Stations In Space!

If you like the boffo vintage space illustration above than it's your lucky day my friend as I've just posted 5 more from the same 1960 kid's book over at the funtastic flickr photo sharing site.
All aboard for a direct flight to Earth orbit and beyond!

Growing Up Star Wars!

I thought I'd let those of you who don't regularly check out my flicker photostream know that you're missing out on all the fun of a swell (if I do say so myself) new group that The Mayor of Neato Coolville (Todd Franklin), Aparofan (Mike Middleton), and myself started a couple of moons ago.


"Growing Up Star Wars: 1977-1985" is a cacophonous collection of kooky colour Kodaks collating the craze known as Star Wars through the eyes of us who was youngsters first time 'round. Photos of Star Wars themed birthday cakes, Halloweens, local public appearances, kid drawings, Christmases and all other local, personal Star Wars related happenings from 1977-1985 as seen from a childhood perspective.


The response was extremely positive and the blogosphere lit up (okay... faintly glowed) from the excitement of over 10,000 mentions in the first week alone. The amount and variety of wonderful photos has really been amazing - from terrified children in the grasp of a promotional Darth Vader knock-offs to near apoplectic shock as kids open the first wave of Star Wars toys at 1978 birthday parties.


Super-fun kid's drawings and crafts, and even a couple of examples from epic length stabs at unlicensed Star Wars comic book sequels. With locations ranging from Canadian car dealerships to Missouri grocery stores, British kitchens to Middle Eastern bedrooms it's a truly international look back at the worldwide Star Wars phenomenon in it's infancy.



So why not drop by for a visit? Maybe it'll even encourage you to dig out those old Polaroids of you and your little brother in your brand new Star Wars iron-on t-shirts from 1979. Or that drawing of Chewbacca that your Grandmother kept on her fridge for 2 years. Or even your bedroom floor turned into a toy-filled Battle of Endor complete with giant pet cat!

We'd love to see them too.

Leftovers!

Some people aren't big fans of leftovers. I, on the other hand, love 'em. Case in point - the latest batch of vintage children's illustrations I've just uploaded to my Flickr photostream. "Why call them leftovers?", you ask.

Well... these are all images I had planned on including in earlier posts over the past year or so but had to leave out due to space or time constraints. So I went through the virtual fridge of my computer's hard drive and am warming up these tasty illustrations for everyone to share.

Please pass the ketchup!

Belated New Know!

I must be slipping! I totally forgot to mention that the new Know magazine ( the science mag for curious kids don'tcha know ) hit the stands a couple of weeks backs! Beside the always swell work of Howie Woo ( pictured on the cover cover above ) it features, as always, my regular two page "Know Fun" puzzle and games section. Since this issue is all about animal and insect night life I contributed a "spot the diffence" puzzle called "Nighttime Neighbours". To get a full look be sure and pick one up at your local purveyor of popular periodicals, for those of you in Canada, and through subscription or Know mag's website for all of the rest you worldwide.

Nighty night!

Sunny Days

It was most definitely a sunny day when I found this long forgotten postcard from my childhood recently.

From all appearances I (or more likely my Mom on behalf of 5 year old me) sent the gang at Sesame Street a drawing I did. How thrilled I must have been to get this great personalized thank-you note straight from the Big Apple. Sure, thousands of other kids were probably getting similar postcards in late 1974, but I doubt that thought would have crossed my mind at the time. Well worth the 8¢ to help solidify a lifelong fan.

Strangely after a bit of pokin' around through the tubes of the ol' internet I can't seem to find mention of another of these. There's got to be tons still out there, so be sure and let me know if you have one too.

BH&G Take Two!

Time for another batch of vintage illustrated ads from 1960 issues of Better Homes & Gardens magazine. Skedaddle on over to Flickr for a small but feisty band of stylistically rendered hands, appliances and wood panels that will fill your jaded hearts with joy and, in the case of the wood paneling one, a touch of formaldehyde.

Mystery Portraits

I ran across these somewhat creepy portraits recently in a forgotten box of old family photos and mementos.

Painted by my uncle, likely in the early 1970s, these 3" X 5" oil sketches on canvas board appear to be of my sister and I. Aside from the ethereal, black velvet-like look about them they're also unusual because the probable date they were painted ( assuming they were done at the same time, which seems likely ) doesn't match our chronological ages ( my sister was born in '72 ), my sister and my age difference ( three and a half years ), or the fact that my sister didn't have long hair until the late 70s.

Unfortunately my uncle was of no help in filling in the missing information on these artistic anomalies as he doesn't recall them at all. He gave up painting soon after these ( an omen, perhaps? ). So I'm left with these possibilities...

1. Not paintings of my sister and I ( but why would we have them then? )

2. Not painted at the same time ( but the canvases, materials and amount of wear all seem the same. As well my uncle had moved across the country by the time my sister would have been the age she appears to be in her portrait ).

3. My uncle invented a time machine and went forward to the late 70s to paint my sister so that he could give us a matching pair.

I'm leaning towards #3.