JCD666

Jim Russell was a California slot car enthusiast who decided that the cars of the day could be greatly improved, and took it upon himself to make that happen. Jim founded Russkit in 1963, launching with his first product, called Russ-Coat, a polyurethane varnish to protect a car's finish from impacts. Next came a line of bodies, first made of fiberglass, and then much lighter vacuum-formed white styrene, which were an immediate success. Simultaneously, Russkit was developing their own line of chassis and motors, including the infamous "Black Widow" four-wheel-drive, dual motor chassis. Jim would go on to produce a wide range of products from controllers and licensed bodies, to tires and wheels, all from a 6,000 square foot Los Angeles.

The unfortunately named Bundt Hole Bakery and Café was founded in 1993 in the quaint Great Lakes coastal town of Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. Offering a wide array of gourmet bundt cakes in both full and single serve sizes, they were a hit with locals and tourists alike, though the shop suddenly shuddered in 2001 after the owners decided to move west.

FM is a 1978 dramedy film about internal conflicts at the fictional Q-SKY FM, a top rock n roll radio station in Los Angeles. When the station's owners decide to introduce recruitment ads for the military, despite the protests of its manager, the rebellious DJs are determined to fight back, no matter the cost. Released in theaters in the spring of '78, the film did poorly at the box office, but its soundtrack was a platinum-certified, selling well over one million records.

Swellview High School, previously Swellview Junior High, is a fictional school in the idyllic town of Swellview in the Dangerverse. Just like with Swellview Junior High before it, the Swellview High School's mascot is the Honey Badger.

In the '80s, skateboarding was either having a resurgence, or just coming into its own, all depending on who you ask. While there was no shortage of big name skateboard manufacturers, there were also quite a few entry level brands that skipped the skateboard shop in favor of mass marketing through big box stores. Valterra Skateboards was one such brand that sold complete skateboards at a fraction of the price of the majors. This worked out well for mom and dad in deciding to pop for one or not, just in case their kid's 'possessed to skate' phase was just that - a phase. All told, Valterra was one of the better entry level mass market manufacturers and this 1986 Ramp Champ design is a fine example of the cheesy graphic themes they employed.

In 1865, William G. Herpolsheimer and Charles G. A. Voigt, two young businessmen, established the Voigt, Herpolsheimer & Company, a dry goods and carpet store in Michigan City, Indiana. The partners would eventually relocate to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1870 where they would really make a name for themselves. The partnership between Voigt and Herpolsheimer ended in 1902 with Voigt taking over the flour mills they owned, and Herpolsheimer taking control of the store. Changing the name to Herpolsheimer's, William was quick to reimagine the store as an upscale shopping experience more like those found in Manhattan, stocking the latest fashions, gorgeous window displays, french chandeliers, and even an authentic tearoom.

The Move were a British rock band of the late '60s and the early '70s. They scored nine top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any real success in the United States. The band evolved from several mid-'60s Birmingham-based groups, including Carl Wayne & the Vikings, the Nightriders and the Mayfair Set. Their name referred to the move various members of these bands made to form the group. By 1972, the Move had been reduced to a trio, and the band's later years saw this lineup develop a side project called ELO, which would go on to achieve major international success after The Move's disbandment.

Sensing a distinct need for high-performance street and strip tires during the Golden Era of muscle cars, Formula Tires was founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. To fill that need, Formula designed their Formula 1 Super Stock line, creating an instant hit that gave day two muscle cars the drag racing look with bold white sidewall lettering and a tight tread pattern that gave a racing slick appearance. Of course, these tires weren't just about good looks - they were built to perform as well, and hooked up exceptionally well on the strip, but also handled great when cruising the boulevard.

In 1968, Costa Mesa, California boat maker Jensen Marine decided to apply their craftsmanship to the creation of a class B motorhome. Using their extensive fiberglass experience, Jensen built a modular cab over camper unit that could be adapted to any van cab chassis. Their unique approach and boat building expertise made for a high-end motorhome that was rock solid and tight as a drum, which made leaks, squeaks, and rattles nonexistent. They marketed these class B RVs under the name Balboa Motorhomes, promoting them as the best way to 'travel in style' to upmarket clientele. The initial models were built on second-generation Econolines, a few were made using third-generation G-series vans, and eventually, they were built on Tradesmans.

The Great Wall of China is the longest wall in the world, an awe-inspiring feat of ancient defensive architecture. Its winding path over a rugged country and steep mountains is a great place to take in the beautiful scenery. This ’80s souvenir tee proudly proclaims “I climbed The Great Wall” in traditional Chinese, something that is no small feat as the wall’s rambling walkways are incredibly steep, more so than the impression pictures give.

Founded in 1889, by William H. Gaylord, Gaylord Nutting Co. was one of California's first commercial producers of nuts with not just nationwide, but worldwide distribution, something that was no small feat in those days. William H. Gaylord owned thousands of acres of his own fields, and was known by local farmers as the place to go to sell their harvest for a fair price. From their factory building in the sleepy town of Richfield, Gaylord Nutting Co. processed and packaged many varietals of nuts from throughout California's Central Valley region.

David Dinkins became New York City’s first black mayor on a campaign of racial harmony, but was turned out by voters after one term over his handling of racial violence in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Dinkins was largely considered a compromise selection for voters exhausted by racial strife, corruption, crime, and fiscal turmoil, but proved to be an able caretaker, rather than an innovator of grand achievements. Mayor Dinkins liked to call New York’s diverse population a “gorgeous mosaic,” and in a city where the ideals of the melting pot had often been at odds with the realities of racial, ethnic and religious conflicts, he saw himself as a conciliator who might subdue the passions of multicultural neighborhoods with patience, kindness.

Grim Reaper was a heavy metal band formed in Droitwich, England in 1979. They were discovered after winning a Battle of the Bands contest with over 100 acts, and eventually signed to Ebony Records, with a track on the Ebony compilation, “Heavy Metal Heroes.” Their debut album “See You in Hell” was released in '83 on Ebony and was well received. Their '85 follow-up, “Fear No Evil,” enjoyed moderate success in both the United States and Europe, giving the band considerably more exposure. In the summer of '85, the band appeared at the long-running Texxas Jam Festival, playing to over 80,000 people. Legal battles with Ebony Records delayed the release of the band's third album, "Rock You to Hell" by almost two years.

Apples were first introduced into New Zealand in 1819 by the Rev. Samuel Marsden, who planted trees, brought from New South Wales, on the Church Missionary Society's station established earlier that year at Kerikeri, Bay of Islands. In 1899 the first trial shipment of apples back to the United Kingdom, carried in cool storage by the S.S. Papanui from Lyttelton, had earned a fair price, and were well received. With prospects of an export market, and good local demand, apple orchards expanded rapidly from 1910 to 1916 and for several years after WWI. New Zealand's apple varietals had a unique taste and crispness that became a favorite back home in the UK. In the 1930s, a push to position them as premium produce was put into place.

In 1887 an Austin, Texas farmer William Radam was issued a U.S. patent for “a new and improved fumigating composition for preserving and purifying purposes.” The elixir was said to “kill all fungus, germs, parasites, and other matter producing fermentation or decay.” Despite the fact his patent did not mention human consumption, Radam, was convinced he had invented the remedy to all the ills of mankind. Radam’s concoction of water laced with small amounts of hydrochloric and sulfuric acid was an international commercial success that saw him open up 17 factories across the U.S. He became a wealthy man, moving from Austin to a Fifth Avenue mansion in Manhattan until his death in 1902.

Founded in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1975, Choo Choo Customs started out by creating luxurious van conversions with high-end interior and exterior options that made other rolling room builds look second rate. Eventually, the company began customizing full size pickups with all the upgrades from their vans, plus extended cabs that otherwise wren't available from the factory. At the request of the manufacturer, Choo Choo Customs began building El Camino SS conversions in 1983 and ran with them until the El Camino left production in 1987. America entered a recession in 1990 and van conversion companies were hit hard, so Choo Choo Customs went bankrupt in 1991, leaving a legacy of amazing custom vehicles that are still sought by collectors.

The 1973 British outlaw biker horror film Psychomania was released in the United States as The Death Wheelers and is a wonderfully bad B-movie. The story focuses on an amiable, psychopathic leader of a violent teen motorbike gang who is spurred by his mother, a Satan-worshiping spiritual medium, into committing suicide and returning to life as an "undead." The film is without question a bikesploitation flick, but set in the UK instead of America, as most entries to the genre are.

Carl J. Subler of Versailles, Ohio purchased his first truck in 1933 at the age of 18 and began hauling grain to Southeast Ohio and back hauling coal to Darke County. Carl would soon begin adding more trucks and hiring drivers to run them, and before he knew it, he was running a trucking company. Carl Subler Trucking wasn't formally incorporated until 1954, but would grow into the 10th largest truckload carrier in the U.S.A., operating in all lower 48 states with over 600 trucks. Carl Subler Trucking, Inc. ran well into the '80s until they were purchased by A-P-A Transport Corp. in 1986. A-P-A slowly rebranded the Subler fleet, and they themselves closed down in 2002.

Whipped Cream & Other Delights is a 1965 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, called "Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass" for this album, released on A&M Records. It is the band's fourth full album and arguably their most popular release. This album saw the band nearly abandoning its Mexican-themed music, featuring mostly instrumental arrangements of popular songs, and also generating some major pop hits for the first time since "The Lonely Bull." One "tradition" of the early Brass was to include a number rendered in "strip-tease" fashion, and this album's entry for that style was "Love Potion No. 9." The album sold over 6 million copies in the United States, and the album cover alone is considered a classic pop culture icon.

Smash It Up is a song by The Damned, released as a single on 12 October 1979 on Chiswick Records that would go on to be considered the band's unofficial anthem. The single was the second release from the Machine Gun Etiquette album, where it was listed as Smash It Up (Part II). The B-side of the single was Burglar. The track is structured in two-part form: a melodic instrumental introduction that segues into an energetic pop-punk song. The song's lyrics criticize those who indulge in hippie culture (referring to "blow wave hairstyles" and "Glastonbury hippies") instead of advocating for political revolution. The perceived anarchic lyrics resulted in the track being boycotted on British radio.

The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was a general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. The theme, "Man and His World," was based on the 1939 book entitled Terre des Hommes (translated as Wind, Sand and Stars) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Expo 67 featured 90 pavilions representing "Man and His World" themes, nations, corporations, and industries, including the U.S. pavilion, a geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller. Expo 67 also featured the Habitat 67 modular housing complex designed by architect Moshe Safdie, which was later purchased by private individuals and is still occupied today.

The awkwardly named Corps of Naval Cadets of the Bluejackets Guard USA was founded on November 1, 1936 by Captain Frank W. Rice in New York City. In addition to acting as Commandant of the Bluejackets, Captain Rice was also the Director of the organization's Camp Alert Summer Naval Camp. Not unlike scouting type groups around the country, the Bluejackets started as an all-boys youth cadet organization that instilled honor, loyalty, and discipline, with a focus on naval, military, and maritime related activities. During the mid '40s, girls became members with the creation of the Marinette Division of the Guard. All told, the program was wildly successful, with thousands of graduates over the program's 61-year run.

Dedicated in 1888, the Manti Utah Temple is the fifth temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the town of Manti, Utah, it was the third Latter-day Saint temple built west of the Mississippi River, after the Mormons' trek westward. For those visiting the temple, many motels popped up around the areas, including the Temple Motel. Located in Manti on Highway 89, the motel featured a distinctive mid-century modern design that stood out in the otherwise sleepy Utah town.

They say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but sometimes people just assume the big scary tattooed biker will bite their head off. Of course, that's certainly not always the case, but if you will bite, or just want people to think that you do, this '70s era novelty design is just for you!

Continental was a major American airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. The airline started out as one of the smaller carriers in the United States, and was known for its limited operations under the regulated era that provided very fine, almost fancy, service against the larger carriers in important point-to-point markets, the largest of which was Chicago/Los Angeles. However, the cold winds of airline deregulation changed all the rules in 1978, and sent many airlines into a downward spiral. Continental managed to continue operations for several decades until acquisition and merger grounded the Continental name in 2012. This early '70s era design was in celebration of their new fleet of modern 747 airliners

NAM-1975 is a shooting gallery style game released in 1990 where players take control of the soldiers Silver and Brown. Players fight across six stages that take place in Vietnam during the final months of the Vietnam War, defeat the bosses of each level in order to progress. In addition to the single-player mode, the game also features a two-player cooperative multiplayer mode. Like many earlier games released by SNK on Neo Geo, it is well known for its high difficulty, with the final boss being particularly infamous among players for disabling continues after reaching the end of the last stage. If the players are killed during this battle, it will automatically trigger the bad ending, forcing to restart the game from the beginning.

In 1915, G.C. “Gus” Blucher founded the Blucher Custom Boot Company in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Blucher had been employed by a long-established boot company for twenty-seven years before branching out on his own. Blucher utilized his extensive boot making skills to not only make traditional cowboy boots, but began creating true custom boots, that became highly sought after by country musicians and rodeo stars alike. In 1919, Blucher moved the business to Olathe, Kansas, and in 1969, the company was sold and under new ownership, moved to Fairfax, Oklahoma.

The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin who got their start in the 1940s as a gospel duo. In addition to gospel music, the brothers would go on to write and perform country and bluegrass as well, releasing more than a dozen albums between 1956 and 1963. Ira played mandolin and generally sang lead vocals in the tenor range, while Charlie played rhythm guitar and offered supporting vocals in a lower pitch. They helped popularize the vocal technique of close harmony in country and country-rock. Although the brothers are remembered today for their musical talent, they are best known for the unusual cover used for their 1959 album, Satan Is Real, designed by Ira Louvin.

Dino-Riders is a 1988 action figure toy line based around the battle between the heroic Valorians and the evil Rulon Alliance on prehistoric Earth. The Valorians were a superhuman race, while the Rulons comprised several breeds of humanoids. Both races came from the future, but were transported back in time to the age of dinosaurs. Once on Earth, the Valorians befriended dinosaurs, while the Rulons brainwashed them. The toy line saw four series of figures released between 1988 and 1990, each of which included mini comic books with each figure and set. An animated cartoon series was developed that only ran for 14 episodes, along with a few VHS releases. A full size traditional comic book was launched in 1989, but was poorly received.

Track & Field is a 1983 arcade game where players compete in a series of events, most involving alternately pressing two buttons as quickly as possible to make the onscreen character run faster. It has a horizontal side-scrolling format, depicting one or two tracks at a time, a large scoreboard that displays world records and current runs, and a packed audience in the background. The game was a worldwide commercial success in arcades, being named one of the most successful arcade games of 1984, and eventually was ported to console and PC platforms.

Une Vierge Chez Les Morts-Vivants (A Virgin Among the Living Dead) is a 1973 European erotic horror film directed by Jesús Franco. Franco shot the film in 1971, but it was only released in 1973 after some additional erotic footage was added to the film without Franco's involvement. It was later re-cut with some extra zombie footage and redistributed to theaters again in 1981 as a zombie film. The film follows a beautiful young woman named Christina as she arrives in Europe to visit her estranged relatives in a castle for the reading of her father's will. She eventually discovers that they are all undead, and they fear that when she inherits her father's mansion, she will ask them all to leave. Hi jinks ensue.

Holiday House travel trailers were the brainchild of David H. Holmes, President of a holiday gift basket firm in Medford, Oregon, in 1959. Holmes was concerned about keeping his employees during the slow months, so he leveraged his personal interest in upscale travel trailers to give them something to do and stay on the payroll. Production of the wood-framed, aluminum-sided trailers begin in late 1959 with full scale production in place in February the following year. The 1960 lineup included '17, '19, and '24 models, with the '24 being a tandem axle. For 1961 the model designations changed to '18, '20, and '24 with the two smaller models gaining a foot in length and all three receiving chassis upgrades, and larger bathrooms.

While there is no shortage of brand name guitar amplifiers out there, musicians looking for something with a more personalized sound usually look for something custom. For decades, many guitar players found their sound through a boutique amplifier from the aptly named Ed's Amps in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ed Stapley opened his shop up in 1963, initially providing repair services to the Big Easy's numerous blues and jazz musicians. Guitarists soon realized that their amps came out sounding better than they did when new, and soon had Ed 'fixing' amps that weren't broken. Eventually, Ed broke free from the constraints of factory made amplifiers in favor of building his own from scratch.

Galaxy Warriors were one of the many MOTU imitator action figure lines that appeared in the '80s. The figures were produced by Sungold Toys in 1983 and resembled MOTU figures in scale, body shape, and in figure articulation. They were packaged with various weapons and armor, not unlike the originals. They can't exactly be considered knock offs in the sense that they were original characters, but were clearly riding on MOTU's coat tails. Somewhat ironically, Galaxy Warriors themselves actually knocked off by Sewco Toys, who copied the entire line, including the logo and characters, only changing the name from Galaxy Warriors to Galaxy Fighters.

Crown Electric Company, Inc. of Memphis, Tennessee was an electrical supply business that served the trades. Founded in 1953 at 475 N. Dunlap Street, Crown Electric was a full service supply house that stocked everything a working electrician might need, and even delivered directly to their job sites. By 1956, the business had outgrown their original location and relocated to 353 Poplar Avenue, and while that building no longer stands today, the original Dunlop location does and has been a steel supply business for decades.

Record and Tape Traders was founded in 1977, initially operating out of a house in Towson, Maryland, the store sold new and used music, and as the name alludes to, bought, sold, and traded music as well. The store eventually outgrew their residential digs, moving into their Towson retail location, and further expanding over the years to have eight other locations, including Charles Village, Frederick, Bel Air, Catonsville, Westminster, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Like all too many traditional record stores, internet sales and streaming services began taking their toll, and one by one the stores were closed or sold until one remained.