Showcasing 20th century print advertising and pop culture curiosities. Specialities: toys, fashion, comics, movies, vinyl records and art. One of the most comprehensive archives you'll find on the net. Established 2011.
TVTA is pleased to present part 2 of the scans for this wonderful German Schleich catalogue featuring world-famous Peyo Smurfs figurines.
Part 1 showing the entire 1965 to 1986 Smurfs figurine range can be seen here
In part 2 we look at some of the figurine history and production processes; comic strips and animation; plus brilliant photographs showing some famous (and very lucky) 1980s recipients of the German pop culture magazine Pop Rocky ‘Golden Hammer Smurf’ awards!
Kim!
Kim Wilde photographed with her Pop Rocky Golden Hammer Smurf Award.
ABBA…
Abba photographed with Pop Rocky Golden Hammer Smurf Award.
Smash! Another collection completed! It’s only taken me since 1996… well, better late than never, and there is something sweet about finishing a target after a long wait.
Walkers Star Wars Tazo Collector’s Force Pack was a free ring binder book you could send off for in 1996 to celebrate the release of The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition.
To complete the pack you needed to collect ‘Tazos’ (sometimes known as ‘Pogs’) which could be found sealed inside packs of Walkers Crisps, French Fries, Monster Munch, Quavers, and Doritos. Each Tazo was a circular, cardboard disc, and came printed with images from the original trilogy Star Wars films.
I’m sharing this wonderful post about 1950s board games, courtesy of fellow WP blogger Retro Dee
So cool! Please visit Retro Dee’s site for more 1950s goodness!
Board games are always a fun way to spend a night in with the family. Even today, when video game systems, i-pads and smart phones have taken over the world, nothing is quite like the family fun interaction of a good ole fashioned board game.
Many classics that we still have today were available back then such as “Monopoly”, “Scrabble”, “Sorry”, “Chutes and Ladders”, and my personal favorite, “Clue”.
“Clue” came out just at the end of the 1940’s, and first arrived on the market with simple cartoon drawings depicting the six suspects on the box.
“Clue” circa 1950
By 1956, Parker Brothers had already updated Clue, with a bit more detail given to the characters, but not yet the classic Clue game that most of us are familiar with.
In the British news I saw an article on the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. Memories came back…
Anthrax 1989 Birmingham NEC ticket.
Foo Fighters 2007 Birmingham NEC ticket.
Marillion 1987 NEC Birmingham ticket.
Metallica 1988 NEC Birmingham ticket.
When I lived in England, I went to music shows and a WWE WrestleMania at the NEC. I always thought it was a good venue. Now, during the pandemic, the venue is to act as a temporary Covid-19 treatment hospital.
How the pandemic changes things… instead of entertainment fans, NEC visitors might now be emergency patients. Instead of artists and crew, NEC workers might be doctors, nurses, carers…
Bravo the NEC (if it’s possible to congratulate a building?). Let’s hope it doesn’t come to patients being admitted, and that the numbers – not just in the UK but everywhere – of those requiring hospital care fall instead of rise.
Britain’s Prince William speaks via videolink as he officially opens the NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham, built in the National Exhibition Centre on April 16, 2020. Photograph: Reuters. Image link: The Guardian International.
Testing, testing…
Luke Sywalker’s Headset. 1978.
For our team at work, last week was one of certain anxiety… our residents took the Covid-19 virus test, and we had to wait for the staggered results to come in. I’m very pleased to report that each one tested negative 🙂 Good. Considering most French residential and nursing homes are infected, we remain in excellent shape right now. Good protocols. Decent equipment. Diligent staff. Luck? The battle continues!
After the residents had been tested, it was the turn of the staff.
Let’s be honest, everyone at work was dreading having to take it. You had to fill in health forms. Then a nose swab taken by a nurse suited and booted up in full PPE. 30 seconds or so of swabbing. Not too uncomfortable, but it made your eyes water. And that was it. Then it was the wait… 3 days…
My result – negative. And the results of the rest of the team – negative!
A huge relief. If only temporary. And not to let our guard down in the slightest!
Chewbacca bandolier offer variation. 2000 AD Prog 337 1983. UK.
Question:
Anyone playing video games during lockdown?
Grandstand Pocket Scramble and Pocket Pac-Man. 1983. UK.
Atari Centipede. 1983. UK.
Mario Tennis Aces. France. 2018.
The Simpsons Game. UK. 2007.
Death Star Battle video game. US. 1983.
Or how about Top Trumps!
Waddingtons Top Trumps. 1983. UK.
I found some time to play Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It’s actually a really nice distraction – world building in an environment that isn’t in lockdown and pandemic 🙂 My youngest has the New Horizons version, and it makes New Leaf already look like the vintage it’s slowly becoming.
Coming soon…
You may have noticed this post has a slight Star Wars theme running through it?
A clue? Next post is all about a collection I finally finished after starting it way back in 1996…
teaser pics
MTFBWY! Stay safe and healthy everyone 🙂
Disclaimer. This report is meant to offer an overview of the fluid impact upon a care worker in the French medical system. No names of any persons or institutions are given, and the reportage here concerns decisions made at a French national level which is available to the public at any time. No breach of confidentiality or professional workplace standards is made or implied. Any health advice stated here is exactly the same as that given by theWorld Health Organization public advice pages
I’m linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hostsSix Sentence Stories, and everyone is invited to write a story or poem constructed of six sentences, and six sentences only, based on a cue word given. This week’s cue word is Circle.
Poem: Circles of unsleep (I wanna be sedated)
Circle is the clock face saying I should be asleep; circle is the cycle ride to work and back again; same shift, same protocols of care delivered in protective bubbles I dare not breathe too hard against.
Lately I have become disc-shaped playing cards of the person I once was; shuffled, dealt, a forever-hoped-for lucky hand, laid out on a round table next to coffee cup ringlets and saucers of treats meant to keep me going… like a faithful mouser at the family farm.
Circles, circles, going round and round, loops without digression, boomerangs navigating space to return to fingers that grasp in all faith the hope we will defeat the monsters which orbit us.
Will I soon sleep soundly and not awake in the night?
Come full circle, after untold circuits, round and round, our retrodden footsteps stamped into the ground, balls of confusion and spheres of illusion as misty as peering into crystal balls with both eyes shut, will we, will we, will we circumnavigate that which seeks to destroy?
Circle is the mask I wear on my face; circle is the hole in the heel of my sock; circle is the wheel spinning on my bike; circle is the pizza and the cherry pie; circle is the window I gaze longingly through, at the lantern light of the fat, full moon: O moon, you remind me of a great wheel of cheese, as I drift off to a sleep I know I will soon be disturbed from, ba ba baba, baba ba baba… I wanna be sedated.
(After Ramones)
Metallica vs. Ramones – Sedate And Destroy (YITT mashup)
Marvel 50th Premiere. Alice Cooper. Sutton and Austin. 1979.
About Rock Cards
In 1991, the Brokum Trading Card company marketed a collectable set of heavy metal and rock band trading cards and unleashed it to the headbanging public. Cards came in random packs of 13 and featured many famous bands of the 1980s along with some class acts from the 70s. The front of each card showed a full colour photograph of the band or band member, while the back showed an additional photo along with information and stats.
Big thanks to my Canadian mate and fellow WP blogger, Resa, over at Graffiti Lux Art & More who sent me these awesome trading cards. Resa, you rock! \m/
Coming next in our Rock Cards series:
Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Exodus, Testament, Skid Row, Posion, and more!
“What the Fuck!” advert for Albert Learning dot com. 20Mins. 23 Oct 2015. France.
The French seem to have a love affair with the statement “What the fuck!” and say it often, at least the French people I know do. It always brings me a smile to hear them say this in certain situations of consternation. The advert above is a genuine ad found in a national free newspaper from 2015.
So it is with a smile that I dedicate this post to all “what the fuckery” everywhere during our current pandemic, and in honour of our dear Covid-19.
What the fuck, parks and beaches!
The selfish person’s pledge to social distancing rules:
I will go to the park or the beach whenever I like for my picnic and sunbathing needs. I will travel to my second home in the country for my holiday then return when my holiday is finished. I will do as I please because I have human rights and the sun is shining.
Depending on which part of the world you live in and what social distancing rules apply to you, the above pledge may resonate with the behaviours you are seeing from some fellow citizens.
You may have read the news story of the private jet holidaymakers forced by French police to fly back home after failing to claim their luxury spot in the sun in the south of France. What a waste of police time and jet fuel. It’s no real surprise to know that the super rich are still as eager to jump in their private jets and helicopters to seek out sunshine just as much as average family Joe Bloggs are in their cars zooming down the autoroute with suitcases packed. Some things never change on a Bank Holiday weekend in France – even in a pandemic…
But what the fuck! Please stay the fuck at home!
Lundby. Denmark. 1979.
There is no easy solution to the problem of people wanting to enjoy sunny parks and beaches during this pandemic other than please stay at home and be patient. Parks and beaches will still be there the next time around. I don’t have a garden, but do have a small terrace to catch some sun. Unfortunately, many don’t have even this small luxury. But you can still go out and feel the sun shining. Walk, jog, cycle. Just don’t gather and risk spreading the virus. It’s only a small sacrifice for hopefully only a short time. Lives are at stake.
For us, in France, choices regarding parks and beaches are made very easy… why? All our parks and beaches are closed. Good. Additionally, our 83 Département has recently introduced curfews. Good. And still, if you go out for essential needs you have to show papers. Well, good.
I’m no fan of these hard measures (what the fuck, what sane person ever would be?), but they’re put into place to help stop the spread of a virus we have no previous knowledge of, nor treatment for, nor vaccine against.
The reasons parks and beaches are closed in France are for the very same reasons sports stadiums, cinemas, restaurants and bars are closed – to stop people clustering together and spreading the virus… to prevent the collapse of health services… to help keep people alive… to help keep health professionals alive – the very people who are trying to keep everyone affected by this virus alive.
What the duck, holiday people!
Beach duck. Jouets Mont Blanc. 1969. France.
To the holiday makers and tourists who come to my heavily touristic region during this period of holiday sunshine in our current pandemic, I say to you:
are you aware you may bring Covid-19 with you and spread it here?
are you aware you may contract Covid-19 here and take it back home with you?
are you aware of the risk you are taking in creating extra burdens on a struggling health service?
are you aware that the already scarce food you are buying while on holiday is meant for the locals and workers?
I hope you reconsider your holiday for another time, like I will be doing. Or would be doing – as it stands, all my leave is cancelled until further notice. I don’t even have the luxury right now of planning a holiday, let alone taking one.
What the fuck, bread!
Wonder Bread Close Encounters of the Third Kind trading card and CE3K Skywatchers club offers. 1978. US.
The last two times I have been to the shops I didn’t find bread. Why? Are people still panic buying it? Hoarding it? Thousands of home freezers packed with the stuff? Is there trouble with truck deliveries? Are the recent holiday makers buying it all? It’s not just bread, but flour and burger buns and hotdog rolls are also scarce.
We managed to get in line for a supermarket home delivery (7 day wait). We ordered some bread. When the delivery came, there was no bread, it had run out, and we got refunded for that, plus other items that were no longer in stock when we first ordered.
I won’t complain too much. There are people in a million more times worse the trouble I’m in for lack of a sandwich.
Hovis Bread. Postcard. 1903. UK.
Reader's star letter:
“What the fuck TVTA! Where are all the new ads and pop culture goodies you usually publish at a decent rate? We want our vintage! Not flipping poems and pandemic mutterings all the while!”
A. Disgruntled. Gannow. West Midlands.
Dear A. Disgruntled. True, since lockdown, our regular places like flea markets and vintage shops where we source our paper works are temporarily closed. Additionally, our online sources are operating with longer delivery times, added to which our postal delivery service has been reduced by half. Vintage materials have never been so lacking at the offices of TVTA… not since 2013 when Wooof accidently sent our archives to the Arctic Circle in a time travel mishap involving an electric toothbrush and 150 kg of spaghetti. Wooof hates me telling anyone about this story, but it is largely the reason why we now have a polar bear in our fridge!
What the fuck! TVTA is 9!!!
Almost forgot, we just celebrated our 9th blogging birthday!!
Here is our digital birthday card from WP…
What the fuck! That’s all for now, folks!
Thank you for keeping your distance from us and staying out of parks !!
The virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or speaks. These droplets are too heavy to hang in the air. They quickly fall on floors or surfaces.
You can be infected by breathing in the virus if you are within 1 metre of a person who has COVID-19, or by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands.
Yes. The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.
It is not certain how long the virus that causes COVID-19 survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Studies suggest that coronaviruses (including preliminary information on the COVID-19 virus) may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. This may vary under different conditions (e.g. type of surface, temperature or humidity of the environment). If you think a surface may be infected, clean it with simple disinfectant to kill the virus and protect yourself and others. Clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, or nose.
We are aware of instances of animals and pets of COVID-19 patients being infected with the disease;
As the intergovernmental body responsible for improving animal health worldwide, theWorld Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has been developing technical guidance on specialised topics related to animal health, dedicated to veterinary services and technical experts (including on testing and quarantine);
There is a possibility for some animals to become infected through close contact with infected humans. Further evidence is needed to understand if animals and pets can spread the disease;
Based on current evidence, human to human transmission remains the main driver;
It is still too early to say whether cats could be the intermediate host in the transmission of the COVID-19.
Disclaimer. This report is meant to offer an overview of the fluid impact upon a care worker in the French medical system. No names of any persons or institutions are given, and the reportage here concerns decisions made at a French national level which is available to the public at any time. No breach of confidentiality or professional workplace standards is made or implied. Any health advice stated here is exactly the same as that given by theWorld Health Organization public advice pages
“Clue” circa 1950 
Suspect cards in “Clue” ca. 1956 
The Vintage Toy Advertiser 