This Paper Doll is Ready to Play Ball.

September 26, 1956.  It has been a long time since I have posted an Emma McKean paper doll so here is a sweet little baseball player.

TEDDY Paper Doll by Emma C. McKean

July 13, 1956.  "Teddy, above, is anxious to get to a masquerade party, but donning his costume requires some assistance.  Can you help him?  First, color the boy and his clown suit.  (Bright colors are appropriate for the latter, of course.)  Then paste both to slightly heavier paper or thin cardboard, and cut them out.  Be sure not to cut off tabs, for these are used as fasteners."  TEDDY paper doll by Emma C. McKean.

THE AGE OF CHIVALRY Cut-Outs

 October 22, 1956.  THE AGE OF CHIVALRY.  A Knight.  Before gunpowder changed the methods of war there was a period known as the age of chivalry.  The word chivalry originally meant a knight, but now it means the courtesy and honor for which many knights became renowned.  In those days there were no large cities.  People lived in scattered groups in and around large castles, under the protection of a king or baron.  This leader gathered about him a band of knights who defended the castle.  Knights also fought in tournaments and went on crusades.  Here is a knight in armor.  Color the picture with your crayons and then paste it down on cardboard.  Cut out the parts carefully, and fold back the ends on the dotted lines so the knight will stand.  The big helmet was used in tournaments.  It covered the neck and head completely, and was well padded inside.  The lighter helmet was worn in lesser combats.  You can put either of them on the knight by folding the tabs back around his head.  The sword can be slipped through the slots of the right hand.

 October 23, 1956.  THE AGE OF CHIVALRY.  A King.  The lord of the castle governed his small community like a king, having absolute power over the people in return for his protection.  Because his life was often in danger from the envious he usually wore body armor beneath his rich robes.  The king's throne was carved in fantastic shapes and richly gilded, he wore a jeweled crown, and carried a scepter, or baton.  Many stories of great kings have come down to us in legend.  Most famous of these is King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table in the castle of Camelot.  Use your brightest crayons to color this picture, and then paste it down on cardboard.  Cut out the parts carefully, and slit, as indicated, on each side of his hands.  Then you can slip the scepter into his right hand, or slip the sword under both hands, so it lies across his knees.  Cut the opening in the crown and put it on his head.  Fold back the lion chair on the dotted lines and king will sit on his throne.

 October 24, 1956.  THE AGE OF CHIVALRY.  A Squire.  A boy who hoped to become a knight left his home when very young and was admitted to the castle of a nobleman.  Until he was 14 the boy served the lord and lady of the castle as a page.  At 14 he became a squire to a knight.  He looked after the knight's armor, helped him to put it on and to mount his horse.  If the knight was wounded in battle his squire came to his aid, and led him away from the field.  When he was 21 the squire would himself become a knight.  Use your crayons to color this picture, and paste it down on cardboard.  Cut out the parts carefully, and fold the right panel forward and the left panel back on the dotted lines so the squire will stand.  Cut the slits on either side of his right hand.  Fold the tab at the top of the shield and push it into the slot on top of the squire's left hand.  Fasten the banner to a long thin stick slipped through the holes at the edge.  This can then be slipped into his right hand.

 October 25, 1956.  THE AGE OF CHIVALRY.  A Queen.  The queen or baroness looked after home life in the castle.  These great stone buildings were cold and dark in spite of big logs blazing in the fireplaces.  The walls were covered with tapestries and there were shaggy fur skins on the floor.  When there was peace in the land the queen might ride out with her attendants, but most of her life was spent in the castle.  She passed the time by playing chess, checkers or backgammon, or by working on tapestries and embroidery with her attendants.  Wandering minstrels would sometimes call at the castle and entertain them with songs and stories.  Here is a queen sitting on a gilded chair on the castle battlements.  She is wearing a small crown, but sometimes she wears the high conical headdress with a floating veil.  Color this picture with your crayons, and then paste it down on cardboard.  Cut out the parts and fold the right end forward at the dotted line so the figure will stand.  Cut the slit in the headdress and slip it on the queen's head.

 October 26, 1956.  THE AGE OF CHIVALRY.  A Jester and a Page.  Every big castle had a jester to provide amusement.  He wore ridiculous clothes, half red and half yellow, with bells sewn over them.  Besides being full of jokes he could usually dance nimbly and sing.  Sometimes he kept a bird which he taught to talk, and carried a funny scepter in imitation of the king's.  The queen's little page could sing to the accompaniment of a lute.  He was often far from home, but he was well looked after and was learning to become a knight.  Color this picture with your crayons and paste it down on cardboard.  Cut out the parts carefully.  Fold the larger piece forward on the dotted line and the group will stand.  Cut out the opening in the bird rest, and cut the slit in the perch.  Slip the tab on the bird into the slit and fold back.  Put the jester's scepter into his hand through the slit indicated in the fingers of the right hand.

October 27, 1956.  THE AGE OF CHIVALRY.  A Wizard.  In olden days people believed in magic and most castles had a wizard.  He was a wise old man, sometimes good, sometimes bad, who thought he could foretell the future by gazing in a crystal ball.  He lived in a dark room in the castle where the corners were full of cobwebs and bats and there were shelves of dried herbs and volumes of ancient spells.  The king believed his wizard could help him to win battles by brewing a spell or muttering a few magic words.  Here is a wizard seated in his carved dragon chair.  Color the picture with your crayons and then paste it down on cardboard.  Cut out the parts carefully.  Fold back the end of the desk on the dotted line so it will stand.  Cut the slit in the top of the jar with a face on it.  Cut out the star at the top - - or use a silver star sold in stationery stores - -and paste it on the end of a toothpick painted red.  Put it into the jar by the desk.  This is the wizard's wand, ready to use when he wants to cast a spell.

JUNIOR EDITOR for children appeared daily in newspapers from the 1950's through the early 1970's.

Count the Shamrocks

March 11, 1956.  COUNT THE SHAMROCKS Contest from a newspaper ad.  The winner received a Packard-Bell Television.

THE ANIMAL WORLD, a movie coloring contest.

June 11, 1956.  A movie coloring contest from the 1950's, Warner Bros. THE ANIMAL WORLD.

Newspaper Cut-Outs of American Indians

 March 07, 1956.  "There are many tribes of Indians scattered over the North American continent and today we will visit the Blackfeet in the northwest.  Here are two children of this tribe.  The Blackfeet originally were wanderers because they had to follow their food supply.  That's why they live in movable tents called teepees.  Their clothing is made of buffalo, deer and elk skins decorated with beads, shells and porcupine quills.  The little girl wears bright shells in her hair and carries a corn husk doll.  The boy wears a dyed eagle feather and carries a small bow.  Both wear moccasins.  In the background are the teepees of their tribe.  Color the picture with crayons or paints.  Make the clothing tan and the ornaments all sorts of bright colors.  The doll is yellow and the bow red.  Cut out the picture carefully and fold back the ends of each figure.  Now the Indian boy and girl will stand up for you."

 March 09, 1956.  "Indians usually did not build permanent homes.  Instead they roamed about the country, following the food supply.  When the crops failed or the game was not plentiful they moved elsewhere.  Pulling up their tents, the Indians carried their belongings on drags pulled by ponies.  Much of the household equipment was carried by the women.  The small babies, called papooses, were carried in leather bags with board supports on the mothers' back.  When not traveling, the mothers hung these bed boards on the branch of a tree.  If you would like a traveling papoose, color this picture brightly.  Then paste down on thin cardboard.  Cut out the parts carefully.  Paste the extra flaps behind the papoose at either side as indicated and fold forward over the baby.  Punch holes in the ends of the bed and thread a string through them.  If you hang the papoose on a hook the baby can swing gently back and forth."

March 10, 1956.  "In the days when the English were colonizing Virginia there lived near the Chesapeake a powerful tribal chief, Powhatan.  Though he had brave sons, his pride was his pretty daughter Pocahontas.  One of the leaders of the English settlement at Jamestown was Captain John Smith.  One day he was captured, brought before Powhatan for trial and sentenced to die.  But just as the ax was about to fall, Pocahontas went to her father, and under ancient tribal law, claimed the life of the captive.  Powhatan granted the request and the story has become an American legend.  After Smith returned to England, Pocahontas was captured by the English and later married Captain John Rolfe who took her to England.  For your Pocahontas portrait, color this picture with crayons and paste down on cereal box cardboard.  Cut out the figure carefully.  Then fold back the ends and it will stand.  Place the cape across Pocahontas' shoulders and fold back the tabs to keep it in place."

ALICE in Wonderland Cutout

November 14, 1956.  Famous Book Friends.  ALICE in Wonderland.  "One afternoon in 1826 a young mathematics professor at Oxford, England, Charles L. Dodgson, began to tell three little girls a story.  He told how one of the girls, ALICE, dreamed she followed a rabbit down a rabbit hole, and of the strange adventures she had there.  That story became world-famous as ALICE in Wonderland under the professor's pen name of Lewis Carroll.  Here is ALICE with some of the characters she met.  In her arms she holds the Duchess's baby, which she rescued from a kitchen full of pepper.  Then the baby suddenly turned into a pig, which trotted away when she put it down.  In the tree is the Cheshire cat, which followed her around, grinning broadly.  When you color this with your crayons make ALICE's dress light blue, her apron and stockings white and her hair golden yellow.  Paste the picture down on cardboard and cut out the parts carefully.  Cut the slits along the sides of ALICE's left arm as indicated so the pig can be slipped into her arms.  Fold back the end panels and ALICE will stand."  Okay, now I am going to have Grace Slick singing White Rabbit in my head all day!

HIGH SOCIETY Movie Coloring Contest

November 08, 1956.  From Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide, "HIGH SOCIETY. (1956) Directed by Charles Walters. Starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm, John Lund, Louis Calhern, Louis Armstrong and Sidney Blackmer.  Fluffy remake of PHILADELPHIA STORY is enjoyable, but has lost all the bite of the original.  Kelly is about to marry Lund when ex-hubby Crosby arrives, along with reporters Sinatra and Holm.  Cole Porter songs include "True Love," "Did You Evah?" "You're Sensational," plus Bing's and Satchmo's "Now You Has Jazz."  Grace Kelly's last acting role."

I like this movie a lot.  It has in the cast two of the best crooners ever!  I am a big fan of both Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

The Snappiest Dresser in the Neighborhood.

August 1956.  McCall's Magazine.  Carter's Ad.  "How to be a snappy dresser.  Once upon a time I was the slowest dresser in the neighborhood.  You could tell because my carriage was the very last one out every day.  Now I didn't mind for myself, so much.  But Mother's pretty busy - and she could have had a lot more time for showing me off if she'd found out about Carter's snap-fastened shirts sooner!  When I got my first tooth, my favorite aunt surprised us with these very special soft cotton knit shirts.  They had two shiny snappers down the front that never got lost in the washing machine.  And they were from Carter's, just like all my other nice, cozy things.  Click, click went the snaps around my middle . . . and quick as a click I was dressed!  Now we're always first out of the house, Mother and I.  And everyone calls me the snappiest dresser in the neighborhood!"