Vintage Halloween Collectibles Research (1900-1979)

Sane Halloween Observer 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...

Sane Halloween Observer Yet another awesome mid-century merchandise package for what must have been the popular "haunted house carry-case" genre..., this time from Brach's Fine Candie s circa 1955. You can see the handi-pak described in the 1955 Halloween Candies brochure : No. 5101 - Trick or Treat Handi-Pak Haunted house design on satchel-shaped pak contains minimum of 70 assorted cello packets of Candy Corn, Halloween Jelly Beans, Orange and Black Imperials, and Assorted Creme Cones. Empty satchel serves as a container for Trick or Treat loot. Net weight per pack 22 1/2 ounces. 16 Handi-Paks to case.  For more haunted house candy-boxes see  Witch's Chest  and  Candy Loot .   

Sane Halloween Observer The title of this entry is something of a deliberate misnomer. It follows on the heels of two previous entries  Diecut Bubble?  and  Seven Spooks in Narrenfibel 1968 / 1970  concerning the presence of vintage products that appeared on either side of the Atlantic. Each previous entry was intended to dispel a centric notion that... "because we celebrate Halloween here in North America, there couldn't possibly be any of that imagery (as vintage decor) found or sold elsewhere in the world." Surprise! While it's been apparent that European and Asian festival items have snuck into past price guides, it was about two years ago that I began to also question  availability   dates  ( not necessarily production dates ). This was due to discovering vintage "Halloween" decorations in German-language catalogs printed as recently as the 1970's. ( See  Seven Spooks in Narrenfibel 1968 / 1970 ). This catalog displays themes for...

Sane Halloween Observer Hallowe'en crepe paper (and it's ephemera relatives - napkins, paper plates, cups, etc.), is in some ways the forgotten art form of vintage Hallowe'en, and the great variety of these prints mostly absent from many modern books on collectibles. Dennison's Bogie Books  offer a resource from their own company catalog, but a full visual retrospective of multiple companies' work could fill an entire collector's book of richly bizarre patterns. It would be a welcome addition if someone out there surveyed these amazing works! One amazing snippet from this neglected history is listed as a Panoramic Crepe in the 1921 Bogie Book - H108 Hallowe'en Design  (fold 10 ft. long without repetition of design).  It can be seen appearing for a few years in the Bogie Books, and is here (image below) used as a table skirt. Amazing to imagine how these now precious paper designs were sliced up to make other displays. Directly below this "decorati...

Sane Halloween Observer Following is a collage of pages scanned from a 1960's public service announcement on Halloween safety. The actual printed piece is a wallet-sized 3"x4" fold-out booklet from the Minnesota Department of Health printed in 1962 by Imagination Inc.  Mod, kitschy, and rather grim, the story is a cross between a certain politically questionable rhyme of the late 1800's with humor reminiscent of Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies .

Sane Halloween Observer Another of those vintage decorations that gets happily ignored by valuation mania --- this is a wonderful set for those who enjoy the old glow-in-the-dark effects on printed ephemera! These heavy card-stock decorations (approx. 3"x4") identified by the ghostly "logo" as being produced by  American Novelty Corporation of Omaha  were likely created sometime between 1943-1950. One of my favorite for the nostalgia --- (I really LOVED these type of dimly glowing paper novelties when I was a kid hiding under the covers imagining that the glowing form was eerily moving before my eyes). The following photos (at right) were taken in the dark with a time-lapse of 800 ISO for 30 seconds with 5.6 aperture. PS - If you like glow-in-the-dark novelties, check out this blog : SPOOKY THINGS THINGS THAT GLOW IN THE DARK, VINTAGE TOYS OF A SPOOKY NATURE AND OLD-FASHIONED CHILLS...

Sane Halloween Observer 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...

Sane Halloween Observer Crumpled honeycomb doesn't have to be the end of a vintage decoration. And here's a tip that in no way alters the original piece, and offers a way to buy within an affordable range a vintage piece that others might ignore. With patience and a low-heat iron, this vintage cat dancer found new life . I received the cat shown here as a crumpled, flattened mess stuffed into a bubble wrap mailer. On a whim, and since the item was extremely inexpensive, I tried gently ironing the honeycomb, and was surprised how well the tissue paper could spring back to life. I wonder which of 9 lives this cat is now on? This cat design (7" by varying lengths) is by Beistle (1938-1946) and is great fun to pose (shown above) in more than just the typical hanging position. Below are some before and after shots of this decoration: Part of the trick is knowing which vintage piece is beyond recovery such as major or too numerous tears in the tissue, etc., that prev...

Sane Halloween Observer Has this scarecrow figure, like Hawthorne's Feathertop , been animated from the spell of some distant witch, to drop by your home for an innocent house call? How would you like to see this arriving at your gate on Halloween night for trick or treat?  Early century Hallmark doesn't get much attention in the vintage Halloween category, but here's one invitation card that oozes elements of sweet and sinister rivaling some of the best in weirdness from Beistle, Gibson, or Dennison. First we've got branch-like arms, gnarled and twisted (with one hand reaching for the gate) on a body topped with the classic pumpkin-head. In the other hand is a black cat Halloween lantern (like an incense burner) that leers as pink smoke drifts upward into a purple sky. (And it's those weird color choices that help make this so alarmingly distinct in the usual vintage Halloween oeuvre of orange and black).    This invitation has an early Hallmark ins...

Sane Halloween Observer As might be guessed from the previous blog introduction  there is a real thrill discovering sets, or additions to sets, (by someone who loves obscurities). And these cards really wowed me!  Here are five (are there more?) wonderfully illustrated and poetic cards featuring weird witches, bedraggled cats, skulls, elves, and an odd moon seemingly spirited up from a cider keg. These likely date from the early 20th century, judging from the addition of gold (below) seen during 1920's / 1930's paper goods by Rust Craft, Whitney, Dennison, and Gibson.   These seem close to character designs found on a  Whitney  (?) product (particularly the witches and cats)... but I'm no longer certain after noticing items from another postcard set (example shown below) with a "M in a teapot beanpot" mark on the back: Update 12-1-2014:  an active member of the Vintage Halloween group on facebook ( www.facebook.com/gr...