Bring Back Boynton

So, after my last blog post, I got to wondering: "whatever happened to Sandra Boynton?" 

After all, her classic greeting card and sticker designs were everywhere in the 1980s. 

The combination of cuteness and wry humor is unmistakable:

Cute (l.); wry (r.).

 Cute (l.); wry (r.)

She also combined wry cuteness with the struggle of the modern (wo)man to come to terms with the pressures of Jane Fonda's workout and the cholesterol scare of the time:

(left to right:) cute; food humor; cute; food humor

And if this blog is at least in part about nostalgia, isn't it worth noting that she can also be remembered for a kind of Cathy-style running joke about chocolate that you just don't find anymore?

 

And I thought, what an inspired blog post title: "whatever happened to Sandra Boynton?"

So I looked her up. Naturally, she has a website. And I realize not only is she going strong, she is timeless. 

I loooooove her dry, self-effacing sense of humor:

"Trying to think of a motto since 1973."

Heh.

Look around at her children's books, her autobiography, and the Zazzle store (sadly, there are no stickers for sale) while enjoying her wit and liberal use of fifty-cent words.  I think you will agree with me that it is time to bring back Boynton!!

Cute.

Back to the blog

The lack of awesome posts about awesome stickers for the last week is due to the simple fact that I've been away and unable to blog. I am back home now, which means I am happy

 

if dead tired. 

So, to the five of you who are reading this (and I know who you are), I appreciate your patience!

Jazz hands!

Just because.

What the eighties mean to me

Anyone who gets the title of this post without Googling it gets a sticker!

Anywho, when perusing my old sticker collection I realized that there are certain stickers that have a kind of retro cachet (like rainbows, unicorns, and Strawberry Shortcake) and then there are those that stay stuck in the 1980s. There are just certain things that we all liked in the 1980s that seem unlikely ever to be revived. A short list:

1. Mimes. I went as a mime for Halloween twice, in 1985 and 1987. I was very into the face makeup.

This was my "favorite sticker" for a while. I think I was impressed that it was made in France (but purchased in Quebec on a family vacation):

Now I look at it and think, supermodel posing for Summer's Eve print ad.

2. Teddy Bears dressed up like humans and photographed. This was actually a thing for a while, but I haven't seen it in years.

Jogging, naturally.

3. Dressing up like punks. Again, me, Halloween: 1984. Better of course if you can get teddy bears to dress up like punks and photograph them. 

Or whatever.

4. Junk food as art form, for junk food's sake. This was clearly before the obesity epidemic. It was before cholesterol became a household word. It was the era of McDonald's ads supporting the 1984 Olympics on TV, Webster as the spokesperson for Burger King, and ...

 

worrying not just about Star Wars but Junk Food Wars.

This sticker is an airbrushed image of a double bacon cheeseburger. Let's just think about that for a minute.

Nobody combined junk foods like Lisa Frank. What could possibly improve an airbrushed bacon double cheeseburger?

Only airbrushed layer cake, teddy bears, and ice cream, that's what.

Don't forget the unicorn on top!

The digital age

When Steve Jobs passed away, and everyone began to pay tribute to him on Facebook, I wondered if I had a sticker that would honor his memory in some way. Unfortunately, and with no disrespect intended, this is the closest I can come:

In point of fact, this in no way honors the memory of Steve Jobs himself. Instead it honors Olivia Newton-John. And...really big calculators. Oh, and leg warmers.

Which, actually, I wish were still around because it's October and getting chilly.

But I digress. I think the "let's get digital" sticker is really all about the dawn of the computer age. With that awesome, Wargames font and a desktop computer that needs to lose some serious weight, it's a sign of the birth of an era: in 1983, people (even Hallmark shoppers!) were ready--excited, yet--to get digital. And the rest is history... from playing Lemonade to blogging on my laptop, it has been an amazing 30 years.

You can and should read the text of Steve Jobs's beautiful 2005 Stanford commencement address here.

Hello Kitty is ready for Halloween

Halloween is a big, big deal in New England, so it goes without saying that I like to collect Halloween stickers. You know who else is ready for Halloween? Hello Kitty:

 

According to the Sanrio web site, Hello Kitty lives in the suburbs of London. Who knew?! Despite this, she is evidently very into the American holiday.

She has many costumes. 

I have to say these two are my favorites:

WHY IS SHE WEARING A SEXY CAT SUIT? 

What is this, Mean Girls?

I think she likes Halloween so much because she cannot stop dressing up.

These kind of freak me out a little.

She has also dressed up as a snowcat:

 

And on Easter, she dresses up as a bunny:

Raising the eternal question: what is the difference between Hello Kitty dressed up as a bunny and My Melody on Xanax?

Why is My Melody so sad??

 Better. I'm totally going as My Melody this year for Halloween.

People who dress like their stickers, part 2

Looove the white pants these t-shirts are tucked into. It is a flattering look for everyone.

I could so rock one of these shirts.