Find out why in my next post.
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All posts for the month August, 2010
Ahhh, I remember this skateboard well, along with all of my cuts and bruises too.
From memory, the Sidewalk Surfer skateboard was a 1/2 inch thick, flat-as-a-board piece of plywood with a surfer on a wave painted in blue and I believe there was some pin stripping in red too on the face of the board. The wheels were tucked way under the board, unlike skateboards of today that have the wide spread wheels for stability. The wheels were made of steel, great for wear, but terrible for gripping the surface you were skating on, plus they were noisy.
I use to live on a fairly steep street, but it was fun skateboarding down it. I use to grab my skateboard, hike up my street to the top, where it intersected the cross street. I took a few deep breaths, hopped on my board and went zipping down the sidewalk, not the street (hey, it is a ‘sidewalk’ surfer after all) and I quickly picked up speed. Due to the short length, the narrow-set ‘STEEL’ wheels and the uneven sidewalk, the skateboard would get really squirrelly. The skateboard would start zig zagging side to side, while still picking up more speed, until I had no choice but to jump off onto our lawn or a neighbors lawn. Yihah! I felt like I just got thrown from a bull.
Although I came across many different modern day Sidewalk Surfer skateboards photos online, I couldn’t find a photo similar to the one I had as a kid. The attached photo will give you a rough idea of the type of board I had (flat board & steel wheels). 
Wow! Skateboards have sure increased in size from my days of riding them. I guess it’s for better stability, plus you can take a bunch of your friends with you. There was no such thing as ride sharing skateboards in the ’60s.
The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was created in 1936 by Oscar Mayer’s newphew, Carl G. Mayer. Drivers of the Wienermobile are known as Hotdoggers. Some of the vanity license plates used on the Wienermobile are: YUMMY, OUR DOG, IWSHIWR, OH I WISH, WEENR, WNRMOBL, BOLOGNA, RELSHME, LIL LINK, BIG BUN, WNR MBLE.
I don’t remember when or where I first saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, but it was back in the 1960′s, and back then, it was one of the most unusual vehicles I had ever seen. I would even hazard a guess that it’s still unusual, even by today’s standards. Let’s be real, how often do you see a hot dog shaped car motoring down the street.
The wienermobile was usually seen at public events so they could promote their product name. I’m sure it was pretty effective advertising, because how could you miss a billboard like this! Another form of advertising was to give away promotional swag. You walk up to the wienermobile and the Hotdogger would hand you a whistle, not just any whistle mind you, it was a Wienerwhistle. With this whistle, you could play the unmistakable 4 note Oscar Mayer jingle.
There are currently 7 Oscar Mayer Wienermobiles in existence today, each assigned a part of the country. On occasion, I still see the Wienermobile traveling down the street. Hmm, I wonder if they still have those Wienerwhistles?
Check out wikipedia’s site for more details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wienermobile
Check out this individuals site for his Wienermobile collection:
http://357.com/chris/wiener/index.html
Ahh yes, the Slip ‘n Slide, does anyone remember this one?
The photo shown below is from the web, it’s not me. 
If by chance you are reading this post from a country that never sold this toy, you may not know what the Slip ‘n Slide is–although the name kind of gives it away.
The Slip ‘n Slide was introduced by Wham-O back in 1961 and was basically a long sheet of yellow plastic that was flanked lengthwise on one side by a heat-sealed tubular fold. The tube can be attached to any ordinary garden hose. Water runs through the tube and out small perforations, spraying onto the sliding surface. The Slip ‘n Slide then becomes very slippery, enabling users to jump onto the plastic and slide the length of the sheet.
My aunt had one of these at her house and every time we went to visit during the summer, we would have her setup the Slip ‘n Slide. All the kids would line up at one end and take a run across the grass and jump onto the slippery plastic like sliding into home plate. What fun! This was a great way to escape from the summer heat, get a little exercise and water my aunts lawn, all at the same time.
For those that want to try the Slip ‘n Slide, they are still available. A word of caution though, I’ve read online that they don’t recommend the Slip ‘n Slide for adults due to a high rate of injuries. Here’s what wikipedia.com stated about safety: “Both the manufacturer and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend that only children use the toy due to the risk of back and neck injuries when teenagers and adults use it. Injuries occur because people heavier or taller than children might stop suddenly when diving onto the toy. Between 1973 and 1991, seven adults and one teenager reported injuries suffered while using Slip ‘N Slides including neck injuries and fractures, quadriplegia, and paraplegia”.
This video shows a homemade version of a HUGE Slip ‘n Slide!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwK0NSlkldM&feature=related
The Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, California is having a first ever reunion party for former Marineland employees and residence on September 25, 2010. Here’s an excerpt from the Terranea Resort’s website news release from July 20, 2010.
“Terranea Resort to Make a Big Splash with Marineland of the Pacific Reunion
Palos Verdes, Calif – July 20, 2010 – On Saturday, September 25, 2010, Terranea Resort will pay special tribute to its historical location with the first Marineland Reunion. Partnering with Pacific Beach Life, Terranea is proud to welcome back former Marineland employees, along with residents and people with fond memories of the marine park, many of whom have not been back to the property since the park closed nearly 24 years ago. The reunion will be the first gathering of former employees on the Marineland property since the park closed on Feb 11, 1987.”
For those of you that didn’t read my previous post about Marineland, the Terranea Resort is built on the property that use to be home to the Marineland of the Pacific. Click here to see my July 15th, Marineland of the Pacific post
Another tidbit of information: If you were a Sea Hunt television show fan as I was back in the ’60s. The television series was filmed in and around the Terranea site when it was home to Marineland of the Pacific. Also, one of Terranea’s restaurants, Nelson’s, was named after Sea Hunt’s main character Mike Nelson, played by Lloyd Bridges.
See the complete News Release from the Terranea Resorts website:
http://www.terranea.com/press/terranea-resort-to-make-a-big-splash-with-marineland-of-the-pacific-reunion
