Category: History

Santas Of 1949

Before we lived in a culture where some believed that asking your child to sit in Santa’s lap was a violation of personal rights, kids would line up at department stores to sit in the lap of jolly old Saint Nick and tell him what they wanted for Christmas, without having parents looming within earshot. The little boy in this Plymouth ad definitely has his dad’s back.

Let’s keep in mind that Coca-Cola had only decided what the now-iconic Santa should look like back in 1933, so tweaks were still being made. This Santa hat looks more like a jester cap. How fun is that squiggle of a holly detail?

Next, we have a very basic Santa rendering. He looks like might be about to sneeze, but he’s pointing to the gift of Leica, which should be at the top of your list.

Lastly, we have a rotund and active Santa (no sitting for him!). Fluffy beard? Check! Rosy cheeks? Check! Proper hat? Check! He appears to be unveiling a new fleet of trains.

So if you grew up watching Santa animation and cartoons…

giphy.com

…and got older and decided it was impossible for him to travel from chimney to chimney…

…just know that some of us still believe.

 

You’re My Shining Star

Always Home by Coffey

A GI accepts a lift from celeb Fess Parker to hang an ornament on one of the 300 trees provided to Vietnam troops during Christmas of 1971.

Jayhawker Christmas 1935

Today’s images come from the pages of my grandpa’s December 1935 Jayhawker, from the University of Kansas. As you can see, the colors are still bright. The December issue was littered with ads for the holidays.

Home movies were the bee’s knees. Just remember that “in after years such scenes of the past should be priceless.” Sounds like Engrish. Also, do any of you have any home movies from 1935? We have zero zilch nada home movies of any kind.

In this Carl’s ad for “good clothes,” Santa is shown as morbidly obese, and his sack of toys actually balances out his belly, making perfect spinal alignment.

In this Jones’ ad, we can see inside a clothing store in 1935. Seems organized but sparse. Then again, they did carry Faultless NoBelt Pajamas.

Included in the pages were disturbing cartoons like this one.

If your wallet was fat in those Depression-era days, you might hit the Kansas City Auto Show and snag yourself a shiny Studebaker.

But if all you had was change in your pocket, you could still pick up a carton of Chesterfield’s. It’s what Rudolph would have wanted.

Real Life Large Marge

Nat Geo Jan/88

Toots Holzheimer knew her rig inside and out. After 20 years of hauling “anything and everything” more than 1.6 million kilometers over the outback of northern Queensland–and raising eight kids, she passed away in 1992. A crane unloading pylons at a wharf lost control, and she was struck by its load.

Hardworking and tough, she tackled the hurdles of remote freight transportation, including lifting full 44 gallon drums. Her truck, Toot’s Old Girl, is on display at the Winton Diamantina Truck Museum.

But come on. She does look a wee bit like Large Marge, no?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How Lovely Are Thy Branches

Jan 1917 National Geographic
Jan 1917 National Geographic

Over 100 years ago, a “motor-driven vehicle” and its owners somehow made it up to the top of this felled sequoia in the Sequoia National Park, presumably without 4 wheel drive.

Taking Linwood Sexton Down

Jayhawker XMas ’46

During the 1946 football season, it took five KU Jayhawks to bring down down Wichita “Wheatshockers'” Linwood Sexton. However, the final score was Kansas 14, Wichita 7. Sexton, one of the first African-Americans to play for Wichita State, went on to play halfback for the Los Angeles Dons. A member of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, he passed at the age of 90.

Below he is pictured in 2008 with son, Eric, in front of a mural at Koch Arena.

photo: The Wichita Eagle