C is for Charms

Just about everything in the world of ephemeral or novelty plastic shite can be found in a charm-looped version, that loop sometimes substantial enough to be used for key-rings/key-chains; sometimes as charms, on a necklace or as earrings; sometimes so full of flash or so mis-moulded they can't be threaded by anything or onto anything! Here are a few.

These are all from the recent evilBay purchase and are a reasonable cross-section of mid-70's shite plastic tat, with hard and soft polymers, lightweight alloy mouldings and a tin stamping. The black hand is a wire-threaded, beaded construct, the Bible can hide a very small, very short message, and the boots come with brittle polystyrene, laces/bows, which brake all to easily.

Themes of luck, zodiac signs, religious symbology and cats and dogs are common, as well as household goods...a camera, a burger? Boots and shoe, especially the US cut 'cowboy boot' are also common as are pistols or guns but we looked at them a while ago - they've been added to!

The main picture here shows the remaining contents of a set of 1950's mini 'tree' crackers, labelled 'Old World Series' there doesn't seem to be a proper 'Brand' and they probably pre-date the takeover of Hong Kong for supplying this kind of thing, likely being UK sourced generics.

Of interest in that there are both lead/white metal mouldings and the 'new' plastic, clearly packed/issued as the technologies were changing over, as well as the fact that there is both a flat elephant and a semi-flat one. Clearly these were all mixed together in a bin (either as charms to go in crackers, or as crackers to go in the box), with no thought to mix. Elephants are as popular a theme as cats and dogs!

Bottom left is a recent set of what seem to be Nursery Rhyme related charms, I can recognise Red Riding Hood, Jack and Jill, Jack Horner (probably the same Jack, what with the bean-stalk thing - a very pesky kid), and a shoe for poor people to inhabit, but the other three? Finally a random dog I had kicking around after the dog-shot the other day was done! We'll be seeing more elephants for similar reasons in a day or two.