Category Archives: Household items

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Category Archives: Household items

1930s ‘Bluebird’ Radio by Walter Dorwin Teague

I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York over the weekend and I wandered into the modern design section. One of the items on display was this ‘Bluebird” Radio from the mid-1930s. It was designed by industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague. It’s made of glass, chrome-plated metal, fabric and wood. The Bluebird’s [...]
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Advertising Icon: Nipper, the RCA Victor Dog

Nipper was a real dog born in 1884 in Bristol, England. He died in September 1895. Three years after Nipper’s death owner Francis Barraud painted a picture of Nipper listening intently to a wind-up gramophone. Francis Barraud said, “It is difficult to say how the idea came to me beyond that fact that it suddenly [...]
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Origins of the Morton Salt Umbrella Girl

What is the Morton Salt Girl’s name? How old is she? The Morton Salt Girl has never had a name. She is between the ages of seven and nine. How many Morton Salt Girls have there been since 1914? There have been six official Morton Salt Girls. The Umbrella Girl first appeared on the Morton [...]
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Cartoon Kid’s Bed Sheets Part Two

My quest for vintage bed sheets for kids continues! Last year, I posted how I’m on the hunt for cartoon character bed sheets. You can read that post here. Here are a few more of my recent finds!
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Madonna True Blue Beach Towel

Madonna’s Super Bowl halftime performance has put her back in the spotlight (with a little help from M.I.A.). All week I’ve been rummaging through my vintage stash looking for items bearing the pop diva’s name. This is one item I had tucked away. This beach towel is from 1989 and was sold during Madonna’s True [...]
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Royal Doulton Bunnykins China Tableware

Mr. and Mrs. Bunnykins and brood were introduced in 1934. The artwork was created by the daughter of the general manager of Doulton chinaware. Her name was Mary Barbara Bailey. Sister Bailey was not a professional illustrator, but a nun. Bunnykins china depicted cute rabbits dressed in clothes, in small-town English scenes. Princess Elizabeth and [...]
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Cartoon Character Bed Sheets

One item I love looking for when I’m out thrifting is cartoon character bed sheets. Once in a while I find a full set, but usually I come across just the top flat sheet. Qualities to look for are condition, classic characters and bright, vibrant colors. Bed sheets are not rare, but they are hard [...]
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1977 Early Apple TV Commercial

We pay tribute to the late Steve Jobs in this week’s My Vintage Video. Here’s one of the earliest (if not the earliest) Apple computer commercials to air on TV. The year was 1977.
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Park Ranger Stove and Lantern Fuel Can

A cartoon bear in a park ranger suit! What’s not to love about this vintage camping fuel can?! When I found this fuel can at a flea market recently, it brought back memories of camping as a kid. I seem to recall my dad purchased a can like this (back in the early 1970s) when [...]
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Fiestaware Pitchers

Here are a few basic facts about the history and design of Fiestaware. * In 1936, the Homer Laughlin China Company (HLC) of Newell, West Virginia introduced a line of dinnerware called Fiestaware at the Pottery and Glass show in Pittsburg. * The man who designed it was an Englishman, Frederick Hurton Rhead. * The [...]
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