The Tingle Factor Box

He's Like Us - Ginger Meggs Annuals

Imagine you are a child living in the late 1950s. You have been working hard around the house, earning a little money which you have been putting away for a very special purchase. There is a Ginger Meggs annual coming out and you really, really want a copy. You have even almost saved enough now!

When I showed the children these two Ginger Meggs annuals, their reactions were quite intriguing. Many of the children recognised the character, and were surprised to see him appearing in a cartoon from ‘so long ago’. They seemed to think that the mischievous small boy was a relative newcomer to the cartoon world, and were amazed to discover that he actually dates back right to the 1920s!

Ginger Meggs may seem like quite a familiar figure - the mischievous boy is certainly recognisable in todays society! Yet he was born right back in 1921, when he first appeared in the first edition of the comic strip ‘Us Fellers’. His creator was Jimmy Bancks, and the comic was published in the Sunbeams pages of the Sunday Sun newspaper. Monty Grover, who was the chief editor of the Sunday Sun itself had asked a number of artists to draw a comic based around a group of boys and a girl. The boys would get into trouble, while the girl would get them out of it. Us Fellers was just one of the comics which was featured in the Sunbeams section, but by March 1922, it had become a permanent feature of the front cover. 

Of course, Ginger as he was first introduced was rather different to the boy we recognise now. His original name was Ginger Smith, but when Bancks took over not just drawing but also script writing for the comic, things began to change. Within a year Ginger Smith had become Ginger Meggs, he had a god Mike and a brother called Dudley. He also had a best friend (Benny), girlfriend (Minnie), rival (Eddie Coogan) and an arch nemesis - Tiger Kelly. Ginger as we know him had burst onto the scene all within the space of a year. Bancks drew a number of other characters over the years, including other comics which bore quite some similarity to the famous Ginger, yet none were as successful. By 1924 a Ginger Meggs annual was being produced, and it would continue production for another 35 years. In addition, by 1925 Us Fellers was being run in newspapers all across Australia and a film was made which was seen Australia wide. The success of Ginger continued, and by 1929 he was syndicated overseas, and Bancks was one of the best paid black and white artists in Australia. During the Second World War, so popular was the character that Ginger Meggs was even painted by soldiers on the sides of tanks and army trucks! Bancks died in 1952, but left control of his character to his daughter Sheena. A new cartoonist, Ron Vivian, was found and Ginger continued to capture the hearts of audiences. Other cartoonists have since drawn Ginger, but regardless of who is drawing him, Bancks timeless figure of the mischievous little boy remains a favourite, both for Australians and worldwide. 

It's A Bit Like Magic - Film

Imagine you are a father living in the 1960s.You have a wonderful family, and absolutely love to take photographs of them, so you can have a record of your children growing up. Even more exciting though, you have recently purchased a film camera. Now your pictures won’t be simply still images, you will be able to see your wonderful wife and children moving around and enjoying life – and what’s more, you’ll be able to see your children as little ones, even when they are grown. Technology really is amazing!

When I showed the children this reel of home movie film, they did not have any idea what it could be. To the children of today, movies are presented on discs like DVD’s and Blue Ray, and even home video footage is digital. Film is something they no longer encounter. When they realised what it was though, the children were fascinated by the film, particularly after discovering that if they shone a torch through it, they could project the images onto a white wall in a darkened room. As one child put it, ‘it’s a little bit like magic!’

The history of home movies on film is closely tied to the history of film itself. As early as 1898, film formats such as Birtac were created to allow amateur hobbyists to film their own footage. Yet, even though these very early formats were cheaper than the professional films, they were still quite expensive, extremely fragile, and sometimes even burst into flame as they became older, as they were nitrate film. During the early 20^th century, many inventors and film companies had tried to introduce new film formats, but it was the 16mm safety film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1923 which really made home movie making accessible. This safety film no longer had the risks associated with nitrate film, and was much cheaper. It could even be used in multiple different cameras and projectors, which meant people were not tied to a specific product. It was still too expensive for many families to use regularly though.

Then, in 1932, Eastman Kodak introduced another film format – 8mm or Standard 8 film. This put four frames of film into the area which was needed for one frame of standard 16mm film. This again made it much cheaper for home use, and finally brought home movies into reach of the average family. In 1935, kodachrome film was introduced (also 8mm format) which allowed home movies to be made in colour. This was the standard film used for many years, until 1965 when Kodak again introduced a new form of film – Super 8. This format was the same width as a standard 8mm film, but the perforations at the side of the film were smaller, allowing frames to be larger and clearer. The film also came in cartridges which was easier to load into the camera. Then, in 1975, film was finally on the way to being superseded. Beta VCR and VHS (videos) were introduced, and the videocassettes were very cheap in comparison to film. They could even be reused, which made them extremely attractive indeed. Home cameras which could record using the new video technology took a little longer to appear, but were quickly adopted. Although you can still get film for 8mm cameras, including super 8, they are used almost exclusively by enthusiasts and collectors today.

That's Absolutely Amazing - Sydney As It Might Have Been

Imagine you are wasting a little time, perusing a second hand book shop. You don’t have anything particular in mind, you just have a little time to spend so thought you would see if something caught your eye and soon enough, something does. The book does not at first look to be particularly exciting, but upon flipping through a few pages, you are fascinated to discover plans for Sydney which never came to fruition. You quickly make the decision to take the book home with you.

When I showed the children this book, Sydney As It Might Have Been, they were simply fascinated by it. The children are, in the main, quite familiar with Sydney, but the plans and drawings contained in the book are far removed from what we see today. The children were astounded by some of the plans which were once put forward for the city, and sad to discover that some of them never came to be.

History is littered with examples of plans and ideas for cities and settlements which do not come to fruition. There is evidence that settlements were formally planned dating back as far as the third century BC, in civilisations which include those of Mesopotamia and Egypt. The Romans too were expert planners, and we know many ancient settlements, both Roman and of other civilisations, were planned simply by studying their archaeology. Streets which connect at right angles, and towns which follow a grid pattern are excellent examples of this as they had to be planned in order to occur.

Of course, planning also applies to the building of specific structures – from The Pyramids to a modern building. Without plans, the building of complex structures would be impossible, but planning also often includes a process of selecting an appropriate design for the building. In order to do this, it is not uncommon for more than one design for a building, monument or even redesign of a whole precinct to be submitted for consideration. This is where the book Sydney As It Might Have Been: Dreams That Died On The Drawing Board draws its inspiration. Published in 1974 by Eric Irvin, it includes dozens of drawings and plans for Sydney which never came true. Within its pages are plans for everything from monuments to Railway Tunnels under the Harbour to an entire remodelling of Circular Quay. There are even alternative designs for the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge!

It's So Small! Lilliput Aboriginal Words Of Australia

Imagine you are a little girl, and you have just won a prize for doing excellent work at school in music. You are quite excited, because as part of your prize, you received a tiny parcel. You wonder what could be inside – a tiny musical instrument, or perhaps a little medal. When you unwrap it, you are a little surprised to discover an Aboriginal Language Book, but rather taken with it none the less – it is so small, and full of interesting new words to learn.

When I showed the children this little book, ‘Lilliput Aboriginal Words of Australia’, they were amazed by it. They had seen tiny books, but are used to such books being fiction, or tiny storybooks. To see what, in their minds, amounted to a dictionary in such a small form was simply amazing. They were also intrigued by the words contained within, and searched to see if there were any words which they thought might be particularly interesting.

Today, as many are well aware, Aboriginal languages are, sadly, in decline in Australia, yet what many may not realise is that Australian English is scattered with Aboriginal words, or words which are descended from Indigenous languages. In fact, one of the greatest and most important influences on what is now recognised as a special and unique Australian English language has been the influence of varied Aboriginal languages. Some words adopted into the English vernacular even predate European colonisation - the word Kangaroo was recorded in the logbooks of both Captain Cook and Joseph Banks.

Yet it was those who arrived on the First Fleet who really began the process of adopting local words into what we now know as the Australian variant of the English language . When the First Fleet arrived, there were approximately 250 distinct Aboriginal languages and within 100 years of colonisation, it is estimated that approximately 400 words were ‘borrowed’ from 80 different languages. Many of these words were adapted from the Dharuk language and its dialects, which were spoken in the Sydney area, but as further exploration and colonisation occurred, new languages were encountered, with new words to adopt. Many of these words were associated with flora and fauna, with many of our plants and animals known by their Aboriginal names – even the word bindi-eye descends from the Kamilaroi and Yuwaalarraay languages! Yet there are others which are associated with the distinct ‘Aussie slang’, such as Yakka which was first recorded (and borrowed) from the Yagara language of the Brisbane area in 1847.

I've Never Heard Of Them - Sydney Flour Company

Imagine you are a housewife living in the 1940s. You have many important jobs to do, what with raising the children, cleaning the house, doing the mending but the one which you seem to spend most time on is cooking for your hungry family! Cooking the same things all the time can be quite boring though, so you were quite pleased when you received the free booklet from Sydney Flour. With some lovely new recipes to try out, it will be quite a wonderful addition to your collection!

When I showed the children this free booklet from Sydney Flour, they were quite intrigued. The children tend not to think a lot about where their flour comes from, taking for granted the biscuits, bread, cakes and so on which they regularly enjoy, but Sydney Flour was a company which captured their interest simply because they had ‘never heard of it’.  They were intrigued at the names suggestion that flour was once milled in Sydney itself, and were eager to flip through the pages of the booklet in search of cooking inspiration.

Today, flour is part of the daily diet of millions of people worldwide, yet it has a remarkably long history, probably dating back before the invention of the wheel. Ancient people discovered many thousands of years ago that seeds could be ground between stones to form a fine powder which could then be cooked and eaten. They also discovered that this primitive flour was often easier to digest than the seeds themselves and thus a better source of nutrition. Many of the nomadic ancient groups began to settle in one place, growing and grinding grain from their own crops. Flour did not just assure life to small groups of ancient nomads turned farmers though, it assured the future of civilisation, with civilisations growing up wherever enough cereal crops (such as wheat) could be grown, ground and, of course, eaten.

Early humans ground their grains between simple grindstones, but the Romans wanted a more efficient method to allow them to feed the booming population. They created simple mills which were powered by animals or slaves, and later began to use water mills to speed production of flour. Right through until the middle ages, this technology continued to be used, but then, in the 12^th century, wind power began to be used with windmills coming to the west. Wind and water powered mills continued to be the norm until the industrial revolution, when the first ever steam powered mills were built. These mills were ever more productive, producing more flour and as more flour was produced, an ever greater population could be supported. In Australia too, mills were being built and during a severe drought in the late 1800s, many small mills merged to form the giant Sydney Flour Company who produced the booklet which I showed the children.

Wish It Was Still Published Today - The Humorists

Imagine, it is a Friday in 1937 and you are preparing to go out on a very important trip. You need to head into the local town to purchase a very important magazine, one which your husband reads each and every week. Where some husbands may focus on the news of the day, or perhaps the financial papers, your husband has a real love of all things humorous, and today is the day when his absolute favourite magazine comes out – The Humorist. He will be so pleased to come home and find it sitting in his chair!

When I showed the children this old magazine, they were quite intrigued. Most assumed it was some sort of newspaper or something ‘serious’, because it was not glossy and did not seem particularly exciting. They were amazed to discover that magazines once were really not very different in appearance to newspapers, and even more surprised to discover that they could have such humorous content. The children commented that they ‘wish they still published it today – it looks funny!’

Although the children may think of magazines as a relatively recent development in the history of printing, weekly magazines were actually a central part of life for many people from the Victorian times and into the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Magazines were the first form media which really appealed to and sold to the masses, and before television came along, they were the main way in which many products advertised. Magazines also developed and modernised much more quickly than newspapers, quickly adapting to faster typesetting methods, the ability to include multiple images and even to colour printing. They were also the first type of popular media which could claim to sell over 1 million copies in a single week. In fact, in many ways, they were the forerunner of the modern Tabloid Newspaper.

Yet many weekly magazines did not carry ‘news’ at all, and The Humorist is just one example of this type of magazine. The Humorist was a large format magazine, printed on what is now known in the industry as newsprint – the type of paper used for newspapers. The magazine began to be printed in about 1922 and it was 24 pages of cartoons, funny stories and jokes for just 2d. This was perhaps particularly appealing at a time which is usually associated with The Great Depression. Sometimes there were also competitions, as the edition I showed the children shows, while at other times coupons for gifts were included in the magazine. In 1940 The Humorist was amalgamated with London Opinion.

Shes So Old! Minnie Mouse

Imagine you are rummaging around in the bins behind Disney studios. You heard they have been clearing up, and you hope to find some hint of Disney magic thrown away. Then, you spot it, a beautiful drawing of Minnie Mouse, thrown away as if it was nothing more than trash. You continue digging hoping to find something else wonderful, but nothing as beautiful as that drawing is to be found.

When I showed the children this picture of Minnie Mouse, they simply loved it. Although modern cartoons may be a long way from the old cartoons which this image comes from, children continue to love the older characters. Indeed, Minnie and Mickey Mouse are extremely recognisable, and all children know who they are. The children were fascinated to think though that so many images of Minnie, and of the other characters, would have been disposed of over the years.

Although Mickey Mouse may be the more famous, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were actually born in the same year, and for the same movie. Just like Mickey, Minnie first appeared to the public in 1928 in Steamboat Willie, but she was also in Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Guacho with Mickey, both of which were actually created before Steamboat Willie, but aired later. From that time on Minnie continued to be an important, founding member of the Disney cartoon characters. Minnie (whose full name is actually Minerva Mouse, according to the 1942 comic strip ‘The Gleam’), just like Mickey was created by a collaboration between Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, and it was actually Iwerks who first drew her. Since 1928 she has appeared in over 70 cartoons, usually alongside Mickey.

So how exactly did Minnie come to be? Mickey Mouse was created as a replacement for an earlier cartoon character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and continued to have several of the same character traits. One of these, which was vital to Minnie’s creation was that Oswald was a flirt and was constantly pursuing lady rabbits. Mickey therefore needed a potential sweetheart and Minnie was born. When first created, Minnie was a flapper, just like the fashionable girls of the 1920s, but in the 1940s and 50s she became more conservative and in 1940 the hat which she once wore was replaced by her now famous bow. As time went by, Mickey and Minnies relationship also changed. At first, Mickey pursued Minnie, trying to woo her, but as time went by they became a real couple.

What On Earth? Camera Plate Case

Imagine you are a man living in the early 1900s. You have recently become entranced by photography, and you are eager to learn more and become proficient in taking the amazing images. The process is simply astounding – to be able to take a picture of the world and capture it exactly with a simple click is like magic. Of course, you couldn’t do it without the fragile plates which capture the images and luckily you have a wonderfully sturdy plate holder to keep them safe from harm.

When I showed the children this plate holder for photographic plates, they had absolutely no idea what it could be. In an age of digital cameras, children tend to think about photographs in terms of how much memory the camera has available, not whether there is a fresh plate available, or even whether there is film left in the strip. The idea of camera plates was bizarre and unimaginable to this technological generation.

Photography has a fascinating and surprisingly long history, with the first ever attempts at capturing photographic images coming in the very early 1800s. The first person to attempt to make camera images, in around 1800, was actually Thomas Wedgewood, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Next came Nicephore Niepce, who did manage to capture images in the mid 1820s, but the exposure process took several days, so it wasn’t exactly quick and easy, and nor were the results that spectacular! Louis Daguerre was the man who created the first really successful photographic process in the 1830s. His invention was the daguerreotype, which only took a few minutes exposure and produced crisp, clear images. Of course, what made the photographic image possible at all was the daguerreotype plate. These first photographic plates were made of silver coated copper which was then polished to a mirror finish and treated to become light sensitive.

The problem with daguerreotypes was that the plates were relatively expensive and they could not be reused or replicated to create an identical image so it would not be long before people were seeking alternatives. William Henry Fox Talbot created the calotype which was paper with a coating of silver iodide and this was a great advance as not only was it more cost effective, the image could be reproduced through contact printing (and his invention is still the basis of film printing today). People also turned their attention to creating glass plates for photography. John Herschel created the first known glass negative in 1839 but they were difficult to produce and so the invention was not popular. Then, in 1841 Janez Puhar created a more functional process for creating glass plate negatives and others soon followed. In fact, glass plate negatives were some of the most popular forms of plates available! Of course, these plates were also fragile, and so cases were created like the one I showed the children, not only to carry the plates safely, but to prevent damage to the photo before it could be developed.

Why Would You Make Your Own? Sewing Course Book

Imagine you are a lady living in New Zealand in the Second World War. You have joined up to one of the ladies services, the WAAC, and today you are ready to begin a new sort of training. You have learned all sorts of new skills, but this course should really help you to hone skills you already have – sewing. You received the coursebook last week, and you have already seen a few things which you would like to make – if you can get the fabric that is!

When I showed the children this Fine Needlework Study Course, they were fascinated. They were stunned to see so many patterns for clothing and everyday items. Today, such items are mass produced, cheap and easy to get, but during the war, sewing was an important skill and could keep people clothed. The children were most amazed by the patterns for underwear though – they simply couldn’t imagine having to make ‘your own undies, when they’re so cheap!’

Sewing is a skill which has been around for thousands of years and archaeologists believe it was a skill that was even well known during the last ice age, when people sewed hides and furs to keep warm. Of course, this sewing was a long way from sewing of today. Where we use metal needles, these first sewers used wood or bone for their needles - iron sewing needles didn’t start to appear until about 2300 years ago. The other major innovation of the ancient world in terms of sewing was the creation of woven fabrics. Instead of natural materials like fur or hide, the Egyptians, Chinese, Japanese and other ancient civilisations worked to create materials made from plants or even the thread of silk worms. Sewing was still done by hand though, and it was a very labour intensive process.

The sewing machine is a relatively recent creation. Plenty of people had tried to create a machine to make sewing easier and the first sewing machines appeared in the late 1700s, but these early machines were really only for commercial use and they weren’t all that reliable. Then in the 1850s Isaac Singer developed the first quick and accurate sewing machine. Soon, sewing machines were making it possible to mass produce clothes, but the machines themselves were too expensive for most people to buy. By the 20^th century though, sewing machines had become more affordable, and to cater for the home sewers, patterns began to be published. There were patterns for everything from underwear to home furnishings to more elaborate gowns. Although ready to buy clothing became more affordable as the 20^th century moved on, sewing was still an important skill for the housewife to possess. In times of hardship, like the Great Depression or during wartime, sewing could even ensure your family had something to wear, with any fabric, from old sheets to flour sacks, perfect for the home sewer to reuse and transform. The book I showed the children is just one of many courses available, and was of particular import during the war, when sewing was considered essential to the home front efforts and keeping the home fires burning.

What's It Do? Facio-Graph Card

Imagine you are a child, eagerly awaiting the mail man. You have been promised a special present in the post from your Grandparents, who are on holidays, and you are hoping it will arrive today. You don’t know what it will be, but you are sure it will be funny – your grandparents have such a wonderful sense of humour! When the mail arrives, you discover a funny little man with an ever changing face waiting for you, and you can’t wait to show your friends at school.

When I showed the children this ‘facio-graph’, they thought it was hilarious. They were highly amused by the ever changing face the man on the card has, but wondered if it did anything else. The children don’t often see simple novelty toys today, and they were charmed by the simple amusement it provided, but wondered if it would have been a birthday card or given for some special occasion – as one child said ‘you only send cards and postcards when you have a reason to!”

The card I showed the children is a simple novelty item or toy, designed to serve no specific purpose beyond amusement. Novelty items are, traditionally, small and serve no practical purpose at all (though there are exceptions, like novelty slippers) and they have a surprisingly long history. As far back as the early 1600s, the French mathematician Pierre Herigone described a camera obscura which was crafted in the shape of a goblet which allowed you to spy on other people while you were drinking. Although this may be the first described novelty item, there seems little doubt that others existed prior to this.

The novelty item really rose to prominence in the 1800s and 1900s though. Possibly, it was the industrial revolution which made producing items which served no real purpose not only possible, but practical. Before this, novelties would have been only available to the very rich, but with cheaper production, novelty items became more widely available and affordable. Then, in the 20^th century new, cheap materials like plastic became available, as did new printing techniques which again made it easier and more affordable not only to buy novelty items, but also to produce them. Some of the most famous items, like the whoopee cushion and rubber noses rose to prominence in the 20^th century, but there are thousands of others. The card I showed the children, known as a facio-graph, is one of them, being made of cheap card, printed with a simple image and text and with a short length of chain attached. When the card is ‘joggled’ as the instructions tell you to do, the chain moves to complete the printed man’s face in amusing ways.