Citrus Sam

Sam is the spokesman for the San Bernardino Orange Show Fair. What better man for the job than a Giant Orange headed guy with Leaves for ears. This diecut sign would be on display in the local shops to promote the upcoming fair.

Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room

Posted for your enjoyment today is a neat little card promoting Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. This piece is actually twice as tall with the same card on the other end. It looks like they used it in a table tent holder so the piece would fold in half and display on both sides. There is a 3 hole punch along 1 side so my guess it was a sample destined for a 3 ring binder. The bottom has quotes from different newspapers, I like the one from United Press International. " Walt Disney has come up with another rip-snorter." I wonder what the last one was?

Piggly Wiggly

Here is the sign I mentioned in yesterdays post. I found it years ago at the Rose Bowl swap meet in Pasadena. I mounted this sign in the garage since the size is about 5 feet in diameter (about the size of half a Union 76 Ball). Stop by tomorrow for a Vintage Disneyland piece.

Number 1
Back in the day before the Pizza place printed your order number on the receipt or gave you one of those little plastic number thingys to place on your table you got one of these. Shakeys had some great pizza and don't forget those Mo Joe potatoes, man those were tasty. You could get Pizza, mo joes,salad and even some pretty good chicken too. There used to be a Shakeys not to far from me and they had a giant 10 foot Pizza man light up on the building. One day while driving but I noticed they were closed and the sign was gone. I pulled over and went inside to ask about the sign, The man told me it was still up on the roof if I wanted to check it out. I went up and there he ( the sign) was laying there waiting to be taken down and destroyed. I went back down and asked the guy how much for it and he told me $200. I passed since at the time I had no way t get it down and figured a sign company would probably charge me another $200. Looking back I wished I had paid the price it would have went well with my Piggly Wiggly Sign in the garage.

Is it Hot?

I bet everyone has seen the Eat it All Cone Kids cone box at some point in their life. How could you miss the giant colorful kids holding cones over half as tall as them. The Kids had this look for as long as I remembering all great advertising characters end up they did one of those Updates on the art and now they join the ranks of Twinkie the Kid and The Chicken of the Sea Mermaid ( It was a sad day at the supermarket when I noticed the totally revamped mermaid version which looks lame in my opinion). This piece is a window thermometer and had 2 faced tape of the back to secure it to the front of a display case. Thanks for dropping by the ranch.

Our Rooster

I always wanted a Muffler Man for my backyard, sure I would probably be cited by the city for some sign ordinance but I want one. I have yet to find one for the backyard but a few months back I scored a Giant Rooster instead. Do I need a Giant Rooster? No but he add something special to the back yard so I had to buy him. I go to a local swap meet every Saturday and we drive by a chicken dinner shop on the way stands another Giant Rooster. The bird stands on the sign about 25 feet in the air. Well one Saturday we drive by and it's gone, only thing there are its 2 feet. I had to find out where the bird went so I call the shop later that day to see where it was. I talked to the owner and he told me it blew off the post onto the parking lot ( I would have loved to catch a video of that event). It had a broken chest and was severed just above the feet, which were still attached to the sign. I asked him if He would sell it to me but he wants to get it fixed. I am pleased to report the feet are still up there but the rooster has not returned, I better give him another call my rooster is looking lonely.

Speak to Jack

Sometimes you come across actual parts of vintage fast food buildings. Here is a great Jack in the Box drive-thru sign which would have held the speaker. Have a great weekend.

Hey Bob got a Light?

In addition to the Figural Advertising I also look out for interesting artifacts with Ad figures on them. Bob's Big Boy produced all sorts of things with good ole Bob on them. You could just collect the menus and have a plenty to search for from all the different names the Big Boy franchise used over the years like Elbys, Shoneys, Topps and Frischs just to name a few. I have a small collection of menus but also I like to look out for the Matchbooks. This one is the only matchbox version I have seen for Bob's and it has the classic art from the 50's on it. Who knows why they didn't make more versions of the matchbox version, maybe they liked the matchbook version better. Thanks again to you all out there for stopping by!

Reddy Meeting

Unusual Reddy Kilowatt card with a Dapper Top Hat Reddy holding a sign. This is the first piece I have come across where Reddy was not printed in his usual Red and yellow colors. At first I did not notice it was him due to the green and black printing and having most of his lightning bolt body hidden behind the sign.

Say Cheese


The now closed Movieland Wax Museum had one heck of a photo booth. The owner Frankenstein just could not stay out of the shots. He was always ready for a picture with his fans. I found this great piece in a box of misc. paper about a month and thought you would enjoy seeing it here.

Elsie the Cow
I have a few Elsie advertising pieces, here is my favorite. The head is dimensional on one side and flat on the back to be mounted on a wall. Made of a vinyl/composition she has a great early look to her, more cow than cartoon.

The Z o n e

Since I started collecting advertising figures I always liked Mr Zip. He was the guy who let everyone know to use the new Zip Code numbers when mailing letters. One day I came across this little 4 cent stamp booklet and found Mr Zips Father the mail man promoting the Pre- zip code system know as The Zone. I had thought the Zip code was first with 5 digits but truth be told the Zone was earlier with a 2 digit code. Thanks for dropping by.

Cooties
Here is the last page in a little comic/product booklet put out by the W.H. Schaper Mfg. Co. Inc. ( makers of the cootie game and others) The title is "The Friendly Cootie Bug'. It follows a living Cootie Bug until he gets his wish to become a toy for girls and boys. I think it seems like Seems like Pinocchio in reverse Toy to Boy, Bug to Toy. I also want to send out a "Happy Fathers Day" to all the Dads who stop by on Sunday.

Have Bar will Travel

I don't really collect postcards but sometimes I come across a keeper. This one was to good to pass up, The Hacienda Barmoblie. No need for cabana boys at this resort just hail the Barmobile as he makes his way about the 11 1/2 acre motel grounds. This sure makes the term "Drunk driving" take on a whole new meaning. What's next the Buffetmobile? Let me have two shrimp cocktails, a few mini tacos, some chicken wings and some of those swedish meatballs please.Have a great weekend and look both ways before crossing the pool area.

I See You


The X-Ray Spex with Amazing X-Ray Vision ! What a great package I am sure no kid could pass by this at the 5 and dime without begging his Mom to buy them a pair. I have had this in the glove box of my car for probably 4 years. I put it there to keep it safe till a day like today. This pair was made by the HONEY TOY INDUSTRIES, INC, that's right all caps! This company meant business, heck it was no company it was a industry or should I say industries? If it is plural then they must had all sorts of products and services to offer the average Joe right? The year on the back is 1965 pat pending. I guess they were having trouble getting the x-ray technology patent nailed down at the time they let this marvel of science available to the public. Thanks for stopping and remember don't abuse your X-Ray Spex if you know what I mean.

Happy Motoring

That's the slogan from the esso oil drops. The Esso figures are some of my favorite ad characters. The male oil drop is named Happy but I am not sure what his girls name is. This image is off an oil tin in my collection. They appeared on all sorts of maps, containers and booklets plus many figural piece like Key chains and small vinyl figures to name a few. Seems most gas and oil company's have abandoned their beloved pitchmen for animated cars and swimming fish these days. So have a Happy day for Mr and Mrs Esso.

Just the PRESS

I have been waited for this day to arrive, June 14th 1959. We hit a big stash of vintage Disneyland memorabilia a few months back and today seems like the perfect day for this piece. The new 59 updates on Disneyland were shown to the press and they had to have a pass to get in. What better way to identify the attending press than with this wonderful 3 1/2 inch Red and White Press Button. Not only a button they also added a red ribbon to the bottom for style. Here's to the 47th year anniversary of this day at Disneyland.

Litter Buggin

Whatever happen to this guy? I mean Smokey the Bear is still around right? This smoking eyepatch wearing trash tossing bug must have met his demise at some point, maybe Woodsy the Owl had him for lunch. Thanks for droppin by . Stay tuned tomorrow for a special post for all you Disneyland Fans......

M&M

M&M

A 1979 Halloween shot of a Mom and Dad's costume contest entry. The back has written Mom & Dad Halloween 79 1st prize. Thanks out to Dan at Mister Toast and Patrick at Stuff from the Park for the mentions on their excellent blogs, check them out when you get some time. Have a great Monday.....nano nano

Pure Gold Duo

2 nice cardboard diecuts featuring Lily Lemon and Pedro Pomelo ( I think he is a grapefruit). These 2 characters were ad figures for the Pure Gold Produce Company. They are about 7 inches tall and have small fold out panels for standing on a shelf. I have not come across any 3 dimensional figures of them but you never know what is out there. Have a nice weekend.

Howdy Partner

What could be better than the state of Nevada all decked out in full western wear. Here is the mascot for the Nevada Club in Reno. I have seen a few matchbooks with him on it but I am not sure what his name was. One thing I like about him and most all ad figures is they always are smiling, even when they are a work. hope your friday is short and you weekend is long.

MIB


I have always kept images I find of Ad figures still in the Orginal packaging or MIB. It is great to see how they were displayed when and how they were sold. Here are 4 you might remember. Speedy Alkaseltzer, The Good Humor Ice Cream Bar, Elsie the Cow and Varig Airlines. These guys never made it out of the bag and I bet they are still trappped there today. Thanks to all who had dropped by, tell a friend

AKU AKU just for you


I guess with a blog called Tikiranch I should add a few tikis in the mix. While I don't collect Tiki I have found a few interesting pieces that I just had to keep. This great Handy Wash wet nap came from the Las Vegas Tiki Landmark "AKU AKU" restaurant. Wht a great example of something so ordinary turned into personal keepsake from your visit. No wait did I just say 'Keepsake" about a handy wash disposable towelette? Well someone thought it was and here is the proof. I guess they never could bear the guilt of opening and using their little clean-up towel from their exotic bathroom visit at the Aku or maybe the messy rack of ribs they remember eating before this treasured gift was bestowed upon them. All hail the tiki god !!

A Devishly Good Drink for Today


A great Orange Julius Sign I found a few years back.
Big Thanks to Dan @ mistertoast.blogspot.com for the link on his blog.

Small Time Collection



I found this little clock in a box for five bucks. I have always like seeing faces on objects which is probably why I like ad figures so much. Evven though it is not an ad figure it looks good on the shelf smiling. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Dashboard religion

Here is another thing I look for when out hunting the swaps and sales. The Lord, I had this great Mark Ryden piece "Dead Character Trademarks" on the wall and decided I need another thing to collect so I started buying dashboard Jesus figures. My limit was it had to be vintage, plastic and him solo, no other figures or animals attached. So when I did find a new one I would say to myself " Today I found the Lord" . I did have about twice as many but decided to narrow the field by only keeping the sacred heart versions. Thanks for stopping by....

Finger Lickin Good

One part of ad figure collecting is all the great Bobbin Heads they made. Here is The Kentucy Fried Chicken Colonel. The neat part of this one is the orginal illustrated box. Most of the nodders just came in a plain cardboard box with a label or imprinted name on the end. I had the Colonel by itself for many years and was luckcy a few months ago to get 2 nodders and the box as a buy it now on Ebay for 65.00. I was able to upgrade the boxless one plus had 2 extras. A big thanks go out to Angelica at Swapatorium for the link on their blog. Have a great day everyone.

Can I Take Your Order?

One of my small collections only 4 so far ..vintage name tags Sambos,Jack in the Box and Goodwill Industries. Have a great weekend!

Denon Girl



Collecting advertising figures is our thing so I thought I would share a few favorites from our collection. Stay tuned for more....