Allee Willis Blog » 2009 September

07Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1968 Hot Dog Cookbook

07Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1968 Hot Dog Cookbook

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Labor Day’s the last big day of the summer for the hot dog. This gem of a cookbook exalts the foodstuff maintaining that hot dogs “are good for you too”, a premise that’s music to my ears as I love the dogs so. “The fullproof way to family mealtime magic!” include classics like Eggplant And Hot Dog Mountains, Drunken Dogs, Hot Dog ‘n Liver Sausage Loaf, Wilted Lettuce Made With Hot Dogs, Shoestring Hot Dog Dish, Dog and Yam Casserole, Festive Hot Dog Soufflé, Doggy Puffs, French-toasted Surprises, Gourmet Hot Dogs Veal Loaf, Polish Bread Soup with Hot Dogs, I could go on and on because I love hot dogs so but just know that there are hundreds more. There are even two pages on “Purchasing Hot Dogs” as well as a lengthy introduction about Mr. Nathan Handwerker, the man who, despite hot dogs first appearing in St. Louis in 1904, thrust them into the lexicon of pop culture some years later when he erected Nathan’s Famous Coney Island Hot Dog stand where the meat tubes sold for five cents. Handwerker paid handsome young men to dress in starched white doctors uniforms and stethoscopes to eat the wieners in front of the stand until rumor took hold that if doctors ate five cent wieners they have to be good for you.

At the time of publication, 1968 and reprinted in 1983, the author, Mettja C. Roate, claimed that the average American citizen ate 80 hot dogs a year, enough wieners to make three round trips to the moon if they were laid end to end.

Happy Hot Dog Lovin’ Labor Day

Labor Day’s the last big day of the summer for the hot dog. This gem of a cookbook exalts the foodstuff maintaining that hot dogs “are good for you too”, a premise that’s music to my ears as I love the dogs so. “The fullproof way to family mealtime magic!” include classics like Eggplant And Hot Dog Mountains, Drunken Dogs, Hot Dog ‘n Liver Sausage Loaf, Wilted Lettuce Made With Hot Dogs, Shoestring Hot Dog Dish, Dog and Yam Casserole, Festive Hot Dog Soufflé, Doggy Puffs, French-toasted Surprises, Gourmet Hot Dogs Veal Loaf, Polish Bread Soup with Hot Dogs, I could go on and on because I love hot dogs so but just know that there are hundreds of more recipes. There are even two pages on “Purchasing Hot Dogs” as well as a lengthy introduction about Mr. Nathan Handwerker, the man who, despite hot dogs first appearing in St. Louis in 1904, thrust them into the lexicon of pop culture some years later when he erected Nathan’s Famous Coney Island Hot Dog stand where the meat tubes sold for five cents a pup. Handwerker paid handsome young men to dress in starched white doctors uniforms and stethoscopes to eat the wieners in front of the stand until rumor took hold that if doctors ate five cent wieners they have to be good for you.

At the time of publication, 1968 and reprinted in 1983, the author, Mettja C. Roate, claimed that the average American citizen ate 80 hot dogs a year, enough wieners to make three round trips to the moon if they were laid end to end.

Happy Hot Dog Lovin’ Labor Day!

06Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Crab Straw Purse

06Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Crab Straw Purse

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This crab has spent many a summer with me not to mention Labor Day weekend. Although she’s adorable and I get many compliments whenever I take her out, the top ‘hat’ lid constantly falls open so she’s a bit of a pain to spend time with. Not that there’s that much room to store anything other than essentials even if she remained shut tight. But style triumphs over function when something’s this cute.

Made of basket reeds and straw, many of the appendages have been stitched back onto the body with dental floss, making this crab purse quite the crafts project. The tipped beret, felt lips and cats eye marble eyes are special standouts.

In mere days she’ll be ready to burrow back into the sand for her winter hibernation so we intend to have a very good time this weekend indeed.

This crab has spent many a summer with me not to mention Labor Day weekend. Although she’s adorable and I get many compliments whenever I take her out, the top ‘hat’ lid constantly falls open so she’s a bit of a pain to spend time with. Not that there’s that much room to store anything other than essentials even if she remained shut tight. But style triumphs over function when something’s this cute.

Made of basket reeds, many of the appendages have been stitched back onto the body with dental floss, making this crab purse quite the crafts project. The tipped beret, felt lips and cats eye marble eyes are special standouts.

In mere days she’ll be ready to burrow back into the sand for her winter hibernation so we intend to have a very good time this weekend indeed.

04Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1950’s Collapsible Girl Scouts Tin Cup

04Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1950’s Collapsible Girl Scouts Tin Cup

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When I was a Girl Scout this was my favorite piece of gear. Only 2-1/2″ tall at full stature (1″ collapsed), I used to load this baby up with Faygo Red Pop and a teaspoon plop of Sealtest vanilla ice cream and start dipping in my Thin Mints. I loved the sound the cup made as I shuffled the thin layers of collapsible tin like a deck of cards or accordion.

Though this isn’t my actual cup, this one’s adult life has been dedicated to serving as an excellent horse hoof sound effect in my recording studio.

When I was a Girl Scout this was my favorite piece of gear. I loved the sound it made as I shuffled the thin layers of collapsible tin like a deck of cards or accordion. Though this isn’t my actual cup, this one’s adult life has been dedicated to serving as an excellent horse hoof sound effect in my recording studio.

Only 2-1/2″ tall at full stature (1″ collapsed), I used to load this baby up with Faygo Red Pop and a teaspoon plop of Sealtest vanilla ice cream and start dipping in my Thin mints.

03Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – “I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing” Iron-On Patch

03Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – “I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing” Iron-On Patch

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Introduced as the Alka Seltzer slogan in 1972, “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” became one of the most popular colloquialisms of its day. Glorified here as an iron-on embroidered fake fur patch, including a fake Rolling Stones tongue, this proclamation appeared everywhere from t-shirts to comedy sketches throughout the early 70’s.

Made by Rayberg Supply Co. of San Carlos, CA. the ‘Pik a Pocket’ fashion accessory didn’t go near any of my jeans – I always knew I ate the whole thing – but was slapped on many a more delicate bellbottom around the world.

The slogan roared back briefly in 2005 when Alka Seltzer trotted out Peter Boyle in his “Everyone Loves Raymond” Frank Barone character to moan and groan post food inhalation.

02Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Canape Comedy Food Markers

02Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Canape Comedy Food Markers

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Meant to “add a little spice” to your food, this kind of risque-but-not-really stuff was all the rage in the 1950’s and 60’s. Sixteen plastic pics that hold canapes together featuring quips like “Lovers Leap – the distance between twin beds”, “Madam – one who offers vice to the lovelorn” and “Bachelor apartment- a wildlife sanctuary”. Many of them are a peek into how different attitudes toward sex were in decades past, like “Patience – the difference between rape and seduction.” Yikes. To think things like this were stuck into bacon wrapped olives and toasted Cheese Whiz baloney puffs…

01Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Mr. T Bank

01Sep 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Mr. T Bank

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Made of super hard plastic, the coins reverberate when they drop inside Mr. T’s cavernous head making this a better percussion instrument than bank. Which is best given how cheap this 10″ lump o’ Mr. T is made… You literally have to cut a hole in the bottom to get the coins out. Which means, of course, you can never use it as a bank again as there’s no way to re-insert the plastic which is surely jagged, sharp and misshapen after using an ice pick or whatever else it might take to puncture the exceedingly super hard plastic.

Made by Ruby-Spears Enterprises in 1983, this is a relatively rare piece of Mr. T. memorabilia with jewelry and other assorted bling, T-shirts, games, coloring books and A-Team vans far more locatable. I pity the fool among Mr. T collectors who doesn’t own this piece of gorgeous super hard plastic molded to a T perfection.

Made of super hard plastic, the coins reverberate when they drop inside Mr. T’s cavernous head making this a better percussion instrument than bank. Which is best given how cheap this bank is made… You literally have to cut a hole in the bottom to get the coins out. Which means, of course, you can never use it as a bank again as there’s no way to re-insert the plastic which is surely jagged, sharp and misshapen after using an ice pick or whatever else it might take to puncture the exceedingly super hard plastic.

Made by Ruby-Spears Enterprises in 1983, this is a relatively rare piece of Mr. T. memorabilia with jewelry and other assorted bling, T-shirts, games, coloring books and A-Team vans far more locatable.