Mad Men & Crazy Critters, 7th episode: Freshly Packed

King Pelican Lettuce, circa 1920

My original plans for today's posting changed when I arrived by chance at Box of Apples, the online museum and gift shop of fruit crate labels from the 1900-1950s era. This well done and clever website is a spin-off of Plan59.com, a great online museum dedicated to mid-century illustration (both sites haven't been updated for quite a while, but hopefully they are alive and well). Being a sucker for ephemera, I suddenly realized there's been too little of it on Animalarium since last November's post on matchbox labels. And on this hot afternoon those plump and juicy vintage fruits and vegetables look terribly inviting, even without the addition of crazy crate critters...

Boyhood Grapefruit, circa 1920s

Mountain Goat Apples, circa 1920s

Golden Eagle Oranges, circa 1930s

Venice Cove Oranges, circa 1930s

Antonio Escandell Oranges, circa 1940s

Scotty's Best Pears, 1940s

Piggy Pears, circa 1940s

Tie-It-On Apples, circa 1940s

Coon Sweet Potatoes, circa 1940s

Then for some reason, around the 1950s veggies turn aggressive,

as you can see:

Up n'Atom Carrots, circa 1950s

Killer Vegetables, circa 1950s

for more bright and extravangant vintage crate labels, 

head to Box of Apples' plentiful galleries!