Tuesday, January 4, 2022

The Original Trav•L•Bar

I suppose if I drank alcohol and actually went to New Years Eve parties then this Original Trav•L•Bar suitcase would've really made me THE life of said celebration. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of drinking or partying, so my $40 will just have to go towards something else even more wonderfully kitschy, --though I will admit that this is definitely one cool little take-out tavern! The original box art is pretty neat, with a wonderfully old timey, traveling sales wagon motif, plus a great double sided, martini shaped tag danglin' from the handle. I guess my favorite thing of all about it though is the monocled mascot, he's definitely giving Mr. Peanut a run for the rummy. I also quite like the fake transistor radio place holder, not to mention the even faker bottle of Southern Comfort. The recipe booklet is pretty nice too, but I didn't get to take many photos of it before the antique mall employee walked by and gave me a look like I was possibly three sheets to the wind. Yep, The Original Trav•L•Bar by Ever-Wear from 1973 --don't leave home without it! *hic!

8 comments:

Kirk D. said...

Hello Mr. Karswell Banes,

Tonight a search for a haunted house book led me to pinterest which led me here, and I can't fathom how... HOW it is that I've never happened upon this amazing site before now. I just spent the last two hours browsing the decade's worth of content, and it's been a combination of material that's both absolutely dear to me, and shockingly new to me. The kind of stuff that is earth-shaking when you've been living in the vintage realm for decades (just as you have). I've been sitting here barking statements out loud, i.e. "What?!, Noooooo., and @#$#%!" as I click through. I've jumped over to ebay a half dozen times. And I've barely scratched the surface. And you've posted a new post TODAY! Sooo many shared memories, and a complete shared aesthetic.

Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for all your work! I will continue to haunt this place!

KD

Mr. Cavin said...

That is pretty cool. That ole timey sepia illo looks like it comes straight from the Cheers! main titles. And I have to hand it to that strapping, it sure looks like genuine rawhide to me. I dig the armor helmets embossed into the jigger and mule cups too--but I'd prefer glass in my suitcase, thanks. And I'm going to need a rolled-up full-color print of some better bourbon than Southern Comfort, too.

The mascot is definitely the best thing in a neat set of photos. I love how he is an anthropomorphized Trav*L*Bar, so secure in his high-class strapping. And matching rawhide spats? Of course!

Mr. Karswell said...

@Kirk: Huge fan of yours too, Kirk, and have been following you for many many years now. I have both of your amazing books as well! Thank you for the kind words and just to let you know, if you're interested in anything you see here on my blog, I am absolutely always willing to sell or trade --as long as I still have whatever it is that you're pining for! Glad you found me! :) email me anytime at karswell @ hotmail.com --you can also find me on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mrkarswell/

@Mr. C: >And matching rawhide spats? Of course!

Am I detecting an early idea for your 2022 Halloween costume? haha... please say yes

Guy Callaway said...

'As Advertised In Ebony': THAT'S where I saw this!

Brian Barnes said...

It's always fun to see two people I've followed (and commented on their blogs!) for years suddenly connect!

Now there's a lot to be said for this giant collection, but I can't get over that magazine, and the vintage clothes it contains, which, suddenly, my mind jumped to: I bet there are people buried in clothes like that.

Glad I don't drink, I feel a rabbit hole coming on!

Mr. Karswell said...

>As Advertised In Ebony': THAT'S where I saw this!

I know I've seen this thing in Playboy, for sure!

>I feel a rabbit hole coming on!

Ahhh, the Playboy bunny references are just coming fast and furry-ious now!

Speaking of, a post for the ladies up next-- stay groomed! And thanks again for the comments!

Lacey said...

WHAT ? They don't even give you playing cards, just a slot to put them in (or a transistor radio). How cheap. Evert travel bat I have seen comes with a pack of cards, even with the logo of this company.

Thanks for the post. I traveled a lot growing up and LOVED travel kits of all kinds. As I grew so did my tastes.

Mr. Karswell said...

There might’ve been a card deck in here, I mean, when I first opened my initial thought was that there was probably some stuff missing