Friday, April 11, 2008

Flashback Friday

                                           Red Beanbag Ashtray with original box

Anyone that even remotely knows me, knows that I am not a smoker, and knows that I cannot stand cigarette smoke.  I was one of the biggest supporters of the smoking ban here in the 'Ville, and am thrilled to go out to any public place and not be subjected to second-hand smoke.  But I digress.  I don't smoke, but I come from a family of former smokers.  So growing up, there were always ashtrays in our house.  When I visit friends and relatives today, I seldom see ashtrays in their homes, even if they are smokers.  I know lots of smokers who smoke outside but not inside their home, so I guess they don't need ashtrays.  If they do have ashtrays in their homes, they're usually plain plastic or glass ashtrays.  This wasn't the case back in the day.  Smokers back then had fancy, decorative ashtrays.  In art class at school, kids would even make clay ashtrays to take home to their parents.

I remember having 4 or 5 very cool ashtrays in our house.  My second favorite ashtray we had was one that was a miniature wooden barrel on a tall stand.  But my favorite ashtray was the bean bag ashtray.  I don't know why, but I was always fascinated by the bean bag ashtrays.  Our neighbors Ed and Alice even had a couple of bean bag ashtrays in their house.

Cool ashtrays were very popular at the tourist trap souviner shops when you would travel on vacation.  I remember seeing one at a Stuckey's that I'll never forget -- it was a big mouth, and you put the cigarette in between the lips, and it looked like the ashtray was smoking.  I sure wish Mom and Dad would have let me buy that on our trip that summer - just think of what a conversation piece I would have today, even if I don't smoke. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We had one with a bull dog mom and pups, one with an elf, and a big brown glass one that was so heavy, you could have knocked someone out with it.