Thursday, August 11, 2011

Collecting Children's Things

We have always liked collecting children's things whether it be toys, books, blankets or whatever.  Children's furniture has a special place in our hearts but that will have to be the subject of our blog in the future.  This blog begins with a couple of items that turned up lately in our Mall.  The first is an advertising banner for that ever popular product Johnson's Baby Powder.  The graphics are great and the colors so vivid.  This picture only represents one half of the banner and it seemed a fitting way to begin our blog today.

One of our Dealers brought in a store display piece for Playtex Baby Needs.  At first glance it seemed just like another advertising display piece.

And then I began to read the display categories!

Okay Playtex Transparent Baby Pants...that seemed harmless enough.  But then I noticed the Party Pants.


Not only did Playtex make Baby Party-Pants but they were available 
for both boys and girls.

I roared with laughter.  I'm not sure you could promote party pants for babys in todays market.    

I then read further and still can't make sense of this display comment on the bottom of the piece.

For the life of me I can't imagine what would make any baby "Un-socially acceptable" but whatever!  Playtex was certain their products would keep your baby "socially acceptable."  That is so funny.  If you read towards the top Playtex thoughtfully had Horoscope Bibs available, too.  That would be important information for a baby. 

There is no doubt that today the following category would cause some question and alarm among certain groups of people!  One might expect boycotts and rioting.

 You have to laugh or at least we hope you do.  We sure did.

As I mentioned we love children's things and for us it always comes back to family.  I still treasure my niece's first pair of shoes that my late mother so lovingly painted little flowers on.

I can't stand the thought of them ending up in a landfill somewhere so they remain with me in a box where I keep treasures.  In that box you will also find my niece's (Tatiana) first pair of high top sneakers. I think I bought them for her.  When she grew out of them I got them back somehow.  They hung on my rear view mirror in the car for a long time.  They are now tucked away in my treasure box.  I love Tatiana!  She turned 17 years of age not long ago and just finished a tough schedule of chemotherapy and radiation as she fought cancer.  Things look good today for her and her future appears to be very bright.  I stand in awe of her courage!

And since we've moved on to Rick's treasure box what do you find at the bottom of it?  His first baby quilt.  It is a "Three Little Pigs" themed quilt.  I have no idea what will become of it but for now it is my treasure box of keepsakes.  I do hope I was "socially acceptable" when my Mother packed me around in it and I also hope she had my party pants on!

I hope you are all having a good August.  Thank you for reading our blog and even a bigger thank you for all of the kind comments you have given me in our business.  Now...everyone put on your Playtex Party Pants and Rock ON!

1 comment:

  1. "Socially Acceptable" was a euphemism for not having a diaper that was either leaking because it was wet, or smelling because it was full. Rubber pants kept everything inside where it belonged and meant that you could hand your cooing baby to someone to hold without their hand and clothes getting wet from baby's bottom, and you could take baby into a crowd and not empty the room because baby had emptied himself, so to speak.
    Playtex "Party Pants" were probably rubber pants with some kind of frill to them (often ruffles on the seat---the rubber pants were actually the lining of cloth baby pants in this case) or they may have been colored rubber or had some kind of impression in them like flowers or baby blocks or something. I wore rubber pants when i was a child 60+ years ago and probably had some "gay rubber party pants" which nowadays sound like something a guy who plays for the other team would wear to a fetish party!!!

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