$illy $avers Bite Beer Can Bank

Yesterday was my lucky day to find a Wacky Packages-esque $illy $avers Bite Beer can bank, one of what appears to be 6 in all and from 1981-- CLICK HERE to find out more. A funny spoof on Miller Lite Beer and the Jaws film classic, this thing is twice as big as a regular beer can at 14" tall, (so you boozers out there don't need to crack a "we're gonna need a bigger beer" joke! Another funny detail is along the bottom and notes that the beer was brewed at P. Belch Brewing, Transylvania --which is certainly a long way from Amity Island! Yes sir, now I can really put my money where my ghastly, tooth-filled mouth is! 

Jeannie

 I thought I'd get an early jump on Halloween this year and post this beautiful Ben Cooper Jeannie costume from the 70's that I found last week. This is of course the 1974 Hanna Barbara animated version (the one with Babu) and not the classic live action tv series starring gorgeous goddess, Barbara Eden. I'm one of the few weirdos that apparently loved this cartoon back in the day, so this was a great find for me, and aside from just being a lovely example of a 70's kids costume, it's still in decent condition as well, (despite a few smudges on the mask, an unfortunate tear on the frock, and the box is a bit crumpled.) And "wow", speaking of the box, it's packed with fun, though slightly off-model Saturday morning cartoon characters. Lots more Halloween hootenanny comin' up-- stick around!

Just a Diamond in the Rough

While I hold off on posting anything at THOIA to try and understand why post scans there simply will not enlarge, (thanks to Blogger's recent pointless / mandatory update changes), I'll continue to post fun stuff here at AEET-- which for whatever reason seems to work just fine. Anyway, this is a cute little Enesco figurine from late 60's Japan, wonderfully painted and with silky fine hair, and even a REAL DIAMOND glued to his tie. Yep, it's totally real-- I swear! *wink! He's even still got his funny little tag attached, something that a lot of these old Enesco figures are typically missing. 

***UPDATE: Posts here are doing the same thing, when the images below are clicked they open way too small. Anyone have any suggestions why its doing this and how to make it display correctly?

Striptease Highball Glasses

 Everyone knows the best way to liven up an awkward 70's polyester party is by simply adding some naked ladies! And nobody knew this better than Spencer Gifts back in '77 when they introduced these sexy Striptease Highball Glasses. I spotted this complete set in their original box at an antique mall last week, but it was unfortunately priced just a wee bit out of my raunch range. That didn't stop me from photographing every little detail though! Featuring 4 scantily clad lasses on glasses, the trick is you simply add ice, or any kind of ummm, moisture to watch them strip! As the moisture dries up, the clothing goes back on-- just like in real life! Too wet? Maybe you need to borrow an umbrella? Too bombed? Call the naughty nurse! Striptease Highball Glasses have definitely got the cure you're *hic* thinking of!

Telephone Amplifier

I didn't buy this, but had to snap a few pix of it for you guys anyway. And somewhere in the back of my 70's memories I seem to remember a commercial for this thing but can't find it now. Boy, if ever there was a contraption that simply would not / could not exist within today's standards of technology, it's this thing! I do love that box art though, haha...

Good is Better Than Evil Because it's Nicer

By pure coincidental luck, I found another old Dogpatch USA postcard at an antique store yesterday. I intended to just add it to the end of the previous postcard set but was afraid maybe you'd all miss it. Now this'n here one is a bit larger'n those, and it's from the year the park opened in 1968. Also, it's mounted on a thick board so it's actually more like a plaque than a postcard. Fun find, and full of great Capp artwork.

70's Dogpatch USA Postcard Set

I reckon I've mentioned the Dogpatch USA theme park on this blog a number of times over the years, so I'll spare ya'll the wiki lo-down again and we'll just jump right into this early 70's postcard set from the happiest lil corner of Al Capp's Marble Falls, Arkansas that ya ever did saw, (apparently I saw it when I was too young to remember!) Pettin' zoos, Po'k Chop express trains 'n boatin', hoss 'n mule back ridin', arrestin' architecture, lovely scenic picture takin' places, and brain rattlin' rollie-coasters! Dogpatch USA had it all!



























And of course the real reason folks come to Dogpatch USA, is cuz dad can get himself an excitin' eyeful of the lovely, long-legged, midwest lasses hired to play the Al Capp girls all 'round the park!



FYI: There are a few documentaries about the rise and fall of Dogpatch USA if'n yer inner'rested, click HERE and HERE for the trailers, and don't miss this silent Super 8 footage shot in '71 too!

Smitty!

Digging around in a booth of old toys the other day and found a 1930 German bisque Smitty nodder hiding among some dolls. A nodder is like an early days bobble head, but with the separate head connected to the body by a small piece of hidden string inside, this way the head loosely swivels and “nods.” He’s lost some paint, and with bisque being somewhat fragile, he's still in surprisingly good condition considering he’s nearly a century old. Oh, and for those unfamiliar with him, he’s a character from the early 1920’s Walter Berndt cartoon strip, “Smitty and Herby“, which ran in syndication for 50+ years. Cool find, I need to get a Herby now too.







COMING UP NEXT:

OGG Friendly Folk

In 1972, the backsides of specially marked boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Raisin Bran advertised $2 + 2 box tops mail-away offers for funny looking cereal mascot toys called "Friendly Folks." They were off-model but cute, and somewhat crudely assembled 2" miniature figurines made of wood, felt, paint, and other slap-dashedly glued-on hairy/furry attachments. There were 5 in all, and you had your choice of Tony the Tiger, Snap, Crackle, Pop, as well as my big $5 find of the week, a Cocoa Krispies OGG the cave man. Anybody remember him? No? Well CLICK HERE after you check out the pix below.











Another set was produced of "little people from far away places" and included Pocahontas, Uncle Sam, Robin Hood, etc. (Thanks to Dan Goodsell for the box ad image.)

Nut Gallery

If you've already had your skeletal ribs tickled by the Tales from the Crypt 70's film spoof over at THOIA (HERE), then welcome now to AEET for yet another amusing anthology horror satire, this time poking a little fun at the Rod Serling television series classic, Night Gallery. One of my all time favorite shows ever, this Mad-esque Marvel moment from the May 1973 issue of Spoof #5 is full of corny jokes and sight gags galore, so sit back and let Herb Trimpe, Marie Severin, and Stu Schwartzberg lullaby you into their laugh-filled land of nut ball nightmares...

















And if you haven't already, don't forget to head over to THOIA (HERE) for a silly spoof of an EC / Amicus film too!