Sunday, June 14, 2009

Souvenir Sunday - Decals!

It's been a while since I've done a "souvenir sunday", so today seemed like as good a day as any! I have a very small collection of vintage travel decals (or "water decals"), probably dating from the 50's and 60's. These inexpensive souvenirs were plentiful, and when you had a lot of them stuck on your rear window or suitcase, everyone knew that you were well-traveled, worldy, and wise. I find myself drawn to the simple graphics, and the slightly off-register, garish colors.

From Knott's Berry Farm, here's Sad Eye Joe.


The Monorail from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair is worthy subject matter...


From Marineland (formerly in beautiful Palos Verdes), here's Bubbles the pilot whale. Not only could he leap and twirl, but he could recite pi to 1000 decimal places. Eat that, Shamu!


Here's a nice vintage decal showing Las Vegas when Fremont Street was the happening place. There's "Vegas Vic" from the Pioneer Club, along with plenty of other classic neon signs. Glitter Gulch indeed! The actual decal has some wild day-glo pinks that did not translate when scanned.


I'll share some additional decals someday!
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6 comments:

  1. Boler12:13 AM

    Wow. I remember we had decals like those all over the back of our camper trailer back in the 1970s. Lots from California, Arizona, Utah. Usually simple colours, lots of yellow, and always a bit off register and crudely drawn. We also collected the sew on patches, which had similar graphics.

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  2. TokyoMagic!1:12 AM

    These spark memories. My dad would always make up some excuse for my brother and I to go up to Sad Eye Joe alone, so he could then give our names and hometown to the guy that did Sad Eye Joe's voice (in the window at Goldie's Place.) We didn't figure it out for years.

    I wish I was around at the time to be able to go to the Seattle World's Fair, but I do always ride the monorail whenever I get up there. I love Seattle.....and the old Fair Grounds/Seattle Center!

    I miss Marineland!!!!!!

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  3. Nancy3:00 AM

    these are very cool!

    Sad Eye Joe certainly lives up to his name, and of course, i LOVE the monorail. Bubbles is quite natty in his straw hat, and Las Vegas is one of the places on my "list" (you know the one...)

    thanks for sharing :D

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  4. Hrundi V. Bakshi7:32 AM

    You're not going to make me sad with anything relating to old LV Major. Rat-Pack era Vegas (and earlier) is right up there with Vintage Disneyland for me. I have a medium sized collection of early Stardust memorabilia.

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  5. Vintage Disneyland Tickets7:50 AM

    These are great, ultra-rare & cool Marineland one! I have a Sad Eye Joe decal on my garage window, the sun has faded & cracked him pretty bad, but it looks almost better that way! THANKS MAJOR!

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  6. Chiana3:38 PM

    I'd put a vintage '50s Vegas Chero- Keely Smith sticker on my bumper ;)

    Now how did Bubbles wear a straw hat? :p

    Neat stickers. Yuo must be very well traveled, very worldly, very wise and very weary.

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