The Heyer Cartoon and Idea Book - Halloween

I'm going to try squeezing in a few last minute items these last couple days.  First up is the Heyer Cartoon and Idea Book. A little like the advertising slick's I found a few years ago, this book gives ideas and images you can borrow to festoon your flyers, ads, school announcements, etc.  I found these at a garage sale for $1.  I'm not sure of the exact date, but I don't think they're any later than the 1940's given the fashions shown.

Scooby Doo Lunchbox, Where Are You?

In grade school, much of your personality could be summed up by the lunch box you carried, if you could afford the luxury.  It was also a status symbol.  Lunchbox kids looked down on the brown baggers, at least it felt that way to me.

I had a lunch box in First Grade.  It was a plastic Snoopy's doghouse lunch box.  One day after school, I absentmindedly tossed it on the ground after school and the lid broke off.  That was end of my lunch box days.  I was a brown bagger there on out.

During lunch I would covet the other kids' lunchboxes, particularly those that featured cartoons, TV shows or movies I liked.  There were Marvel Superheroes, Peanuts, Batman and Robin, Happy Days, Superman the Movie, and numerous others.  But one that always stood out to me was the 1973 Scooby Doo lunch box, both for the artwork and the theme: it featured The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow on the front, and a Haunted House on the back.  How can you get better than that?

Like Disney's The Haunted Mansion from yesterday, "Scooby Doo, Where are You" turned 50 this year.  It took me almost as long to find his lunchbox. I believe it was an estate sale find and I'm sure I paid up for it.

Peanuts In-Depth

When I first saw stills from the newly-released Peanuts CGI movie, I was reminded of the Viewmaster slides I bought this past summer.

Casper and the Demon of Darkness

This Peter Pan Book & Record of "Casper and the Demon of Darkness" was released in 1976.  The cover art is by Warren Kremer, a long time Harvey Comics artist who created Richie Rich and Hot Stuff. 

Of Plates, Buttons and Woodpeckers

I was at the estate sale of a rabid plate collector this morning.  Her closets were filled with those collectible painted plates that were all the rage in the '80's and '90's.  In another room, I found a bag full of pin-back buttons that didn't really appeal to me and in fact it took me a minute to figure out what they were.  They were from a collector's plate convention in South Bend, Indiana in the early '80's and promote some of the manufacturers and depict some of the plates available that year.  I know, exciting stuff, but stick with me for a moment.

Cartoon Dishes

I found this pair of cartoon-themed dishes at a sale last week for 50 cents each.  First up is this Yabba Dabba Doo-riffic Flintstones bowl by Deka from 1978, perfect for those Saturday morning bowls of sugary cereals.

Next is this plate featuring "off model" (thanks for the term, Karswell, I knew there was name for that!) Looney Tunes characters.

 The plate is unmarked, but may be made by Lenox.

These off model (there's that term again) drawings of the characters always bugged me.  Couldn't they find someone who knew how to draw them?

Elmer almost looks like his early incarnation as "Egghead".

Hey, Hey, Hey!

I found this Fat Albert game at a sale today.  I wasn't a huge Fat Albert fan, but I did watch the show and was always fascinated by the things the kids would find and build in the junk yard.  Maybe that contributed to my love of junk.

I'm a little uncomfortable with Fat Albert's posturing here, given the smirk on his face, the proximity of Mushmouth's face and Dumb Donald's "knowing" look.

  

"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" ran intermittently on CBS from 1972 to 1985.  It was, of course, based on the comedy routines of Bill Cosby who in turn said they were based on his childhood friends.  "Bill" was based on himself and "Russell" on his real-life brother.  Beyond that, it's uncertain if any were based on actual people.  The 2004 movie, which showed an emotional gathering of the "original" characters around the grave of "Fat Albert" added to the legend that he was based on a real-life man named "Fat" Albert Robinson, although there doesn't appear to be any solid evidence anywhere that he did exist.

Regret

Yes, Lucy.  Yes you did.

Here I Come to Save the Day!

I found these frame tray puzzles at a garage sale a couple weekends ago for a quarter a piece.  They date from 1969.

Bugs Bunny Sticker Fun

A couple months back I went to an estate sale in Webster Groves.  I didn't find much there, but as I was leaving, I saw this on top of a wardrobe, only visible as I was coming down the steps to the basement. 

The Robber Kitten

I found this book at an estate sale last Friday.  It was in the everything's $1 section.  It's a little worse for wear, having been colored in and having loose pages, but I liked the art and it's an early Walt Disney, dating from 1935. The story centers around Ambrose, a kitten who longs for adventure rather than the bath his mother has requested he take. Escaping with cookies as his loot, he takes to the woods only to bump into Bully Bill (or Dirty Bill if you believe the wanted sign).  Spinning a yarn of how he held up a stagecoach that very morning and had the loot in the bag, Bill takes the bag from Ambrose only to find cookies inside.  Laughing, he sends Ambrose (gratefully) back home to his mother and his waiting bath.

I Hates Those Meeses to Pieces!

I saw this leaning up against another table at a garage sale off of Kerth Road in St. Louis County. There was no price on it. I asked the seller (an older lady) how much and she said $1. Sold. It has the original legs, but what's odd is it doesn't fold up in typical tray table style. You have to take the tray off, fold the legs, and reattach the tray. Another interesting observation is it lists Quick Draw McGraw on the bottom of the tray, along with Huckleberry Hound and Yogi. Quick Draw is nowhere to be seen. Not even his alter ego El Kabong. However, Mr. Jinx and his antagonists, Pixie and Dixie are there. "I hates those meeses to pieces!"

I set it next to our couch in the living room (my wife just loves me) and use it to hold my coffee cup in the evening. Of course, it folds up nicely when we have dignified company. Are you dignified? Come for a visit and find out!