Museum Artifact: Werco Tambourine, c. 1960s
Made By: WERCO, aka White Eagle Rawhide MFG Co., 1652 N. Throop St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
1960s
Dad’s Root Beer Co., est. 1937
Museum Artifact: Unopened Dad’s Root Beer “Mama” Bottle, 1960s
Made By: Dad’s Root Beer Co., 2800 N. Talman Avenue, Chicago, IL
“It’s a completely new idea! Genuine draft root beer in bottles!”
When Dad’s Root Beer creators Ely Klapman and Barney Berns rolled out their first big national ad campaign in 1941, they did so with an immediate contradiction in terms—a “completely new” thing was also promoted as the “old fashioned” root beer.
DeMet’s Inc., est. 1898
Museum Artifact: Turtles Candy Tin, c. 1960s
Made By: DeMet’s, Inc., 177 N. Franklin St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Vee-Jay Records, est. 1953
Museum Artifact: “Introducing The Beatles” Vinyl LP, 1964
Made By: Vee-Jay Records, Inc., 1449 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
To a serious record collector, the copy of Introducing… The Beatles in our museum collection probably wouldn’t appear all that special. It is, after all, a non-mint example of the second and considerably more common version of the album,
Filbert’s Root Beer & Bottling Co., est. 1926
Museum Artifact: Filbert’s Old Time Root Beer Bottles, c. 1965-1975
Made By: Filbert’s Root Beer & Bottling Co., 3033 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Maher Printing Co. – DownBeat, est. 1936
Museum Artifact: 8 Issues of DownBeat Magazine, 1964-1968
Made By: Maher Printing Co. / Maher Publications, 205 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Replogle Globes, Inc., est. 1930
Museum Artifact: Replogle 12″ Relief Globe, 1964
Made By: Replogle Globes, Inc., 1901 N. Narragansett Avenue, Chicago, IL
Replogle, appropriately enough, is one of Chicago’s best-traveled brand names. If you look for the trademark on any random spinning globe you encounter (it’s usually stamped a little west of the Galapagos Islands), you’ll quickly get a sense of how this former mom-and-pop enterprise grew larger than any “to-scale model”
Ludwig Drum Company, est. 1909
Museum Artifact: Ludwig Universal Speed Master Bass Drum Pedal, 1960s
Made By: Ludwig Drum Co., 1728 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL
The night that famously marked a sea change in American pop culture—the Beatles’ 1964 performance on the Ed Sullivan Show—was also the dawning of a new golden age at a certain musical instrument factory in Wicker Park.
Before that night,
Wilbac MFG Co., est 1940s
Museum Artifact: Expando Grand Slam Baseball Cap, c. 1960s
Made By: Wilbac MFG Co., 913 W. Van Buren St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Manufacturing & Trading Co., est. 1952
Museum Artifact: “Wonder Wand” Industrial Safety Lamp, c. 1970
Made By: Manufacturing & Trading Company “VO”, 904 N. Campbell Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Sidney A. Tarrson Co., est. 1948
Museum Artifact: “Skill-Flight” Electronic Board Game, c. 1960s
Made By: Sidney A. Tarrson Compant, aka Tarco Toys, 518 S. Racine Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
John O. Butler Co., est. 1923
Museum Artifact: Butler Gum Stimulator, c. 1960s
Made By: The John O. Butler Company / GUM, 540 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Orange Crush Co., est. 1911
Museum Artifact: 8-Pack of Orange Crush (with 6 Glass Bottles), c. 1965
Made By: Crush International, Inc. / Orange Crush Company, 2201 Main Street, Evanston, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Gunk Laboratories, Inc., est. 1959
Museum Artifact: Gunk S-C Degreaser Can, c. 1960s
Made By: Gunk Laboratories, Inc. / Gunk Chicago Co., 5829 W. 66th Street, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Weber-Stephen Products Co., est. 1893
Museum Artifact: Weber Barbecue Accessories Starter Set 8801, 1970s
Made By: Weber-Stephen Products Co., 100 N. Hickory St., Arlington Heights, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Solo Cup Company, est. 1936
Museum Artifact: “Dairy Treat” Paper Cups, 1967
Made by: Solo Cup Company, 1501 E. 96th Street, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Andes Candies, est. 1921
Museum Artifact: Andes Candies Tin, c. 1960s
Made By: Andes Candies, Inc., 4430 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Chess Producing Corp., est. 1947
Museum Artifact: Chicago Cubs “Pennant Fever” 7-inch Record, 1969
Made By: Chess Producing Corp., 320 E. 21st Street, Chicago, IL
Long before the Chicago Bears awkwardly rapped their way to a certified gold record with “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” the precedent for a singing sports team had already been set—albeit with substantially less commercial and cultural impact—by the baby bears over at Clark and Addison.
Oscar Mayer & Co., est. 1883
Museum Artifact: “Little Oscar & The Bandit” Coloring Book, 1962
Made By: Oscar Mayer & Co., Inc., 1241 N. Sedgwick St., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Johnson Publishing Co., est. 1942
Museum Artifact: Jet Magazine MLK Memorial Issue, 1968
Made By: Johnson Publishing Co. Inc., 1820 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Arnold, Schwinn & Co., est. 1895
Museum Artifact: Schwinn “Hollywood” Bicycle, c. 1970
Made By: Arnold, Schwinn & Co. / Schwinn Bicycle Company, 1718-1740 N. Kildare & 1856 N. Kostner Ave., Chicago, IL
The last Chicago-built Schwinn bicycle rolled off the assembly line in 1982, and while the brand name is still embossed on the badges of various Chinese imports, anybody who buys a new one is bound to hear the inevitable cranky lament from a passerby: “they don’t make ‘em like they used to.”
The Schwinn in our own collection is a “campus green” Hollywood model,
Art-Rite Products Co., est. 1958
Museum Artifact: Tarnishproof Tinsel Garlands, 1960s
Made By: Art-Rite Products Co., 1355 Blue Island Ave., Chicago, IL
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.
Slingerland Drum Company, est. 1912
Museum Artifact: Slingerland Tempo King Bass Drum Pedal, 1960s
Made By: Slingerland Drum Company, 6633 N. Milwaukee Ave
Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.