Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Our New Years Card

Here's the centerfold from our latest New Years Card


Best to all this new, exciting solar cycle.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

The Harold Teen Ukulele

On a recent trip to Southern California we chanced upon this great ukulele decorated with images of long-gone comic strip star, Harold Teen.


Harold Teen was the creation of Carl Ed (rhymes with 'Swede') in 1919 and was essentially the predecessor to the whole genre of teen comics (i.e. Archie, Betty & Veronica, Sabrina the Teen Age Witch, Millie the Model, Zits, perhaps even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...).


During it's heyday, the Harold Teen strip was adapted to film and featured as a regular radio series. And apparently a series of ukuleles.


This one, in yellow, was produced by Harmony in 1930.


Carl Ed's strip started looking pretty dated by the 1950's and ended in 1959.

Thanks to Marguerite and the great Folk Music Center of Claremont.


Here's a bit more on Carl Ed and his creation from the 1967 summer edition of The World of Comic Art magazine: