The translator for this field cargo (translation: picnic basket) over-exercised their flair for capturing the spirit of the American picnic-goer by naming the product Profit and selling that hot dog and potato salad feeling as “The blue sky makes me generous and the vast sea invites me to ‘love’. The breeze passing over my cheek make my mind gentle.” Cheese on that burger, anyone?
How did a toilet come to be one of the most popular transistor radio designs in the 1960’s and 70’s? This one, made in 1967 by H. Fishlove & Co. (not kidding about the name) is especially noteworthy because of the packaging, a styrofoam toilet paper roll that says ‘go-go “canned music”‘ on the back. Go-go indeed.
The fringe lampshades, far too traditional to sit atop this buff-to-the-max bodied Nubianist couple, make these lamps the cherry on the kitsch de la creme plaster figurine lamp sundae. Muscles taunt, abs ripped, they look like they just came from the gym instead of serving grapes to the master. Made in the 1960’s, these were the very first items I ever bought on Ebay when it launched in 1998.
Pre-pantyhose nylons are alive and well inside this L’Eggs predecessor made by Modernage Hosiery in the 50’s. Open with a sardine key and pop on for fresh smelling appendages.
The only thing cheesier than the background vocals on these Beatles-meet-Lawrence Welk soundalike tracks is the shape of the wigs and amount of arrows that are used to lead your eye across the overcrowded cover. What plus what equals what? Pre-karaoke at its best.
Can we discuss how excited this male model was to get this gig and how depressed he’s been ever since?
Nothing better for a Sunday chew-down than a can o’ ham, glistening pink deliciousness especially when printed on tin or whatever metal this is that allowed the contents to completely disintegrate inside. As you can see from the photo below, the sardine-like key on the back is still intact but upon shaking nary a shred of meatstuff can be heard. I found this in a junkyard at least 25 years ago (the ham was already gone) and almost everyone who’s walked through my kitchen since gives it a good shake thinking the ham might magically appear.
Not sure how long the kitsch factor will remain high on this now that MJ is back in the center of the Pop Culture eyeball with his upcoming tour but this candy bar is one of my favorite pieces of MJ memorabilia I own. I recently worked with one of Michael’s nephews, Taj, and he told me the family used to eat these.
I’ve seen many a kitsch lipstick holder but this plunges the category to a whole new high. I’ve scoured the magnificently cheap plastic pot for a manufacturer’s name or date but no such luck. I’m guessing this was grown somewhere between the late 60’s and mid 80’s judging from the Nude Pink meets Fireball Red with a twist of Foxy Brown inspired shades. The plastic flowers may be drooping but the lipsticks, which snap onto the ends of the stems, are as firm as the day they first bloomed.
Why would a microphone, something made to go near the mouth also include a flame? And why would the lighter be positioned so the head of the microphone insured totally muffled sound? And why would the hand model, in this case me, wear bandaids on her fingers to cover her bitten off nails? All this makes this artifact classic Kitsch.
