214. Advertique: YCO PAINT KEYCHAIN

YCO was a leading manufacturer of paints and wax from the 1930s thru the 60s. YCO was the acronym of Ynchausti and Company, founded by the Spanish Basque Ynchaustis, whose various business (Bank of the Philippine Islands, La Carlota Sugar Central, Ynchausti Steamship, Rizal Cement, Tanduay, among others) fueled the growing Philippine economy for decades. At the turn of the 19th century, Ynchausti and Company were the largest Philippine conglomerate and shipping firm and very likely the first Philippine multinational; with offices in San Francisco, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Manila.

"Paint and Beautify!" was the advertising slogan of YCO Paints in the 1930s--and the product proved to be quite successful. In the late 1940s, YCO even sponsored a basketball team--the YCO Painters that won several championships in the 50s and 60s from the Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA) basketball tournaments and from the National Open. Olympian Caloy Loyzaga used to play for the legendary ball team that was active till the 70s.

By the 1950s, Elizalde Paints and Wax was manufacturing the paints with the same popular brand name. The paint and wax products were actively promoted in women's magazines and Sunday weeklies. With the advent of TV advertising, its other product line--YCO Floorwax-- became a byword with its slogan "Sapak and apak, sa YCO Floor Wax". The only known advertising premium given away by YCO Paints is this small keychain that is a replica of a real YCO Mixed Paint can. Found in a Kamuning collectible shop, it dates from the 50s, the peak of popularity for YCO products that made life shinier and more colorful, for over half a century.

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!

211. ROSEBUD HORSMAN DOLL

This is a 17" composition Rosebud doll by Horsman, one of the leading doll makers in the U.S. whose products found their way to Philippine emporiums and Manila department stores. She was a popular doll in the early 30's, made with a composition swivel head, shoulder plate, and limbs. This doll has gray tin sleep eyes with most of her hair lashes intact. Her open mouth reveals a felt tongue and four upper teeth. She has nice deeply molded dimples with blush on her cheeks, backs of hands, elbows, and knees. On the back of the neck, we find her name-- ROSEBUD.

She wears her brunette mohair wig styled in bangs and her original tagged dress that still retains its bright colors. The only damage are a few tiny pinholes on the back of the collar. The tag reads, HORSMAN DOLL MFD IN USA.

Apparently, this doll was well-cared for by its 86 year-old owner, who had her when she was about 8 or so. She was kept in a cardboard box in an aparador (cabinet), and there it stayed until she decided to sell the entire contents of her house--Rosebud included. I am glad she's moved in with me, where she awaits to be displayed a toy museum, soon to rise in my province!

210. FIGURAL GOOGLIE CREAMER

I found this googlie-eyed creamer staring at me in an antique shop in Devonport, New Zealand, a charming, seaside resort in Auckland. Figural creamers have been around for so long and most are in the shape of cows, people heads and other animals. This one though, is quite a character. I did a bit of research but found nothing of this houseware collectible that definitely dates from the 1950s. For some reason, it reminded me of a man-in-the-moon or one of those nursery rhyme characters--Humpty Dumpty perhaps. Maybe it was part of a set or a premium giveaway from a now-extinct product. I thought I paid a bit too much for this creamer (30NZ$, or close to a thousand bucks), but then I'd be whacking my head now if I hadn't gotten it. I am sure I will be staring back at this googlie creamer each time I drink my coffee, amused by the thought that I will be as wide-eyed as him in the morning!!

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.

208. HEY THERE, BARBIE DOLL!

An early Barbie doll from the collection of a 65++ year old mother who had this as a teen in 1961. A friend who works for an airline bought her this brunette Barbie, already a worldwide hit in the 60s, in France, of all places. After years of play, the daughter of the original owner decided to put it up for sale online--so that's how it got to my toy chest!

Barbie (Barbie Millicent Roberts) is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.

Contrary to the seller who advertised this as the first Afro-American Barbie, this is actually Barbie Ponytail #5. It is different from the Barbies released in the previous years in that it has a new, hard hollow torso, and a flesh-like, tanned complexion (earliest Barbies had a pale, ghostly skin color). Her brunette hair has a firmer texture, and she comes dressed in her traditional striped swimsuit, earrings, high heels and shades (now missing). She has also lost her wire stand.

Ken, Barbie's boyfriend, would be introduced the same year this doll came out (1961), and there has never been an idle moment since their first meeting. Yes, I do have a Ken doll from that era as well, a perfect match to my vintage Barbie acquisition. In the meanwhile, the two stand side-by-side in a glass encased cabinet in my toy room, playful reminders of an era when girls' idea of leisure was dressing up Barbie and pretending to go to shindigs with their Kens in tow.