Birthday Parties
It has been a while since I've been to a good old-fashioned birthday party, but today's vintage photos will help to scratch that itch!
The first two scans are from the same out-of-control bash. Mom wanted to take some pictures for posterity, and the only way to get the kids to laugh was to tell a very rude joke. Whatever works! The drink of choice was chocolate milk spiked with Hi-C. Also known as "The Devil's Libation". The girl to the right (with the bangs) has a serious case of the whim-whams. Any guess as to what that semi-circular thing on the wall is? I think it's an eye-scraper.
Uh oh, things are really getting out of hand. It might be almost time to spray them with the fire extinguisher!
Next is a picture from July, 1959. No Boys Allowed! On the table, each girl has a tiny cup of goodies, including what appears to be a single stick of Juicyfruit gum. Delicious! The paper cups have smiling faces, a nice touch for any occasion. The birthday girl at the end of the table has a cake in front of her, but all of the other girls appear to already have some sort of whipped cream-topped dessert on the plates. WHY? I enjoy the tiny framed picture on the wall, which I assume is "Python" Terry Jones dressed as a woman.
20 comments:
Major-
That 'semi-circular thing' on the wall does look familiar, but I haven't the foggiest idea what it is. In the 2nd image, we can just barely see a Frigidaire refrigerator - possibly a 1948 model year beauty. Sitting on top of it is [what appears to be] a clock radio - possibly a Zenith. In the 3rd image, special points to that lamp with the dual hideous lampshades, sitting upon [what might be] a Motorola TV set.
Many happy returns of the day, kids. Thanks, Major.
"Uh oh, things are really getting out of hand. It might be almost time to spray them with the fire extinguisher!"
LOL!
I see the same picture on the wall in the pictures for both parties - but it's been moved. I think the birthday girl is the same, at both parties...just a little older in the last image.
Thank you for more parties and cake, Major!
Hmm, most of the girls here look like they have a serious case of the whim-whams, Major.
Maybe this is an Easter party, what with the candy eggs and (I think) real eggs on those... plates? What are those anyway? Potholders? And what are those things on the two platters? I thought they were sandwiches but I don't think that's bread; it looks too dense and solid.
Thing on the wall: I'm not sure what it's for, but it looks like a peacock.
In the second pic, we get a better view of the cake. It does look like it says "Happy Birthday", but what about the Easter eggs? Are those cacti on the cake? And I still don't know what that thing in the center of the cake is. A horse rearing up? Donald Duck and Pluto mushed together after a horrible transporter malfunction?
#3: I've never much cared for those paper cups with the fold-out handles; too awkward to hang onto. And yes, the whipped cream and chocolate goop on the plates is a real head scratcher, Major; the cake doesn't look like it's been carved yet. This seems to be a strict, well-structured party; notice how all the noisemakers are arranged "just so" on the table. I bet the kids were instructed "not to touch them until it's time!", under penalty of expulsion from the party.
There also appears to be m&ms (plain and peanut) inside those little baskets. That tiny picture, all by itself, seems weird. It needs to be grouped with a bunch of other pictures.
Fun fotos, Major. Thanks.
Sue, hmm, yer right about the castle/cathedral picture being present at both parties. Not sure about the birthday girl... I'm not even sure which girl is the birthday kid in the first two pics.
From pic #1 to pic #2 - the fruit/jello-mold portions (on each plate), sure must've been a big hit. They disappeared from every plate, along with the candy eggs. Strange combination of food.
JB, I'm assuming the girl (in the first pic), in front of the door, is the "party" gal, as she resembles the gal at the back of the table, in the last pic. Just guessing...
JB, that birthday cake does have a cowboy on a horse, with cacti...but I'm not sure what the three doo-dads are - at the top. "Cowboy fleur-de-lis"??
JB, now that I think about it...those first two pics have to be from a boy's birthday party (clue: cowboy cake) - which means that gal in the back is not the party recipient. But I still think she's the same gal who's in the back - in the last pic.
Sue, I think the doo-dads are just nondescript globs of icing piped onto the cake. But yeah, sure, we can call them "cowboy fleur-de-lis" if you want. ;-)
And yeah, I too, thought the cowboy motif was better suited for a boy. You're probably right about that.
Judging by the rest of the wall hangings, I think that peacock-looking thing on the wall in the first photo is just a bit of random decor. These people hung pictures like my mother-in-law. Why a 5’1” woman persists in hanging pictures 18” from the ceiling I will never understand (although we still love her).
That’s actually a tiny framed picture of Graham Chapman.
Nanook, I think you’re right about that Zenith radio. My grandparents had one just like it. It had the Civil Defense “CD” in a triangle logo at 640 and 1240 kHz on the dial. Finding that in the basement was my first exposure to CONELRAD, which had been replaced by the EBS five years before I was born..
Sue, I don’t think the picture has been moved - it just moved. On its own. Just like the kitchen table. At least it didn’t run away like the dish and the spoon.
I tried to look closely at these, but my eyes began to burn from all that debachery. I have fairly low debachery tolerance. MY parties are a real hoot, though. Just don't actually say "hoot" because that might take it right over the line!
I thought that thing behind the birthday girl in pic 2 might be a stereo console, but it's just a dumb old fireplace. It's probably painted white now and covered with all sorts of "farm chic" decorations. Debachery, indeed!
I don't remember having a birthday party, but I do have photographic evidence that I've been to one as a child...50+ years l'm still anxious about birthday parties...and these photos "do the trick". Lots of random decor back in these times, and perhaps random decor still exists throughout the land. The last photo especially has some very specifically curated random trinkets and decor...the small tiny picture above the TV: zoom in on that puppy...what is it? more importantly, why is it? Lampshades: Epic. Shiny tea cozy (?) Epic. According to the mantle clock, It's almost 1:30...headed into the "Bewitching Hour"....and given their witchy type hats...alll makes sense. This is a Kids Koven. Spelled exactly like that. Probably drinking a brew made of wolfsbane and eye of newt. There's a yellow hat left on the table, perhaps Margaret Hamilton was going to make and appearance and that was for her. Maybe there's Maxwell House in those cups? "I think it taste best." If these are all Librans in the photos: happy birthday Librans!: it's both a blessing and a curse. Good luck! Thanks Major!
"Uh oh, things are really getting out of hand. It might be almost time to spray them with the fire extinguisher!"
That reminds me of a birthday party I attended around that age. As I've mentioned here before, I grew up in Anaheim across the street from Tommy Walker. His oldest daughter was my age. During her 10th party, as she was blowing out the candles on her cake, her long hair hit a candle and caught on fire. Fortunately her mom was standing behind her and quickly doused the flames with water (or maybe it was punch). A scary moment but she wasn't injured and laughed about it later. Debbie's hair was shorter after that.
The third pic is my favorite. The classic TV, radio and lamp really set the era. The girls are all in their best party dresses.
That may be Ecic Idle?
Thanks Major! We always love birthday posts!
These photos haven’t been subject to such scrutiny since they were taken. In fact, probably not even then, since the participants and the photographer(s?) were already familiar with the menu, appliances, household ornaments, and each other.
My guess for some of the snacks is Jordan almonds, those hard coated candied nuts usually associated with weddings. Maybe some leftover from another event? Good to see happy kids, hope they stayed that way all their lives.
I’ll have some Jell-O salad, please. Loved that stuff. Mom never bought Jell-O, always Royal brand gelatin, but called it Jell-O anyway. Filed that under “things I’ll never understand”.
The tiny picture is a fair enigma, could be any of the Pythons, or even Emmett Kelly or Red Skelton, or Julie Andrews, but probably NOT Sandy Duncan or Florence Henderson, and why there and in that size? Might have been a paint-by-number panel, but feeling that we will never know for sure… Filed that also under “things I’ll never understand”, next to Royal Jell-O.
Major, thank you for the puzzle this morning.
JG
@ JB-
"I've never much cared for those paper cups with the fold-out handles..."
Ditto. I just noticed, those cups appear to have some odd design of a face and perhaps a neck/collar... Spooky.
And that table - so typical of kitchen tables from that era - that S/S 'scalloped' edging protecting a laminated top of some brand: Formica®; Textolite®; Nevamar®. And all of that placed atop a painted, scalloped trim piece. Practical, but far from timeless in design.
Nanook, I guess that thing on the wall will just have to remain a mystery. Like much of life! A 1948 refrigerator… my mom once picked up a used fridge to keep in the garage for extra cold storage, that thing had to be from the 1950s, and it will worked great. I’m sure it was not efficient at all, but we didn’t care!
Lou and Sue, oh crazy, that DOES look like the same picture. And yet, when I posted these, I did not think they were from the same home/family. NUTTY!
JB, I guess most kids have the whim-whams, that’s what makes them such a trial to be around for much time. I like to mix candy eggs with real eggs for breakfast, you get nutrition and all of the sugar one needs for the coming day. It’s possible that somebody had a birthday near Easter and so one celebration sort of melded with another. The paper cups with the foldout handles are an interesting idea, but they always feel too flimsy, and the handles are uncomfortable. It sure looks like the mom was a careful and organized party planner, I appreciate all of her attention to detail. Noisemakers at kids’ parties… NO. Or at least not when I’m around.
JB, yes, I agree, it’s a bit of a mystery as to who the actual birthday girl is.
Lou and Sue, kids love Jello, especially if there is a dollop of whipped cream on it. I loved the combination of tart fruity Jello and sweet whipped cream! I could not decipher what the design was on the cake, in fact even now I’m not 100% sure it’s cowboy-themed. The green things do look kind of like cacti though.
Lou and Sue, now that you mention it, maybe that IS a party for a boy. Looking carefully, there is what appears to be a boy (in the red sweater) to the left, a boy in the foreground to the right, and maybe even another boy to the right of him. Still, there sure are a lot of girls!
JB, nondescript blobs of icing taste just as good as the “descript” ones.
Chuck, interesting that your mother-in-law hung pictures so high, my mom is 5’ - 1” and she hangs everything so low that it’s almost funny. I guess she can’t reach very high, so we’ll give her a break. It’s funny, I don’t remember a radio at the homes of either of my grandparents, and you’d think that in the 1960s they would have still had one. Unless the terrible television evicted it, which is probably what happened. Cool that your grandparent’s radio had that “CD” logo!
Stu29573, I had to squint my eyes while posting these photos because they are so naughty! My brain can only handle so much, after which I have to watch three episodes of “The Lawrence Welk Show”. Balm for the soul, I say. “Farm chic” was sure big when I was a kid, and I didn’t pay much attention to it, but I sure don’t care for it now!
Bu, no birthday parties?? Was that a Norwegian thing? Don’t they like sheet cakes with piped-on flowers (or better yet, Snoopy)? Seeing the vintage homes and the stuff in them is part of the fun of these old photos. I could not tell that that one thing was a tea cozy but not I get it. How about the decorative plate with the religious scene on it (judging by the large cross)? My Minnesota grandparents might have had something like that. Margaret Hamilton, I used to see her on various talk shows, she always seemed so nice. I hope she had a happy life.
Grant, whoa, that would be a scary thing to see somebody’s hair light on fire! Sounds like the mom was a quick thinker, thank goodness. I’ve seen videos of similar occurrences, and hair with lots of hairspray can really ignite. I’m glad that Debbie could laugh about her brush with disaster!
JG, I just happen to be scanning a bunch of my mom’s photos from around the time my older brother and I were born, it’s such an amazing thing to see my parents practically looking like kids, and to see the old houses that I don’t remember, especially the one where I lived when I was a baby. We didn’t live there very long though! Those were the days when we moved a LOT. Jordan almonds… WHY? I don’t think I’ve ever had Jello sald, we just liked our “plain”. I’m sad that the family does not have a framed photo of Sandy Duncan on the wall, but maybe they couldn’t afford one. I’m sure it was the dream to one day have a large portrait of Sandy smiling over everyone.
Nanook, yes, I mention the smiling faces on the cups. Nobody reads my text! (Crying loudly). My family had a Formica table when I was a kid, along with steel chair with blue vinyl cushions, my brother melted part of one when he set his paper napkin on fire on a candle.
in photo #1, my first thought of the semicircle thing is... watermelon-themed pot holder hanging on a hook, with a shoehorn on a strap hanging from the same hook.
(of course, that's what I tell my therapist all his inkblots look like, so... who knows?)
in photo #2, is that a toaster in storage on top of the refrigerator? does anyone know what model it is?(!)
thanks Major for these pics, and commenters for insights
I think the thing on the wall is a tiny dustpan, with either a weird handle or weird bitty brush in front. The roll above looks simultaneously like brown public bathroom paper towels and muslin fabric. I also wanted those to be gigantic shiny jellybeans on the plates, but I bet they are Jordan almonds. Yuck, they were a disappointing candy as a kid, so hard!
The hats are pretty fun, do they sell those anymore? They remind me of one Curly wore in a Three Stooges short. I deduce that the first pic is from 1957, going by the calendar on the wall and assuming it was near Easter (Easter that year was April 21 and the dates match that year's April).
Also at the second party is one colorful wrapped lollipop per person. The similar cake style also makes a case for it being the same family, 2 years apart. Thanks for the festivities, Major.
LTL, ah the old watermelon-themed pot holder thingy! ;-) To be honest, I kind of had the same idea, but just couldn’t quite make sense of it. But it’s as good a theory as any. I’ll sure be curious to see if anybody can tell what make and model that toaster is! To me it looks like a classic toaster, like you’d see in cartoons.
Kathy! hmmm, a dustpan, I guess it could be that too, although it seems strange to me that it would be hung in such a prominent location. Why not in a cupboard or closet? One never knows though, we’ve all been to houses where things are so different from what we are used to. No idea about the hats, I can’t remember the last time I wore a party hat. Sounds like my theory of a birthday being near the same day as Easter is panning out. I’m going to be rich! (?). Lollipops are perfect birthday party treats, as long as no kids put theirs on the sofa and forget about it.
Major-
"...I mention the smiling faces on the cups. Nobody reads my text! (Crying loudly)".
Oh, please... I read your text last night; you can't honestly expect me to remember all those details come sunrise, when I'm re-commenting. My "brain" is just so large-! (And surely you can't expect me to re-read your prose - no matter how sensational-??!!)
@ LTL-
It's definitely a toaster. From this angle and resolution, it doesn't appear to be a Toastmaster or a Sunbeam - but could easily be. But MANY manufacturers sold toasters. Heck, even Western Electric made toasters, back in the teens - although back then they hardly resembled the 'chrome-plated' beauties of the 40's & 50's, such as this one.
Wait - GDB has text???!!!
My dad still has - and uses - the hand-me-down toaster with the fabric-wrapped cord that my parents were given by some relative when they got married in 1963. It looks pretty much like the one in the photo (but don’t they all?).
Lollipops are evil treats to give kids. When I was four, my sister, who was between her first and second birthdays, pulled a lollipop out of her mouth and stuck it in my hair. And boy did it stick! My mom took me to the barber to have it cut out since I needed a haircut anyway.
The barber set me up in the chair, started to comb my hair, got a funny look on his face when he found the lollipop, and then yanked it out - hard - so he could cut it properly. A whole bunch of hair came out by the roots and I’m pretty sure I yelled. It was not a pleasant experience. Not a fan of lollipops to this day. Or barbers. But my sister’s cool.
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