Weird Wednesday - Alka Seltzer Upsets

Talk about a disturbing ad!  Alka-Seltzer is a great product, but I'm not sure how much of it you could sell by showing someone throwing up.

Yummy Atlas Flour

1908

Doesn't this girl look pleased as punch to be advertising Atlas Flour?  Must be tasty if it gets such a reaction.  

Another happy camper

This girl doesn't seem any more pleased to be eating Atlas Flour.  Who thought up this advertising campaign? Let's show people how delicious the food is by featuring sad children.  While they are cute, I'm not so sure about Atlas Flour's edibility.  

Atlas Flour Fire

Atlas Flour was destroyed by fire on December 11, 1926.  The damage was valued at $100,00.  Twelve fire trucks and several fire boats were required to quell the blaze.  While the building and the main elevator were destroyed, $235,000 worth of oats were saved.

Atlas Flour Fire

Muppet Rugs and RIP Jerry Nelson

Muppet Latch Hook Kits; McCall's; 1980

I simply adore the Muppets, the 1970s/1980s Muppets.  While the recent film was decent, as a whole, the past decade has seen them become quite lame.  I have enjoyed their recent resurgence into popular culture: from award shows to wrestling events, the Muppets have been everywhere.  

Count von Count and Jerry Nelson

Unfortunately with Jerry Nelson's August 23rd, 2012 passing, we will again be faced with a set of wrong-sounding Muppets.  Ever since Jim Henson's passing, the Muppets just haven't been the same.  Kermit still sounds odd to me.  RIP Jerry.  You brought me and many others hours and hours of joy.  Even though his parts have been recast, I will miss Jerry's genius when performing Count von Count, Floyd Petter, Robin the Frog, Gobo Fraggle, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, and Statler.

Ramona, Bluing, and Powder People

As part of my reading adventure this year, I'm trying to read 12 books published in the year of my birth.  So far I have been pretty disappointed, as I was with this book.  I guess I just must be too much of a Beezus or something, but I did not enjoy Beverly Cleary books as a child, and I still do not find them enjoyable as an adult.  It seemed like a combination of fighting parents and trouble-making.  Since I remembered my parents fighting before they divorced, when I read Cleary books as a child I found the parental arguing to be distressing.  And as to Ramona's shenanigans, I was and still am a rule stickler, so I never found Ramona's antics humorous.  I imagine some children enjoy it and feel a kinship with Ramona, but all I felt was frustration.

I did find two instances in the book humorous:  the Kleenex incident and the bluing incident.  How many people use bluing anymore?  I have used it before but I haven't used any in my laundry lately.  I need to restock at Vermont Country Store or at a store you can pick up Mrs. Stewart's Bluing.

I can definitely sympathize with Wanda running around the house throwing Kleenexes everywhere.  It reminds me of one of few times I acted up as a child.  It would be the infamous 'Powder People' episode.  When I was about five years old, my three year old sister and I had a brilliant idea.  

The 'brilliance' of 'Powder People' was us running through the house puffing baby powder above our heads.  My mother was just thrilled to find the entire upper floor of our grandparent's home caked in a thick layer of fine, white powder.  Our dance of joy did not last long, for we spent the entire day dusting, vacuuming, and washing the walls.  Both the joy, and the punishment from the 'Powder People' incident, are some of the strongest memories of my childhood.  

Weird Wednesday: Kelpidine - the "Miracle" Diet Candy

(From Movieland: February 1955)

Kelpidine Candy allegedly could help you lose 25 pounds in 25 days. What this ad does not say is that since you are on only a 1,000 calorie a day diet with this "diet plan", you are probably starving and still probably won't lose weight. Lucky for us, this candy made from seaweed did not have a lot of scientific research backing it. Naturally, lawsuits followed this product through the years because of it's wild claims. Since it's mostly made of iodine, the product wasn't safe for people with blood disorders such as diabetes or heart trouble. For a fun take on this ad, check out one of my favorite blogs Kitchen Retro.

Weird Wednesday - Creepy Green Giant

I guess I generally think of the Green Giant as a lovable mascot since he was created in my home state, but this ad is totally creepy to me. Jolly Green is just supposed to be the man of the house, coming home to have his paper, slippers, and corncob pipe but instead he looks a creepy devil with an ulterior behind the niblets. What is in the niblets? Are the niblets taking over the world? Why won't the Corn Times tell us what is really going on? Ahhhhhhhh!?!

Tidbit Tuesday - Betty Grable Without Makeup Maybelline Ad

Weird Wednesday - Sticking it to the Fuhrer

I found this fun ad on the back of my December 5-11, 1942 issue of Movie Radio Guide. I thought it would be a perfect fit for Weird Wednesday.

How did they know what I've always wanted to do?

Fantastic! It lasts a lifetime and even has his Prussian boots.

I looked all over the place for photos and video of FDR and the pin cushion, but was unsuccessful. It's got to be out there somewhere, but I haven't been able to find any today.

Definitely think Hitler would be hollering, but this women looks awfully pained having to stick him in the bum.

It's a club? And 10 days to decide? And a special 3 for $3.49? How could you not buy one?

Can you believe Hitler wouldn't endorse such an item? It's like he doesn't think it's funny that someone would stick pins in his bum. Obviously he needed a sense of humor

If you have one of these gems lying around your house today or see one at a yard sale, they go for $100 - $450. Not bad for a novelty pin cushion!

Weird Wednesday - Can Toilet Paper Stop Germs?

It never would occur to me that toilet paper could double as a surgical mask, but I suppose in wartime you had to do what you had to do. I'm not quite sure if this remedy worked but since I've always been a Charmin girl, I guess I'll never know.

Drefting Away

Feeling a bit under the weather today. Another rough day at work, so I decided to take a bit of a tub.

A trick my mom taught me for dry skin, is a bath in Dreft laundry detergent. It really works! Not only does it reduce the itch for those of us with dry skin, but it creates tons of wonderful bubbles! As a child, I had many a Dreft bath due to Chicken Pox or because of the poison ivy I would often get from picking raspberries off my Grandmother's raspberry bush. Why were the tastiest ones always stuck in the poison ivy?

Dreft was the first commercial laundry detergent, created in 1933 by Procter and Gamble.


Unfortunately it cleans only light stains, so Procter and Gamble tried many different ways to market the wonderful product.

Today it is marketed as a laundry detergent for baby clothes. I bet they never thought of it as a dry skin aid!

Check out this vintage Dreft Laundry Ad. Around the time this commercial was made (1947), Dreft only cost less than a quarter!

Vintage Inspiration July 16

I like to try products that were around in my favorite time periods (If I can find them. Any suggestions for places to look?)

This time I tried Prell Shampoo

Worked pretty well

Definitely made my hair squeaky clean

Not so great at softening

Thank goodness for conditioner!