Sheila E concert at the 2018 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

I've been a fan of the incomparable Sheila E. for 34 years.  She is my favorite Latin percussionist, heck.. my favorite percussionist period.  I bought her albums and had posters of her in my room in the 80s.  I bought a pair of Bongos and started teaching myself how to play them largely because of her.  I followed her career closely and watched her grow as a person and an artist.  One thing I never had the opportunity to do however, was to see her in concert.  That changed today however, as she was practically playing in my backyard at the EPCOT Food and Wine festival his weekend.

I heard 'The Queen of Percussion' was going to grace Orlando with her presence many months ago and put in for the time off to see her.  The concert did not disappoint, and was everything I thought it would be and more. My heart skipped a beat when she came down from the stage to sing a song three feet in front of us.  It melted when she brought kids up on the stage to dance with her, and told all of the girls in the audience "You can play drums too".

I wanted to record every second for posterity, but made myself put the phone down for much of the concert, because I just HAD to live in the moment.  I compiled the quick clips I captured, uploaded them to youTube, and have posted the video below.  The quality and sound isn't the best, but it sure keeps ME hypnotized for roughly three minutes and nineteen seconds!  Enjoy..





Mickey Mouse is turning 90.. and there's an OREO for that.

by Darrin Vindiola


In case you didn't know.. Mickey Mouse turns 90 years old this year, and Nabisco has made a limited edition OREO to celebrate!  I've been anxiously waiting for these to be released, stumbled across them at the store today, and of course had to buy some..





Complete with Birthday Cake Flavored Creme!





With three different designs, and birthday cake flavored creme, these cookies are just plain fun.. and delicious!  The creme really is reminiscent of birthday cake, and to me.. seems creamier than the standard OREO.  Or.. maybe the creme is just softer because they're HOT off the assembly line!




I'm a sucker for this type of Disney cross marketing, and seeing as it's been done with one of my favorite snack cookies is a slam dunk.  I'm not sure how many other food and snack items are going to be released this year, but I'm curious to see how many items pop up at the parks.  Will keep you posted if I find more Mickey themed Birthday merchandise.

Old Restaurant Logos



I'm a sucker for ingenious marketing and branding. I especially appreciate the talent and ingenuity it takes to create a good looking corporate logo that can withstand the test of time.  Therefore, here are a few retro restaurant logos I sorely miss seeing..





 Shakey's Pizza Retro Logo


New Shakey's Logo..


Shakey's Pizza was my family's favorite pizza chain when I was a a boy.  Most of the old signs in front of the restaurants also read "& Ye public House" at the very bottom of the sign.  The logo just had a classic feel to it, that just screamed good old fashioned pizza.  While the newer logo doesn't exude the retro goodness that the old one does, it definitely does scream FUN!

That being said, if you're a big fan of the old logo like I am, many of the Shakey's restaurants in the United States still utilize the old logo throughout the restaurants, and some even still use the classic signs out in front of the stores.  



Pizza Inn Retro Logo..


New Pizza Inn Logo..
Pizza Inn was a restaurant chain I remember seeing a lot when I was a kid.  I always loved the old logo featuring that Italian cat hand tossing a pizza.  In fact.. if I could buy a shirt featuring this retro logo I most certainly would!

At one time, it seemed as if Pizza Inn streamlined their logo to the umpteenth degree, leaving it devoid of any character or uniqueness.  To me, it looked like a piece of clip art pulled from a desktop publishing program.  Fortunately, Pizza Inn has since went back to using a new retro looking logo that incorporates their beloved mascot.  Huzzah!



Retro International House of Pancakes Logo

New IHOP Logo..

I wonder.. how many kids these days know that IHOP stands for International House of Pancakes? I could go on a rant about the trend of shortening words and phrases for no other reason than sheer laziness, but I'll save that for another post.  

I absolutely loved The International House of Pancakes as a kid.  As a small boy, I thought the buildings were huge, and was always in awe of the 1960's style A-Frame peaks stretching high into the sky.  I also recall the interior of the restaurants having a very homelike feel, maybe like a bohemian cottage.  Unfortunately nowadays, the restaurants architecture and ambiance, much like their food.. sorely misses the mark.



White Castle Retro Logo


New White Castle Logo


While I do miss the simple and clean design of the vintage White Castle logo, this is one exception where I'm also a fan of the newer one as well.  I like how the new logo now incorporates perspective on the castle, has just the right amount of color, and still utilizes the old White Castle font.  It's fun and classy at the same time.

When I think of just how much restaurants have changed over the last two decades, I've noticed something.  It seems to me that when restaurants don't drastically change their branding, they continue to keep loyal patrons for decades.  I believe it's because the folks at the helm of these establishments know what works, and therefore will not deviate drastically from what has contributed to their success over the years.

I didn't mean to start delving into the intricacies of the restaurant and fast food industry, so maybe I should wrap it up here and continue the topic in another post.  Until then.. I will continue reminiscing about the excitement and sense of escape I used to enjoy in regards to going out to eat.  Old logos always stir up all kinds of great memories, so I very well may showcase more of them soon.


My 1970s Disney Lunch Boxes


It's something I've avoided doing for years, but I finally pulled the trigger a couple of years ago and dipped my toes into the hobby of collecting lunchboxes.  There's an infinite variety of retro lunch boxes that appeal to many of my pop culture interests, so if I don't watch it, I can foresee myself soon getting buried with them.  Nevertheless, it's a risk I'm willing to take, and I'm jumping head first into the hobby.  These were my very first two purchases.. both Disney themed, and I couldn't be happier with them.

Click on any image to enlarge



Disney World Lunch Box and Thermos, circa 1976
 

I love both front and back scenes on this lunch box.  The front features Mickey, Donald, and Pluto riding Casey Jr. the Train, and the retro artwork is wrapped with a railroad border.  The backside of the lunch box features a Country Bear Jamboree scene.  The art that's wrapped around the sides of the lunch box features different areas of the theme park, and also exudes a wonderful retro vibe..





The above lunch box design was used for a limited edition release called "The Florida Project Walt Disney World Lunchbox and pin collection".  The replica lunch box measured 6.8" tall by 8.6" wide and 4" deep, and was limited to 500 pieces.   It was basically the same lunch box you see above, only in smaller form. 

The pins included in the lunch box were of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, and a mini lunch box.  The character pins had magnetic features to allow all three to be connected like a train, just like the scene on the front of the lunch box.






Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom
Wonderful World lunch box circa 1979


 






I remember wishing I could get the lunchbox above, back when I was almost ten years old.  At that time however, I wanted to fit in with my friends and thought that toting around a lunch box with Mickey Mouse on it would make me look like a baby.  Therefore, I sadly passed it up and opted for something else that was still close to my heart.. a STAR WARS themed lunch box.  So in 2013.. I finally got the lunch box I wanted so badly back in 79' thus filling a small 34 year void, and getting back a part of my childhood.

I really dig this Magic Kingdom/Wonderful World lunch box.  It features art from my three favorite rides at Disney World being; The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Other attractions featured are Space Mountain, The Jungle Cruise, and Cinderella's Castle.  I also dig seeing Mickey Mouse's two feisty nephews Morty and Ferdie on this lunchbox.  Not sure what ever happened to those two little guys, but I remember seeing them in comic and story books for the duration of my childhood.

These lunch boxes are fine additions to my collection.  They not only display incredibly well, but they bring back tons of childhood memories and Disney magic to the table as well.

Update (9-16-2018)
I recently added another old Disney Lunch Box from my past to the collection!  
You can see it here.



1966 Flipper Lunch Box by Thermos

Today I bring to you, yet another acquisition for my ever growing Lunch Box collection.  I rediscovered this gem during a recent visit to my Folks house in Colorado.  This lunch Box didn't belong to me personally.  In fact, it was made before I was even born, but I consider it a family heirloom of sorts, because it belonged to my Brother.  Flipper was basically the Aquatic equivalent to Lassie, and ran from 1964 to 1967.  My Brother was about 5 years old at the time, and was a big fan of the show.

Checkout this piece from a more innocent time.  Click on any picture to enlarge.


This isn't in as good of shape as my Disney School Bus Lunch Box, but it has still held up surprisingly well for 52 years. In fact.. my Old Man held greasy bolts and the like inside of it for years.  Nothing a good cleaning can't remedy however.  The outside is a bit dirty and greasy, and the inside is even grimier, but some Goof-Off and Mineral Spirits should whip it into shape.






Once again, you just can't beat the art on these old Lunch Boxes.  I love how it feels so era specific.  As always, it's so obvious they used to try harder with the lunchbox designs.. filling every panel they could with great art.  The top panel under the handle is a section they could have easily wrote off for including art, but most old boxes back in the day still had great images on them as you can see below.



I love the nostalgia these old Lunch Boxes carry with them.  Whatever pop culture phenomenon that was trending at the time, had a lunch Box to go with it.  Kids could get lost in the world of any movie, TV show, or interest that emblazoned their lunch Box, and that's exactly what I used to do as a young boy.

Thanks for stopping by to read this quick blog post.  I will continue to post more lunchbox articles as I acquire new pieces, which I can definitely foresee happening, since being bitten by the Lunch Box collecting bug.


Old school Beers & Snack Review

by Darrin Vindiola


My buddy and I review some old school beers and snacks that our Dad's used to enjoy when we were kids..