Hangout With Ted and Jamal in the Archives

We are excited to use Google+ Hangouts, a new technology to give the fans of the Archives a behind the scenes look at our storage space.  While you may have seen glimpses of the Archives during the CNBC Special, Bloomberg TV or even our Virtual On-Line Museum, this will by the first opportunity to be a part of a tour and ask questions about the rich history, lore and artifacts of The Coca-Cola Company.

What is a “Hangout”?

A Google+ Hangout is a video sharing interface that will enable people who have logged in to view and interact with the live broadcast.  Jamal and I will be broadcasting from the Archives storage space where we will conduct a tour of the space. While all viewers will be able to ask question via post or comments,  some select viewers will be featured on the main screen to be a part of the live conversation. We are looking for some volunteers to be one of those select viewers, so if you have a great Coca-Cola story or have some interesting questions to ask, submit them in the comments section.  There will be some technical requirements (webcam, proper bandwidth, etc) that we will verify before the event, but Hangouts are very informal and we are looking at it as a way to have a conversation with people who love Coca-Cola.

When is the “Hangout”?

2:00 PM EST, February 16^th.

What will you see?

Jamal and I will give a tour of part the part of the Archives storage space that is devoted to our marketing assets and memorabilia.  While we have pre-selected some of the artifacts we want to share, we will also be taking questions and request we receive during the Hangout.  With over 2.5 miles of shelving in the storage space, we have plenty of items and stories to tell.

How do I join?

You must have a Google+ account to join the Hangout, once you are set up with Google+, to access the Archives Google+ Hangout – visit the Coca-Cola brand page on Google+ (https://plus.google.com/u/1/113050383214450284645/posts) and look for the Join This Hangout button that will appear.  When you click to join, a viewer will be downloaded to your computer or mobile device and you will be in the Hangout.

Steve plays the Coca-Cola Can Joe!

A unique musical instrument arrived in the mail for the Archives a few years back. While I would often pluck away at it, I always thought it would be interesting to see what it’d sound like in the hands of a true musician. Meet Steve Soltis, who also works with us at Coca-Cola. Steve has played the banjo for a number of years, and he agreed to have a go at the Can Joe for us. The original inventor of the Can Joe (also referred to as the canjo) was Herschel Brown of Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Herschel Brown had the idea that sending Can Joes to troops serving in the military would allow him to put music and happiness into the hands of people all around the world. He titled his business “Can Joes For World Peace”, and said his instruments were for everybody – whether you could hold a tune or not. Even though the Can Joe was designed for those who could not play a lick, Steve proves that it doesn’t hurt to have the skills (it sure doesn’t sound like that when I play). Many thanks to Herschel Brown for sending the Can Joe to us.

 

Coke, Sprite and Soul Train

Did you know that The Coca-Cola Company was an inaugural sponsor of Soul Train? The show was a favorite of mine and a launching pad for many popular music groups over time. Coca-Cola also sponsored the first annual Soul Train Music Awards in 1987, and continued for many years. There are a number of pretty interesting Spirte Soul Train promotions in our collection, and we'd like to salute the show by sharing this 1991 Soul Train Sweepstakes Promotion.

A Coke and a Wedding

A few weeks ago, I was delighted to greet two collectors from China to our Atlanta Headquarters. Without question, these collectors were among the most enthusiastic fans of the brand that I have ever encountered. Their passion was to collect packaging for Coca-Cola from all over the world, particularly bottles and cans that were associated with unique events like the Olympics, the World Cup and the Shanghai Expo.

One of the collectors, a man named Cheng Zhang, made his brand love part of his wedding celebration this past Fall. Guests who attended his wedding reception received special commemorative cans of Coca-Cola. A photo of the happy couple had been produced as a decal and attached to the can. The result was a truly special, unique package that will serve as a wonderful souvenir of their special day.

Mr. Zhang presented me with one of these special cans that I have added to our packaging collection. Our team wishes Mr. and Mrs. Zhang many bountiful years together. Sharing a Coke with their friends and family certainly got them off to a good start.

Nature Study Card Artwork

We recently received a request for information about the "Nature Study Card" program that was introduced by The Coca-Cola Company in 1929 and continued until 1933. The cards were part of the visual education method of teaching and were produced by Ernest R. Crandall, the acknowledged expert in that field. In addition to the illustration, each card had a brief description and interesting facts to stimulate memory and retention.  One of the advertising elements in support of the cards noted that the program had been fully endorsed by the Boy Scouts of America.  The series contained eight subjects of twelve cards each for a total of 96 cards.  The cards are fairly common in the collectible market and are generally only worth  a dollar a card.

My interest in the cards this week was focused on the artist who created the illustrations.  We have most of the original art used to create the cards in our collection.  Just as The Coca-Cola Company always hired the best advertising illustrators of the time, Dr. Crandall used the best naturalist illustrators such as Lynn Bogue Hunt, George Miksch Sutton and J. Marion Sull. 

Lynn Bogue Hunt was considered one of America's greatest periodical wildlife artist.  He began his magazine career at Field and Stream in 1904 and drew more than 100 covers for the publication.  He eventually illustrated more than 50 books during his lifetime.  J. Marion Sull was a noted botanist who is credited with creating several varieties of iris's.  His book, Rainbow Fragments was published in 1931 and is a prized collectible on botany.  Dr. George Miksch Sutton was considered one of the greatest American Ornithologist.  He published and illustrated numerous books including High Artic and Birds Worth Watching.  The George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center was opened in 1983 near Bartlesville, Oklahoma and became part of the University of Oklahoma system in 1997.

With talent like those illustrators, it is not wonder the cards were so popular.

Lawrence Wilbur Cowboy Painting

One of the things I really enjoy about working in the archives is when we have new items to catalog - here is a painting that Ted just acquired. I did some research on the artist, Lawrence Wilbur and found out that he studied under N.C Wyeth, another artist who produced Coca-Cola images.  It may be hard to tell that some of the brush strokes are thick but you can see the colors are very vivid.  I wonder if that little girl is asking to pet the horse or for a sip of the Coca-Cola?

Coke Adds Life To... Profile Pictures!

I caught Justine trying to take a new profile picture with this sweet new (old) camera we just got in. I guess she is "old school" and her digital camera just works too fast for her. The "Coke Adds Life" slogan came out in 1976, so this promotional, self-described "instant camera" is from the late 1970s. Well, I guess now we'll try the hand crank on the camera and see if the picture develops within a day or two! I won't hold my breath. Thank you, technology.

Kathlene Martyn - Star of the Ziegfeld Follies And Coca-Cola

I was doing some research in The Friendly Hand, one of our earliest sales publications and predecessor to the Red Barrel, this week and came across a great article.  The headline on the story is "The Prettiest Girl in All New York and One We've All Seen Before."  As I read the story, it notes that Kathlene Martyn had appeared in both the Nine O'Clock and Midnight Frolic and her photo was in many of the magazines of the day.  The story then noted that she had appeared in the window cutout of two girls on the beach pointing up at an airplane.  The story quoted Jos. S. Potsdamer, director in charge of sales of the Ketterlinus Lithographic Manufacturing Company, which made the cutout, said "he had to pose her for both girls because it was impossible to find another to match her." 

We have the cutout and had it on display at the World of Coca-Cola for many years.  However, we do not have the airplane.  We know what it looks like as it was shown in the 1922 advertising price guide, so, take a look in your attic or garage and if you find the plane shown in the photo, let me know!

Sitting On A Bench With You - 1928 Style

The Coca-Cola Company has always tried to help our service sales staff decorate their customer's stores and fountains to attract more foot traffic. We sent out a number or pamphlets with ideas and instructions.  I ran across this 1928 dealer sales aid showing several options to set up a window display using this 1928 three dimensional bench.  We had this bench on display at the old World of Coca-Cola for over a decade and it is a beautiful item. 

The one photograph I had of the bench as it was displayed at Irwin's Confectionery in Columbus, Ohio.It looks a bit more cluttered than the simple approach shown in the dealer sales aid pamphlet which I attached at the bottom of the post.  While the pamphlet featured eight, I only scanned three of them.

Last week I blogged about the Red Barrel Magazine and how I use them for research.  This is a good example.  I have attached the April 1928 Red Barrel.  This issue had a special article on how the bench window display, fence festoon and bathing girl poster were all to be used for different location between May and August 1928.  Download RB1928-Apr

While we have the bench, I sure would love to have some of the crepe paper shown in these displays!

ABBA and Coca-Cola - Slipping Through My Fingers

I spent the afternoon re-filing items that had begun to stack up around my desk in the Archives.  One of the items that gave me a chuckle was the ABBA record, "Slipping Through my Fingers" from 1981.  This 45 rpm was a promotional created for Coca-Cola Japan by Discomate Records.  The cover of the record features an illustration of the ABBA band members Benny Andersson Bjoun Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltslog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad and the back has the lyrics to the song and the advertising slogan used at the time in Japan, Yes Coke Yes. The record itself has the song on one side and an autographed photograph of the band.  While the song was not one of the bands biggest hits, it was used in the musical and movie versions of Mamma Mia.  As a collectible, you can find several copies on e-Bay for $ 40.00 to $ 60.00.