Valentines Ahoy!

I'm learning to appreciate the cheap, crappy box of kids Valentines as a true American art form. Here's some images of Valentines that I dug up on the Internet, starting with Ziggy. What the heck is Ziggy anyway!? Was anyone ever a real big Ziggy fan? Yet, this little dude is celebrating his 35th anniversary this year!? That's 35 years of questioning signs, interpreting the word of the Lord, and taking care of the 72 different pets Ziggy apparently owns. I don't recall ever laughing a Ziggy comic strip and that's saying something because I can remember a time when Garfield was funny. For me, Ziggy's greatest triumph was a 1982 Christmas special called ZIGGY'S GIFT. But Ziggy somehow seems at home on a Valentine, maybe it's because he's already got his pants off! Ah, Ziggy. Will you ever win?



First of all, I always find merchandising based on a person a funny concept. However, if you were to get your hands on a box of Crocodile Hunter cards (and I'm sure you could at a dollar store) and pass them out today you wouldn't get to many chuckles. In fact, that would just be in down right poor taste, which is why I'm sure someone somewhere is going to do that and get themselves a couple of days detention. But seriously, what more says "I Love You" then wildlife conservation!?




What young'n wouldn't want to find a Valentine with their favorite NASCAR driver tucked inside their heart decorated lunch bag taped to the side of their desk? I bet you'd be the most popular kid at Roy Acuff Elementary if you passed out these Jeff Gordon Flashy Foil Valentines. Unless, of course, someone else in your class was giving out Rusty Wallace scratch `n sniff Valentines.




Now, I actually get the Jeff Gordon Valentines, I mean those little trailer park kids just love them some NASCAR, but was any kid really jumping up and down for joy when his mom bought him a box of Ken Griffey Jr. Valentines!?! Last time I checked, they already had cheap little cards with baseball player's pictures on them...they're called Baseball Cards!




And from the "Where Are They Now" department we have a box of Popples Valentines. Do you even remember Popples? They kind of came at the end of the Shirt Tales-Care Bears-Strawberry Shortcake-Rainbow Brite wave of characters in the 80's. They were little creatures who could roll themselves up into little balls and bounce all over the place. When there were in non-ball form they could pull stuff out of their little pouches like party hats and ping pong tables! The Popples TV cartoon was pure brilliance! I would have flipped out if I had gotten a Popples Valentine back in the day!?

Anyone out there still have some of their old Valentines?