Bruce Littlefield's Life 101 » History of Fun

History of Fun – Crayola Crayons

Bruce Littlefield — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:45:14 +0000

Nothing reminds me more of the carefree days of childhood than the sharp, waxy smell of Crayola crayons. A fun fact I learned this weekend: The art of Crayola crayon color-naming is ridiculously political. In 1962, the “flesh” crayon was changed to “peach” to reflect the Civil Rights Movement. In 2003, the color “inch worm” was added to reflect I have no idea what. And before Isaiah Mustafa took over the airwaves with his hunky self, there were some great Crayola commercials. I think the world would be a happier place if we all kept a box of Crayolas next to our computers.

Life 101 – Friday Fun

Bruce Littlefield — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:46:25 +0000

Dance, I say, Dance!

In a recent post, I discussed earworms. Several people wrote to suggest songs that were earworms… And then I found this: A mash-up of all the Top 25 hits of 2009. I have listened to it non-stop since yesterday. If this doesn’t get you happy and excited for the weekend, may I suggest a two martini lunch. Put on your dancing shoes people. It’s the weekend.

History of Fun – Legos!

Bruce Littlefield — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:58:17 +0000

Legos are internationally beloved by kids of all ages, the perfect plastic medium to build anything your mind can invent. I just visited the Lego store in NYC and was inspired. Did you know Legos began in a small village in 1930s Denmark, a carpenter named Old Kirk Christiansen opened a store to sell the wooden toys he carved in his spare time? He named the shop “leg godt,” which means “have fun!” in Danish. In the 1950s his son took over and switched building materials from wood to plastic. Not long after adopting plastic, he came up with the stud and tube brick system used in modern Legos, and… today nineteen billion bricks are made every year. Have FUN!

American Fun – Fireworks!

Bruce Littlefield — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:41:35 +0000

It’s 4th of July weekend, and what better way to celebrate than with sparkly explosions of fire? It’s an American tradition, but the Chinese were the ones to first use fireworks to scare away evil spirits as early as the 7th century. 2010′s displays are probably a little more elaborate, especially those on this list of the best fireworks displays in the country (one, of course, being NYC’s Macy’s Fireworks Display.) Of course, if you can’t make it to one of these cities, you can always make your own fireworks…with a fire marshall present…or just not.
Everybody have a happy 4th and be safe!

American Icons – The Kiss

Bruce Littlefield — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 17:24:47 +0000

It has been 65 years since LIFE’s Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped the photograph of a sailor planting a kiss on the lips of a nurse in Times Square. The August 14, 1945 photograph (shortly after the Japanese surrender effectively ended World War II) has become one of the most famous photographs ever made. The image is still visual shorthand that the “War is over!” Edith Shain, the woman in the photograph (or, at least, the woman widely believed to be in the photograph … read about it here!), died this week in Los Angeles at the age of 91. But the story of the picture will never die. Now, I ask you, look closely at the photograph. What’s that headlock move the sailor has on her? Shall we politely call it the kissing cradle?

American Fun – Beard Championships

Bruce Littlefield — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:07:02 +0000

In case you missed it, this past weekend the World Beard and Moustache Championships took place in Bend, Oregon. There were four fantastic facial hair categories: 1) Best moustache; 2) Best partial beard (goatees, van dykes, sideburns, musketeers, etc.); 3) Best full beard; and 4) Freestyle. (Anything goes. Anything. Be creative.) By the “looks of this video, ” Freestyle wins the day.
By the way, I like this bearded group: BTUSA. In addition to more hair than a busy barber’s floor. They have nice membership rules: “The competition is open to everyone.” We need more groups who include everyone in the fun.

American Fun – Bring Back Clippy!

Bruce Littlefield — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:43:12 +0000

He sat quietly in the bottom right corner of your document. He made a comforting little snapping noise whenever you successfully saved. He even twisted himself into question mark whenever you needed help. Microsoft Word is undoubtedly faster and more high-tech and better now, but something is missing. Where is Clippy ? Apparently, Clippy’s suffered the Great Recession with the rest of us, and he got the ax in 2001. Depressing? Yes. What was Bill Gates thinking? “Most people using Office are pretty high-end users, and they don’t need an animated thing to help them do that,” a PC date analyst said in this article. Disagree! Don’t we all need an animated paper clip to help us through the day? Bring back Clippy, Mr. Gates! Maybe that’s why Apple has taken the lead?

Life 101 – Garage Sale Season Opens

Bruce Littlefield — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:32:16 +0000

The season is upon us. This weekend I’ve already got a mapped out list of my garage sale stop and shops. Refer to Facebook for Jay Blotcher’s “off-beat yard sale,” (a pop-culture smorgasbord), Ken Greene’s “Yarden Sale,” (includes delights for the garden), Stephen Gilman’s “UlsterCorp Barn Sale” (amazing stuff all for charity) and Hilton Purvis’s “Estate Sale” (from Eames to Limoges). Maybe I’ll even sneak over to my favorite Hudson Valley flea market, Stormville. One thing’s for sure, I’ve been inspired by Jailbreak.com’s list of the 100 best vintage lunchboxes to add these pop culture icons to my hunting list.

American Fun – Pac-Man turns 30!

Bruce Littlefield — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:08:39 +0000

When I was a kid, I lived to play Pac-Man. Not enough to get a Pac-Man tattoo (at left, yikes!), but certainly enough to get sore wrists and challenge my brother enough that he would turn our friendly Pac-Man competition into a career with Game Stop. This weekend Pac-Man turns 30, so in honor I’m going to the mall and playing a couple rounds. Did you know that when on May 22, 1980, Japanese company Namco Bandai released the game in Japan it was called Puck-Man. The title was rejected in the United States because some worried that the “P” would chip off the cabinet and look like an “F.” Only in America, friends, only in America.

American Hype – Carol Burnett on SNL

Bruce Littlefield — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:43:47 +0000

After the success of Betty White on SNL, there’s already a Facebook page called “Carol Burnett to Host SNL (PLEASE?)!” Its creator says that the divine Carol Burnett (one of my all-time favs) “would be an OUTSTANDING choice to host ‘SNL,’ ” adding, “Icing on the cake would be a cameo appearance by TIM CONWAY!” As of this moment, more than 34,000 fans (including me!) have signed the agreement.
But woe is us: the “SNL” season finale, hosted by Alec Baldwin, is on this Saturday, so this just gives me an excuse to post her classic, Went With the Wind. Enjoy!