Boxes...witch this time

From the same old box of marshmellow treats I posted about the other day. Marshmellow treats (rice crispy squares) were once one of my favourites!

Boxes

So, I'm still hard at work on our house. STILL unpacking boxes and paring down the stuff we had in storage and all that we accumulated in the last decade. I'm glad the place we bought is a bit on the small side because it means we are actually getting rid of things instead of poking them away to be un-used and forgotten (although there is still some of that). Once I've put aside enough "to be got rid of" I'll make another trip to one of the charity shops down the street. Luckily there are three!

As well as that and the ongoing painting -- which I'm avoiding right now --  there is the actual breakdown and disposal of the many boxes we had our stuff in. When I have enough of those I make a trip to the dump and their big recycle bins. I found this box recently and thought to take a pic before I tossed it in with the heap for recycling. I love the way the cat appears to be sliding down the corner of the box!

Epitaph

Some items, like German diecuts and tin toys, repeatedly cycle through the market, perhaps indicating that if it's in a book or often listed on ebay that its not really a rare item at all --- or maybe those items just get attention simply because they've been loudly identified? While this noise continues with a known set of collectibles, occasionally some items are a genuine surprise. The item shown in this post, and not even in that good of condition, stunned quite a few people, even old-school enthusiasts. Why are we still lacking in information about some items, even the not so rare?

Here's a digital rendering of how this diecut might have appeared as whole, noting that the bottom right corner (paw and tombstone area) is obvious artistic license based on the Gibson style. Digital version (above) and photo (below) as shared on facebook Vintage Halloween. 

Digital re-creation based on image below.

Image as seen on facebook Vintage Halloween.

Candy Loot

Wonderful graphics from yet another mid-century candy box container (see also Witch's Chest) of haunted houses with peek-a-boo windows. Especially fond of all the attic windows! This item is labeled on the bottom as: Manufactured and Packed by Breaker's Confections Inc., Chicago, Illinois. 

1955 Halloween Sweet Tooth

A 1955 sales vendor catalog by Brach's with awesome mid-century graphic design, illustration, and layout techniques. Don't forget (spoken in your best informational 50s voiceover) that "HALLOWEEN is one of the year's THREE BIGGEST CANDY OCCASIONS"... "It has a long selling season from Labor Day to October 31"... and... "Because Halloween candies are exciting, colorful candies, they offer exceptional opportunities for colorful EXCITING CANDY DISPLAYS." And after looking at this awesome catalog, I certainly believe every word of it! Oh for a Halloween time machine! (Click image below to view a larger version - or view on Pinterest). 

(Click image to view larger).

The Lids Off!

THE LIDS OFF! Awesome play on words and mid-century graphics on this vintage (date unknown) Halloween candy box for Snickers candy bars for Tricks... Treats. 24 Mars bars - Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way.

Halloween Fence Centerpiece

digital mock-up created from photo of fence/pumpkin pieces

Here's a vintage decoration set that gets generally pooh-poohed by some time-wearied collectors, however those with less discriminating eyes will have an instant fondness for the design and the roughly executed graphics seen on boxes or the instructions (shown below). The label depicts a picket fence posted with a weathered sign in turn illustrating the kit's arrangement featuring one large pumpkin peeking out from black-rimmed eyes. These were Dennison centerpiece kits that included a box of orange crepe-grass, classic cat/fence silhouettes of at least 2 different lengths, pumpkins to prop between fence slats, and a large air-fillable paper pumpkin. (The expanding pumpkin was somewhat like these paper balloons from Japan).

actual product label

Although I attempted to find something more about the long history of the Dennison company, these recent articles of the company's unfortunate demise may be of interest...

Jan. 20, 2013 - Framingham unearths decades of Dennison memories. 

April 7, 2013 - Framingham Departure On The Horizon For 169-Year Old Avery Dennison

November 15, 2014 - VIDEO and SLIDESHOW: Dennison Manufacturing Exhibit at Framingham History Center The public is invited to see the exhibit starting today, Nov. 15.