Allee Willis Blog » Kitsch O’ The Day

23Jul 2009

Allee Willis Kitsch’ O The Day- CB’er Coffee Cup

23Jul 2009

Allee Willis Kitsch’ O The Day- CB’er Coffee Cup

CB-cup

‘Mama Bear” (Female Police person), “Green Stamps” (money), “Plain White Wrapper” (Unmarked Police Car) and the ubiquitous “10-4″ (Ok, message received) became the second language of Pop Culture in 1975 when “Convoy”, a song that glorified truckers and their C.B. radios, shot up airplay charts as fast as the big rigs and semis it glorified shot down highways. C.B. radio paraphernalia took over store shelves across the country with these Anchor Hocking ‘Fire-King’ milk glass Proof 6 cups at the top of the heap. Twenty six of the most frequently mumbled C.B. codes as well as an array of popular trucks grace the cup, of I own twelve (and counting). Ten regular, 3 3/8″ tall, and two tank size, an inch taller and five phrases richer.

22Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Tickles Tapeworm Bad Translation Pencil Case/Wallet

22Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Tickles Tapeworm Bad Translation Pencil Case/Wallet

tickles-tapeworm

“Good day. Tapeworm of the Tickles. The stomach living within is for fun. Likes much the good food, Great friends are we to the extremity. Love me Tapeworm.” I LOVE bad translations and this 8″x3″ of plastic wonderfulness is among the best!

Tickles served as my billfold for the past four years until the plastic rebelled and one day little tapeworm-like rips appeared all over it. I reluctantly retired it to Kitsch Museum heaven but miss pulling it out to get my money and smiling as I dig intoTickles.

“Good day. Tapeworm of the Tickles. The stomach living within is for fun. Likes much the good food, Great friends are we to the extremity. Love me Tapeworm.” I LOVE bad translations and this 8″x3″ of plastic wonderfulness is among the best!

Made by Parasite Pals, Tickles served as my billfold for the past four years until the plastic rebelled and one day little tapeworm-like rips appeared all over it. I reluctantly retired it to Kitsch Museum heaven but miss pulling it out to get my money and smiling as I say hello to Tickles.

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

sock-it-to-me-bottle-ashtray_9434

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.

20Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Best Neutron Dancer Ever!

20Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Best Neutron Dancer Ever!

PLAY THIS VIDEO!:

I’ve seen many improvised dances to my Pointer Sisters song “Neutron Dance” but this girl has a better time kutting loose inside the klutches of Kitch than anyone I’ve ever seen. Describing her style as “Improvisational freestyle spontaneous informal interpretive dancing” Aremisbell, real name Diana Campanella, dances to more high energy songs on YouTube than Madonna. With mouth and finger action for days and pixie-like prancing in overdrive she is, in fact, SO HAPPY doin’ the Neutron Dance. And that makes me SO HAPPY for having written it.

19Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Vintage Coppertone Suntan Oil Spray

19Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Vintage Coppertone Suntan Oil Spray

coppertone_7459

I used to spray this stuff on me like it was water, lay out in the sun until my skin was crisper than fried chicken and walk around all summer looking like a red patent leather purse. it was the desired toasted-by-the-sun-look for a Midwest girl in the Prehistoric 60’s when we thought sun was good and supertan and sunburnt were the most popular summer colors. Coppertone was the ONLY name in sun care products and spraying was the speed junkie route to stylish toasty flesh. No messy creme between your fingers, no sandy caps to screw back on so the next time you squirt some out it’s not like rubbing sandpaper on your burnt skin.

Coppertone hit the market in 1944. The original logo was an American Indian chief in feather headresss with matching “Don’t be a paleface” slogan. That was deemed politically incorrect in 1953 and the little trademark pin-up girl with snapping dog logo was born to replace it. When that illustration was lost in a fire the more familiar one you see on the can here was drawn in 1959 by Joyce Ballantyne Brand who won a contest to get the gig using her daughter Cheryl as the model.

Jodie Foster made her acting debut at 3 in a tv commercial as the Coppertone girl.

I used to spray this stuff on me like it was water, lay out in the sun until my skin was crisper than fried chicken and walk around all summer looking like a red patent leather purse. It was the desired toasted-by-the-sun-look for a Midwest girl in the Prehistoric 60’s when we thought sun was good and supertan and sunburnt were the most popular summer colors. Coppertone was the ONLY name in sun care products and spraying was the speed junkie route to stylish toasty flesh. No messy creme between your fingers, no sandy caps to screw back on so the next time you squirt some out it’s not like rubbing sandpaper on your burnt skin.

Coppertone hit the market in 1944. The original logo was an American Indian chief in feather headdresss with matching “Don’t be a paleface” slogan. That was deemed politically incorrect in 1953 and the little trademark pin-up girl with snapping dog logo was born to replace it. When that illustration was lost in a fire the more familiar one you see on the can here was drawn in 1959 by Joyce Ballantyne Brand who won a contest to get the gig using her daughter Cheryl as the model.

Jodie Foster made her acting debut at 3 in a tv commercial as the Coppertone girl.
coppertone_7457

This commercial is for a later Coppertone product, QT Quick Tanning Lotion, but is too much of a Kitschified gem not to be unearthed here:

17Jul 2009

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

17Jul 2009

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

corn-S&Ps_9451

Items in the shape of corn on the cob have a special place on the mantle of Americana Pop Culture. Whether plastic, ceramic, bowl, plate, S&P or cob holder, the texture of husks and kernels has fascinated mold makers since the beginning of time, elevating corn to the status of oranges and tomatoes as the foodstuffs most imitated in kitchen accessories design.

These S&P’s are devoid of any manufacturer’s mark but look to be late 70’s/ early 80’s. They have rubber stoppers, both slightly melted from being too close to corn boiling in the pot. I covet these more for their form than their function.

Items in the shape of corn on the cob have a special place on the mantle of Americana Pop Culture. Whether plastic, ceramic, bowl, plate, S&P or cob holder, the texture of husks and kernels has fascinated mold makers since the beginning of time, elevating corn to the status of oranges and tomatoes as the foodstuffs most imitated in Kitsch kitchen accessories design.

These 4″ plastic S&P’s are devoid of any manufacturer’s mark but look to be late 70’s/ early 80’s. They have rubber stoppers, both slightly melted from being too close to corn boiling on the stove. I covet these more for their form than their function as they always leave a nasty little trail of salt and pepper from what’s slipped through the meltage.

16Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Toothpick Charlie

16Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Toothpick Charlie

Toothpick-Charlie_9413

Throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, toothpick holders were one of the state souvenir items of choice. Though Toothpick Charlie is devoid of any markings other than his name, identical trinkets were churned out and stamped with state names as frequently as shoe shaped coin purses and carved wooden jewelry boxes.

Charlie is made out of a tree limb and holds about 30 toothpicks when his mouth is full. He’s sat at my kitchen table with me for as long as I can remember.
toothpick-charlie_9409

15Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Hip Nip and Hot Nip Plastic Flasks

15Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Hip Nip and Hot Nip Plastic Flasks

hip-nip-hot-nip,-bottles_9384-2

No one can accuse Garvin, the designer of this drunk matching 50’s couple, for thinking small: “Hip Nip can be used for Scotch, Mouthwash, Gin, Shave Lotion, Rye, Urine-analysis, Bicarb, Bourbon, Malted, Aspirins, Deodorant, Suntan oil and Hairdressing”. His mate, Hot Nip, only promises “to keep you warm”.

Hot Nip and Hip Nip are screen-printed and textured on soft plastic pint flasks. They have rubber heads and a screw-on cap wedged into their fat wrestler necks.

Although these are most valuable as a set, I’m not sure they were manufactured at the same time. “©Garvin… Milbit Mfg Co, Inc” is in 9 point flush left and flush right type at the bottom of Hot Nip while “©Garvin-Milbit” is in 3 point type centered at the bottom of Hip Nip. Though the discrepancy – most matched sets have consistent copyright info and placement – could also be because Garvin was out of room after he listed the voluminous amounts of substances that could inhabit Hip Nip or perhaps had imbibed some of them before he started.

hip-nip-hot-nip,-bottles_9402-2 hip-nip-hot-nip,-bottles_9403-3 “Milbit” is also carved into Hot Nip’s neck while Hip Nip’s remains bare:

Hot Nip is rarer than Hip Nip though they are both very popular citizens in my kitchen kommunity of Kitch.

14Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Disco Dancer Keyring

14Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Disco Dancer Keyring

disco-dancer-keyring_2740

3″ round tortoise shell plastic keyring from 1979 with grooves like a vinyl record and raised gold Disco dancers whose silhouettes look more like they’re on their way to an Anne Murray concert than to Studio 54. The back has a glass mirror, long broken, that says “Hot To Trot”, as if that were a slogan of the late 70’s and not property of the Bobby Soxers three decades earlier. Manufactured by Bromac, which sounds more like a company that makes antacid than Disco products. All in all, everything misses the mark just enough to make this a Kitsch lover’s dream.

13Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Grand Funk 7/11 Slurpee Cup

13Jul 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Grand Funk 7/11 Slurpee Cup

Grand-Funk-Slurpee-Cup_7572

Being one of the earliest Hard Rock bands, panned by critics and shunned by radio until they released “We’re An American Band” in 1973, Grand Funk Railroad seems like a strange match for early corporate sponsorship let alone being wrapped around a Slurpee. Which makes this one of my Kitschiest Slurpee Cups as pop acts like Smokey Robinson and The Fifth Dimension, who also snuggled up to 7/11, made more sense as a commercial match. For a moment at least, Grand Funk was singing “We’re An American Brand”.