March 22, 2002
Greetings Accumulators!
So far in The Apple this week we've had warm sunshine, pouring down rain,
and frigid temperatures. Today the temps were in the 20s all day. And I've
received three phone calls from weirdos in the past hour. Is the moon full?
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF COLLECTIBLE VEGETABLES
Belper, England and Pawtucket, Rhode Island are sister cities. Don't ask me
how that happened because I haven't a clue. Some American town was probably
stationed near a sweet English hamlet during World War II, they fell in
love, and - well, you know. Apparently, if you are a sister city, you're
supposed to send gifts to your family. So Providence sent a giant Mr.
Potato Head to Belper. This is because Hasbro, Inc, the maker of Mr. Potato
Head, is located in Pawtucket. So, it would seem that a 7-foot fiberglas
Mr. Potato Head would make an excellent gift for your sister. Or not. The
good citizens of Belper hate him. Perhaps it is because he is dressed as
William Blackstone, an early English settler. I don't know about you, but I
don't think I'd enjoy seeing one of my historical heroes depicted as a
giant potato. Although, in the case of Ben Franklin, that might not be such
a stretch. But, I digress. The good citizens of Belper complained about the
"eyesore" located in the center of their town, and it was moved to a
children's park. It must have been frightening little children at the park,
becuase it was then moved again, first to a Wild West theme park, where it
presumably scared the cowboys, and then outside a school in nearby Heanor.
Well, the schoolchildren of Heanor are no wimps. Mr. Potato Head didn't
frighten them at all. In fact, they attacked him, ripping off one of his
arms and his hat. Mr. Potato Head was rushed to the Fiberglas Hospital,
where he is now resting comfortably, after some serious fiberglas surgery,
outside the Safeway Supermarket. According to the Associated Press, Reg
Whitworth, Belper's tourism development officer is reassessing Mr. Head's
future in Belper. He said, "We've had a call from a tourism company in
Rhode Island who want to take him on a tour of America, so at the moment, I
think we'd be quite happy to send him home." He can always serve as the
spokesspud for Idaho.
PEOPLE WITH TOO MUCH TIME ON THEIR HANDS AND PROBABLY NO TEETH DEPARTMENT
We've all seen those gum wrapper thingies - prison art handbags, boxes,
etc. But most of us gave up making stuff out of gum wrappers as soon as we
reached puberty and discovered - hey! - there are other people out there,
and some of them are soooo attractive! Well not Gary Duschl of Ontario,
Canada. Gary has been making a gum wrapper chain since March, 1965. I have
no idea if Gary has an actual job, or if this is what he does with his
time. His gum wrapper chain is now 40,416 feet long and Gary is in the
Guiness Book of Records. You can see Gary, his gum wrapper chain, and the
song lyrics to "Chewing Gum Wrapper" (I'm not making this up) at
LINK. No word on whether Gary has ever had a date in
his entire life, or what the bottoms of his shoes look like.
LIFE
Remember Life Magazine and its astounding cover photographs? Now you can
search the Life Magazine archives for famous covers. Visit their website at
LINK to see the covers and other classic photos.
He Who Is The Light Of My Life has gone to Florida with his brother Don (no
girls allowed!). I am going to Oceanside, NY to cause trouble, along with
my sister Evelyn.
Help us grow! If you enjoy this newsletter, please tell a few friends, and
encourage them to subscribe.
For those of the Hebrew persuasion, I wish you a Zissen Pesach. Enjoy those
Passover Seders with friends and family. Have a wonderful week,
Accumulators. Happy hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2002 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #175
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
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