Even More Stuff From the Box
All the cool kids want to know about the Stuff From the Box! Are YOU a cool kid? Today's batch actually marks the end of a third box (they're small, you know?), but I've already photographed about 40 items from a fourth box. Rejoice!
The first item for this installment is a swell little brass Dick Tracy "Secret Service Patrol SECOND YEAR Member" badge. It was issued by Quaker Cereal in 1938/39 as a tie-in to a radio program. Just mail in two box tops! There were seven different badges in all; the first one was "Secret Service Patrol Member". Then there was the "Second Year Member" as seen here, followed by "Sergeant", "Lieutenant", "Captain", "Inspector General", and "Patrol Leader" - I don't quite understand how a kid advanced in rank, but it supposedly got increasingly more difficult (as you might expect). I actually have the whole set in some other box, you'll see them someday!
Next is this fun little item, a 1/2" brass button with Little Nemo's name and portrait. I'd never seen anything like this before! Artist Winsor McCay created the marvelous "Little Nemo in Slumberland" comic strip starting in 1905, and today it is remembered for its incredibly imaginative adventures, drawn with incredible draftsmanship by McCay. The strip continued in various forms until 1927, and McCay even made some early animated films featuring Nemo, and there was at least one stage musical.
One of the most famous Sunday strips showed Nemo and his friend Flip as Nemo's bed sprouts long rubbery legs and walks through the city. Most strips ended when Nemo fell out of bed, waking up and ending the dream.
Next is this nice identification bracelet from Little Orphan Annie. This is the 1939 Ovaltine version. You don't want to be unidentified, do you? DO YOU? Luckily, as a famous blogger, everyone can tell me who I am when I happen to forget. But if pirates abduct you and take you to Sri Lanka, where you make your clever escape, you can prove to the locals that you are a U.S. citizen. "Tell President Roosevelt to send a plane. And some Ovaltine!".
It just makes one feel more secure knowing that the Orphan Annie Identification Bureau (or OAIB) in Chicago has a complete dossier in their vast warehouse of records.
Ward's SOFT BUN BREAD brings us this "Scoop" Ward official reporter badge. It's a radio premium, though I can find little info about the program. "News of Youth", it sounds exciting! "Mike Terwilliger rescued some kittens yesterday, and the Mayor gave him the key to the city". At least that's what I imagine that the news was like.
In 1962, the city of Seattle hosted the Century 21 Exposition, also known as the 1962 World's Fair. You know, the one with the Space Needle! One of my all-time favorite needles. This brass token, about the size of a 50 cent piece, could be used as a trade dollar at the Fair or at participating businesses during the run of the event. As you know, in 1962 you could buy a new car for a dollar, so this was quite a value.
Sorry if this next photo frightened you! Check out this cool brass skull ring with blue "gemstones" as eyes. Sadly it does not fit on my adult finger. I'm unsure of this ring's origin, though it might be a 1939 Popsicle prize. I've seen different rings with slight variations (silver tone rather than brass, solid sides rather than the "cut outs" seen here), and wish I could find more concrete info.
And finally, here's another Radio Orphan Annie item - this time it's a "Secret Society" pin from 1934. It is some sort of silver-toned metal over brass, I love that whoever owned this originally wore it so much that the silvering was rubbed away in spots.
Stay tuned for more you-know-what!
16 comments:
Major-
I love the ring; but I have to give 'the tip of my chapeau' to the Little Nemo Brass Button, simply due to his wild hairdo, with the crazy-quilt part. It was as if he was trafficking in an adult comb-over at far too young an age. (Perhaps it gave our former Prez inspiration...) It didn't work.
Thanks, Major, for sharing more goodies-!
While I do like the heavy-looking shiny gold of Annie's ID bracelet (in fact, gold seems to be the theme today), I think my favorite is the golden skull ring. It's sort of crudely done, but mysterious looking. I bet it's from Montezuma's Aztec treasure vaults! The gemstone eyes pushed it ahead of today's other offerings. Actually, the Little Nemo panel is my favorite but it's not part of your Stuff, is it Major?
I like the chiseled/embossed lettering on the Little Nemo button. Big bold serifs!
In the comic strip, what the heck IS Flip? He has a human body and the head of a duck (sort of). Maybe he's a kid who's wearing a duck mask?
I like the stylized illustration on the Seattle token. The Space Needle is extra tall and spindly, with the 'saucer' looking globe-like. And the monorail is super sleek and streamlined here, like a Disney monorail, instead of more boxy-looking like it actually was/is.
Nanook, I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on with Nemo's hair; it's going every which way!
Thanks, Major, for the end of Box Three. Now, on to Box Four!
How many times do we have to tell you, Major? Your name is “Jean Norman.” And I know I’d sleep better at night knowing that my child’s personal information was stored with some faceless functionaries working for an unaccountable private advertising agency headquartered in a large, urban area somewhere in America. So glad there is no modern equivalent to that privacy nightmare.
“America’s Space-Age World’s Fair”…because, you know, the Space Age was over by 1964. That was due to the British Invasion. Then came something about Hippies and Dick Van Dyke hawking Pocket Instamatics. You can read about it in history if you’re interested in that sort of thing. I prefer making mud pies and feeding them to my little sister. She’s 50. Will you be my friend?
“Stay tuned for more you-know-what!” Hooray - more waffles!
JB, according to Wikipedia, Flip was supposed to be an ethnic stereotype of an ill-tempered Irishman. Also, Napoleon won the Stanley Cup during the 1815 World Series at Waterloo, Illinois. User-defined content is never worng.
I also love that "Finding Captain Nemo In Slumberland" comic! ;-) However, my favorite item from the box is the 1962 Seattle World's Fair coin. I wonder if they were given to people as a promotion, or if you purchased them, sort of like "Disney Dollars"?
Thanks, Major. I'm looking forward to the fourth box!
Major, do you have an inventory of the Boxes, or is each one a series of surprises? Certainly a fascinating collection.
I have to vote for the Worlds Fair Dollar, starring my favorite Needle, and that swoopy monorail. They should have gotten Bob Gurr to moonlight on that one, or maybe he designed the coin. Did I ever tell you about the time I rode to the top of the Space Needle? Another time perhaps.
OTOH the Skull ring reminds me of Skull Rock, so there’s that. And I’m a pretty good ethnic stereotype myself, although not an Irish one.
Chuck, I learned from Wikipedia all about how Santa Claus and Davy Crockett defeated the Martians in the Third Battle of Bull Run, so I find it completely reliable. Don’t see what all the fuss is about.
JG
I love the ring! It resembles DL's Skully at night.
I love that Nemo cartoon strip, too. It made me laugh. As a kid, I woke up so many times hitting the floor, that my parents added temporary rails to my bed. I slept-walked, too. As an adult, thankfully I no longer fall out of the bed, but I have, on occasion, still walked in my sleep. (Only another sleep walker will truly understand how strange that feels.)
"So glad there is no modern equivalent to that privacy nightmare."
Chuck, haha :o/
Fun stuff, thank you, Major.
I like the US flag bow on Annie’s bracelet. Hee hee, “soft bun bread” is funny to me. Of course, the skull ring is the best item today. I can imagine my finger getting all green from wearing it all the time. Another fine Box exhibit, Major.
It's the brass ring for me! The brass skull ring that is. It's my favorite. Second would be the "Little Nemo in Slumberland" brass button. Always loved the style of that series.
You "Stuff from the Box" posts are always a lot of fun. Thanks, Major.
Nanook, I think I was most happy to find that Little Nemo button, mostly because there isn’t a lot of Little Nemo merchandise out there (other than some very rare, incredibly expensive stuff). Nemo’s hair is “New Wave”!
JB, I love that skull ring, and have been shocked to see similar rings fetching high prices on eBay. Somebody knows something that I don’t know! I once tried to bid on a similar skull ring only the eyes were pink (or were they red?), and I think it wound up going for nearly $200. Why?? I do have one other, but am not sure where it is at the moment. And I WISH I owned some original Winsor McCay artwork! I remember somebody on “Antiques Roadshow” came in with at least one “Little Nemo in Slumberland” Sunday artwork, it was big! What a find. I’m guessing Nemo’s hair was supposed to look mussed, as if he’d just fallen out of bed.
Chuck, I’ve always wondered if those Orphan Annie ID bracelets could be used, in the unlikely chance that (for instance) a child was found wearing one, and that child couldn’t remember any pertinent information. Could they have just used the ID bracelet? Or would it turn out that it was all a sham? I didn’t know that the Space Age ended when the British Invasion occurred! I guess we didn’t want those long-haired rockers to get any of our technology. Somehow David Bowie got it anyway, he got to the Moon before anybody else. Also, why did you have to mention waffles? Now I want some! And yes, Flip was supposed to be a cantankerous Irishman, though I’ve never understood why he had green skin. I admit I’ve never been to Ireland, however.
TokyoMagic!, poor Scoop Ward, nobody loves him or his badge. Even Dick Tracy is just a punk! My guess is that those Seattle coins were giveaways, and hey, one dollar in 1962 was the equivalent of over $9 today, so you could actually buy some stuff! I’d try to get my hands on a bunch of them.
JG, I have gone through the most of the boxes fairly recently, so there are no shockers, but I don’t remember what stuff is in which box, so in that sense each box is a surprise. I finally got to ride on the Seattle Monorail a few years back, and it was a pretty neat experience. The hotel that we stayed at was near one terminal, and we could take the Monorail over to the Space Needle (and back). I was thrilled! If “boring white guy” is an ethnic stereotype, then I am one of those!
Lou and Sue, if only the eyes of the skull glowed it would be the greatest thing ever. A little radium is all I ask. I don’t really understand sleep-walking, though I know it’s a real thing. I’m sure it must be disorienting if the sleep-walker happens to wake up in some random place. “How did I get her? I’ve never piloted a jet before!”.
Kathy!, the less I know about Scoop Ward’s soft buns, the better! If I remember correctly, my other skull ring has lots of wear, clearly some kid really did wear it a lot. I wonder if his/her finger did turn green!
K. Martinez, yes, those are probably my favorites too, you can’t have too many skull rings. I’ve seen vintage ads for a skull ring made of a metal they call “eternium”, it never tarnished. I wonder what the heck it was?? Stainless steel?
"I’m sure it must be disorienting if the sleep-walker happens to wake up in some random place."
Major, I don't know how it is with other people but, when I've slept-walked, I'm fully aware of what I'm thinking and doing (all nonsensical thoughts and actions) - but I have zero control of it. I remember everything once I totally wake up. In one instance, as a kid, I recall getting up in the night and, in the dark, turning my bedroom doorknob back and forth - rattling it for a while. My mom got up and came to me, and I asked her if they [the doorknobs] came in all sizes. In my 'half-asleep' mind, I really wanted to know the answer, but mom just walked me back to bed.
Major, when you find your other skull ring, please post a picture.
Chuck & Major, ID'ing a kid via a LOA bracelet sounds like some kind of crossover episode of Twilight Zone" and "CSI" - "the child disappeared 75 years ago." and cut to commercial.
That Seattle coin is the winner to me. The monorail looks a lot more like the DL one than what was running in Seattle. Maybe they designed it before the monorail was built, and DL's was the standard for what a monorail should look like. I'd guess that they were minted as a minor source of funding, knowing that a fraction of them would be kept as souvenirs instead of spent. I suspect that's why Universal issues their Harry Potter money in larger denominations and not in single dollars.
Lou and Sue, interesting, I’ve only seen sleepwalkers in movies and cartoons, so I don’t know anything about what it’s really like. Amazing that you are aware of what you are doing, and yet sort of on “autopilot” so to speak. I’d be worried about a sleepwalker hurting themselves, but maybe you are aware enough to avoid anything like that. My other skull ring is one of my many boxes, I’m sure I’ll find it one of these days.
Dean Finder, I like your Twilight Zone idea! It’s true that the Monorail on that coin looks much more sleek and sexy, and yet I do love the Seattle monorail. They don’t all have to look like they came from the future! And you make a good point about how the coins were probably used as a source of funding. Think of how many Disney Dollars were purchased but never spent! I don’t even collect them, and have wound up with a few in my collection by accident. I didn’t even know that Universal had Harry Potter money!
So strange - in Whiz Comics #110 (June 1949) the skull ring only cost 5 bags and 10 cents but in the Popsicle Pete's Giant Gift List catalogue from the same year, it cost 50 bags (or 10 bags and 10 cents). That said, no wonder these rings seem to go for so much on eBay - they're 'genuine good luck' rings!
Skull ring wins this round on account of the objective coolness of skulls. Skulls! We’ve all got one!
One of my best friends in the first grade was named Mike Terwilliger.
SunnieDaze21, thanks for the links to those vintage ads/catalogs! I don't remember where I got the info for a 1939 Popsicle premium, but you have absolute proof for 1949!
Melissa, you have excellent taste! I feel like I must have remembered the name "Mike Terwilliger" from a book. Or something. Not sure where it came from.
The button is intriguing because it implies a whole garment. Were there fussy Fauntleroy-type Nemo outfits for little kids? Or maybe a nightshirt?
"Little Nemo" was an operetta in 1908, composed by Victor Herbert, whose long string of hits included "Babes in Toyland" in 1903. "Babes" was inspired by the wild success of a stage version of "Wizard of Oz".
"Babes in Toyland" attained a sort of immortality, with "Toyland" and "March of the Toys" becoming standards. There have been multiple stage revivals, two movies, a TV miniseries and an animated direct-to-video feature. None of them seems to be especially faithful to the original, which is just as well since the libretto was a slapdash of gags and weirdness to connect songs, speciality acts, and expensive scenic effects.
"Little Nemo" doesn't seem to have had any life after the first production, which Wiki sez was a popular success but a financial disaster because of the expense. There are plentiful recordings of Herbert's music, old and new, but I've yet to see even a selection from "Little Nemo".
There was an animated feature of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" in the 90s. It featured a musical score by the Sherman brothers, providing a sort of Disney link. You can also link to Disney via the operetta and Herbert and "Babes in Toyland", but it's probably not worth the trouble.
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