Our Dumb Animals

Over time, sometimes the meanings of words have been known to change. Sometimes the changes are subtle. Sometimes the changes are more… interesting.

Exhibit A from my magazine collection:

Our Dumb Animals
Our Dumb Animals

“Show me your bubbies!”

1944 magazine ad for Seagram’s V.O. Canadian Whisky
1944 magazine ad for Seagram’s V.O. Canadian Whisky

Bubbies?

A Britannica history of the videophone.

AT&T gave it a go in 1992 with the VideoPhone 2500 — Just $1,499 or $30/day!

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Is that her foot or is there a body under the couch?

Magazine ad for Lucky Strikes found on the back cover of a 1934 issue of Country LIfe.
Magazine ad for Lucky Strikes found on the back cover of a 1934 issue of Country LIfe.

The donkey cigarette holders I’ve seen aren’t quite as classy as hers.

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He sees you when you’re smoking…

“Wait… That’s not what we meant…”

What’s the first thing I thought of when I saw this ad?
“Hey, smoke up, Johnny!”

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The Imperial March starts playing…

Hiram Walker, “benevolent despot“, was into millin’ and distillin’.

What’s the difference between whiskey and whisky? Besides the “e”, that is.

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Let’s get Necco with Santa!

Magazine ad for Necco Wafers. I forgot to write down the year.
Magazine ad for Necco Wafers. I forgot to write down the year.

Necco Wafers refuse to die.

Everyone’s least favorite Halloween candy has been making us miserable since 1847.”

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The Bootlegger

Cover of the December 4, 1919 issue of Life magazine

Cover of the December 4, 1919 issue of Life magazine

Not to be confused with bootlicker.

A little bit and another little bit about artist Paul Stahr.

History not-so-fun fact:
This issue is dated December 4, 1919.
Prohibition began in the United States on January 17, 1920.

Insist on the hole.

1919 Life Savers magazine ad found as the inside front cover of a Life magazine.

1919 Life Savers magazine ad found as the inside front cover of a Life magazine.

Did you know Wint-O-Green Life Savers spark in the dark? Here’s why.

You never know when you’ll suddenly have to know a lot more about Life Savers. Mental Floss has you covered.

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It’s got a cat on it.

Cover for The Countryside Magazine and Suburban Life, April 1917 - art by Paul Bransom
Cover for The Countryside Magazine and Suburban Life, April 1917 – art by Paul Bransom

Along with ads of yore, I also love a good magazine cover.

From my collection, here’s The Countryside Magazine and Suburban Life’s cover for April 1917 (Spring Planting Number) with art by Paul Bransom.

The New York Times has a rather fine obituary/biography of the “Dean of American Animal Artists” here.

Insidious Diseases and Hidden Decay

Would you trust your tree with this man?

“I will go out on a limb for your tree.” — John Davey, probably
Ad for Davey Tree Surgeons found in the April 1917 issue of Countryside / Suburban Life magazine.
Ad for Davey Tree Surgeons found in the April 1917 issue of Countryside / Suburban Life magazine.

Bone shards:

I didn’t realize that tree surgeons were a thing until I read a bit about the profession in a Straight Dope column about Groucho Marx by Cecil Adams. Yes, you should read the entire column.

Way back in the day, Groucho Marx hosted a radio/TV quiz show called “You Bet Your Life. During one show when he was interviewing a tree surgeon, he asked, “Have you ever fallen out of any of your patients?”

Read one heck of an obituary for Groucho here.

And now you know about tree surgeons too.

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