I love lenticular pinback buttons. Some call them "flashers", but I don't have anything to do with people like that. Society gave up on them long ago. Today I have four examples of lenticular pins from Knott's Berry Farm. Hooray!
We'll start with this one, celebrating Fiesta Village, which I assume was relatively new - it opened in 1969. A tiled fountain splashes, while several beautiful señoritas dance.
Hey, I DO like Knott's Berry Farm!
Next is this example with artwork from the short-lived Gypsy Camp, which opened in 1971, and only lasted three years before being replaced by 'The Roaring 20s" area. So I would assume that this pin is relatively hard to find. We see colorful gypsy wagons and another dancing woman. (No offense intended to anyone who considers the word "gypsy" to be a pejorative).
I suggested "I am on the fence about Knott's Berry Farm", but as usual my idea was rejected.
This pin was made in Japan, for those of you who wanted to know.
Here's a lenticular pin featuring Seldom Seen Slim and his faithful burro - this sculpture was created by Claude Bell, and was seen for years at the corner of Beach Boulevard and La Palma. I am not clear as to whether it was moved to another location, or if it has mysteriously vanished from public view.
"I was there!"
And here's a variant, Seldom Seen Slim sure gets seen on a lot of pins. This time he is exiting stage right (our left). It looks like he is standing on a t-bone steak, which is something that I hardly ever do.
Yes, yes, I know you were there, what do you want, a parade??
I hope you have enjoyed today's lenticular pins!
Major-
ReplyDeleteIt's doubtful if these pins were offered-up for sale in these times they would merely pass muster by stating "I like Knott's. It's all about over-selling today - it's gotta be "I love Knott's"-!
Thanks, Major. (I'm all about the love).
Seems rather odd today to say that something relatively simple like these pins were "Made in Japan". Now, Japan produces the most technologically advanced products on Earth. I'm old enough to remember when "Made in Japan" was a punchline for all things that were cheaply made and/or cheap quality.
ReplyDeleteThat t-bone steak looks well-marbled. I bet it was delicious and very tender! Actually, it look like Seldom Seen Slim is waking across several steaks, a whole roast! Hmm, maybe this is all that's left of Babe the Blue Ox.
My favorite today is the Gypsy Camp pin. The graphics are more clear, and the colors really pop. Thanks for the "flashers", Major. ;-)
I love venticular pins! I have that Gypsy Camp one. There aren't too many Knott's items out there, with "Gypsy Camp" on them. I have seen a toy tambourine, a child-sized plastic wallet, and also one of those "half-a-cup" coffee mugs with a "Gypsy Camp" label. I wonder what possessed Marion Knott to add that large of a themed area to the park, without even one single ride? Although, I guess the story goes that Knott's Bear-y Tales was originally going to be themed to Gypsies, instead of bears. Still, to build something on that scale, only to have it fail so quickly and then have to replace it.....she must have felt the same way the Disney people did after coming up with the "Rocket Rods," "Light Magic," "Superstar Limo," or even all of DCA 1.0.
ReplyDeleteOh, and that Fiesta Village fountain is still standing today. At least, it was. Now I'm wondering if it survived this year's revamp of Fiesta Village? The little theater "El Teatro" pictured behind the fountain was torn down, however, and the park's merry-go-round was moved to that spot, back in 1987.
Thanks, Major. I hope you have a lentriffic Tuesday!
"I WAS THERE!" It sounds quite monumental. I continue to be more and more enchanted by Knott's as I go into internet rabbit holes looking for things like prospector statues and whatnot...Historically, the place has some major street cred. It's interesting that both Disney, and Knotts celebrate 100 years at the same time. Although the Knotts came to Buena Park in 1920 and farmed berries, the humble roadside stand (before the more noted "real" stand) was built in 1923. The Boysenberry would not come along until a decade later in '33: for Walter Knott. The Boysenberry did not have a name until Walter Knott was directed to an Anaheim ditch to find it, then grow it in Buena Park, and then subsequently name it. Berries sold at the first stand were raspberries, "Advance" blackberry, strawberries, Loganberries, and Macatawa blackberries. Here is the Knotts Catalog prior to Chicken, Snoopy, Gypsies, tramps and thieves:https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/230068#page/13/mode/1up. It's a super interesting read, regardless of your interest in plants. Now I need to go to Knotts in search of bits of heritage berry plants, and then I can safely say "I WAS THERE!" Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteMajor, I forgot to answer your question about Claude Bell's figures, out on the corner of Beach Blvd. and La Palma Ave. That rock that they were standing on was bulldozed in 1983, but the figures were moved to the top of a new wall, when Camp Snoopy was being built on that corner. I just published a blog post for Camp Snoopy's 40th anniversary, and it includes a little bit of info on that, along with a black and white photo of the figures being returned to the corner. The problem is, the figures that are there today, do not match up with Claude Bell's originals, so at some point they were either replaced, or majorly altered.
ReplyDeleteIf for buttons you're particular
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest lenticular
With flashers, the scenes are double
With very little trouble
Give a slight tilt then you oughts
To have great scenes of Knotts!
With apologies to Melissa
Major, I had no idea these existed (which can be said about a lot of things, I guess), but they are fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd I WAS there, back then, but I’m reticent to brag, so I wouldn’t wear one out.
JG
Some fun buttons today. Like with Disneyland ones, I imagine the wearer of these striking weird poses to show off the transforming pictures to onlookers. An unusual font choice on the first two. And yeah, “I was there” is an odd statement to make about a regular visit to a theme park. You could use them as an alibi. No, officer, it couldn’t have been me, I was there (points to button). Thanks, Major.
ReplyDeleteI love these buttons! The "I was there!" tagline would be appropriate for the Gypsy Camp. I think it's safe to say that there will never be Gypsy Camp merchandise, but at least Knott's has great merchandise lines for the Volcano Devil, Sky Jump, Wacky Soap Box Racers, and so many other of their classic attractions. Virginia's Gift Shop is still awesome all these years later.
ReplyDeleteNanook, as a Puritan, just thinking about the red-hot emotion of love makes me ashamed.
ReplyDeleteJB, re: “Made in Japan” - you have a lot in common with Doc Brown. Same hair! Walking on a steak is a well-known method of tenderizing, and nobody knew that better than Seldom Seen Slim (who spent two years at the Cordon Bleu culinary school). I love that Gypsy Camp pin too, party because of its scarcity.
TokyoMagic!, I have an aluminum tray with Gypsy Camp graphics, I took a photo of it for the blog, but have lost hundreds of photos and scans recently, so I’ll have to redo it when I can. I want to use a plastic child’s wallet out in the real world, just for the looks. The failure of the Gypsy Camp must have been a real punch in the gut (so to speak) for Marion, the first real failure for KBF that I am aware of (unless you count Mud Wresting Land). Now I’m worried for the fountain, and need to know if it survived the reworking of that area.
Bu, “I was there”, the button was probably designed by Douglas MacArthur Jr. He had a history of exclaiming things. “I’m done eating!”. “Something smells weird!”. People found it amusing. I think I’ve seen early photos of the original berry stand, and I’m pretty sure that they sold all sorts of produce, not just berries of varying kinds. Thank goodness for the Boysenberry, though! Thank you for the link to the catalog, it makes me want to order something. I wonder how those berry plants would do in your neck of the woods?
TokyoMagic!, any idea why they bulldozed the rock that Slim was standing on? Maybe it was a target of vandalism? Or was it just a bad decision by some “suit”? I’ll have to look at your new post, I swear I checked your blog yesterday and it was still the Matterhorn article! What in the world, I hate that they either ruined Claude Bell’s original figures, or replaced the originals with shoddy replicas. Arg.
Stu29573, WHOA! Look at you with the poetry! Six extra points for rhyming “oughts” with “Knott’s”. Great job!
JG, is it bragging to merely state the truth? You should be proud to wear a lenticular pin at all occasions, including AMWAY conventions, funerals, and yes, Monsterpalooza.
Kathy!, ha ha, the wearing might have to contort themselves into some interesting positions so that their friends could see both images. But that’s part of the fun I guess. Good point about using the buttons as an alibi for a murder, I am filing that one away for future use!
Andrew, now I have to wonder if Knott’s has (or will) produce any Gypsy Camp pins or shirts or other nostalgia-based merchandise? Perhaps it has gone to the same place that all “Splash Mountain” wound up. I had no idea that they had anything with the Volcano Devil!
Stu, that's a great poem, but Melissa-you-are-Knott. ;o)
ReplyDeleteThese are fun pins, Major, thank you for sharing!
I was at Knott’s last evening and saw lots of new Fiesta Village merchandise …. But other than pins … nothing retro Fiesta Village . Knott’s merchandise team has actually been doing a great job of offering vintage and retro things recently so it’s possible more Fiesta Village stuff is coming.
ReplyDeleteThere’s even a line of 1920’s bar ware for Knott’s Roaring 20’s with the Blind Tiger Speakeasy logo on it and The Roaring 20’s!!
Tokyo : I have tried to avoid becoming a Knott’s collector …. But I failed and collect Knott’s stuff . I search for vintage roaring 20’s and Gypsy Camp among other Knott’s stuff.
I have a “gold” gypsy camp good luck medallion / necklaces … a wood tray…. A metal tray …. Souvenir castanets ( shouldn’t those be fiesta village???) two different tambourine designs a postcard souvenir folder and a ceramic bank in green-orange and yellow that looks like something out of Knott’s Berry Tales … but says “gypsy camp “. I have other small things like a show flyer , a coin and game tickets.
A friend of mine has a gypsy camp postcard book (I’ve got the album version) I bet there’s other things out there that must be pretty rare considering how short lived the area was.
Ok the GYPSY CAMP ceramic bank is of a barrel top gypsy wagon one side of the wagon reads “KNOTT’S GYPSY CAMP” the other side “KNOTTS BERRY FARM”. I guess my version is referred to as the GREEN WAGON. The bank “wagon” came in orange and a yellow version I understand … all use the same colors but the wagons were offered in an assortment of colors .
ReplyDeleteI also had a souvenir hat - kinda like a flat cowboy hat that had Pom-poms hanging from the brim and a cloth - paper sticker of gypsy camp. I sold it several years ago because I really didn’t have a place to store it - but now I kinda wish I still had it.
Incidentally I have no recollection of having ever gone to Gypsy Camp …. If I did I had to have been very little.
Sue, OUCH
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, I watched a video recently that showed some of the merchandise at Knott’s, and you’re right, they do a good job of offering items that call back to the past. Now that Andrew has mentioned the shirt with the volcano devil, I am seriously wanting one of those! Bar ware, wow, incredible. I don’t have a lot of Knott’s stuff, compared to my Disneyland collection at least… I’m wondering if it’s more than 10 items, not counting postcards? Although now that I think of it, it probably IS more than 10 items. Other than my lenticular Gypsy Camp pin, I don’t think I have anything else that celebrates that short-lived attraction. Wow, I did not know that there was a postcard book dedicated to the Gypsy Camp, I’d love to see the photos.
Mike Cozart, the ceramic bank sounds cool - as a rule I try to avoid ceramic things (like cookie jars) because they are big, heavy, and fragile, but I do like some of them. I’ll have to do a Google search and see if I can find more of the Gypsy Camp stuff!
Mike, that is a lot of G.C. merch! That hat sounds kind of cool. I think Madonna wore a hat like that at some point.....but without the Gypsy Camp patch on it.
ReplyDeleteWhen Knott's was celebrating their 100th anniversary, they released 100 pins for the occasion. One of them was a G.C. pin, in the shape of a tambourine! It looks like the pin is still available:
https://marketplace.knotts.com/collections/pins/products/gypsy-camp-collectible-pin
Now I want a toy tambourine with "Gypsy Camp" on it. I can pretend to play it, while I pretend that I'm Tracy Partridge.
Major, that Fiesta Village fountain appears to be there in the Google aerial view, but I don't know how old that view is. It has "2023" at the bottom, but I don't know if that means the aerial capture is from 2023. Anyway, it looks like the most current "street view" is from June of 2015. And here is the fountain as it appeared at that time:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8454731,-117.9994895,2a,60y,270.47h,80.42t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1siaR7P4mRi9gGif4w9RGqEw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu
I forgot to mention earlier, that that artwork on the Fiesta Village button, is based on a photo that was also used for a postcard:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144705009312?hash=item21b11736a0:g:xLgAAOSwRAtjC-6t&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8AxSEVW1J79bv3K4jUilFBxUpgk0lXQztQVRCC7xJeXX7kH%2BpYLmKHiYtNorT34NuRD8v9JjZUuHOsA36tSCVHXTNNXrr%2FTJutr9%2FfIr4Oj28q7qXu8qqFD334GgiTzg7Bm%2BSwOu9sB3YFGF94TjccwPloNzMH39lMkUyOqWnV8Apme2WtkTS5ePO2Pjd5UT80yDAmdNtNsHzA%2BqRke8LBfGdT57KbMdrTImWv7oJMWh7cP0dVR5%2Bo0EDQ3zq7AlaL4sME%2BWC4kzQ5GrGZhvLHbPKZjs0evVdZKJ8Clae%2FhBrbBjBBqmwe6ths1jEt67Bg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMyqWFiqBi
TokyoMagic!, any idea why they bulldozed the rock that Slim was standing on? Maybe it was a target of vandalism? Or was it just a bad decision by some “suit”?
ReplyDeleteMajor, when they built Camp Snoopy on that corner, they needed to extend the park fence/wall around it. That land had previously been a parking lot, so it did not have any kind of fencing around it. When the new wall was built around Camp Snoopy, they moved Slim and his burrow up on top of the wall. I think most people missed him up there, since he was now at a higher spot. Plus the trees behind the wall grew in around him and he just sort of blended in with the growth. They have trimmed those trees away within the last few years, so he can be seen a little better now, but you still have to look up on top of the wall for him. If it were up to me, I think I would have left him and the original rock alone, and built the wall around them.
Now having said that, maybe they wanted the statues up at a higher and safer level. I remember shortly after I started working at Knott's, the figures disappeared from the top of that "rock." Management told us that it was the result of vandals. About 10 years later, after I had left Knott's, I worked with a woman who told me that she grew up in the neighborhood behind the Knott's horse barn (and Bud Hurlbut's workshop and property). She claimed that when her brother was a teenager, he and his friends went over to Knott's in the middle of the night, and "blew up" the prospector and burro statues. I was horrified! But I did remember that they had been vandalized, around the same period of time that she was talking about.
If her story is true, I guess it is possible that they could have had Claude Bell make another set, or they might have had a "spare" pair in storage. There used to be a second pair atop a similar rock, at the corner of Western and La Palma Avenues. I believe those were removed when the Roaring 20s area was built, or the following year when the Roaring 20s Airfield was built. Maybe they had those figures in storage, and used them as replacements for the other pair, if they were beyond repair. As Bu would say, someone knows! We also need to find out what happened to the spare/ copied/or repaired pair, because they are not the same ones that are up there on the wall, today.
I meant "burro," not "burrow," because I is educated. ;-)
ReplyDelete