Swing Smoke / Tanning Is...

A friend of mine is selling this kitschy little vintage "Swing Smoke" ashtray. It's all legs and holes (nobody is complaining) and though the actual meaning of "swing" here seems a bit lost on me (swing shift smoke break? sexy swinger? swing from a chandelier?), there is absolutely no debating where one is supposed to insert their nasty little coffin nail (is that supposed to be a pair of lips?!) "Made in Japan" it says on the bottom, further answering for the overall weirdness factor of it all. Also below is a very large, early 80's Philips tanning bed advertising poster that I found, featuring a lovely lady in a swimsuit promoting the idea of tanning beds, uh, while not even actually laying inside of a tanning bed. I imagine most sensible people would prefer to be on a white sandy beach somewhere tropical and catching rays than in an automated, glowing glass press in some tiny strip mall backroom in chilly Wisconsin...

"Harlow Head"

As we read about some "Manikins of Death" over at THOIA, let us now take a look at a decapitated mannequin head here at AEET, or more precisely, a vintage 1930's - 40's millinery shop display counter head. Made of plaster and originally used to sell and promote everything that fashionable ladies wore on theirs heads and necks: jewelry, hats, scarves, etc... and unlike the other counter heads in my collection, this one even came with a super tall, pillar style stand. A wonderful find in good 'ol Hermann, MO last week, and very much within my spending range for once, though the original price tag had her listed as a "Jean Harlow Head." Hmmm... while the platinum locks certainly do compare to mean Jean's blonde bombshell coloring, the face actually looks nothing like her to me. I mean, if the hair was painted any other color I doubt anyone would even think of Harlow. So, whomever you personally believe you see in that fab face, don't look too closely, because another troubling issue arises-- the eyes are painted like crap! From a distance everything looks okay, but up close those eyes need some immediate, serious fixing. And same goes for those disembodied top eyelashes that appear to be scurrying away from her socket regions! Oh well, once she gets a more subtle, upgrade blended air brushing, I will certainly share the pictures... please stay tuned for further developements!

JUDO: Carol Tegner

Here's a fun little 3-page story (illustrated by THOIA fan fave, King Ward, no less!) from the August 1947 issue of It Really Happened #10. Yep, if you love seeing big-shot bullies get their butts handed back to 'em as much as me, then this is the post for you! To make matters cooler, this story is based on the actual real life of junior Judo master, Carol Tegner, who started flippin' fools 2-3 times her size at the early age of 6! I've also included some actual real-life photos of her at the end of the post below, demonstrating her awesome abilities at the age of 19 in 1956!

Americana Sexpress '69

It's Americana Sexpress Saturday '69, and time to head out for a naughty night on the town with our redi vice, entitled member charge card! Let's flip this thing over to see what benefits we can reap from the wide open world of wonton wildness! Booze, broads, and bail bonds break-outs! Oh my! Kitschy gag novelty cards like these were a fun way to fill out your wallet back in the late 60's, just don't get pulled over and accidentally hand it to a cop-- you might get hauled in for narcotics and hot sheet motel over-expenditures! "Void if signed", haha...

Isn't She “Ducky”

One of the better vintage gambling / lottery game punchboards I've stumbled upon lately, these were typically found in taverns back in the old days, and if you google this thing, you'll see that most of them featured a nice looking pin-up to further entice you to play. If you're curious how these punchboards actually worked, I'll leave it to Wiki to explain it all HERE, plus there's some interesting history that goes back to the 18th century, other cool references in popular culture, not to mention the ultimate larceny downfall of 'em during the war era.

Purple Peeper

Topless Tuesdays are back, and it's time again to lovingly gaze off into the long ago distance with the help of a vintage keychain telescope. And what do we see through our purple periscope, but a pretty lady relaxing on the side of a hill while she awaits the return of her clothing from the local cleaner. You know, the past occasionally seems brighter than the future, I just hope she remembered the sunblock...

The Way to a Man's Heart

Nude-vember at AEET is certainly one way to a man's heart, and so is horror comics! Okay, but what I meant to say was vintage guitars and pinball machines! And yes, also food-- duh! This "Your Range Cook Book" from The Gas Service Company (1938) has one of the hardest to photograph covers, but is also chocked full of incredibly cute key art illustrations (some of which I've supplied here in today's post), as well as tons of delicious sounding recipes (none of which I've supplied here in today's post.) So please enjoy this gallery of fun visuals, they definitely make this one of the better old time cook books here in the 'ol Karswell Collection! And with turkey day right around the corner in just a few short weeks, maybe you'll be inspired to get cookin' too!