The Allee Willis Museum of Kitsch

What happens at the Dunes stays at the Dunes

Apparently, the pool-side beverage service at the Dunes just isn’t up to snuff, otherwise why would this poor zaftig woman have to fen...

November 26, 2010 by Douglas Wood

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Kitschlicious Riverside, CA.

Last weekend I drove to Riverside to see a performance of The Color Purple, the musical I co-wrote. I tend to pick and choose the performanc...

November 8, 2010 by Allee Willis

8 comments

Mini souvenir books

I don’t know what to call these mini souvenir books, but I have a large collection of them. In fact, I first began collecting them as ...

November 3, 2010 by Michael Ely

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

Halloween Treat in Portland, Oregon: VooDoo Doughnuts

In Portland Oregon, there is a doughnut place that I visited recently. It was fantastic. The mouth-watering choices in the revolving doughnu...

October 31, 2010 by Markydoodle

16 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – My Trip to the World’s Largest Mannequin Factory

Here’s a video tour of my trip to visit Dona Miller, owner of Vogue International, a 22,000 square foot wonderland of mannequin bodies...

October 25, 2010 by Allee Willis

1 comment

My Purple Dinosaur Road Trip!

I love my Purple dinosaur friends. These big guys live on the coast of Oregon in Gold Beach. They just love hanging around the RV and passin...

by neville

Hearst Castle Souvenirs

When I was 12 years old, my grandparents took me with them on a vacation up the California coast and one of our stops was to see the magnifi...

October 21, 2010 by Michael Ely

Okinawan Beauty Parlor ca. 1951

This is obviously a beauty parlor but someone who was having a difficulty with English needed help! This shop was in Okinawa’s second ...

October 6, 2010 by Bob Ramsdell

Parkway Motel

On the corner of Underpass Avenue and South Billings Blvd....

September 26, 2010 by Markydoodle

Boulevard Motel

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September 18, 2010 by Markydoodle

Titanic Branson

The Ozarks are a treasure trove of kitsch. Over the last 30 years, the Ozarks in Missouri have gone from small lake-front resort-motels, to ...

September 7, 2010 by Markydoodle

Tucson Vintage Neon

Back in the 1950’s and 60’s when the automobile was king, Tucson’s old road into town, Miracle Mile along with Oracle Road...

September 5, 2010 by Michael Ely

11 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Leaving Pomplamoose and Hitting The Madonna Inn

Yesterday, me and Mark Blackwell, who I work with, drove back to LA from up north in Sonoma where I was working with Pomplamoose. As I had r...

August 25, 2010 by Allee Willis

6 comments

Big Bunny Motel

You can’t see it in this picture, but when you get up close, you can see that The “Big Bunny” Motel was originally called ...

August 24, 2010 by Markydoodle

15 comments

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – “Maestro The Musical Bingo” Game and Working with Pomplamoose

This game felt especially fitting because it’s supposed to teach you how to play by ear. Not only did I never learn to play by ear but...

August 23, 2010 by Allee Willis

Allee Willis’ Kitsch O’ The Day – Original Holiday Inn Ashtray

When the first four Holiday Inns were built in 1953, this was the ashtray that was sitting in the rooms. Heavy glass with raised lettering a...

August 17, 2010 by Allee Willis

Florida Postcards

Here are a few postcards from my collection as promised. The one of Esther Williams and Tony Martin is one of my favorites, on the back it s...

August 14, 2010 by Danny

1 comment

Accidental Vacation Kitsch

I’m really not a shopper. But a place that I stumbled onto on vacation this year didn’t feel like a store. Everywhere I looked, ...

August 13, 2010 by Markydoodle

Telescoping “Space Queen” 1950’s travel trailer

Now your bedroom has a 19-foot ceiling. I understand it didn’t sell very well, and was discontinued quickly....

August 12, 2010 by Markydoodle

14 comments

Ghost Ranch Lodge Ashtray

Miracle Mile is home to a strip of vintage neon-lit hotels here in Tucson and one of the most famous was the Ghost Ranch Lodge. Built in 194...

August 8, 2010 by Michael Ely

Stardust Casino Hanger from Las Vegas, Nevada

I grabbed this one up at lightning speed! My routine is to “creep” around the dump store for about an hour and that routine usua...

August 4, 2010 by denny

10 comments

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