Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Waxing Nostalgic for Halloween

I found this set of 3 smiling wax Jack O' Lanterns at an estate sale a couple weeks ago.



They are small, measuring 2"x2"x2".  They are made by the W & F Wax company, also known as Gurley Novelty and Glenn Confections.  They were originally sold in packages as Jack O' Lantern candles, though I'm not sure how they would light any sizable pumpkin.  I've also seen them referred to as candy containers, but this packaging confirms their true intent.

Image courtesy of eBay

Frank Gurley started W&F Wax in 1939 and produced wax lips and teeth and holiday-themed candles which sold mainly in Woolworth's and Ben Franklin dime stores.  They are also the makers of the childhood favorite Nik-L-Nips, those wax soda bottles filled with sugary flavored syrups.

My favorite memory of W&F Wax is the Wowee Whistles I received in my Trick or Treat bag in the 1970's.

Image courtesy Flickr

Image courtesy CollectingCandy.com

You could blow on them until your parents went mad and then chew them up.  I wish I had been as smart as the enterprising child who saved and mounted his in the picture above.  Wowee Whistles are no longer available.  Someone needs to get on the ball and bring those back.

3 comments:

  1. i'm a big fan of the Nik-L-Nips, for some reason. something about biting the tops off the bottles was awesome. did they make the wax lips, too? you can still get those, i know that for sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, W&F made the wax lips/fangs as well. Gurley is still in business, unfortunately they no longer make the Wowee Whistles.

      Delete
  2. Yup - I remember wowee whistles - they were fun.

    ReplyDelete