bad banana blog

Green Monsters

Movie posters from 1961 (top) and 1965 (bottom).

Via Martin Klasch.

Watchpapers

Originally designed as a protective insert for pocket watch cases (to keep the back of the watch from getting scratched inside of the case), watchpapers eventually became an advertising medium for watchmakers in the mid to late 1800s. Most of the examples above come from this period. Many more examples here.

Via BibliOdyssey.

He's Going After It

Newspaper ad for Camel cigarettes from 1942.

Via The Ephemerist.

Excite Them!

Classic movie poster for The Dirty Dozen from 1967. Artist: Frank McCarthy.

Via Martin Klasch.

United Mutations

Comic book ad for Frank Zappa's 'United Mutations' fan club, circa 1967. Click for larger view and enjoy the fun little details.

Via Learning 2 Share.

Instant Pain Annihilator

When you want to banish the Demon of Weak Nerves, don't even think of using any other brand than Wolcott's. Circa 1863.

Via Dark Roasted Blend.

Peelabanana!

Couldn't resist this one. Illustration from an ad for the United Food Company in the December, 1957 issue of Good Housekeeping. The ad also had recipes for Holiday Banana Quick Bread and, ahem, Banana Nog. Check out the Mid-Cent Xmas set on Flickr for more retro design goodies.

Shrunken Head

I ran across this old ad the other day and had to post it. Shrunken Head was one of my favorite craft kits as a kid. You would carve up an apple, hang it over a light bulb, and then decorate the dried out fruit with hair, white beads for teeth, and black beads for eyes. The ad is late 1970s, I'd say.

Miss Baldwin

Color woodcut, 1870, from the Library of Congress. Looking for some spooky and monstrous images to get you into the Halloween spirit? Head on over to Monster Brains.

Edie (and Stan)

Edie Adams passed away today at the age of 81. Here she is in 1965, starring in one of her many commercials for Muriel cigars. Best of all, she's sharing the spotlight with the great Stan Getz. Good stuff.