More Stuff From The Box
This isn't just stuff. It's STUFF FROM THE BOX! That magical receptacle that never runs out of miscellaneous (but awesome) junk.
First up is this pair of souvenir wings from a radio program called ANN OF THE AIRLANES. I had never heard of that show, so I was shocked to learn that it ran from 1932 to sometime in the 1950s. One website describes it as a "children's adventure serial", The story focused on Ann Burton, an aspiring airplane hostess portrayed by Lynne Howard (possibly a stage name for Hollywood native Elia Braca). She also worked with the Secret Service, as did her romantic interest, Interstate Airlines pilot Jack Baker. The announcer got things going thusly: Over Valley and Mountain, River and Plain, through Wind and Storm… rides Ann of the Airlanes...
You can listen to some surviving episodes HERE.
Next is this vintage (certainly 1930s) enameled pin featuring the beautiful Olive Oyl! She's so fancy with her little blue hat. There were matching pins with Popeye, Wimpy, and rare examples with Eugene the Jeep (I don't have one of those).
Here's tiny gold-tone pin featuring a Schwinn bicycle; I'm not sure if these were available to the public, or if they were worn by Schwinn salespeople. I've seen these listed as being from the 1920s, but I really have no idea.
This next item is not rare, I'm sure many tens of thousands were sold at Shell gas stations over the years. It's a humble keychain with the famous scallop shell logo. Should you have had the misfortune to lose your keys, a good samaritan could drop them off at any Shell dealer; thanks to the unique number stamped on the back, they'd know just how to return them to you. Pretty sweet!
Considering that I generally don't collect political pins, I seem to have wound up with a few anyway. This tiny enamel pin is an attractive souvenir. I admit to being fascinated by Wendell Willkie, who ran (unsuccessfully) against FDR in both 1940 and 1944. He died after a series of heart attacks and other ailments in '44.
And finally, here's an odd little pin, from the "Wotsat Club", from the John Wanamaker Department Store (later "Wanamaker's"), which began in Philadelphia. Wotsat is the name of "the most inquisitive elf on earth"; he had "an absurdly long nose and a pink shiny head that matched his pink silk body". Okay! I've found mentions of Wotsat going back to at least 1915. There is an account of a May Day event with hundreds of children in attendance. They'd watch a little play, sing songs, watch movies, and performers doing magic ("Chinese illusions"), dances (such as the Highland Fling), and more!
I know this is very hard to read, but here is a page from St. Nicholas Magazine featuring Wotsat at Wanamaker's.
I hope you have enjoyed today's STUFF FROM THE BOX.
15 comments:
Major-
Wotsat looks like a far distant cousin of Reddy Kilowatt.
Thanks, Major.
Of course, the "Ann of the Airlanes" wings are made of genuine pure gold and genuine clear white diamonds. Back in the 1930s, gold and diamonds were so cheap and common that they gave the stuff away inside cornflakes boxes. But despite their lack of monetary value and being made of common materials, I'm sure you like them just the same and welcome them into your collection.
I like the Olive Oyl pin. I would like it even more if her face was more visible.
The craftsmanship of the Schwinn pin (Schwinn pin, Schwinn pin, Schwinn pin) is remarkable. I do believe I can see the clothespin holding the playing card against the spokes!
I like the fine detail in the Shell keychain. Although it kind of reminds me of a cartoon "ball and chain" that a criminal would wear around their ankle, provided that the criminal was 18 inches tall.
I doubt I would have been a fan of Wendell Willkie but I sure like his campaign pin! So attractive! My favorite, today.
The Wotsat pin is also nice; I particularly like the irregular scalloped edge. But Wotsat the elf looks a little creepy to me; sort of like a skull with a dagger for a nose. I do like the whimsical story, even though it's a bit confusing with all the characters.
A worthy edition of Stuff From The Box. Thanks, Major.
Lots of great stuffs today Major! Ann of the Airlines....sounds like the radio version of "Coffee Tea or Me"...or the TV series "Flying High"...which sounds like something else...but I suppose the intent is there. Of course Ann and her rugged pilot compadre worked for the Secret Service...fighting crime and flying around the globe. When I have time I am going to listen to those shows: a job that was once very glamourous seems to have lost it's luster a bit. I applied for more than one Airline when I was young and fabulous- however not fabulous enough. Airlines used to come to Disneyland to recruit employees: there would be informational sessions at the Disney University. Olive Oyle looks brand new...Popeye seems to endure the decades like the Mouse. Good for him. Eat your spinach! I'm thinking that the Shell keychain was a give a way item. I remember back 1000 years when I was a kid, a trip to the gas station ALWAYS got you something free for the kiddie winkies. I was not fancy enough for a Schwinn bike: I got mine from Western Auto: yes: auto parts and bikes too. It didn't have a "sissy bar"....who's name always confounds me, as that wasn't something to aspire to in the day....look it up as it's actually a tall bar on the back of the bike seat: which is hopefully a banana seat (look that up too.). Wotsat seems a bit creepy...not sure If that would be my "Mickey Mouse" if I was a retailer, but to each his own. And poor wee willie Willkie...runs for two seasons and then drops. There is a screen play there. The most important question of the day however, is "what is the box?" is it simple cardboard, or a bejeweled golden receptacle made of rare woods and lined in lead? Inquiring minds want to know.....
My favorite is the Olive Oyl pin. Like Bu said, it looks new! Poor Shelley Duvall, she passed away just a few months back. I never did see the film with her portraying Olive Oyl. Hmmm, what WAS the name of that film, anyway?
Bu, so Disney didn't mind having various airlines coming onto the property and taking good Disney employees away? How odd! I wonder if Disney got a kickback for letting them do that?
I probably still have a pair or two of cheep wings they gave you when you went to the cockpit to meet the pilots. No stones, but Status among 10 year olds! Fun stuff.
MS
Trips to the Box are always fascinating.
Those “Ann” pins… did the one only have a single wing? Wouldn’t you just fly in a circle then?
I think my parents probably voted for Wilkie, since I can’t imagine them voting for Roosevelt. There’s a joke about that but it’s too long to type out. I’ll call this my favorite of the group.
Bu, my bike came from Western Auto also. My rich friends in town had Schwinns. Nice pin too.
The Olive Oyl pin is nice, but why? Is it an ad?
I went in the Wanamaker store in Philadelphia, it was really something, but I don’t recall the Wotsat guy at all.
Thanks Major, very entertaining today!
JG
I like the Air Hostess/Pilot Sunshine designations around the first 2; promo pins weren’t just for boys! Olive’s literal crooked smile is fun. My favorite is the Schwinn because it reminds me of Pee-wee Herman’s bike. I’m imaging an elaborate database of Shell keychain owners and their addresses to be able to return anyone’s keys. All I know about Wendell Willkie I learned from Looney Tunes (wacky characters loved shouting “It ain’t Vendell Villkie!”) Wotsat would’ve frightened me as a kid. Thanks for a great Box visit, Major.
Nanook, hmmm, I never thought of Reddy! I find him more appealing than the Wotsat.
JB, I heard that they used to used diamonds as fuel for locomotives if they couldn’t get coal. I’m sorry about Olive Oyl’s face, that’s right where my lights reflected the most. I have a fondness for Schwinn bikes, when I was a kid, everyone wanted a Schwinn! I admit that the Shell keychain isn’t that amazing, but hey, it was in the box, and rules are rules. Wendell Willkie does sound “not great”, but I am biased. I wonder if there was a man dressed as a Wotsat when they did events at Wanamaker’s? The “pink silk body” makes me hope not.
Bu, I’ve only listened to a bit of an Ann of the Airlines episode, it really is for kids. There’s a certain charm, but… I have things to do! You might not have been so happy to work as a flight attendant - one of my best friends works for Jet Blue, and it is a grueling job. She lifts hundreds of carry-on bags for people, and passengers regularly clobber her with bags (or drop them on her head/feet). Maybe back in the good old days, the companies treated the attendants well, but Jet Blue is pretty crummy. Gas station giveaways - I remember getting plastic animals at one gas station (little hard plastic things, I still have a hippo), and my dad once brought home Hot Wheels cars that were part of a deal. I don’t know, buy 10 gallons, get a Hot Wheels car? He got one for me and one for my brother. I never had a bike with a sissy bar (yeah, what’s up with that name) but I did have a banana seat. And tassels on the handlebars! Wotsat is kind of creepy, but many old-fashioned characters have a high “creep factor”. The box is ever changing!
TokyoMagic!, I really wanted an identical Olive Oyl pin that was still on the original backing card, but the seller wanted way too much. Or maybe not, I’ve never seen another on the card. The name of the film you are thinking of is “The Shining”! Good question about Disney and how they might have felt about airlines poaching their good employees.
MS, oh man, wait until I show you my collection of complimentary “pilot’s wings” and “stewardess wings”!
JG, yes, presumably the “single wing” Ann of the Airlines pin was not as prestigious as the “double wing” pin. I can find very little information about them. My grandparents hated Roosevelt, I remember being so shocked to hear about it, since I just assumed that everybody loved the President. Boy what a different time. We weren’t rich, but somehow got Schwinns - I admit that my grandparents might have helped to fund those. Once my bike was stolen from school - and the police actually recovered it! I think the Olive Oyl pin is just an early example of character merchandise, like Mickey Mouse or Felix the Cat (etcetera). I’m sure Wotsat was long obsolete by the time you went to Wanamaker’s!
Kathy, I do wonder if Ann of the Airlines was primarily a “girl’s show”, or if boys liked it too. Airplanes, spies, I could see it crossing over. Aw, Pee-Wee, I miss him. I saw him in Los Angeles long ago, it was exciting. Oh man, I totally forgot about the Looney Tunes references to “Vendell Villkie”, I love it!
I worked part of my way through college as a bike mechanic at Agoura Schwinn! Not sure what particular model is depicted; it has a "gas tank" (where the name is on the blue background), a "springer" front end (a sort-of shock absorber on the fork), a headlight and a rear rack. A set of fenders rounds out the package.
I've been listening to The Cinnamon Bear, a Christmas serial from the 30's sponsored by a West Coast department store. It has a similarly complicated story with lots of characters. I wonder if Wannamaker's store had their own sponsored Thanksgiving-Christmas serial on their radio station. (Many early radio stations were operated by department stores to give their customers a reason to buy a radio)
Steve DeGaetano, wow, Agoura Schwinn, that wouldn’t have been very far from my mom’s house. I didn’t buy an “adult” bike until you were probably away from the area. I love the look of vintage bikes, though of course the newer ones are so much better for actual riding.
Dean Finder, I’ll have to check out The Cinnamon Bear later, it sounds like fun. Sometimes just the old-fashioned quality is enough to make things enjoyable. I would not be surprised if Wanamaker’s sponsored a radio show, but my brief research was not coming up with a lot of info.
Dean, a couple years ago, my dad was mentioning old radio programs he used to listen to as a little boy, in the 1930s. He mentioned The Cinnamon Bear, and I pulled it up on my phone and played the theme (opening) song for him. He sang along, word for word, even though he hadn't heard it for about 85 years. That was my first introduction to that radio program.
Thanks, Major, for sharing more fun stuff.
You can hear that song in the first couple minutes HERE.
"Wotsat" - a homonym for "what's that?" Perfect name for the most inquisitive elf on Earth.
WLS in Chicago (50,000 watts at 890 AM) was originally established, owned, and operated by Sears. WLS stands for "World's Largest Store."
Chuck, WLS was the radio station all us kids listened to, growing up. They played the same Top 10 Hits - over and over and over and over and over and over....
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