The Allee Willis Museum of Kitsch

Allee Willis’ Museum O’ Kitsch – Felt Coaster Love Type

It’s always a good sign of kitsch when right off the bat the packaging describes the product wrong. On the top of the package it very ...

August 9, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Bowling Bag Coin Purse and Matching Bowling Everything

Bowling is easily the sport that has rained down hardest on Pop Culture in terms of artifacts emulating its shape, spirit and efforts to cap...

August 8, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – LUCKY Medical Van

When it comes to naming your company I’m always fascinated when people come up with the most seemingly inappropriate names possible. I...

August 5, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – You Are What You Drive

I’ve long said that everything about and around a person is a vehicle for self-expression. I mean the way you dress, how you decorate ...

August 4, 2010 by Allee Willis

2 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Owl String Painting

In the 1960’s and 70’s when string paintings were at the peak of their popularity more string owls lived on wallpapered and wood...

August 3, 2010 by Allee Willis

6 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1968 Right On’s 100 Super-Soul Stars Book and Saturday Night with Earth Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder, 2010

. My life would have never been the same without Soul music. Growing up in Detroit, my teenage years were spent on the far right of the AM r...

August 2, 2010 by Allee Willis

4 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1950’s “Sponge Cloth”

Long before Mr. Clean and Magic Sponge promised fewer steps and happy housewives came Harwood’s Sponge Cloth, one of many modern mirac...

July 29, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Japanese Paper Toilet Seat Cover Paste

I love Japanese convenience products born out of blended east and west needs and Pop Culture, especially ones by way of Vietnam as this toil...

July 28, 2010 by Allee Willis

8 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Beethoven’s Fifth Popcorn

Other than the fact that it’s packaged in a 750ml bottle, the standard size vessel for champagne, the stretch to connect product with ...

July 27, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Japanese Portable Banana Keeper

I’m not sure which kitsch factor I enjoy most about this made in Japan Portable Banana Keeper, the fact that it’s pierced with h...

July 26, 2010 by Allee Willis

3 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1960’s Rubber Doctor Puppet

As I lie in bed with food poisoning after ingesting some of the worst food I’ve ever eaten in LA Saturday night (at an expensive downt...

July 25, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – “Don’t Forget” Paperweight Hand

Every morning I wake up to a pile of notes that I’ve dropped on the floor from my bed the night before as I don’t like to keep a...

July 23, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Jeweled-Look Jeans on Half Mannequin Crossing Guard at Fancy Italian Store

. There are many things I love about this “Italy” fashion emporium in Van Nuys, California: – The thoughtfully placed swat...

July 22, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Cootie Game

I can’t remember any game more popular than Cootie when I was growing up. But forget about the game itself, I loved playing with the l...

July 21, 2010 by Allee Willis

12 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Murder, She Wrote Board Game

I never really watched Murder, She Wrote during its run on CBS from 1984-1996. I was in a very heavy songwriting and technology phase and al...

July 20, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Meat Shower Cap

There’s nothing more I like to throw on my head to protect it from a raging shower stream than a shower cap covered with T-bone steaks...

July 19, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1950’s Betty Crocker’s “Dinner for Two” Cookbook

Featuring 425 “new” recipes plus a special ‚”When-Company-Comes” section, this cookbook, published in 1958 by Gene...

July 15, 2010 by Allee Willis

2 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Mispackaged Chuckwagon Airstream Combination Salt & Pepper Shaker

. It’s no secret that one of my favorite genres of Kitsch is when something goes tragically wrong in the manufacturing process of the ...

July 14, 2010 by Allee Willis

2 comments

CALLING ALL JUNGLE ANIMALS!!!

As some of you may know, I’ve been working with Pomplamoose, an ungodly popular and talented independent band with over 25,000,000 vie...

July 12, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Mislabeled Orange Measuring Cups

Because of their perfect shape and glowing color the orange has captured the imagination of designers since the beginning of time. In this c...

by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – James Dean, Main Drain and Brown Material Roads

I drove up to Monterey on Friday from LA. Most people would get excited about going to the Aquarium or Cannery Row but I get excited about t...

July 11, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – 1950’s Atomic White Bowl

It’s not often I get excited by a dish or bowl that’s solid white. It seems like such a missed opportunity for self-expression v...

July 7, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Cheerleader Wall Plaques, Toni Basil and Dinner at Street

Whenever I look at these metal cheerleader wall plaques made by Sexton in the 1960’s I think of Toni Basil because you can see how hap...

July 6, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Holiday Cleanup with the Ronco Miracle Broom

In 1973 when the Ronco Miracle Broom sprung on the market half of the households in America started vacuuming their shag with this revolutio...

July 5, 2010 by Allee Willis

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Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Happy 4th of July Ball B-B-Q!

Designed by William Wiggins for Shepherd Products of Toronto in 1970, this aluminum ball shaped barbecue which featured a double stack of co...

July 4, 2010 by Allee Willis

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