Was Pillsbury TRYING TO FOOL PEOPLE?

The original Quaker Oats Man was first registered as a trademark on September 4, 1877. The fellow on the Quaker Oats boxes we grew up knowing was actually painted "by Haddon Sundblum sometime between 1939 and 1941 using fellow Coca Cola artist Harold W. McCauley as the model." (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

So what was Pillsbury thinking in 1932 when they used this little colonial fellow for their flour ad? How long did this fellow last in their campaign before someone said, "Is that the Quaker Oat Man?"


Click on image to see it larger. (SOURCE: Collier's, October 8, 1932)

Would Shirley Temple MAKE IT TODAY?

I ask you, honestly, would Shirley Temple even have a chance today? Personally I don't think she'd even be able to get an agent interested in her. She wouldn't fit the rather skanky mold of young "stars" these days.

I simply can't imagine what she'd have been like had she been part of the culture of the '90s and the 21st century. I think she'd have still turned out to be a good and decent person thanks to her parents constant interest in what surrounded her. She certainly wouldn't have turned into a Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus. But you do have to wonder how she would have been changed by our current culture.

Click here to see a vintage Shirley Temple paper doll from my collection.

(SOURCE: The American Magazine, May, 1937)

BRIDGES: Railroad Bridge to Quaker Oats Company

This bridge in Cedar Rapids, Iowa apparently dates back to 1898. That's the only information I have. When I looked at the card I'll admit I was wondering what the bridge was used for. I thought it might be for cars, but trains seemed more logical.




Click on either image to see them larger.

Here is a shot of the bridge today taken by PolarisFinder.

(SOURCE: Panoramio; PolarisFinder)

I love old railroad bridges. They look quiet, almost waiting for the rumble to start down the tracks. A bridge that only comes alive every once in awhile. The rest of the time it's just a quiet structure. Can't you just hear it? The slow rumble as it approaches the bridge from either side, especially in darkness, headlight shining through the beams and cutting through the river in jagged shapes.

To see more bridges click on "bridge" in the labels below.