Have Your Cake

So these are crummy cel phone pictures

Combining cartoon and sugary food is older than Grandma's first Twinkie, but in an era of expanding young waistlines is this really the proper place for some characters?

Cookie Monster now famously eats celery (something I don't understand, celery may be the disgusting food on the planet), but he can be eaten cupcake form.

Of course there's parental responsibility, but hey - if we're a trickle down society shouldn't the profiteers shoulder some responsibility too? With great power...

I didn't get any of these. But I bet they were delicious. Thanks Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Warners and Sesame Workshop!

Speaking of Cats

There have been a few studies on WW2 bomber mascots, most notable pin up girl nose art.

It would be interesting to see a round up of fire house mascots too.

This Garfield (in a kind of great drawing) is on the fire house on West 4th just off of 6th Avenue.

Mickey Wishes You Happy Birthday

Here's a little (to big) gem from the 1930s.

Everybody's pal, Mickey Mouse, in greeting card form.

It folds open.

And keeps opening.

And finally opens "wide" enough to say

Happy birthday.

This was priced at $95.  But the kind proprietor of Skingle Antiques in Moorestown, NJ let me unfold it for free!  Interested buyers should click the name to email him.

Other People's Junk

This guy is one of Donald Duck's relatives.

Ludwig von Drake, according the internet.  A creation of Milt Kahl for television, though I would have assumed he was one of Carl Barks' characters.

In the literature he's not an amputee nor do I know what the ant tethered to his jacket is all about.

A nice lead lunchbox with "Pete's Dragon" on it.

And what could this curious box be?

Why, it's a vinyl spinner for the budding "DJ" in everyone!

This guy approves!

Love From Minnie

These are camera phone photos, Valentine Card from the Disney Corporation.

They're printed in the USA.  No visible date.  I'd guess mid-70s.

Minnie looks like she's not responsible for her actions here, making a late night drunk dial.  Good thing this predates smart phones.

Donald: All Quaky over you.

Looks Like Mom And Dad Lost The Bet

Here's a reason why kids don't run the world.

Though the 86 Mets (the most loathsome team of all time) logo makes me think it's the doing of year round ballcap wearing adult.

Dora Explorer, Fred Flintstone, Little Mermaid -it's like a Roger Rabbit sequel on wheels.

Other People's Junk - 6

All Seven Dwarves in one place, and then some.

You scratch his back, Mickey will...

I think Snoopy would be a Minnesota Twins fan, but when in Queens do as Queens do.

Kids like these hats.

Woody Woodpecker, I presume

Somebody Isn't At Their Best This Morning

Get Up Get Up A Get Get Down 10:15 Is A Joke In Your Town

  Dumbo.  And Other Dolls.

If Baby, This Photo Is The Bottom - You're The Tops!

Other People's Junk - 5

Here's some more cartooniana from flea markets around town.

When last we saw this chair, the King of 20s cartoon sat there.

Now the throne is occupied by a fast food king.

Maybe he's grooving on some cool cat tunes.

Dirty Burt.

Some weird "Marvin the Martian" car.

Goofy hat.

 Burt and Harry Piels, ever popular in Brooklyn.

Speedy Gonzales and Yosemite Sam hand puppets.

Warner Brothers floor tiles.

A box of buttons

$20,000

Who do we gotta talk to to change that "not legal tender" thing?

Other People's Junk - 2

An entirely new universe can be constructed from discarded Disneyiana.

Earlier ages displayed some merit to merchandise -like this toy chest with Donald Duck and his loathsome nephews.

At some point the forever-grinning cartoons made their way onto even the most innocuous items.

Some kid walked off with this phone minutes after the photo was taken.  I wonder if he even had a land line.

Mickey and Donald aren't the only cartoons to pop from the screen to the real world.

Sorry,  Charlie, discerning shoppers want lamps that don't cost $80.

This plaster piece was dated 1970.  $80 in 1970 would be less than one barrel of Gulf albacore today.

O Captain! My Captain!

The infantilization of America seeps into our very junk food (or does it start there).

Twinkie the Kid is more like Twinkie the Baby.

I hope they're playing off the Slim Pickins "Dr. Strangelove" pose in a complex irony which swings back to Twinkie's legendary apocalypse survival skills.

No more lassoing up youngsters.  No more lines at all, for that matter,







Who knows what sad fate has taken the Fruit Pie Magician or King Ding Dong.

And what of Captain Cupcake? Once he proudly sailed the high seas, Master and Commander.

 

Reduced to a "cute" chocolate blob.

Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Other People's Junk

These are a bunch of black and white glossies from the flea market.

Most look like press photos (remember when magazines not only existed, but published photos in black and white) or other promotional material.

Dick Tracy promoting the "Watchman".  A few years after Sony produced the Walkman, the Watchman was released.  iPhone doesn't seem so cutting edge now, does it?

Wazzzzuppp!??!?! Doc.

From the looks of it Bugs Bunny is inviting the Trix Rabbit over with promise of cereal.  Most likely a devious subterfuge.

 

 

 These are some Blondie and Dagwood puppets.  No idea what its for.

 McGruff, the Crime Dog.

Strange pose to use for publicity.  I can only imagine what the unused frames looked like.

 

 

The ugly things were ubiquitous 25 years ago.  Say what you will about the California Raisins, they had more soul than Coraline.