Goofy Kats

Goofy Kats is a neat recent find in the category of antique solitaire puzzle games, which I have to admit, I seem to now have a rather growing number of in my collection. One of the original "hand-held" games from back in the 1930's, this was actually just one in a series of "Goofy Puzzles" produced by A Sherm's Creation. Offering teasing, tantalizing, perplexing puzzle problems completely contained within an exclusive, patented, unbreakable, transparent box, --though to be honest, I'm fairly certain I could easily break this thing without much effort, --but hey, where's the teasing, tantalizing, perplexing fun in that? We have two black kats on a backyard fence, howling and meowing to their hearts content. Apparently ringing the white hoops over their tails will get them to stop wailing. Sounds easy enough, though getting two on each tail took a bit of trial, error, and mucho patience. Another pleasing component to the game is the orange and black color scheme which instantly makes this a great addition to any vintage Halloween collection!

Passion Meter

Here's something I photographed back in February, and then promptly forgot to post for Valentine's Day-- duhh! The Passion Meter! Yep, no matter what month we're in, it's always time to find out how you stand on the passion scale. We have a cute 70's illustrated couple on the box lid eyeing one another as if they already know how they're going to rate. Remove the lid and there they are again in a much more colorfully designed setting, which also now includes the "passion meter" itself! Who among you will find out the awful truth, or will it be good news? Are you frigid and corpeslike? Or are you coming on strong ZOWIE! Simply place your thumb on the meter bulb and see what heights (or depths) your passion takes you! Headshops, tourist traps, truck stops, and Spencer's backrooms everywhere were full of fun gag gifts like this back in the day, and I'm just glad people actually hung onto them so we can still laugh and be titillated this way in 2025!

Summer Sales Twister '65

Digging through a stack of old newspapers last week and found this bitchin' Special Advertising Section supplimental for Chrysler's '65 "Summer Sales Twister." The cars from this era were indeed awesome, but boy oh boy, for me it's all about the fun bits of assorted bikini beach bingo key art sprinkled about on every page --I seriously lived for this kind of stuff as a kid. Everyone's so happy and totally dancin' to the tune of all those swingin' deals to be found --you just know these twistin' teens immediately pealed outta Malibu CA and drove thousands of miles to Allied Motor Sales in Jacksonville IL just to get in on all of those super duper savings! Hmmm, I'm really wondering now what The Twist would sound like performed on a banjo anyway? 

Gone But Not Forgotten

On April 5th, 1896, Kjersti Anderson passed away at the age of 72 years, 10 days old. As was the custom in those days before readily available photography, a beautifully framed, personalized mourning memorial lithograph was created in her honor featuring an array of illustrated mourning symbols, ie: the dove representing peace, an hourglass signifying fleeting time, and funerary floral arrangements. At a whopping 28" x 16.5", these magnificent prints were often embellished with hand-painted details and personalized inscriptions. Mourning art of this type was a popular way to commemorate the "Gone But Not Forgotten" dead during an era of lower life expectancy, and I couldn't be more pleased with the stunning example I was able to acquire earlier this afternoon for my personal collection. Those interested in the unusual name of "Kjersti" can find out more about the origin and meaning by CLICKING HERE as well.

Cupid's Grill

It's April Fool's Day everyone, so how about a vintage Valentine? Now I know the holiday isn't accurate, but the sentiment here certainly feels like some perplexing prank, --a tempt taste trick to get those tongue buds a'tantalized in all the wrong ways possible! I mean, did this person really season-up and then stew-brew their ripped-out heart for someone??!! What else does this macabre menu hold for our significant other? Brains for breakfast? Afternoon appendix appetizer? Semimembranosus for supper? Don't answer that-- time's up, and order's up too!

Sissy Moran

We're closing out the month of March where we actually started it all 30 days ago, --with another saucy story from Fiction House's Wings Comics series. And if you enjoyed the spooky Jane Martin vs. nazi zombie tale that I also posted over at THOIA earlier this month HERE, well here she comes again, this time air transporting a famous movie star over German territory! Can Jane deliver her cute cargo in time? And can Sissy keep her clothes on for even one second?!! Hold on to your undergarments, you're in for one wild (and extra breezy) WW2 ride! From the October 1944 issue of Wings Comics #50, highlighted with some very alluring art by Ruth Atkinson.

Yours Till the Mush Makes a Rush Down Father's Vest

Spring is in the air, and it's time once again to tell that special someone how you really feel about 'em! So check any box below that applies to your particular pet name or dearest, sincerest thoughts. If you're having trouble finding just the right words to express your true meanings and intentions well, maybe there's one listed that'll still work for ya anyway! This is a fun, early 1940's greeting card, with multiple pages of outdated word play, corny-horny implications, and lots of funny, super cute artwork (including racial stereotypes of the era.) Printed on the cheapest, dirtiest paper stock I've ever seen too, with the double plastic, red spine binders barely keepin' it all together. So whether you're tenting on the old camp ground, or gettin' beat to the eight bar, just remember who's yours till the midnight choo choo leaves for a good Alabamin'! 

The Circus Program

Cleaning out some old books and mags and stuff, I stumbled upon a handful of circus programs I've collected over the years, ranging from the 1970's and up to 2016. The first thing I noticed, comparatively speaking, when looking at them back to back was simply how much more fun the old ones are than the newer ones (which I actually tossed in the garbage.) I was going to even post examples, but then decided I didn't want to stink up my blog with bad design, crap photography, and even worse-- just piss poor, modern style anti-graphic design. Instead, I'll just focus on a couple things I love about 70's Ringling Brothers circus programs: bright, colorful, fully painted wraparound covers, cutely illustrated pages within containing games and puzzles for kids, wonderfully designed candy ads, and just how clever and adorable the puppets and blow-up souveniers were too! I was equally reminded how wonderfully weird and wild the circus could be as well --anyone remember Gargantua, or Poland's Monastyruk!

PRIVATE: Tray No. X **ADULTS ONLY!**

I almost missed this vintage box of slides at the antique mall the other day, even after walking by it a few times. One final round of perusing the locked cases and I suddenly noticed that one slide box among the "Vacation" and "Holiday" labels was strangely marked, "X Private" --plus, a person's name was scribbled, and even scratched out on the box. Everything added up to a mystery that I simply had to inquire upon further. So after asking the employee to unlock the case, I then opened the slide box, pulled out a few slides, and then held them up to the light, one by one. Yep, just as I was hoping / expecting-- bare naked ladies of the 60's and 70's. Some are posed with colorful backgrounds and props, and some are photographed in more of a portrait studio style with a single color backdrop, etc. Now this will probably wind up being a multiple part post, so for now, here are a few of the more interesting ones (3 different women: 4 pix of one, 2 of another, and a single shot of the third.) And to make things even more interesting, I photographed them through my dusty old vintage Guild Mini-Viewer (see original post about that HERE in the 2023 archive) while outside on my porch on a very bright day, thus causing my camera phone to produce some rather surreal, light-bending, pic results. Neato! I'll post more of these over the coming months, so stay tuned for that... and I do apologize for the watermarking, but as always, the re-blogger / tumblr image groupies out there (except for a small handful) just do not know how to link back to my blog, especially in the case of original nudie content. It's infuriating, but I totally applaud those that do!