Spooky Day
Happy Halloween! I didn't really have anything appropriate to share on this important day, but Sue B. sent me some adorable photos (taken by her dad, Lou Perry) from Halloween, 1963. They'd turned a little bit pink, and I'm sorry I didn't do a better job color-correcting them, but trust me, I tried!
Say, what's Huckleberry Hound doing in the Perry household? Wait a cotton-picking minute, that's Sue herself wearing a Huckleberry Hound mask! She really fooled me.
Trick-or-treating must be over, it looks like Sue is enjoying a piece of candy (?) while wearing a t-shirt from a trip to Miami. The disembodied head of Huckleberry regards a pumpkin candle with his usual amused expression.
Let's take one more look at Sue in her fun mask! (Again, I'm sorry I did such a lame job of restoring these).
I knew nothing about that paper mask, so I did a little research. It appears that kids could order one (and a Yogi Bear mask as well) from Kellogg's "Sugar Smacks", "All Stars", and "Coco Pops" cereals.
I've found dates ranging from 1962, 1963, and 1964, perhaps these were available for years?
I'd love to find complete masks of Huck and Yogi!
Have a safe and Happy Halloween, and MANY THANKS to Sue B. for sharing those photos.
21 comments:
Major-
"I knew nothing about that paper mask..."
And evidently neither did TM! - as it would be a nice change from the 'white oval'.
Sue - you're as cute as you can be-! And thanks for sharing these happy Halloween images.
Poor, shmoor. The color looks perfect to me! Interesting how ol' Blue Dog looks very much like Huckleberry when viewed from some angles, but not others. I guess that's always the case with 2-D cartoon characters; they don't always translate well to 3-D. But our Little Sue always looks great, no matter the angle.
I can't tell what that candy bar is that Sue is pretending to eat (such a ham!). It might be some brand of malt balls; I don't think Whoppers were a thing in 1963.
It's neat seeing the mask parts all splayed out. I'm trying to remember if I remember Coco Pops or not. Cocoa Puffs, of course, but Coco Pops? Not sure.
Nanook, I get the impression that Tokyo! would use the white oval even while wearing the mask. ;-p
Sue comes through again! Thanks Sue, and Lou. And thanks, Major for the researched images.
Wow, what a great mask! I've never seen such a large mask for children. Now I'm wondering if Sue remembers assembling this, or maybe watching as her mom or dad assembled it for her.
And there is another fabulous piece of blonde mid-century modern furniture. We've seen at least one in other pics from Sue, but I don't think we've seen this one before. I'm assuming it's some kind of cabinet, with doors that open in the front....maybe?
I also like the tchotchkes on top of the furniture. Sue, is the abstract item in the middle, some kind of lamp? The "dancing lady" figurine looks familiar. I'm wondering if it could be manufactured by Lefton? They used to make a lot of "dancing" figurines, dressed in traditional outfits from various countries.
Thank you Lou, Sue, and Major! And a very happy Halloween to all!
I forgot to say to Nanook and JB, that I don't always place a white oval over my face. Sometimes a good ol' watermark will do the trick. ;-)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pFklGWxuNWA/X7Jo3JkOXJI/AAAAAAAATKU/3V71LDg2N4o7KY8l3Od_IGV6U2qyphYkACLcBGAsYHQ/s846/1969%2B%25283%2529.jpg
Well, isn’t that the cutest thing you ever did see? I miss cool cereal promotions like this.
Art deco toaster sighting in the second image. I wonder if it was a Time Machine, too?
I am going to have “My Darling Clementine” stuck in my head all day.
Thanks again, Lou & Sue!
TM!, the water mark obscures your identity well. No bones about it.
Huckleberry Sue! Very cute! I'd love to find one of those masks, although they would probably be in pretty poor shape at this point.
I actually was introduced to the Uncle Remus stories not through Disney, but through a Huckleberry Hound album! The Disney version is ok, but it can't beat Huckleberry telling the story in his slow southern drawl! And yes, as a collector, I had to reacquire the album. I may play it again pretty soon...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN everybody!
Wow, that mask is a work of art!
The best kind of Halloween is a Halloween with Sue in it! Such a wonderful smile.
Thank you, Sue & Lou, for sharing your sweet photos. Just what I needed today.
Great family photos, Sue. Thanks for sharing!
Major, you do fine work, thank you too!
JG
@ JB-
Cocoa Puffs was introduced in 1956 by General Mills, and Coco Pops was introduced by Kellogg's in 1958. Cocoa Puffs used both corn and rice flavored with cocoa, while Coco Pops was essentially a cocoa-flavored version of Rice Krispies®. I can only imagine how horrible-tasting they would be today...
Nanook, I’ve met TokyoMagic! in real life, and he actually puts a white oval mask over his face every day. I didn’t expect it.
JB, you’re too kind, I can see many issues with the color of these, but at least they aren’t pink. I know what you mean about translating 2D cartoon characters to 3D, and yet… there are sculptors that seem to be able to do it beautifully. Disney used to sell some amazing collector figures that were so “on model” and perfect! I could not figure out what kind of candy Sue was enjoying, maybe she remembers. I probably had Coco Pops as a kid, but there are just too many cereals out there to remember them all.
TokyoMagic!, we will have to wait and see if Sue chimes in with any memories. She was pretty young here, it might be foggy now. Part of the fun of vintage photos is observing the furniture and tchotchkes, to see how people lived back then. I just scanned a bunch of photos of my siblings (and me), and seeing our various houses was weird, since I didn’t remember them very well.
TokyoMagic!, it’s good to mix it up sometimes!
Chuck, it sure seems like the cereal manufacturers knew what kids liked, there were so many great toys and premiums for boys and girls. I could easily see why people collect them!
Stu29573, the only hope for those masks is to find one (or both) in their original envelope. Otherwise I’m sure they would be creased and beat up. Funny about your Uncle Remus/Huckleberry Hound memories - I had a Danny Kaye album with some Grimm’s fairy tales, and now I can’t think of some of them without hearing his narration.
Melissa, it’s pretty great!
K. Martinez, in scanning some of my own family photos, I discovered that my older brother usually had cool Halloween costumes, while mine were lame. I’m blaming my mom for choosing them! ;-)
JG, aw thanks!
Nanook, oops, you accidentally wrote the word “horrible” when I know you meant to write “delicious”!
The ad spells the word "colourful" with a "U" I wonder if these were only available in Canada or England?
Faint memory of seeing the Yogi mask suspended on a string over a supermarket aisle; don't recall a display or anything about how to get it. Yogi's ears folded out of his head, leaving holes that bugged me even then (note that Huck's ears likewise fold out). This would have been in the early 60s, probably when I was past kindergarten.
A year or so later I tried to construct a Smokey Bear mask out of cardboard and construction paper for a school costume contest, trying to remember how Yogi looked. Smokey was passable, if you disregarded the excess of shiny Scotch tape (this was before "magic" tape, non-crinkly and far less visible). Toughest part was the ranger hat. I notice none of the photos show the top of Huck's hat. The pieces suggest there wasn't one; just a white surface in place of his scalp.
To think of all the promotions we were able to get with box tops back then. Life was simple and fun. You just mailed the money with the box tops and waited for the day your package would come. Sue...appears you couldn't have been happier. Happy Halloween everyone. And BOO to Bu too! KS
I learned lots of American history from children’s record albums . One I loved was called American Pie … if featured a big song number called “The Inventors Song” and to this day it always makes me think of a great idea for a 70’s or 80’s Tomorrowland or EPCOT attraction.
Of course like most kids of the 70’s I also had the record “CAROL CHANNING NARRATES THE NUREMBERG TRIALS” ….
Sue that costume looks professional! I remembered my mom’s home and lady magazines always had amazing costume ideas for Halloween … they were done to look like maybe something parents and their kids could mage at home … but really the examples were created my profession costume designers!! ….. but hopefully you’ll notice the cigarette ads and Fresca soda ads inbetween the plans !!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2023!!”
Major, I love that you found pictures of the unconstructed mask! I remember when it finally arrived in the mail...seemed like it took forever. I was so excited when it arrived, and remember it seemed HUGE after it was put together [probably by my dad]. I loved that mask! In the one picture where I'm sitting at my little table, I have no idea what's in my mouth. It doesn't look like candy. Looks like part of a toy that I'm just holding to my mouth?? I guess if it was something "important" like a piece to the underside of some furniture, my dad would've taken it from me. I would hope.
TM! That piece of furniture is a Grundig Hi-Fi - radio and record player. I still have a lot of the records my mom played on it...wonderful music that brings me back to my childhood when I hear it. Petula Clark, Hatari movie album, Glen Campbell and more.
TM! (again) - Your Halloween picture is adorable!
TM! (and again) I don't know what that thing is on top of the Hi-Fi, in the middle. I don't remember that or the dancing lady figurine. I do remember that black horse head, which I believe was a wedding gift to my folks. I was searching for that, rather recently, but couldn't find it. I guess my folks got rid of it, sadly.
Ken M. - Your Halloween-costume avatar ALWAYS makes me smile!
DBenson, thank you for sharing more about those masks! And I hope you have a picture of you in your Smokey Bear mask, to share here.
Mike, haha! Fresca - and Tab....
Happy Halloween, everyone! Thank you for your kind comments, too.
Happy Halloween! It's MY day! It's been a BOO day, every minute of every day of my life, and everyone around me ensures that the memory is always intact. "Knock knock..who's there...Bu...Boo!...did I scare you? There is some residual damage from 60 years of these comments...I've heard them all. Halloween wasn't really a "thing" in my house until costumes were needed for the American Halloween School Festival. I can still smell the plastic smell from the box with the plastic "fabric" and the very fragile plastic (was it plastic?) mask that we wore on our heads to avoid being suffocated. Looks like tiny Sue has lots of breathing room under Huckleberry. Who doesn't like Huckleberry? The hound and the fruit...both delicious. We weren't fancy enough for box tops and the like...or stamps for that matter to send the box tops in...it was a rare day if one of those cereals were ever bought. I think my mother went out of her way to but the "non-prize" cereal as she knew we would all be fighting over the prize. I don't blame her. We were a lot when it came to "EVEN STEVEN ON EVERYTHING"!!! Is Sue eating a ruler in her chair? What is that? Cute table. I had one of those in my shop with red boomerangs all over it...was super cool. Crocheted slippers...very elfin...I could use a pair of those right now. I go through many slippers as I use them for gardening, yard work, etc. Slippers are awesome...just not out in public...that is verboten! "BU!" to everyone on this Halloween '23! Thanks Sue for the sweet photos. Now back to CANDY!!!
Tokyo!, shouldn't that costume you're wearing in the photo be black with white bones instead of the other way around? I guess the light-colored costume makes it easier to be seen at night... don't wanna be run over.
Nanook, so Coco Pops = Cocoa Pebbles. And yeah, it probably tasted better back then; more sugar, MSG, asbestos, and plutonium. They've removed all those delicious flavor enhancers over the years.
Major, re: 2D to 3D animated characters, I think the better the 2D animation is, the better the transfer to 3D. Disney animation (for example) is almost 3D to start with; we see the characters from many different angles and poses. While made-for-TV characters are usually pretty static.
Mike, that Carol Channing album is a classic!
To Sue and Mike, I noticed the other day that Fresca is available again, or maybe it never left?
Bu, for the longest time I just assumed that you chose "Bu" as you GDB username, having little or nothing to do with your actual name. But then, a while back, you posted that Disneyland photo of you with "Bu" written on the hat you were wearing. Sooooo, I guess this has been your name, like, forever? I suppose it's a nickname for something like "Buford" or "Butthead" or "Butterfingers"?
Happy Halloween, Junior Gorillas!
Anon, I'd agree that ad is definitely British, between the use of "colour," "packet tops" in place of "box tops," and the 4'- price. I think that may be a pre-decimalization British unit symbol.
Nanook, I think you can check out a very similar cereal in Cocoa Krispies now.
I like that the boxes in the ad are from the era when you could still use "Sugar" in the name of the product instead of obscuring it as "Honey Smacks" or "Golden Crisp" It was more honest selling of breakfast candy.
That jack o'lantern candle looks like one my parent ha, but never burned because it wouldn't look like a pumpkin any more. Totally forgot about it until just now.
Anonymous, that is a great observation… except that Sue did not live in Canada or England. Perhaps the ad that I found online is from another country, however.
Dbenson, wow, I am amazed that you can remember something like that. I see what you mean about the ear holes being distracting, but I’m not sure what they could do about it without making things a lot more complicated (i.e. expensive). I wish we could see your Smokey Bear mask! My mom used to be very “crafty”, and she made masks for my brother for school, one was a Polynesian bird-headed deity of some sort, and another was a gorilla covered in black fur over a paper bag!
KS, even in the 1990s, I would mail away for prizes just for fun, using fake silly names. I still have some of them, like a Darkwing Duck bubble gun, and a pair of giant Ren and Stimpy underpants!
Mike Cozart, ha ha, Carol Channing had her dark side I guess! Just imagining her weird voice doing anything serious is a massive disconnect. I wonder if some of the costumes my mom made were taken from those same magazines you mentioned? It’s more than possible, she was into ALL kinds of crafts.
Lou and Sue, I had to see if I could find anything about that mask. I was very glad that there was info. In fact, somebody is selling a constructed Huck mask on eBay right now. Looking closer, it does look like you might be chewing on a toy. Hey, I did it! Grundig, a name for stereos (and TVs) that I haven’t heard for a long time. I sure used to love it when my mom and dad played records, even stuff that is not my thing at ALL these days. Happy Halloween to you!
Bu, I guess it’s only natural that your name would be fodder for kids. Hopefully all good-natured! I still remember a nice guy from school with the last name “Klunk”, he took a lot of ribbing that made me feel bad for him. Being “monster kids” (fans of all things monstery) in the 1960s and 1970s meant that we looked forward to Halloween so much! I think that the fabric for a lot of those old boxed costumes was acetate, but I could be wrong - it probably changed over the years. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was sure cheap. I love the old Hanna Barbera cartoons, though I have friends who absolutely hated them. I don’t know, they had a lot of charm in spite of their TV budgets. And they had some of the best character designers and voice talent of the era. Sue is eating a ruler, she thinks it will make her taller.
JB, I thought the same thing, and your hypothesis sounds legit. I kind of like the reversed black and white, weirdly. Just thinking about the sugary cereals of my childhood makes me want a big bowl full of… something. Lucky Charms? Cocoa Krispies? Honeycomb? Cinnamon Toast Crunch? I love them all! I know you are right about the better animated characters usually resulting in better toys/figures, but I’ve seen some guys (a sculptor named Kent Melton is one of the best, and he could even turn those crude Beatles cartoon characters into 3D figures!
Dean Finder, Happy Halloween to you! As I said to Anon, I think that ad might be from Canada or England, but obviously Sue did not live in either of those places. Yum, Cocoa Krispies, I love them. Good for chocolately Rice Krispie treats too (add peanut butter for even more fun). I remember when all of the cereals started to get rid of the word “sugar”. Calvin (from “Calvin and Hobbes”) loved Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs!
"....a pair of giant Ren and Stimpy underpants!"
HAHAHA!
Major, I'm going on eBay now, to look up the mask...thanks for the heads up!
Sue
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