The Allee Willis Museum of Kitsch

Noisemakers!

A few weeks ago I posted my Halloween noisemakers, which prompted a conversation with Allee in which she included a few of hers. We both agr...

November 16, 2010 by Douglas Wood

16 comments

Ready, Aim, Drink

Here’s something you’ll never see in the hands of a contemporary tot: a plastic gun cup. It’s from the fifties (duh!) and ...

November 15, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Your Carriage, Madam!

This 1934 book is quite a relic– it’s hard to imagine anything like it being published today. Posture is apparently more importa...

November 13, 2010 by Douglas Wood

6 comments

1939 New York World’s Fair S & P

These plastic New York World’s Fair 1939 salt & pepper shakers are in the shape of the iconic, streamlined, modernistic Trylon and...

November 12, 2010 by Douglas Wood

5 comments

Oh, jeez, it’s a Fargo snow globe– you betcha.

Anyone who thinks that snow globes are just quaint souvenirs or charming little holiday chotchkes has obviously never seen this FARGO snow g...

November 11, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Election Day Pumpkins

Here are the two pumpkins my wife and I carved for Halloween this year. Looking at them on Election Day (the day I’m posting this), th...

November 3, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Britsch!

Just spent a week in London working on a show for the BBC. Kitsch was surprisingly in short supply but I did manage to capture a few images ...

November 1, 2010 by Douglas Wood

8 comments

The Sound of Halloween

These are the Halloween arm of my vintage noisemaker collection, along with a few other Halloween items (the face on the left has a little b...

October 31, 2010 by Douglas Wood

7 comments

Spooky Skull and Hand Salt & Pepper

This is a vintage pair of salt and pepper shakers in the shapes of a skull (with horns, so is this a devil/skeleton?) and a hand with black ...

October 30, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Going Ape in the Rose Garden

It’s a bit startling to be strolling through the idyllic grounds of the Motion Picture and Television Fund (the “Old Actors Home...

October 23, 2010 by Douglas Wood

1 comment

Strato Spaceship Bank

I found this vintage mechanical “Strato Bank” about 10 years ago at a yard sale and was told it was used as a prop in the Diane ...

October 22, 2010 by Douglas Wood

22 comments

Non-Planters Peanut Planter

This is a vintage ceramic planter (or nut/candy dish) that’s shaped like a peanut. But unlike many other such items, this planter wasn...

October 21, 2010 by Douglas Wood

6 comments

Twinkie the Kid

The word “twinkie” doesn’t exactly conjure up images of macho cowboys, but that’s the iconic character the folks at ...

October 20, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Cirque Du Ballet in Venice

Confirming Venice, California as one of the funkiest places on the planet is this giant clown in a tutu (or conversely, a ballerina in a clo...

October 19, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Dour Couple Salt & Pepper Shakers

This odd couple is a refreshing antidote to the numerous “cheerful” salt and pepper shakers that grace our kitchens. Found them ...

October 18, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Bi-Curious

This curious binoculars-shaped building on Main Street in Venice, California used to be called the Chiat/Day Building after the original ten...

October 13, 2010 by Douglas Wood

8 comments

Pencil Sharpener Man

This is a vintage tin litho pencil sharpener, made in Germany. You’d look pretty weird too if you had a hole in the middle of your blo...

October 11, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Trolololo Man

Words can’t describe this YouTube sensation– you have to check it out for yourself. Yes, the 2:27 minutes will feel like an eter...

October 2, 2010 by Douglas Wood

9 comments

Double Entendre Comix!

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September 30, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Ceramic Afro Mask

African masks are common, but African-American masks like the one above are a rarer item. It’s made out of plaster, then painted black...

September 28, 2010 by Douglas Wood

1 comment

Lead-footed Pipe Cleaner People

Found these bizarre figures at a yard sale and immediately knew I had to own them. They’re crudely made out of pipe cleaners, yarn, ga...

September 27, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Aladdin’s Lamp in Venice

Found this huge metallic Aladdin’s Lamp sitting in front of a little house in Venice, California yesterday while yard sale hopping. Lo...

September 20, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Digital Toy

I actually had this toy when I was a kid and it was one of those things that looked a helluva lot cooler on TV than in actuality. The plasti...

September 17, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Unemployment and Decoupage

About 12 years ago, in between gigs, I had way too much time on my hands and was actually starting to enjoy not working. One day I started c...

September 14, 2010 by Douglas Wood