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The Princess in Our House

5/23/2015

25 Comments

 
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I love pink.

Maybe it’s because the color has always seemed to both cheer and comfort me.  (Others feel the same.  In fact, some folks who study these sorts of things believe that the “pink” referred to in the phrase “in the pink” means the rosy glow of a complexion indicative of good health.)  In any case, my wedding vows were recited in a pale pink dress with dyed-to-match ballet flats, and there would absolutely be more of this sweet hue in my house if I lived alone.

As it is, my office walls and shelves are a light shade of rouge, with my daughter’s bathroom cabinets and floor a darker version.   I just remembered that one of the rhinestone festooned circus costumes I designed when I was on the road was replete with dozens of tiny pink rose appliques. And in case you’re wondering, this month’s pedicure color is iridescent pink with glittery sparkles that dance whenever this girl clown wriggles her toes.     

So it makes perfect sense that a pink princess came to live with us a few weeks ago.

To be more precise, we’re talking about a Princess telephone.

And, make no mistake here:  Jewel (a princess name if I’ve ever heard one, and the moniker I have bestowed upon her) is the real deal. 

Not a lightweight knock-off, this 702 model Princess sports a working rotary dial and is the exact rose pink shade as the telephones first introduced by Bell Systems in 1959. (More colors were added over the years, but the other initial ones were white, light beige, aqua blue and turquoise.)  Three years later, the phone made its international debut at the Seattle World’s Fair, with push button dialing coming along in 1964.

Here are some other facts:  getting the Princess brand out there was Bell’s first foray into widespread marketing, with the target being women (probably the reason behind those pastel colors).  The campaign was wildly successful, so it also doesn’t surprise me to find out that the most popular toy phone in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘’80s was the Princess.  And of course, the petite communicator has co-starred in a passel of movies, including Ann-Margret’s most-used accessory in Bye Bye Birdie!, and Mrs. Robinson’s bedroom choice in The Graduate.

By the way, Jewel is a working phone.

But to ensure that she performs exactly as Bell engineers intended—a cute ringer and light-up dial (which doubles as a night light), as well as the ability to make and receive calls—a good part of her innards had to be removed. Then, precisely and mindfully, with different components, and much like the Bionic Woman, she was put back together.  

To that end, I was lucky to find Mike Brown of Oldphoneworks in Ontario, Canada.  Mike seems to not only fully appreciate the design and durability of old phones as much as I do—he says that there are literally hundreds waiting for homes in his shop—but he knows how to make them work, too.  (He’s a really nice guy as well, so I’m happy to give you his web site, which is www.oldphoneworks.com)  

Of course, there’s also the “princess” aspect to Jewel.

As a little Baby Boomer girl, it was easy to buy into the idea that true happiness was what my lavishly illustrated fairy books told me.  This meant a hot prince on a stately white steed would sweep me off my feet and immediately marry me, then deliver me to a majestic castle to live the rest of my days in bliss.  (Exactly where the Mother Ship country might be or if said abode might be a bit drafty never crossed my mind.)  To be honest, I didn’t understand what happily ever after really meant, except that there would absolutely be a tiara in the mix, and I’d be able to ride horses all day for the rest of my life. 

I never married Prince Charming, of course, although I know that I’m one fortunate clown.  Every day, I am grateful that I get to live in one of the most beautiful places in the United States (http://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/video/36-hours-in-san-luis-obispo-calif/vi-BBjhWWp).  Every day, I’m especially grateful for a good marriage and healthy child.  And years after receiving my journalism degree, I remain in love with the written word and continue to write. 

But looking at the pink Princess on my night table makes me feel, at least for a few moments, that I can also be part of another special world.  

Maybe that’s because when I’m using Jewel, or simply gazing at her, I get to pretend that a real princess’s phone would be rose pink, too.  Her phone would also light up when she picked up the receiver, and when a call came, the ring would be dainty and lovely, just like mine.   

Okay, there’s more than a bit of hocus-pocus to this thought process, but who can’t use a little magic these days?

How about you?  Is there something from your childhood that makes you feel special, and that all is right with the world?
I would love to hear from you!   

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25 Comments
Bev Praver link
5/23/2015 12:14:06 pm

The things of my childhood that make me feel special and that all's right with the world all seem to be foods. The coffee candies that my grandmother kept in a ceramic covered dish on her coffee table, juicy peaches ripened to perfection from my grandfather's fruit stand, my grandmother's sour cream cookies in the cookie jar at the top of the refrigerator where we couldn't reach, Manner's Big Boy hamburgers with special sauce that was not like thousand island dressing and creamy, dense frozen custard from Euclid Beach Park! I forgot to include chocolate phosphates, which I was only allowed to have on rare occasions!

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Hilary
5/23/2015 01:15:40 pm

Yes, this posting and the one a few weeks ago, on comfort food, definitely have something in common. Those hamburgers and the frozen custard sound wonderful. :)

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Bev Praver
5/24/2015 05:33:09 am

OH, they were. The frozen custard was so rich and creamy. There is a new chain back there now that claims it tastes just like the frozen custard from Euclid Beach and I think they may be right! The hamburgers remain a memory only as the Manner's restaurants were bought up and now have the same sauce as Bob's Big Boys.

Larry Grant
5/23/2015 01:00:34 pm

So I'm the hubby who shares the bedroom with the most lovable clown girl and her princess phone.
For me it's electric trains that take me back to my childhood. Just today I was parked in front of our local Radio Shack and there in the window was an electric train set. It brought about a nostalgic moment.

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Hilary
5/23/2015 01:30:53 pm

A favorite of so many little Baby Boomer boys! Here's a vintage commercial... :) Remember, it's the only model train with... Magnatraction! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueH2EKf2Xy8

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Bev Praver
5/24/2015 05:36:04 am

I think Jerry's would be the big erector set! He talks about the things he built whenever we see them in antique stores.

jennifer
5/23/2015 10:52:15 pm

My Barbie doll had the keychain pink princess phone...and she also had a convertible and a Ken doll. I've been wanting a princess phone for my bedroom, too. We purchased a vintage one from ebay but when it got here, it wouldn't work and it was an awful salmon color. sooo - thank for the link to the vintage phone guy. i'm thinking turquoise :)

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Hilary
5/24/2015 03:47:38 am

Well, once you get your turquoise phone, we'll have to chat... Princess to Princess! And yes, I've seen vintage phones at antique shops here at a good price, but knew they would have to be rewired to work properly . I decided to spend a little more to get it done right. Mike is great!

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George Koury link
5/24/2015 05:16:33 am

Great post Hilary! Like Larry who posted previously, I love and still have my set of Lionel trains from long ago. I spent many happy hours running an imaginary train line.

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Hilary
5/24/2015 05:52:23 am

IMAGINATION. That's what was/is so cool about this type of toy. The basic toy is there, and once set up, you can do all sorts of narratives, by yourself or with others! Friends and I did the same thing with our Barbies. :)

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Nancy Shaw
5/24/2015 06:46:53 am

I loved the beautiful PINK Princess telephone too as a very young girl and wanted one but knew we would never get one. My father worked as a conservation officer in NY State (Game Warden) and my mother was a stay at home mom so we didn't have a lot of money to share amongst our 4 siblings. One day, my mother took me and my sister (only 15 months younger than me, poor mom) out in our double stroller to get a birthday gift for a friend's child. As she was shopping around, I picked up the beautiful pink Princess phone toy that was conveniently placed low on the shelves at eye level for me sitting in the stroller, and carefully put it hidden away in the stroller. :) She didn't know about it till later. My mother was a very honest person but for some reason, she let me keep that toy phone.

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Hilary
5/24/2015 07:30:15 am

Okay, I know that I shouldn't love your story, but I do. :) I'm so glad you got to keep your Princess toy phone!

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kerri
5/24/2015 10:22:16 am

I use my grandmamma's Fiestaware every day and it makes me very happy. It always brings me back to the good old days at her home in Georgia where I spent much of my childhood.

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Hilary
5/24/2015 11:09:57 am

Oooh, NICE. I *love* vintage Fiestaware. Please don't eat off it though... it contains lead!

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Lori Dansky
5/24/2015 12:41:37 pm

I love your Princess Phone post. My older sister and I shared a bedroom growing up and we had the same Princess phone in aqua blue. We got it when I was 13 or 14. Looking at yours really brings back memories for me! I don't know exactly what brings me back to my childhood. I agree that some recipes certainly do, especially my mother's meat sauce and spaghetti. Old photos make me the most nostalgic and bring me back to my youth.

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Hilary
5/24/2015 02:03:18 pm

Ohhhh, you HAD one! I just love mine. :) Going through my mom's tattered old recipe box (complete with stained index cards) also brings me back to my childhood. Old photos... not so much. Maybe I need to look at them more? :)

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leslie spoon
5/25/2015 02:01:35 am

Hilary My favorite time of year was Halloween. You could be anything that you wanted to be. I liked it better than Christmas. One year I wanted to be a princess from the Medieval times. My mom made me a beautiful dress out of blue satin and she even found the type of hat that they wore at that time. My town was very safe (Los Alamitos) so the parents did not come with us. I still like Halloween!

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Hilary
5/25/2015 05:55:07 am

What a lovely memory -- I love the idea that you remember a time of year rather than an object; that's special in itself. Just wish you had a photo to show me of you as that princess!

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Rick Mayberry
5/25/2015 02:07:02 pm

Those who knew me well back in the 60s probably knew that I had a fascination with telephones and tape recorders (unfortunately, I was too young to put those skills to use for the Nixon White House...). I had quite the accumulation of phones, ranging from crank-style and candlestick phones through many 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s models. I crawled under the house, boring holes like a teen-aged termite and strung wires to connect at least one phone into every room in the house. I had black office-style Western Electric rotary dial phone in my room - it looked like the one on Clark Kent's desk at the Daily Planet. My sister wanted something a bit more modern, though, so I put a beige Princess phone in her room. She loved that phone and, if memory serves, it's still there!

What do I have that I can fall back on to give me comfort? Memories - lots of them! I have been fortunate to know very good people and have have had wonderful times with many of them. I can hardly ask for anything more, so I won't!!!

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Hilary
5/25/2015 02:34:14 pm

Oh, great story! And now, of course, every one of those phones would be worth a lot of dough on Ebay, especially if they're still in working order. I haven't yet found anyone who had a Princess phone who didn't love it. :) And yes, good memories are... GOOD. :)

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Janet Charlton link
5/26/2015 04:20:42 am

I share your affection for pink princess phones. Mine is turquoise. Funny how phones were the same vibrant colors as cars once upon a time...

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Hilary
5/26/2015 09:34:58 am

Actually, I can picture you driving down Larchmont in a turquoise car--with fins of course--to match your phone! :)

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Susan Jordan
6/6/2015 03:08:31 pm

We had princess phones when I was little, but never a pink one, which I would've loved! A friend and I were talking last week about how much nicer the head pieces were on older phones compared to today because they curved in a way that the person on the other end could hear you better. I miss that! Now I want an *old-fashioned* phone again too.

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Hilary
6/6/2015 04:18:39 pm

There's something about the solid-ness of these old phones, too. You just know: they are going to last as long as you want them to. When you're ready for that pink phone--or turquoise or aqua--you now know who to call! :)

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Hilary
7/5/2015 03:34:01 am

And here's an article about these old phones... guess I'm ahead of the game here! http://www.countryliving.com/shopping/antiques/g1932/vintage-phones/?


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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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