Stuff. From The Box!
Let's see what else is in that crazy box of stuff. There's something for everyone!
First up is this Captain Midnight Flight Commander badge with a "flying cross" design, which I believe dates to 1942 - early in the WWII era. Ovaltine sponsored the Captain Midnight radio program (taking over for Skelly Oil) in 1941. With wartime metal rationing, some radio premiums were eventually changed to plastic or even paper.
My grandparents had some old political ephemera in various closets and drawers, and that's where I found this little tin-litho badge for the Republican candidate for President in 1936, Alf Landon. His campaign against Franklin Roosevelt didn't go well... Wikipedia says He proved to be an ineffective campaigner and carried just two states in the election. After the election, he left office as governor and never sought public office again. I have a few other items from his campaign, most using the sunflower motif (it is the state flower of Kansas where he was Governor).
Here's a swell plastic keychain, a giveaway from POWERAMA in 1955. General Motors Powerama, a.k.a. "The World's Fair of Power," was an industry show that opened to the public from August 31, 1955 to September 25, 1955 in Chicago (with a press preview conducted on August 30). The fair included 253 exhibitions. It was promoted in celebration of its milestone production of 100-million horsepower engines over its 22-year history. Looking towards the future, the fair also included a demonstration of a miniature solar-powered cars.
There were a number of aviation-themed radio programs in the 1930s, and one of those was "Howie Wing, Cadet" sponsored by Kellogg's. This little silver tone metal badge is a little skewed, but that makes me love it even more. It's like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, it needs me!
While I love souvenirs from vintage Los Angeles, I don't have that many items in my collection. Plentiful artifacts are tokens that were used for things like the famous Red Line trolleys, and the token below, which was for bus service. What's not to love?
And lastly, howsabout this cool TIGER TOOTH good luck piece (with "safari signal"!), given out at P.F. Flyer shoe stores? I can't seem to find any exact date, just "from the 1960s". Well OK. While the tooth appears to be made out of genuine ivory, it is in fact made of high-quality plastic. One side featured a fine carving of a native mask, while the other side has the safari signal/siren. Blow into it to "signal each other when you're lost, in danger, hunting down game, or just playing". Can I use it if my tummy is growling and I need some graham crackers? Inside is a secret compartment, a sundial, and (not really visible here) a "magic coder" inscribed on the left portion of the toof.
That's it for this installment of STUFF FROM THE BOX!
28 comments:
Major-
Will the goodies ever stop-? The LA Bus token is a real keeper; as is the "genuine" Tiger Tooth.
I have nothing against either sunflowers (okay - a little), or elephants, but is it any wonder 'ol Alf lost big time with that oddball badge-? Sunflowers just don't work with elephants.
Thanks, Major for another adventure in the Box.
Am trying to think of what I can store in that P.F. Flyer Tiger Tooth. Maybe chewed gum?? Probably not, ‘cause then the safari siren probably wouldn’t work, in an emergency. Oh well, it’s still my favorite, today,
Thank you for sharing your stuff, Major.
Usually I would choose something bright and shiny as my favorite du jour. But I think I'll go with the Tiger Tooth. So many uses! Major, you didn't specify the size of the tooth, but the thumbnail image looks like it would be pretty close.
Somebody put a lot of creative thought and engineering into this plastic tooth.
I can picture some kid (boy, most likely) threading it onto an old shoelace and hanging it around his neck. This would be about 10 years before the fad of boys wearing shell necklaces became a thing.
Thanks for the stuff, Major.
- June Bride (result of yesterday's jubilant betrothal)
So many uses!
June Bride, like what??
Sue, it looks like we posted at the same time. It also looks like we all like the Tiger's Tooth.
If you put chewed gum inside the tooth, and blow on the Siren, a gum bubble will come oozing out those holes. The sound will be trapped inside the bubble. And when you pop the bubble, the sound will escape! I'm a genius at these sorts of things.
What uses, you ask? Well, it could be used as a replacement tooth for a tiger who has lost one. It could be used to scrape the fatty gunk off of animal hides so they can be cured as leather.. It could be used as a letter opener, an adze, or a burnishing tool.
You can tell it's after midnight, my silliness quotient is maxing out.
JB, I’m fading, too. But, first things, first.
An adze. I had to Google it...learned a new word, but am so tired I’ll have forgotten it by tomorrow.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Don’t worry, Sue. We’ll adze you if you remember in the morning.
Yeah, I just woke up.
I think the sundial is probably my favorite oddball feature of my favorite oddball premium in today’s Breakfast With the Box™. To use it, just open the tooth all the way, place it in the palm of your hand with the flat side to your right, hold the round surface parallel with the ground, face north, and viola! - you’ll know what time it is. Just as soon as the sun comes up. If it isn’t cloudy. And you go outside. In the Northern Hemisphere.
How do you know which way north is? Easy! Just consult your official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time (that last item is a backup just in case you forget to wind your PF Flyer sundial).
Oh my goodness! I had one of those PF Flyer things. What a blast from the past that I had completely forgotten about. I wouldn’t have remembered that it was associated with PF Flyer and don’t even remember when or where I first got it, but as you say, it would definitely have been in the late 60s or possibly very early 70s.
My favorite is the tiger tooth! (Although I also like that L.A. bus token.) I think I would use that tiger tooth as a hat, or a brooch, or even a pterodactyl.
My favorite today is the L.A. Bus token. So many times, have I taken the local bus or RTD in SoCal to other destinations within L.A./Orange Counties area.
That tiger tooth gets second place. Thanks, Major.
Ok, the Tiger Tooth is the clear winner today (although everything is pretty nice). I wonder how many kids stuck it under their top lip to "become" a ferocious tiger! ARRRRRRRRR! Ok, maybe a pirate tiger...
It's a good thing Alf ditched the flower before he got that TV show in the 80s. I'm not sure he could have sold the idea that it was the national flower of Melmac. And his campaign platform of "A cat in every pot" was problematic at best. Of course it was good that he didn't become president because he would have been a puppet leader.
The Box is always fun!
PF Flyers always had the best premiums, and I never once got a pair.
I wore the JC Penney “Converse” knockoffs.
Until high school basketball when the team shoe was the white Chuck Taylor Converse.
I’d love one of those LA trolley tokens since my Dad used to ride from Moorpark to Santa Monica pier for a nickel in the 1920’s.
Fun stuff Major!
JG
Well, imagine this, I could fulfill a childhood dream…
https://www.zappos.com/b/pf-flyers/brand/832
The internet knows all…
JG
JG, how fun!!
P.F. stands for Posture Foundation, I see. Never knew that.
Nanook, I do love old bus and trolley tokens from various cities. I have a few from Hawaii that are lots of fun. It’s funny about the sunflower symbol for Alf Langdon… it’s one of the few old political items that I’ve actually sought out. You’ll see more in the future!
Lou and Sue, you can store a least 3 Pez candies in the Tiger Tooth. What more do you need? Make each one a different flavor in case of emergencies.
JB, I don’t have many actual tiger teeth laying around for comparison, but I believe that the P.F. Flyer Tiger Tooth is roughly “actual size”. It’s about 2.75” long. I used to have a vintage ad for the Tiger Tooth and I believe that they actually recommend wearing it on cord so that it can be hung around the neck.
Lou and Sue, you can tell time with the sun dial, use the magic coder to communicate with allies, and use the siren to startle nearby rhinos that are sneaking up on you to eat you.
JB, I wish I’d studied the physics of sound, I could have used that “sound trapped in a bubble” trick so many times. I once saw a cool picture of a tiger who’d had a cracked tooth replaced with a metal fang; now ALL the tigers want one.
Lou and Sue, the only new words I learn are bad ones.
Chuck, I have always found sundials to be something of a mystery. Granted I have never really used one to try to determine what time it is supposed to be. Now that you mention it, I’m surprised that the Tiger Tooth does not have a little compass embedded in the side, that would be useful. Knowing which direction you need to go seems more useful than knowing what time it is. I always loved that line “this thing that tells time”, Ralphie was as unsure as I am.
Anon, you must have gotten a pair of lightweight P.F. Flyers at one of their stores! Lucky. You could probably run faster and jump about 100 feet.
TokyoMagic!, hmmm, I admit that I never considered using the tooth as a pterodactyl. This is why I will never be President.
K. Martinez, imagine how many hundreds of thousands (millions?) of those tokens must have been made over the years. They are not rare today, but I didn’t buy it for its scarcity, I just think it’s cool!
Stu29573, I had no idea that the Tiger Tooth was going to be such a clear winner. I figured that at least a few people would like the Powerama keychain! I hate to admit that it took me a minute to get the “TV show in the 80s” joke. I don’t get out much. While I saw a few minutes of “ALF” on occasion, I don’t think I ever sat through a whole episode. I was too busy watching “The A Team”! I love it when a plan comes together.
JG, yeah, I have mentioned before, but my mom tended to get shoes for her four kids at the cheap shoe outlets. Non-name brands that fell apart in less than a year. I was very happy when one pair had stripes that at least made them superficially appear to be Adidas. Have you ever noticed that Marvin the Martina seems to be wearing Chuck Taylor Converse shoes?
JG, you owe it to yourself to bet a pair!
Lou and Sue, do you remember “Red Ball Jets” shoes? I’d see the commercials and wanted them so bad. I can still hear the song in my head. I do have a few pinback buttons that were prizes from Red Ball Jets stores.
Major, I am tempted to get some PF Flyers, they are cheaper than regular brand trainers for sure. I don't have to pay $75 additional for the celebrity endorsements.
Yes, Marvin is definitely wearing Chuck Taylor black hightops. Martians are very style-conscious. I just discovered that HBO Max has all the Warner cartoons and I am just wallowing in Bugs Bunny and Elmer, the Coyote and Road Runner, Sylvester and Tweety. I could watch while wearing my new sneakers.
Sue, yes, fascinating, Posture Foundation, who knew?
I bet they will make me run faster, I remember thinking new shoes would do that in the first grade.
JG
" Can I use it if my tummy is growling and I need some graham crackers?"
Sorry, the Tiger Tooth can only be used to conjure Frosted Flakes.
The tooth is pretty rad but I think the bus token is the pick of the haul today. So practical yet so pretty! Love the little palm trees.
Alf Landon could've won if it weren't for all that confusion between him and his lookalike cousin Al Flandon.
Put me in the Tiger Tooth lover’s category, too! So weird and fun, the only thing I ever got from a shoe store was a Red Wing shoehorn. And shoes. I like the two-toned token as well. I’d be proud to be recognized for my distinguished service by Captain Midnight. Thanks for the Box tour, Major.
Major- Cool treasures from the box today. I actually had a P.F. Flyer Tiger Tooth. I would guesstimate from around 1965-1967. I don't remember anything about the shoes, but I recall really having to convince my parents that I "needed" them. Usually all shoes were from J.C. Penny, Sears, etc. Since I don't see a small D.W. written or painted on the tooth, that must not be the exact one I had... ;)
-DW
Yes, Major, I do remember Red Ball Jets! I don’t recall ever owning any name-brand gym shoes, either.
Lou and Sue, the only new words I learn are bad ones.
Major, as a little kid, we lived in a ‘two-flat’ with my mom’s parents. Grandma and “Pop” lived downstairs, and we lived upstairs. I ran downstairs all the time to visit and play, and Grandma taught me German words. I would go back upstairs and use them—and get in trouble, as Grandma loved to teach me bad words (unbeknownst to me). So that little redhead you see in my dad’s pictures could swear like the best of them. (By the way, “Pop” grew up with Baby Face Nelson of the John Dillinger gang—and was his bodyguard for a while.)
JG, I definitely am NOT into paying $100+ for shoes just because they have an athlete’s name on them (no disrespect to Michael Jordan)! It’s just not my way. Honestly, the fact that HBO Max has all of the Warner Bros. cartoons is one of the biggest draws for me. Just think, we grew up watching them endlessly on TV, and there are kids who have probably not seen ANY. What a tragedy! I’d think I’d rather watch all of the Warners shorts than I would the Disney shorts.
Melissa, I do love me some Frosted Flakes. Remember Pink Panther cereal, which was just frosted flakes with pink frosting? I’ll have to dig out some of my other bus and trolley tokens for future installments of “Stuff From the Box”.
Kathy!, I don’t remember EVER getting a prize from a shoe store. Any that I have were acquired decades after some other kid got them. My mom tells stories of going to shoe stores and they had an X-ray machine of some kind so that you could see the bones of your feet. Sounds dangerous!
DW, Ray Bradbury wrote about the joys of getting new sneakers in one of his books (maybe “Dandelion Wine”?), and he got at the heart of it. “Royal Crown Cream-Sponge Para Litefoot Tennis Shoes”! I had to look it up. It really did feel like we could jump over a house.
Lou and Sue, ha ha, I love the idea of your Grandma teaching you bad words! You’d think it would be Grandpa who would do that, just for kicks. Grandma must have been a riot! It’s funny, I think we knew that we could only get away with swearing in certain situations, and would be little angels when needed. But when it was just us kids, OH BOY!
We are probably the last generation that learned classical music from cartoons. Sad, really.
Warner cartoons have more of an edge than Disney, which I could really appreciate as a kid!
Now, Disney shorts are nice and comforting, but Warners are plain funny!
Stu, you got me thinking about music and Warner Brothers cartoons. While our generation (and I use that term somewhat loosely because we have a bit of an age spread amongst the Junior Gorillas) may have learned a lot of classical music from cartoons, the music didn’t impact the original audience in the same way. They would have been familiar with the melodies already from hearing them on the radio or at live concerts. And when you think about it, Carl Stalling didn’t exclusively use classical music in his cartoon scores - there were snippets of popular songs and folk ballads as well. The overall effect worked as sort of a “cultural shorthand” to quickly communicate things to the audience that enhanced the sight gags and scripts, things like Bugs Bunny jumping on a train to the tune of “California Here I Come” or singing “I dream of Jeannie; she’s a light brown hare.”
As musical tastes and public musical education continue to change (or disappear) along with the de-homogenization of popular culture, I fear we are losing a lot of our cultural memory preserved in the arts, particularly in the performance arts. I think that the farther away we get in history from the ‘40s & ‘50s and the original culture in which these cartoons were produced, the fewer layers of understanding that audiences are going to be able to pull out of these films. The sight gags will still be funny (at least the ones that aren’t racially offensive) and people will continue to enjoy the masterworks of Chuck Jones et al, but something will be lost. And I guess that’s to be expected. A film is as much an artifact of a particular point in a culture’s story as a steam locomotive, a headless marble sculpture or a Clovis point.
Say…who’s up for waffles?
While our generation (and I use that term somewhat loosely because we have a bit of an age spread amongst the Junior Gorillas)...
Chuck, you ain't kidding we have a bit of a spread. 17 to 93. And those are our faithful 'regulars.' We may possibly have some 100 year-olds checking in now and then - you never know.
Say…who’s up for waffles?
Me.
Chuck, your waffle question reminds me of something my friend told me when she returned from a driving vacation, years back. She and her family stopped for breakfast, one morning, at a restaurant called "The Waffle House." When the waitress came to their table, one of them ordered pancakes and the waitress replied, "We don't have pancakes." With that, they ordered scrambled eggs (or something like that). The waitress responded, "We don't have eggs." After a couple more turned-down requests, the family finally asked the waitress, "Then WHAT do you have?" She answered (and I know you see this coming), "Waffles."
Chuck and Major, you’re right about Warner cartoons. We have both Disney + and HBO Max and I got bored with the Disney shorts, but I can watch the Road Runner over and over again. And Stu, my first time hearing opera was Bugs and Elmer doing “Das Rhinegold” or whatever that was.
I remember my Dad laughing uproariously at the Warner cartoons and saying they weren’t made for kids. And now I agree.
But in a few more years, only the slapstick will be funny because the deep background will be lost.
JG
That waffle story reminds me of the episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 where they invented the "waffle iron" which was a steam iron for flattening waffles into pancakes.
I want that GM POWERAMA SHIELD for my chest!!
stu29573, not only classical music, but popular songs from the 1920s and 1930s as well. I can hear Carl Stallings’ arrangements (those strings!) of things like “You Oughta Be in Pictures” and “The Lady in Red” just thinking about them! I agree, Disney shorts are nice, but for pure entertainment, the Warners cartoons are more my style.
Chuck, ha, see my comment to Stu! Warner cartoons definitely used things like “Hungarian Rhapsody”, which I had no context for as a child. I used to go through my dad’s old record albums, and he had occasional classical numbers, I would play them on the old “hi-fi” - with those comforting tubes glowing orange inside the cabinet. “Grand Canyon Suite”, “The 1812 Overture”, “Rhapsody in Blue”… I think those, along with “Fantasia” helped to foster a love of classical music in me. Chuck Jones marveled at the way Stalling could play a snippet of a forgotten song to accompany a visual gag - the use of “California, Here I Come” (as you said) is a perfect example. I think you are right overall about losing some of our cultural memory, although I can say that my niece has started to get into popular music of the 1940s and 1950s, including Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. So all is not lost! Thinking of references that younger folks won’t understand: “Is this trip really necessary?”. “Put out that light!”. And, “So round, so firm, so fully packed”. And I am always up for waffles!
Lou and Sue, ha ha, I guess you can’t say that The Waffle House didn’t warn your friend ahead of time! “Don’t even think about ordering French Toast!”. But you would think that they would serve a more comprehensive selection of breakfast classics. My dad would have wanted biscuits and gravy!
JG, I feel guilty not loving Disney short films more. I do like them, and the sheer craftsmanship is beyond anything else. But the humor is so “soft” compared to the brash Warners gags, which even today make me laugh, after seeing them over and over. Chuck Jones said that they didn’t make the cartoons for kids, they made them for themselves, and it shows.
Melissa, now I want a special machine that will press pancakes into waffles, too. Maybe your standard, store-bought "waffle iron" would do that.
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