Toilet Mug from Harriet Carter

I’m pleased to announce the first feature of Toilet Week, brought to you by Julie’s Tacky Treasures.  Reaction from my fans to the announcement of Toilet Week has ranged from “I’m flushed with excitement” to “What the Flush?”

All installments for Toilet Week will appear in this post, so keep coming back throughout the week of February 22-26 to see what’s new.

Monday – Toilet Mug from Harriet Carter catalog

Tuesday - Toilet Ash Tray

Wednesday – Toilet Radio by Stellarsonic

Thursday - Goodbye Cruel World

Friday - Toilet Pencil Sharpener

Billy Kan / Billy Kan't

The Discovery Channel may have its “Shark Week,” but Julie’s Tacky Treasures is going to attempt its first “Toilet Week.”  And you thought the bibliography of farting was tasteless.  Starting Monday, February 22, I will feature a different toilet-related tacky treasure every day, for your enjoyment.

Tackily yours,

Julie

Pope Benedict XVI popener

When I first reported on the popener in Julie’s Tacky Treasures, Pope John Paul II was still alive.  A year later, the Pope passed away, and I wondered if there would be a Pope Benedict XVI popener.  Finally, I have the answer…yes!  I found one on eBay, and here it is.  The other side of the medallion has a picture of Pope John II on it.  Two popes for the price of one.  I can’t help wondering if they wanted to avoid a comparison of the popularity of the two popes by making two separate popeners.

>> More on the Popener.

Mark Cline as Barney Fife

I just added several photographs to my article on Mark Cline.  He recently sent them to me, showing the many different impersonations he does for theater, community events, and his own amusement.

Mark also reported to me that he is already working on this year’s April Fool’s joke.  He says, “I think it’s going to be big!”  I don’t doubt it.

More at: http://www.tackytreasures.com/places/markcline-faces.html

Jayne Mansfield Hot Water Bottle

The latest tacky treasure is a hot water bottle in the shape of the blond bombshell from the 1960s, Jayne Mansfield.  I was tipped off to its existence by Bob Smakula, who (like me) spends a lot of time at flea markets.  You never know what you might find, and this is certainly one of the more remarkable discoveries.

I went looking for one of my own on eBay, and eventually found a fine example with its original packaging.

In researching the water bottle, I found out way more than I needed to know about Jayne Mansfield.  There are only a few books on her life, probably because her contributions to American culture were pretty shallow, and like this hot water bottle, rather tacky.

Here’s an image from the collections of the Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress:  Jayne Mansfield, posed as motorcycle cop “Miss Traffic Stopper,” ticketing male driver.

>> More on the Jayne Mansfield Hot Water Bottle

Julie (photo by Lynda Folwick)

In October 2000, I launched Julie’s Tacky Treasures.  Little did I know that nearly ten years later, I’d still be searching for tacky treasures and writing about them on this web site.  As the ten-year anniversary of Julie’s Tacky Treasures approaches, it seemed a good time to clean house and put a new coat of paint on it.  Take a look around, and if something you loved is missing, don’t worry.  Let me know, and I’ll bring it back.  There was just too much stuff to convert to the new design all at once, so I made sure to bring over all the tackiest stuff.

This blog, Tackily Yours, replaces the email newsletter Monday’s News, which (despite its name) appeared somewhat less than weekly, and had only a one-out-of-seven chance of actually appearing on a Monday.  I’ll announce new treasures here, update a few old ones, and engage in some commentary on the state of kitsch.

Tackily yours,

Julie