385. All Shook Up: MR. PEANUT SALT 'N PEPPER SHAKERS

Planters Peanuts is largely unknown in the Philippines, but is an American product icon, first produced in 1906 by Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici,in partnership with Mario Peruzzi. The branc character--Mr. Peanut--came about when a contest was launched in 1916,won by schoolboy Antonio Gentile who sent in a drawing of a human peanut with legs. An artist later added a monocle, a walking stick and a tophat. Mr. Peanut became a merchandising success, turned into coin banks, mugs, glasses, pins, buttons, coloring books, cloth dolls--and even into salt and pepper shakers, such as this pair. I found this in a shop in downtown Somerville, in New Jersey, while on a short vacation. There were so many of them there, that it was kinda hard to choose, but these two, I thought, were the most attactive and functional, Mr. Peanut collectibles were made in dizzying varieties and are so plentiful, that they are easily found, and so affordable, they literally cost--well--peanuts!

355. Advertique: MISS THAILAND TIN PLATE CALENDAR

Now here's an interesting tin calendar I got in Bangkok, while I was working there. It is actually a relatively recent calendar from the 1995, but with a vintage feel--courtesy of the period picture of the lady who, I believe was Miss Thailand of 1954--Khun Sucheela Sinsomboon, (thanks, my dear Thai friend, K. Oraya Imchuen for the ID!). 

A quick online search yielded an actual photo of the beautifu; Sucheela. Does she know she is being used to endorse a modern shop? Or maybe she is the shopowner's relative. We will never know.

Likewise, the shop from where this calendar came from has been also identified--Seng Sieang Li--a gold jewellery store. Twenty one years after I got this, I wonder if the shop is still around. Or if MissSucheela is still around after all these years. That's for another friend in Bangkok to find outfor me!

329. DAVY CROCKETT GLASS

Davy Crockett was Disney's hit TV series which aired on ABC in one-hour episodes, starring Fess Parker as real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett and Buddy Ebsen as his friend, George Russel.The first 3 episodes were edited together as the 1955 theatrical film Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, and rebroadcast in color in the 1960s when the Disney program went to NBC.This series and film are known for the catchy theme song, "The Ballad of Davy Crockett".

Disney capitalized on its success by licensing the sale of various types of Crockett paraphernalia, including coonskin caps, coloring books, bubble gum cards--and even 50s glassware such as this, which was part of a set that one had to collect.

Other Davy Crockett drinking glasses came free--in the form of packaging for Welch fruit jelly products. There were glasses of milk white color too, plus related items such as cups, saucers, plates and cereal bowls. This particular example is harder to find as the glass is fluted at the bottom and taller than most plain Crockett glasses.

Fess Parker claimed that his contract called for a percentage of the sales from Crockett collectibles but that this was voided by his contract being with Walt Disney personally,  rather than with the company, costing him millions of dollars of lost royalty from the huge success of Crockett merchandising. As King of the Wild Frontier, he could have gone on a wild rampage!

328. Boxed: LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE

Little House on the Prairie was a popular U.S. western drama TV series, starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, and Karen Grassle, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. Adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books, the regular series was preceded by the two-hour pilot movie, aired on March 30, 1974. The series began on the NBC network on September 11, 1974, and ended on May 10, 1982

Part of the merchandise generated by this highly-rated show was this metal lunchbox, produced in 1978, which shows great graphic portraits of the cast.

310. When Bobbysox Music Ruled: RHYTHM TOTE

For almost all teens of the Baby Boomer years, music was an essential part of their life. It was the Age of Rock 'n Roll, of Paul Anka, Everly Bros., Frankie Avalon, Shelley Fabares, Fabian and Chubby Checkers--and of course, Elvis! American bandstand ruled the airwaves and millions of teens couldn't get enough of the bubblegum and bobbysox music that they sang and danced to, in their shindigs and barn dances. They took along their 45 RPMs in vinyl cases such as this "Rhythm Tote", when they gather 'round to share and review songs about heartaches, cheating hearts, hound dogs and puppies in the window. This cheap mid-century relic held 14 records in brown paper envelopes, plus an index page you can write on. Made by Teen Time Products in Rhode Island, it has a current market value of about $20.  Just 8.75 in. x 7.5 in., the "Rhythm Tote" is  a wonderful nostalgic record case to store those special memories in!

280. Pray, Keep Them!: KIDDIE SHELF SITTERS

Shelf sitters were favorite decorations of 1950s-60s homes, and matching figurines such as these adorned fireplace mantles, book shelves and ledges around the house. They were cheaply mass-produced in ceramic, plaster of paris and hard plastic such as this example, showing two kneeling kids in a prayerful pose.

Popular shelf sitters often show couples kissing--there were kissing angels, kissing Orientals, kissing jesters, kissing Senors and Senoritas. There are even some matching figures you can sit on a ledge with their legs dangling. Kooky, kitschy and great space fillers, these shelf sitters are becoming hot collectibles at prices everyone can afford. Find them in thrift shops, white elephant sales, garage sales or even in auction sites (though you will have to shell out a bit more!). And remember, do always buy them in pairs!!

267. A Grate Collectible: ANTIQUE KUDKURAN

Now here's a fanciful kitchen collectible that I chanced upon at the famed Chatuchak Market in Bangkok. It's an old coconut grater carved in the shape of a man on all fours. The metal grater itself protrudes from the man's mouth. Coconut graters are found all over Asia, as the coconut was a staple food in this region. To remove the flesh off the shells, a half-coconut was scraped against a sharp-edged metal spur, while seated on the kudkuran's body.

Most Philippine kudkurans had a basic shape--just a paddle shaped seat to sit on with a metal grater screwed or nailed in the narrow portion of the seat. Others took on more figurative shapes--graters fashioned from tree stumps often took the form of 4-legged animals, like a horse. This example. made of heavy wood, is a more creative example--the crouching man even grasps a ball on one hand--playing while he works!

With the advent of motorized graters, the folksy kudkuran had all but disappeared in Philippine kitchens. I know a friend who collects them and displays them as sculptural pieces--and that s exactly how I will display my antique kudkuran.

243. VINTAGE 3-D FOLK ART PAINTING

Time was when every 50s and 60s home had "works of art" such as this--a 3-D painting of some generic rural scene, often bought at furniture shops and downtown bazaars. Cheaply produced, the paintings featured subjects such as nipa huts that were cleverly raised in relief from the canvass using sticks, paper mache and cardboards. Elements such as the roof, the walls and the fences were then gesso'ed and painted, in the hope of achieving a more realistic, three-dimensional look. Think of it as "extreme impasto".

Nevertheless, despite this technique, paintings still looked kitschy and naive. But nowadays, period kitsch have been elevated to the status of folk art, Filipiniana style, and this example--sold at a swap shop--carried quite a price tag, many time its original price.Not even the fancy frame can hide the hideous execution of its theme--from the waterfall that cascades down to become a multi-tiered stream, the cockroach-looking carabao and the bahay kubo that looks like a cross between a log cabin and an Ifugao ulog hut. But as they say, one man's awful painting is another man's precious "outsider art".

241. LA NAVAL PRINT

Few months back, I was in Cubao to check on some stuff my dealer supposedly found from an old house in Quiapo. Just as I was arriving at his place, he sped by in his car, the trunk loaded with house junk--just precisely the stuff my thrift shop dreams are made of! He said he had a couple of old prints, so he pulled out this frame, with glass intact.

I could barely see what was behind the glass; it was smeared with dirt and dust build-up! But I could faintly see the hazy shape of what appeared to be a print of the celebrated Virgen de la Naval. I paid for the frame--dust, grime and all--and headed for home.

I immediately pried open the back of the frame, and the backboard turned out to be a cardboard print of some Dutch landscape, complete with windmills and all. My hunch was correct, for upon carefully removing the fragile paper print that the backboard supported, I turned it over to see that it was indeed a nice print of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary--Virgen de la Naval!

The image of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary is one of the most revered Marian image in the country. The ivory figure was carved by a Chinese artisan in 1593, who was converted into the faith while carving the image. It now reposes at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City where its annual feast day--La Naval Fiesta--is celebrated every October.

It was my first time to see this kind of print--I have one printed by the UST press that dates from the early 20th century. There were some pencil scribblings at the back of the paper print which puts the date of this making before the War.

240. Before They Were Famous: ALFIE ANIDO'S YEARBOOK

Remember Alfie Anido? He was one of the so-called Regal babies launched to stardom in the late 70s to 80s (the others were Willima Martinez, Snooky Serna, Jimmy Melendez, Gabby Concepcion, etc.). Well, back in 1973, he was a chubby elementary school graduate whose batchmates include President Noynoy Aquino, designer Pepito Albert and senator Teofisto Guingona III!

That's what I found in his Ateneo Yearbook, which I picked from the recent Greenhills Antiques Fair. Just 14 years old here, Alfie was a member of the Varsity Football. Upon graduation, he remained in Ateneo to pursue a management course.

While in college, he started appearing in commercials and in fashion shows, and was soon discovered for the movies. He was teamed up with former Miss Magnolia finalist, Dina Bonnevie, whom he supported in the 1980 hit camp film "Temptation Island".

Just a day before his 21st birthday, on 30 December 1980, Alfie died, reportedly of suicide. But rumors abound that the Enriles had something to do with his untimely death (he was with Juan Ponce Enrile's daughter, Katrina, at that time). In Enrile's recently published memoir, he revealed that Fabian Ver was behind the rumor linking his family to Alfie's death, a rumor that has become a sort of an urban legend in Philippine showbiz. Who would think that only 7 years before that, Alfie was a happy, chubby, cute young Atenean, with perhaps just his football games in his mind?

213. OUIJA MYSTIFYING ORACLE BOARD

Who has not played tried contacting the spirits of our dearly departed using the "Spirit of the Glass"? Outside of the Philippines, a similar device--The Ouija Board-- has been used for many years. Parker Brothers, a pioneering toy and game manufacturer since 1883, issued the Ouija Mystifying Oracle Board as a children's game. Although it is sold as a game, caution is advised in the use of a Ouija Board--lest some naughty spirit possess your body. Remember what happened to Linda Blair!

This is what's left of a Parker Brothers Ouija Oracle Board Game--just the game board with cool graphics and letters on which a planchette of plastic (now missing) rested and which moved around the alphabet to spell names, answer questions and mystifying queries by "yes" and "no". Haven't tried working this board--maybe a replacement glass will also work as a planchette--but I am not ready to be possessed just yet.

212. FROM A THAI STORE MANNEQUIN TO A DALAGANG FILIPINA

One of my most fascinating finds during my Bangkok years was this plaster cast mannikin figure of a Thai woman for some defunct department store in Thailand. This must have stood on a countertop, perhaps promoting the fashions of the day. I have seen similar countertop mannequin displays of U.S. make, but this one definitely is a local creation, with distinct Malay features that could very well pass for a Filipina beauty.

The figure stands 24 inches tall and stands on a base with a Thai script that I can't decipher. A Thai friend said it reads "THAI PHAIRAT", but is not sure if that's the name of a shop. There are holes on her heels that you can slip through metal pegs attached firmly to the base. The only individual parts are the arms, which were connected by inserting the metal strips at the shoulder of the figure. One metal strip has been lost, so when I got this, the lady figure was armless. Some fingers have also been chipped off her hands and there were broken or cracked parts of her arms and body that have been glued back securely.

Despite these imperfections, I found the Thai "puying" (lady) really pretty--her hair was styled in a neat bun, and her morena complexion only gave her lots of Pinay appeal. For years, I kept her, as is, with a wrap-around skirt and draped in lace on one shoulder, simulating a Thai costume. She used to wear a strand of pearls, which I have since misplaced.

One day, an idea just occurred to me to dress her up--not in chic clothes that she probably once wore--but in a Filipiniana costume. I visualized her in a checkered patadyong, with a kimona top, with a wrap-around tapiz and a panuelo.

I took my Thai mannikin to a restorer of religious figures who willingly took on my unusual project. He fashioned the kimona top using a scrap of embroidered fabric from an old Filipiniana dress. A suitable checkered cloth became her skirt and the panyo. A few weeks after, my Thai miss mutated into a Pinay dalagang bukid! Here are the amazing results of that transformation.

From Khun Porntip to Bb. Perla--what a refreshingly, beautiful change!

209. BAYER ASPIRIN TIN

For headache relief in the 1930s-40s, one could always count on Bayer Aspirin in the new, convenient tin container. The discovery of aspirin discovery was the result of the collective researches of several aspirin inventors. In 1897, a German chemist with Friedrich Bayer and Company was searching for a treatment for his father's arthritis pain and produced the first stable form of a product introduced as Aspirin. By 1899, The Bayer Company was providing aspirin to physicians to give to their patients.

This handy tin container, found in a local antique fair, used to hold 12 aspirin tablets and is small enough to be kept in a purse or a bag when headaches strike. It is just a mere 1.25" x 1.75" in dimension. So dependably effective were the tablets that they were even packed together with the supplies of the American astronauts when they went t the moon in 1969.

Pain relief has improved since the introduction of aspirin--now we have acetaminophen, ibuprofen and analgesia of varying strengths. It is good to know that aspirin continues to be the 'wonder drug' that it once was, still valued in the area of cardiac health in the same way that this little packaging 'antique' continues to be valued as a beautiful nostalgic item of the past.

206. VINTAGE IGOROTTE CLOTH DOLLS

I lived for awhile in the City of Baguio and whenever I walked to the market, I would often see these homespun cloth dolls of orange muslin, handmade to represent an Igorot and Igorota and wrapped in cellophane to be sold as tourist souvenirs. Like the ubiquitous Man-in-a-Barrel and wooden Fork & Spoon giant wall hangings, these cloth dolls (made from as small as an inch to as big as a 2-footer) were among the bestselling items from the mountain city--made cheaply, but certainly full of folk charm. Baguio dolls are still being made and sold in the local stall of Marbayand Maharlika Livelihood Center, but the materials that are being used have changed, giving the dolls an uncharacteristic look. There are less details too, unlike these two half-a-century old dolls from the collection of a Manila octogenarian.

These 10 in. stuffed ethnic dolls have hand-painted faces; the lips are sewn with red thread. Though of basic construction, the pair are garbed in authentic Igorot costumes (well, almost!). The male doll in a g-string even has a small harvest basket at his back. The lovely Igorota wears a traditional wrap around skirt made from traditional woven fabric and her vestida is trimmed with shells at the collar.

Baguio has changed a lot these days--Session Rd. has been closed to vehicles, a giant mall dot the landscape where Pines Hotel used to be. Where are the Indian bazaars? The Old Pagoda Shop? Sunshine Bakery? I miss too, the scent of pines and the sight of sunflowers. But thank heavens I have these 2 dolls to remind me of my Baguio memories now blanketted with the mist of the passing years.

201. PEPSI COLA SHELF

A retro mid-century moderne Pepsi Cola wall shelf given as a premium to stores in Thailand, found at the famous Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok. Classic free-form amoeba shape back panel dates this to the 50s. The tin shelf ledge itself is very narrow, so maybe this was used to hold match boxes, or collect discarded Pepsi crowns. Pepsi collectibles have always played second fiddle to Coke items, but this is a rare piece as localized advertising premiums of international brands like Pepsi are hard to come by in Thailand. When I found it, I sure had a Pepsi Day!

200. I, ROBOT

Tin metal robots from Japan are very desirable in the current collectible market today, boosted by the immense popularity of the 1970s robot wonder, Voltes V, Mazinger Z and Mekanda Robot. But as early as the 50s, tin robots were being made for the world market in large quantities--often with mechanical wound-up parts that made robots walk, glow, shoot weapons and emit sounds. There were Martian Robots, Gear Robots, Big Chiefman Robots, Meteor Tin Man and Robby the Robot with Blaster, made by assorted makers including Yoshio Toys, Osaka Tin Toys and Metal House Toys.


The one I recently got dates from the late 70s, with more plastic parts than tin. I have no idea who this robot is or who manufactured it. But it is typical of those made in Japan with Automatic Action, Stop 'n Go, Swing Open Door and Shooting Gun Action. Battery operated, this robot still works! Rght now, it doubles as a guard robot, ready to shoot imaginary gamma rays to those who dare enter my inner sanctum of a room.

186. ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTIE

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had its beginning in 1873, when the Canadian Government organized the North-West Mounted Police to maintain peace and order from the western border of Manitoba to the Rockies and the far north. Through the years, the RCMP, handsome in their red uniforms and hats, patrolled the sweeping wilds of Canada in their horses--and this image of them has become perpetuated in many collectibles that honor their legacy. This ceramic RCMP figurine holder is one such mid-century example. It shows a Mountie astride his horse, with the RCMP initials on the base to signify that this was an authorized edition collectible. I can't recall where I found this, but it still is in goood shape--no cracks or chips--after all these years. Today, the RCMP continue to be a part of the Canadian safekeeping forces, with their own website that sells licensed collectibles.

181. A 50s REPLOGLE SCHOOL GLOBE

I always wished our class had a school globe, because I thought it's one of those things that made a school---well, a school. But I went to a public school that was always short of funding, so our class never had one. That's why when I found this 10 inch Replogle globe in a thrift shop, I just had to have it--despite the fact that it's missing its original base. The company that made these paper-wrapped globes was started by Luther Replogle in 1930, a school supply salesman who had a special interest in globes. He hand-assembled the globes and sold them from his Chicago apartment. To make one, one has to cut 'map gores' by hand, which were then applied manually to a globe ball, a time-consuming process.

Today, Replogle is the biggest manufacturer of globes in the world. The maps in my vintage globe show all nations, colonies, possessions, boundary lines and place names as approved by the U.S. Government. Of course, the first country checked--the Philippines--still had for its capital, Manila. Its population was still under 500,000 (as indicated by a 'star' legend). What a different perspective of the world this vintage reference globe offers! From longitudes, latitudes, international date lines, prime meridians to zero point and the equator, there's so much to learn, and it's good to wonder!

142. Drinking Vitality: CHOCO-VIM

Choco-Vim was my idea of chocolate heaven back when I was a kid in the 60s. Dairy giant Magnolia concocted the chocolate drinks, and came in straight-sided bottles such as this, and also in shorter, squatter bottles. When the family would go visit my aunt in Manila, she would welcome us with servings of Choco-Vim, picked out from her freezer (she ran Herran Kiosk). Choco-Vim would be reincarnated as Magnolia Chocolait in the 70s, and this time, it was made to appeal to the young go-go crowd. Remember that ad featuring young people cavorting on a beach as the jingle "Superdelicious Chocolait, Supernutritious Chocolait.." played on and on?

In the early 80s, Chocolait was assigned to ad agency Ace Compton and, in a twist of fate, I found myself writing the ads for it! I guess my love and affinity for the product showed as the Magnolia Chocolait Ad won creative awards! Anyway, Chocolait--now in tetra packs--is still being sold today, but even if I know it's the reincarnation of Choco-Vim, I still long for the day for the brand to return--original name, bottle, flavor and all. People from my generation still pine for the nourishing, revitalizing Choco-Vim--so much so that there's even a facebook group devoted to this bottled chocolate goodness!

139. Flavor in a Bottle: RUFINA PATIS

A true Filipino icon brand--that's Rufina Patis, perhaps the most well-known name in the local seasoning industry-- a notch higher than Tentay, Dalisay and Lorenzana patis. This flavorful fish sauce was first concocted by Lucio Lucas and Rufina Salao in 1900, an enterprising couple from the fishing town of Malabon. By the 1930s, the product was so in demand, such that in 1935, the brand name "Rufina Patis" was patented. In 1935, the demand for this product had grown so high that its makers decided to patent its brand name. Rufina Patis went international in the 50s when it was exported to Filipino communities in Hawaii and Guam. I still remember the catchy jingle that played over and over again on the radio "Rufina Patis! Rufina Patis! Ang patis Rufina...ay malinamnam!". Rufina Patis was first packed in bottled with paper labels. This 1950s-60s bottle has an applied color label with the signature Rufina font on top of a green circle. Other kinds of bottles were used, but the logo remained the same.

Though not as high profile and as visible in the marketing scene, the Rufina Patis Factory is still in operations today in Malabon, still churning out the flavor that first captivated Pinoy taste over a century ago.