Creepy 90s Nanna Decore

Came across an example of that creepy decorating fad from the mid to late 1990s the other weekend, a "Time-out Doll". I mean, who wouldn't find the faceless doppelganger of a toddler being subjected to domestic discipline utterly delightful?

Like crying child and clown prints, I've always found these little replica child victims (and the people they appeal too) faintly disturbing.

Above right: 1990s "Timeout doll" (also known as "pouting dolls", "tantrum tots", "corner kids", etc) seen at the Ballarat Mill Market

One year on Blogger!

It's 12 months ago today since I posted my first Circa62 blog entry. I've even met my personal goal of posting on average at least once per week (which turns out to be not as easy as it sounds).

In celebration here's a random postcard I picked up somewhere along the way, "Back to Ballarat - The City Beautiful" (a 1997 adaption of a 1927 Home to Ballarat poster).

"Visit Ballarat, the City Beautiful"

In the 1990s the PTC released a series of 8 reproduction vintage Victorian Railways travel posters from the 1920s & 30s. I was commuting daily to Melbourne at the time and they featured prominently in the Ballarat and Spencer Street railway stations. In the early 2000s I tracked down a signed limited edition of the Ballarat poster, which now hangs on my wall at home.

Interestingly the original 1929 "Visit Ballarat" poster was painted by Percy Trompf, who had his training at the Ballarat Technical Art School, and went on to be a very successful commercial artist and art teacher.

The modern reproductions were done by Melbourne illustrator Fay Plamka in 1993, a founding member of Illustrators Australia, and now a well known Melbourne Court artist for the ABC and 7 Network. Here's the entire set from recent auctions on ebay: