Vintage Easter Stuff & Easter In Berlin (1960)

Since Easter is just two weeks away, let's take a look at some vintage Easter "stuff"!

This vintage item is the "Decoregger Egg Decorating Machine," from the 1970s.  It was purchased at our local "Lucky" Supermarket, for only .99 cents (note the original price tag, which is still attached to the box).  This "machine" was supposed to help you to decorate your hard-boiled eggs with colored markers, instead of dyeing them.

The instructions were on the back of the box.  From what I remember, this thing didn't work quite like I was expecting it to.  I never got anything close to what the egg on the front of the box looked like.

I still have the colored pens, and the envelope they came in.

 And here's the actual contraption.

This next item is also from my childhood.  It's a cardboard cutout for a chocolate-covered marshmallow bunny "on-a-stick."  It was sort of like a very large sucker, except it was "soft" because it contained marshmallow inside.  The candy came wrapped in cellophane, with this cutout tied to the outside.  This is also from the 1970s, and was included in my Easter basket one year.

Here's an older version, from the 1960s.  I wasn't born yet, but my older brother got one of these in his Easter basket.  The graphics are a little different, and there is additional writing on the bunny's sign, but I'm guessing that it came from the same manufacturer.  I believe variations of this type of candy "on-a-stick" are still available today, for different holidays.

That same year, my mom and dad took my brother to The Broadway department store (in the Del Amo Shopping Center, in Torrance, CA), for an "Easter portrait."  The photo came in a card-like holder, with these cool graphics on the cover.

And here is the photo.  I especially like that leaping rabbit in the background.  It's reminiscent of a leaping reindeer figure that might be seen at a "Santa Claus" meet & greet.  It looks like Mr. Bunny has a furry mitten on one hand, but is missing the mitten on the other hand.  It also appears that Mr. Bunny had a microphone attached to his chest, so he could talk to his young visitors.  "Okay kid, get down now.....it's time for my cigarette break!" (Spoken in a "Krusty The Clown" voice.)

A few years back, my aunt gave me this vintage plastic "cake topper."  I love how the bunny is just randomly hugging a 1950s-style rocket.  The rocket's shape reminds me of the Moonliner rocket, from Disneyland's 1955 Tomorrowland.

Going back even further in time, here's an Easter card from 1945.  This was given to my mom, by her parents.

However, they actually gave her this card in 1981.  I'm not sure if they had saved this for 36 years and had just not used it, or if they found this vintage card for sale somewhere (ebay didn't exist back then!).

The back of the card shows that it was a "Hallmark Card," and includes the copyright date of 1945.

This Norcross brand card is most likely from the late 1960s, and was given to my dad, by my brother.

 

And this Charm Craft card was given to my brother in the 1960s, by our great-grandmother (the same one who brought her home-cooked fried chicken into Disneyland, during one of my family's visits to the park).

I took piano lessons during my childhood, and my teacher had me learn the song, "Peter Cottontail."  The sheet music has a copyright date of 1950 down in the lower left corner, but Wikipedia states that the song was written in 1949.  The same songwriters, Nelson and Rollins, wrote "Frosty The Snowman" the following year.

Nelson and Rollins also wrote non-Easter-related lyrics to Peter Cottontail, which later appeared on the Disneyland Record, "Peter Cottontail - Plus Other Funny Bunnies and their Friends."

My aunt also gave me this vintage advertising card, or as they seem to be referred to in ebay listings, "trade card."  It's the same size and thickness of a typical postcard.  Huyler's was a candy store chain in New York, which operated from 1874 to 1964.  For a time, it was the largest and most prominent chocolate maker in the United States.  According to Wikipedia, Milton S. Hershey worked for Huyler's from 1883 to 1885, and then went back to his home state of Pennsylvania to start his own company!

Back in 1989, I purchased a few vintage postcards during a trip to Victoria, British Columbia.  And just like the vintage Valentine postcard that I shared back in February of 2022, most of the details on this one are embossed.

The card was postmarked April, 1909.  When I bought this, it was already 80 years old, but now it is 116!  I have to say that it has held up pretty well, even though the back has some light staining.  The sender's message was, "To My Dear Uncle,  It is coming round to our birthday.  I go to school everyday.  I like my teacher.  Love to my uncle John, from your (nephew?) Earl"  (I added the punctuation, because the child didn't use any!)  Earl's uncle, John A. Harper, lived in Waterloo, Ontario.  I've had this card for 35 years, but only after getting it out recently to scan for this post (and doing a little research on those names), have I discovered that Earl was my 10th cousin twice removed, and John was my 9th cousin three times removed!  It really is a small world, after all!

I hope everyone has an egg-cellent Easter!  ;-)

****Update****

Once again, I've decided to share some of my dad's photos, which he took when he was stationed at McNair Barracks, in Berlin.  To see more of his vintage U.S. Army photos, check out my Veteran's Day post from November of 2024.

These pics are all from Easter of 1960, and were taken on the base, inside the All American Service Club (where my mom worked as a recreation director).  The Service Club staff had invited German children from a local orphanage, to come to the base and enjoy some Easter festivities.

I'm guessing that the club's recreation directors got one of the soldiers to dress up as the "Easter Bunny."  They used to "recruit" the soldiers on the base, to participate in the various Club activities and stage shows.

Most of the kids in this pic are holding up their Easter baskets.  The girl in the polka dot dress is also holding onto a plush rabbit.  And a boy to the right of her is holding up a box labeled, "Dominoes."

Many of the soldiers really enjoyed spending time with the children, especially the soldiers with children of their own, who were now thousands of miles away back home in the U.S.  Notice the drink dispenser in the background.  I looked up the translation of what's written on the side.  "Erfrische Dich" means, "Catch Yourself," and "Trink Coca-Cola Immer Eiskalt" means, "Drink Coca-Cola - Always Cold/Icy."  That door on the right led to the Service Club's offices, and also the base's Craft Shop (wood, metal, leather), Music Room, Library, and the Photo Lab, where my dad spent a LOT of his spare time, developing and printing all of the photos that he took.

It looks like these children might have been playing "musical chairs," or as it's called in German, "Reise Nach Jerusalem" (The Journey to Jerusalem).

Based on the reel to reel tape recorder on the table, and what looks like a microphone in front of the little girl, I'm guessing that they were letting the kids record their voices and then letting them hear it played back.  The lady in the uniform (with the "U.S. Army Service Clubs" patch on the shoulder), was Carol Murphy, who's title was "Club Director."

The recreation director leaning over in this photo was Dagmar Kunz, a very good friend of my mom's.  They did some local sightseeing together, whenever their time off from work corresponded with one another.

And the lady in this photo, being "piled on" by kids, was Shirley Robinson, the "Assistant Club Director."  She was another good friend of my mom's.

Here's Shirley, again.  It looks like she is taking candy of that paper bag, and handing it out to the children.  Dagmar can also be seen in the background (leaning over, again).  To the right of her, is someone dressed as a hobo.  And the two women above Shirley's head are, Carol Murphy (left), and my mom (right).  For some strange reason, this is the only photo that my dad took during this Easter event, in which my mom appears.

This soldier appears with the same little girl, in the next two photos.

From the looks of the flat wooden stick, it appears this soldier is feeding a kid some ice cream.

At this point, they all went out outside.  The kids are holding eggs, so I'm guessing they were either participating in an Easter egg hunt, or were going to have an Easter egg rolling contest.  Or both!  Of course, the eggs could have been rotten, and the kids might have been plotting to fling them over the fence, at local passersby.

And just as I have shared some portraits of some of the soldiers at McNair Barracks, I'm going to share individual shots of some of the All American Service Club staff (who we saw above).  I'm hoping that some of the families of the many people my dad photographed, will somehow come across the photos I've posted.

These first two pics are of Dagmar Kunz, taken in the office of the All American Service Club.

My mom's desk is in the background of this next shot!

These next two photos are of Shirley Robinson.  As the Assistant Club Director, her desk was actually on the other side of that glass wall, alongside the desk of the Club Director, Carol Murphy.  Shirley is cutting out the pictures from a Trans World Airlines calendar.  We can just make out the words, "Fly The Finest - FLY TWA."

In this shot, Shirley is just outside the perimeter of McNair Barracks.  There was an "Autobus" stop just out of view, which provided convenient transportation for both the soldiers, and the non-enlisted staff.  The Service Club staff all lived off base, in housing that was paid for by the U.S. Department of the Army.

Last up, we have two photos of the Club Director, Carol Murphy, who we previously only saw from behind.

This photo was taken in the base's Craft Shop, and came from a batch that my dad had labeled, "All American Club Craft Shop - Publicity Photos for Craft Week."

 

The Swanson Family Visits Walt Disney World - 1975

About 15 years ago, I purchased a batch of vintage Florida vacation slides on ebay.  All of the images were from the "Swanson Family" of Long Beach, CA, and were taken during their visits to Walt Disney World, Cypress Gardens (Winter Haven), Busch Gardens (Tampa), Lion Country Safari (near West Palm Beach), Marineland (near St. Augustine), and Miami Beach.  I previously posted their Lion Country Safari slides, back in May of 2017.

Here are all of the Swanson Family's Walt Disney World slides, taken in March of 1975....fifty years ago this month!  I'm posting these slides in the order they were taken.  By the way, these were developed at Tuttle's Camera Shop, in Long Beach, CA.  The shop opened in 1946, and is still in business today (in a different location).

This first slide shows the mom (far right), with her son and daughter, traveling across the Seven Seas Lagoon aboard either the Magic Kingdom I, or the Magic Kingdom II ferry boat.  Note the Walt Disney World Guidebook in the daughter's hand.  We'll be seeing it again, a little bit later.

This is the first photo they took inside the park, which shows the early morning sunlight shining on the west side of Main Street.  Notice the ladder and the two sets of scaffolding.  Bad show!  ;-)

There was more scaffolding visible in the Flower Market on Center Street.  Unfortunately, Disney has since "filled in" this end of Center Street, with a newer structure that connects the shops on either side of the street.

Here's a pretty nice shot of Cinderella's Castle, even though the spires on top were cut off.  I want to know what that little blue and white striped tent was used for!

This is the only photo from the family's WDW visit, showing the dad (Dale), so I assume he was the one taking most, if not all of the other photos.  I wonder what goodies mom had already purchased that early in the day?

Notice the "tournament tent" facade of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, in the background of this Grand Prix Raceway shot.  And now I want to know if the son's hair was naturally curly, or if he permed it (as some men did, back in the 1970s).

Here's mom, watching a Nautilus submarine glide by:

Next, we have the backside of the Admiral Joe Fowler steamboat.  Unfortunately, Walt Disney World's current riverboat is about to be permanently removed from the Magic Kingdom, along with their Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island.  Sad!

Because of the elevation, I'm guessing that this shot of the Frontierland totem poles was taken from the treehouse on Tom Sawyer Island.

I love this aerial shot of Tomorrowland, which would have been taken from the Skyway.  Notice how there are no visible PeopleMover vehicles on the track.  That attraction would not be opening for another four months (July of 1975).

Space Mountain would have been open for only two months at this point (January of 1975).  That structure in the foreground was a Tomorrowland ticket and information booth.  It's still standing, but it is now used to sell Disney Vacation Club memberships.

Here's a character that we don't see walking around the U.S. Disney parks anymore; the Sheriff of Nottingham, from the 1973 Walt Disney Productions' film, Robin Hood.

Well, this is kind of an odd shot.  We can see just the edge of Cinderella's Golden Carousel, a mostly obstructed Dumbo Flying Elephants attraction, and a single Skyway gondola "floating" above.

The Walrus from Alice In Wonderland is another character that we don't see in the Disney parks anymore.  In the background, we can see a sign for the "Fantasy Faire," which was a covered venue for live shows.  It was similar to Carnation Gardens at Disneyland.  By the way, the little girl is in this pic (on the right) doesn't appear in any of the other Swanson Family vacation slides.  I'm guessing that they didn't know her!

These topiaries could be found just off of the Plaza.  I believe there are a few topiaries still present in this area, including one of a "sea serpent."

I wonder if the man dressed in all-white and hitching a ride on the Horse-Drawn Streetcar, was a WDW employee.....a sweeper, perhaps?

Seeing guests seated along the curb like this, is a sure sign that a parade is about to start.

Or maybe everyone was just waiting for the Walt Disney World band to pass by?

As the family was leaving for the day, they took this photo of the Main Street Train Station and the floral Mickey Mouse, but they cropped both during the composing of the shot.

And the son got majorly cropped in this last photo, as the family arrived back at the Walt Disney World Transportation and Ticket Center.  (Note the Contemporary Resort Hotel in the distance.)  I hope the Swanson Family had fun that day.  And I hope that at least the Swanson children are still around today.  But if they are, that does make me wonder why they didn't want to keep these slides, documenting their family's Florida vacation.

Stay tuned....we will be seeing more of the Swanson Family in future posts, as they visit Cypress Gardens, Busch Gardens, Marineland, and Miami Beach!

 ****BONUS****

I decided that the perfect addition to this post, would be a Walt Disney World Guidebook from the same time as the Swanson Family's visit.  I found this on ebay, and I've scanned every page.  Enjoy!

Just look at those prices!  It was only $7.50 for an adult admission to the Magic Kingdom.  Entering that dollar amount into an inflation calculator, I see that amount equals $44.92, in today's dollars.  However, if you visit the Magic Kingdom today, it will actually cost you between $144 and $199, depending on the day you visit.  For shame, Disney......for shame!

I didn't realize that the Plaza Swan Boats only operated in the Summer.  I wonder if they were a year-round attraction in the park's first few years of operation?

Apparently the Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes were also a Summer-only attraction.  I believe they have always operated year-round, at Disneyland.....with the exception of when they closed "permanently" in October of 1998, but reopened in June of 1999.

It's hard to believe that Walt Disney World's riverboat (the Admiral Joe Fowler) was SO popular, that they built a second sternwheeler (the Richard F. Irvine/Liberty Belle) just two years after the park opened.  It's also hard to believe that now, over 50 years later, they are getting rid of their last remaining riverboat, Tom Sawyer Island AND the river, itself!

I've been on Walt Disney World's Peter Pan's Flight, but I sure don't remember the vehicles having the ability to hold four adults in one seat!  By the time I got around to visiting WDW, the Mickey Mouse Revue had already been removed.  Fortunately, I was able to see it multiple times at Tokyo Disneyland, before it was removed from that park, too.

As mentioned previously, Space Mountain had opened just two months earlier, along with the Carousel of Progress.  The Carousel of Progress had closed in 1973 after a six year run at Disneyland, and was moved to Walt Disney World at the request of the attraction's sponsor, General Electric.  Note how the WEDway PeopleMover is listed as a "Future Attraction," and hasn't been given a little spot illustration yet.

America On Parade "is becoming the talk of the entire country."  Hmmm, it didn't even start it's run until the summer of that year.  Maybe they had been doing some early sneak preview/soft opening performances?

The WEDway PeopleMover was also listed as a "future attraction" on the map.

GAF Photo Tips:

The guide also covered the various Walt Disney World hotels.

It's nice to know that the Polynesian Village and Contemporary Resort hotels both had salons, where guests could get their wigs "set."

Unfortunately, neither the Golf Resort hotel, or the Fort Wilderness campgrounds offered wig setting services.

The Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village is what later became known as Downtown Disney, and has once again been renamed, "Disney Springs."  I wonder if the "Miss Merrily's Madness" sportswear shop is where Lisa Welchel and Allison Fonte fought over an outfit....AND a man, in "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World" (1977).

I'm also wondering how many vacationers purchased a dog, cat, fish, bird, or exotic animal, at the "Posh Pets" shop?  And did they really sell that many "classic European antique room settings," or "cane, rattan, and wicker furniture groupings" in those other shops?

This map shows Treasure/Discovery Island at "Ⓕ", which had opened the previous year (in April of 1974).  River Country isn't showing up on the map yet, because it would not be opening until the following year (June of 1976).

Back in the day, I bought a lot of GAF's souvenir slides of Disneyland.  Unfortunately, most of them have turned to a not-so-lovely shade of magenta.