Allee Willis Blog » Memorabilia

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.

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.

30Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Mr. Peanut Cup

30Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Mr. Peanut Cup

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The way that pink colored plastic glowed PINK in the 1950’s, baked in super saturated, makes this Mr. Peanut cup my favorite over the red, blue, mint green, beige and yellow ones I also own. Not that this is the rarest piece of Mr. Peanut memorabilia but it always reminds me of weekends as a kid when I was allowed to change the water it held during the week to Kool-Aid or double shot Bosco spiked milk. I’m going to toast my youth now.

25Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Bobby Darin Record and Scripto Pen Promotion

25Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Bobby Darin Record and Scripto Pen Promotion

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I loved Bobby Darin and I loved Scripto ink cartridge fountain pens, especially when those cartridges were Peacock Blue or Emerald Green. So when this promo came out in conjunction with If A Man Answers, Darin’s 1962 film with then wife Sandra Dee, I was all over it. Four songs, 8 ink cartridges and 1 pen, all for $1.39

To me, Darin was one of the classiest singers of the late 50’s and early 60’s. One of the first to write his own songs, I thought “Splish Splash” and “Dream Lover” were good but I went officially nuts with “Mack The Knife” and “Beyond The Sea”, neither of which he wrote but sang like a Smoooooth Master.

Songs on this Capitol 45 EP include “If A Man Answers”, “True, True Love”, The Sermon Of Samson” and “All By Myself”. The cartridges were plain ol’ Washable Blue.

I loved Bobby Darin and I loved Scripto ink cartridge fountain pens, especially when those cartridges were Peacock Blue or Emerald Green. So when this promo came out in conjunction with If A Man Answers, Darin’s 1962 film with then wife Sandra Dee, I was all over it. Four songs, 8 ink cartridges and 1 pen, all for $1.39

To me, Darin was one of the classiest singers of the late 50’s and early 60’s. One of the first to write his own songs, I thought “Splish Splash” and “Dream Lover” were ok but I went officially nuts with “Mack The Knife” and “Beyond The Sea”(which he didn’t write).

Songs on this Capitol 45 EP include “If A Man Answers”, “True, True Love”, The Sermon Of Samson” and “All By Myself”. The cartridges were plain ol’ Washable Blue.

18Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Dr. Martin Luther King Matches

18Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Dr. Martin Luther King Matches

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I have tons of MLK memorabilia – busts, rugs, pens, cufflinks, ashtrays – but this book of matches is one of my favorites. Comes in a matching set with Jackie Robinson, Mahalia Jackson, Dr. Ralph J. Bunche, Lorraine Hansberry, Zora Neale Hurston, Paul Laurence Dunbar and Bill Pickett.

14Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Vintage Bab-O Cleanser Can

14Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Vintage Bab-O Cleanser Can

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Instant action can o’ Bab-o, good for cleaning the usual stuff plus “rubber rollers on wringers, etc.” I’m one of the few people who do, in fact, have “rubber rollers on wringers, etc” as I use a 1940’s wringer washing machine as a beer barrel at my parties.

One of my favorite product names ever, the can-o Bab-o’s from the early 1950’s.

Instant action can o’ Bab-o, good for cleaning the usual stuff plus “rubber rollers on wringers, etc.” I’m one of the few people who do, in fact, have “rubber rollers on wringers, etc” as I use a 1940’s wringer washing machine as a beer barrel at my parties.

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One of my favorite product names ever, this can-o Bab-o’s from the early 1950’s.

I always loved the drums in the Bab-o commercial. I still use that muffled tribal beat in tons of songs I write.

12Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Talking Monkees Doll

12Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Talking Monkees Doll

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I’ve never seen one of these that worked properly or where the heads stood up straight but still it’s one of the most prized collectibles of Monkees memorabilia. Although I loved the just-ingested-mushrooms quality of their TV show and the supreme popiness of the records, I never had a favorite Monkee as my head was buried so deeply in Motown.

When I co-wrote The Friends theme song, “I’ll Be There For You”, we were told to write something Monkees-ish. The Last Train To Clarksville definitely pulled into the station during those sessions.

Made by Mattel in 1966, this pull string doll was part of a flood of Monkees merchandising that included small rubber dolls with weird pajama feet, hard and soft lunch boxes, games, Monkee Mobiles, cufflinks, comic books and more. Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones were everywhere that year, not the least of which was on the shelves in my bedroom.

Not sure what the hand stitched surgery was meant to heal but probably involved efforts to restore vocal cords.

I’ve never seen one of these that worked or where the heads stood up straight but still it’s one of the most prized collectibles among Monkees memorabilia. Although I loved the just-ingested-mushrooms quality of their TV show and the supreme popiness of the records, I never had a favorite Monkee as my head was buried so deeply in Motown.

When I co-wrote The Friends theme song, “I’ll Be There For You”, we were told to write something Monkees-like. The Last Train To Clarksville definitely pulled into the station.

Made by Mattel in 1966 this pull string doll was part of a flood of Monkees merchandising that included small rubber dolls with weird pajama feet, hard and soft lunch boxes, games, Monkee Mobiles, cufflinks, comic books and more. Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Englishman Davy Jones were everywhere, not the least of which were the shelves in my bedroom.

07Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Howdy Doody Salt & Pepper Shakers

07Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Howdy Doody Salt & Pepper Shakers

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I, like so many others of my vintage, was a Howdy Doody freak. Howdy was a pop star before there was such a thing. Although I wasn’t big on Western TV motifs I was really into Buffalo Bob Smith’s fringe laden shirt and I was so laden with freckles growing up I was totally into Howdy’s speckled face too.

Howdy Doody ran on NBC from 1947 until 1960. One of the first TV shows in color, NBC, which also owned RCA who manufactured color TV sets, used the show in part to sell color sets to an enamored tot audience.

These salt and pepper shakers were one of the first pieces of memorabilia I found when I discovered thrift shops.

To this day, every time I shake one of them I get a hit of my childhood. I wanted to be Princess Summerfall Winterspring and Flub-a-dub, 8 animals in one – combo duck, cocker spaniel, seal, cat, elephant, dachshund and pig – was a true inspiration to my budding multimedia self.

Although the thought of anything food related like these S&Ps coming from a town named Doodyville isn’t the most appetizing of thoughts I like shaking Howdy’s head every time I need to spice things up.

I, like so many others of my vintage, was a Howdy Doody freak. Howdy was a pop star before there was such a thing. Although I wasn’t big on Western TV motifs I was really into Buffalo Bob Smith’s fringe laden shirt and I was so laden with freckles growing up I was totally into Howdy’s speckled face too.

Howdy Doody ran on NBC from 1947 until 1960. One of the first TV shows in color, NBC, which also owned RCA who manufactured color TV sets, used the show in part to sell color sets to an enamored tot audience.

These salt and pepper shakers were one of the first pieces of memorabilia I found when I discovered thrift shops.

To this day, every time I shake one of them I get a hit of my childhood. I wanted to be Princess Summerfall Winterspring and Flub-a-dub, 8 animals in one – combo duck, cocker spaniel, seal, cat, elephant, dachshund and pig – was a true inspiration to my budding multimedia self.

Although the thought of anything food related like these S&Ps coming from a town named Doodyville isn’t the most appetizing of

thoughts I like shaking Howdy’s head every time I need to spice things up.

04Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Hopalong Cassidy’s Favorite Popcorn

04Aug 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Hopalong Cassidy’s Favorite Popcorn

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I have a bunch of Hoppy memorabilia but none so rare as this 1950’s can of “hybrid yellow” popcorn, actually called Hopalong Cassidy’s Favorite. H. Cassidy lunch boxes, paper plates, comic books, roller skates, wristwatches, guns and jackknives were just some of the products that made this cowboy one of the most successful personality brands from early TV.

William Boyd played Hopalong Cassidy from 1935 in films through the 1950’s on radio and tv and was one of the earliest stars to own the copyright to the character he played.

Hoppy’s favorite kernel kontainer is made of tin by the Maryland Popcorn Cooperative Association, Inc.

I have a bunch of Hoppy memorabilia but none so rare as this1950’s can of “hybrid yellow” popcorn, actually called Hopalong Cassidy’s Favorite. H. Cassidy lunch boxes, paper plates, comic books, roller skates, wristwatches, guns and jackknives were just some of the products that made this cowboy one of the most successful personality brands from early tv.

William Boyd played Hopalong Cassidy from 1935 in films through the 1950’s on radio and tv and was one of the earliest stars to own the copyrights to the character he played.

Hoppy’s favorite kernel kontainer is made of tin by the Maryland Popcorn Cooperative Association, Inc.

21Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – ‘Sock It To Me’ Beer Bottle Ashtray

21Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – ‘Sock It To Me’ Beer Bottle Ashtray

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These squished beer and soda bottles were all the rage in the late 60’s when the phrase ‘Sock It To Me’ crossed the color line to become the reigning colloquialism of the era. I have tons of ‘Sock It To Me’ memorabilia as well as squashed and stretched bottle art but none so perfect as this smokeables receptacle made by Houze Art, USA.