Today’s lunchtime news chum brings a few articles related to nostalgia:
- From the “Shoop Shoop Hula Hoop” Department: The SF Chronicle has a nice article on Wham-O, the original manufacturer of the Frisbee, along with the Slip ‘N Slide, the Hula Hoop and the SuperBall. The Wham-O brand was bought by private investors in 2009, and the company has since acquired Sprig Toys Inc., a small Colorado company with an emphasis on eco-friendly preschool toys, for an undisclosed price. Production is being moved back to the US, as some Wham-O manufacturing will return to Marvel factories in Lompoc (Santa Barbara County) and Michigan. Recycled materials will be used in products. Quite an interesting article.
- From the “I Just Watch It For The Trolleys” Department: The NY Times has a nice article on how Pittsburgh remembers Fred Rogers, the host of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Although the show is no longer broadcast (except on some stations on weekends), it still has fond memories for many people. Alas, for most *kids* these days, they would probably look at you strange if you told them about an odd middle-aged man who invited little children to make-believe land.
- From the “Preserved for Posterity” Department: Two stories of odd ways of preserving a legacy for posterity. In the first, the OC Register reports on how the songwriting team of Richard and Robert Sherman now have windows on Disneyland’s Main Street. In the second, the New York Times reports on how Supreme Court Justice bobblehead dolls are preserved in the Yale Law Library collection.
And your bonus item:
- From the “No, Not That Abe” Department: Abe is dead. No, not Abe Vigoda. He’s still alive. A.B.E., the underseas explorer, is dead at 16. He/She/It was lost while helping researchers look for hydrothermal vents at the Chile Triple Junction, the meeting point of three tectonic plates. ABE is survived by a new generation of autonomous underwater vehicles with improved range, speed and sensing capabilities.
