Book Proposal

I am hard at work on my new book proposal and writing a lot of new gags and jokes and the above gag came out of my mind. It is a pretty obscure refernce to an incident at the UN when Nikita Khrushchev took off his shoe and banged it on the table to make a point to the general assembly. At another time he made the statement "We will bury you", also I believe at the UN, and directed towards the americans. So that is the background of the gag (and for anyone wondering Joe is not a communist). As much as I think it is incredibly funny, I think it is a bit too obtuse to use to convince a publisher to publish my book. Ah, back to the drawing board....

Disneyland Redux

For years I have been a collector of Disneyland photos. I am always looking for that perfect snapshot that captures that elusive spirit of Disneyland in the past. Sometimes it can just be a picture of kid on Main Street and other times it is that great shot of the Clock of the World. But most of the time all you get are the Hippos on Jungle Cruise or the Burning Settlers Cabin on the Rivers of America.

One major attraction that has always been tough for me to find pics of was the Motor Boat Cruise. It was open from 1957 to 1993 and I have only a few photos of it. Well this group of 5 photos show why people didn't take photos of it .... it was BORING. You would cruise around and see landscaping, Autopia cars passing overhead and if you were lucky the passing Monorail. This was one of those attractions that the parents would dump the kids at in the late afternoon and go have a cigarette. In 1991, they did try to theme it up by adding the Gummi Bears. This was a case of a little to little and a little to late.

Another type of photo that is high on my list are pictures of the Disneyland souvenirs in the shops at Disneyland. Well this second group of photos is just that but unfortunately they are the worst type of souvenirs. Mickey Mouse & Pooh banks and horrible vinyl 70's Pluto figures. Although it is cool to see them all lined up with their Disneyland price stickers, I would much rather see a line of Matterhorn Banks or TWA Rocket models. But that is why I collect, the hope that the perfect photo will be in that next stack I thumb through.

Strawberry Quik tin

Memorial Day

PIzza Day

Enjoy these classic foods of the past. Presto Pizza is from 1971, Poppins from 1969 and Pizza Puffs from the late 50's.

Gags

Look out little egg....

Dot Dot Dash

Coming this October is Dot Dot Dash from Die Gestalten is a new book about Designer Toys & Character Art.

"Dot Dot Dash is brought to you by the editors of Pictoplasma and Pictoplasma 2. Expanding on the widely popular subject of contemporary character design, this definitive volume showcases an up-to-date survey of the personalities and characters that have entered the third dimension. "

Should be an amazing book and might even include a pic of our friend Mr Toast.

Post Modern Mr Toast

I am working on this as a painting right now. Kind of crazy.

Grandmother Stover's miniatures

These great little novelties were done in the late 50's and early 60's. Just little plastic miniatures but the packaging makes them so cool.

Krazy Japanese Packaging

Horrible Item

I own a lot of weird things but the Chewing Gum Elephant Puppet is amongst the most horrible. It is more elephant man then cute cartoon elephant. It scares me a little and I would never fall asleep in the same room with it.

Mahar Dry Goods

Mahar Dry Goods is a place where you will find some of the coolest artist created items for kids. Everything has a personal touch and fine craftsmanship. A couple of my favorites are the Monster Garden Kits and Caught Creatures book. They also have Mr Toast too. Go, see, spend and have fun.

Newsprint Drawings

I have been doing a series of drawings on old newspaper classified ads. I do them in ink and then watercolors. You cant really sketch out the drawing, you just have to go with it. Mostly I have been just doing my characters but I thinking of ways to expand the project. Also I have some of them for sale in my Etsy store.

Ephemera

Up top is a little 60's Cracker Jack prize. And below is a little Tonka Tale by Jolly Roger Bradfield. More goodness from the past.

Art by Miles Bearden

I love it when kids draw my characters. Miles Bearden did Mr Toast and his brother Michael did "I Rule". They are great kids and big fans of the World of Mr Toast.

Flea Market Finds

Well the flea market got rained out yesturday and I missed Rose Bowl last week because of a wedding but I picked up a few things at PCC. First the cool Slush Puppie patch - classic 1970's. Then a Cocktail menu from Senor Pico up and SF from 1964. Lastly a book of Frankenstein Valentines from 1976. Nothing spectacular but fun stuff just the same.