Stuff From the Box!
Stuff From The Box! It's the Stuff that America is talking about!
Let's begin with this awesome premium Jet Plane Ring, a Kellogg's PEP giveaway (Pep cereal had the best prizes) from 1948. A ring with a gleaming silver jet plane on it would be cool enough, but this one is spring-loaded! Just pull the little tab (to the right) back and fire the plane into mom's meatloaf mix.
The planes would get lost, though to be honest these rings are not terribly rare. Still, they are pretty cool, so they can go for over ten million dollars.
Here's a vintage comic's page ad. Mother knows best!
Next, two similar badges with a jolly little elf waving to us. One says "I am a pal of Tiny Tawker". Huh? As far as I can determine, Tiny Tawker appeared on calendars with illustrations by famed artist Andrew Loomis in the 1950s. Tiny did elf stuff (as you might expect). It seems that he was also used as a mascot for many companies, such as Tri-City Dairy.
You know how I love me a vintage employee pin or badge! And this one is from the Campbell Soup company. Contractor 269 probably supplied the little star-shaped pasta for "Chicken and Stars" soup, a position that required top security clearance so that the Russkies couldn't steal our idea. Give me some tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. NOW!
Another vintage pin is this brass example worn by a Burger King employee. Was it given after 50 years of service? "Frankly, this is the first one we've ever bestowed on an employee!". I would be proud to wear it, I'll tell you what.
Speaking of brass, here's a nice uniform button from a Western Airlines employee. At one time, Western advertised itself as "America's Oldest Airline" - whether that's a true fact or not, I could not determine. However, it did start operations in 1925; Charles Lindberg did not cross the Atlantic until 1927. In the early years Western used such motifs as arrowheads and the profile of an Indian chief. Later they became well known for their slogan, "Western Airlines; the o-o-o-o-nly way to fly!".
And finally here's a fun little plastic advertising keychain from the Orkin pest control company. Founded by Otto Orkin in 1901, the name "Otto" was also used for The Orkin Man. Call him if ya gots bugs! He'll blast them with something totally safe, I'm sure.
You already know that there is lots more STUFF FROM THE BOX.
15 comments:
Major-
Clearly, I MUST have that Jet Plane Ring-! Thank you for providing my next object of desire du jour-!
Of course, I have to ask: Have you launched the plane from the ring? I'm guessing 'yes'. Because that's how you know it is attracted to meatloaf mix. Seriously, I would think that the tiny plane would get lost after the first launch... or two.
Hard to choose a favorite today. I like the plane ring, the elf badges, the Burger King pin, and the Indian head button; all about the same.
The Campbell's badge is kinda plain, but I'm sure you have your reasons for collecting it. :-p And I'm not sure what Otto, the Orkin Man is supposed to be; sort of like a fire extinguisher filled with bug killer?
What the heck. I'll just say my favorite today is the Burger King pin. I like the sort of "Art Deco meets modern art" design. Plus it looks hefty, like gold bars.
Thanks for sharing more of your Stuff, Major.
I really like that Burger King pin, but that plane-launching ring is pretty nifty. I suppose you could potentially put someone's eye out with it. I wonder just how many kids were excited to find a photo of Alice Faye inside their box of cereal? My grandmother had a conversation with her husband, Phil Harris, when she ran into him at an Albertson's grocery store in Palm Desert. If I had been there with her, I would have asked him to sing a few bars from "The Bare Necessities," but that's just me.
Thanks for sharing more "Stuff From The Box," Major!
Well, heck, I was gonna buy the plane ring, but I only have nine million! Oh well, back into the loose change jar it goes... But yeah, I would lose that plane faster than a rabbit on a date.
Tiny Tawker is kind of like Ernest, in that he promoted different products. But I bet he never saved Christmas, by golly. (Which is weird, being an elf and all...)
Finally, I don't really "get" the Orkin key chains. Maybe they should have gotten Tiny to represent them. They could have given him BIG shoes! (You know, to step on bugs).
Nice box stuff, Major!
Surprising style from BK...but crikey, 50 years of char-broiling? You deserve something nice, your way!
MS
The ring is just Plane Crazy*. I love it! Ten million is not too high a price for something so outrageous! And the cereal is fourth-dimensional since it contains more Vitamins than the ingredients! How can this be?
Tiny Tawker tried out for the role of Rumpelstiltzkin, and ended his career advertising dairy products, still a decent hard-working troll.
Major, you’re right, Contractor 269 was in charge of Specialty Pasta, says so in Pastapedia.
I think Josef Albers designed that BK pin, or maybe Gerrit Rietveld.
Western Airlines! Their entire air fleet was composed of Pontiacs,, judging by this pin.
I think the Orkin guy is a bug sprayer, which is weird, but Not much weirder than the Gundam suit used in later commercials.
Major, thank you for this fascinating display of trinkets. I have to go with the plane today, but it’s a tough choice.
JG
*obligatory Disney reference.
Nanook, if you must have only one vintage cereal premium, the Jet Plane Ring would be a good way to go!
JB, yes, I have launched the plane, but I didn’t pull back on the little spring very much, because I didn’t want to lose the little jet! I know what you mean about choosing a favorite, they are all so incredibly great. That’s what you meant, right? RIGHT? I have childhood nostalgia for Campbell’s Soup, plus there’s the Andy Warhol of it all, so that’s why I bought that pin. I do think that Otto Orkin is supposed to be some sort of sprayer, maybe one of those ones that you pump up by hand to provide pressure? Not sure what those are called. I would not have guessed that anyone’s favorite would be the Burger King pin, but I’m glad that it is!
TokyoMagic!, ha ha, the Alice Faye picture is a little bit of an odd non-sequitur. At first I thought that you were telling me that your grandmother’s husband was Phil Harris. And that your REAL name is Tokyo Harris. NOW WE KNOW! I would have asked Phil for money, but that’s just me.
Stu29573, I had to choose between the Jet Plane Ring and a small, exquisite Monet landscape. I think I made the right decision. Not only didn’t Tiny Tawker NOT save Christmas, he was “of the Devil’! A whole different movie would need to be made.
MS, I don’t know if that pin is actually for 50 years of service, but I’ll bet there are a few people out there who devoted their lives to the King of Burgers!
JG, post-war technology is how we can explain the Einstein’s Vitamin Conundrum (he wrote a paper about it and presented it to Cal Tech). I am impressed that you spelled “Rumpelstiltzkin” correctly, now that’s a name. Being in charge of the star-shaped pasta was the pinnacle of status and pride in the soup biz, Contractor 268 was so pissed! The BK pin does have a certain “modern art” look to it, which I love for something tied to fast food. “Make it classy, OK?”. Pontiacs, oh boy, I love those models that had the light-up Indian head mascot on the hood, so super cool. I guess I have never seen the Orkin Gundam suits, sadly. But I would wear one. Glad you enjoyed these!
I have to agree that the jet ring is great. Other kids will envy me! It has an exhaust vent and is gold plated! I enjoy a weird advertising mascot, especially one that’s an anthropomorphic version of the product. The Burger King would bring a classy touch to either uniform or suit. Thanks for Stuff Box visit, Major.
Oh sure kids back then can have a miniature jet plane firing ring but in 1978 suddenly safety is an issue and I can’t have a rocket firing boba Fett mail away action figure!!
I wonder if when giving out those Burger King Employee pins the company let the recipient “have it their way…” ??
In the past few years Campbell’s Soup Company has dropped “soup” from its logo graphics and wants to be called just “Campbell’s”
^ Mike, I don’t know if you have Dunkin' Donuts there, but we have them all over here and they dropped the word “Donuts.” Pretty silly, if you ask me. But they didn’t. They mainly sell coffee and donuts. Yucky, stale donuts, but good coffee.
Stu, I love your idea about adding big shoes to Otto. I usually grab paper towels to smush spiders, as I don’t want to have to clean spider guts and legs out of my shoe treads (or whatever they’re called). Chuck, do you still have that handy spider smasher block?
Thanks, Major.
I think the overlap between kids who would be motivated by a Jet Plane ring and a Alice Faye ring would be 0.
I have a friend who's a fan of Burger King stuff, even though he never worked there. He'd definitely wear that pin on his lapel.
That Otto Orkin character is definitely an old-fashioned pump sprayer. Though he looks kind of like a relative of Q-Bert.
Sue, I sure do. It’s sitting on the lamp stand next to the tub.
Make that “lamp stand next to the sofa.” Mrs Chuck was talking to me as I was typing and I absentmindedly typed in a word she was speaking.
Chuck, I’m glad you clarified that. I was wondering why you needed a lamp stand next to your tub.
Kathy!, I know you like these “Stuff From the Box” posts! I know, a gold-plated cereal premium seems “above and beyond”. I am a huge fan of advertising mascots, and collected them for a while, but generally couldn’t afford the really great ones.
Mike Cozart, I’m sure, just like Disneyland, companies were trying to avoid any liability, and I can’t blame them. Plus, nobody wants a kid to choke on some little metal or plastic piece. I did read about the change to the Campbell’s name, but it doesn’t really ruffle my feathers.
Lou and Sue, man, when I was a kid I used to love to go to Dunkin’ Donuts for a chocolate cream-filled donut! I thought they were the best, but then again, I was a kid, and didn’t know anything. I’m sad to learn that their donuts aren’t good anymore. I agree, Stu’s idea about the big shoes on Otto Orkin is great!
Dean Finder, I agree with you, the whole Alice Faye thing is very strange. Maybe a cowboy would be better? Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, etc. I have a very few Burger King items, I stopped eating at BK restaurants a long time ago because the food was too nasty.
Chuck, I guess I’ve forgotten any discussion about a spider smasher block, I apologize.
Chuck, oh sure, blame Mrs. Chuck!
Lou and Sue, I wonder a lot of things, ha ha.
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