Sonic Youth “Disappearer” Traci Lords t-shirt (1991)

This ultra rare Sonic Youth t-shirt went for $222 last week on eBay.  I was in the running for it for about 10 minutes.

Vintage t-shirt- COME N GET IT dog food (1980s)

I just listed this awesome shirt on eBay.  Remember the commercial for this dog food?

Ferris Bueller’s dad “stars” in the commercial which I inexplicably remember- yet I cannot remember the names of people I work with 40 hours a week.

The Bare Look (1972)

This is not an American Apparel ad, it’s a gratuitous article on “The Bare Look” from the pages of Life Magazine’s 1972 the year in pictures.

i have a HAM radio

www.savevsdeath.tumblr.com

Introducing The Fox from JCPenney (1979)

JC Penney introduced the working- to middle-class response to your hoity toity La Coste Alligator- the Fox in 1979.  The Fox shirts are now sold under the branding of The Retro Fox. 

I also noticed that the fox logos across the bottom of this ad are subtly encouraging daisy chains. (look it up)

Senator John McCain says, “Complete the danged fence”

Sorry to get political.

This is either the most cynical political ad in world history or we live in an increasingly baffled and terrified country.  Sheriff  Babeu is “my” county’s sheriff (PS Pinal County is about 100 miles from the border and Babeu won his title mainly on the platform of banning speed cameras and cracking down on “illegals”) and John McCain is “my” Senator.   These gentlemen think that walling off the country is the answer.   I do not.   For every 10 foot wall, there’s an 11 foot ladder.

the original Boy Scouts “Be Prepared” badge (1910?)

I was never in the Boy Scouts, but I’m minorly obsessed with their vintage regalia.  I probably have 20 vintage Cub Scouts books and 200 badges.  This one went for over $200 on eBay.

Save your Tang points for a t-shirt! (1987)

This ad was featured in seemingly every comic book in 1987.   I’ve never seen that Wham!-inspired “T is for Tang” t-shirt at any thrift store or anywhere else in the world, but I will not rest until it is mine.  

The raison d’etre for the other “Big Orange Big Shot” Tang stuff is more than a little mystifying.  The only plausible explanation is that a lonely middle aged gal  in the Tang promo department got taken by a particularly crafty bullshit artist promotional products salesman.  What else could explain the existence on this material plane of a Tang-themed novelty phone (please God, let that be a phone)?  Sure, astonauts drank Tang and the name itself has a certain elementary school yard je ne sais quoi, but nothing attracts the unwanted attention of a bully like orange shades and headbands.  The copyrighter seems to run out of steam when describing the orange suspenders and shies away from calling them Atomic Wedgie magnets, instead shrugging, “They’re orange, they’re adjustable, and they’re a lot cooler than a belt” .

I’m tempted to write to the TANG! brand PO box in Kankakee just to see what happens.  There’s no way they actually gave these away to anyone- but if that $10  ($67000 in today’s dollar adjusted for inflation) phone exists, please write to your humble author with your asking price.

PS. Tang is also sold under the Senior Citizen-targeted branch name Metamucil.

image grabbed from Negative Pleasure