omnibuses and four Horse Drawn Streetcars.

There had been plans created for a touring type car that used the fire engine/ Jitney hood but probably because of cost was never built and just a third Horseless Carriage was built. If any of you recall the MATCHBOX Models of Yesteryear die cast model of the 1912 Simplex you can get an idea of what it was going to look like. In fact I have a feeling that the designers used the MATCHBOX model as a design guide and not an actual 1912 simplex for the plans of the unbuilt WDW Main Street Vehicle.

Just think , in a parallel universe WDW guests can stay the night at the ASIAN RESORT ….ride the Main Street Touring car to the Plaza…. Go to the Tomorrowland Railroad Station and ride the WDW Railroad to Frontierland and ride The Western River Expedition and the Thunder Mesa Runaway Mine Railroad! Here guests have a average lifespan of 98 years ……. And a wingspan of 19 feet.

Melissa said...

Happy birthday, Nanook,
Happy birthday, Nanook,
We'd bake you a cake, but
We forgot how to cook.

Little Sue is quithe the snappy dresser!

Steven thinks he's seven because he forgot how to read the letter T. He also thinks it's his birhday. Sad, eh?

I spy a blurry Tour Guide in her snappy blue tartan and white knee socks, right by the entrance to the Cup 'n Saucer (the perfect place to buy a dish for your Lipton Cup-a-Soup). And I dig the red souvenir beanies on the two gents at the far left of the first Castle picture. *sigh* Back when the Castle actually looked like a castle.

Since we're sharing, here's a picture from my 10th birthday. That's my Grandma's kitchen table in the background, so I'm assuming we had cake at home after filling up on those cookie homunculi. My memory's probably hazy because I couldn't see anything through the reflective glare off those braces. Well, that and all the cocaine.

Bu said...

Why do we need to paint castles bright colors? Or adorn them with ribbons and noise? Like this castle isn't grand ENOUGH? (Had to expel that...) Happy Birthday Nanook! Hope all is well in the North! At first I thought these photos were Nanookian...and maybe they are? I'm still not clear. A disposable birthday...You just get the ends of the tablecloth and pitch it all into the bin. I wonder if those are "Riddle Cups"...those were awesome. We rarely got such extravagances as paper cups with funny sayings. We did have Tupperware cups tho. All that Tupperware shown I still have...and the Pyrex bowl. I have a lot of Pyrex. Be careful of the Pyrex people at estate sales...they will knock you over and cut you if you don't get out of their way. They scare me. I see the Tour Guide with her small group...and over to the left you see "Suit in blue shirt" along with "Lavender with Manila Folder". I continue to be amazed with people who just sit down on curbs and wherever... "I'm tired...so I am going to sit down on this floor where thousands of people have walked with their dirty shoes." I suppose in a super-clean WDW this might be plausible. In airports and everywhere else I see it...I have no words...especially entire families. You would think that it's because there was no where to sit...but every time...there is somewhere to sit. I don't understand it, but probably because If I sat on the floor it would take me 15 minutes to get back up again. Switching gears: I know it's an optical illusion, but it looks like Main St. only curves around the Plaza to the right...and there is no way to go left- and no street continuation. Yes...it's an illusion. I do see a sweeper there in the middle of the Plaza. It's nice that they had fully grown trees this early in the game. I'm hoping those are still there...but perhaps they were not pink enough and had to go.

MIKE COZART said...

THE CUP AND SAUCER shop was at first WDW’s equivalent to Disneyland’s China Closet. This building spent most of its life as UPTOWN JEWELERS and it’s design was inspired by a law office / professional building in Saratoga Springs N.Y. ( was much of WDW’s facades are based on)

When the WDW Tour Guide costume was being designed , John Hench had suggested the look be more modern and contemporary in style , in fact the look of the WDW preview center costumes were actually first proposed designs for new WDW TG uniforms. Tom Peirce in charge of the WDW operational costume designing felt it was important to carry over the same general look as the Disneyland Tour Guide “jockey” look familiar to Disney guests. But before the “cooler” design was selected a “sunshine” yellow version was contemplated….. thus color scheme eventually was used for the WDW parking lot and Ticket & Transportation Center costumes sans the tartan patterns of course. The WDW Tour Guide Costume’s lines were made to be a bit more sophisticated in the look compared to the - at the time Disneyland equivalent…. But Disneyland’s would soon be revised to match the WDW style trend. A look that was quite popular in the 1969-1971 period in real ladies fashions…. Included a much shorter pleated skirt and ruffled collar and sleeve cuff. Cloris Leachman wore this look a few times on the earliest episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Had Disneyland costuming become a real-life trend setter??


Over done paint schemes in architecture is what is done by people who lack design understanding and finesse or real color training. ….. too many “spectaculars”, tacky nighttime projection light shows and overdone performances of Lion King stage shows is what certain theme parks do to cover up the fact that their Tomorrowland is rotting …. THERE, I SAID IT!!

If they are gonna keep charging you more and more and actually give you less, they will divert your attention with “shinny things” ( nighttime “spectaculars” ….. projection shows and over done , tired stage shows…..

JG said...

Nanook, let me chime in with Owl from Winnie-the-Pooh and wish you “Hipypapy Birthu-hapiday” and Many Enjoyable Returns of the Day!

Sue, such appropriate pictures. Bu, agreed, do not go against my daughter when Pyrex is on the line…

Melissa, great pic.

While WDW is spectacular and large, my heart belongs to vest-pocket-scale Disneyland, at least before TRE.

Five trash cans in the Castle pic, some with familiar Anaheim livery, even closer than a hot-dog nibble apart.

Thanks Major!

JG

DrGoat said...

Happy Birthday Nanook. May your day be truly happy.
Sue, you are so cute and that chocolate cake looks scrumptious. Two years old.
Love the great collection of items on the mantle behind you. Looks like Grandpa has a little glass of wine, paired to taste perfectly with the cake.
Thank you Major and Sue and again, Happy Birthday Nanook.
Could that be textured Go Away Green on that wall?

K. Martinez said...

Happy Birthday, Steve! Hope you get to do something special. Have a wonderful day!

And Thanks to Lou & Sue for these wonderful pics of family and WDW.

MIKE COZART said...

If I’m understanding correctly, Sue is saying that the two birthday pictures are not of her not any family members and that they are “found” or purchased vintage photographs from her collection.

Anonymous said...

That is correct, Mike!
—Sue

Irene said...

Wishing Nanook a very Happy Birthday! Thanks for your insight into those swell photos that Sue provided. I love photos like these - brings back memories.

Major Pepperidge said...

Lou and Sue, thanks to you for your fun pictures!

Nanook, I didn’t notice that the first image was flopped… who looks at clues like buttons and wrist watches? Not me. I’m predicting that plastic slip covers will come back in style, and they will be stickier and shinier than ever before. Wow, you sure know your Tupperware and Pyrex. I remember my mom and I used to see Pyrex ware in the midwest by the ton, and now it’s super collectible.

Lou and Sue, let’s all just show up at his place, unannounced! In the future I guess I should make it clear that those two images are random photos and not from your dad.

TokyoMagic!, uh oh! See Sue’s comment!

TokyoMagic!, “distracted by TV”. Admit it, you are watching the Kardashians!

Sue, all I know for sure is that those people are in the Mob.

Sue, you should have servants type out your responses, that way they will go much faster. I have three of them standing by at all times.

JB, yes, those knick-knacks caught my eye - all future thrift shop items, probably. My grandparents in Minnesota were very careful with their money, but even they had some knick-knacks on display, I wish I’d gotten some of them after they died. I’m sure Jackie O. used Tupperware, and that made it fashionable for everybody else. “Another cup of Hawaiian Punch, Ms. Garbo?”. I always wondered how African swallows carried coconuts. Whale blubber and walrus meat, now that’s a fancy spread! We could only afford pickled herring. Sure, it was delicious, and the whole house smelled fishy afterwards, but we were happy.

Mike Cozart, I was wondering if that was a sealed-up fireplace as well. Maybe an old gas fireplace. Three horseless carriages, that’s just the right number. Two isn’t enough and four is just showing off. They should have had a Main Street Funnycar, or maybe a Main Street Monster Truck. I have ideas! It’s always intriguing to think of the stuff that was planned for WDW and never built. Especially that Western River Expedition!

Major Pepperidge said...

Melissa, I should have made it clearer, but that isn’t Sue in photo #1. Replicants can’t read the letter “T”, that’s one of the ways you can identify them. Good eye on the tour guide, I didn’t notice her. Who here was always a little disappointed with Lipton Cup-a-Soup? Raise your hands. There were never enough noodles, darnit. Thanks for the photo from your birthday, I love that fun cookie!

Bu, after the glitter shortages of the 1970s and ‘80s, America went a little overboard and put glitter on everything. Bedazzled jeans were the hottest thing. I don’t even know, was the castle at the Magic Kingdom also painted pink? If so, yuck. I’ve mentioned Dixie Riddle Cups on this blog before, I loved those when I was a kid. I’m sure my mom got them at the Navy Commissary, so they were probably more affordable. I’m sure most people don’t think about the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of the curbs, since they look so clean. I’m not sure I’ve ever plopped down on a curb, but anything’s possible.

Mike Cozart, I figured that the Cup and Saucer was probably a place to buy a fun coffee mug or something like that. The perfect gift for grandpa. Uptown Jewelers? There’s nothing more fancy than jewelry from uptown! I sort of like that the updated the WDW Tour Guide outfits, though the blue always throws me, since I’m so used to Disneyland’s red tartan. You’ll see more of Disneyland’s updated Tour Guide outfits on a future Lou and Sue post! I agree with you about the overdone paint schemes… if you relied on the public to decorate stuff, it would be a nightmare. Let the pros do their thing!

JG, the “mid-century modern” Facebook page often has photos of people’s Pyrex collections. Some of it is appealing, but some… well, it’s not for me. My mom still has a number of Pyrex items from when she was married, but they are mostly white with a tasteful little blue flower pattern. We use them all the time. I’m with you, I just can’t ever love WDW as much as Disneyland, but that’s OK. People love what they love.

DrGoat, I should have said that the first photo isn’t Sue! My mistake. It’s a logical leap to make though. Wine with cake, that sound gross to me. I guess there are “dessert wines”, but I’ll have my cake with a glass of milk!

K. Martinez, the photos are from Sue, but they are not “Lou and Sue” images!

Mike Cozart, yes, you are right.

Sue, well I have learned my lesson. Maybe.

Irene, great to hear from you!

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, the Kardashians just need to go away....all of them! Last night, I was actually distracted by Arlene Francis and Soupy Sales, on a 1973 episode of "What's My Line?" Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller were the celebrity "mystery guests." Those celebrities beat a Konnie, Kassie, Korky, or Keppy Kardashian, any day!

"Lou and Sue" said...

Major, I don't mind who everyone thinks the birthday images came from, but I know that our polite Jr. Gorillas will NOT say anything too silly or mean about the photos - or people in them - IF they think it's of our families.

Truly my only concern, regarding that first photo, is that I don't think that plastic seat cover is your 'usual' seat cover. Maybe it was just added for grandpa. If you know what I mean.

I just bought some pyrex from a thrift shop recently. It looked 'never used' and it matched pieces my mom gave me from years ago - white with little blue flower pattern.

I'll be back later. I'm out buying supplies for Nanook's party, later. See you all, there!

Melissa said...

My sister is one of those "Pyrex people," so it always leaps out at me in pictures, too. As collecting hobbies go, I guess you can do worse than collecting dishes you can actually use. Sorry for my reading comprehension fail about the birthday pictures!

TokyoMagic! said...

I have a turquoise Pyrex bowl very similar to the one in the second pic. It's one of a nesting set of 4, which were given to my mom and dad as a wedding present. I've never known the name of the pattern, but I just checked ebay. I guess the pattern is called "Amish Butterprint." I have another set of 4 round nesting Pyrex casserole dishes, in sort of a harvest gold color. I had to check those out, too, since I didn't know the pattern. It looks like the pattern on them is "Butterfly Gold." They were given to my aunt as a wedding present, and then she gave them to me about 20 years ago. I also have two "orphaned" Pyrex casserole dishes, one in pink and the other in avocado green, but I won't bore anyone any further with the patterns, even though I did look them up!

Bu said...

Note to all Pyrex people: NEVER EVER EVER put in dishwasher. It will dissolve the shiny finish. If you like a "matte" finish...have at it. I am not a Pyrex person, but I have a lot of vintage Pyrex bowls, and casseroles and everything. I find that the covered ones are a much better alternative to the throw away plastic things..and a bit greener choice. I have some little ones that are so tiny...for like one Strawberry...but I don't covet or collect them. They all go into the dishwasher...except for one Tangerine one...that I only use to put seasonal produce on the countertop- I'm back to tomatoes again.... My kitchen is 1955 vintage so Pyrex makes sense on top of Yellow formica with chrome trim. Tomatoes in a tangerine bowl on a bright yellow counter is very... photogenic.

JB said...

Melissa, thanks for sharing your photo of "brace face". ;-p It looks like you're modeling the latest in paper plate development, like a Price Is Right gal, "And all this can be YOURS, if the price is right! (cookie not included)"

Mike, "...what certain theme parks do to cover up the fact that their Tomorrowland is rotting."
[JB raises his hand], "Nara Dreamland, right?" ;-)

I think we still have a few Pyrex bowls, pie pans, etc. The pie pan. casserole dish, and loaf pan are clear glass. The round bowls (the few that have survived through 70 years of use) lost their coloring from hundreds of cycles in the dishwasher, and now are just white.

Bu, your advice on Pyrex and dishwashers comes a little late for us. You should have spoken up earlier... like, 65 YEARS AGO!!!

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, I couldn’t agree with you more! WHY do people care about the K family? Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, they were on everything when I was a kid. “Korky”, ha ha.

Lou and Sue, yes, I understand and appreciate the Jr. Gorillas not wanting to inadvertently say something mean. I told you about Mr. X’s grandma… I’m never posting any of his family pix again! “Just added for grandpa”, OY VEY!! It sounds like the Pyrex pattern you got is the same one my mom has. I admit that I like it because it is minimal. I would love to have a set of nesting Pyrex bowls in five (or was it six?) colors, those are awesome.

Melissa, I agree, if you are going to collect something, it doesn’t hurt if the thing is useful! Meanwhile I collect Disneyland slides and paper. Not useful, but fun to share anyway. No need to apologize, next time I will try to make it clearer regarding the non-Lou and Sue pix.

TokyoMagic!, are all 4 bowls the same color? There is just something about colored nesting bowls that is my jam. My mom has some enameled steel bowls that she bought at the Navy commissary 50 years ago, from quite large to tiny, we use them all the time. The enamel has worn through on some, but we wouldn’t get rid of them for anything. Harvest Gold! My mom’s house used to be all harvest gold and avocado. Then she got a decorator to update everything, and it was bye-bye vintage weirdness. Funny how Pyrex became the topic of discussion!

Bu, I thought that borosilicate glass was supposed to be “bulletproof”, but then again, hot water and harsh detergents can do a whammy on just about anything. We used to have clear glass covers for our Pyrex, but they seem to have vanished over the years, so we have to resort to Saran Wrap. Evil plastic! A 1955 vintage kitchen sounds awesome.

JB, you can bet that I will never share a photo of myself with MY braces, so Melissa wins points for bravery. You’re not wrong, Nara Dreamland’s Tomorrowland (or whatever they called theirs) is definitely rotting. Supposedly new measuring cups that say Pyrex and not actual borosilicate Pyrex glass, so folks “in the know” scour eBay for the old ones.

DrGoat said...

Sorry for mistaking that child for you. Under closer scrutiny, comparing with others I know are you, I don't know why I thought that was you. My clouded mind is very cloudy in the morning. Not myself until about 10am. Good thing my job is a lot of "muscle-memory" or something similar. Still, nice nick-nacks. I don't think you or Lou would have a wall painted that color either. Something about it.

"Lou and Sue" said...

DrGoat, no problem about the photo. It just got me giggling because we (Major & me) got everyone 'thrown off course.' We didn't mean to.

Melissa, thank you for sharing your cute photo. Your braces don't look bad, at all.

I made a mistake. Again. My 'white with little blue flowers' isn't pyrex, it's corning ware. Duh! But I did look at my wedding-gift pyrex casserole bowl (orange with wheat pattern). It's still shiny. Whew!

Major, just wait til you start posting my "Lou and Sue and Stu" photos. Talk about confusing everyone. Some were taken by Stu...some were about Stu...and so on.

I'm glad you liked today's photos.

Nanook said...

Dear All-
Thanks for the birthday wishes.

I had no idea I should have been requesting both old school Pyrex and Tupperware for my birthday-! (I too, have a nesting set of four, Pyrex bowls in the 'Butterfly Gold' pattern - the largest of which has the biggest expanse of 'color' and the greatest use, so the 50 years of dishwasher 'co-habitation' has left the "gold" with an über-matte finish - kinda like me).

Again... I really appreciate the fun commentary.

Chuck said...

Nanook, for future reference, you aren’t supposed to run yourself through the dishwasher. I can only imagine what 50 years of that has done to your complexion. Happy birthday anyway!

Nanook said...

@ Chuck-
Noted for future reference.

Dean Finder said...

A (belated, at least in the Eastern time zone) happy birthday, Nanook.

Major, you are correct about new Pyrex glass no longer being heat resistant borosilicate glass. It's easy to ID real ones at a garage sale - they have PYREX in all caps. I came to the blog for the vintage Disneyland pics, but I stay for the vintage cookware and Tupperware discussion.

Melissa said...

Sue, I can’t remember if I’ve told the story here or not. When I was growing up, we had a Corningware casserole in that same blue and white flowered pattern, with a matching lid. It’s probably no exaggeration to say Mom cooked something in it nearly every day; it was the Timex of baking dishes. Most of our birthday cakes were baked in it. It got lost in one move or another, and I got to thinking about it as an adult once, because it was nicer than most of our other dishes. So, I asked Mom if it had been a wedding present or something.

“Oh, no,” she said. “Pippi the dog brought that home one day.”

“But we had the matching lid!”

“Oh, yeah, she didn’t come home with the lid until a few days later.”


TokyoMagic! said...

Major, the bowls aren't all the same color. Some are turquoise with a white design and some are white with a turquoise design. They alternate back and forth in that color scheme, as they get smaller (or get bigger). It's the same thing with the harvest gold and white set of casserole dishes.

And now I just remembered that I picked up a popular set of 50's Pyrex bowls, back in the nineties, at a flea market. They are nesting bowls, but each one is a different color (yellow, green, red and blue). I think they were very popular back in their day, and I think they are also very popular today, with collectors. You can even see them on a kitchen shelf, in a certain 1950s half-hour sitcom, with a zany redhead and her Cuban bandleader husband. Even thought the show is in black and white, you can tell which specific set of Pyrex bowls they are.

"Lou and Sue" said...

I LOVE IT, Melissa! You can't make this stuff up!!

All this talk about pyrex and patterns - after doing some online hunting, now I want a light teal colored bowl that has a white swirly pattern.

Nanook, I hope you had as much fun today as the rest of us did.
I even burped a tupperware container in your honor!

"Lou and Sue" said...

Hey, TM! You should think about doing a post on pyrex. Am serious.

TokyoMagic! said...

Melissa, great story! I wonder what else your dog might have brought home, that you didn't even know about?

Sue, I am no expert, but I guess I could learn. I did have to look up the patterns I have, to find out their names.

I also have a Corning set of 4 casserole dishes (white with blue cornflower pattern). Those were also a wedding present to my mom and dad. I also have the cool (sort of space age-looking) chrome chafing stand with black legs and handles, that holds the dishes. It has a place underneath it to hold a lit candle. I also have the official "Corning" brand candle, unopened, in it's original package. My mom really got a LOT of mileage out of those casserole dishes, but I don't think she ever used the chafing stand. It's like brand new.

"Lou and Sue" said...

That's cool, TM!

I do think you could do an interesting post, even without a lot of research. After today's comments, it's obvious that a lot of us are rather sentimental about those baking dishes we grew up with and inherited, or picked up along the way (in Melissa's case).

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, I don't know how interesting I could make it. I suppose I could lie and say that my multi-color set is the actual set seen in the background, on I.L.L. I could put some orange stains in the largest one, and say that it's the bowl that "you-know-who" used in order to to dye her hair with henna rinse.

I also have a pet story, relating to vintage kitchen ware. As I mentioned, I got that 50's multi-colored set of bowls at a flea market. They were kind of expensive, even back in the nineties. After that, I would see the bowls individually and they weren't too expensive, so I decided to piece together a second set for myself. I only ever got three of the four bowls, but I didn't pay very much for each bowl, by themselves. I would often use the small blue bowl to mix tuna salad in. One day I had dumped the can of tuna into the bowl, but then I left the room for just two seconds (okay, maybe a tad longer), when I returned, my cat was on the kitchen counter, eating the tuna out of the bowl. I guess he knew he was doing something wrong. I didn't scold him, but he immediately leapt to the floor, knocking the bowl off the counter in the process. He was fast enough that I think he was already out of the room by the time the bowl hit the floor and shattered into pieces. So now my second (incomplete) set only has two of the four bowls.

Nanook said...

@Melissa-
Inquiring minds want to know just how Pippi managed to 'bring home' the bowl - and subsequently the lid-! (Was some sort of wheeled contrivance involved-??)

Major Pepperidge said...

DrGoat, at least your mind clears up at some point in the day. Mine stays “cloudy” all the time!

Lou and Sue, I love confusing the Junior Gorillas! As for Melissa, she must feel that GDB is a “safe space”, we all have photos of ourselves with braces or other teen miseries. Corning ware?? I’m outraged! I thought Corning made Pyrex? At least originally? Not sure what the difference is to be honest. Is Pyrex the type of glass used in Corning Ware? And yes, the “Lou and Sue and Stu” photos are sure to be confusing to everyone.

Nanook, when people ask me about you, I always tell them that you have a matte, “butterfly gold” finish. They are duly impressed.

Chuck, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it! Meanwhile, have you seen those dumb recipes about cooking fish in your dishwasher? Wrap it in heavy foil, unless you like the taste of Cascade detergent. WHICH I DO.

Nanook, this is known as a “life hack”, internet kids love them.

Dean Finder, I remembered that there was some sort of difference in the old Pyrex vs. the new, but couldn’t remember what it was!

Melissa, now I’m wondering what else Pippi brought home, since she was clearly an exceptionally smart and talented dog. “Pippi! Go get an electric knife sharpener!”. (I imagine Pippi’s response would be along the lines of “Arf!”). Birthday cakes baked in a Corningware casserole! Well, why not? I’m sure it worked great.

TokyoMagic!, with all this talk about colored bowls, I am fighting the urge to look at eBay and buy a few. Like I need them! Those nesting bowls have an appeal that reminds me of old Playskool toys, with basic colors and simple shapes that our lizard brains love, even if we don’t know why we love them. Meanwhile, I won’t let the fact that the bowls were on a certain half-hour sitcom affect my appreciation for them. It’s not the bowls’ fault.

Lou and Sue, ha ha, Pyrex and Corningware prices are soaring right now! It’s the “GDB bump”, you can read all about it in the Wall Street Journal.

Lou and Sue, maybe he has some Pyrex bowls in the original packaging.

TokyoMagic!, “Where did Pippa find that artificial heart?”. Pippa needed her own comic strip, which would then be made into either a sitcom or a big-budget movie. Lots of CG effects and explosions, of course, and a big blue beam of light shooting up into the sky. A Corning-brand candle?? What’s next, Corning brand underwear?

Lou and Sue, as is often the case, this blog post went in a direction I could have never predicted.

TokyoMagic!, for a moment I was really wondering what orange stains had to do with “I.L.L.”. Maybe she really enjoyed spaghetti and meat sauce. Don’t put that stuff in Tupperware, you have been warned. Aw, I’m sorry that your cat shattered one of your bowls, that stinks. I hope you gave your cat a stern talking to. Not scolding exactly - think of the way The Beav’s dad would talk to him about life lessons. Have you ever looked for a replacement bowl on eBay? Like you said, maybe the individual bowls aren’t that expensive.

Nanook, Pippi drove the bowl home in the family car, of course. What a silly question.

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, I haven't thought about trying to replace that one bowl, since it was just a pieced-together "second set." I still have my original set, which is pretty much in mint condition. I did just check prices on ebay. I didn't realize the prices had gone up that high, since I had bought mine back in the nineties!

And after checking ebay, I was reminded of yet another set of Pyrex that I have. It's the glass refrigerator containers/boxes and their lids. I guess that is what they used to store leftovers, before there were plastic containers? My aunt gave me a turquoise set that she found at a flea market. And I already had a few white ones, which had belonged to my great-grandmother. I also have her large 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. I use it often, and I think of her every time I use it.

Nanook said...

For those who can't get enough Tupperware - there's always this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbPjGl0vii4