Once, in Glasgow City Centre, there used to be a huge department store called Lewis's. It was a beezer of a store and I still own several items bought there over the years until it ceased to be, sometime, I believe, in the 1990s - though some sources give much later (and inaccurate) dates than that. Back in 1979 or '80, I purchased (and still have) a Yogi Bear bank (above) and, if memory serves, the copyright date on the poly bag's header card was 1977. (The header card is stashed away somewhere, otherwise I'd double-check.) Anyway, recently, on eBay, I spotted a porcelain ornament of Yogi, below, and snapped it up, as it was almost the double of the bank. There's a 1976 date on the back of this Yogi, so it seems likely that the bank was modelled after the ornament as the similarity of pose is too close to be coincidental.
However, things never go smoothly though, do they? Its estimated arrival was the 4th of this month, but the Spanish postal service managed to bollox things up by somehow mistaking the sender's address for my own and delivered it back to him, resulting in eBay informing me that my parcel had been delivered - even though it wasn't to me. This resulted in the poor seller having to post it a second time and, fortunately, it arrived today. So being the generous person I am, I thought I'd let you cop a look at it, on its own and also with its Lewis's counterpart. No time or trouble spared in preparing posts for you, faithful Crivvies, so I hope you'll honour me with a comment or twenty saying how much you appreciate it. What, me an optimist? Nah! If you could have only one of these Yogis, which would it be - and why?
Gee, the ornament is my fav, but the Wade is a close second. When I get around to unpacking (we moved 15 years ago!) I'll have to see if I have a Yogi. I'm thinking I got a set of PVC figures sometime in the 90s. I remember going to the movie in the 60s. And I have a bunch of comics and the dvd set of the first season. And if you think you have lots of stuff, you should see my (thankfully dry and humidity controlled) basement. I hope to have everything organized by next summer. Oh! And before I go, a friend had us over yesterday, and for the first time I had a Scottish pudding. Her son, mayor of Sleepy Hollow (!), sent it to her from a shop in Scotland. It was pretty good, but she didn't want to set it on fire first. Darn.
ReplyDeleteI've got loads of Yogi merchandise, LM, on account of him being one of the earliest characters I recall from childhood, which is what he represents for me. I've also got the DVDs of the first season, the '60s movie, plus the CGI/live action film from a few years ago, which I thought was hugely entertaining. I'll be having a Christmas pudding this year as well, but I don't set it on fire either, I simply heat it in the microwave. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was a '60s Yogi movie! Has it ever been shown on TV? I'm not sure what LM means by a "Scottish pudding" but if you're interested, Kid, there was a programme on BBC1 a few days ago called Mary Berry's Highland Christmas - apparently Mary's mother was Scottish and this programme showed Mary Berry making various festive goodies including a Stollen (not very Scottish I know!) which inspired me to buy a Stollen from Tesco yesterday.
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a cinematic release back in 1964, CJ, which was shown on TV a few years later. It's called 'Hey There, It's Yogi Bear', with James Darren as the singing voice of Yogi - though Daws Butler is Yogi's speaking voice as in the TV show. There was also a cinematic Flintstones movie in '66 called 'The Man Called Flintstone', in which Fred stands in for a secret agent called Rock Slagg, who's the double of him.
ReplyDeleteI assume LM was referring to a Christmas pudding, which is probably the same in other parts of Britain as it is in Scotland, but I'm not sure. All I know is I love Christmas pudding.
It's sad to see Lewis's is still empty - ok it was Debenhams for a while but it will always be Lewis's to me- what a wonderful store it used to be. There are some nice Christmas Yogi newspaper strips on Yowp! (although you probably know that already).
ReplyDeleteIt never quite worked for me as Debenhams, McS, as once it ceased to be Lewis's, the building lost its old charm. That's probably because I remember it from my childhood (as well as teenage years), when my parents used to take me and my brother there in the '60s. I remember that from one entrance there were a few flat stairs down into the store, where a 'pic'n'mix' (though maybe not under that name) counter was situated. And the toy displays at Christmas were brilliant. I've still got comics, books, and records that I bought there in the late '70s and early '80s. In fact, I've still got my Monogram glow-in-the-dark reissue of the Aurora Frankenstein model kit I bought there around 1983.
ReplyDeleteI agree Lewis's was a wonderful store - I still remember the lifts\elevators with the gates and the wee man or lady in their uniforms that took you to the floor of your choice . Debenhams was ok but a different type of store but not in the same league as Lewis's.
ReplyDeleteI liked the restaurant on the top floor (was it?), which had waitress service, I think. Y'know, I sometimes miss vanished shops from my childhood almost more than I miss people, McS.
ReplyDeleteit was indeed I remember being taken there for my 10th birthday by my mum and dad and given £10 (a lot then) to buy a present (007 gun). I also miss some shops that used to be there and are now long gone.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Woolworth's, Lewis's, Goldbergs, etc. At least Tam Shepherds (no apostrophes in the latter two, apparently) is still there as far as I know.
ReplyDeleteYep Tams joke shop is still there Kid, I passed by it on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteI recently discovered that my local B&M store has closed before I'd even visited it!
ReplyDeleteThat's reassuring to hear, McS. It's a shame that the Virginia Galleries is long-gone - another wee group of places that were always worth a visit.
ReplyDelete******
How long was it there for, CJ? Home Bargains reminds me of Woolworth's in quite a few ways, except that Woolies didn't sell food (as far as I know).
Not long - only a few years (it used to be Woolworth's for decades).
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, CJ, because I wish that Home Bargains had moved into the old Woolworth's premises, but Iceland got there first. HB is a wee bit along from where Woolies was, though on the other side of the mall.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was a 60s Yogi movie. I'll track it down and watch it over Christmas as there's nothing else on worth watching.
ReplyDeleteIt's okay, though it might be better than that - it's decades since I saw it on TV. I've had the DVD for years and years, but never got around to watching it yet.
ReplyDeleteHi again. Colin, I guess we were served a clootie, a dark scots dumpling pudding that was quite good, and supposedly a Christmas treat. Yesterday, I was reading Dell Giant 41, which showed Yogi Bear's baby picture, which Yogi sold for 5 cents to a pawnshop. I was impressed that this story was quite funny and unusual. Kid, do you have any of the Giants? I really like the art on these. I have been lucky to get most for cheap, but comic prices are soon going to drive me away. From newer purchases, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI've got several US Yogi Bear comics, LM, but only two of them are from the '60s. The others are from around the '90s and were, I believe, reprints of '60s stuff. A few of them are what would be considered 'Giants', I suppose. I really must track down some more to add to my collection one day, when I can sort out my space problems.
ReplyDeleteI swear the Dell Giants are so good. Painted covers, and lots of great art. I don't have any of the 90s Harvey comics, they are scarcer than the ones from the 50s and 60s here. And I seem to have missed the Marvel ones too. Also, I have no room for anything any more, but I put everything in the basement and tell the missus that I'm reorganizing and she MIGHT believe me or she doesn't let on that I'm a daft old coot and it wouldn't matter anyway. Least I'm not in the back alleys, unless there's a comic shop near by.
ReplyDeleteI've got a Gold Key Yogi Bear (I think they were connected to Dell in some way) comic (Jellystone Jollies) from 1962/'63, which has a cardboard cover and was originally priced at 25c, so it can legitimately be considered a 'Giant'. Yogi also appeared in various UK comics over the years and had his own weekly back in the '60s, as well as a weekly for the very young in the '70s, which was called Yogi And His Toy. (It came with a different 'toy' every week.)
ReplyDelete