Lenticular Pinback Buttons
Say, have I ever told you about my Big Bag O' Buttons? It's big. And full of buttons. Pinback buttons, that is. Swimmin' pools. Movie stars. Due to my incompetence, I have had to move many posts around (hither, and also thither) so these were originally going to be seen by you, the Junior Gorillas, months from today. Oh well. Anyway, I will be focusing on lenticular ("flasher") pins. I obviously liked those, because I have quite a few!
Well I'll be a.... A WHAT? A silly goose? WHAT WILL I BE?
Oh, a Monkey's Uncle! This one is (of course) from the 1965 Disney film starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. (Yes, yes, I see that the button has a 1964 copyright, don't worry about it). You may be familiar with the theme song, sung by the Beach Boys before they'd made it big. Whoa-whoa!
John F. Kennedy? Say, I've heard of him.
Presumably this was produced during the dark days not long after JFK's assassination, which makes it historically interesting.
Remember the 1979 movie "The Black Hole"? It was Disney's answer to "Star Wars", with a plot that had many similarities to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Only with more goofy robots "hovering" on very visible wires. The last time I saw a portion of it on TV, I was astonished at how cheap some of the sets looked - a control panel with buttons and blinky lights appeared to be made of painted foam core. Yikes.
Still, I have a fondness for this movie, in spite of its many flaws. And so I am happy to have this flasher pin with the name of the movie swirling into the inexorable gravitational pull of THE BLACK HOLE!
After JFK's death, Lyndon B. Johnson became President. And of course his candidacy for the 1964 election would not go uncontested. Here we can see LBJ, his wife "Lady Bird" looking bewildered as they moved out of the White House.
And who was supposed to be moving in? Why, Barry Goldwater (Senator from Arizona) and his wife Margaret ("Peggy"), riding on a smiling yellow elephant. Peggy looks like Keely Smith! Turns out LBJ won the election in a landslide.
I've always liked Cap'n Crunch (did you know that his full name is Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch?). More info: The character was created by Jay Ward and voiced by Daws Butler (in imitation of actor Charles Butterworth). Cap'n Crunch sailed the Milk Seas in the S.S. Guppy in search of adventure, joined by his loyal crew, Seadog, Alfie, Dave, Brunhilde, and Carlyle.
In both 1985 and 1999, Cap'n Crunch went missing and the kids of the world had to find him. I'm not sure where he was eventually discovered, but I hope it wasn't one of those places that sailors tend to frequent. And by that I mean video arcades.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed this batch; I have LOTS more pinback buttons to share with you.
28 comments:
Yesterday, we saw how Prince John wears his crown atop his ears.
Today we see how Cap’t Crunch wears his hat atop his eyeballs.
His hat has eyebrows.
Cap’t Crunch is my favorite, today. A box of his cereal is in my kitchen cabinet. I recently had a craving for it.
Fun pins, thank you for sharing, Major.
—Sue
The "Monkey's Uncle" Lenticular is my favorite being a major fan of Walt Disney era live-action film memorabilia.
"The Black Hole" lenticular is nice as well. I have a fondness for the film as well, but really like TRON.
Nice stuff today. Thanks, Major.
Major-
I have to admit when thinking of the world's greatest inventions: SpaghettiOs; the spork; the shoe umbrella; the Snuggie; and edible windshield wipers - lenticular pinback buttons are right up there-! And these are some fine examples.
Thanks, Major.
I guess I don't really have a favorite today; I like 'em all. I've always had a thing for lenticular pictures. Especially the 3D ones.
The thing I like best about Disney's The Black Hole is the musical score by John Barry. The opening theme evokes an unstoppable force, mixed with anxiety (or dread) and other-worldliness.
I too, get a craving for Cap'n Crunch from time to time. (Must be the opioids they add to the cereal to keep customers coming back for more.) I just wish the cereal didn't make the roof of my mouth raw.
Thanks for breaking open your big bag of buttons to share with us, Major.
Somehow I remember lots of Disneyland lenticular stuff EXCEPT buttons. There were postcards with small lenticular images glued onto a larger picture to suggest action (Dale making faces at Chip, for example), tiny toy TVs with lenticular screens, and little lenticular squares with a hole in the corner for those little metal bead chains.
There were ads for a cereal -- or maybe the actual cereal box -- which I vaguely recall had a lenticular winking eye glued on a smiling face. This would have been around 1960. Then there were rings -- premiums with various products -- that had tiny lenticular images.
Then there was a brief vogue for no-glasses 3D photos, which had the same vertical ridges as lenticular images. After the initial novelty wore off they lingered on as postcards, usually gaudy still lifes with fantasy or religious themes.
More recently there are little board books that use a lenticular-like trick to make pictures move as you turn the page. I've seen them for Peanuts, Star Wars, and The Wizard of Oz. But I can't think of any recent examples of lenticular. Now they make little tiny toy TVs with actual video.
I love pinback buttons, but especially the lentiuclar variety. I think the "Monkey's Uncle" button is my favorite. However, I do like the "Black Hole" button, even though the film left a lot to be desired. I remember having very high hopes for it, before it was released. Oh, well! Disney disappoints once again, but what else is new? ;-)
I also like the Cap'n Crunch button. Can I have three favorites? Just about a year ago, my brother gave me a box of Cap'n Crunch with Crunch Berries. He picked it up for me, because the box was a "limited edition" release, with the same graphics that they had when we were growing up in the 1970s.
Thanks for sharing you lenticular collection with us, Major. It was quite flashy!
I have always loved lenticular stuff. I even have a four-lens camera - the Nimslo - that shoots lenticular photos. Unfortunately, by the time I acquired it and shot my first roll in 2003, the company that processed the film was in the midst of collapsing and I never got the one roll I shot back. They offered to return my film after several months, but they also left hope in their letter that they would eventually get to it, so I foolishly let them keep it, never to see it again. I can still remember some of the carefully-composed pictures I took of my then 2.5-year-old son walking towards the camera on a pathway through a jungle-like greenhouse at the Toledo Zoo. It would have been awesome. Nobody processes and prints Nimslo photos today.
TM!, “…when we were growing up in the 1970s.”
I think we’ve all known each other long enough to know that, while some of us may have been kids in the 1970s, some part of us never truly grew up. I think that’s why we’re here. ;-)
Who loves a Monkey's Uncle? It's sequel brought Tommy Kirk back from "retirement", so I'm all about it. RIP Tommy Kirk. Captain Crunch...WHAT exactly IS in that cereal? Glass shards? It is so delicious....try it with half and half instead of milk..it is an indulgence. A flavor like no other. Lenticular. OK...they are buttons...I'm trying to use the word "lenticular" in a sentence...it's hard, and sounds slightly naughty. I attached my Black Hole lenticular to my double breasted coat. See..."weird". I do like these buttons, and had the Mickey Donald "I like Disneyland" ones...and the Tinkerbell one which I "tink" is more rare...heh heh. All sold, all gone. I'd tink I'd rather have a Black Hole one. How very very random. I got the soundtrack on vinyl, which was a bit of a haunting score. The visible wires are too much. Ahhhh... the days of Ron Miller...I know he was family, but some things...oye. Black Hole or the Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes? I love the Kurt Russel films and the other Ron Miller blessed movies for the most part. I forced myself to love the Black Hole, but the end was so odd, strange, random and far fetched even for a science fiction film. The lenticular might be better than the movie. Lenticular. You learn something every day. Strange thought I had this am: I wonder if they would have "face characters" as old original Mouseketeers...like an Annette or Sharon walking around the park? Would people even understand it? I suppose now nobody walks around the park and you wait in line..which is very odd. To stand there as a character and take the masses in line...sounds awful. For the character most of all. That was a coveted job- going on tours and whatnot traveling the globe-literally. Was kind of a brutal audition. A day long fest in the rehearsal hall on the West Side. I think for the better I was not picked and moved on to other things in life.
Major, your collections never disappoint.
I’m all for the Monkey’s Uncle, with Captain Crunch a close second.
I had a Mickey Mouse “I like Disneyland” and I remember exactly when I gave it to Goodwill. Wish I hadn’t now, but hopefully some other kid enjoyed it.
Tokyo, your brother really looks out for you!
Chuck, you are right, old age is inevitable, but maturity can be overlooked, or reverse-engineered, thanks to the Major.
JG
Suuuuure, Cap's, we all see the peanut butter elephants, too. (Omebosy-say ide-hay the um-ray...)
The Black Hole is one of the first movie I remember seeing at the drive-in, and it was so scary! (I remember getting confused about Maximilian's name and referring to him as "Multimillion.") I saw it again on TV a few years back and enjoyed it despite the slow pacing and some odd directorial/acting choices. Kind of the same feeling as Star Trek: The Motion Picture but with menacing robots.
Melissa, you didn’t find V’ger to be a menacing robot?
How about Persis Khambatta? And I’m not referring to her character.
Sue, the Cap’n actually wears his hat behind his eyeballs! Not recommended. I do love his cereal, particularly with crunch berries.
K. Martinez, I wonder if other live action Disney films of the era have lenticular pins? “The Shaggy Dog”, “The Misadventures of Merlin Jones”, “Old Yeller”, etc? It would be fun to find some if they are out there!
Nanook, don’t forget the Chia Pet! Hey, that would be a good slogan. “Shoe umbrella”, developed by NASA. Glad you liked these.
JB, I do remember the opening theme for “The Black Hole”, sort of a swirling sound (how’s that for a description?). I had some Cap’n Crunch about a year ago, and while it was plenty crunchy, it was not like chewing sweetened lava rocks like it used to be, I think they’ve made it less abrasive!
DBenson, I have those postcards with the lenticular images, the Chip and Dale example is a nice one. There’s a rare oversized card with Tinker Bell, one with Mickey looking at a moving portrait of Dumbo, and Donald aboard a submarine, amazed to see a mermaid. There are also some Jungle Book 3-D lenticular cards, the illusion of depth is pretty astonishing. I like them, but am thinking of selling mine off (too much stuff). Not sure I’ve seen those books you mentioned, but maybe I have? I remember some CDs that had lenticular covers, those were fun.
TokyoMagic!, somehow seeing the lettering of “The Black Hole” swirling into a singularity makes me think of a flushing toilet. Cue “All In the Family” laugh track! Like you, I was excited for “The Black Hole”, but have never managed to sit through the whole thing after my initial viewing. It’s pretty bad. I always like it when cereal companies bring back vintage graphics, I bought some Trix cereal just for that reason.
Chuck, I remember hearing about Nimslo cameras, such a bummer that the company collapsed and you never got your 3-D photos back! It’s a cool idea. Too bad that nobody else picked up the technology, like Polaroid, there are (apparently) a number of companies that make “instant film” like Polaroid used to make.
Bu, the whole Tommy Kirk situation was very sad, he was such a big star for Disney. But he probably would have aged out of his stardom regardless, Disney wanted people who could pass for wholesome teens. Disneyland has produced a number of lenticular pinback buttons over the years, I’ve kept some, and gotten rid of others. You can’t keep everything! As a kid I was a big fan of those Kurt Russell “Medfield College” movies, I think we saw “Now You See Him, Now You Don’t” at the drive-in twice, which was unheard of back then. I doubt many people would understand an Annette Funicello walk-around character, plus the idea seems kind of creepy to me. Poor Annnette. Gosh, I’ve always thought that being a costumed character sounded like one of the worst jobs, but maybe it was better than I imagine.
JG, stay tuned, you’ll see my Mickey Mouse “I Like Disneyland” button, along with some others, soon enough! It’s fine that you gave yours to Goodwill, normal people don’t keep all the crap that I have kept. As for maturity, I think that my older brother believes that the word means that you only focus on negative things (politics, mostly). Talk about awful.
Melissa, the Cap’n and his “Crunch Crew” had to drink grog for the added lime juice. You don’t want them to get scurvy do you? DO YOU? “Multimillion”, that should have been my name. I’d sort of be curious to watch “The Black Hole” again, I assume it is on Disney+.
Chuck, ah, Persis Khambatta, one of my Top 5 bald women! I wonder what ever happened to her. Maybe she had a thriving career?
Nice collection Major. Always a pleasure to check out your stuff. I remember that Goldwater-LBJ election. I just in high school. The button for Goldwater was a little gold elephant with big, black glasses on.
I do have a few lenticular postcards from Disneyland and one button but the button didn't survive my childhood.
Thanks!
The Monkey’s Uncle one is great! With these buttons, do they move when you move or do you have to “flick” them back and forth by hand to see the changes? You don’t see politicians making merch with cartoony drawings of themselves on it anymore. I’ve seen pictures of the Disneyland lenticular buttons but don’t own any. I have got tiny lenticular Cracker Jack prize stickers. Fun collection, thanks Major.
Good point, Chuck! I should amend that to more menacing robots.
I'm not sure if The Black Hole is on Disney+ or not; if they can't even be bothered to add The Three Lives of Thomasina I don't know what kind of mushrooms they're smoking anyway. I caught The Black Hole a few years back on one of Turner Classic Movies's "Treasures from the Disney Vault" nights.
DrGoat, I have one of those little gold elephants with the thick black glasses! I think it was in my grandma’s desk drawer, and I got some of her stuff after she passed. There were other Goldwater items as well, so they were once supporters. Some of those lenticular postcards can be somewhat valuable depending on condition!
Kathy! the buttons will flicker when you move OR when you wiggle them back and forth in your hand. I don’t really follow political stuff as a rule - I have a few items, but it’s almost like I acquired them by accident. I have seen recent political buttons that are basically repros of 100 year-old buttons, only they’ll put the current candidate on them. Yuck.
Melissa, it’s very strange to see what gaps they have on Disney+. I wanted to see “Summer Magic”, which I believe was one of Walt’s favorites, and it wasn’t there the last time I looked. I still think it would be amazing if they restored all of the Walt-era “Wonderful World of Color” shows and put those up.
"some part of us never truly grew up. I think that’s why we’re here."
I think Chuck nailed it.
Melissa, your comparison of Black Hole to the first Star Trek movie rings true. I'd never thought of it before, but the two do have a very similar feel.
Major, I dunno, it still seems plenty abrasive... and sore mouth inducing. I just let it soak in the milk for a couple of minutes. Not soggy, but not "lava rocks" either. Of course, sometimes I eat Cap'n Crunch dry, straight from the box; like cookies. Ouch! (But that's my own fault.)
Count me as another sci-fi fan who was looking forward to seeing The Black Hole... and was disappointed.
I had big plot issues with "The Black Hole". We're introduced to comical sentient robots, one of whom even has ESP, but then it's supposed to be a huge plot point that the mirror-faced androids have a funeral for one of their number (granted, it's a stunning moment). And the androids never again show that level of humanity, basically little better than Roombas even as the ship is being destroyed. One suspects the script was a committee-driven hash. All the sadder in view of the amazing visuals.
Another note: Composer John Barry provided a heroic, Star Wars-style march that was clumsily used in just one scene. My guess is that somebody decreed the big, dark score needed something catchy for commercials and the soundtrack album.
Eventually Disney packaged "The Black Hole" and "Sleeping Beauty" as a double feature, the connection being they were both amazing technical/visual epics to be seen on a big screen. True story: On at least one day, the San Francisco Chronicle placed the Disney-designed promo amongst the porn theater ads. Make your own joke.
Major-
Unless the truth is stranger than fiction - or I've really been keeping my head farther up my ass than usual - there aren't any edible windshield wipers-! I just threw in that red herring to see if folks were paying attention. That 'reference' is courtesy of Jess Oppenheimer - and I can't remember the exact context - but suffice it to say it was very amusing.
As for real lenticular stuff, there was Eastman Embossed (lenticular) B&W Kine Recording Film, that would hold a color image. "Lenticular film is a special form of black-and-white film with tiny cylindrical lenses, called lenticules, embossed in its face. Each lenticule extends across the 35mm width. There are 25 lenticules embossed in each millimeter of film length. And, in the height of the 35mm frame, there are approximately 390 lenticules. The purpose of these lenticules is to direct color-separated black-and-white stripes or layers on the film emulsion".
Other than special demonstrations, I'm unaware this system of delayed color broadcasting for the West coast ever going into service. And remember this is color television - back in 1956, when the number of color television receivers was pretty slim, and only applied to NBC. AND... November 30, 1956, saw the first use of videotape (B&W) in broadcasting; and by October 1958, color videotape made its debut, making any sort of crazy, lenticular film-based color system totally moot.
Hahaha! Nanook, I searched (Googled) the shoe umbrellas and the edible wipers...only found the shoe umbrellas and gave up looking for the other. I had no idea WHY those would be on the market...now I know!
—Sue
@ Sue-
I had a whole backstory created to support the nonsensical product: What if you should become stranded and were in need of nutrition-?? No worries... just peel-away the wiper blades from the frames and start chomping-down-! Any bugs or bug parts that might be lodged on the blades will simply add more protein to the meal-!
But, of course the problem was the best-tasting flavors caused streaking on the glass. You just can't win-!
Nanook, while trying to make some kind of sense out of edible blades, my brain wondered if there was some type of used blade that you threw in the compost pile for the microbes to digest or something—hence eco-friendly edible wiper blades. I need to remind myself this is GDB, and stop thinking deeply. ;oP
—Sue
@ Sue-
Deep thought merely encourages head swelling. Ouch-!
JB, I do feel kind of proud that I have lost the ability to love something that others might find silly or childish. In fact, having loved Disney my whole life, I came to terms with the fact that it was not cool a long time ago, and kept loving it anyway. With all this conversation about The Black Hole, I’m really going to have to look for it on Disney+ now! And how’s this… I don’t hate Star Trek: The Motion Picture! I admit that I sand the roof of my mouth with 80-grit garnet sandpaper each day to build up a callus, maybe you haven’t done that?
DBenson, jeez, I don’t even remember the scene of the android funeral, though it sounds kind of cool. Until you mentioned them, I didn’t even remember the mirror-faced androids. I’ll be curious to hear the score, if I can watch TBH again. Why does it not surprise me that the San Francisco Chronicle would put the Disney promo with the porn ads?!
Nanook, oh, I noticed the edible windshield wipers, but figured you were just being silly! Did Laurel and Hardy do a bit with edible windshield wipers once? Or maybe that was a commercial with Laurel and Hardy lookalikes. (Yes, I know there is a movie where they use Laurel’s tie as a replacement wiper). I’m sort of fascinated by the idea of lenticular TV, though it is kind of hard to imagine how it worked (at least it is for my tiny brain). Note to self: use the word “lenticules” more often.
Sue, I’m telling you, Neil Armstrong wore shoe umbrellas on the moon. Check the historical photos!
Nanook, I can’t help thinking of Charlie Chaplin eating a shoe in “The Gold Rush”. As for being stranded, why not just lay in a big supply of Space Food Sticks??
Sue, I don’t think deeply, which I why I don’t get jokes about “hidden Mickeys”!
Nanook, a tinfoil hat prevents brain swelling. Life hack.
The android funeral came early on in "The Black Hole". It was definitely a tribute to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", where Ned Land and company board the seemingly deserted sub, and witness an undersea burial.
Major, speaking of tinfoil hats, the worst part of "The Black Hole" (one of them, anyway) is when the androids dress up Yvette Mimieux (Weeeeeeeeeeee-na!) to look like a baked potato!
DBenson, here's a vintage ad from the Los Angeles Times, advertising the double feature of "The Black Hole" and "Sleeping Beauty," using the line, "Two Worlds of Disney Fantasy!"
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hbP7uVeBqHw/V6fO4KmeIQI/AAAAAAAANIc/UESLgEuS2nA1doYnfoZHh8Gv71htn7IqQCLcB/s1600/The%2BBlack%2BHole%2B-%2B%25282%2529.jpg
Tokyo, your brother really looks out for you!
JG, I forgot to say that yes, my brother really does look out for me. I didn't mention it, but in addition to buying me the cereal with the vintage graphics, just a couple weeks ago, he gave me a Cap'n Crunch keychain:
https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-0kvv9/products/319988/images/461845/apinae73l__69523.1594232495.500.750.jpg?c=2
I have the best brother in the world!
TM!, thanks for the ad. “Read the Ballantine book”…I still have my copy from the Scholastic Book Club.
And brothers are the best. At least, that’s what my sister tells me. I’ll just have to take her word for it.
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