Toys, Souvenirs, Jokes
One last little thing about that block of 7th Avenue between 47th and 48th.
Awhile back, people were excited to take pictures of this faded Souvenirs sign, revealed when a newer sign came down. They emailed it to me or added it to the Vanishing NY Flickr pool. It also turned up on other blogs. Though it didn't inspire quite as much blogospheric buzz as Dapper Dan, it got its fair share.
Matt Law, flickr
For what it's worth, this sign appears in a 1981 photo that I used in yesterday's post. By the 1990s, it was covered up.
bustalk, 1981
There it is, way off to the right, partially chopped, nestled in between the Embassy (formerly the Mayfair) and Tad's Steaks. It has since been covered up again.
I think my favorite thing about the sign is the word JOKES. It's like NOVELTIES or APPETIZING, words you used to see often on signs but don't anymore. The last time I recall seeing JOKES on a sign was also in Times Square, at the Funny Store, which was demolished to make room for a hotel. Their sign also included the word GAGS, which you're really never going to see.
How many billboards, signs, and marquees in Times Square are covering up the word GAGS? We will likely never know.
UPDATE: Here's another shot, proving the sign much older, from 1960:
Awhile back, people were excited to take pictures of this faded Souvenirs sign, revealed when a newer sign came down. They emailed it to me or added it to the Vanishing NY Flickr pool. It also turned up on other blogs. Though it didn't inspire quite as much blogospheric buzz as Dapper Dan, it got its fair share.
Matt Law, flickr
For what it's worth, this sign appears in a 1981 photo that I used in yesterday's post. By the 1990s, it was covered up.
bustalk, 1981
There it is, way off to the right, partially chopped, nestled in between the Embassy (formerly the Mayfair) and Tad's Steaks. It has since been covered up again.
I think my favorite thing about the sign is the word JOKES. It's like NOVELTIES or APPETIZING, words you used to see often on signs but don't anymore. The last time I recall seeing JOKES on a sign was also in Times Square, at the Funny Store, which was demolished to make room for a hotel. Their sign also included the word GAGS, which you're really never going to see.
How many billboards, signs, and marquees in Times Square are covering up the word GAGS? We will likely never know.
UPDATE: Here's another shot, proving the sign much older, from 1960:
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