365 T-shirts - the reasoning

This blog should be sub-titled: a journal of my life in geek.

I get my geek on with things about which I am geeky: comic books, Baseball, Ultimate, science fiction, my favorite bands, books I have read and loved, and Jungian psychology to name some of the most frequently traversed subjects.

I began this project simply as a way to count my T-shirts. I own a lot of T-shirts. But how many do I have? Do I have 365? We shall find out.

When I started this blog, I thought about how each T-shirt means something to me. I bought it for a reason, after all. I set myself the task to post an entry about a new T-shirt every day as a way to simply write something every day, a warm up for writing fiction, which is my passion. Writing is like exercise. Warm ups are good for exercise. But after completing a month of blogging about T-shirts, I have learned that this blog serves as a journal; it documents my life in geek, sort of a tour of my interests in pop culture. The blog serves as a tool for self-inventory, for assessment and analysis of self and the origins of self, for stepping through the process of individuation in catalogues, lists, and ranks.

The blog also made me aware that I have some serious gaps in my T-shirt ownership, and I am in the process of collecting some new T-shirts for several of the great popular culture icons that I truly love. Stay tuned.

I was also a bit surprised that people checked out my blog and continue to check it, read it, and even comment on it. I am very appreciative of this readership. Please feel free to share your thoughts in my comments section. I will respond.

Also, please note that I have moved the original introductory text to the side bar. And now, I present to you the most recent entry of 365 T-shirts: a journal of my life in geek. Thank you for reading.
(Second Update - 1310.24. First Update - 1306.05 Originally Posted - 1304.25.)

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

T-shirt #90: Quisp

T-shirt #90: Quisp: little, sugary flying saucers

The other day,  I eschewed brands and logos in the entry for T-shirt #87; however, I had forgotten that I owned this shirt featuring the cute, little alien from the Quisp breakfast cereal.

Quisp was a breakfast cereal made by Quaker Oats starting in 1965, very similar to Cap'n Crunch in taste. I always thought of the cereal as being shaped like little, flying saucers because of the alien mascot hence the garish title line that I colored in pink and green. Quaker claims that the cereal is shaped like Qs (as in the letter) though I have seen the shapes described others as flying saucers, too. Either way, the "crunch corn cereal" will fill you with "QUAZY energy," according to the box's text.

The advertisements for Quisp were created by Jay Ward, an animator who had worked on the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon (one of my favorites). In both 1972 and 1976, Quaker ran a competition between two of its cereals, asking fans to vote on which cereal would remain on the shelves and which would be discontinued. Each time Quisp beat Quake and Quangaroos, respectively, to remain in production.

Though sales began to fade as the '70s also faded and Quisp was eventually discontinued, its frequent return is further proof of the power of fandom, crying out for the cereal of their youth. Quisp has returned once a decade since the Seventies.

Quisp became the first cereal for sale on the Internet starting in 2001.

In the 2000s, Quaker sold a commemorative watch via the Quisp website (now defunct).









Marie Javins, a longtime blogger (also a comic book creator), writes about the watch on her blog
NO HURRY IN ... (now Jersey City)  AFRICA
in 2007.





Here are some good QUISP resources:

QUISP ON WIKIPEDIA

QUAKER QUISP: HOMETOWN FAVORITES

EVERYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY EVER WANT TO KNOW ABOUT QUISP

QUISP RETURNS TO STORE SHELVES - 2011


Today's blog entry on Quisp could inspire me to create an entire bevy of entries dedicated to 1960s and 1970s products.

Does anyone remember Funny Face drink mix?

Check out THEY ALWAYS COME BACK for more information.


VINTAGE QUISP AND QUAKE CEREAL COMMERCIAL FROM THE 1970s


PS: I also loved King Vitamin and the old standby: Cap'n Crunch.

- chris tower - 1306.19 - 7:36

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