IMITATION FLY PIN: AN EXACT IMITATION OF A LIVE FLY

Happy April Fools' Day!  Were you a victim of a prank today or were you the prankster? Maybe you got pranked by an imitation fly pin. Let's take a look at an old fly prank still on the original card.

I believe this fly pin was produced by Adams, the #1 maker of jokes and pranks. Not sure on the age, but I noticed the artwork was used in a 1957 Adams catalog that's pictured in Life of the Party: A Visual History of the S.S. Adams Company Makers of Pranks & Magic for 100 Yearsby Kirk Demarais.It looks older than '57 and it's interesting that it is marked Japan.

Yep, that's a convincing looking fly alright.  I had planned to do as the card suggested and stick it in some butter or on a sandwich. Unfortunately the stickpin is too rusted and I didn't want to take a chance and tear the card.

Years ago I was given a realistic looking fly that could be controlled with a magnet.  You could put the fly on a piece of paper and use the magnet to control it.  I used it a few times and tried to prank family members by putting the fly in a bowl of chips or on top of a hamburger bun.  Also, I had a giant rubber fly that I tied in a tree in hopes to get double-looks from neighbors walking by.  Ah, you can have a lot fun with a fake fly.

A ROMANTIC LOOK AT THE YEAR 2110 FROM 1909

FLEA MARKET FRIDAYS #65

From the year 1909 comes this very cool postcard depicting a romantic scene from the year 2110.  I always enjoy seeing depictions of the future from different eras in the past.  I like the artist's futuristic vision of young love orbiting the Earth in a balloon rocket and wearing a space helmet built for two.  

The card has a postmark from the small town of Pattonsburg, Missouri and is dated Oct. 25 1909 at 5p.m.  It was mailed to Miss Lucy Wallace of Lucas Kansas.  The message on the back - "I thought I would send you and Nellie an air ship.  That's the way people go in Mo.  Automobiles are too common.  Think Clara & Clyde and Mabel & Charley are clear out of style.  Don't you?  Have been in Pattonsburg the past week, but am going home now.  It has rained nearly every day this week and some.  B.C."

WISHING FOR A MISTER SOFTEE ICE CREAM CONE

This is not good.  Nope, not good at all.  I'm craving a Mister Softee ice cream cone.  No ordinary ice cream cone will do because I want a Mister Softee ice cream cone.  

Mostly he likes to drive around in his little truck out east.  Hey Mister Softee, I think it's time to have a nationwide Mister Softee roadtrip and visit as many towns as you can.  You can start the tour in Neato Coolville!  Pretty please with sprinkles on top!!!

Give a listen to the theme song that emanates from the truck.  It instantly puts people of all ages into a trance that can't be broken until you enjoy some Mister Softee ice cream.  Go ahead and listen.  I dare you.

     

I like the kid graphics on the back of the truck.  I wonder if these kids have names?  

The kids are seen below enjoying a Chilleroo in this old ad slick.  Do they still sell the Chilleroo?    

They can also be seen in these vintage animated commercials uploaded to YouTube by Mister Softee of Southwest Florida.    

  

I guess I'll have to take my Mister Softee cravings and eat this Funko Wacky Wobler instead.  I don't think it will be as good as the real thing.  

U.S. ROBOTS & MECHANICAL MEN ROBOT MANUAL

One of my favorite short stories is "Robbie" by Isaac Asimov.  If you're not familiar with the story, it's about a little girl with a robot babysitter.  The robot was purchased by her parents from U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men Inc., in the year 1996.  Here's the manual cover for the RB series robot -

I created the Robbie manual cover using this 1967 robot header control manual.  I have no clue what a robot header control does, but it has to do with farm tractors.  As you can see, I didn't have to change much.

OUR GANG JIG-SAW PUZZLE

Back when I was kid, one of my favorite things to watch on TV were the Little Rascals/Our Gang comedies.  They were usually shown as part of a local kiddie show and I remember how much fun it was watching the crazy antics of these depression era kids.  Sometime in the early 80s my maternal Grandmother surprised me with an Our Gang jigsaw puzzle.  No this wasn't some newly created piece of nostalgia but an authentic piece of memorabilia during the original run of the comedy series.    

Originally in 1932, it was to be given away free with a bottle of McKesson's Milk of Magnesia. Boy, that was a pretty sweet deal even if Milk of Magnesia wasn't that appealing to kids.

(Sticking with the Our Gang theme, McKesson should have given this puzzle away with a a bottle of castor oil.)  

My Grandmother didn't recieve the puzzle back in the 30s with a bottle purchase.  Instead she bought the puzzle in the 1980s from Swensson's Drug Store in Macon, Missouri.  The puzzle was a perfect example of "new old stock" because the drug store owners found a stash of the puzzles that were never given away.

Luckily this artifact from my childhood survived thanks to my paternal Grandmother who helped me frame it for my bedroom wall.  It stayed on my wall until I moved away from home and for the past twenty years or so it has been buried in a box.  I kinda forgot about it until recently when I unearthed it. It was pretty excited when I opened up the frame to find that my Grandmother saved the envelope and stuffed it behind the puzzle for protection.  

Wow, that's two Grandmothers working in tandem!  One to gift it and the other to preserve it.     

FOUND PHOTO: MAN IN DINOSAUR COSTUME

 Barney the not so friendly dinosaur!

MAIL-ORDER MYSTERIES BY KIRK DEMARAIS

I’ve been carrying around some regrets that has haunted me since childhood. I was an avid comic book reader from age three to age fifteen and besides the stories and artwork, I enjoyed looking at all those crazy ads. You know the kind. The ones that advertised X-ray spex, seven foot monsters, manuals to learn Kung Fu, etc., etc., etc.

You would think during all those years of flipping through funny books I would have filled out an order blank and ordered something from one of those ads. Nope, not me! I always wanted to order stuff, but between my terrible procrastination habits and the wisdom of my dad, I never did. So for all these years I’ve wondered about some of those old ads. What did the kids really get for a few dollars? Did I miss out on some amazing stuff that might’ve changed my life forever?

Last fall my burning questions were finally answered by Kirk Demarais through his appropriately called book, Mail-Order Mysteries: Real Stuff from Old Comic Book Ads!

This is the book that I’ve been waiting to get my hands on for the past twenty years! Kirk has done the impossible and tracked down the actual items and paired them with the comic book ads. The book has 156 pages that is chocked full of all the ads you remember or forgot. Kirk’s witty comparisons of each item from what we imagined to what they sent is better than a bag full of laughs. (See page 142 to see for yourself.) Also it deserves to be mentioned that besides being the author, Kirk has done an amazing job on the design! 

Here’s the official trailer for the book -

Mail-Order Mysteries is one of my favorite books in my library and it will be one of those books I can flip through and get an instant smile for years to come. This book is a must buy!

Mail-Order Mysteries is up for a Rondo Horror Award for Best Book of the Year! Anyone can vote and I know I’m voting for this book. Visit rondoaward.com for all the details. You’ll have fun voting in all the different horror categories. Hurry up, ‘cause voting ends midnight April 1.

Thanks Kirk for creating a book that doubled as therapy. All my childhood regrets have been wiped away!

--- Bonus Images ---

I’ve bought and sold toys and collectibles for many years and comic ad stuff hardly ever shows up. Apparently, Kirk’s book gave me some luck a few months ago. I found one of the most famous items from a comic book ad, the 100 Pc. Toy Soldier set complete with footlocker. It was in an antique store booth for five dollars more than the advertised price in the original ad.

Yippee for me, ‘cause this was one of the items I always wanted to order, but never did.

Here's an original piece of art by the great late Jim Aparo for Brave and the Bold #191.

I bought the page from Jim back in 2002 and this panel fits perfect for today’s post. Apparently the Joker is a fan of comic book ads and I bet he's already ordered a copy of Mail-Order Mysteries!

OPEN HOUSE AT THE GRESHAM'S: A MID-CENTURY TOUR

Let us travel back to the 1960s for a house tour somewhere in America.  Our time machine will be this group of Starlight Color Lab slides.  Now close your eyes and say Starlight Color Lab slides three times fast.  OK.  Now scroll down.












Whew!  Is everyone here?  Good, we all made it!  Looks like we picked a nice sunny day for a house tour.  Do you smell the fresh cut grass?  I do.

This is the house we'll be taking a tour of.  Let's walk up and check this ranch out!  Don't be afraid of the dog sitting next to the road.  That's Fido.  He's a good doggie and only bites Aqua Velva men.  Anyone wearing Aqua Velva might want to stay clear of Fido.

Here we are at the Gresham's!  They're expecting us, so we'll just walk right in.

Now shuffle inside and careful not to knock over the bird planter.  Mrs. Gresham won that at bingo night.

Feel free to have a seat.  Mr. Gresham was nice enough to remove all the plastic sofa coverings. Shh...don't tell him he forgot the plastic on the lampshades.

As you can see the Gresham's went with an Asian motif for the living room.  No, they've never had the fortune of traveling in the Far East, but Mrs. Gresham did find inspiration from a photo in Better Homes and Gardens.          

Mr. Gresham jokes that if he had it his way, the house would be decorated using a look out of Popular Mechanics instead.  Ah, that Mr. Gresham is always the kidder!

Watch out!  Beware of Fluffy, the Gresham's cat.  She is a rare breed that will put you in a trance if you look into her eyes more than three seconds.  So whatever you do, don't look into her eyes. DO NOT LOOK INTO HER EYES!!!!

As you can see, Mrs. Gresham has a green thumb.  She's also a collector of spoons and buys one or two every vacation.  She can also "play the spoons" and is hoping to get on Johnny Carson one of these days.  I wish we had time to hear her play, because she plays a mean version of "A Hard Day's Night".

Before we go back to the future, be sure to personally thank Mr. & Mrs. Gresham for inviting us into their home.  Thanks Mr. & Mrs. G!  You got a really neato cool home.  Banzai!