Johnny Learns His Manners

Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 05, 2013 - Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Body Modifications, Etiquette and Formal Behavior, PSA’s, Children, 1940s

Now!  Fly Like a Bird!

Responsible for more broken necks than any other comicbook ad!

Original ad here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 04, 2013 - Comments (8)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Flight, Comics, Children, 1950s

Life Before Cellphones

Original story here.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 11, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Radio, Chindogu, Children, Parents, 1930s

Twinkle, The Star That Came Down From Heaven

In the mid-1960s, when I was in elementary school, I had a subscription to HUMPTY DUMPTY MAGAZINE. A very weird comic strip therein was titled "Twinkle, The Star That Came Down From Heaven." (Seen above, drawn by Jerry Smath, and courtesy of the Flickr stream of Glen Mullaly.) Even as a kid, I knew it was strange. A living, sentient star who manifested on Earth in a bipolar costume and kept his face-equipped iconic star head? And did he come from the celestial heaven or the Christian Heaven? Far out!

Little did I know until recently that "Twink" had earlier adventures in the 1940s, in the pages of CALLING ALL KIDS, that were even more bizarre in their fashion. Unfortunately, no information remains about the writer and/or artist who was crazed enough to invent Twinkle.



You can read several issues here.

This issue appears to be Twink's origin story.

I love those giant railroad engineer/welder's gloves he wears in his 1940s incarnation.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Apr 15, 2013 - Comments (4)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Fey, Twee, Whimsical, Naive and Sadsack, Freaks, Oddities, Quirks of Nature, Comics, Children, 1940s, 1960s

Cracker Jack Jingle Beanie

[Click to enlarge]

Imagine any kid enthusiastically wearing such a hat today.....

Posted By: Paul - Wed Apr 03, 2013 - Comments (9)
Category: Comics, Children, Headgear, 1950s

The Lice-Anator

It's good to see that the spirit of invention is alive and well among the nation's youth, as evidenced by the "Lice-Anator," the winning invention of this year's Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision program. The invention (or rather, sketch of an invention... no working prototype was required) was submitted by first graders Maggie Huerta, Mackenzie Greco, and Nina Kaiser. The gadget is "a computerized hairbrush that uses special bristles and processors that not only detect the presence of the creepy crawlers [lice], but also kills them with tiny on-board lasers." Cool! [chicagoparent.com]

Posted By: Alex - Sun Mar 31, 2013 - Comments (6)
Category: Inventions, Children

Worst Failure to Predict Global Warming Ever!

Read the whole issue here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jan 09, 2013 - Comments (3)
Category: Futurism, Magazines, Children, Science Fiction, 1980s

The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot

What!?! A bummer Christmas song with no happy ending?!? "Last year's broken toys..." Pathetic!

Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 21, 2012 - Comments (3)
Category: Holidays, Tragedy and Pathos, Children, 1930s, Fictional Monsters, Sadness

Ranger Rick

Is Ranger Rick more ghastly and scary than Woodsy Owl? Your call!

You just know, of course, when he's seated at that computer he's surfing for furry porn.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Dec 17, 2012 - Comments (7)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Nature, Children, 1960s

The Ballad of the Harp Weaver

If anyone can explain to me what the hell this song is about, its logic and mythical allegory, and why it was included on Johnny Cash's Xmas album The Christmas Spirit, I'd be grateful. Any easy answers regarding too much drug and/or booze consumption by Cash will be rejected as too facile.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 14, 2012 - Comments (14)
Category: Drugs, Holidays, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Children, Parents, 1970s