WW - Witch You Were Here

This is a handmade Halloween postcard I designed and printed with a linoleum block, circa 1988.

PFF - Halloween Jack-O'-Lanterns

This is a modern Halloween postcard from my collection. I used to buy modern holiday greeting postcards. I haven't seen any for quite a while, however, except for an occasional Christmas postcard.

Jack-o'-lanterns originally were an Irish tradition. The name came from a tale about a man named Jack who played tricks on the devil. When Jack died, the devil barred him from hell but gave him a burning coal from hell to light his way. Jack made a lantern by placing this coal in a large carved turnip. In Ireland Jack-'o-lanterns were made from turnips or potatoes. Irish immigrants in the United States began using pumpkins for jack-o'-lanterns, and the Irish custom was adopted by other Americans.

VTT - Chocolate Candy Bars & Cookies

The first picture may look like one of large and miniature Hershey's chocolate bars, but the large "bars" are actually postcards. I bought these postcards from Hershey's in 1980. The miniatures are from the bag of Halloween candy I bought this week. The three cards on the left are 3-1/2" X 6"; the three on the right are 3" X 6".

There have been some changes in Hershey's products and packaging since these postcards were made. The Krackel brand is only available now as one of the four varieties in the Miniatures assortment--it is no longer available as a regular size bar. Some of the brands that are labeled "milk chocolate" on the postcards can now only be labeled "chocolate" instead of milk chocolate because cocoa butter was replaced in the formula with cheaper substitutes.

From about 1909 to 1918, during the years of the postcard craze, Hershey's made at least 88 different specially sized postcards that were included in Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar packages. The postcards included images of the chocolate factory, dairy farms, and town attractions. These are described on a Hershey blog post "Wish You Were Here. . ." Additional images of Hershey's postcards are on Flickr.

The Baby Ruth ad is from a 1952 American Family magazine. According to the ad, there was a cookie recipe on every wrapper. There are a number of sources for the Baby Ruth Cookie recipe on the Internet. Apparently they are quite messy to make. If I were going to make them, I would take the extra precautions of chilling the dough and preventing sticking such as those in the slightly modified Baby Ruth Cookie recipe from the Baltimore Sun at Bakespace.

Hershey's chocolate bars can also be used in cookies. I found the following recipe for Chocolate Bar Surprise Cookies on the Trick or Treats section of the Hershey's website.

Chocolate Bar Surprise Cookies

Ingredients

• Any combination chopped HERSHEY'S and REESE'S candy bars to make 2 cups
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped nuts(optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies. Cut each candy into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside.

2. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add eggs; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in candy pieces and nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies.

Vintage Thingies Thursdays

PFF - Circleville Pumpkin Show

The 103rd annual Circleville Pumpkin Show is being held October 21-24, 2009. This is the oldest and largest food festival in Ohio. There are seven parades, pumpkin displays, and many pumpkin events. Crowds are estimated at 100,000 per day.

The first postcard shows the 1960 Miss Pumpkin Show Queen, Peggy Clark. (If you look closely, a John F. Kennedy campaign poster is visible in the top right corner). The Pumpkin Show website has pictures of Past Miss Pumpkin Show Queens, dating back to 1933.

The second postcard shows "The World's Largest Pumpkin Pie" which is baked annually for the show by Lindsey's Bake Shop.

The back of this postcard gives the following recipe:

80-lb. cooked pumpkin
36-lb. sugar
3-lb. corn starch
13-gal. milk
1-lb. pumpkin spice
1-lb. salt
12-doz. eggs
30-lb. pie dough

Bake 6 Hrs. Cool 6 Hrs. and Serve.

VTT - Autumn Leaves & Vintage Melmac Dishes

It's a little early for Thanksgiving Greetings, but I thought the leaves on this old Thanksgiving postcard went nicely with my vintage Melmac dishes that also have an autumn leaves pattern. The photo of my dishes shows what is left of my garden in the background. My marigolds froze, but most of my other flowers survived the snow and frost we had last week.

These dishes are what remain from a large set of Mallory Plastics dinnerware that I bought new at a bargain store in 1968. I still have 2 serving bowls, 6 dinner plates, 6 small plates, and 7 fruit dishes. The set also included cups and saucers, tumblers, and some accessories that I got rid of because I never used them. This set has survived a lot of careless handling. I recently discovered that it is easy to remove stains and dirt embedded in scratches and markings with baking soda and a soft toothbrush.

The images below show the markings on the backs. This set is probably an unusual combination of pieces. The large green serving bowl is marked P. R. Mallory Plastics Inc. Chicago 41, Ill. the other green and yellow dishes just are marked by Mallory. The green dishes are marked Mallo-Ware; the yellow dishes are marked Mallo-Belle. The dinner plate is not marked with a company or trade name.

According to a Mallo-Ware Website, the marking on the large green serving bowl is an older marking than the others. The colors are identified there as Ice Green and Buttercup Yellow. I couldn't identify the pattern on the dinner plates. I did see many other patterns of autumn leaves on Melmac dinnerware when I searched eBay. In researching vintage Melmac, I also found a blog that shows a lot of vintage magazine ads for Melmac by various makers: Retroamerica.

large Mallo-Ware serving bowl with handles

Mallo-Belle serving bowl without handles

Mallo-Belle fruit dish

small Mallo-Ware plate

Melmac dinner plate with autumn leaves design

Vintage Thingies Thursdays

PFF - Red Sea Fishes on Israel Stamps

Postage stamps of eight species of Red Sea Fishes were issued by Israel in 1962-1963. This postcard is undated and was published by "Palphot" Herzlia. The eight species of colorful fish shown on this postcard are (clockwise from top left):

• pterois volitans - lion fish
• chaetodon lunula - butterfly fish
• heniochus acuminatus - pennant corn fish
• balistapus undulatus - undulate triggerfish
• pterois radiata - long-horned lion fish
• holocanthus imperator - angel fish
• pomacanthus imperator - emperor angel fish
• priacanthus hamrur - crescent-tailed bigeye

Palphot was established in 1934 and is the leading Israeli publisher of pictorial books, cards, and calendars. The book Israeli and Palestinian postcards: Presentations of National Self, by Tim Jon Semmerling, discusses Palphot and some of their postcards.

VTT - Antique Parlors & Rug Beaters

This is an advertising postcard ©1910 by the Como Co. Chi. It has a September 1910 calendar and advertises parlor furniture and furnishings. I don't have any other similar postcards, but I believe there were probably designs for all the months of the year, and that the space at the bottom would have been imprinted for a number of stores. This particular postcard was sent by the John Klein Co. of Mankato, Minnesota. The card was worth a dollar towards a purchase in that store during the month of September.

Here is what the postcard says about parlor furnishings of that era:

The Parlor used to be a dark, prim and uncomfortable room, a place where hostess and guests sat together in stiffnecked misery — but now we let the sunshine in — parlor furniture like people is becoming more humane — beauty and comfort are first considerations and the parlor is a room in which to live and be happy. Let us show you parlor furniture and furnishing which minister to comfort and enhance home pleasures. We take an intelligent interest in our customers needs.

I don't know about you, but I think this parlor still looks dark and uncomfortable.

There is a good possibility that owners of such a parlor would have used rug beaters on their area rug. Sweeping carpets only removes some surface dirt, and small portable electric vacuum cleaners had not yet become common. By hanging the rug outdoors and beating the back, much of the embedded dirt could be removed.

I bought these rug beaters shortly after I read a magazine article about a collection of rug beaters. That probably was about the same time that there was an exhibition and a newspaper article "ANTIQUES: Whomp! Thwack! Thump! A Tribute to the Rug Beater." I wanted the rug beaters just because I liked the design and thought they would look nice hanging on a wall, but I actually did use them to beat my braided area rug.

Vintage Thingies Thursdays

George L. Mountainlion Monument

This postcard pictures George Mountainlion II, "Research Associate in Human Behavior" at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, reading the "last will and testament" of his predecessor, George I. Mountain lions are the the museum mascot and are one of the animals currently exhibited there in the Mountain Woodland area.

George was a young hand-raised mountain lion acquired by the Desert Museum in 1953. He was named George, with the L added for Leo, because he arrived at the museum on Washington's birthday. George was a very friendly animal who enjoyed human contact. Unfortunately he died only two years after arriving at the museum.

George L. Mountainlion II was another tame mountain lion acquired soon after the death of George I. George II became sick and died in December 1956. George III arrived after George II died. George III lived to be 17, dying in 1972. Another tame mountain lion then assumed the title of George L. Mountainlion IV.

Last will and testament written by Bill Carr and engraved on a large stone monument:

I FREELY GIVE ALL SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF NATURE I HAVE KNOWN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THE GRACE TO ENJOY NOT MAN-MADE MATERIALISM BUT GOD-MADE BEAUTY.

THE MAGNIFICENT ARIZONA SUNSETS I HAVE WATCHED FROM MY ENCLOSURE, I BEQUEATH TO ALL WHO SEE NOT ONLY WITH THEIR EYES BUT WITH THEIR HEARTS.

TO HUMANS WHO ARE TIRED, WORRIED OR DISCOURAGED, I BEQUEATH THE SILENCE, MAJESTY AND PEACE OF OUR GREAT AMERICAN DESERT.

TO THOSE WHO WALK THE TRAILS, I BEQUEATH THE EARLY MORNING VOICES OF THE BIRDS AND THE GLORY OF THE FLOWERING DESERT IN THE SPRINGTIME.

TO THE CHILDREN WHO HAVE ENJOYED SEEING ME, HEARING ME PURR, AND WATCHING ME TURN MY SOMERSAULTS, I OFFER THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF LAUGHTER AND JOY. THE WORLD SO NEEDS THESE THINGS.

AND LASTLY, I BEQUEATH MY OWN HAPPY SPIRIT, AND AFFECTION FOR OTHERS, TO ALL WHO MAY REMEMBER ME AND MY MUSEUM WHERE FOR THREE YEARS, I DID MY BEST TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT I TRULY LIKED THEM.

More information: George L. Mountainlion, His History

This post was written for
A Canadian Family
A Festival of Postcards Blog Carnival
5th Edition, October 2009: Quadrupeds

PFF - Postal Carrier's Coat Is Sign of Autumn

"Jim, our postal carrier wore his trusty P. Coat today. Indeed over the past many years, he in his coat has become a reliable sign of autumn, in time with the crisp mornings and falling leaves."

This is another postcard from Postmark America, a former USPS retail store at the Mall of America. (I posted A Little Sack Time showing a postal carrier with a child in his sack last April). This postcard is very appropriate for this week because we suddenly went from a unusually warm September to an unusually cold October. A couple weeks ago I didn't need a coat. Now I am wearing my winter jacket and there is a good chance of snow.

VTT - Betty Crocker Postcard & Magazine Ads

Betty Crocker is an advertising character that was created in 1921. Originally, "Betty Crocker" was just a signature used to personalize responses to inquiries. The first official portrait of Betty Crocker was created in 1936. The portrait has been updated seven times to reflect current styles: 1955, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1980, 1986 and 1996.

The 1948 postcard above has the 1936 portrait of Betty Crocker and shows one of the five Betty Crocker Kitchens that were at General Mills in Minneapolis at that time. This is the Terrace Kitchen which was used for general testing, preparing luncheons for distinguished guests, and trying out new recipes under typical home conditions.

The first ad, for Betty Crocker Cake Mixes, is from a 1952 American Family magazine and also has the 1936 portrait. This ad answers some "important questions" about cutting a cake, using fresh eggs, and sifting confectioner's sugar.

The second ad, for Gold Medal Flour, is from a 1955 American Home magazine. This ad has the updated 1955 portrait of Betty Crocker and a recipe for "Bon Bon Cookies." Santa Claus (bottom right) has a suggestion for "Mr. & Mrs. America" to "This Year Give Food."

More Information:

General Mills - The History of Betty Crocker (pdf)
Betty Crocker Website

Vintage Thingies Thursdays

Traffic Stopping Bears

Bears and other animals holding up traffic were a popular postcard subject until people realized that such encounters could be dangerous. Most of the postcards I have seen in this category show vintage cars of the 1960s and earlier. This postcard is unusual because of the vintage bus.

A close look at the bus shows some interesting details. One person can be seen hanging out the window, and others can be seen inside the bus through the front window. The bus type, Courier Skyview, can be seen above the front windows. "Skyview" refers to the row of windows near the top of the bus. This type of bus was made by Motor Coach Industries (MCI) whose website has a historical timeline showing pictures of their buses from from the 1930s to the 2000s. The destination, on a sign below the front windows, is Columbia Icefields. Columbia Icefield is on the boundary between Banff and Jasper National Parks in the Canadian Rockies.

This postcard was published and copyrighted in 1957 by Smith Lithograph Co. of Vancouver, Canada. The name of the scene (Traffic Stoppers) and the photographer (Harry Rowed) are shown below the picture. Harry Rowed is known for his photos of the Canadian Rockies.

On the back of this postcard is this description: "The bears of the Canadian Rockies vie with the scenery as traffic stoppers. These natural clowns come in all sizes and a variety of colours, ranging from jet black to cinnamon brown."

This post was written for
A Canadian Family
A Festival of Postcards Blog Carnival
5th Edition, October 2009: Quadrupeds

PFF - Oktoberfest USA, La Crosse, Wisconsin

These three postcards of the La Crosse Oktoberfest are from the 1960s. One of them was mailed in 1965 and another was mailed in 1966. They appear to have been sent by the same person based on the handwriting, although they were sent to different addresses in Minneapolis and signed differently. Both mention a train, one calling it a "special train." Most likely this was a train from Minneapolis to La Crosse.

The La Crosse Oktoberfest was first held in 1961. This is the 49th year of the festival which is a "blending of the German Oktoberfest with Americanized style." Oktoberfest 2009 is September 25 - October 3.