384.Boxed: HEE-HAW, 1970

At the National Museum of American History, one can find on display a tin lunch box of HEE-HAW, a musical comedy show on CBS, which ran from 1969-1972. The popular show starred Buck Owens and Roy Clark.

The lunchbox was made in 1970 by King Seeley.  The lunch box has a metal snap for a hinged lid and a collapsible red, plastic handle. The exterior features images from the country variety television show.The TV lunchbox is shown with an unused coloring book, an authorized edition from the same HEE HAW TV show.

379. VINTAGE G.I. JOES IN A FOOTLOCKER BOX, 1960s

Opening this 1960s G.I. Joe wooden footlocker box is like peeking into Ali Baba's cave of treasures! This ebay find houses two vintage G.I. Joe action figures, one from the 60s and the other--a flocked-haired Joe--from the 70s decade.

The footlocker doesn't just contain these figures in good condition, but also a stash of clothes, uniforms, and plastic accessories. I really haven't sorted the stuff, but I am sure they will be of use to me later, when I re-dress them.

This is the older of the dolls, and it's a scar-faced brown haired Joe. I need a beret to go along with his outfit. he should date from 1964.

The more hirsute Joe still has his lush hair and beard after all these years. They sold for 34$ which is a steal, considering how Hasbro's 'action doll for boys' has risen steadily in price, with no signs of waning. There's a saying that goes--when you die, God looks not at your medals, but at your scars--and G.I. Joe sure has lots of them! And that's why I collect them!

339. Worth Flipping Over: FARRAH FAWCETT GLAMOUR CENTER

You can't miss those flyaway bangs and that wind-tousled hairdo. It's Farrah  Fawcett! The beautiful star who gained worldwide stardom in the hit TV crime series, "Charlie's Angels" first aired in 1976. Farrah was cast as one of 3 crime-busting beauties (Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson were the other 2) working for big boss, Charlie. As Jill Munroe, Farrah captivated the audience with her beautiful sunshiny looks--and locks--that had every girl  styling their hair in a Farrah Flip.

Soon, many toy companies began taking note of Farrah's strong following and in no time at all, acquired licenses to make 'Charlie's Angel" action figures and a separate Farrah Fawcett fashion doll, all capturing her distinct square-jawed face and thick, flyaway mane. . 

But this Farrah Glamour Center beats them all. Made in HongKong in 1978, it features a vinyl bust of Farrah, with rooted synthetic hair that one can style to duplicate her famous flip--using rollers, combs, curlers and brushes. The likeness to the star is very good, but the soft vinyl used has a tendency to droop after some years, causing her chin to droop as well. Farrah--voted as one of the Top 50 TV Stars of All Time-- passed away in 2009 after a 3-year bout with cancer. Thankfully, glamorous bust will allow me to remember her and her famous Farrah Flip with every stroke of the brush.

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.

326. TV-BASED BOOKS: If You Can’t Watch ‘Em, Read ‘Em!

 My favorite bookstore isn’t one of those established but expensive bookshops with fancy book titles, but an unpretentious used-book sale chain that goes by the name—Book Sale. I tell you, everything with a ‘sale’ in its name has got to be my favorite. For in this messy jumble of books, one can find unexpected collectible titles—and my nifty collection of TV-base books is proof of that. Whenever I can’t get enough of my fave TV series, I buy their book counterparts, so I can read the story at my own pace; no commercials too!

 My treasure trove of pop culture books include those based on 60s spythriller “The Man from U.N.C.L.E. that had Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Russian partner Ilya Kuryakin (David MacCallum) using gimmicky weapons against the evil THRUSH network. Also from the 60s is “Garrison’s Gorrilas”, a war drama about 4 convicts recruited to be commandos by Lt. Greg Garrison. Two favorite sci-fi series are: “Land of the Giants”, which features the story of survival of the Spindthrift spaceship that crashed in a planet full of giants; and “Space 1999”, that starred husband and wife team Martin Landau and Barbara Bain.

Jack Lord’s “Hawaii 5-O” initially got my interest with its catchy theme song, but I was not a big fan; I got the book anyway. Sonny and Cher had a TV show of the same name, so I got Cher’s book bio too. I could certainly relate to “James at 15” starring Lance Kerwin as I was still in my teens when the show aired. The plots revolved around teen angst, mostly, and James aged in the series, the title updated to “James at 16” on the next season. Last time I saw Kerwin, he was on the horror flick, Salem’s Lot. The last book is all about boy bands from the 60s—Monkees, Bee Gees and raiders. I can’t help but smile at the now-archaic buzz words that every teen spewed out in the 60s, like “outasite”, “groovy”, “freaky”, and “dig it!”

 Next time you’re in Book Sale, scrounge around and look for these classic TV-based books from the 60s and 70s. You can still enjoy them not just thru TV replays, but thru book reprints!

314. How To Enter the Dragon: BRUCE LEE KEY CHAIN

Saw this cheap, plastic martial arts key chain in a Cubao thrift shop. The small, 2.5 in. figure is gold painted, and I assumed it to be Bruce Lee, who first appeared as Kato on the Green Hornet 60s TV series. Of course, he is better known as THE kung-fu master of all times! The figure holds a pair of nanchuks (chaku) and is poised to demolish the door if the key doesn't work! Bruce Lee souvenirs--as well as martial arts collectibles, are not hot items at the moment, but that doesn't matter--it's picking for cheap collectibles that gives me a kick!

307. True Colors: TV CARTOONS MINI-COLORING BOOKS

I first saw this set of small coloring books being sold at Visual Mix, a 2nd-hand book shop that has evolved into the giant used book shop chain, Book Sale. Of course, I just had to get them; they were no ordinary color books to me--they depicted cartoon characters which I watched avidly back in the 70s and early '80s. There was PAC-MAN, based on a Japanese computer game, Pakkuman;  MARVEL'S SECRET WARS that featured all my fave super heroes like Thor, the Hulk and Spiderman; HERCULOIDS, a Hanna Barbera cartoon that had characters out to save the planet like Zandor, Tara, Dorno and Gloop & Gleep. Finally, there was POPEYE, THE SAILOR MAN, that had its beginnings in 1933, although the cartoons I remember were produced by King Features Syndicate from the 60s.

These were cheap Philippine reprints, nostalgic paper relics of  Saturday mornings of marathon cartoon-watching, when the world and I were younger.

304. 1970s FLINTSTONES PREMIUM CUPS

The Flintstones, an animated cartoon from Hanna Barbera Productions,  were a stone-age family from Bedrock, with a working class background. Like modern-day families, the Flintstones, along with their neighbors, the Rubbles, the Flinstones, headed by Fred and wife Wilma, had to contend with everyday concerns like eking out a living, issues in the workplace and at home. The cartoon was broadcast from 1 Sep. 1960 to 1 April 1966, and proved to be the most successful cartoon in 3 decades, topped only by the Simpsons. Naturally, Flintstones merchandising were made by the hundreds of thousands. This 1970 set of plastic mugs are from the popular Chewable FLINTSTONES Multiple Brand Vitamins. The plastic promo cups show Fred Flinstones, Dino and daughter Pebbles. They're about 3.75 in. tall and 2.75 in. in diameter. When I found this set in a U.S. flea market being sold for $5, I could not stop myself from screaming..."Yabba Dabba Dooooo"!

302. Fire Away! BINONDO FIREMAN'S HELMET

Now here's a pick that I didn't have to pick. It was a freebie from a second-hand dealer whom I have patronized for some time. I never get out of his shop empty-handed, so out of appreciation, he gifted me with this aluminum helmet, painted red and inscribed with "East Binondo", which I assumed was a fire brigade in that Chinatown district. There is a logo: OCR-PICAG AFP, which I found out after googling, stood for Office for Civil relations-Public Information Civic Action Group, a defunct group of the Armed Forces during the Martial Law years.

It's apparent that this helmet has seen better days--it's been repainted several times as seen from the paint layers--it must have been blue before it was red! Maybe this was not even a fireman's helmet before, perhaps a protective gear from the violent rallies that went before the infamous Sept. 21, 1972 date.

There are Chinese incriptions written in permanent marker,on the inside of the helmet. Maybe you can figure that out, as I can't read Chinese. In the meanwhile, I left this helmet hanging on a wall shelf--it's rather off when displayed together with my antique salakots. I may never have use for this, but it's nifty to think that I have a genuine 'occupational collectible" from the Martial Law period!!

270. Keep on Truckin': FARGO TOY WOODEN TRUCK

I chanced upon an amazing vintage toy shop at the famed Cubao Expo just 3 weeks ago--and boy, was I in luck! It was on a Sunday, and the store was supposed to be closed--but by chance, the shop owner was around, about to be interviewed for some TV feature.Seeing the door open, I insinuated myself in while the TV crew was preparing their equipment. Immediately, I saw this wooden blue and red truck, with handwritten sign that identified it as belonging to Fargo Trucking.

It assumed that this nice toy truck was an advertising giveaway of some sorts, a premium given to loyal clients. I tried googling the company name, but couldn't find this trucking that touted its incredible delivery destinations with confidence-- "Manila--to Any Point on Earth!". It's a well-made toy, with wooden wheels that roll perfectly and with an open-box bed hinged at the rear that can be lifted. I would probably date this to the 70s, an example of a rare advertising premium made in the Philippines!

269. ROBBIN'S COIN BANK

ROBBIN' COINS & SAVIN' THEM. A plastic collectible advertising giveaway in the shape of a company mascot. ca. 1970s.

Now, here's a mystery company mascot that I've been trying to identify. I got this 6.5 inch advertising giveawwy at a new, funky vintage store in Cubao recently, and I've been googling all over the net just to identify it--with no luck. This is a figural plastic coin bank of a man with a Cheshire cat grin, wearing a boat hat and holding on to a book.

It is marked "Robbin's", but other than that, his identification eludes me. I thought he had some connection with a fastfood chain. Maybe he's even a trade character for a bank. Any clues?

261. COLLECTING ESTAMPITAS

 The most affordable antique ephemera are perhaps, those small, mass-produced devotional pictures we call "estampitas", or holy cards. In our Christian tradition, estampitas were meant for the use of the faithful, and they typically depict images of saints or religious scenes. The reverse may contain a prayer, some of which promise an indulgence for its recitation. The circulation of these cards is an important part of the visual folk culture of Roman Catholics.

An important part of the visual folk culture of Filipino Roman Catholics, estampitas were used as iconographic guides in the carving of saints. Early cards were just black and white engravings on parchment, sometimes hand-tinted, until the advent of color lithography and newer printing techniques.

 

The more desirable estampitas are the pierced paper examples that simulate lace. In the center, a colored religious picture is imprinted. Because of their delicate cut-outs, these cards are rarely survived without tears and missing parts, so they remain on top of the list of holy card collectors.

Other estampita variants include Vocation Cards, given out by priests and nuns to celebrate milestones ion their religious life like ordination, profession and sacerdotal anniversraies. There are also Memorial Cards. Sacramental Cards (to mark Baptism, Communion, etc.) and Souvenir Cards from places of pilgrimage.

Since hundreds of thousands are still available, judicious collectors often collect by visual themes (Angels, Saints, Holy Week Scenes, Infant Jesus, Virgin Mary) or categories (Holy Communion Cards, Prayer Cards, Lace Cards, Local Cards). The estampitas shown here, numbering over 200 pieces all came in an album, sold by a private collector though a dealer. Reasonable priced, they are the most appealing paper collectibles one can find today.

251. Boxed: THE BUGALOOS

One of my favorite after-high school cartoons (yes, I was still into kiddie cartoons in high school!) was the TV show, The Bugaloos, produced by brothers Sidney Krofft and Martin Krofft, that aired from 1970 to 1972. The Bugaloos were a musical group of four British-accented teenagers, who lived in fictional Tranquility Forest. They wore insect-themed outfits with antennae and wings which allowed them to fly, and were constantly harassed by the jealous Benita Bizarre,played by comedienne Martha Raye, whom I keep mistaking for Phyllis Diller!. Well, what do you know, in 1971, Aladdin Industries came up with The Bugaloos lunchbox, and here's one that survived the trash bin. Forty two years old, and rusty on one side, it features Benita out to attack the singing band of bugs! Not exactly in great condition, but still good enough to churn again  those fuzzy, funny and funky memories of my dysfunctional childhood--when cartoons ruled my weekends and musical bugs were all I cared about!

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?

229. Good Cluck Find: MECHANICAL EGG-LAYING TIN CHICKEN

Now this battery-powered tin chicken toy caught my fancy in a roadside shop--only because of its  unsually funny complex features--it pushes a pram containing her bobbling-head chicks, walks with a loud squalk while moving its wings and then stops to lay 2 plastic eggs! Now that's a weird playtime pleaser! I've seen a couple of YouTube videos of similar egg-laying chicken toys--but not like this pram-pushing variety. The condition of this toy is perfect--maybe it's missing 1 egg, but other than that, I see no major mechanical defects. Which leads me to believe that this is a newer toy model, possibly from the 70s? Or even later. I originally thought this was made in Japan, but a reader corrected me--it's made in China (thanks RodC). What a fine feathered find!

227. I, ROBOT: A Horikawa Shoot 'n Walk Robot

One of the most prolific makers of Japanese battery operated toys was the Horikawa company which manufactured and sold hundreds of different tin robots and space toys. Horikawa sold so many different robots in the 1950's through 80's that new variations are being found regularly by collectors--just like this vintage 70s monter, which came literally robot-walked to my doorstep. It's a large, heft robot (16" tall!), noseless, with tin and plastic body. When running on its batteries, it walks, stops, and its chest opens to reveal a deadly set of rocket artillery, which it shoots with matching light flashes and sound effects. Pretty impressive for a 40++ year old robot, no?

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.

198. Boxed: THE BIONIC WOMAN

Hot on the heels of "The 6 Million Dollar Man" came a spin-off TV series--"The Bionic Woman", starring Lindsay Wagners as tennis pro Jamie Sommers who survived a skydiving accident but only after being outfiited with "bionic" implants similar to Steve Austin. As the result of Jaime's bionics, she has amplified hearing in her right ear, a greatly strengthened right arm, and stronger and enhanced legs which enable her to run at up to 60 miles per hour.

The series premiered on ABC in January 1976 and became the fifth most-watched television show of the 1975-1976 season. It ended in 1978, only to be resurrected in 2007--but the revival was short-lived. Aladdin issued this metal lunchbox in 1978 to ride on the show's popularity. It is similar to the one previously made a year earlier except for one panel, which shows Jaime outrunning a dog. This version shows her stopping a runaway car.

This Bionic Woman lunchbox is in pristine condition, never used, and with its own thermos. In this condition, a price guide book pegs its value at $250! That sure costs a bionic arm and leg!

197. SMILEY MUG

Back in the psychedelic-age-of-Aquarius 70s, the yellow "Smiley Face" made its appearance in pop art -- mirroring the exuberant, carefree and hallucinogenic happy mood of the decade. "Smiley" made its appearance on every inconceivable material--curtains, wastebasket, stationery, decals and even mugs---such as this one made by McCoy Pottery. It is marked with the McCoy USA name and log on the bottom. McCoy Pottery was established way back in 1910 by Nelson McCoy, manufacturing utilitarian pieces which proved to be popular in the 1930s. The business declined in the 70s and closed permanently in 1990. "Smiley Face" has continued to evolve however, and scores of variants have been generated, known in the cyberworld today as 'emoticons'.

177. Boxed: SPACE 1999

Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that aired from 1975 to 1977, produced by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson . It tells of a cataclysmic accident on 1999, where the Moon was knocked out of its orbit, sending i 311 inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha hurtling into space.
Main stars include husband and wife Martin Landau and Barbara Bain who portrayed Commander John Koenig and Dr. Helena Russell respectively. Its fame was shortlived, but long enough to merit its own lunchbox, manufactured by King Seeley Thermos in 1976. The front panels show the stars--Dr. Russell with her nemesis--a multi-tentacled monster, while the Cmdr. Koenig side features a lunar rover. In 1975, 1999 seemed so remote. But 1999 came and went and we've not seen any futuristic creature remotely looking like those featured in the show. And did I tell you that Martin and Barbara has since split up as a couple? Maybe they needed more--space.