Collector Focus - Krystal Gaubert

Last week I posted a story about James Love and his Coca-Cola Collection, I have also received a Twitter post from Krystal Gaubert with some photographs and a link to a newspaper article on her collection that I wanted to share with you.

Krystal sent me the some information on her collection.

I have been collecting since I was 7. One piece at a time, till it has now grown into something beyond my control! I have a few favorites! Its impossible to choose just one. A few favs: a Coca-Cola neon sign I received as a Christmas gift, a couple cans from various countries with all the text in a different language, a Coca-Cola hoodie, an old Coca-Cola pocket book with its original paper and lead pencil, and some old Coca-Cola blotters!

I have included some of the photos Krystal sent, including one with the Coca-Cola script tattooed on her arm.  Now that is dedication.  If anyone is participating in the sharez contest on mybrands.com, vote for Krystal as the Coke rep.

 

Happy Birthday Norman Rockwell

Today, February 3rd, is Norman Rockwell's birthday.  I posted a few weeks ago about the new painting by Rockwell that we had acquired, but I wanted to take the occasion of his birthday to spread the word that we are still looking for three of his paintings used for Coca-Cola ads in the 1920s and 1930s.  We periodically spread the word about the missing artwork, so let us know if you have ever seen any of these three, and Happy Birthday Norman!

 
   

Milan Fashion Week Coca-Cola Light Bottles

Part of the fun of writing this blog is to give the readers a "behind the scenes" look at some of our activities.  With that in mind, I am going to be writing several blog post over the next month giving the details on some fashion art bottles we just acquired and their eventual display next month at the World of Coca-Cola.

Last September in Italy, Coca-Cola light and eight renowned female designers teamed up to present a Coca-Cola light "Tribute to Fashion."  32 contour bottles were designed and presented at the opening of Milan Fashion Week.  These bottles were later auctioned by Sotheby's with the proceeds going to aid the victims of the earthquake in the Abruzzo region of Italy.  Collector bottles were also produced and were quickly sold out and are still popular and valuable on E-bay.

The designer bottles were recreated as part of a citywide two week outdoor exhibition of the designers work. Eight of these outdoor bottles were just acquired by the Archives as part of our permanent collection.

While the photos below are not as glamorous as the activations around Milan Fashion week, I thought you might want an early glimpse of the bottles.  We will have better and more photos to come, along with the stories from the eight designers as we prepare the exhibition at the World of Coca-Cola.

 

Coca-Cola Happiness Machine Video

Earlier this week I blogged about efforts of two students at Nebraska Wesleyan to give the world a Coke because of their love of the old commercial.  That spirit of giving on campus continues with today's entry.

This Coca-Cola viral video was filmed in December at St. John's University's Queens campus by Definition 6, an integrated interactive marketing agency.  The staging for the video came complete with the construction of a wall built and painted to look like part of the University’s Marillac Cafeteria. Hidden cameras were installed as producers and staff sat behind the wall to capture responses on film.

While the students quickly figured out that something unusual was going on with the magical Coca-Cola "Happiness Machine," all of the reactions were unscripted.  The filming, which took place at the beginning of exams,  offered a chance for the kids to relax and enjoy the fun. 

The best part of the filming was the generosity of the students as they offered the surplus Coke and food to their friends.  Everyone was sharing the happiness.

National Park Sprite Bottles

I recently received a reference request asking about a Sprite bottle which had the name of a national park embossed on the bottom of the bottle.  There is an interesting story to these bottles that I wanted to share with you.

The names of 36 national parks and monuments were featured on the bottom of Sprite bottles in 1966.  Our documentation indicates that The Coca-Cola Company was going to do a promotion with Sprite involving national parks and monuments and that several of our bottlers had the bottles created.  However, the promotion fell through.  With the bottles already created, the Company used them to highlight the importance of national parks to the US public.  While the bottles are interesting, they do not have much value in the collectibles market.

Click to  Download 1966 Refresher National Park Article which gives more details on the bottles and the parks covered.

St. Paul Winter Carnival

One of the outstanding Winter events in the United States is the St. Paul Winter Carnival which will run from January 21-31 this year. The Carnival was established in 1886, the same year that Coca-Cola was invented.

Last year, a lady named Kathleen Hanson Nickelson sent me a photograph and letter from the 1941 Carnival. The photo shows the Royal Court from that year helping to open the  brand new Coca-Cola Bottling Plant on South Wabasha Street. King Boreas, standing at the center-front of the photo, threw the switch that started the first bottle of Coca-Cola moving down the bottling line. According to a contemporary report, the plant had air conditioning throughout the building, fluorescent lighting, and a garage capable of housing 90 trucks. Ms. Nickelson, 22 at that time, was Queen of the Carnival that year. She is the second lady from the right side of the photo.

Even in the midst of Winter, Coca-Cola was providing refreshment to Carnival attendees.

 
 

Coke in Times Square

Many of you may watch the New Year's countdown in Times Square in New York City tonight. Did you know that the Coca-Cola billboard came to Times Square in 1920? In 1923, neon lighting was added to bring a new dimension to the billboard. The neon sign - which measured 75 x 100 feet - flashed the message "Drink Coca-Cola, Delicious and Refreshing" to the public. It was the second-largest electric sign in the world at the time. Then in 1932, the Coca-Cola sign moved to the 47th street location and featured a soda jerk in uniform for Coca-Cola. I am sharing an image of that sign for you here.

On This Date 50 Years Ago

On December 28, 1959, this Coca-Cola Santa print ad appeared in Life Magazine. It features Santa Claus at the refrigerator being watched as he opens a bottle of Coke. This ad also appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Boys' Life, National Geographic, Time, Sports Illustrated and Good Housekeeping, among others. This surprised Santa is also featured on the December 1959 page of the calendar below.

If you enlarge the image, you may be able to see the fine print at the top of the calendar, which reads, "Please do not tear off this page - turn calendar over for 1960." This is actually the December 1959 page of the 1960 Coca-Cola Calendar that some of you may have in your collection. The Santa scene is slightly different in the image on the calendar versus the magazine ad, as you may also notice.

1958 Coke Christmas Commercials

This week, I'll have a few Coke holiday themed posts to share with you. I'll start off today with a pair of commercials from 1958 that remind us that "Holiday time's a good time for the great taste of Coke." The first commercial shows a family on a toboggan riding down a hill, then making a pit stop to get more Coke before ending up in front of the fireplace. The announcer says, "Enjoy Ice-Cold Coca-Cola, Sign of Good Taste." The next commercial features the Coca-Cola Santa collectible doll that I blogged about last year. The doll was still a new item then, as it was introduced only a year earlier in 1957. Apparently, the doll can speak, as you'll see in the commercial:

Cooking With Coke - Cranberry Coca-Cola Chutney

Keeping with the holiday spirit this week, Chef Hopkins prepared a cranberry Coca-Cola Chutney for this weeks Cooking with Coke demonstration.  The recipe is very easy and the Coke enhances and balances the tartness of the orange juice and the sweetness of the sugar.  Download Cranberry Coca-Cola Chutney recipe here.

Chef Hopkins served it with guinea hen but it would be great with your turkey as well.