Retrologist Roundup: Classic Dairy Queen closes; historic McDonald's gets renovated (it was epic); retro Pepsi and Jello-O logos surface on shelves; 1970s 'Super Chicken' mascot uncovered
Plus: Meet the couple keeping a classic drive-in theater alive and much more!
The last walk-up Dairy Queen in Wheeling, West Virginia, has closed. I had the pleasure of stopping there — and ordering my requisite vanilla shake — last year.
These classic Dairy Queen stands are absolutely precious and are roadside Americana of the highest order. Each one that closes is a blow to what I like to call the Great American Retro Road Trip!
The Fulton Dairy Queen has been in Clayton’s family since 1979, and Denise has been running it for the last 20 years. After 44 years of operation, the iconic business shut its doors for good.
Clayton posted her retirement announcement on the window of the building, thanking the Fulton community and loyal customers of the establishment.
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The first McDonald’s in New England is among the latest to undergo renovation — and I visited just in time
I tell you, with old-school McDonald’s buildings, you have to move fast if you want to photograph them and experience the time-travel trippiness they offer. Example: I’m kicking myself that I’m not going to make it to Parma, Ohio, to shoot this beauty. Check out more pictures here. That’s EXACTLY what a McDonald’s should look like, at least according to the 7-year-old in me.
I did manage to explore two special ones in Connecticut recently, both this summer and both already being renovated, I’ve been told.
Let’s start with the one in Hamden, which is historic. The first McDonald’s building on this site — likely a red-and-white-tiled walk-up with Golden Arches flanking the structure — opened in 1957. A poster in the store described it as the first McDonald’s on the East Coast. Vintage newspaper clippings speak of it as the first McDonald’s in New England.
The original operator was Reuben Taylor, who went on to open additional McDonald’s, including one in Fairfield, Connecticut, that in 1968 became one of the earliest mansard restaurants. (The article describes it as a Colonial design with “old brick” and hand-split cedar shingles for a roof. Inside, there were large murals of Colonial scenes. Oh, to have visited this place!)
The Hamden store was renovated to a mansard look in the early 1980s, with a PlayPlace added later. During my Aug. 18 visit, the dining room was teeming with retro touches throwing back to the 1950s, including a prominent Speedee in the dining room and Ronald McDonald, who succeeded Speedee as the corporate mascot. (Though, let’s not forget Archy, who briefly surfaced in 1964. Taylor won an Archie Award (spelled differently) from McDonald’s that same year, for his training achievements at what came to be known as Hamburger University.)
Here’s how the Hamden store looked during my first and, sadly, last visit:
Below is my write-up on another McDonald’s in Connecticut, in Orange, that is also going under the knife. It was still a carousel-themed delight when I visited back in June:
'Tombstone' for home of first Arby's, but it's not 'grave' news; forget Grimace, meet CosMc; Hills stores' tasty 'comeback;' Starlite dims in 'Andy Griffith' country | Retrologist Roundup
You may have heard the news that McDonald’s plans to build a new set of smaller restaurants named after an obscure commercial character from the late 1980s called CosMc (pronounced Cosmic.) Beyond that, very little has been revealed, including what CosMc’s would look like, though the restaurants
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Lights, camera, preservation! Couple keeps historic Pennsylvania drive-in alive!
One muggy night in the summer of 2022, I had an all-too-brief chat with Bill and Barb Frankhouser as I snapped photos of the drive-in movie theater they have devoted their lives to.
The Super 322 is now in its 73rd year, and the Statecollege.com caught up with the couple.
In a testament to their dedication to the Super 322 Drive-In Theatre’s long-term preservation, the Frankhousers have laid out a vision for the future. Their goal is to keep the theater operating for another 75 years or longer, actively saving money each year for improvements and expansion.
Restoration and preservation efforts extend to the original neon signs, with meticulous care to bring them back to their former glory. The quest for metal signs, discussions about the marquee’s colors and a commitment to upgrading and maintaining lights all contribute to the drive-in’s timeless charm.
SUPER CHICKEN! When Arthur Treacher’s put chicken before the fish and chips!
Arthur Treacher’s may be known for its fish and chips, but in the 1970s they were clucking about their chicken offerings.
The mascot was a cocky, patriotically attired feathered fellow known as Super Chicken. This amazing poster from the campaign belongs to Alex (cleargriptape) on Instagram, who turned it up in an estate sale. If that isn’t incentive enough to get up early on a Saturday morning and hit the sales, I don’t know what is.
There is barely a trace of Super Chicken on the Interwebs, and what little I could turn up is buried in digitized newspaper archives.
Super Chicken, for example, was making personal appearances at Arthur Treacher’s stores in September 1972, as can be seen from this ad below.
Ad copy from the month before reveals Super Chicken was just being introduced. It explains that “Arthur Teacher’s has worked on the perfect chicken recipe for months now and has come up with Super Chicken, deliciously marinated and served with our own secret batter.”
Super Chicken appears to have been short-lived. The poster was issued around the same time as the ads (August 1972) and I can’t find a trace of him after that autumn, but he’s certainly a fun character.
He reminds me a little of a mascot used by Wishbone Fried Chicken (the demented Captain Wishbone) not long before this. (He was also the subject of a poster giveaway in 1969!) It seems if you were a fast-food joint in the 1970s, you needed a mascot. But mascots that made it big were as rare as enduring success in the fast-food world.
What’s old is new again: Pepsi, Jello-O join the retro logo bandwagon
Pepsi has become the latest brand to roll out a retro logo, and I have spotted it in the wild. This one really taps into the vibe of its 1970s logo, which is by far my favorite. (Of course, it’s the one I grew up with, but I think its simplicity and boldness make it appeal to all ages.)
I spotted these cans of soda for sale with the retro logo at a supermarket in Queens, New York, and as the logo becomes more widespread, Pepsi will be celebrating with a pop-up cafe in Manhattan called Pepsi 125, in honor of the soda maker’s 125th anniversary. You can join the waitlist to visit here.
My long-promised look at the evolution of the Pepsi logo is nearing completion and will be published in the next week or so, an exclusive for my paid subscribers. Please consider upgrading — it’s a great way to support my work if you enjoy it!
And speaking of retro logos …
I’ve sweet on Jello-O’s new logo. I’m tempted to call it a “retro” logo (and I’m not alone in this), but it’s not directly based on any previous logo. It didn’t look like this in the 1970s, say, but it does somehow capture a fun, nostalgic energy that has always been inherent in the brand.
I will say this: it popped out at me in the supermarket aisle the other day and made me think of a product I haven’t really considered in a long time.
Indeed, check out Joseph Foley’s take on Creative Bloq:
It feels like a rebrand designed to remind us that Jello-O still exists that people used to like when they were kids, going all in on the kitsch nostalgia value while making the products much more noticeable on a store shelf. The misaligned O adds a playful touch and the blocky letters better capture the product than the thin spiral 'O' that's being replaced (for me, that looked more like a hygiene product or a cold remedy).
It's also right on trend, following a wave of vibrant retro rebrands that we've seen from soft drink brands. Interestling Jell-O is just as old as some of those brands, such as Pepsi. It's also replaced is 'sugar free' claim with the more modern 'zero sugar'.
Check out this story on the evolution of the logo, and here’s the back story on the change.
Signposts up ahead!
He is a beloved part of life at the Bendix Diner in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey: John Diakakis, a waiter who is blind, is retiring. [Weird New Jersey]
Seattle’s old Cinerama theater is reopening without the iconic name. The sign was taken down last week. The theater had famously been rescued and revived by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1999. He had licensed the name, and that legal cover did not transfer to the new owner of the theater. The sign is now gone, and its fate has not been determined. [MyNorthwest]
A behind-the-scenes visit to a Denver neon shop. [9News]
The wonderful Dan Schantz Greenhouse in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is on the market. I visited this summer and photographed its roadside-worthy sign. It appears the wholesale business will continue, or at least is not for sale. Whether Dan Schantz will carry on as a retail operation is also unclear. Pay a visit if you can, especially this time of year. [WFMZ]
Bojangles’ New Jersey debut draws a step closer. The chain, founded in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1977, is now in 17 states. Beyond New Jersey, Bojangles is looking West as well. [NJ.com]
The “retro” logo is at the heart of the Sizzle concept. (Rolando Pujol) Explore Burger King’s new “Sizzle” store concept. [Nation’s Restaurant News]
Chris Burden’s forest of Los Angeles street lights has become a famous symbol of the city. I last visited in 2016. (Rolando Pujol) LA’s Museum of Street Lighting has reopened! As a streetlight aficionado, this is one I hope to visit soon. Sounds like a hidden gem worth seeking out. Of course, Chris Burden’s artwork outside LACMA is a museum in itself! [Los Angeles Daily News]
Disney fans: If you’re in Chicago this weekend, you can visit Walt Disney’s childhood home, open on Saturday and Sunday for Open House Chicago. [WLS]
This is one of those “if I had the money” kind of showcase houses: Bay Ridge’s “Gingerbread House” is on the market for $8.75 million. Let’s all start a bidding war on this Brooklyn beauty! [Mansion Global]
Gordon Smith, the founder of the cozy Camp 18 logging museum and restaurant in Seaside, Oregon, has died at 91. [MAP]
Finally, a hearty congrats to Angel Delgadillo, the Route 66 icon of Seligman, Arizona, who is being honored today as an Arizona Historymaker. [Route 66 News]
Another great newsletter, Rolando! Especially a week of terrorism and disturbing images, it did my soul good to start my Sunday with a hot cup of coffee and get lost in your newsletter, taking me back to magical elements of my childhood and roadside Americana. Thank you. While I love all your newsletters, I really needed this today.
Hey! Wanted to send a note that the McDonalds is actually the second location. It's original (arches) location was north a few yards where the Popeyes is. This building may even date to McDonalds time there (based on looking at aerials, the footprint is similar.) There are photos online of the sign, but not the building itself. There is also a walk-up DQ down Skiff Street to the east (https://flic.kr/p/2r6pJvc), an old-style iHop building (now Cumin India, but I have a photo of it from when I was in high school https://flic.kr/p/2r6qEmr)