Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Shriners Salt & Pepper Shaker

Submitted by Allee Willis January 7th, 2010
Certifikitsch Winner
shriner-S&P_1805

I’ve been collecting Shriners artifacts since I found a group portrait of hundreds of Zurah Temple members in their Fezes in the mid-1970s looking like little lined up Pez dispensers. I never knew the difference between Shriners and Masons or what either of them really did. I just like any organization that has hats, pins and a super-costumed regulated look. My alter ego, Bubbles the artist, has even honored them in her popular “The Funsters Of Zurah Temple” line of  collage art, ceramics and paintings.

shriners-funsters-bubbles

This transparent red plastic salt and pepper shaker is a two in one deal, salt on one side, pepper on the other.

shriner-S&P_1808

I imagine it was shaked over many a Salisbury Steak and meatloaf since its birth in 1950 when it was given away as a souvenir at the 76th Shrine Convention in Fresno, California, courtesy of Tehran Temple of Fresno,California, the “Baby Temple Of Shrinedon”. I think that The Allee Willis Museum Of Kitsch is in its own way a “baby temple of shrinedom”, more deserving of its own salt & pepper souvenir shaker for glorifying kitsch in all of its glory, not the least of which is this fantastic Shriner S&P shaker.

shriner-S&P_1806 shriner-S&P_1809