bad banana blog

Ideas, inspiration, ephemera. Put 'em in the freezer and bake some bread later.

Real Power?

 

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From a time in advertising history when a copywriter wrote words and an artist drew a picture and, more often than not, one never bothered to talk with the other. So, here you have an ad with straightforward copy. A literal illustration. And a vague sense that eating Grape Nuts will make you go insane.

Via Box Vox.

Posted on April 28, 2011 at 09:30 PM in Vintage Advertising, Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Household

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There's something about that gentleman in the doorway that reminds me of my Grandpa Norman. Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday, and he could always be found lurking within noseshot of the kitchen while the meal was being prepared. He was a thin man, but he could easily put away enough turkey and stuffing to make a teenage boy blush. No mustache, like the man above, but he always wore a suit. Even while mowing the lawn in the middle of the summer.

(If you'd like to know more about the illustrator above, hop on over to Ward Jenkin's blog. Lots of great stuff over there.)

May your home be loaded with joy and an overflowing bounty of warm memories this Thanksgiving weekend.

Posted on November 24, 2010 at 09:30 AM in Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Seasons Greetings from 1966

A sixty second holiday card from CBS (back in the day when a network would do such a thing). Designed by R.O. Blechman, animated by Willis Pyle. Music arranged by Arnie Black. Aired in 1966.

Via Dave Eibsen.

Posted on December 08, 2009 at 04:52 PM in Video, Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)

19th-Century Board Games

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A collection of board games from the 1800s. For many more, including board games going all the way back to the 1500s, head on over to this wonderful article. One of my favorite posts on one of my all-time favorite blogs.

Via BibliOdyssey.

Posted on November 22, 2009 at 02:09 PM in Vintage Design, Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Mary's Meadow Gold

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Meadow Gold Dairy recently announced the closing of their 101-year-old plant located just two blocks from where I am sitting right now. It's a sad end to a local success story. The dairy operation that would eventually become Meadow Gold got its start a few miles south of here, in Beatrice, Nebraska, in 1894. While still known as Beatrice Foods, the company forged a unique partnership with a freelance artist fresh out of the Disney studios.
    Mary Blair had worked as an artist on Disney masterpieces such as Song of the South, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan. In 1953, she left to pursue a career as a freelance illustrator and graphic artist. The artwork above, for calendars and packaging, was created in the mid 1950s. I remember the character being used into the 1980s.
    Mary would go back and work with Walt Disney, most notably bringing her unique style to the It's a Small World attraction for the 1964 World's Fair (later moved to Disneyland and replicated in other parks). You can also see her work in many Golden Books, still in print today.

Images via grickily.

Posted on June 17, 2009 at 02:31 PM in Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Shocking

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Illustrations from the 1931 electric safety book Elektroschutz in 132 Bildern. Twenty seven more vintage electrocution illustrations here (thanks to Bre Pettis).

Via Martin Klasch.

Posted on April 15, 2009 at 09:21 PM in Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)

Visit the U.S.S.R.

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Details from a brochure for the U.S.S.R. Pavilion at the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels.

Via Grain Edit.

Posted on February 23, 2009 at 02:22 PM in Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Excite Them!

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

Via Martin Klasch.

Posted on February 18, 2009 at 12:14 AM in Vintage Advertising, Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

This is Cape Canaveral

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A 1963 title from the "This is..." series, illustrated by Miroslav Sasek. You can read more about this book and the entire series here. More about Sasek here. (Love those palm trees!)

Via Rich Ernst's tumblelog.

Posted on February 14, 2009 at 01:26 AM in Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Peelabanana!

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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.

Posted on December 23, 2008 at 12:25 AM in Vintage Advertising, Vintage Illustration | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

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