Popular Entertainment

This Museum's popular entertainment collections hold some of the Smithsonian's most beloved artifacts. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz reside here, along with the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, and props from popular television series such as M*A*S*H and All in the Family. But as in many of the Museum's collections, the best-known objects are a small part of the story.

The collection also encompasses many other artifacts of 19th- and 20th-century commercial theater, film, radio, and TV—some 50,000 sound recordings dating back to 1903; posters, publicity stills, and programs from films and performances; puppets; numerous items from World's Fairs from 1851 to 1992; and audiovisual materials on Groucho Marx, to name only a few.

In the mid-1960s, most children had never seen an electronic computer. However, they had heard stories of the power of these giant instruments and knew that they were associated with space flight.
Description
In the mid-1960s, most children had never seen an electronic computer. However, they had heard stories of the power of these giant instruments and knew that they were associated with space flight. This toy brought the mathematical principles of the digital computer into the home. The manual describes several problems that could be set up, including a basic check out of whether the device was functioning properly, counting down from 7 to 1 in binary, logical riddles, and the game of NIM. There is a special piece that can be used to represent the logical operation "or." The toy was made by E.S.R., Inc. of Orange and Montclair, New Jersey. It sold for about $5.00.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1965
date received
1977
maker
E.S.R., Incorporated
ID Number
1978.0067.59
catalog number
1978.0067.59
accession number
1978.0067
Mariachis, groups comprised of vocalists, trumpeters, violinists, and various bass and guitar players, are today considered Mexico's traditional musical ensemble.
Description
Mariachis, groups comprised of vocalists, trumpeters, violinists, and various bass and guitar players, are today considered Mexico's traditional musical ensemble. Originally from the state of Jalisco, mariachi music transformed itself from a regional to a national music between the 1930s and 1950s. Its accompanying attire is the fancy charro costume for men and the china poblana dress (like the one pictured here) for women. The thriving song, music, and dance culture surrounding mariachi today is the product of pioneering work by Mexican American educators and performers in the early 1960s. Mariachi instruction programs have since grown in popularity across Mexican American communities, with student mariachi ensembles beginning to perform as early as elementary or middle school. But Mexican American musical traditions began much earlier than the mariachi movement—they include styles as diverse as the choir music of the California missions and the corridos and ballads of San Antonio's Rosita Fernández (1925 1997). This china poblana dress, made in the 1960s, belonged to Fernández who, though performing a wide repertoire of Mexican song styles, is most identified with música norteña, rather than mariachi. Her sixty-year career as a local radio, TV, and theater star garnered her the title, "San Antonio's First Lady of Song."
Description (Spanish)
Los mariachis, integrados por vocalistas, trompetistas, violinistas y varios intérpretes de bajo y guitarra, se consideran en la actualidad como el conjunto tradicional de música mexicana por excelencia. La música mariachi se originó en el estado de Jalisco, transformándose entre las décadas de 1930 y 1950, de música regional a música nacional. El atuendo que la caracteriza es el elegante traje charro para los hombres y el vestido de china poblana (como el que aquí se ilustra) para las mujeres. La floreciente cultura de hoy en día en torno al canto, música y danza de los mariachis es producto de la labor pionera de los educadores e intérpretes mexicoamericanos de principios de la década de 1960. Desde entonces, los programas de instrucción para mariachis se han vuelto populares a lo largo de las comunidades mexicoamericanas, observándose conjuntos de estudiantes que comienzan a actuar tan prematuramente como en la escuela primaria o media. Sin embargo, las tradiciones musicales mexicoamericanas ya habían echado raíces con anterioridad al movimiento mariachi—abarcaban estilos tan diversos como la música de coro de las misiones de California y los corridos y baladas de Rosita Fernández de San Antonio (1925-1997). Este vestido de china poblana, confeccionado en la década de1960, perteneció a Fernández, a quien, si bien interpreta un gran repertorio de estilos de canciones mexicanas, se la identifica con la música norteña, más que con la mariachi. Su trayectoria de sesenta años como estrella de la radio local, la televisión y el teatro le adjudicó el título de "Primera Dama de la Canción de San Antonio".
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1960s
user
Fernández, Rosita
maker
Tenis, Mr.
ID Number
2001.0130.01
accession number
2001.0130
catalog number
2001.0130.01
This coloring book, Ding Dong School: Over-the-Shoulder coloring book was published by Whiman Publishing Co. in Racine, Wisconsin, 1955.
Description (Brief)

This coloring book, Ding Dong School: Over-the-Shoulder coloring book was published by Whiman Publishing Co. in Racine, Wisconsin, 1955. It a folded style coloring book, with a red plaid paper cover with a photo of Miss Frances, a side pocket for crayons, and a green cord handle for carrying.

Ding Dong School was one of the earliest educational shows for very young children. The television series was first broadcast out of Chicago on WNBQ in 1952 and was syndicated in 1959. The host Dr. Frances Horwich, was known on the show as "Miss Frances."

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1955
publisher
Whitman Publishing, LLC
ID Number
1992.0634.045
accession number
1992.0634
catalog number
1992.0634.045

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.