Sunday, April 6, 2025

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 out 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 that 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."

 

14 comments:

Chuck said...

As usual, this post is a treasure trove of goodness. I love all of the vintage graphics. I remember my mom pulling me out of school so she could take my sister and me to Oakland’s Children’s Fairyland to see the Easter Bunny.

We had a Decoregger as well and had similar, not-like-the-box-art results. I really miss coloring eggses; I don’t think we’ve done it in at least 10 years. Or…did we color them a couple of years ago with my son and his now-fiancée? Did that really happen or did I dream it? Was it real or was it Memorex?

I digress…thanks also for posting your dad’s photos. I used to develop and print film in the darkroom at the Arts & Crafts Center at Offutt AFB, the equivalent of where your dad developed his film. I still remember the Saturday I showed up to use the equipment after a year of being too busy to do so and the woman working there happily telling me that they had gotten rid of it all and replaced it with some girly craft thing that the all-female staff had really wanted. “It was a waste of space and nobody used it.” It had I haven’t printed a single negative since.

Thanks for sharing your memories and dredging up some of mine. Happy Easter!

TokyoMagic! said...

Chuck, it's good to hear from you!

I don't remember ever meeting with the "Easter Bunny." But I do remember multiple visits with Santa. I'll have to ask my brother if he remembers any visits with Mr. Bunny, other than this one time.

I have decorated eggs as an adult, but it has been about 20+ years! Maybe I'll do that this year. I have food coloring in the kitchen cupboard, that is a couple decades old.....I wonder if it's still good?

I was wondering if you had seen my Veterans Day post in November. I was hoping you would correct me if I got anything wrong as far as titles, like "Private," "Private First Class," "Sargent," etc.

Thanks for checking back in! And happy Easter to you, too!

Nanook said...

Thanks for sharing these Easter images. Seeing the portrait of your brother reminds me of this great video - which never gets old... LOOK HERE.

TokyoMagic! said...

Nanook, I think I've seen that video before. And yes, how can something like that get old? I love it! Ha, ha!

I was hoping if you saw this post, you would have some information to provide about that portable reel to reel player/recorder in one of my dad's photos! We count on you not only for info on cars, but also for all things with speakers and/or microphones! :-)

JB said...

The instructions on the "Decoregger" seem kind of vague and confusing, but I suppose it's easier to figure out when you actually have it in your hands... Or not. Maybe that's why your eggs never looked as good as the one on the box? Perhaps the egg on the box was decorated by hand, by an artist, and not with the Decoregger?

On the Broadway photo-holder, is that one of the bunny's eyes we see? Looks kinda creepy; like zombie eyes! Or maybe that's his nose? (I don't think so.)

In the Peter Cottontail sheet music pic, I see that the 'bunny trail' is lined with similar hardware-store fencing like we see in early Disneyland.
And the rabbit on the Disney record has a resemblance to the March Hare. Kinda wild and goofy looking.

Ha! When I first saw that Huyler's card, I thought the posing bunny was extremely obese! Then I noticed the egg behind him.

I think it's great that the Army hosted kids from a local orphanage for Easter festivities. That must've been a really special treat for those kids. I wonder if any of them still have warm memories of that day?

In the last photo, it looks like the man on the right just got an 'owie' from the woodworking tools in front of him.

Nanook, Good grief, what a scary Easter Bunny! That kid is scarred for life!

A wonderful post, Tokyo! Thanks.

TokyoMagic! said...

JB, the problem with the Decoregger was that the pens did not give you that same deep solid color that you see in the photo. Plus, I don't think those dots or "stars" in the photo were done with the machine. The whole thing was probably created by a professional artist. It's false advertising, I tell ya!

That Broadway rabbit drawing is pretty stylized and crazy looking, but I think that is supposed to be one of his eyes.

Funny, I noticed that fencing on the Peter Cottontail sheet music, too, and thought of early Disneyland photos on GDB! I also noticed how that rabbit looks like a white furred version of the March Hare!

I hope all of those children were eventually adopted, and had happy lives. But yes, at least they had a little joy brought to them on a special occasion like this.

You are probably right about that soldier having an "owie." Either that, or he was just a very serious "nail biter"!

K. Martinez said...

I've always been a PAAS kind of guy and loved those easter egg dye coloring kits. There's just something about bathing white hard-boiled eggs in colorful dye water. And they looked great after completion.

That little kid on the Easter Bunny's lap is getting into the spirit of things with that all-white Easter egg over his face. I wonder how that kid turned out. ;-)

When you mentioned the voice of Krusty the Clown I thought of the voice adverting for the Cookie Puss cakes
 
The Bunny/Rocket "cake topper" is wonderful! I LOVE IT!

Love the Charm Craft card too.

Once again, your dad's photos are wonderful. They capture so many wonderful moments in time.

Thank you, TM!

TokyoMagic! said...

Ken, we used to use the PAAS kits, too! I think I was just wanting to try something different, when I saw that "Decoregger" for the first time. There was an attempt to use it that first year, and then never again. We went back to dyeing the eggs. But at some point, we switched from those PAAS tablets, to drops of liquid food coloring.

That kid on the lap of the Easter Bunny turned out just fine, despite the fact that he was forced to wear egg-shaped masks during every childhood photo that was ever taken of him! ;-)

I love the rocket-hugging bunny, too! My aunt knows exactly what I like, and what I collect!

I plan to share more of my Dad's Army photos! I'm just trying to work them in when they fit with a specific post's theme, like these Easter pics.

Major Pepperidge said...

Wow, we used to have a Decoregger! Just like you, I found the results to be disappointing. Markers just didn’t have the vibrancy, and you were limited to straight lines (as far as I can remember anyway). I remember reading an article about Polish pysanky eggs when I was a kid and wishing I could do those. We even bought a kit, with beeswax and a special little tool. But it turned out that you also needed skill. Ooops.

As usual I am amazed at the things you have saved, like the cardboard bunny on a stick thing! Everything tastes better on a stick, it’s just a fact.

Love the photo from The Broadway, with a cute but creepy Easter Bunny! The card that your mom had definitely looks VERY vintage, I’d love to know if your grandparents just had it around, or if they saw it in an antiques store and thought it would be a novel card.

Piano lessons - my nightmare! I wish I’d been a dutiful student, but I hated the lessons. I’ve seen that “Peter Cottontail” cover before, it looks like it could have been drawn by one of the actual talented Disney artists, rather than somebody’s nephew.

I have a fondness for antique holiday cards, and love the look of those old chromolithographs. My mom has a bunch of Valentine’s items that look ancient to me, though they were probably not that ancient when I was a child (!).

Thank you sharing so many of your dad’s photos. Was there ever any chance that your parents could have stayed in Berlin? My Dad said he was offered a post in Germany and he turned it down because he thought it would be too hard on his kids. Maybe he was right, but it is intriguing to think “What if?”. I love seeing the images of “life on the base” and the various people who worked there. It’s fun that you have the names of so many of the folks! “Dagmar”, wasn’t there a famous Dagmar character in the US? Maybe a knockout va-va-voom type?

I’m sure Shirley and Carol and Dagmar (etc) would all be shocked to know that people would be looking at their photos in 2025!

THANKS, TokyoMagic!

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

Such an amazing post and I love ❤️ all the photos and illustrations. I love vintage. Thank you so much for sharing and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada 🇨🇦 😊

TokyoMagic! said...

Major, I had to look up pysanky eggs! I remember the PAAS kits always came with a clear wax crayon, but I don't think we ever tried anything designs with it. We just used it to write our names on the eggs, prior to dying them.

I think the reason that cardboard bunny survived, was because it was kept around and used as a decoration for future Easters. And yes, everything is better on a stick.....especially if it's also deep fried.

I wish I knew if my grandparents just happened to have that card laying around in a drawer for 36 years or purchased it in an antique store. I would have been there when they gave it to my mom, but I just don't remember the story behind it.

I'm not sure if my dad was offered a chance to stay in Berlin or not. He left after his two years were up, but if he had stayed in the Army longer, I'm not sure if he would have been moved to another location. My mom could have definitely stayed, because there were some recreation directors who continued on, even after their two-year contract was up.

As for the names, my mom would talk about the ladies she worked with, and she was good about labeling her photos. And yes, there was an actress who went by just the single name of, "Dagmar"......like Cher!

As for the soldier's names (from my November post), I only had the full name of one of the men. Fortunately, I was able to locate him and he responded when I reached out to him. He filled me in on the names of many of the men in my dad's photos. Unfortunately, most of them have all passed away. But fortunately, I was able to share more than a dozen photos that my dad had taken of him, which he said that he had never seen before! He said, "Your dad was always taking photos, but then I never saw any of them." He also shared a couple photos of the two of them in Berlin, which I had never seen before. The majority of the Army photos that I have been sharing are from negatives, so my dad must not have made prints of every picture that he took. My dad passed away in 2012, but I didn't start scanning his negatives until 2024. I do regret that I waited so long, because there are many more people from his photos, who were still alive back then, and I could have possibly shared them with more of those individuals. But at least they are "out there" now, for anyone who might be interested to discover, and I plan to share even more of them.

TokyoMagic! said...

Hi Linda! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. Most of what I post these days is "vintage," so please come back and visit again. I usually post once a month, and on rare occasions, more than that. I see that you have just started (restarted?) a blog. Good luck, and I will have to check back to see what you post in the future!

"Lou and Sue" said...

That Broadway department store bunny looks creepy (I see that JB said that, too), and he has buck teeth. He's NOT taking MY picture!

I love looking at vintage cards and decorations, and always enjoy seeing more of your collection, TM! Thank you for sharing your family photos, too. Priceless.

HAPPY EASTER!

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, funny.....but I have seen a few much creepier looking Easter Bunny costumes out there. There are some great images on the internet, of children sitting on the lap of a costumed bunny, and obviously screaming their heads off! Happy Easter, little Jimmy! Ha, ha!

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed this post. Happy Easter, to you! I hope you had a nice one!