A conversation with a friend yesterday reminded me of a fun little fad from the 60's: the autograph dog. Remember those? Someone would get one for her birthday (it always came with a matching plastic ballpoint pen) and have everyone at the slumber party sign it. I don't remember actually having one, but I put my John Hancock on several, back in the day.
In later years, our slumber party activities became dark, like conducting seances to communicate with dead rock stars. I remember in 9th grade, sitting around my friend Roe's kitchen table trying to reach Jimi Hendrix. We were seancing in dead earnest, clutching hands and chanting: "Jimi....Jimmmiiii.... speak....to....us....." Suddenly, the air was filled with a haunting, familiar strain:
Purple haze all in my brain / Lately things just don't seem the same / Actin' funny, but I don't know why / 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky.....
Screaming and crying immediately ensued. Then, we realized one of our so-called friends had snuck away from the table in the dark and put Jimi on the stereo.
6 comments:
I can see my autograph dog right now. I loved that trend. It's time to bring it back! Let's start a movement.
I can totally see you with your autograph dog in your California teenybopper bedroom! I think I might have had a powder blue vinyl-covered autograph book, but I didn't bother my friends for signatures. I was saving it for all the celebs I'd never have a chance to meet in Kansas.
My older sister had an autograph dog. Oh she was so proud of it! Little sister could not touch it. She loves dashunds to this day. Has had at least 6 over the years in her household. Love the Hendrix poster, too. Do you remember Granny dresses and glasses? Gogo boots and trapeze dresses, ala Twiggy? I could keep going, but I'll stop. LOL
I had a Twiggy cut in 7th grade, but my mother didn't allow me to wear go-go boots. I never got over it.
Had some baby blue gogo's. Funny thing is I wore the granny dress and glasses in 8th grade. The nuns loved the dresses. Total modesty. More than our uniform skirts we rolled up whenever we could get away with it. Had my Twiggy cut in 9th grade. Saw Twiggy on a tv show recently. Still attractive and over 60. True Boomer Girl!
We will share memories like the autograph dog (which I completely forgot about) in an upcoming book called Once Upon Our Times: 65 Years of Growing Up Baby Boomer. You can read about it at www.OnceUponOurTimes.com and send your recollections of the good old days to author@OnceUponOurTimes.com. Who knows, it might be in the book!
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