Mackinac Bridge Dedication Postcard

Old postcards are some of the "other stuff" I collect. This one features the Mackinac Bridge, the beautiful, five mile long engineering marvel that connects Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, spanning the deep, cold, and dangerous waters of the Mackinac Straits. It marks the division between two of the five Great Lakes, Michigan and Huron.
The bridge opened to traffic on November 1, 1957 after decades of planning, three years of construction, and the tragic deaths of five crewmen, including a diver, welders, and iron workers.

Although the bridge opened in November (a notoriously unpredictable weather month in northern Michigan), the official dedication ceremony didn't take place until June 25 of the following summer. Bernice and Larry Kopp of Royal Oak, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, attended and cleverly mailed themselves this souvenir postcard. "Here for the dedication of the big Mac, June 26-27-28," Bernice wrote, before addressing the card to their own home on 1503 Mohawk.

Old Minnie Mouse Figurine

Beneath all this wear is a 1930s Minnie Mouse lead figurine, just 2 1/2 inches tall. She's clearly been through a lot, but is still smiling.

Carnival Chalkware Prize

This carnival chalkware prize is Bimbo, Betty Boop's doggie boyfriend. Bimbo starred in his own cartoons, with the first appearing in 1930. As Betty's star surpassed his own, he was relegated to boyfriend/sidekick status before disappearing altogether, allegedly due to concerns about the interspecies nature of their relationship...

7 inches tall, circa the 1950s.

Antique Show Find: Mentor Game

Found this far out game at a summer antique show: Mentor, the Electronic Wizard, made by Hasbro in 1960. The giant bronze plastic head is Mentor. He looks like something out of Metropolis, an Art Deco robot with a mind of his own. To play, you select one of the cardboard game tracks, and insert it into the board. You and Mentor then take turns moving the pawn (a giant finger) along the track. Mentor tells you how many spaces he wants to move by flashing the lightbulbs on the base. First one to the finish wins, and it's usually Mentor.

Mentor, in a characteristically thoughtful mood.

Mentor game boards.

 The moving finger, wired up to Mentor.

Antique Show Find: Mr. Potato Head Knock Off

Mr. Potato Head and I have a longstanding love affair, but occasionally I succumb to the charms of one his imitators. This "Funny Face Kit" was made in Hong Kong in the early 1960s, a low grade knock-off of the original. The whole set is just 5 1/4 inches tall, made of cheap plastic attached to a thin card. Potato Head experts have discovered these originally came in cellophane bags, and were distributed via dime stores or as carnival prizes. Visit mrpotatohead.net, source of my arcane knowledge, to see more fun fakes.