Monday, June 24, 2013

Miracle Fish Fortune Teller Surprise Balls: The Destiny of Things, Story XCII

Miracle Fish Fortune Teller Surprise Balls:  The Destiny of Things, Story XCII

My Miracle Fish Fortune Tellers are going all the way to France!


Audrey, from her Etsy shop,  Hello Mountains told me she had never heard of these before until four days ago and has such a huge "crush" on them that she's putting them in "Surprise Balls!"

I've never heard of "surprise balls" but they are like one big rolled up party favor that have some surprises wrapped in them.  It seems you unravel the ball that is made with crepe streamers or tissue paper and little trinkets roll out randomly!  How fun does that sound?  Kinda like having a mini pinata without having to break it to get what's inside!  What a neat way to wrap a gift!

Surprise balls are right up my alley!  I love trinkets of all kinds and have quite the collection of them!  I have mermaid, elephant and monkey drink charms, Bazooka Joe gum wrappers, fortune cookie fortunes, stamps, stickers, plastic fake watches, plastic treasure chests, tiny erasers and tooth lockets!  

As a matter of fact, many of my loved trinkets are listed at The Destiny of Things, Hoarder Rehab and VintageToGoEtsy!  I might need to try making some myself!


Saying Good-bye:  No problem what so ever and on top of it all, I found out about surprise balls! 

Also, I found some history of the surprise ball so interesting...the first earliest evidence of surprise balls were found with Native Americans.  It helped tell the oral history of a person with the middle having something from birth and as time went on mementos were added to tell the life of a person, like an amulet.

In the 50s, surprise balls became popular when Charles Gregor began creating Surprise balls in New Orleans.  His version was The Surprise Ball “The Toy You Destroy to Enjoy”.  Soon the Surprise ball made it's way to toy store's and gift shops of hospitals.

Later the novelty died out.  A few Surprise Balls that were made in Japan . Many of them had a hard plastic ball in the center filled with toys. I think my brother and I might have gotten one of these or maybe it was an American one.  I do remember unraveling a paper ball with tons of toys in the middle!

I thought my love for plastic trinkets evolved from my days of the Gardner picnic game booths, but I think it goes back to even earlier days now.  I also remember Japanese rice candies coming with metal and plastic toys too!  And I wanted the folding fan and one day I got one!  I think I have a plastic car and I might have the metal ladybug.

Many people, besides me have  memories associated with this candy because it was made of rice and had an edible paper around it that made it look like you were eating plastic or even eating just paper was weird, but delicious.  Many of my friends got hooked on this candy and collecting and trading the little toys was so fun!

Here's a blog with comments of people's memories about Botan Rice Candy, here, on Candyblog and on Wikipedia here, for ingredients and nutritional information.


What I Learned:

1.  As a recovering hoarder, I am beginning to scratch the surface for the origin of my love of plastic and metal trinkets ranging from these rice candy treats to cereal prizes, Cracker Jack's to vendor gum ball trinkets to saving Bazooka Joe wrappers for toys, to waiting up for my parents and playing with mermaids, monkeys and paper umbrella drink charms on the drive home from my Grandparents to collecting moveable sterling and gold charms and then religious medals and crosses and so on and so on!

2.  I guess everyone has their own childhood version of "Rosebud", but there's no way that my last words are going to be "Botan".

Merci beaucoup Audrey from Hello Mountain for sending me your story.  I love your Weirdo patch and it would go well in a surprise ball.  Will I be seeing "surprise balls" in your Etsy shop, Hello Mountain?  I see your bearded man, Flo Comitch at Pitch Up has some stickers to include in some surprise balls too!  Click on the highlighted words to visit their shops!

I would love to see a surprise ball with a Fortune Teller Fish in it!

Thank you Etsy for my second connection and story from France!  And finding new lives for over 304 of my hoarded items!  Thank you for bringing me closer to my dream of  a Minimalist Organic home with a music art room, rather than unused hoard storage!

Thank you US, Russia, Chile, France, Singapore, Canada, Japan, UK, and Nepal for your visits over the weekend and helping me stay focused on my HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things

Click on the highlighted words to see the new hoard listed daily at VintageToGoEtsy, HoarderRehab and The Destiny of Things!  Click here, here and here for some of my trinkets!  Order the Fortune Fish here!


Related Stories:

1.  My first story from France:  Ethiopian Coptic Cross

2.  Plastic Trinket Love, I love these!:  Toothy Tooth Locket Necklace

3.  Other Fortune Teller Fish Story, here.

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