Three Decades of Slimming

Posted By: Paul - Fri Mar 14, 2014 - Comments (5)
Category: Exercise and Fitness, Food, Self-help Schemes, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s

Follies of the Madmen #217

Maybe I tend to overthink things. But I confess I am baffled by the situation depicted in this ad.

1) Assume the girl in blue is a child, not an adult. Let's call her 8-10 years old.

2) The thing in her lap could be a doll.

a) But if it is a doll, its eyes are directed at the cookie, and it's reaching for it. It is not drawn to resemble an artificial thing. It is drawn as real as the girl.

3) The thing in her lap could be another living child.

a) But the only living child bearing that proportion to a ten-year-old would be, oh, what, a six-month-old baby? And what six-month-old baby ever looked like that?

Alternate explanation.

The girl in blue is an adult woman, the creature in her lap is a midget, and the whole thing is a fetish setup.

Please provide other theories, if possible!

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 05, 2014 - Comments (14)
Category: Business, Advertising, Comics, Candy, 1940s

Zovello, The Bonomo Magic Clown

Given fezzes to wear, and a supply of taffy to eat, the children in the audience were still at a loss for having to watch the sub-Krusty antics of Zovello the Magic Clown.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 20, 2014 - Comments (6)
Category: Clowns, Television, Children, 1940s, 1950s

Toddlers Boxing Match

Let's restart these competitions today! Far better than the baby crawling races.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 11, 2014 - Comments (7)
Category: Martial Arts, Children, 1940s

The Smell of Tear Gas

World War II tip for identifying the smell of tear gas:

[via an eBay auction]

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jan 28, 2014 - Comments (8)
Category: 1940s

Worst YA Hero Name Ever

Read the whole tale here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 18, 2014 - Comments (10)
Category: Detectives, Private Eyes and Other Investigators, Magazines, Odd Names, 1940s

Read Any Good Meters Lately?

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 12, 2014 - Comments (2)
Category: PSA’s, Utilities and Power Generation, 1940s, Europe

How to Sing Hillbilly Style

Listen to the famous elegant phrasings of Jo Stafford in one of her typically stylish excursions. "Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical training to become an opera singer," it says at the link.

Now listen to her do hillbilly. I guess good training allows mastery of any mode.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 08, 2014 - Comments (6)
Category: Music, Regionalism, 1940s, Parody

Groucho Sells Bonds

Who would buy anything that Groucho was trying to sell? I can't imagine this campaign moved too many bonds.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 31, 2013 - Comments (15)
Category: Government, Money, Advertising, 1940s

Captive Wild Woman

Full history here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Dec 18, 2013 - Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses, Insane Villains, Movies, 1940s