Until the mid 1900s, the kitchen was the undisputed heart of the home and most families, and mothers in particular, spent many hours in that room. From piecrust crimpers and apple corers to cookie cutters and potato mashers, a variety of tools were available to make kitchen chores easier. Many of these tools can still be found today at flea markets and antique malls and have attracted all sorts of collectors. With their bright colors and interesting shapes, kitchen collectibles are fun to look at and make great wall displays in the kitchen.

Many of the kitchen collectibles, such as butter paddles and dough boxes, were made from wood. Others were made entirely with metal such as cast iron apple peelers or wrought iron choppers. Still others were created with metal bodies and wooden handles. Some of the tools were for such obscure uses that it’s not unusual to come across an oddly shaped kitchen gadget that sends you searching through books to discover just what it is and what tasks it performed.

Until the 1920s, most kitchen tools with wooden handles were painted black. At that time, however, manufacturers began using bright, cheery colors on the handles. The economy was booming, and makers sought to attract buyers with color. Red and green were used most often, but other colors were employed as well. Brightly colored wooden handles remained popular until the 1950s, when plastic handles became more common for kitchen gadgets.

To keep your kitchen collectibles in good shape, be careful when washing them. You don’t want the wood to crack or the paint to peel. Do not put the kitchenware through the harsh environment of the dishwasher. Always wash the kitchen collectibles by hand with a gentle detergent, but do not allow the wood handles to soak. Make sure the kitchen collectibles are completely dry before storing them.

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In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a young boy-scout Indy confronts plunderers about a golden cross, and later meets the same men over the same cross. His logic, flung at the plunderers twice, is “that belongs in a museum!” In each of the Jones movies, Indy is after a relic of some sort, fighting off others in pursuit of the same item, but his reasoning isn’t much more noble from the perspective of the rightful owner of a relic. Whether the object is pursued by a private collector or a museum, it is being taken out of its context and moved to a new place. This same dilemma exists for collectors: you may want a rare or valuable item, but how right is it to own the item?

Extreme cases, like grave-robbing, plundered items, or items pertaining to unpleasant historic events, are generally frowned upon, even though there’s a market for them. A Nazi memorabilia seller had a case in a local antique mall, which got a moderate amount of frowns and an equal amount of interest. One day, a buyer by the name of Marilyn Manson stopped by, while in town for a performance, and bought a big chunk of what the seller had. I personally would hope that Manson has an honest interest in history, but judging from his music it’s likely his morbid facination is deliberately morbid and expressly offensive. On one hand, it’s probably better he bought them than a neo-nazi looking for ties to his beliefs, and I’m sure Manson will spend the money on proper care and restoration for the items, but wouldn’t a museum or WWII collector be a better buyer?

Recently, a clock was sold to a collector. Not particularly remarkable, except that the clock is a 15-foot tall historic icon. The storefront that the clock has guarded for decades is going to be renovated, and it’s new front doesn’t include the clock. The collector is going to take good care of the clock, much better care than the clock has recieved in recent years, and better than it will get with the next owner. However, the city preservation board believes the clock should remain where it is due to it’s iconic nature. On one hand, the clock risks destruction or neglect if it’s left in the hands of an owner who doesn’t want it, but the collector will remove the clock and take it to his collection. Towns all over are confronted with similar problems: sustaining a city’s history, but not impeding progress. They can set up clubs to teach children about history, but with local museums underfunded and incentives for developers to replace history with modernism, what would be a better place than in a loving collector’s archive? The original environment, however, might make the item more relevant, if not more valuable to the people who appreciate it. An iconic pussycat neon sign adorned a downtown Fargo bar and greeted generations of Greyhound bus riders as they disembarked, but when the building was torn down the sign was bought by a collector. Last I heard, it’s on a pole in the middle of a farmstead in rural North Dakota. It’s better than the sign scrapyard (which, incidentally is on 2nd Ave S and 15th Street, and appears too well guarded for casual browsing), but wouldn’t a local historical museum have been more appropriate?

My wife and I attended an auction a few years ago for a disbanded church; it was a very rural area, late in the day during the week, so we expected some good deals on religious items. One such was the baptismal font: bidding started low, and we were doing well, but it became clear from overhearing the discussions in the audience that the other bidders were members of the church trying to save items with emotional significance. Even though it might have been a ruse to keep us from bidding, it worked and we bowed out. However, what would have been a better destination for the font: the home of a member of the church, or a collector interested in Methodist iconography, or another church in the process of being built? We did buy a stained glass window and a number of dishes with the church’s logo on it, and all went to loving collectors; the window, in fact, went to a man building a new home, and he planned on installing it in a stairwell.

Collectors are always on the lookout for the rarest, the most valuable, and the one with the best story behind it, whether it’s a South American golden idol, the Ark of the Covenant, an original painting, or the desk Ann Landers sat at, but they often overlook the right option in favor of their own desires. A wise collector might find it best to ask themselves: What would Indiana Jones think?

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When you think of the word ‘cartoon’, what’s the first thing that you think of?

If you’ve grown up in North America, it’s likely that some kind of humorous and vapid children’s fare sprung to mind. Cartoons are relegated to the world of exaggerated characters and zany sound effects while much of the potential of animation goes unrealized in the mainstream US media. This isn’t the way that they have it in Japan though, where the artistry of cartoons is far more realized and popular among a wider range of ages. Epic 26-episode sequential adventures, with characters and struggles and consequences. The potential is staggering.

Of course, most of the stuff that’s invading our TVs from Asia on Saturday mornings and after school is specifically geared towards children, as well as mistranslated and re-cut to eliminate any subversive elements that might not mesh with the relatively uptight American ideas of censorship. Did you ever see the Pokemon episode where a certain male character wears enormous female breasts and an old guy threatens someone with a gun? The Cardcaptors scenes where everyone is in love with everyone else, regardless of gender? I didn’t think so, but they’re out there. Instead, we get endless hours of capturing monster after monster and making them fight for your own personal glory. Which is, might I add, highly illegal here in the states, kids.

So, Disney and Buena Vista Home Entertainment have been working hard to both eliminate the stigma that anime currently has found in the US, (mostly due to things like Pokemon and the incomprehensible ramblings of Yu-Gi-Oh), as well as emphasize the true artistry behind the process of animation. They’ve teamed up with Studio Ghibli, which is the Japanese equivalent of Disney in terms of quality and popularity, and have been slowly releasing epic anime DVDs into US culture. These new versions are clean and official transfers, and all of them have the original Japanese dialogue with subtitles, in addition to new vocal tracks which feature popular American actors and actresses.

For collectors of anime, this is good news. Only recently has anime been imported to the US with proper translations. In years past, we’ve been forced to find odd DVDs on poorly translated websites, have them shipped over from across the ocean and hope that the translations were slightly comprehensible. It’s no surprise that the more pornographic titles have been in the US for a far longer time than the truly narrative works. There’s an undeniable audience, and it’s an audience where an exact translation isn’t really the focal point.

Here’s part of that last paragraph translated there and back again through Babel Fish (the weapon of choice for some amateur fan subbers), to give you an idea of what we’ve suffered through :

“It passed with year, we find strange DVDs of the web sight which is translated imperfectly, have shipping those from the ocean, the fact that desire barely you can understand translation make.”

And that’s on a good day.

Even those who have no interest in anime have probably heard the name ‘Miyazaki’ somewhere, as he’s respected as a creator and director, even though he ‘only creates cartoons’. The Ghibli movie library is pretty large, including over 20 epic films, and Disney seems to be methodically releasing them in the US, even despite some suggestive and violent themes present in them. It’s clear that they appreciate the films in their pure form. You can still poke around in the dark corners of the internet and find completely unfamiliar titles, but this is where the real epic moviemaking happens. This month sees the release of ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’, which is based on a Diana Wynne Jones novel, ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ and ‘Whisper of the Heart’. Disney’s DVD releases of these films include behind-the-scenes voice acting footage, as well as various Japanese documentaries about the making of the films, so they’re an immense value in themselves just for the bonuses alone, which would never make it to the US otherwise.

With 11 DVDs in the Disney collection, there’s about 10 more that should be heading our way in the next few years, as well as at least one more epic in-production work based on the novels of Ursula LeGuin. Here’s some reviews of some of the older releases, also! You can leave the Monster Rancher for the brats - it’s time for the adults to have some fun with cartoons.

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From sleek and sophisticated to silly, salt and pepper shakers take all sorts of forms. They look great on display, can be conversation pieces when used for parties and family gatherings, and there are plenty of low-priced shakers for the budget conscious, all of which makes them attractive to collectors.

Salt and pepper shakers came into use during the 19th century and before long the shakers were being created in fun and whimsical shapes. While in some sets the salt shaker and pepper shaker are identical, in other sets they are different forms that complement one another. A set made up of a bowling pin salt shaker and bowling ball pepper shaker is one example.

Salt and pepper shakers are in abundant supply and there’s a number of places to search for new additions to your collection. Salt and pepper shakers in great shape often show up at garage sales, yard sales and thrift stores as well as antique shops and malls. Online auctions are always a good option, provided you examine pictures closely and ask about any flaws before buying.

Because salt and pepper shakers are fairly easy to find and are often inexpensive, some people have amassed collections numbering in the hundreds! Their small size makes it easy to display a large group of shakers in a small space. On the other hand, some find it makes the “hunt” more fun when they focus the collection, perhaps sticking to a particular type like glass or silver shakers, or shakers made by a particular manufacturer. Still others build collections around certain forms, such as Santa and Mrs. Claus shakers.

There is a lively community of salt and pepper shaker collectors out there. There are several collectors’ guides that focus on this hobby, as well as associations where collectors can share information, swap shakers, and host conferences about salt and pepper shakers. The Novelty Salt and Pepper Shakers Collectors Club and the Antique and Art Glass Salt Shaker Collector’s Society are two of these associations.

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I have an ongoing love affair with cereal.

It’s not just that it is the easiest breakfast food (unless you count Pop-Tarts), but growing up with tv in the 70s & 80s, well, those cereal box icons are my friends! Even if some were ones my mother wouldn’t let come over to our house…

Like Kabooms. Obnoxiously colored wheels of goodness, my mother, who worked at night in a bar/restaurant, complained that just looking at the bowl made her head hurt… The clown also was too much. (Ironically, this is the only clown to date which has not made me scared, but that’s another story.) So, one box and Kabooms could no longer come over to our house. *sigh* I really missed those bright turquoise, purple & read wheels in the mornings - the color & sugar is what woke me up!

Years passed, and I, along with many others in the world, thought Kabooms were a thing of the past, no longer made. Then, on my first solo-shopping trip to the grocery store here in Fargo, I saw them. There on the shelf, packaging a bit modernized, but they existed! I swear I broke into a sweat. The worst part was, I only had enough cash on me to buy some ‘essentials’ and cereal wasn’t on that short 2 item list… But I came home pretty jazzed.

So went looking for them the next trip. However, only that store carries them… we have plans to go back & get them. Soon.

But, in my long, slow, gazing at each box on the shelves, I rediscovered a few old friends I had forgotten about…

One was King Vitamin. Basically, the stuff tastes like Capn’ Crunch, the original, less colorful, ok, bland version. I had not seen it in years, and assumed the Captain had won out afterall. (See what happens when you assume?)

What I remember of King Vitamin, was that other kids just seemed to think it was the cheaper ‘generic’ version of Capn’ Crunch, and sorta looked down on you if you ate it.

I don’t know exactly why he wasn’t cool. They both has a slew of other characters - each commercial acting like a mini Saturday morning cartoon, with plots & an evil nemesis… Both were/are made by Quaker Oats too… Who knew? But one was cool, the other wasn’t.

And I remember when they went from cartoon king to a human one. Sucked it did. If this was their attempt to look better than the Capn’, they too realized it didn’t work, and did go back to the cartoon king. However, I can’t remember the last time I saw a commercial for this cereal, let alone a cool animated mini-series… But that goes for most of them, come to think of it…

I miss having that ‘Saturday morning tv’ feeling for breakfast, don’t you?

Another long lost favorite of mine was Boo Berry. Also rumored to no longer be manufactured, and quite possibly an on-again-off-again cereal, Boo Berry still does exist today! (Often with cool premiums too!) Though he has has quite a few transformations (I like the old original one best), but more on that later.

My guess is Boo is back by popular demand - he has his own website to prove it.

Part of General Mills monster cereals, Boo Berry was my favorite. (Astonishingly, the bright blue & the tinted milk did not make mother groan.) The five original monster cereals were Count Chocula, Frankenberry, Boo Berry, Fruit Brute, and Yummy Mummy; they began in the 70s. In the late 80’s Count Chocula, Frankenberry, and Boo Berry were made into “less scary” creatures while Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy were discontinued altogether.

As you can see, cereals & their packaging is under constant changes, all with the eye on corporate profits.

In general, that’s ok with me. But occasionally, when I see something like this, I have to wonder…

Lucky Charms, with all green charms? Ok, for St Patty’s day, right? Maybe. But General Mills has decided to name them ‘Spring’ - I am guessing this is to make sure no consumers freak if on March 31st they still see boxes on the shelves…

I am not a huge fan of Lucky Charms. But we both were born in 1964. Lucky Charms was the first cereal to include marshmallow pieces, technically called “marbits.” (Marbits were invented by John Holahan in 1963 - apparently it took a full year to find a use for them!)

And Lucky Charms & I have been through many, many changes. For a more complete look at the history of Lucky Charms, visit here.

The first real commercial cereal foods were created by the American Seventh-day Adventists. Strict vegetarians, the Adventists manufactured, promoted, and sold wholesome cereals in the mid 1800s. And most of you know all about Will Keith Kellogg (and if you didn’t, you ought to read the book or watch the movie!)

I am sure both the Adventists & Mr Kellogg would cringe at what has become of their precious health foods now.

But maybe they just needed television?

Now, collecting cereal boxes, cereal premiums, and advertising items is a huge pop culture passion.

Some collect Wheaties for the sports legacy, some for celebrities (human & animated), others look for remnants of days gone past…

You can learn a lot about our culture by studying cereals. (And it helps me rationalize yet another quest for Kabooms and other sweet breakfast foods.)

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