Vintage Trolls

Found these two fab 1960s trolls at an antique show last weekend. They're early DAM trolls, in the scarcer 5 1/2 inch size. Both have mohair wigs and their original clothes. The guy in yellow has glass eyes, while his blue-haired friend sports a purple "spiral" pair.

It's always a thrill to spot good quality old trolls at a show or shop. They're really not that easy to find, which seems strange, considering the vast numbers of them made in the 1960s. But they got a lot of play back in the day, and their materials (early vinyl, felt, and mohair) tended to not hold up too well. Save 'em if you see 'em!

1960s Four-Unit Vending Machine

Lugged home from an antique show last weekend was this 1960s four-unit vending machine. Made in Canada by the Beaver Machine Corporation (still in business today), it holds two 1 cent, one 5 cent, and one 10 cent vendor, and measures almost 4 feet tall. Three of the machines need restoration, but the stand itself is in pretty good shape. (It looks worse than it is in this photo, only because it's really dirty. I had to haul it out of a muddy field.)

And the best part of all: one of the globes still contained a bunch of old vending prizes, and not just any prizes, but rather valuable mechanical ones, including little skulls with pop-out eyes and tongues, and teeny apples with worms that poke out when you turn the top.

I bought these two 1 inch gumball prizes a few years ago, along with their original vending machine sign, and they actually cost almost as much as this whole machine did ($35), so it was super-exciting to find all these in one of the globes:

Woo-hoo! Lotsa skulls!

And here are the mechanical apples, also about an inch tall each:

 Kinda gross, but still really cool old gumball prizes.

Cute "Peanut the Elephant" Board Game

I found this 1940s or '50s board game at an antique show last weekend, and it has to be one of the cutest games I've ever seen.

Peanut the Elephant, who looks rather like a cuddly stuffed version and less like the real thing, moves along a jungle trail, hoping to land on a peanut that somehow allows him to coast ahead of his competitors.

The spinner is, in a somewhat macabre fashion, shaped like Peanut's head:

And the playing pieces are adorable little elephants, made out of chalkware:

I'm kind of amazed these are all still here; I would have thought some child would have pocketed them long ago...

Mr. Ree! Board Game

At an outdoor antique show this past weekend, I found a vintage board game that has long been on my wish list: Mr. Ree! The Fireside Detective Game, made by Selchow & Righter in 1957. There are earlier versions dating to the 1930s, but any edition of the game is fairly hard to find, so I was delighted with this one.

Mr. Ree is very similar to Clue, the classic, and better-known, detective game. In fact, I would be surprised if there weren't lawsuits between the two companies somewhere in its past. The game board, a diagrammed house, is virtually identical, and the contents include a cast of characters, cards, and miniature metal weapons.

The actual gameplay is strikingly different from Clue's, though, and rather complicated. I got a headache just reading the instructions. The plot, however, is wonderful, the stuff of many a 1930s high society murder mystery film, and worth quoting in full from the directions:

"The Plot Thus Far" (READ ALOUD) In a red brick dwelling lives AUNT CORA, a wealthy spinster and her orphaned NIECE RHODA who is her heir. Aunt Cora is anxious that Rhoda marry a man of means but Rhoda is madly in love with GEORGE, a struggling young artist. A house party is in progress. Contrary to Aunt Cora's warnings, George has accepted Rhoda's invitation to the house party for he returns her love.
Also visiting at the house is the handsome but unscrupulous MR. PERRIN who aspires to marry Rhoda for her money, despite the fact that he is engaged to MISS LEE. Miss Lee noting that Perrin has gained favor with Aunt Cora becomes intensely jealous of his attentions to Rhoda. 
To make matters worse, the household is attended by BUTLER HIGGINS, an ex-convict and MAID BEATRICE, a faithful servant, though slightly unbalanced.
The local police force, having received information of the Butler's past, decides to keep a watchful eye on Aunt Cora's household and has sent MR. REE, a famous detective, to patrol the property. From this point on, the plot develops,leading up to the "MURDER" which is eventually committed."

 Mr. Ree's most endearing features, making up a major part of its appeal, are its unique 3 dimensional characters. Represented in Clue by simple wooden or plastic colored pawns, Mr. Ree's participants are fully realized individuals, standing on bases that actually open to hold tiny weapons, including an itty bitty bottle of poison. The game's resolution involves Mr. Ree, the detective, discovering which characters are hiding the weapons, and whom they have killed with which implement.

1940s Mandrake the Magician Big Little Book

My sweetie is a magician, so I'm always on the lookout for old magic items while antiquing. Last week I found this great 1940s Big Little book, featuring Mandrake the Magician, the mysterious detective star of comics, radio, and serials. Only problem now is, who gets it: me, the Big Little book collector, or the magician sweetie...

1930s Buck Rogers Big Little Book

Found last week: a fantastic 1930s Big Little book, Buck Rogers on the Moons of Saturn. Like many early Big Little Books, it's in rough shape, but it's still a treasure. The cover illustration shows Buck and Dr. Huer using an anti-gravity ray, which makes everything float. That would be a nice thing to have during the morning rush hour...

1930s Little Orphan Annie Child's Teapot

It's always exciting to find a completer item while antiquing, and at a show this past weekend, I discovered this 1930s child's Little Orphan Annie lusterware teapot, 3 inches wide. I've had a couple of plates and a cup for ages, and even though the pot is missing its lid, it was still a very satisfying find.   Arf!

Vintage Dolly Bakeware

One of my favorite things to do with old toys is to arrange little scenes. Toy cupboards are particularly suited to this, as with the old doll's kitchen cupboard, below. It's a lot of fun scouring antique shows and shops, looking for just the right accessories to bring such a scene to life.
At a show this past weekend, I found this assortment of 1940s doll-sized bakeware, including a wooden rolling pin and metal biscuit and gingerbread cutters. My 20 inch German dolly models below. For scale, the cookie cutters are 2 inches long.

Antique Doll Dishes

Spotted in a tray full of miniatures at an antique show this past weekend were all these wonderful doll dishes and baking accessories. Made of china, they date mostly to the late 1800s, with the tiniest cup and saucer just after the turn of the century. The muffin pan (?) is 3 inches wide, while the smallest cup is just under 1 inch tall.

For a sense of scale, my 14 inch china doll agreed to pose, although she doesn't look particularly pleased about it:

1920s-'30s Dollhouse Hoosier Cabinet

I love Hoosier cabinets. It's strange, really: I don't cook or bake; in fact, my own kitchen serves primarily as display space for my PEZ dispenser collection and vintage toy stoves. But for some reason, I find Hoosier cabinets fascinating.
Their nostalgic appeal is undeniable, and it's ironically amplified the smaller the cabinet gets. Currently, I have 2 "life-size" Hoosiers, a homemade child's version, a doll-sized cabinet, and now, found at a weekend antique show, an even smaller dollhouse variety.

This wooden Hoosier measures 6 1/2  inches tall, and came with the accessories and kitchen chair shown. It was made by the Wisconsin Toy Company, a short-lived firm that manufactured dollhouse furniture in the 1920s and '30s. All the cupboards, drawers, and the pull-out shelf are functional.

My 5 inch dollhouse doll gives a sense of the Hoosier's scale. Below, the cabinet is fully stocked with all sorts of goodies. (As I look at this picture, I realize my dollhouse denizens actually have better supplied cupboards than I do...)

Antique Show Report

I attended my first outdoor antique show of the season this past weekend, and it was a doozy. Thunderstorms, hailstones, sheets of freezing cold rain, and 45 m.p.h. winds that lasted for about three hours....one might think an outdoor show would be cancelled in such conditions, but no...not even when four tents blew over and one of the dealers was (reportedly) knocked unconscious by a pole.

I did wait for the worst of the wind to subside (and for all the poles to be better secured), but once I found I could walk upright in the face of the zephyr, I plodded on. One of my dealer friends greeted me with a shout (so as to be heard over the wind): "Hey Tracy! Guess we're the tough ones, huh?" Her neighboring dealer replied, "Or the stupid ones..." I suppose those of us who braved the conditions were a bit of both. I went home with windburn, shoes full of mud, and a severe chill, but I scored several treasures, and here's the great part: they were all 1/2 off, or 2 for 1, and one thing was even FREE! because all the dealers wanted to get the heck out of there.

I got a vintage 4 machine vending unit that had been priced at $100 for only $40, because the dealer was so anxious for someone to haul it out of the mud. That someone was me, and joy of joys, when I got it home and cleaned it out, I found a whole bunch of 1950s-60s gumball machine prizes in the bottom of one of the units. They were actually gumball prizes I've paid $15 apiece for before, so I think I came out pretty well on this deal, even though the machines need lots of restoration.

Other finds included:

--2 fantastic, early vintage trolls, in original outfits (yep, there's more of them coming)
--a 1930s dollhouse-sized hoosier cabinet, kitchen chair, and accessories
--an assortment of dolly-sized antique dishes, teasets, and baking ware
--2 vintage board games, including the hard-to-find Mr. Ree, with almost all its parts
--a 1930s bisque figurine Cracker Jack prize (found in a box of broken junk for only a quarter!)
--a 1930s Little Orphan Annie lusterware child's teapot, which goes with a set I already have that is, coincidentally, missing its teapot
--a 1930s Buck Rogers Big Little Book and a 1940s Mandrake the Magician one

Pictures to come soon, once I'm over my cold.
                          

Worn Old Bear

In my antique teddy bear collection live several bears who are in minty condition, which is remarkable considering their 100+ year ages.
And while it's always a thrill to find such teddies, there's something touching about rescuing a spectacularly love-worn bear. The character present in the face of a ted who's been hugged almost to pieces, patched and re-patched, and yet carefully preserved, is really a priceless quality.

My latest such find is this 18 inch 1920s British bear who suffered from chronic Nose Kissing, which has resulted in the appearance below. He's very sensitive about it; the other bears and I try not to stare. But I feel it's given him a certain charm, and he looks like he's full of stories about the things he's seen over his long life. I call him "Nosey Parker."

Vintage Twinkie the Kid & Wonder Bread Premium Rings

These two Hostess items are late entries into the premium ring category, dating to my own childhood in the 1970s. I can remember spotting the Wonder bread rings inside the packages, and eagerly squeezing our forearms down into the bags, trying to get them out. Wonder bread squishes very easily, we found. After a few smushed loaves, the adults started putting the bread up out of our reach, and dispensed the rings themselves.

1950s Quaker Crazy Rings Premium Set

One of the greatest toy ring premiums of the 1950s was the Crazy Ring Set sponsored by the Quaker Oats Company. For only 25 cents, the lucky recipient received a total of 10 crazy rings, one for each finger, including a siren ring, pencil sharpener ring, 2 dexterity puzzle rings, squirt ring, ship in-a-bottle ring, whistle ring, hand-shaking friendship ring, jingle bell ring, and, amazingly, a meteor ring that the ad attested "contains an actual meteor piece from outer space" (mine is missing the stone, so I can't evaluate that claim).

Here's the original ad for the Crazy Ring Set:

And here are the rings:

Some closeups:

The hand shaking friendship ring, open and closed.

The jingle bell ring.

The pencil sharpener ring.

The ship-in-a-bottle ring.

The dexterity puzzle rings.

The whistle ring.

The squirt ring.

The siren ring.

1951 Cowboy Boot Ring Premium

Children's toy premium rings from the 1930s-1950s fascinate me. It's amazing how much stuff the designers managed to pack into these tiny items, and this one, a 1951 premium from Popsicle and Bazooka Joe, is a great example.

The cowboy boot opens to reveal a not-so "secret compartment", a magnifying glass, a compass, and even a tiny printed sheet of "cowboy code". With this ring, you could imagine yourself to be a cowboy, an explorer, a secret agent, or some combination thereof. Fantastic!

1966 Batman Rings

Some of my favorite vintage toy rings are these, made in 1966 to promote the Batman TV show starring Adam West. There were three different styles, and they seem to have been available in a variety of ways, including as gumball machine prizes and dime store toys.

 (Incidentally, I have several lots of these, so if anyone would like one, or a set, send me a Batmail...)

Vintage Al Tomaini Giant Souvenir Ring

One of the coolest rings in my premium ring collection isn't technically a premium, but more of a souvenir. Dating to the 1930s or 40s, it's a giant ring, measuring almost 1 1/2 inches in diameter (the photo below shows its size in comparison to my high school graduation ring). When I spotted it in a basket of junque at an antique store, I first thought it was a baby or large doll bracelet, that's how big it is!

These souvenir rings were sold in sideshows and circuses by giant performers, often right from the giant's hands. This one came from Al Tomaini, a giant who went on to become police and fire chief in Gibsonton Florida, where he and his wife, Jeanie the Half-Girl, ran a fishing camp and trailer court. They led a fascinating life: take a look here.
A great article about giant rings can be found at the Show History website.

1930s G-Man Premium Ring

From the 1930s comes this small Cracker Jack premium G-Man ring.

In 1934, FBI Agent Melvin Purvis, with the help of other officers, aka "government men", killed notorious gangsters John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd. He wrote and spoke widely about his adventures in law enforcement, and Post cereals began a promotional campaign advertising his "Junior G-Man Corps and Law and Order Patrol." Kids across the country sent in for all sorts of premiums, including rings, badges, flashlights, fingerprint kits, and penknives.

Other companies, including Cracker Jack, jumped on the G-Man bandwagon and released their own items as well, since Post was unable to copyright the phrase. This ring was a Cracker Jack prize, and was clearly well-loved by the little boy who pulled it out of the box some 70+ years ago...

1939 Captain Midnight Radio Premium: Flight Wings Badge

 Captain Midnight was one of many heroic pilot characters populating children's radio shows and movie serials in the 1930s and '40s. He successfully made the transition to television as well, where he had his own show presented by Ovaltine. In 1939, the Captain's radio broadcasts were sponsored by the Skelly Oil Company, who endorsed this  premium, the Mysto-Magic Weather Forecasting Flight Wings Badge.

Originally a piece of litmus paper inserted behind the "S" would change color according to varying weather conditions, alerting its young wearer to impending trouble.

1947 Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring Premium

Many parents today worry about lead and other toxic chemicals in children's toys, particularly after the "contaminated Chinese products" scare of last summer. Well, this little item makes those concerns seem trivial: it actually contains radioactive isotopes. 

The 1947 Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring, a Kix cereal promotion, was the best-selling premium ring of all time. And no wonder --  who could resist advertising like this:

 "SEE GENUINE ATOMS SPLIT TO SMITHEREENS! 

INSIDE THIS Kix ATOMIC 'BOMB' RING!"

The ring cleverly combined the Lone Ranger's silver bullet iconography with that of the new atomic sciences. And it did indeed work: the "bullet" or "bomb" was actually a device called a spinthariscope, which enables the viewer to see nuclear disintegrations caused by the interaction of radioisotopes. As polonium alpha particles struck a zinc sulfide screen, brilliant flashes of light resulted which could be seen by removing the red end cap.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view and comfort level with radioactive substances) the materials had a very short half-life, and the rings no longer function today. And even though the ad says the rings are "perfectly safe -- we guarantee you can wear the Kix Atomic 'Bomb' ring with complete safety. The atomic materials inside the ring are harmless," I still feel a bit nervous every time I pick mine up.