Currently browsing: Americana
Americana means different things to different folks. Here at Great American Things, it means cool stuff that doesn’t fit into any other category. I guess we could have called it Miscellaneous, but “Great Miscellaneous Things” doesn’t tell you much, does it?
Song: "Monster Mash"
It was the biggest hit ever for Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Cryptkickers. Okay, it was their only hit. “Monster...
Read MoreTV Show: The Mickey Mouse Club
This listing is for the 1955-59 series, not its reincarnations. (Justin Timberlake, Brittney Spears, and Christina Aguilera? Ack.) No, the...
Read MoreAmericana: Jukeboxes
I’d like to take this opportunity to explain how jukeboxes work. I’d like to, but I don’t have the foggiest idea. All I...
Read MoreAmericana: Gettysburg
“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” President Abraham...
Read MoreAmericana: Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes ran daily for fourteen years. It was syndicated in more than 2,400 newspapers. It sold more than 30 million anthology...
Read MoreKid Stuff: Wham-O Products
Wham-O is probably best known for a product called the Pluto Platter. “Huh?” you ask. “What’s that?”...
Read MoreAmericana: County Fairs
Walk with me. Over here we have Elmer Bishop’s 1,100 pound pumpkin. Elmer’s so proud. In this pavilion over here, little Jeffy...
Read MoreAmericana: Tailgating
Long gone are the days when tailgating was limited to fried chicken and potato salad. Go to a ballgame today and you’ll see exclusive...
Read MoreAmericana: Miniature Golf
Somehow I managed to wait a week after returning from Myrtle Beach to honor miniature golf as a Great American Thing. I waited in sympathy...
Read MoreAmericana: Bald Eagle
Can we all take a moment and be grateful that, for all his contributions to our nation’s founding, Ben Franklin didn’t get his...
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