Loftleidir Icelandic Airlines

This brochure for Loftleidir Icelandic Airlines details the ups and downs (see what I did there?) of air travel between the United States and Scandinavia.  It dates from the mid 1950's in a time when prop planes were still the norm for international travel.  Loftleidir ceased operation in 1979.

Happy Easter!

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ANEΣΤH

I found this Greek (as it turns out) postcard at a sale a few months ago.  Given the iconography of the egg-shaped frame and bunnies, I assumed the words meant "Happy Easter".

Dinosaur Park 1960

These two slides were part of the lot of slides I bought a couple weekends back.

Tuffy Tooth

"Tuffy Tooth Meets the Ferocious Cavities" is a mail away flexi-record offered by Colgate in 1969.  As one might expect, it promotes brushing your teeth, particularly with Colgate.

True, March 1967

I never heard of True magazine until I found a lot of them at an estate sale.  Printed from 1937 through 1974, it was akin to Esquire or GQ and is chock full of things that made the 60's male manly.

Uncanny Finds -- Dippy Canoes

Anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows I have a soft spot for vintage food containers, particularly those of bygone products.  I found this can in the basement of an estate sale home this morning.

From the aisle of misfit groceries comes this racially insensitive can of extruded corn in the shape of canoes, otherwise known as "Dippy Canoes".

Babysitting Redux

I came across this addendum to my previous post on babysitting in the same stack of papers I bought from that sale.  A much more condensed version of that piece from 1960 published once again by The National Board of Fire Underwriters.

Dixie Wars

Digging through a basement closet at an estate sale this past weekend, I found this box of Dixie cups.

Sliding through Soda Springs

The second installment from my recent 35mm slide find features the town of Soda Springs, Idaho on September 28th, 1952 (the slides had this date handwritten on them).

Soda Springs is surrounded by natural springs of carbonated water giving the town its name.  While drilling in 1934 to create a "hot pool" bathing attraction, a geyser was accidentally released flooding the town.  It was eventually capped and is now regulated as an hourly tourist attraction.

Occupation Baby Sitter

This 1950's brochure printed by The National Board of Fire Underwriters promotes the benefits and responsibilities of being a baby sitter.

Suckin' on a Chili Dog Outside the Dairy King...

I came into a huge cache of vintage 35mm slides at a sale this weekend dating from the mid 1950's through 1970 (oh, you people are in for a treat!)

I thought I'd kick off the unveiling with one of my favorite slides to date.

Thus answering the question whether Dairy Queen ever married

Dairy King appears to also serve "Juicy Burgers", sundaes and malts not to mention all the Root Beer you care to take home.

This slide was simply marked "Colorado" and was dated 1960.  There are still Dairy Kings in Colorado, but I'm not sure if they are related to this drive in.

Guys and Dolls

I've previously confessed my affinity for playing with dolls when I was little. My older sister was my only playmate from the age of 0 to about 9, so frequently I was at her mercy when it came to playtime. If it wasn't house, it was Barbies. So it was natural that I would want a Barbie of my own. My mom, if only to stop me from breaking my sister's Barbies, did eventually break down and buy me a Dawn doll (I'm sure nothing was said to my father), a knockoff, smaller version of Barbie who my sister and I would use as Barbie's sister. I did have a Ken doll as well as a 12-inch GI Joe (with kung fu grip) I would integrate into our storylines (Barbie always fell for Joe over Ken).

Anyway, these days, if I'm buying a Barbie at a sale, I assure you it's for a quick flip on eBay. Still, it does raise eyebrows in my household when I'm caught raising Barbie's skirt to look at her butt (I swear, that's where the copyright information is printed). Even with the copyright information, it's always a challenge to pin down a year and model and can become quite an investigation.

First off, let me dispel a myth. Barbies really aren't worth that much. Unless you've found an original 1959 Barbie in pristine condition with the entire outfit and accessories, you're not looking at a whole lot of money. The majority of Barbies, even 1960's and '70's versions are worth $20 or less, particularly less if they're nude.

But when I found this lot of Barbies at a sale last week priced at $1 each, I figured I couldn't lose. 

NFC Gag Tumblers

I bought these black and gold insulated tumblers made by NFC (makers of Thermo Serv) at an estate sale this past weekend.  Aimed at the '60's basement bar crowd, each comes with a humorous (at least intended to be) verse.

Toast Coasters

Say you're at a swanky party and it's the 1960's.  Someone cries, "A toast!" and everyone looks at you. You're half blitzed, so you know you couldn't possibly assemble your own toast beyond "Over the lips and through the gums..." So.  Who you gonna call?