Fisherman's Kit for Emergenices

Well, it's way too cold to go fishing (not like I ever would anyway), but never too cold to laugh at another late 60's, super silly novelty gag gift box kit, this time from Fishlove & Co., Chicago IL. Fun illustrations inside and out, complete with a miniature roll of Delsey toilet paper (which is a real TP brand, btw-- see a vintage commercial by CLICKING HERE), plus, a proper portable pot to piss in. I know that just in my own collection alone I've acquired about 3 or 4 dozen various gag boxes alone by Fishlove, but the box states this one is No. 579! Dang, just how many of these things could one company possibly come up with?! And man, I don't know what that rabbit is smiling about, his whole fuzzy lil world is seriously about to change if this potty break turns out to be a #2...

Hot Sausage

If you like the sound of hot sausage on a cold winter morning, then you've come to the right place! And if it's served up by one of Satan's sexier horned minions --even better! *wink! This was an awesome find over the weekend, the empty glass jar with original lid, and the vintage label still applied and in overall very decent condition. Cleveland Ohio based company, Tid-Bit, processed snack products for the 1960's tavern market, specifically, jerkied and vinegar pickle soaked meats according to the lo-rez vendor brochure I found online, (see the last image below.) If anyone can dig up more on Tid-Bit, or even a better resolution version of those brochure pages, please send me a link. I have to admit, that shapely devil gal looks a lot tastier than any of the Tid-Bit treats, but I'm willing to try anything, of course!

Chilly, Isn't it?

Boy, it certainly has been a chilly winter this year so far, eh? Let's make it even chillier (and sillier) with a scavenger hunt romp though the old cemetery on a rainy night, via the August 1949 issue of Aggie Mack #8. Aggie was originally a syndicated Chicago Tribune comic strip created by Hal Rasmusson, and had itself a nice 'n lengthy run from the mid 40's up into the early 70's. In the late 40's though, Superior Comics acquired Aggie and created a short-lived comic book series which lasted only 8 issues. And okay, I'm just guessing here (because I haven't really researched it), but the lead boy character's eyes seems to be an Orphan Annie reversal, instead of all white eyes, they gave Bobo all black sockets, which only adds to the spooky fun of this story because he of course resembles a hollow-skulled zombie in every panel! Anyway, this is a super kooky tale, (and definitely coat-tailin' on Archie Comics), with a cartoony cool Iger Shop style that all of you THOIA'ers should be well familiar with at this point...

Pleated Trim

Found some groovy 60's / early 70's packaging the other day: an un-used, fun 'n frilly roll of Con-Tact Brand Pleated Trim Self Adhesive Plastic Shelf Edging material! I've always been a big fan of that dotty orange - white - yellow - black line psychedelic color scheme, especially for retro kitchens because it reminds me of my own 70's summers-- but my absolute favorite thing about this is the happy young lady illustrations on the back showing how you too can really class up the joint with this stuff. The possibilities are endless-- heck, I actually wouldn't mind a pleated belt made from a section strip of this to help keep my stupid work pants from always falling down.

Gibson Girl Garter Pin

At least we believe it to be a garter belt pin clip of some kind. It's a little larger than a half dollar, and a very lovely Nouveau sculpt as only the Victorians knew how to do it. With her strong facial features perfectly etched into the ultra light tin design, not to mention resembling the popular "Gibson Girl" illustrations of said time era, (hair pulled up, surrounded by blossoming flowers and ribbon), --why, a pair of these strapped to either thigh stocking and staring back at you would likely be a bit intimidating. Or stimulating. Or both! This same gorgeous design was also utilized on brooches, pendants, chatelaine holders / belts, buckles etc...

Olde-Time Eye Teaser

Who needs something "fun" to do this weekend? You, that's who! See if you can find all 41 fuck-ups in this olde-time eye teaser... I'm guessing this was a restaurant placemat for kids back in the day, but who knows. Anyway, good luck on your hunt for errors-- and surely the first person to spot them all and leave the complete list in the comments will win a special Karswell prize, yes? Sure...

I Made My Own Fortune Cookies!

Not really, but I did stumble upon this hilarious vintage Fortune Factory cookie press for making fortune cookies by hand right in your own humble, honorable home. I've never really been a big fan of fortune cookies, tbh, so if I did have the initiative to actually do this, I would heavily modify the recipe to make the damn things taste better. And of course that's barely the point, as a fortune cookie is all about the fortune. Made by Phoenix Cooky Co., Chicago IL (note the two different, though possibly intentional spellings of "cookie" and "cooky" here), my favorite thing about this contraption is the toothy art on the outer lid of the metal press, as well as the illustrations inside the booklet. I had to look around online to find an image of the cut-able fortunes page, as this box didn't even have the sheet included. So thanks to the person out there who took the photo I'm borrowing to complete today's most excellent post, --may oil be discovered on your land. *bows

Poker... just a friendly game

I found this cute 60's gag cocktail napkin the other day, complete with jokey poker theme, and now regret wiping up a cat hairball with it. It's covered with hilariously great, cartoony artwork on all four visible sides (see the complete unfolded version at the end), and that single red color really gives it that extra poke of gorgeous kitsch graphic design. (PS: I didn't really wipe up a cat hairball with it.)

Mazinger Z Damage

For the 50th Anniversary of Go Nagi's most legendary giant robot of all, Hikari Toys released this mega cool Mazinger Z Damage sofubi (soft vinyl) variant. Burned, blasted, scarred, and a rocket arm completely missing-- Mazinger Z has definitely seen better days! I totally love these "damaged" versions of toys though, for example Star Wars has done it a few times with a battle scarred Darth Vader, as well as some Stormtroopers, but man, applying this concept to one of the mighty Shogun Warriors really tops 'em all! This was another great recent find, and though unbagged / loose, was still a steal at a fraction of the current online cost. I kind of get the feeling (much to my joy) that the seller didn't realize this toy was actually supposed to look like this, haha...