13Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Have A Cup ‘O’ Disco

13Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Have A Cup ‘O’ Disco

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I’m a monster fan of integration be it a business strategy, department store or coffee cup design. The integration of the ‘o’ from ‘Disco’ into the cup handle is genius to the point that the monster mistake made is excusable. That drippy moss green ceramic glaze is vintage Hippie, as far away from a Disco color scheme or technique as imaginable. Which kicks this cup even higher on the Kitsch scale than cup design alone.

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12Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – In My Easter Bonnet…

12Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – In My Easter Bonnet…

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…with all the eggs, chicks, peeps, bunnies, roosters, shredded cellophane and bagels upon it. I made this out of foamcore and the aforementioned materials Easter,1998. There were recipes for “Eggs In Exciting Ways” from a vintage cookbook under the brim. I’m wearing the hat now and having a very Happy Easter and I hope you are too.

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11Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Catchers Mitt For Spit Ball Gum

11Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Catchers Mitt For Spit Ball Gum

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Poised to catch chewing materials when your mouth must be otherwise occupied these ceramic gum catchers had their heyday in the 1960’s and 70’s. I once knew a pug owned by a famous chef friend of mine who began every morning by racing around her restaurant eating gum stuck to the bottoms of all the tables by patrons who had no better place to dispose of their wads. Once the tables were clear, my friend would stretch out a 4′ long piece of dental floss and the pug would run her mouth back and forth over it until the spaces between her teeth were once again spotless. I’m glad there were no Spit Ball Gum Catchers around as this was such a spectacular trick! But unless proprietors own as gifted of a pet it seems like gum catchers should be on the inventory list of all self respecting food establishments.

09Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Drunk On Disco

09Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Drunk On Disco

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Mmm, nothing tasted better in the 1970’s than something reminiscent of sweat, polyester and poppers.  Popular Dis-Go soda flavors included Champagne, Beer and Near Beer.  I don’t recall any liquid being the Disco refreshment of choice but a trend catching on so big that even makers of seemingly unrelated products want to capitalize on the name makes for Kitsch classicism.

07Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Resin Grapes Good Enough To Eat

07Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Resin Grapes Good Enough To Eat

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As common as ants at a picnic these resin grapes continue to infest coffee tables since their proliferation in the 1970’s. With rubber leaves, driftwood stems and a propensity to be turned into swag and table lamps, often regrouped as a pineapple, they’re a staple in any decent Kitsch collection. Transparent pink was the champagne of the resin cluster colors with blue, red, orange, yellow and green more common. Still made today, more recent grapes don’t have the same depth of color as the vintage ones as many of the original ingredients were taken off the market due to toxicity (safely sealed inside the vintage crop). Although clusters still abound on eBay, for instructions on how to grow your own go here.

05Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Translator Has Field Day With Picnic Basket

05Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Translator Has Field Day With Picnic Basket

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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?

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04Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Musical Toilet Radio

04Apr 2009

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Musical Toilet Radio

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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.

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