So much goodness has been lost. Basement bars with goofy, slightly naughty accoutrements. A friend of my parents had some little guy whose tiny wiener popped up and squirted water when you pulled his pants down. And of course, glasses featuring chicks whose clothing disappeared when you added a cold beverage.
We had the plastic Donkey ( not pictured ) . You would load it's knap sack with cigarettes , push the ears down and a cigarette would come out of it's butt . A true classic that the minds Michaelangelo or Leonardo could not have conceived :
TR says: I think in a 1970s or 1980s, mail-order catalog, one item for your house's bar, was a plastic version of a Belgian statue. the statue is named: The Manneken Pis. Info on the MP is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis
The plastic version was maybe 10 inches high, + had, I think, a rectangular reservoir behind him. You'd fill up the reservoir with water, or soda water, or gin, or any other drink. And, when you pushed a button on this statue's stand, he'd urinate the drink into your glass. This novelty item was in black plastic, I think. [A classy item, I know!] :D
This late-period boomer remembers being eager to grow up and acquire the goofy toys associated with grown-up activities: smoking (novelty lighters and ashtrays, cigarette music boxes that played "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" or a funeral march); drinking (naughty coasters and "always after 5 pm" wall clocks); and the pursuit of females (light-up bow ties and "date cards").
Never took up smoking or drinking, and gag items are usually counterproductive with women in any case. But I did get myself a fairly grown-up toy slot machine for my living room.
Due to recent events, I'm limiting comments to google account holders only. Sorry if you're a decent person affected by this but the spam has gotten weird.
So much goodness has been lost. Basement bars with goofy, slightly naughty accoutrements. A friend of my parents had some little guy whose tiny wiener popped up and squirted water when you pulled his pants down. And of course, glasses featuring chicks whose clothing disappeared when you added a cold beverage.
ReplyDeleteWe had four of those (or slight variations thereof) on my parents' obligatory basement bar back in the dark ages (i.e. the Nixon administration).
ReplyDeleteI remember someone having "M" when I was a little kid. I thought it was fun but creepy at the same time.
ReplyDeleteWe had the plastic Donkey ( not pictured ) . You would load it's knap sack with cigarettes , push the ears down and a cigarette would come out of it's butt . A true classic that the minds Michaelangelo or Leonardo could not have conceived :
ReplyDeleteTR says:
ReplyDeleteI think in a 1970s or 1980s, mail-order catalog, one item for your house's bar, was a plastic version of a Belgian statue. the statue is named: The Manneken Pis. Info on the MP is here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis
The plastic version was maybe 10 inches high, + had, I think, a rectangular reservoir behind him.
You'd fill up the reservoir with water, or soda water, or gin, or any other drink.
And, when you pushed a button on this statue's stand, he'd urinate the drink into your glass. This novelty item was in black plastic, I think. [A classy item, I know!] :D
TR says:
ReplyDeleteTo go with my comment, above: I think the U.S. company that made this Manneken Pis "toy", was Fingerhut [TM], or a company like Fingerhut.
TR says: Come to think of it, I think you HAVE this MP item, in your article, named- Bar Ware:1975.
ReplyDeleteHe is the statue on top of the brown tower.
The Bar Ware: 1975 article, is here:
http://plaidstallions.blogspot.com/2015/08/bar-ware1975.html
This late-period boomer remembers being eager to grow up and acquire the goofy toys associated with grown-up activities: smoking (novelty lighters and ashtrays, cigarette music boxes that played "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" or a funeral march); drinking (naughty coasters and "always after 5 pm" wall clocks); and the pursuit of females (light-up bow ties and "date cards").
ReplyDeleteNever took up smoking or drinking, and gag items are usually counterproductive with women in any case. But I did get myself a fairly grown-up toy slot machine for my living room.