THE CANDY WRAPPER MUSEUM BLOG
  • Home
  • BLOG
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • BLOG
  • About
  • Contact

Hey, Dude! It's Valentine's Day!

2/13/2021

1 Comment

 
Trash or treasure? This is the eternal question of the collector. For me, it is often the case that the trashiest little things that I bought incidentally decades ago turn out to be my favorite things.
Frankford L'il Valentines Candy Cards box from the 1980s. Image on box of a skateboarding sunglasses wearing dinosaur saying “Hey, dude!” and “Have a radical Valentines Day!”
Case in point: Frankford's L'il Valentines Candy Cards. I forgot that I even had this, then I came across it recently and fell in love. This "l'il" Valentine perfectly captures every late 80s/early 90s youthful trend with its skateboardin', sunglasses wearin', rad talkin' dinosaur!

Like the dinosaurs, the "chocolatey crispy" candy cards inside are long gone, and I wish I could bring them back so that I could revel in their delight with you, but some things are still beyond the abilities of modern science. All I can tell you is that I'm pretty sure they featured the dinosaur saying some awesome trendy sweet nothings along the lines of "You're totally tubular!" "You're so choice." and "My bodacious babe." Whatever they said, I'm sure they made for a most excellent Valentine's Day.
Palmer Solid Milk Chocolate Valentine box from the 1970s with solid milk chocolate foil wrapped heart. Fill wrapping printed with image of a pony kissing a donkey while a hat wearing mule gazes on.
Now, let's travel back in time to the 70s to enjoy this seemingly insignificant Palmer Solid Milk Chocolate Valentine. Somewhere within this tiny art lives a big story... but what could it be? Did I miss the classic folk tale of the Pony, the Donkey, and Mule? I don't think so, but clearly something is happening here. Here's how I believe the story unfolds:
There once was a shy little Mule who loved the pretty blonde Pony. Shy little Mule was smart and had a steady job, enough to afford a stylish straw hat and a necktie, but he could never believe that he had enough to offer the ravishing Miss Pony, who could have her pick of suitors. Shy little Mule's best friend was handsome, stylish Donkey. Donkey confessed his love for Miss Pony to Mule, not realizing that she was also Mule's true love. Donkey wished that he could win the heart of Miss Pony, but he knew that he was just an inarticulate ass. In the kind of sacrifice that only lifelong friends could give to each other, Mule wrote poetry for Donkey to recite to Miss Pony, and he picked beautiful flowers for Donkey to give to her too. Miss Pony fell madly in love with Donkey, with his combination of romantic gestures and obvious physical attributes, leaving poor Mule with forever a broken heart, but with the good feeling that he had made his best friend's dreams come true.
Don't like it? Well, then, write your own story!
TOPPS Chewing Gum Company 1959 “Funny Valentine” card number 28. Front of card features a cartoon of a young woman and a young man sitting on a park bench with the text: “I Don’t Know What I’d Do Without You…” – The back of the card has a cartoon of the girl kicking the man in his butt with he text: “... But I’s Like To Try!!!”
As I conclude my Valentine's Day storytelling, I leave you with this classic TOPP's Valentine, which sums up the nature of love for many couples. Enjoy the day!
1 Comment
Olive Green
2/13/2021 04:46:26 pm

Maybe the pony isn't interested in the mule because he appears to be a mutant—a cross between a mule, a pig, and a frog.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Follow the CWM on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

    Darlene Lacey

    Darlene Lacey began her collection of candy wrappers as a teenager in the 1970s with “Nice Mice.” The Candy Wrapper Museum has since grown into one of the most significant collections of its kind, providing a window into American cultural trends and fads, the history of design and advertising, and a powerful nostalgia trip for those in search of forgotten candy of the past.

    Archives

    April 2024
    November 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    January 2023
    August 2022
    March 2022
    May 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020

    Categories

    All
    Americana
    Articles
    Awards
    Books
    Fundraisers
    Girl's Stuff
    Halloween
    Interviews
    Necco
    Thanksgiving
    Valentines

    RSS Feed

Site powered by Weebly. Managed by Hostgator