Tag Archives: brands

Big Balls

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Pinball poster for Chicago Coin. Year unknown.
Pinball poster for Chicago Coin. Year unknown.

The date on this Chicago Coin pinball poster is unknown to me, but was probably made before 1977 when its assets were sold to Gary and Sam Stern, forming Stern Electronics and then Stern Pinball.

I can’t look at this poster without thinking of the classic Sesame Street’s pinball animation to help kids with numbers.

The International Arcade Museum has quite a list of the games Chicago Coin made.

Pinside has a shorter list, but with images! 

A Brief History of the Silver Ball

The Founding of the Flippers

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In the panties of particular people.*

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Some of the things I collect are vintage cookbooks and cookbooklets like you still sometimes see while standing in line at the grocery store. In one of them, I found this…

Heinz — In the Pantries of Particular People *I first read the line in the photo as “in the panties of particular people” and had a very different visual.
Heinz — In the Pantries of Particular People
*I first read the line in the photo as “in the panties of particular people” and had a very different visual.

This is a photo of 60 or so Heinz products found in The Heinz Salad Book. It does not give the year it was printed. According to a couple of online sources, Heinz changed the name of Beefsteak Sauce to 57 Sauce in 1940, so this was probably printed before that. Other sources give the year of the change as 1913, so don’t quote me on any of this. Stupid Internet.

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I’m sorry, but you just don’t meet the 1913 definition of a best friend.

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1913 magazine ad for Victor-Victrola
1913 magazine ad for Victor-Victrola

Also, you’re much too tall. Apparently.

That dog in the lower left? His name is Nipper, now better AKA the RCA dog.

What’s that? You want more information on Victor-Victrola phonographs? Be careful what you wish for.

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Raquel Not Included

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1911 magazine ad for Welch's Grape Juice
1911 magazine ad for Welch’s Grape Juice

A history of the Concord grape.

A history of the Concorde.

Methodist History: Communion and Welch’s Grape Juice

The approach in the advertising copy is… interesting. “We spent a lot of money on advertising, so give us your money.”

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“I’d punch the copywriter, but…” [shrugs]

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If Venus Had Arms — 1911 magazine ad for Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes
If Venus Had Arms — 1911 magazine ad for Kellogg’s Toasted Corn Flakes

15 Things You Should Know About ‘Venus de Milo’

Were Kellogg’s Corn Flakes Created as an ‘Anti-Masturbatory Morning Meal’?

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It’s a pinky tinky!

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Burroughs Ten Key Adding Machine magazine found in the January 19, 1957 issue of The Saturday Evening Post
Burroughs Ten Key Adding Machine magazine found in the January 19, 1957 issue of The Saturday Evening Post

Pink was a surprise, but then again, maybe not. An eBay/Etsy search shows that this device was available in Sea Mist Green, Amber Gray, Alpine Blue, or Capri Coral (pink to me). Yes, long before the iMac.

Hmm… It looks like division wasn’t quite invented yet. Well, it is an adding machine after all.

For the curious:

Ten Keys and Fewer

Today seems like a good day to read a brief history of the numeric keypad!

Can’t leave out the modern age!

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America’s Hot New Success Car… There are success cars?

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Ford Torino magazine ad found on the back cover of an April 6, 1968 Saturday Evening Post
Ford Torino magazine ad found on the back cover of an April 6, 1968 Saturday Evening Post

The Torino was an upscale variation of the Ford Fairlane, eventually replacing it. Sorry, Andrew Dice Clay.

The car was named after Turin, the home of a certain shroud. 

You might notice some shared DNA with a certain ’73 Ford Falcon used in a dusty Australian movie.

And don’t forget about The Striped Tomato.

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For all your fiberglass horses needs.

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Magazine ad for Prewitt Fiberglass Horses found in the May 1963 issue of Western Horseman
Magazine ad for Prewitt Fiberglass Horses found in the May 1963 issue of Western Horseman

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better than gen-u-ine fiberglass horses, it turns out Bob Prewitt of Prewitt Fiberglass Products is also the guy behind all those giant roadside mascots you might know better as Paul Bunyans or Muffler Men scattered across America. Stuckey’s will tell ya more!

These guys are living their best lives.

And of course, Roadside America is a deliciously deep and rich source of Muffler Men maps and mythology as well.

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“Hurry up and paint the ad! This thing is effin’ heavy!”

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Magazine ad for Liquid Veneer found in a May 1917 issue of The Designer.
Magazine ad for Liquid Veneer found in a May 1917 issue of The Designer.

The curious type in the Liquid Veneer is neither italic nor oblique. I’m not sure what you’d call it. Bizarro-oblique? Mirroritalic? Hmm.

Liquid Veneer was a product of the Buffalo Specialty Co.

They also made hacksaws and grinders.

I’m guessing it’s a bad idea to use Liquid Veneer for dental veneers.

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Come for the gimcracks. Stay for the SPUG.

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Colgate ad found on the back cover of the January 1915 issue of The Designer magazine
Colgate ad found on the back cover of the January 1915 issue of The Designer magazine

What’s a gimcrack? Pretty much the same thing as a gewgaw, d-uh.

Mr. Smith must’ve been a real tightwad over clothing, as both he and Mrs. Smith wear the same outfits for several days. Hopefully, Colgate made a deodorant back then. (Nowadays, they do make Speed Stick.)

What’s the deal with fainting couches? In related news, a chaise longue is usually screwed up by Americans as a “chaise lounge”.

It looks like SPUG was made up for this ad, but there are other SPUGS that exist today.

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