Whatever happened to ICEE?

Now that summer’s come early to Manila (read: massive heat wave), I can’t help but scramble for cooling treats like ice cream, cold drinks, etc.  The other day, I waxed nostalgic remembering that cold slushy drink in a cup that predated the Slurpee called ICEE.  As a kid, I used to love going to the supermarket with my mom, knowing that I’d get myself a freezing cola or bright red cherry ICEE afterwards.  Anyone looking to bring in new products to the Philippines, bring back ICEE please! 

ICEE as I remember it

Apparently, the ICEE bear has gotten a makeover from being a bottom-heavy, goofy and loveable layabout (in the tradition of Shaggy from Scooby-doo)…

The good ol' ICEE bear just enjoyed dancing and drinking... ICEE!

… to a “too cool” ice-boarding, sunglass-wearing, “these are modern times so let’s get active” polar bear:

 

Check out the ICEE Company website for information and interesting fan photos like these ones:

Adorable fan photo

Strange fan photo

Apparently ICEE is today available in the US, Canada, Mexico, China and the Middle East.  What happened to the Phils?  We need you back, ICEE bear (goofy or jock version).  It’s hot here…

Flood Weary in the Philippines

The recent spate of sad events in the Philippines — starting with Typhoon Ondoy on September 26th  – really kept me from adding to this blog.   But, after the tragedies and doing your best to help those affected, life goes on…

But back to the batcave and the rain/floods:  Though we can blame the unusual amount of rainfall on climate change, and the clogged drains on pollution, and denuded forests for the landslides, I always think… it’s been pouring buckets on this country forever!  We just never pre-plan anything here (except for the latest product launch and celeb debut, but I digress), and we never learn from from the past.

Just to prove my point, check out this vintage political cartoon from the 1931 Free Press (below):

Deja Vuuuuu....

Hmm, except for the vintage cars and outfits, and a shark in the water instead of the seriously real crocodiles and snakes from the September flooding, this looks sooo familiar…

 

Bad Food Photos = Great Entertainment

I know it’s strange but I love collecting really bad food photos.  Whether a result of a truly bad recipe, bad food styling or better yet, BOTH,  I’m amazed that ad people back then allowed this stuff to make it to print.  Knowing that it’s almost a science now with Food Testers, Stylists and Photographers being paid top dollar for magazine features and ads, it’s nice to know that once upon a time, people really just didn’t care…

Anything with ‘aspic’ should usually raise red flags

Mmmm!

 

It’s like raw meat surrounded by little bunches o’ brains

 

Having mastered Peas, Del Monte then offers up this tempting creamed Corn concoction

 

It’s amazing how creepy spaghetti can look in the wrong hands

 

I love the tagline, “Some things can be copied and some things can’t.”  Well, thank God for that!

Run, kids! Mom's made the Haystack!

 

The Frankfurter-Kraut Crown – the perfect holiday centerpiece!

 

A very rare way of serving “Pork with Spaghetti” or as I call it, “Hairy Pork” : P

 

Saved the BEST for last! 

Lime Walnut Salad — lime gelatin, celery, pimiento, pineapple and cottage cheese.  Truly. Award. Winning.

A lesser-known Weapon of Mass Destruction

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 someday soon… I have a huge collection : O

Gitanes Cigarette Ads are beautiful

I don’t smoke, but I really enjoy going through vintage cigarette advertising.  A genre in itself, tobacco ads encompassed all design styles and ranged in subject matter from the scientific to the fashionable and iconic, and even to the bizarre…

Strange "Don't smoke & drive" (?) Russian Ad

 

But I love love classic French cigarette brand Gitanes‘ vintage ads.  The modern (now considered retro-modern) designs and bright, bold colors are just lovely.  And despite the eye-catching designs, the ads are very subtle – there are no cigarette health facts or hard-sell headlines.  Just simple, beautiful designs featuring a gypsy lady.  Here are some examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophia Loren does not like you…

 I think Jayne Mansfield’s in trouble.

Get this woman and her bread rolls away from Sophia!

Devilishly Divine Joan Crawford

“If I can’t be me, I don’t want to be anybody.”

 

Despite what Christina Crawford wrote in “Mommie Dearest”, how can you not love (or love to hate) Joan Crawford?  Now she was a total Hollywood diva.  After all the stories about her cattiness and nose in the air attidude, the wonderful thing is that she could back up all the airs with top-rate acting and screen presence.  From Grand Hotel to her later B-movie attempts, the camera adored her.  She even stood out as the hateful Crystal in the original (1939)The Women (one of my favorite movies).  And considering she was in that movie with greats like Rosalind Russel, Norma Shearer and Paulette Goddard, that’s saying a lot.  Here are more delicious quotable quotes from Christina’s Mommie (I didn’t include “No wire hangers!”):

“I, Joan Crawford, I believe in the dollar. Everything I earn, I spend.”

“Helga, I’m not mad at you.  I’m mad at the dirt.” (to her maid)

“If you want my opinion, far too many actresses today are little more than tramps and tarts.”

“We’re paid to turn shit into gold.” (on Hollywood)

“Women’s Lib?  Poor little things.  They always look so unhappy.  Have you noticed how bitter their faces are?”

 

Ok, so maybe she really was a scary mom...

 

But bitch-ay or not, you just gotta love her.  Unless you’re another Diva like Bette Davis (looove her) who reportedly couldn’t stand dearest Joan, and the feeling was mutual.  In several Bette biographies, there are just loads of gems about their ‘little’ feud…

 When asked why she avoided Joan at Hollywood functions, Bette stated:

“You hang around that woman long enough and you’ll pick up all kinds of useless shit.”

Love is in the air...

Sigh, these Divas, gotta love them.

Classic Joan photographed by Hollywood photog, Yousuf Karsh

The KISS family

After years of planning, we may finally go the KISS route this Halloween –

My husband can now look exactly like Gene because the ‘authentic’ Gene Simmons’ Demon outfit is now available to all… for USD 500!  Gene, gene, gene – such a businessman…

In our plans, my daughter is supposed to be Paul/Starchild (since no one else wants to be) but dressing up as mini-Gene is too adorable to pass up…

Or, she could come in the too CUTE Toddler Ace Frehley/Spaceman costume:

Hmm…even kids who dress like Paul Stanley/Starchild can’t help acting a little cheeseball:

I’ll obviously be Peter Criss/Catman, but I refuse to dress up in this creepy adult version (with thigh cut-outs)…

Whether we do this Halloween 2009 or not, we take comfort in knowing that EVERY family can now be a KISS family… “You wanted the best, You got the best!”  Woo hoo!

Vintage ads by mad men

I wonder how I could have possibly suspected that the following ads were conceptualized, written and produced by a bunch of men in a 1960s HBO’s Mad Men-style office:

 

Every man dreams of being married to a peppy wife…

"I worked hard procuring arsenic for your coffee, dear"

 

Cute “men are better than women” ad…

Taken a few seconds before Angela stabbed both men with the climbing pick...

 

The just-about-to-be-divorced man’s guide to buying presents for the wife…

I think this ad made me grit my teeth down to stumps...

 

Great Hannibal Lecter type imagery for an ad selling synthetic pants…

Linda bided her time, waiting for the perfect moment to throw a match down Bob's dapper yet highly flammable DACRON pants...

 

Adorable ad about female drivers…

"Officer, I'm so dumb that I mistook my husband for a speed bump and ran right over him"

Dating Yourself – The Typewriter

I saw this vintage ad the other day and I unexpectedly got a little thrill.  Seeing this simple typewriter made me remember the day my parents gave me my dad’s old portable typewriter to keep as my very own.   I was 9 years old and it’s funny but at that age, getting my own typewriter made me feel like a teenager borrowing the car for the first time.  And then I realized… most kids today probably have NO idea what this contraption is.  They will never know the sound of a typewriter in action, or how important liquid paper or correcting tape used to be, or how one used to crumple up sheets and sheets of paper because we couldn’t edit before ‘printing’.  Talk about dating myself! 

 

 Remember Mr. Nooni-nooni-noo from Sesame Street?  My kids were watching snippets from our ‘Old School Sesame Street’ DVD and my 7 year old son asked me, “Mom, is that a big old telephone on wheels?”   Me:  “No, that’s a typewriter.”  My son:  “A what?”   Eep.

My kids do not know what this is : (

 

So I guess anyone who remembers the typewriter can now be relegated to that category we used to place our parents and their “I remember when coca-cola used to cost 20 centavos…” stories.  Sigh.  Oh well, viva vintage and all that.  Let’s celebrate the typewriter!

 

Here’s a cute vintage ad (1954) for the perfect portable typewriter for students…

Gals & guys, from nerds to hep cats, could even match their typewriters.

 

IBM was always on the cutting edge…

When laptops were still a pipe dream...

 

Clunky yet cute and pink — what every young girl would have loved…

Barbie's typewriter

 

Guide to proper typewriting posture (still applicable today)…

Listen to Stella Pajunas, people!

 

Guide to improper posture (still applicable today)…

Well... I could see how this would hurt

My favorite classic leading men…

 I just felt like swooning over black and white photos of beautiful classic leading men this morning.  Perhaps I’m also swooning because my neighbor is currently fogging his yard with clouds of anti-mosquito poison…

Anyway, watching old Hollywood movies wasn’t easy as a child in the Philippines – if you wanted to see an American black and white film, you had to rent a video.  From a young age, I listened to my dad talk about these Hollywood greats and learned to love the movies, the glamor and the actors.  As much as I love Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, it seems like no one can hold a candle these days to the super actors of yesteryear.  These photos below show how timelessly gorgeous they still are. 

Loved him in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy…

Woo hoo, Paul Newman

 

My mom’s ultimate favorite (along with Alain Delon) and star of the tragic A Place in the Sun…

Gorgeous Montgomery Clift

 

In this photo, he’s playing Jett Rink, my favorite character in Giant…

Swoon, James Dean

 

Super talented anti-hero star of Cape Fear and Night of the Hunter…

Robert Mitchum : )

 

My mother’s faaavorite actor, and beautiful Frenchman…

Alain Delon

 

Gorgeous and still really active today…

Before his spaghetti western days... Clint Eastwood

 

Channeling Hugh Jackman, another photo of Clint Eastwood…

Sigh

Sound of Music – a ‘where are they now?’ special

I love this movie

 So last night I saw “The Sound of Music” for the first time with my 3 year old daughter.  It was another ‘maman moment’ as I realized I finally had a daughter to share this lovely film with, much like my mother did with me ages ago (boo hoo, tears of happiness).  Anyway, at 3, she was a little bored with all the ‘talking parts’, so we just forwarded to all the songs.  She especially loved watching the kids, especially little Gretl. 

It got me thinking… Where are the actors who played the Von Trapp children today?   Then I remembered that a few months ago, my friend Lara sent me an email with these photos (below).  Enjoy!  And I only have these comments:  What happened to Kurt and Liesl?! and wow, Gretl aged really well.

 

 

Vintage ‘gay’ ads

Remember when the word ‘gay’ meant happy?  I do, because as a child I had books and heard songs about ”happy and gay” straight people.  I’m sure today’s younger genearation is only aware of the homosexual connotation, which is totally fine… but they would probably find the following ads a tad bit puzzling:

Just take Ovaltine at bedtime and wake up... gay

Midol takes away periodic pain and makes you gay. Not bad!

Gee, you really didn't have to...

I want a gay home. I really do.

Gay Johnny looks a little sad today...

He should ditch Texas and go on a Gay cruise.

Totally adorable potential Pride parade souvenirs

Now these following ads don’t have the word ‘gay’ in them, but I think they were targeting the demographic. 

It's so much fun being in the army!

I guess Barbie got rid of him -- Allan, the erstwhile "buddy" of Ken.

         Disclaimer(as of June 2010):  Turns out the ad below is a parody of an original vintage ad by Jantzen.  Sorry!

My favorite ad - you just have to do a double-take. Lure him away from the poolboy?! Peek-a-boo trunks?!

For more vintage gay ads, click HERE

Boney M and Baccara: Obscure Euro Disco Tribute

Part of a strange list of my favorite secret classic dance songs, shared with Dead or Alive’s ‘You Spin Me Round’, Falco’s ‘Der Kommisar’ and anything ABBA, is Boney M’s Rasputin.  The group had a lot of hits, but this to me is the ’70s Euro-disco BEST.  How can anyone resist lyrics like:

Rah-rah Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen, There was a cat that really was gone. 

Rah-rah Rasputin, Russia’s greatest love machine, it was a shame how he carried ooonn….

Hilarious! And strangely enough, the lyrics are also pretty historically accurate.  So get up and dance to the German disco group manufactured by the guy who eventually put together Milli Vanilli.  Go Boney M!… “Oh, those Russians!”

And speaking of Russians, I thought these two women of Baccara were total Soviet Svetlanas when I first saw this classic video just a few weeks ago.  I can’t believe that I’ve never heard of Baccara before.  Maria and Mayte, former Spanish flamenco artists, quickly became ’70s Euro-disco goddesses with this single. 

 This video is, well… surprising!  There’s a lot to take in:  the lyrics, outfits, dance moves, facial expressions, flower background… the list goes on.  I was stunned but I did laugh a lot…  “Baby, I wanna keep my reputation…”

Classic pulp fiction covers…in Spanish

You can really find art in the least likely of places.  Take pulp fiction covers from the 1950s-70s.  These were the cheap paperbacks that titillated a mostly male crowd of low-brow readers.  Despite their possible not-award-winning content, I think pulp fiction covers are just great.  What makes this collection below even more awesome is the fact that the titles are en espanol!  It just adds another dimension to the super-badness of it all. 

 

The series for baad boys…

Never give a 'chica' on 'drogas' a weapon...

 

 

 Ayayay!  El Robot!

 

 

The sleazier James Bond…Senor Suave, Extraordinario FBI!

Watch as he suavely uses his girlfriend as a human shield...

 

 

Secret Service guys always get the chicks…”Just leave me alone already!”

"Vete ya! Wait... are you wearing two panties?"

 

 

Even the “King & I” looks sleazy when given the pulp fiction treatment…

Deborah Kerr smiles, but her eyes say "H.E.L.P.!"

 

 

Why we should never give weapons to mermaids…

"I'm gonna have me some fisherman stew for dinner!"

 

 

I seriously love this gorgeous cover…  note “la muerte” ghost hand in the corner

 

 

Believe it or not, this woman is a ‘good guy’…

I don't want to 'fly' with Cherry. I think she's going to rehab : (

 

 

I wonder what the “Fatal Gems” in the title is referring to (wink wink nudge nudge)…

Sexy spies always sleep with Ak-47s... topless

 

Find more Spanish Book Covers HERE

Sophia Loren visits our planet

I posted this photo a month ago of Sophia Loren holding two items that every Filipino who grew up in the ’60s-’70s is familiar with — the dreaded wooden giant spoon & fork. 

That photo was actually taken from Sophia’s 1971 cookbook, In Cucina Con Amore (published in English as “Eat With Me”).  I’ve been wanting this book for a while because the recipes were all written by Sophia herself.  Imagine, owning a cookbook from a woman who once said about her famously voluptous figure:  “Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti.”  Take that, anti-carb crusaders!

I'm eating some spaghetti today!

As much as I love Sophia, I think some of the photos from her cookbook are just hilarious.  It’s like she’s some alien visitor to our planet, the way she poses with food.  Mangia mangia!

"Come cheese, let us smile for the camera"

"What is this little oily product? Get it away from Sophia"

"Fascinating!"

"Sophia likes you, stuffed pheasant birds. Come, let us pose holding each other."

Pre-war Manila was so beautiful

I love looking at old photos.  Black and white photographs always evoke a sense of nostalgia in me, even if they’re of a history I wasn’t a part of.  Looking at old photos of Manila is especially interesting because the images capture a world that really seems forever lost to time.  As our grandparents’ and their friends’ stories go, these were the days when people shopped on Escolta wearing smart hats and white suits, when weekends were spent swimming and picnicking on the banks of the Pasig River, and when you got dressed to enjoy a night out at the Jai Alai Building’s Sky Room. 

To give a better sense of what pre-war Manila was like, I’m posting old photos of the Philippines that I found in the LIFE Magazine Photo Archives.   This amazing set of photographs was taken in November 1941 Manila, the week before the outbreak of war with Japan.  The days of calm before the storm…

 

The beautiful Jai Alai building, designed by Welton Becket, who also did the iconic Capitol Records Tower in LA:

The Welton Becket-designed art deco Jai Alai Building

 

 Watching a game of Jai-Alai:

 

The main commercial district, Escolta:

When men wore white suits...

 

Inside a Manila Department Store:

Taken in late November a week before Pearl Harbor, stores were ready to celebrate Christmas.

 

View of the busy Sta. Cruz Plaza, Manila:

 

Japanese businesses still open:

 

The Manila City Hall and its manicured courtyard:

 

Shopping at stalls near the Quiapo Church:

We loved tiangges even back then...

 

Lovely interiors of the Quiapo Church:

 

Having lunch at the Manila Polo Club:

 

Getting ready to watch a baseball game, Manila Polo Club:

 

View of the clean, art-deco Quezon Bridge:

Note that we used to drive on the left side of the street

 

When men used to wear hats… a second-hand hat stall off Carriedo St.:

 

Manila Hotel swimming pool:

 

Ready for what’s coming- the popularity contest winner of the Manila College of Pharmacy smiles and shows her support for the boys:

Where did Clairol Herbal Essence go?

 

I loved the long-haired ‘nature lady’ who used to grace the label of this shampoo.  She used to bathe in a forest and birds and butterflies would happily hover over her.  Clairol Herbal Essence came in a cool bottle, was a beautiful deep aloe green and most importantly, smelled so herbal essence good.  I found an old ad (above) and was surprised to also find an on-line petition demanding the return of Herbal Essence.  I wonder if the “Gee Your Hair Smells Teriffic” fans have the same passion.  These ’70s women are loyal! 

Speaking of Gee Your Hair Smells Teriffic, here’s something from the “You learn something new every day” department:  Did you know that after Jergens stopped making the popular shampoo in the US, that the only place it was available in the entire world was the Philippines?  According to this site:

By the mid-1980’s the products disappeared from [US] store shelves.  Jergens had discontinued manufacturing the product.  After that, the only place in the world where the items were still available was in the Philippines!  Jergens had licensed the product to a manufacturer in the Philippines, and up until today the product has remained available for purchase there!

Well… lucky us! 

"Gee, you look like my mom"

Propaganda posters are so cool

American WW2 Poster

No matter what the ideology, I love the passion put into propaganda posters.  I really like the mid-century period of propaganda design, and the clear winner in my books is… the Soviet Union!  Their posters are really design-forward.  Here are more examples of  posters from different WW2 participants.  You can really spot the differences in message and design among the countries… 

USSR: Great design, no smiles

Lenin with Dirigibles

Russian Air Force

GREAT Poster:  Urging men to sign up to work in the Urals (1924)

Party Posters

 

England:  Let’s go, boys!

 

We all love each other!

 

 German Propaganda:  Aryan…

 

Italian Fascist Poster:  classic

 

American Propaganda:  Pride and Emotion

Woo hoo, let's join the Navy!

Aww, a Norman Rockwell poster!

 

Philippine Propaganda:  Great, and heavily influenced by US Propaganda

The flag is upside-down symbolizing the Philippines is at war

Check out Vintage Fruit Crate Labels HERE

A belated Father’s Day post

“Dad, I still remember it like it was yesterday.  You in your sky-blue briefs helping me into my white party dress…”

Maybe you have to be French, and maybe I grew up in a conservative family but am I glad I don’t have a photo of this ”daddy & me” moment.  

But this ad did remind me that I do have a lot of great memories of my dad, much like my kids, who are now making their own special memories with their dad.  Simple activities like making pancakes on Saturday mornings, watching old movies over pizza, and taking long bike rides with him are moments children keep in their hearts forever.  So to all the great dads out there, whether they like to walk around in underwear or not…  belated Happy Father’s Day !

What I’m reading now…

I’m outing my mom here but she used to buy Royalty and Majesty magazines regularly up until Diana died.  A few months after Princess Di’s passing, I asked my mom where her new stash of royal magazines were and she replied, “I no longer need those magazines.  Who am I going to look at?  Camilla?? (said through gritted teeth)”   And so since then, I’ve been giving my mom Diana biographies every other Mother’s Day (with maybe a Kennedy or Jackie O. book thrown in).  I’m currently reading a brilliant book that was kindly loaned to me by a friend… The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown.   I’m only halfway through but it’s a doozy!  I’ve known of Tina Brown since her days in Vanity Fair and she writes so well - a little snide comments here and there and yet quite profound observations.  I (and my mom) will miss Diana all over again.  Anyone heading for a vacation?  Take this book with you.

 

I’m also reading Anne de Courcy’s 1939: The Last Season as it’s in line with my love for anything from the Golden Age (20s til before WW2).  I just finished The Viceroy’s Daughters and quite enjoyed that, so will move on to this one.   It’s just hard to get to because Diana’s book landed in my lap and I haven’t put it down since. 

The next book I plan to read is a toss up between:

and

Just kidding : )  Really, I am.  Really.

1974: The year European design took a holiday

The following photos are breathtaking, but not in the way you’d think.  The site Eurobad.com collected the best of bad European design from 1974.  It’s really quite… stunning!

For people who like to match their living rooms

 

WOW. Orange-green bathroom with brown wall-to-wall carpeting

The green 'built-in' rugs are a nice touch

 

The “I can’t believe they hired a designer for this room” room

Sad-chic with scary doll and women's-prison beddings : (

 

 Client’s brief:  Use whatever you need to make it an authentic country kitchen!

Every kitchen needs a stable

 

 The ultimate in shag chic

So.... sensual

 

Client’s brief:  Just make sure the kitchen matches my car!

The kitchen for a fast couple - love the booze by the garage!

 

 Proof that bad design causes deviant behavior

So many things wrong with this photo, I don't know where to start...

My ‘Paris Cuisine’ Cookbook – oui! oui!

I collect vintage cookbooks and children’s books.  I purchased many books from the antiquarian bookstores at the top of Dunbar St. and all over the Downtown area when I used to live in Vancouver.  Paris Cuisine by James Beard and Alexander Watt is one of my favorites.  It wasn’t just a cookbook, it documented the best restaurants in Paris in the early ’50s.  This book has gorgeous descriptions of the restaurant plus recipes shared by the chefs.  Priceless : )

Maxim's!

Clique clique ici! Click on photo to read : )

La Tour d'Argent - page 2 (click on photo to read)

Mmmm.... une recette de Crepes Suzette! Formidable! ; )

These ads are creepy

These kids look strange and so does the food they’re endorsing.  I guess there were no food stylists yet in the 1950s.  This ‘bad seed’ blonde girl looks like she’s eating a raw meat sandwich…  Scary!

Mmmm!

Enjoying worm-ghetti

Great Early Philippine Political Cartoons…

The book ”Philippine Cartoons – Political Caricatures of the American Era 1900-1941″ by Alfred McCoy and Alfredo Roces is a treasure trove of information on how things used to be.   Aside from the cartoons featuring the Manila Carnival, and the one about the passing of an ordinance in 1930 to get live pigs off the streets (!), I love these that depict public outrage at UP following the American example and allowing coeducation.  We’ve come a long way!

Wild kids dating and going to the movies

Coeducation = going to Pasay together... at 2pm!

I love vintage Sesame Street

My brother in law in Australia gave us “Sesame Street Old School – 1969-1974″ for Christmas last year.  Sesame Street was such a big part of my childhood that the episodes brought back so many nice memories.  

“Two Little Dolls” was one of my favorites and the reason I had a huge dollhouse obsession as a child. My 3-year old loves watching this – she especially loves when the cats ransack the home.  The song is soothingly folksy-1970s (like Beavis & Butthead’s hippie teacher’s ‘Lesbian Seagull’).  A classic!

This is something that’ll stay with me forever.  Whenever I make my grocery list, I’m tempted to include: “a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butta…”

Good salad vs. bad salad

I love love any Asian salad, with Vietnamese or Thai versions being my favorites.  But when it’s summer, I always look for a good, simple Mediterranean salad.  I usually go for Greek, but I found this great recipe for a Caprese one:

1. Drain 1 large can of black olives.  Cut the olives in half.  Cut 3 cups of cherry tomatoes in half as well. Put the olive and tomato halves in a bowl.
2. Cut up about 1 cup of good mozzarella and add this to the bowl as well.
3. Chop or tear 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves and mix into a 1/2 cup of an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.
4. Combine dressing with tomato mixture, salt and pepper and serve.  Mmmm…

From the Bad Salad department… I got this Jello ad from a vintage ad blog years ago.  It was labeled by the blog owner as “Satan’s salad” : (   Maybe because it looks like there are body parts trapped in it…

Not to be outdone is our local mayo brand, Lady’s Choice, which actually thought this ad would make me want to buy mayonnaise.  I wonder how much mayo (or cement) she had to add to her macaroni salad to make it stand like that.

Was Sophia Loren ever in the Philippines?

Because I don’t know how to explain this photo.  Unless someone gave the set to her as pasalubong?   I’m hoping someone finds a photo of her with a giant wooden rosary…

Sophia with giant spoon & fork

 Sophia spoon & fork update HERE

Some ’70s kids things that weren’t so cool…

When I rely on memory, it was pretty cool growing up in the 70s.  I had all sorts of fun toys, the shows on TV were pretty good (even though we only had 5 channels).  But when I see photos like these, it makes me wonder…

Today’s kids’ beddings

 vs.

A 1974 touchy-feely kids’ bed that just takes your breath away

 

 

 

The latest toddler rocker from Netto Design

vs.

The 1970s slightly unsafe-looking PogoPony

 

 

Today’s KidKraft adorable kitchenette

vs.

A 1970s steel sink

 

 

Today’s example of an ad for Tween girls

vs.

A 1970s ad for Tween girls (and predators – creepy!)

Vintage fruit crate labels are beautiful

 

I think the designs and prints from the early 20th century are just wonderful.  Here are some great vintage fruit crate labels (yes, they bothered to make art for the lowly produce crate). Most of the labels are produced in Spain, home of the Valencia orange.  Though I consider most of them beautiful works of pop art, some are a bit strange…

From back when Disney wasn’t suing everyone:

Gorgeous Art Deco print with snooty, tennis-playing rich people and gypsy girl:

Beautiful flirty women:

The simple yet honorable housewife:

 …and her able assistant:

 Great Pop Art:

Bad stereotype from the US (Texas!):

Strange brand featuring kids and the devil:

So un-PC in so many ways:

I’m guessing the ‘Bu’ would be Budapest? London, Paris…Budapest?

 

The Fountain of Youth was really orange juice:

Pin-up Vargas girls make it onto the fruit crates:

Dancing the night away on an orange half, Fred & Ginger Valencia-style: