Vintage Halloween Collectibles Research (1900-1979)

Sane Halloween Observer Offering some night photos of this spooky triangle shade that appeared in vendor supply catalogs of the 1930's. The shade collapses flat, folding on a deliberate line through the middle of the owl. (It's a peculiar design decision that over time has usually reduced the quality of that particular pane). Original method for maintaining the expanded shape of the lantern is currently unknown by this blogger - (and information is welcome).  Note that the item (shown below in excerpt from an original 1937 catalog) is advertised as a die cut which is the industrial "cookie-cutter" process that made so many vintage holiday items, (and not just 2-D flat decor). See earlier blog entry from December 2014:  Halloween Diecut Quiz .

Sane Halloween Observer Note: (2-1-2024)  various dates are  lined-through here  (since the old 2015 entry)  to reflect  primary sources  rather than secondary are now referenced. In the  THR archive library , various sets are depicted in candy ads (1946-1954) in Sears catalogs. And while this may not definitively narrow years of availability, it does indicate that variations in regional distribution may have been a stronger factor. More primary sources are needed concerning the cards appearances to consumer. In the meantime  these cards are discussed further in  The Halloween Retrospect: Rosen Moon Pop  for the new book  The Halloween Retrospect, Volume 2  that presents new details from on-hand catalogs. A quick visual survey of known sets of Rosen's Hallowe'en Trix or Treats  lollipop-holder cards (with variations of style shown here dating from the 1930's to the 1950's ). The first seven-card set (at righ...

Sane Halloween Observer Another hidden treasure of early instructional illustrations for the classroom. A wordless story of the traditional carving of the pumpkin from Before We Read by W.J Gage & Co. Limited. (page 24) printed in Canada. No date (perhaps circa 1950's?) - artist uncredited.  (original book layout)

Sane Halloween Observer 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.

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 Two more by Rust Craft . See also Ain't Grub Grand .   Also check out this other blog's entry on the Rust Craft Rustler in " Mid Century Card Shop" Updated 11-25-2015 - Addition from set? Marked on back Rust Craft 5H222.

Sane Halloween Observer Fortunes by the Luminous Spirit  or   How to Stretch Your Ectoplasm and get Cooler Spooks! Following the spooklight glow of the previous entry  Luminous Halloween , an interesting opportunity for a bit of compare-and-contrast occurred recently with two vintage Halloween games (one by the very same  American Novelty Corporation of Omaha, 1943-1950). Although the condition of said game was not optimal, the outsider-art smorgasbord of this game ( another example shown below ) offers a ton of lo-fi messy fun - crazy fonts (some with random shadowing),  odd charms, symbols, and creatures, all surrounding a witch acting as the game's spinner. Best of all, we've got that fun glow-in-the-dark ink overlay (shown below). The game sold for around $50. Overlay of previous image with a shot in total darkness (see first image). Another vintage Halloween game, of similar ilk, went for about 6x that amount! Arguably, this latter...

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 If you look beyond catalogs (like Dennison's Bogie Books ), there exist a ton of wonderful vintage imagery appearing in magazines, early readers, and comics, etc., receiving little attention for valuation. I'm guessing this is because the content of these various publications is not completely devoted to the holiday, nor tied to the decor that people love to collect and display. So a beginning budget-conscious collector can find some real gems!   One of my favorite vintage covers is this single panel scene of sight-gags created by Graham Hunter for Treasure Chest (of Fun and Fact) Comic Book Vol 4 No. 4. October 19, 1948. A search engine will lead you to a number of his covers (and for other holidays) that are just as much fun! There's so many brilliant details inside of this one piece, that you don't mind the lack of any Halloween content in the rest of this Catholic comic book series. Wouldn't it be fantastic if one day someone g...

Sane Halloween Observer While Beistle's vintage oeuvre gets plenty of attention (that I don't suspect it will need much repeating here), some of the smaller details get lost "in the shuffle" shall we say? The Kitty Card Game  from the late 1920's is often shown with the packaging and instruction sheet, while perhaps the best part, the imagery of the individual items, is only hinted by a stack of nearby cards. I thought it would be fun to create this quick collage of the 10 hatching-effect sketches seen in the deck.

Sane Halloween Observer Offered here are random "pumpkin bits" from a 1905 stage production of  Pearl and the Pumpkin  (originally a1904 children's book, written by Paul Clarendon West and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz illustrator  W. W. Denslow ). And though remarked by many as having little success, the glimpses we get of the stage show and of the musical recordings are intriguing to Hallowe'en aficionados. Pearl and the Pumpkin - Sheet Music Hallowe'en night, Pearl watches her cousin Joe Miller carve twenty Jack O'lanterns in the pumpkin patch. See image above with Joe Miller offering Pearl a Jack O' Lantern, and read the lyrics to Jack O'Lantern Joe at Hungry Tiger Press . A baker and a canner (disgruntled by the wasted food), as well as a Mariner (who magically appears from an apple-bobbing tub and wishes to learn the secret of Joe's green thumb) conspire against Joe. As the scenes proceed from the Pringle Barn, to Hallowe'e...

Sane Halloween Observer Amazing vintage witch imagery on un-marked tally score cards. Have you identified others from this set and/or the manufacturer?