I was recently flipping through the June 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living and was pleasantly surprised to find this article on collecting vintage fruit and vegetable-shaped salt and pepper shakers:
Although only the first page features anthropomorphic shakers, this is still a step in the right direction. One thing I feel has been really lacking in the magazine is food with eyes. I always enjoy the collecting articles, especially when someone's unique collection is profiled. As I have not seen a food with eyes collection profiled yet, I would be happy to volunteer my collection, Martha.
Incidentally, these great shakers come from the the New York antique store Mood Indigo, which has a fantastic array of 1930s-50s kitchen and bar ware.
Once again, my sister Maria of Curly-Wurly has outdone herself in the anthropomorphic food gift department! On a recent visit, she presented me with the most wonderful refrigerator magnet: Mister Shivers!
At 14 inches tall, Mister Shivers is not your ordinary refrigerator magnet. He looks to be strawberry (?) soft serve, and in a common but disturbing food with eyes theme, he is about to eat a smaller version of himself. He is made by Accoutrements and has a few companions pictured on the back of his package:
Upon bringing Mister Shivers home, I had to carefully weigh the options of the best place for him to reside. We sadly have a trendy, non-magnetic stainless steel refrigerator, so he could not have the place of honor in the kitchen. I then thought about having him adorn my car:
Although I liked both the door and hood locations, I was too concerned that someone would steal him to chance it. After all, If I had seen a car with Mister Shivers on it, I would have been awfully tempted to take him. So in the end I decided he would fit best on the washing machine in my retro-themed laundry room:
Now he sits there happily among other food-themed magnets, poised to lick his chocolate cone.
Happy New Year 2011 and welcome to the fifth year of Food with Eyes! The beginning of a new year is traditionally the time to make resolutions to improve one's life, but those resolutions often go by the wayside in just a few days or weeks. So here are a few items featuring food with eyes that just might help you stick to those resolutions:
For those of you who have vowed improved oral hygiene for 2011, I have two suggestions. First is an adorable cup from Paperchase. It would be perfect for your Lavoris or Listerine.
Next, for good oral hygiene on the go, try these Ranch Flavored Toothpicks from Accoutrements:
Or perhaps your resolution is to "Go Green" this year. Your fellow shoppers at the Piggly Wiggly will be green with envy when they see you packing your groceries into this Mr. Bacon and Mr. Egg bag (also from Accoutrements):
For those of you who have been unlucky in love, you may have resolved to find Mr./Ms. Right in 2011. When getting ready for a night on the town, be sure to stash your cosmetics in this food-filled bag from Paperchase:
And when you need to set just the right ambiance for a date with a potential mate, it's best to have a Mr. Bacon Air Freshener (Accoutrements) close by. Who can resist the smell of frying bacon?
Of course, the most common resolution is to eat better and lose weight. Even though most people really do know which foods to eat and which to avoid to achieve this goal, it is still the most difficult of resolutions to keep. So the next time you're facing an inner struggle between eating a corndog or a bunch of steamed broccoli, don't keep it all inside. Work out your conflict with these Captain Corndog and Baron Von Broccoli bendable figures (Accoutrements):
Here they are, ready to do battle. I can't help rooting for that dashing scamp, Captain Corndog, even though I know the dastardly-looking, yet antioxidant-rich, Baron Von Broccoli should be the favorite. I don't think the Baron stands a chance.
But wait, the Baron has mustered his phytochemical-filled friends to help him out. Things don't look so good for Captain Corndog now.
Whatever your resolution for 2011, I hope you achieve it (preferably with the use of anthropomorphic food). What is my resolution, you ask? To post more often to this blog, of course! And where did these wonderful resolution-helpers all come from? From that noted blogger and pop culture historian, Maria of Curly Wurly, who has an uncanny ability to find the perfect gift for every occasion!
I spotted these ballpark snacks at Kmart recently and came back with my camera. I'm not a Yankees fan, so I wasn't tempted to take any of these home with me, but a pretzel with a Phillies cap would have been hard to resist.
Once again my sister Maria of Curly Wurly has outdone herself in the anthropomorphic food gift department! I haven't even finished profiling the birthday presents I received from her this year, and now there are Christmas presents to share!
First is this wonderful oven mitt from Paperchase featuring their adorable "Food Friends" design. Here's one side:
And the other:
Just look at all those smiling faces!
Next is a useful and super-cute folding tote bag. Here it is in its tiny pouch:
And unfolded:
A close-up of the pattern:
It's hard to decide which Food Friend is my favorite! I like the ice cream cone a lot, and the pizza slice. And the scallion. And the watermelon. And the pineapple...
There is also a set of stickers featuring all the characters, but I'm going to save them for National Sticker Month (April). Thank you, Maria!
Last week, I was surprised with a fantastic birthday package from my sister Maria of Curly Wurly. Inside were some delightful items from artist Modern Radar featuring these happy cupcakes:
Card:
Tote bag:
I'll be the envy of Schenectady with this adorable bag on my arm! Thank you, Maria!
I visited Walt Disney World for the first (and so far only) time in 1995 with my sister. I scrutinized guidebooks for weeks, or maybe even months, in advance to plan the best strategy to see all the sights and beat the crowds. When I go on vacation I like to see everything there is to see. In fact, more than one person has likened a vacation with me to a ‘death march.’ Say what you will, but we don’t miss anything.
After studying all the attractions Disney World had to offer, we made a bee-line for the top one. Space Mountain? The Tower of Terror? Pirates of the Caribbean? No, The Land at Epcot Center.
I read lengthy descriptions of an animatronic show at The Land called the Kitchen Kabaret. It featured singing food, of course, including the Cereal Sisters performing “Boogie Woogie Bakery Boy.” The thought of a single attraction that combined my loves of food with eyes and music of the 1940s was almost too much. So you can imagine my shock and disappointment to find the Kitchen Kabaret gone, and replaced with Food Rocks. Yes, it was still singing food, and yes, it was thoroughly enjoyable, but for all these years I’ve had a gnawing sense of disappointment about missing the original Kitchen Kabaret. All of my careful planning was for naught.
But now, thanks to the miracle of YouTube, I have been able to fulfill my dream and see the Kitchen Kabaret! The following is a two-part, painstakingly-edited video of the Kitchen Kabaret posted by YouTube user Scottof83:
Part I
Part II
And for those of you who prefer music from the second half of the 20th Century, here is a two-part video of the Food Rocks show courtesy of YouTube user TerryT1976:
Part I
Part II
One thing that always puzzled me about my Food Rocks experience was the lack of merchandising. Every attraction at Disney World shunts you into a shop of doo-dads at the end. In this case, when I was eager to snap up some Food Rocks gear there was nothing. My only souvenir was the following peapod magnet, not expressly made for the attraction:
I now must conclude that my visit was after the Kitchen Kabaret items were removed and before Food Rocks items were introduced, as I have found plenty of evidence for their existence. In fact, an informative website about Lost Epcot shows the merchandise that was available. Naturally, I took a look at eBay to see what I could find. I was amazed to see a complete set of 8 Kitchen Kabaret pins go for $215!! Needless to say I won’t be getting any Kitchen Kabaret items any time soon, but at least I’ve seen the show now.
I was saddened to learn that Food Rocks has itself been replaced, and not by singing food, but by some bird’s eye view of beautiful scenery called Soarin’. Why anyone would want to see that is beyond me. I’m sure a 21st century update with Jel.Lo, Pea Diddy, and the Food Fighters would have been a hit.
As promised back in April, here are the Del Monte Country Yumkins Christmas ornaments. They were released in 1991, almost 10 years after the initial Yumkins debuted. The six plush ornaments vary from about 3 to 5 inches tall and were made by the company Greystone.
Sweetie Pea with candy cane:
Cobbie Corn in stocking:
Reddie Tomato with holly: Lushie Peach with reindeer antlers:
Precious Pear with angel wings:
Juicie Pineapple in a Santa hat:
The popularity of the Country Yumkins continues to grow, and there is even a new Wikipedia page about the Yumkins since my post in April.
Here is one of the popular S'mores ornaments from Seasons of Cannon Falls. Two marshmallows make up his body, and he sits atop a couple of squares of Hershey's chocolate and a graham cracker.
This is one of the original, unadulterated s'mores, but if you like fancier things, a vast array of costumed s'mores are available.
Today's collection of ornaments features some non-food anthropomorphic objects. I felt it was appropriate to include them in this season of peace on earth and goodwill toward all.
Here are Lumiere the Candlestick and Babette the Feather Duster from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. This ornament is by Enesco.
Here are two more Enchanted Objects from Beauty and the Beast: Mrs. Potts and her son Chip. These ornaments are by Hallmark.
