Thursday, May 31, 2007

Today is actress Brooke Shields' birthday.



In the early 1980's nothing got between her and her Calvins.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Voiceover actor Mel Blanc was born on this day. Best known as the man behind the words of Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety and Sylvester and almost every major (and minor) Looney Tunes character he also moved over to Hanna-Barbera's television efforts and voiced everyone from Barney Rubble and Captain Caveman to Secret Squirrel and Speed Buggy.



One of the few non-animated characters Mel Blanc voiced was the robot Twiki from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The first successful climb to the peak of Mount Everest was achieved on this day in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.



This antique phonograph needle tin has little to do with the famed mountain other than as an unrelated brand name. You'd think there was some sort of "peak" reference going on, but the tin's artwork doesn't make that connection.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Today is author and adventurer Ian Fleming's birthday. Fleming, himself a member of British intelligence community during the second World War, is best known as the creator of the definitive superspy, James Bond.



The Aston Martin is looking a little run down like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in this photo.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

On this Sunday Funnies, we continue our family reunion weekend with an issue of Warren's Creepy magazine. Not just any issue, but their "Gorilla Warfare Issue!" That's right, the gorillas are fed up with not being invited to family gatherings and being cropped out of family portraits and they're fighting back.



Not only are they fighting back, they're doing it while wearing gladiator helmets and carrying extremely large spears..

Saturday, May 26, 2007

In honor of yesterday's noting of the arrest of John Scopes, we decided to make this a family reunion weekend. So on this Cartoon Saturday we salute Magilla Gorilla.



Here our pal (and possible relation) Magilla Gorilla is depicted on what is described as a "big Golden Book."

Friday, May 25, 2007

John Scopes was charged with breaking the Butler Act, a Tennessee law prohibiting the teaching of evolution, on this day in 1925.



Though it is no longer illegal to teach evolution, it is still embarrassing for many people to acknowledge that some of their relatives live in barrels.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

On this day in 1878, Boston was the site of the first bicycle race in America.



From about a hundred years later comes this Schwinn Stingray.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Space age synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog celebrates his birthday today. The weird electronic sounds of his eponymous keyboard were a genre of their own in the late 60's/early 70's, and the modern (and vintage) variations of the Moog Synthesizer remain staples of the electronic music scene of today.



During the heyday of moog records, the uniqueness of the moog sound led to strange record titles such as this, "The Plastic Cow Goes Moooog!"

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, was born on this day in 1859. Though most remembered for detective Holmes, he also wrote several adventures of science fiction adventurer Professor Challenger, as well as many historical works.



Doyle's most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes, is depicted on this anthology.

Monday, May 21, 2007

We pity the fool who doesn't know this is Mr. T's birthday.



Mr. T is pictured both as a relatively shoddy line drawing and a very well done painting on this lunch box/thermos combo.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

With Pirates of The Caribbean: At World's End opening this week, no doubt those scourges of the seven seas will be at the front of the public consciousness once more. So we decided for this week's Sunday Funnies we'd hunt us down some pirates!



We found what looks to be an exciting tome of high seas adventure, with an exciting cover depicting a striped-socks wearing fiend brandishing a club locked in battle with another fella wielding what looks like his empty lunch bag. It's published by Classics Illustrated, the folks who made Cliff Notes with cool pictures. Strangely it's part of their "The World Around Us" series. Well, strangely to us. We don't know what your world is like.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

This Cartoon Saturday falls on PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer's birthday. So we're digging up something on PBS animated stalwart Arthur. Arthur is an aardvark who originally appeared (and continues to appear) in a series of books by Marc Brown. Though his television series began in 1996, Arthur first appeared in animated form on an episode of another PBS program, Reading Rainbow.



This doll really doesn't look much like the animated version of Arthur.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Back on this day in 1804, the French senate decided to make Napoleon Bonaparte the emperor of France.



Napoleon's final defeat came in the Belgian town of Waterloo. Waterloo was also the name of the song which earned Swedish pop group Abba the top spot at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

The first Kentucky Derby was run on this day in 1875.



This derby can be worn anywhere, including Kentucky.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Actress Yvonne Craig celebrates her birthday today. She is best known as television's "Batgirl," and "that green chick from Star Trek."



Largely powered solely on her appearances on the Batman TV show, Batgirl was an overnight sensation, and even made it into Mego's line of cool super heroes from the 1970's.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

This is the birthday of author Lyman Frank Baum, creator of the marvelous land of Oz and its interesting residents (and visitors).



Pictured is one of the zillions of various editions of the book, this one dates from the 1940's and features illustrations by Julian Wehr.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Star Wars creator George Lucas celebrates his birthday today.



Like everyone else associated with Star Wars, George Lucas was transformed into a 3 3/4 inch slab of plastic courtesy of Kenner.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Today is mother's day, so for this week's Sunday Funnies, we look to May Parker. Though she was not Peter Parker's mother, Aunt May raised him alongside his Uncle Ben, and then raised him along after his death (because Peter couldn't be bothered to stop that crook...).

She was always concerned about Peter, what with his being such a fragile boy, and was always proud of his work as a photographer for the Daily Bugle, even if she wasn't so fond of his frequent subject matter, Spider-Man.



While Aunt May wasn't so fond of Spidey, she was a bit taken with his nemeis Doctor Octopus, and even took a trip down the altar with him!

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Since today's the birthday of better-than-average-wit Yogi Berra, we thought we'd dig up something tied into the better-than-average-bear, Yogi Bear for today's Cartoon Saturday.



Sure enough, we found a nicely done cover to a UK comic book annual.

Friday, May 11, 2007

The city of Constantinople was founded on this day in 330. It used to be Byzantium. Why they changed it, we can't say. People just liked it better that way.



This postcard shows a military parade in Constantinople from the early 20th Century.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The Tea Act was passed by the English Parliament on this day in 1773. It placed a tax upon all tea in the United States colonies and proved to be a bad idea.



This ad for John Hancock insurance depicts the tea party that celebrated the passage of the act.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Today is the birthday of Sir James "J.M." Barrie, author and creator Peter Pan.



Pictured is an early work by Barrie set in "Thurms" which was Barrie's name for his home town of Kirriemuir in Angus, Scotland.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

U.S. President Harry Truman was born on this day.



Pictured is the face of Truman, as seen on a carved wooden figurine of the President.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa began his war against the British on this day in 1763. Pontiac's Rebellion would continue for three years.



Though he fought against British Imperialism over a decade before the colonists would, Chief Pontiac is best remembered for having his name appropriated by an automobile manufacturer. Pictured above is a model of a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

This week's Sunday Funnies would have been better yesterday, since that was the anniversary of Bob Hop's first USO tour. Oh well. Can't pick the days of the week.

Bob Hope, like many famous people, had his own comic book during the later Golden Age of comics and into the early Silver Age. As super-hero comics faded in popularity after the end of World War II, publishers looked to other ways to pull in readers, and bankable stars was one way to do it. Bob Hope's distinctive appearance was no doubt one of the main reasons he was picked, and his breezy humor book often found him making a fool of himself in the pursuit of beautiful women.

As the Silver Age resurgence of super-heroes turned the tables and made celebrity books less popular, from time to time Mr. Hope would be visited by some of the costumed heroes sharing his DC Comics imprint. He'd also make forays into the successful "mad monster" genre that popped up during the later part of his book's run.



Depicted is a cover from the heyday of The Adventures Of Bob Hope, with the caricatured Mr. Hope flirts with a pretty lady.

Saturday, May 5, 2007

In honor of the Eiffel Tower being opened to the public on this day in 1889, on this Cartoon Saturday we urge you to turn your eyes, if not your nose, to Pepé Le Pew. The French scoundrel and skunk of true passion appeared in dozens of animated shorts and Looney Tunes cartoon shows and films, even earning an Academy Award for 1949's For Scent-imental Reasons.



This vase has a well sculpted likeness of Pepé doing what he does best, scaring his beloved Penelope with his affection.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Two months before the Declaration of Independence, Rhode Island declared its independence from Britain on this day in 1776.



This postcard welcomes you to the Ocean State.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

The rationing of most types of meat during World War II came to an end on this day in 1944.



It is not clear whether "people's meat" was ever rationed.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

George Melies, a pioneering early filmmaker, released A Trip To The Moon based on the novel by Jules Verne (also known as From The Earth To The Moon on this day in 1902. It was the first science fiction film ever created.



Here is a late 19th century copy of Jules Verne's book on which the film was based.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Calypso singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte turns 80 today.



Pictured is a reel to reel tape containing two of Mr. Belafonte's albums.