Howsabout another selection of PINS FROM THE BAG??
This first example is particularly nice, a souvenir from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, which ran from February 20th through to December 4th. You might find one of the buttons all by itself, and that would be pretty swell, but this one has the added bonus of a ribbon indicating that this pin commemorated the final day of the Expo. "Good-Bye!". The tiny silhouette of the famous sculpture "The End of the Trail" was also depicted (appropriately); the sculpture dated back to 1894, but for some reason it really caught on and was supposedly one of the most popular features at this event.
Next is this pinback button advertising DeSoto automobiles -: DeSoto was an American automobile brand that was manufactured and marketed by the DeSoto division of Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to the 1961 model year. More than two million passenger cars and trucks bore the DeSoto brand in North American markets during its existence. I'd guess that many folks today have never heard of DeSoto automobiles. The simple graphics on this button evoke streamlined speed, or even jet flight.
Many people forget that Huckleberry Hound ran for the nation's highest office, but here is proof. HH debuted in 1958, and he threw his hat into the ring in 1960. He lost to John F. Kennedy, but that didn't keep his spirits down, no siree!
This large pinback button bears the likeness of Walt Disney's Peter Pan. That film was from 1963, but I suspect that the pin is from the 1960s (if not later) - there were rereleases in 1958, 1969, and 1972. Beneath ©Walt Disney Productions are the words "A Benay-Albee Prod"; Benay-Albee was a company known for producing novelty hats, most notably the Mickey Mouse ear hats worn by the Mouseketeers on the Mickey Mouse Club television show. They were also well-known for their Davy Crockett coonskin caps, which were popular headwear for children in the 1950s. I think they also made dolls, though I am not 100% certain.
I couldn't resist a pin with the likeness of The Cat in the Hat, the beloved character created by Theodore Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss). "I Love Reading", was this pin given out to children at bookstores? Or perhaps at libraries? The pin is among the newer examples in THE BAG, being from 1996 - which still makes it 30 years old!
And finally, I'm always happy to see Reddy Kilowatt, a cheerful character created in 1926 to help encourage consumer demand for electrical power - particularly for farms, apparently. It's hard to believe that such a ploy was even necessary, but new ideas are sometimes met with some resistance. That's an Ohm joke, son!
There are plenty more PINS FROM THE BAG.
Major-
ReplyDeleteIt somehow strikes me as awfully rude to create buttons for 'the closing day' of anything, but I suppose sometimes...
The Forward Look (created by the head of styling at Chrysler Corp., Virgil Exner) was used to 'plug' the Chrysler line of automobiles from 1955 thru 1961. We were all so "modern" back then.
It's been a while since we've gazed-upon any figures of everyone's favorite anthropomorphic spokesman for electricity generation, who as you mentioned, has been around since 1926. I really enjoy this pin design. (Less known was his rival, Willie Wiredhand, created in 1950 as the mascot of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association). What - you didn't know-?
Thanks, Major.
Hey, how come 'stuff' gets a nice cozy, secure, box; while 'pins' only get a bag? ;-)
ReplyDelete1) The attached ribbon really does elevate this button, which is nice, to a higher level. The combination of shapes, textures, and colors is very pleasing. When I was a kid (a couple of years ago), an aunt and uncle had a "End of the Trail" painting in their home; a copy of a painting which was in turn, a copy of the sculpture. I wonder how common it was to have one of those paintings in homes back in the fifties?
2) I remember the DeSoto name from back then but I'm not sure I ever saw one. An uncle had an Edsel, does that count?
3) I don't recall Huckleberry Hound running for president. I suspect this pin came from a cereal box? I like the bright colors.
4) I like the thumbnail version of the Peter Pan button (which is probably actual size?) better than the enlarged version because of the dot-i-fi-cation of Peter's face, which isn't noticeable in the smaller image. Did Pan really have green eyes?
5) 1996 was 30 years ago? No way! (I need more proof.)
6) I've seen Reddy Kilowatt my whole life. He's a comforting presence.
OK, another 'hard to pick a favorite' selection of pins. I'm torn between the 1915 Expo button and The Cat in the Hat pin.... I suppose I'll go with the Cat in the Hat; partly because of the simplicity, and the easily recognizable Seussian artwork. I just get good feelings when I see him. Thanks, Major.
I love that exposition pin and ribbon. Gee, just thinking about how old it is and how it has survived all these years is pretty amazing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever heard of a DeSoto until the TV show, "Happy Days." Didn't the Cunninghams own one?
So I guess Huckleberry Hound and Winnie the Pooh never ran for president in the same year?
I've know I saw that Peter Pan button somewhere, but I can't remember if it was available at Disneyland. Throughout the 70s and 80s, they did sell buttons at the park, related to the studio's latest releases and re-releases. "Peter Pan" was also re-released in 1982, so the pin could even be from that late of a date.
Thanks for sharing, Major. I'm just curious...do you do anything to protect your pins from "rubbing" against one another in that pin "bag"?
I’m going for the Expo button today. For reasons which I cannot now recall, the End of the Trail statue found a home in the late 1960’s (?) in Mooney Grove, a park in Visalia near my home. I remember it was a big deal getting it and there were ceremonies and speeches. Not sure if it was the original or a copy, but still celebrated nonetheless. Not sure where the statue resided for the intervening years though.
ReplyDeleteJG
Thanks for all the pins, Major!
ReplyDeleteJG
That Exposition pin is really Nifty! Very little of that exposition survives - but most of its sister exposition in San Diego’s Balboa Park does! Both cities held the same expositions celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal - San Francisco agreed to focus on more an industrial theme , and San Diego on a more agricultural theme.
ReplyDeleteOf course DeSoto is such a familiar automobile name of the past …. But it general it’s a AWFUL sounding car name! DeSoto sounds like a world for coal dust build up in a furnace or a 1920’s throat infection! My friends and I used to play a drinking game of “towns and cities that sound like old time diseases and medical conditions “ lol . The favorites were LUCADIA and MIRA LOMA ( of the eye) I think LAGUARDIA ( of the throat )
Nanook, I assume that the folks who ran the Panama-Pacific International Exposition knew that the last day would be a madhouse. Might as well try to sell some extra merchandise! “Virgil Exner”, we had names back then. For some reason I don’t love Willie Wirehand as much as Reddy Kilowatt, even though he predates Reddy and is harder to come by. I might have one Willie Wirehand pinback button - somewhere.
ReplyDeleteJB, the pins should probably go into a box, but so far I haven’t changed anything! I’ll bet sculptures and paintings of “The End of the Trail” were pretty common, it seems to have really captured the imaginations of Americans. Your uncle had an Edsel? Cool! I’ve always liked Edsels. I doubt that the Huckleberry Hound pin came from a cereal box, but I can’t say for certain. There are a surprising number of Hanna-Barbera character campaign buttons, weirdly. I don’t think Peter Pan had green eyes, though that wouldn’t be that weird for a never-aging boy who flies. That Reddy Kilowatt button is odd because it is a silver metal button with an applied paper picture of Reddy, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
TokyoMagic!, yeah, when I found that PPIE pin from 1915, I was kind of amazed. It was in a weird little shop in Sunland, I also got some other good stuff there too. I wish it was still around! I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cunninghams owned a DeSoto. Huck and Pooh ran for President at least a decade apart, so there was no ugly insulting! My guess is that the Peter Pan button is from the late 60s or early 70s, mostly because of the graphic style and the colors; I think by the 80s it would have looked very different. Glad you liked these! Each pin is in its own 3”X3” or 4”X4” ziploc bag. Readily available on eBay!
JG, “Mooney Grove”, I’ve never heard of it, but I love the name! I am wondering if my grandparents in Minnesota had some “End of the Trail” thing in their house, I feel like I have a vague memory of such a thing. I’d love to know more about the statue you mentioned, I wonder if there’s any info about it on Google?
JG, no problemo!
Mike Cozart, it’s kind of amazing that back at the turn of the Century (the 20th Century, I mean) and for decades afterward, the US had more than a few World’s Fairs and Expos of varying degrees of grandeur. My guess is that there won’t be anything like that again, no company could justify spending millions on a fair when the CEO could pocket that money instead. I don’t have the same negative associations with the name DeSoto, I mostly think of the explorer who “discovered” the Mississippi River.
Major-
ReplyDelete"... I don’t love Willie Wirehand as much as Reddy Kilowatt, even though he predates Reddy".
Huh-? 'Ol Willie followed Reddy by 24 years. And BTW, Willie is clearly an 'also-ran' as it's hard to favor a mascot representing electricity that fails to include 'electrical bolts of lightning'-!
@ TM!-
Yes, the Cunningham's first automobile was a (1946-1948) DeSoto.
Nanook, ha, well I clearly didn't do any research - somehow I thought that Willie Wirehand was an earlier attempt at creating a mascot. But jeez, he didn't come along until Reddy was old enough to drink!
ReplyDeleteThe Cat in the Hat pin was actually produced in support of the city in Pennsylvania. Heteronyms are the bane of English comprehension.
ReplyDeleteReddy Kilowatt always makes me smile, mostly thinking about my mom teasing my aunt about losing a trivia game once by calling the character "Eddie Edison." It's odd that they felt the ned to come up with a cartoon character advertising something that could kill you (see "Joe Camel").
Thanks, Major!
Here is the End of the Trail statue in Visalia.
ReplyDeletehttps://maps.app.goo.gl/nU5TcBp1fr1srSWw9?g_st=ipc
JG
@ TM!-
ReplyDeleteYes, the Cunningham's first automobile was a (1946-1948) DeSoto.
Nanook, thanks for confirming that!
And now I'm remembering an episode of "Laverne & Shirley," when Laverne is afraid to fly. Shirley tries to explain to her that flying is safer than driving by saying, "Laverne....nobody ever crashed into a cloud before!" And Laverne replies, "Yeah, but nobody ever fell 20,000 feet out of DeSoto, either!"
Old enough to remember a one-shot comic book of Yogi Bear and Magilla Gorilla running for president (and upstaging the traditional "Donkey Party" and "Elephant Party" candidates, represented as identical Southern senator types). Huck was Yogi's campaign manager, while Magilla had Top Cat promoting him. There were cutout buttons on the back cover.
ReplyDelete