Kiss My Knits!

1943 Postum ad from Ladies’ Home Journal. Art by Saul Steinberg.

ETA: Uhh… that was supposed to go to the community, but… oops. This is what happens when you post at midnight. Well, it’s here, so I reckon I’ll keep it here.

Danny Kaye, you know I love you. But what the HELL do you have on your feet? It’s a joke right? Wait, it’s not?

I was unaware of the world of custom molded shoes before now. While this started out as an “OMGWTF” post, the more I looked at the shoes, the more I think that maybe that aqua one with the cutouts might be a good way to show off the right pair of hand-knitted socks. It also seems that manly man Steve McQueen wore them, much as it mortified his first wife. Plus the old building seems to have some musical history associated with it.

So there you go. That’s what I learned today. If nothing else, when I’m asked about Danny Kaye’s 40 pairs of custom footwear on Jeopardy, I’ll be ready.

Wikipedia says that the Gold Dust twins didn’t make their first appearance as a soap mascot until 1897, but I found this in a Sept 1892 Ladies’ Home Journal. The timeline looks right if the original Gold Dust twins started their act when William Curry was 8 in 1891. Of course, it’s always possible that they had these two kids as a mascot and then later dubbed them the Gold Dust Twins.

I could be wrong. I mean, here I’ve been paying 12 cents a pound for powdered soap like a crazy woman.

Hope you weren’t eating.

Leaving aside issues like “moist heat,” if nothing else, we’ve come a long way in naming products.

This mascot creeps me out just a little. I think it’s the eyes. Also the threatening, “she’ll be back…”

In the latter part of the 20th century this product became Chore Boy.

Behold! This 1962 McCall’s Needlework Magazine bring us proof positive that time travel is possible!

Clearly the lady on the right in the cunning Jayne hat sweater is a Browncoat who has gone back to the past. My theory: she’s going to knock off a future FOX executive or two and prevent one of television’s greatest tragedies from occurring. And I am not talking about Cop Rock.

Keep flying, you amazing time-skipper. Keep flying.

Save the whales!

I don’t think it would occur to me to give a small girl a home permanent.