The kids are tired of TikTok! They want Pins From the Bag!
This first pin is special to me, because it belonged to my dad, who was a big fan of Walt Kelly's "Pogo", a comic strip that ran from 1948 to 1975. Dad had around a dozen books (collections of daily strips) from the 1950s that I used to read, and I grew to love Pogo Possum, Albert Alligator, Churchy LaFemme (a turtle), Howland Owl, Porky Pine, and the other denizens of the Okefenokee swamp. After my dad passed away, my mom gave me this large pinback button, which he kept in a drawer with his cufflinks and other "guy stuff".
This next pin is from 1980, when a feature-length animated film was released. I've never seen it! Wikipedia tells us that some of the voices were provided by people such as Ruth Buzzi, Stan Freberg, Jonathan Winters, Arnold Stang, and even Vincent Price.
This next button is likely from the later 1930s or even the 1940s. "Wonder-Cut" bread. Is that the same as Wonder Bread? I get the feeling that it might be a knock-off, but I'm not really sure. The wrapper does have the same multi-colored balloons that I have always liked (though these balloons all have text in them, so...). The best thing about Wonder Bread is the way it sticks to the roof of your mouth.
Many cities around the country had various annual celebrations... winter carnivals, "pioneer days", and the like. This pin is from a 1941 "Aquatennial" in Minneapolis. Knowing nothing about the Aquatennial, I looked it up: The Minneapolis Aquatennial is an annual outdoor event held in the U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the third full week of July. Originating in 1940, overshadowing the teamster picnics (potentially violent events) "to take the minds of Minneapolis citizens off past troubles and focus all minds throughout the state on some pleasant event", the Minneapolis Aquatennial celebrates the city's lakes, rivers, and streams. They still celebrate the Aquatennial to this day!
I've actually shared a photo of this Kid's Ken-L-Klub button back in 2015, but it's in the bag, and international law says that I have to share it again.
This last one is a favorite, with "Peppy Flame", a natural gas flame who works his (her?) blazing little head off for you! Peppy Flame was the mascot for the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) based out of Merrillville, IN and founded in 1912. This mascot was originally created in 1957 to promote the natural gas business and was used in advertising into the 1970s. Peppy’s blue hair is a good sign when using natural gas and is indicative of complete combustion.
There are more Pins From the Bag!
Major-
ReplyDeleteI didn't know your dad and you were both fans of Pogo. Very nice.
As you kinda surmised, "Wonder-Cut Bread" is indeed the same as Wonder Bread. They used the term "wonder-cut" in their early advertising to brand and describe their specific mechanical slicing method. That 'sticky glop' which often attaches to the roof of your mouth like a plecostomus, is proof-positive of 'over-proofed' bread of the highest order, (and not a feature one really wants in bread) but a characteristic of the 'crummy stuff' often found in lousy baked goods. But I have to admit that 'mouth feel' is not easily forgotten and can conjure-up good memories...
Peppy Flame - sounds like an appropriate name for a gas mascot...
"I'm GAS - and I put other fuels to shame.
I'm friendly, smiling, courteous, too,
Eager to bring my assistance to you.
I work all hours, both night and day,
Quick and efficient, the modern way.
I'm the lowest-priced servant you can hire,
And the only one that will never tire.
I'm clean and dependable, also true blue.
I'm PEPPY and I like to work for you-!"
Sounds like the perfect mid-century "miracle"-!
Thanks, Major.
I remember reading, or at least seeing, Pogo in the Sunday comics back in the 1960s. I wasn't very much 'into it' as the subject matter sometimes went over my head. I was only about 10 or 12 at the time. Looking at him (Pogo) now, he looks too cute to be a possum! Possums have long snouts with big nasty sharp teeth! And looong, bare, rat tails!
ReplyDeleteI get the feeling that "WonderCut Bread" probably IS Wonder Bread. But a very early iteration, touting the fact that the bread is now sliced which, as we know, was a new thing back in the day. Or, like you said, it was a knock-off. They probably used sawdust instead of wheat flour.
"Kids Ken-L-Klub"? A place where you drop off your kids while Mom and Dad have fun? What kind of dog would you say that is on the pin? (Besides 'yellow', Chuck.)
Hmm, "NIPSCO" is just as hard to pronounce as "Northern Indiana Public Service Company". They need a new name! (Including "Peppy Flame", which sounds kinda dweeby to me.) I do like the pin though! It comes in a close 2nd to the 1st place winner: WonderCut Bread! I really like the graphics on that pin!
Nanook, thanks for the "Wonder Bread" verification. Back when we had a tropical fish tank ('70s to '80s) we always had a plecostomus in there to clean up the algae build-up.
Thanks for sharing more of your pin collection, Major.
Maybe Wonder Bread was making their bread with the same foam used in yoga mats, long before Subway was ever doing it. By the way, I haven't eaten at Subway since that information came out about their bread, even though they have supposedly stopped using that ingredient.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of Pogo, but I don't know very much about him. And I had no idea that there was a Pogo movie! I have to look into this little guy and his critter friends. Maybe Disney should have bought the rights to Pogo, converted Splash Mountain into "Pogo Peak," and kept the "Critter" theme for the land. Just how does Pooh fit into "Bayou Country"? Ah, but I digress.
I like the Kids Ken L Club button, and I clearly remember when you posted it with those black and white images from DL. How can that be 11 years ago? Scary!
"The Minneapolis Aquatennial, sponsored by Aqu Net, since 1961!" Seems like a perfect fit, even if I did make it up.
Thanks for sharing more of your "Pins from the Bag," Major!
It's the Pogo pinbacks for me. I used to read Pogo religiously as a kid. One of my favorite comic strips back then. I especially looked forward to the Sunday Comics section with Pogo, Wizard of Id, B.C. and Lil' Abner in color.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major. Always enjoying seeing your treasures.
I’m going for the Wonder-Cut Bread because my Dad used to say he wondered who would eat it. No fans in our house, but we often had Roman Meal in the amber wrapper with a centurion on the label.
ReplyDeleteI’m with JB, I saw Pogo in the paper, but didn’t get it.
Thanks for Stuff From The Bag, Major!
JG
These are real treasures! I think Peppy Flame is my favorite, due to their resemblance to my old childhood friend Reddy kilowatt. (I don't think the two of them should ever stand too close together!)
ReplyDeleteI've read that Jim Henson was a big fan of Pogo, and that its general tone was an inspiration for the Muppets.
Intellectually, I can understand why they tried to color the Aquatennial Queen's lips red, but somehow it looks creepier than if they'd just left them a nice, hypoxic blue like the rest of the image.
Nanook, oh yeah, my dad’s love of Pogo was passed on to me at a very early age! Walt Kelly was a brilliant artist and writer. Funny, I looked “Wonder Bread” up on Wikipedia, and it made no mention of “Wonder-Cut Bread”, so much for Wikipedia! I used to love pillowy soft white bread when I was a kid. Now I tend to like something with more whole grains. I remember winning a miniature loaf of Wonder Bread at a carnival, and made toast with it when we got home. It was the most delicious toast I’d ever eaten! Meanwhile, I heart Peppy Flame.
ReplyDeleteJB, I think Pogo began to fade a bit in the later years; Walt Kelly wanted to make jokes about current politics and social issues, and while still better than most comic strips, it was not as fun as the general charm of the characters in the swamp and their situations. I always thought Pogo looked like he could put on a “plum nose” thing and fake ears and look a lot like Mickey Mouse! Walt Kelly did work for Disney for a few years before his Pogo fame. I’d say that yellow dog is some kind of terrier, a good old mutt perhaps. “NIPSCO” is one of the most powerful organizations in the world, the Illuminati trembles at their hard-to-pronounce name.
TokyoMagic!, I guess I never heard whatever news about Subway’s bread, but I stopped eating at Subway years and years ago. An ex-girlfriend thought she’d make some extra money working at the Subway on the Cal State Northridge campus, and her description of how the store was run made me never ever want Subway again. Wow, I love your idea of Pogo in Splash Mountain! He would fit just fine. I was very surprised when I learned that the Aquatennial was still a going concern, I was sure it would have stopped in the 70s. I’m glad it’s still around!
K. Martinez, I remember when Walt Kelly’s wife (and maybe some other artist) tried to bring Pogo back after her husband had passed. The artwork looked right, but it just lacked spark. I don’t think it lasted very long. I feel like I need to educate myself more re: Li’l Abner, which by all accounts was another brilliant comic strip.
JG, ha, well like I said, I loved Wonder Bread when I was a kid. There was just something about how it was so perfect and soft. We got Roman Meal sometimes too, I liked that for toast. Maybe you saw the later, more-political Pogo, there were LBJ jokes, Khrushchev jokes, that sort of thing. Not much fun for younger readers.
Melissa, I know somebody who collects old advertising mascots, everything from vinyl dolls to large fiberglass figures, to matchbooks and restaurant ephemera (and so on). There are SO MANY cute, clever figures long-forgotten by most, I really love how appealing they are. I often think that Disney artists must have freelanced and designed some of them. I never heard that Jim Henson liked Pogo, that makes sense! Those red lips on the Aquatennial Queen do look a bit vampiric, but I like them.