378. MOPTOP COMBO PLAYER FIGURINES

Now here's a pair of Made in Japan figurines that hark back to the age of the Beatles, Shindig, Dave Clark 5, American Bandstand, the Monkees, and Hullabaloo. The two china figures represent combo players of the 60s era, and may have once graced a teenage girl's room, as she listened to her vinyl records playing the songs of Paul, John, Ringo and George on her plastic turntable. Alas,only two figurines remain--one singing the melody while beating a conga, the other, strumming away on his red electric guitar. The drummer and,possibly, the bass player are missing from the set, but that doe not detract from kischy cuteness of these two boy band members, who even have their original nylon moptop hair! And note the green bases where they stand--complete with musical notes! You could almost hear them belting out.."She loves you yeah...yeah...yeah!".

362. NOT-SO-NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK DOLLS

Remember the American boy band, New Kids on the Block (NKOTB)? Donnie, Danny, Jonathan, Jordan and Joey sent teenyboppers screaming whenever they took to the stage, did their dance grooves as they belted out their hit songs that included Step-by-Step, Please Don't Go Girl, Baby I Believe In You, Hangin' Tough and This One's For Children. By the1990s, they were one of the most popular acts in music, even beating out Madonna and Prince. Their merchandising machine churned out books, comics, buttons, lunch boxes--and this set of NKOTB dolls manufactured by Hasbro. But by 1995, rocked with allegations of lip synching and diverging interests, the group started to break-up until they disbanded. These 2 dolls (Jordan and Danny) --found in a used toy shop--are mementos of their heyday--when they were at the top of their game ast international hitmakers. I am missing the 3 other boys though.  Things are looking up for NKOTB fans when, in 2008, they had reunion concerts, and by 2013, the group was on tour again, in a new attempt to try to regain their popularity--Step-by-Step!

359. HEY! HEY! IT'S THE MONKEES WALLET

I had no idea what this Monkees memento was---I have seen Monkees comic books, vinyl boxes, Monkeemobile cars---but a Monkees wallet? It certainly was my first time to see one--and it was being offered by a collectibles shop on facebook! I googled for more information, and sure enough, my search led me to an auction site with a similar example. Turns out that this is a very rare 1966 wallet made by Mattel  (c) Raybert Productions Inc. It measures 3.5 x 4.25 inches, folded. The purse has a ball chain attached to a zipper. It has plastic sleeves for photos, slots for a comb and emory board and an insert for a small mirror, and even plastic change counter to hold loose coins.

The wallet is wildly illustrated with the caricatures of the 4 Monkees, with facsimile signatures--Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones--surfing and playing their instruments. The Monkees Guitar logo appears at the top.The TV-manufactured band rose to prominence thru their hit series, "The Monkees", which found fame from 1965-1971. A pristine example offered by Hake's Americana Auctions was sold for $261 in 2005. This does not even come close to how much I paid for this wallet--true, it was missing the clasp (I had a replacement done at a shoe repair shop), but the graphics are complete and the rest of the parts intact. This rare Monkees collectible is proof that you can still find the proverbial needle in the haystack, so now I have become--what else-- a Daydream Believer!

358. Boxed: THE BEATLES

The Holy Grail of lunchbox collecting has got to be this original Beatles Lunchbox that dates back from 1965by Aladdin Industries. It has great embossed panels which feature the faces and facsimile signature of the Liverpool lads, Paul McCartney,John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Lunchboxes in pristine condition can go for as much as $1,000!! Without the thermo, the box can still command more than $300!

Beatles Lunchboxes, even at those stratospheric prices, are easily snapped up by both boxers and Beatles memorabilia collectors. Locally, it is next to impossible to find these pop culture boxes--I have only seen 2 of them for sale here, with one rusty example carrying a Php20,000 price tag at a collectible show.

This lunchbox in fine condition, was purchased for just a fraction of that price from a local thrift  shop that specializes in used U.S. flea market goods. The items are shipped on a regular basis in several balikbayan boxes, and are promoted thru its facebook page--which was how I came to know of this rare lunchbox.

It now sits on a shelf along with my Osmonds and Bee Gees lunchboxes (I'm still missing the Monkees), my collecting tribute to the bands and their music I grew up with. John and Geroge may have passed on, but this Beatles box--with their four young happy faces--is a constant reminder of the force of the fab Four, and how they rocked and rolled our world.

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!

205. Pulling Strings: VINTAGE UKULELE

At the most recent Greenhills Antique Fair, I found this Philippine-made toy ukulele that I could not resist. It dates from the 1950s , and is fairly in good shape for a 50 year old musical instrument. At first, I thought it was a toy guitar--it was shaped like one. But then it only had 4 strings, making it an official ukulele. And to top it all, it was still playable.

I tried singing "My dog has fleas", to tune the 4 nylon strings, but it remains out of tune, so I'll leave it that way in the meantime. The front panel of the ukelele is inlaid with some other material, possibly plastic or other wood. Of hawaiian origin, the ukulele was widely popular in the Philippines in the 50s and 60s--thanks to Tiny Tim who strummed a uke to the tune of his hit song, "Tiptoe Thru the Tulips". Israel Kamakawiwo'ole revived the popularity of the instrument thru his 1993 medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World" that reached #12 on Billboard's digital chart. Likewise, Bruno Mars does a lot of songs accompanied by lazy uke strumming. Now, there's even a museum devoted to the tiny ukulele (http://www.ukulele.org/), proof that it has earned its place in musical history!

189. 1964 MISS INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SHEET

Fresh from my Kamuning thrift shopping comes this memento of Gemma Cruz's Miss International triumph in Long Beach. The first ever global beauty winner from the Philippines, Gemma redefined the Filipina beauty stereotype with her victory; after all, she had distinct Malayan looks (mestizas like Lalaine Bennett and Josephine Estrada were the rage at that time) and was a woman of culture and intellect (she played the nose flute in the local contest and was already working at the National Museum). To top it all, she had a national hero--Dr. Jose Rizal, no less, as a relative!

When she left to compete in the U.S., she was sent off with only a few relatives and 10 friends (Ten-tacles, she called them), but when she came back as Miss International, the whole country embraced her! She was given tributes of all sorts and this musical composition of Alice Doria Gamilla is just one example. "My Wonderful World Is You" was composed for the piano by Gamilla, who would also find fame as the composer of Pilita Corrales's signature hit, "A Million Thanks To You", that was even recorded by famous international artists like Bobbi Martin and translated in 7 languages!

Shamcey Supsup's recent Miss Universe 3rd runner up win also has interesting parallels with Gemma's Miss International experience. Soothsayers predicted that she will be a "thank you, girl", while others talk of the so-called "UP curse" that plagued brainy UP winners of Bb. Pilipinas Universe--all losers in the contest. Like Gemma, Shamcey left with little publicity. Like Gemma, she came back to an adoring nation, was paraded, serenaded and even met Pres. Noynoy. Shamcey seems to have it all for now...but like Gemma, will she have her own special music sheet entitled "My Wonderful Universe Is You?". I wonder.

179. Dollified: JORDAN OF NKOTB

Remember the NKOTB? (New Kids On The Block)? Not too long ago, this American boy band from Boston took the music world by storm in the late 80s and early '90s with their record-breaking songs (80 million sold worldwide) and a slew of American Music Awards. The band members included Donnie Wahlberg (Marky Mark's sibling), Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood, Jonathan andJordan Knight--whose 1991 dollified likeness is featured here. This 12" Jordan 'action fashion figure' is from the Collectors Series and made by Big StepCollectibles/Hasbro Inc. I bought this at a discounted price in a Hong Kong toy shop years ago. On ebay, this indivual doll is priced from anywhere between $9.99 to 49.99. A complete 5-doll set goes anywhere from $100-185!!.

After disbanding in 1994, Jordan Knight scored post NKOTB success when he released a self-titled solo album in 1999 that went gold. He also scored a top 10 hit with "Give It to You", which went platinum. His second solo album entitled "Jordan Knight Performs New Kids on the Block: The Remix Album" was also warmly received. Not bad, huh? Even his dolls sell well on ebay!

173. Hey, hey it's: THE MONKEEMOBILE

"Hey, hey we're the Monkees!"
In 1967, the American-assembled boy band, THE MONKEES, was launched on TV and took the teen world by storm. Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Mark Nesmith and the diminutive Davy Jones became instant bubblegum celebrities and their songs and music became known worldwide--from "Last Train to Clarksville", "Daydream Believer" and "I Wanna Be Free" (which we used to sing to death in our high school songfest).

Aside from their hit records, there were Monkees lunchboxes, Monkees puppets, Monkees books, Monkees Viewmaster---and Monkeemobiles-- toy replicas of their funky tour car. The more common ones were the small diecast Corgi toys made in 1966, but rarer still is this 1968
tin batter- operated and friction 1968 Pontiac GTO Monkeemobile car made by ASC of Japan.
Unfortunately, this Monkeemobile--found in a Cubao junk shop, has lots of missing parts. Of the band members, only the vinyl body of the driver remains. The car used to have a plastic windshield and comes with soft rubber tires with chrome hubcaps. There also used to be a battery operated sound box, which when switched, plays the TV show theme song. One example of this rare Monkeembolie in pristine condition and with box intact sold for a whopping $1, 191.78 in an auction! Why, I can buy a real, driveable car with stereo for that amount!

163. Playbill: AIDA PROGRAM & PHOTO

Talk about being cultured in the 1920s! Manila Grand Opera House was the center of high culture during the American occupation, the equivalent of today's CCP. It featured Western-style entertainment, showcased Italian artists and local opera productions such as Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida", first performed in Cairo in 1871. It is the story of Aida, an Ethiopian princess who was captured and forced into slavery in Egypt. A military commander, Radames, struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. In turn Radames was pursued by the Pharaoh's daughter Amneris, who spurned her advances.


The 1933 Philippine production was headlined by the Manila Chamber Music Society and a stellar cast that included: Mrs. Angela A. de Gonzaga (Aida), Jose Barredo ( Radames), Vicente Vera (Amonasro)--all shown in the photo that was found separately in my flavor-of-the-month Q.C. junkshop. I scored the opera program (pardon the pun) from a Makati paper dealer. Others in the cast: Nelia Manalo (Amneris), Gerado Ayllon (Gran Sacerdote) and Manule Galicano (Amneris' father).

"Aida" has been adapted as a musical by Elton John and Tim Rice in 2000, but Pinoys beat the Broadway cast by 67 years, with their own version of "la grandiosa opera en cuatro actos y siete cuadros" premiering on 21 February 1933.

159. Boxed: THE OSMONDS

Take your lunch with Donny. Or Jay. Or Merrill. Or Alan. Or with the whole toothy Osmonds Bunch. This is a 1973 tin lunchbox made to honor the Osmond teen throbs that gave the Jacksons a run for their money. Still in good shape, despite some nicks and dings. The thermo is missing though. There's a rarer vinyl version featuring Donny and Marie, but this one looks better. In pristine condition, this lunchbox is worth about $75. Who cares if you have only a "One Bad Apple"? Take it to school in this spiffy lunchbox made by Aladdin Industries!

158. RHYTHM TOTE

A must-have music accessory for the 50s teen is this vinyl record carrier to store and tote 45 rpm records from one shindig to the next. The "Rhythm Tote" comes with 12 brown paper sleeves where one can slip in his precious discs of Frankie Avalon, Elvis Presley, Sandra Dee, Buddy Holly (..and don't forget those of our very own Diomedes Maturan and Bobby Gonzales!). Many of these cheap plastic teen stuffs were made in Hong Kong--I even remember a vinyl wallet version of this, complete with a mirror! American Bandstand and Dance-o-Rama--here we come!

154. Music & Memories: JINGLE SONGBOOK MAGAZINE

The Philippine music scene of the 1970s was not just defined by moptop artists, British bands and folksinging groups—but also by a revolutionary songbook that became a byword in its heyday: JINGLE Songbook Magazine—or just plain JINGLE, to a horde of guitar-strumming, music-loving young people, myself included. Before JINGLE, we only had squeaky-clean songhits with predictable titles like “Hit Parade” and “Song Cavalcade”. But the launching of JINGLE changed all that: it was fun, it was attuned to the times, it was irreverent and wacky, it poked fun at the establishment, and it answered young people’s clamor for better entertainment.

First published in 1970 by Jingle Clan Publications, the first issue had the Beatles on the cover and featured 90 pages of songs—around 120 of them, 100 of which came complete with guitar chords. JINGLE was a staple in many high schools and colleges in the country, as it made singing and playing guitar so easy (the magazine had a pull-out guitar chord guide)—all for jut P2.50. JINGLE music had it all-- from Jack Jones to Tom Jones, Beatles to Monkees, Motown to Soul, Platters to Peter, Paul and Mary, James Taylor to Carole King, Pilita Corrales to Nora Aunor, ballads, folk songs, standards, songs from rock musicals (“Tommy”, “Jesus Christ Superstar” and more.

The articles too, were hip and cool, dished by a stable of writers that included Juaniyo Arcellana, Vicar Rosales, Pennie Azarcon and Ces Rodriguez. Emil Davocol and Dani Tagbo did very “in” illustrations that found their way on mod T-Shirts. I remember one beautifully-illlustrated poster that came free with an issue of JINGLE, a Pilipino translation of “Desiderata” done in calligraphy. I remember framing that poster for my room! Of course, JINGLE also gave other assorted freebies with every issue—like a Beatles’ bookmark, a David Cassidy poster , frameable quotations.

A lot of risqué things could be found on every page—from green songs and jokes (I even won First Prize in their regular send-a-joke contest, with my entry featured prominently on “The Grin Page”), protest songs and Anti-Marcos establishment commentaries. It ‘s no wonder JINGLE was one of the publications that incurred the ire of authorities and was targeted for closure during the Martial Law days. But so popular was JINGLE that it was soon made available again, spawning imitation songbook magazines like MopTop, Burgis (which became BM after Martial Law), He & She. It even raised its prices to Php 4.75 in 1077, and two years later, an issue cost Php6.00. Re-issues that came out in 2009 cost a whopping Php80.00.

JINGLE was line-extended with the coming of JINGLE Extra Hot Magazine that was a showbiz tabloid of some sort, but as they say—the original (concept) is still the best. Today, re-issues of past JINGLE editions are still available, reproduced to the last detail—including pull-outs—by Jackpot Publications.

Shown above are two original issues from 1977 and 1979, found at last year’s Greenhills Antique Fair, in good condition, priced at 200Php each. A cheap price to pay to reclaim a portion of my 70s youth. Err, which page again is that Jim Croce song?

131. THE OSMONDS YEARBOOK

Back in the 70s, nobody can talk about the Jackson 5 without referring to the Osmonds. They arrived in the entertainment scene almost the same time, with the same "singing brothers" concept. Clearly, the Jacksons, led by Michael Jackson, became bigger stars, but the Osmonds too had their share of worldwide fan following. The boy band started in 1958 as a barbershop group featuring Alan, Wayne and Jay. They became Disneyland fixtures until Andy Williams spotted them and gave them a break on his popular show. Soon, the toothy Osmonds--which now included Merrill and Danny started making waves with "One Bad Apple", "Crazy Horses" and the now-classic "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother". Osmondmania was on!! Danny emerged as the lead star, and the '1ts family of entertainment' expanded to include Jimmy and Marie osmond who also found fame as a solo artist (remember, "Paper Roses"). Why, the Osmonds even visited the Philippines and perfomed at the Araneta Coliseum at the height of their careers!

As usual, lots of merchandise--from dolls, posters, coloring books and 'annuals' such as the ones pictured above, were produced to satisfy obsessed fans. Donny and Marie went on to have a successful TV show as well which ran thru the 80s. Post-Osmond fame, the family suffered financial setbacks but recovered. Donny became a Broadway hit with "Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Marie became a businesswoman, designing dolls. Jimmy opened the Osmond Family Theater in Missouri, while the rest of his brothers formed a much in-demand country group. Recently, Donny and Marie were seen on "Dancing with the Stars", where Danny emerged as the grand winner. Today, the Osmonds continue to perform as individual artists and as a group, bringing back their music to their baby boomer fans in the U.S. and around the world.

72. The Sensation of our Time: EFREN MONTES

Efren Montes burned the 70s airwaves with his monster hit song: "Kiss Me, Kiss Me". (Sample lyrics: "A-kissa-kiss-akiss me in the morning, akissa-kiss me in the night! Kiss me kiss me in the daytime, kiss me kiss me all the time"). Efren--dubbed as "The Senastion of our Time" -- rose to become a TV star (he starred in the series "Padre de Pamilya") and even made a few movies. Efren recorded more LPs like this one, but they never matched the success of his first vinyl. When the child singing wonder reached his awkward years, he kissed-akissed--akissed his showbiz career goodbye.

62. Hey, You've Got to Hide this Tray Away: BEATLES TRAY

Now you can eat your cake and ogle at the Beatles too. This is Beatlemania to the extreme! John, Ringo, Paul and George immortalized on a metal tray. If you're a fan, would you dare use this funky piece of moptop memorabilia and risk rusting the smiling likenesses of the Fab Four. Of course not, in fact, this enameled serving tray made by Worcester Ware hangs in my room, like a treasured painting. And this circa 1964 tray has an authentic provenance--I got this from a trip from the famous Portobello antique strip in long-ago London trip. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

60. ATE GUY'S UKULELE

This tin ukulele, with superstar Nora Aunor's silkscreened likeness, must have been inspired by her singing of Hawaiian hit songs "Pearly Shells", "Little Grass Shack" and "Tiny Bubbles". Why she even made a whole album called "Blue Hawaii"! This is an unauthorized merchandise that was made at the height of Ate Guy's fame, mid-70s possibly. A real trubute to the "Li'l Brown Gal" of Albay! Aloha oe!

40. Boxed: THE BEE GEES

"When I was small, and Christmas trees were tall...." there were the Brothers Gibbs--the Bee Gees--Maurice, Robin and Barry. The Bee Gees were an alternative to the Beatles as their early 60s songs were more mellow with neat harmonies--Spicks and Specks, Holiday, New York Mining Disaster, Cherry Red. But the Beatles juggernaut was in full force then and so the Bee Gees had to play second fiddle to the Fab Four--that is, until the Disco Craze came along. The soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever" catapulted the group to mega-stardom, earning a horde of new found fans.The massive global impact of both the film and the soundtrack was seismic, bringing the disco sound into the mainstream. Soon, everyone was dancing to the beat of "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "More Than a Woman" and other hits. Lunch box companies took note of the resurgent fame of the Bee Gees, which was parlayed into a metal lunchbox you now see here.

Maurice would die in 2003 (younger brother Andy died much earlier, in 1988, of a heart problem) and the Bee Gess were never the same again. But whatever, their memory is still "stayin' alive..stayin' alive...ha-ha-ha-ha-stayin' aliiiii--iiii---iivve!

24. HAVE A PARTRIDGE FOR LUNCH!

C'mon, get happy! Remember Keith (David Cassidy), Laurie (Susan Dey), Danny (Danny Bonaduce), Tracy (Suzanne Crough), Chris (Jeremy Gelbwalks/Brian Forster) and Mrs. Shirley Patridge (Shirley Jones)? They were famous 70s family songbirds on TV who made it big with a no. 1 hit, "I Think I Love You". To think that only David and real-life stepmom Shirley did the singing. For 4 years (1970-74), the bus-driving Partridges were the toast of the U.S. showbiz circuit, making records and generating merchandise and collectibles lapped up by frenzied fans (that included me)--from gameboards, paper dolls, coloring books--and yes, this metal lunchbox with a matching thermos. I love the groovy graphics and the Mondrian inspired colors and lay-out! The Partridges in real life, has since gone to live laughable, eccentric, troubled and mixed-up lives (Remember Danny's transvestite encounter? David's tell-all sleaze book? Shirley's quirky 2nd marriage?)--but this lunchbox is a remembrance of a family's TV-perfect fantasy life--good-looking, talented, rich and famous!

20. RADIO GA-GA!

Where have all the transistor radios of yore gone? Time was when everybody had them! I found this funky, gleaming yellow '50s Dynatron Tourist transistor in one of the stalls of the famous Portobello Road antique strip in London--and still in great working condition. I think I paid 10 pounds for it back in 1989. (However, I can't find a similar 2-terminal square battery, so now all it does is squeak static!). Video killed the radio star--but not this one!