No relation to Grape-Nuts.

1934 magazine ad for Beech-Nut Gum and Candies
1934 magazine ad for Beech-Nut Gum and Candies

Bone shards:

Looks like I wasn’t the only one trying to figure out who the artist was in this campaign. Not only was the artist identified (Stuart Hay (1889-1969)), but they also include another ad in this circus campaign! Win-win!

Nowadays, Beech-Nut is known mostly for its baby food. They’re the one that isn’t Gerber.

There’s also an unrelated Beech-Nut chewing tobacco. This ruffled some beech-feathers back in 1927.

Want some beech nuts of your own? Go foraging!

Wanna run away with the circus? That’s a bit hard to do these day, so why don’t you find out about its history instead?

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Preside at the Pail

Tom Brown’s Doc Vetter, as found in a 1916 issue of The Country Gentleman
Tom Brown’s Doc Vetter, as found in a 1916 issue of The Country Gentleman

Eventually

“Rmmmmmmmph Grrrrrrrr Mmmmmmmmrrrrr Grrrr”
An early magazine ad for Gold Medal Flour
An early magazine ad for Gold Medal Flour

Bone shards:

Working with flour can be explosive.

“I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.”

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“Until you push the magic button.”

Panasonic magazine ad from around 1969
Panasonic magazine ad from around 1969

Let’s get this out of the way right away — “Just slightly ahead of our time.” was a fabulous tagline and they’ve never surpassed it. Not even close.

Bone shards:

Did you know you used to be able to get record players installed in your car?

Have you met The Electric Prunes mentioned in the body copy?

Six Panasonic D batteries will set you back around $15 these days. Last time I checked, at least.

Panasonic made the first bread machine. Who knew!? Well, probably Panasonic.

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A Pandemic Limerick

No matter how nice you were asking,
Karen was totes against masking.
In science she’d scoff
As she said with a cough,
“In Covid I’d rather be basking.”

Potato Slogans

a potato

Eat more potatoes.

You have toes, so eat potatoes.

Dig those potatoes, man.

Tonight, we’re having potatoes!

Potato — the egg of the underworld.

There’s nothing hotter than a potato.

“No matter how you spell it, it’s still potatos.”— Dan Quayle

Eat yer taters.

Potatoes — The rocks you can eat.

Starch something.

Your bud, the spud.

Mash things up.

The potato — North America’s banana.

Potatoes — America’s favorite lumpy nutrition.

Tater up!

Are potatoes ok?

Where fries come from.

Hey! It’s a potato!

The Safest Explosive

Magazine ad for Atlas Farm Powder found in a 1916 issue of The Country Gentleman
Magazine ad for Atlas Farm Powder found in a 1916 issue of The Country Gentleman

Farmer go boom.

Bone Shards:

The once-free book will now set you back $50 at Abe Books.

If it’s so safe, why did it say “Dangerous” on the crate?

Did you know that the Nobel prizes were pretty much made possible by dynamite?

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Behind them, the iceberg emerged from the mysterious cloud.

1934 magazine ad for Chesterfield cigarettes
1934 magazine ad for Chesterfield cigarettes

Bone shards:

Titanic trivia? Sure!

Icebergs too? As you wish.

What does he or she mean about “that way”? I’m not sure, but it probably involves a riding crop and lots of Vaseline.

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“Brown shoes don’t make it.” — Frank Zappa

1948 magazine ad for Lady Nettleton shoes
1948 magazine ad for Lady Nettleton shoes

I’m sorry, but Lady Nettleton can’t come to the phone right now. She’s having tea with Mrs. Nesbit.

I’ve heard of gila monsters, and Gilly, and ghillie suits, but I never knew that a ghillie was also a type of shoe. Who knew!?

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…prevents CHOLERA and all manner of Epidemic Diseases…

No hope!
No hope!
Behold! The hydroxychloroquine of the mid-1800s.
Behold! The hydroxychloroquine of the mid-1800s.

Did you know the original snake oil was actually good for something?

“Colorful names and even more colorful claims.”

Learn some signs of medical quackery.

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