Weird-Ohs Items!

[Gasport]

Hep, LOVE those great old model kits! I wanna stick my nose in 'em and take a big long sniff of that ancient styrene! I have some vintage un- built Aurora monster long box and Big Daddy kits myself and once in a while i do just that. I also even bought a Mr Magoo Soaky that still had the soap in it so i could take a whiff sometimes...amazing how these old familiar scents can transport you right back to childhood...great stuff!

MDG, I am stunned at how similar our collecting habits are; Brother Rat Fink, Sling Rave Curvette, Nutty Mads, the POGO figures [they came with laundry soap, right?] and the Soupy button! That blue cup with the flashing eyes looks VERY FAMILIAR! I know i had it as a kid and used to drink out of it. Is it Captain Kangaroo??

[Hepcat]

Here's some random Weird-Oh/Fink stuff (and others)

1. That Hawk Weirdsville Customizing Kit is a tough, and weird, one.

2. Cool guitar! When was it made?

I have this Rat Fink skateboard which I use on gentle hills. It's a speedboard!

[MDG]

MDG, I am stunned at how similar our collecting habits are; Brother Rat Fink, Sling Rave Curvette, Nutty Mads, the POGO figures [they came with laundry soap, right?] and the Soupy button! That blue cup with the flashing eyes looks VERY FAMILIAR! I know i had it as a kid and used to drink out of it. Is it Captain Kangaroo??

Yeah, that's the captain. That cup and the two small Hot Wheels are the only things on that shelf that I actually had as a kid (my sister has one of the cups too.)

2. Cool guitar! When was it made?

I did the guitar, probably 7 or 8 years ago. My son bought it from a friend of his for something like $60--not sure why, we had about eight guitars in the house at that point. No brand markings on it at all and the body was covered with purple wall paint. I wanted to try my hand at customizing, so I took it apart, stripped off the paint, cleaned up the hardware and did it like you see here.

A real learning experience (did you know you're supposed to ground the pickups?) and not a great job overall (it plays like a plank), which is why there are no closeups. But it looks neat hanging over the door.

[weldonmc]

Lifted from Mouse's site:

MOUSE MEETS BIG DADDY

It was about 1960. I was at a hot rod show in Pittsburgh PA. The show had a lot of tasty hot rods in it ...not too glittery. It was the usual set-up for me. Had to staple up the pre-painted shirts on the back boards, wheel out the air compressor, plug in the air brushes, stack up the Mouse Studios catalogs and lay out the hill and country crash helmets.
A message came saying that Ed "Big Daddy" Roth the great shirt painter from Los Angles wanted to talk to me. Up walked this rather large, muscular guy with a beard, no shirt and a belly hanging out over his levis. He said, "Mouse, I know that you have the exclusive rights to painting shirts at this show and this is your territory but I'd like to set up and paint too. Besides, you would probably learn something, especiaIly how to make $300...not $100 at a car show."

I said, "Yes."

Roth set up next to me flashing his devilish grin. He sat on the tiniest stool that I have ever seen. The sight of his 250 pound Body with no shirt on and his large belly hanging over; painting sweatshirts with a tiny air brush left a lasting, indelible impression on me. He painted some great skulls with rattle snakes passing through the orifices. They were very well rendered and detailed air brush drawings but ... he was slow.

Meanwhile, I painted quickly and fully colored-in my drawings. I sped along. It was great fun. Big Daddy made his $300, just like he said he would ... I made a thousand dollars that day.

Roth took my catalog back to LA and showed it to his staff. They took my hot rod character "Freddie Flypogger," added rodent type ears, nose, and tail and called it, "Rat Fink." In one fell swoop, they took my character and stole my identity.

The Rat Fink character went on to bigger fame and fortune and I got ready for the next phase of my art; the great poster revolution.

I had read this myself somewhere before and got to thinkin' about it ...so I got out my tracing paper and did this ...and it looks like the ol' STANLEY MOUSE may have a good point ...but what difference does it make? ...they both changed the world. I think it would make a great custom model. Make a FRED FLYPOGGER and make the ears, snout, "R.F.", and tail so they could hang back onto Fred Flypogger turning him into RAT FINK

[Hepcat]

Neat idea!

[MDG]

Rat Fink's geneology is getting more complicated. Stanley Mouse apparently agrees that 'Monte' Monteverde was the original creator:
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/37105/i-smell-a-rat-the-true-creator-of-lowbrow-arts-iconic-rat-fink-revealed/

Monte's work is probabaly familiar to any of us that grew up in the 60s.
http://www.imageinvention.com/impko.html

[weldonmc]

Excellent MDG ...I DID NOT know that. I had several of the decals that are pictured with your link and one of my all time favorites is the Executioner's "NEXT". Thanks Buddy ...Weldon

[jimm]

Part of my pile of kits, not weirdos but related. these later 60s revell deals wheels were amoung the first kits I had as a kid along with glow auroras.

[Illoman]

Jimm! get busy and build those bad boys!!! 

[weldonmc]

Them's some NEAT-O kits Jimm. I haven't seen most of them in a while.

[Hepcat]

Jimm! get busy and build those bad boys!!! 

He shouldn't build original kits from the sixties. He should only build repros of these.

[jimm]

If I showed you the whole pile you'd really scold me!! I try to leave the minty ones alone, i have enuff that have been started to keep me busy thru 2025

[bigbud]

Does anyone know the facts about the smaller version Nutty Mad figures by Marx? Or are they even by Marx? On occasion I have spotted an E-bay auction where these smaller Nutty Mads are described as old and very rare (and thus, very valuable). My own belief is they are only a half step above the Mexican re-pops in value. Anyone able to fill in the facts on these?   Buddy

[Hepcat]

I suspect that small ones are Mexican repros. I've not heard of Marx producing the Nutty Mads in any other than the original 6" size.

[pizzatrash]

Awesome stuff, guys! I love that guitar!

Here's some stuff I recently acquired:

A lot of Martian Finks and some mexican repro Nutty-mads