88. WILD, WILD WEST Collectibles

Giddy-up horsey! Lasso 'em Cowboy Collectibles: BACK ROW: Bat Masterson TV Whitman Book (1962), The Rebel TV Whitman book (1967), Annie Oakley Movie Coloring Book (1947), Davy Crockett Coloring Book (1955), Gunsmoke Coloring Book (1957), Roy Rogers premium plastic mug (1950s), Hopalong Cassidy lunchbox with decal and thermos (1953), Indian bisque figurine (ca. 1950s).

87. Color Them Collectibles: TV COLORING BOOKS

Assorted TV Land collectibles, 1st ROW: "Uncle Martin, The Martian" (from My favorite Martian, starring Roy Walston and Bill Bixby, 1964), "Get Smart" (starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon, 1968), "Ronny Howard" (child actor Ron Howard of Andy Griffith Show--now and Academy Award winning director, 1963). 2nd ROW: "Green Hornet" (starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee, 1966), "Star Trek" (starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, 1968), and my box of unused vintage crayons!

86. Where the Boys Are: KEN & ALLAN DOLL

Ken, Barbie's boyfriend, was introduced in 1961 with flocked hair. These two you see here with painted brunette hair were produced in 1962, 1/4 inch shorter than the earliest Ken, but with heftier arms and more defined knees. Mattel felt that Ken needed a male buddy after giving Barbie a bosom friend in the name of Midge. So, Allan Sherwood was born in 1964, introduced together with Skipper, Barbie's younger sis. Allan was meant to be Midge's boyfriend but apparently, since he and Ken shared the same body type and clothing, they spent a lot more time together. The trio reside ina plastic carrying case made especially for Ken and bought in a U.S. collectible shop. Oops, do I hear Barbie having a fit again?

85. Boxed: PELE

Edison Arantes do Nascimento, or simple Pele to the football world was a sporting legend in his native Brazil. At age 21, he was the top football player of the world, having helped his country become a world power in the sports. Pele was given the title "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee and in 1999, he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century. But in 1975, King Seeley Thermos paid the ultimate homage to the football megastar--he was boxed! Pele remains one of the few men of color to be featured on a lunchbox, driving the price range of this metal collectible from $50 to over $150. As always, I paid just 50 pesos for this slightly-rusted example. Touchdown!

84. It's Pouring Pachyderm! : AN ELEPHANT TEAPOT

"I'm a little teapot with a tusk, here's my handle, here's my trunk..."
Now isn't this a monstrously clever idea? A bloated elephant teapot, with a trunk for a spout, its tail for a handle, and a pagoda sprouting on its back. You won't get any sympathy when you serve tea, but only horrific stares and snickers. Ceramic figural teapots may not be so rare, but a fancy elephant design is seldom seen.This collectible teapot, possibly made in the 50s was found appropriately in a Thai flea market, and it now sits on a mantle in my jungle of a house.

84. DISNEYANA DISCOVERIES

Thanks to Walt, I have these assorted Disney collectibles to show off, picked from here and there. L-R. An early 1940s plaster lamp of Snow White complete with its tulip glass shade (bought in a Bangkok flea market); a ca. 1939 German made boxed paper jigsaw puzzle of "Snow White & the 7 Dwarves" (from a mail-order collectible auction); "Sleeping Beauty" 1950s long-playing record; 1950s Donald Duck rubber toy; and a 1960s Donald Duck squeaking cap found in a local thrift store. Truly, "when you wish upon a star, makes no difference what you score.."

83. THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY GAME

I never get tired of this singing bunch--I just ordered the Season 3 of the Partridge Family TV series released in DVD! The hits series of the 70s inspired many merchandise like this boardgame made by Milton Bradley in 1971. It's your typical race-to-the-finish board game using cut-out Partridge Family members as play pieces. There's Keith and Danny, Laurie and Shirley, Tracy and Chris that you stand on blue and red plastic bases. It also comes with 2 dice, 24 cards and game inserts. This Partridge Family Game was in an unplayed-with condition when I got it from Hake's Americana & Collectibles. I paid $15 for this, which I haven't actually used for fear that I might reduce its value. Imperfect and used examples on ebay carry a price tag from 10-20$, while one in good condition sold for 50$! Pssheww! I wonder what budget-conscious Mrs. Shirley Patridge would think of that...

82. POODLE TV LAMP

Here goes another poodle collectible, this time, a TV lamp in the favorite 50s colors--pink and black! The twin poodles flanking the fiberglass shade sport yarn hair. This ceramic lamp horror was meant to be place on top of a TV to provide mood lighting, in case the light from the TV screen is not good enough. These were so popular in the 1950s that almost every home had them. I found this lamp in great working condition from a dealer who was downsizing his merchandise upon the closure of his shop in a mall. So he gave it to me for a bark, err, a song.

81. LI'L ABNER DOLL

Li'l Abner, drawn and written by Al Capp (1909-1979) was a very popular comic strip that made its appearance in international newspapers, including the Philippines. The satiricial series included hillbilly characters led by Li'l Abner Yokum, a 6-foot-3 simple-minded but sweet-natured country bumpkin his grouchy Mammy and less-than-bright Pappy, and Daisy Mae,the girl who had the hots for Li'l Abner. The strip ran from 1934-1977, and it was read by millions of people worldwide, captivated and entertained by the strip's characters and humor that had a powerful cultural impact. Out of this series sprouted many licensed merchandise that were produced throughout the forties and fifties. This 14-inch Li'l Abner made by Baby Barry Toys in 1957 is just one of them. Purchased from Hake's Americana, a mail-order auction company, the doll is made of soft rubber and has his original clothes. Al Capp was such a master marketer that his characters earned millions from endorsements and licensings. Which just goes to show that even a hiollbilly can be a millionaire.

80. AUTOGRAPHED MARGARET O'BRIEN PAPER DOLLS

Margaret O'Brien (b. 15 Jan. 1937) was a child star of the '40s, and her talent was apparent early on. Her first film appearance was in Babes on Broadway at age 4, but it was the following year that her first major role brought her widespread attention. As a five-year-old in "Journey for Margaret", O'Brien earned accolades fro her natural acting style. Her most memorable role was as "Tootie" in "Meet Me In St. Louis" with Judy Garland. She earned a Juvenile Oscar as "outstanding child actress of 1944", but she was unable to make the transition to adult roles. In her heyday, many merchandise were made of her--including a composition doll, coloring books and these large paper dolls bought from a U.S. paper collector. The two figures have been carefully cut from a book, and the back features the former child's star's autograph, making these movie collectibles even more precious.