Green eggs
& ham
Deere raids the kitchen
It’s unlikely that Dr. Seuss had John Deere in mind when he coined
the phrase "Green Eggs and Ham."
| Ý Green tea
An unusual antique tea kettle made
of cast iron uses a small lid similar to an early John Deere planter lid. The story behind
this kettle is somewhat shrouded in mystery, although some believe they were giveaways out
of the Kansas City branch. However, these pots could also be handmade by an industrious
employee or creative collector. Apparently, other variations exist, including ones that
say "Made in Taiwan," so take care to research any antique kettle claiming to be
"genuine" John Deere. Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar
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Yet Deere & Company’s promotional
items were just as popular in the kitchen as they were in the garage.
Given that yesterday was Easter, ham and eggs are top of mind for most
of us. But this familiar Seuss story isn’t the only reference to John Deere green in
the kitchen.
Deere catered to "womenfolk" with an assortment of handy
household devices, such as dispensers, serving utensils, sewing supplies and other
convenient tools of the trade — everything from refrigerator magnets and ice cream
scoops to toothpick holders and waxed paper dispensers.
Such practical pieces of memorabilia were intended to make women’s
lives easier (in the kitchen anyway).
Today’s versions of household collectibles include can coozies,
chip clips, fly swatters and beverage bottle openers.
Yesterday’s memorabilia might be a
little more obscure to the modern housewife. Not exactly a graduate of the "Martha
Stewart School of Home Ec", The Green Girl had some trouble identifying the string
dispenser and broom holder, for example!
Ye are the salt of the Earth
That line from the Bible also found its way on to a salt and pepper
shaker from a John Deere dealer. It seems S&P shakers were very popular promotional
pieces with dealers, especially in the 1950s-1960s. Several styles can be found, but the
most prevalent is the dual design that’s shaped like a t-shirt.
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Not exactly considered an everyday tool by today’s standards,
bottle openers were a must-have before screw-off tops found their way onto beverage
bottles. This 1950s-1960s opener from Manson Implement in Iowa includes two plastic tops
to keep the "fizz" in opened bottles of soda. Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar
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In addition to "Seasoning’s
Greetings" and "Get a fair shake," marketing slogans on these shakers
ranged from really cheesy to kind of creative. One really stands out: "Pick John
Deere for Peppier Farming and Salt Away the Savings."
Hang on to good service
Advertising creativity extended to handy household dispensers in the
1940s and 1950s.
John Deere dealership imprints adorn
dispensers for string, tape, waxed paper, toothpicks and more.
Other convenient collectibles include serving
trays, bottle openers, even sugar and creamer sets. Most have dealership names, phone
numbers, and a catchy phrase in addition to some variation of the leaping-deer logo.
Deere at the dinner table
You could set an entire table with Deere dÈcor — from the coffee
cups and water glasses to the plates and toothpick dispenser! Some of these
"picnic" type supplies were made for John Deere Day events. Others were from
factory or branch cafeterias.
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This complete canister kitchen set
is now available from Deere & Company. It holds your cookies, your coffee, your
cream…and everything in between! Photo Hendren’s John Deere Merchandise Mall
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Today, Deere has licensed a large variety
of kitchenware, including cookie jars, cookbooks, shakers, skillets, potholders and much
more! Many of these memorabilia would even make Martha Stewart proud!
Feeding frenzy
Deere didn’t just stick to kitchen utensils and gadgets. In a few
cases, they also made food!
While one would think John Deere jerky is a likely candidate, no
confirmed cases of shriveled venison have been found. But Johnny Pop popcorn, durum wheat
spaghetti, and peanuts are a few of the food items John Deere made more recently.
If all this talk about the kitchen hasn’t made you hunt up a
leftover ham sandwich yet, by all means, go now! In fact, why don’t you scramble a
few green eggs to go with it?!
For more information, click here.
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This tin waxed paper dispenser sports a unique version of the logo and
a 2-digit phone number. It comes from an Orange City, Iowa dealership, which is very near
where The Green Girl grew up. The ice cream scoop with wooden handle is from John Deere
Malleable Works. It comes with a catchy slogan, "Do you dig safety?" Photo ©
1999 Nick Cedar |
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In the 1940s and 1950s, John Deere
dealers emblazoned their namesake, phone number, and slogan on a myriad of kitchen
gadgets, including the string holder, scotch tape dispenser, and broom holder shown here.
These pearl-white plastic pieces sport catchy phrases like "String Along With
Us" and "Hang on to Good Service." Photo © 1999 Nick Cedar
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Bottoms up! There’s no
shortage of cups, glasses, steins, and coffee mugs displaying John Deere logos, dealer
names, and phone numbers. This assortment shows the variety of designs and styles over the
years. The paper coffee cups were often used at John Deere Day events. Use the logos to
calculate the approximate age of these beverage holders. Photo © 1999 Michelle
Schueder |
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Another common promotional item is the display plate, although these
are believed to be actual dining dishes. The top plate shows the "John Deere Plow Co.
of Kansas City" with the four-legged deer leaping over the six-state territory of the
Kansas City branch. The bottom plate is another branch-specific version from the Deere
& Webber Company, the Minneapolis branch office. The Quality Farm Equipment logo
shoots stars to key locations within the states of Deere & Webber territory. Rumored
to have been used in the cafeteria/dining hall of the branch office or warehouse, the
bottom plate actually has cutlery marks on its face. Photo ©Ý1999 Nick Cedar |
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Given out when most sewing was done by hand not by machine, promotional
needle cases date back to the early 1900s. Note the stone at the end of the casing. The
red one says "Velie Wrought Iron Vehicles" on one side and "John Deere
Plows. The World’s Standard" on the other. The white case uses blue lettering to
say "John Deere Plow Co. Kansas City. Denver." on one side and "Quality is
Remembered When Price is Forgotten" on the back. The white case actually contains a
bullet pencil instead of needles. It’s unclear whether it was originally a needle
case or if the red one was originally a bullet pencil case. As one collector commented,
"It’s pretty fancy for a bullet pencil!" Photo ©Ý1999 Nick Cedar |
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This grouping of kitchenware pieces from the 1950s and 1960s represents
the diversity of products chosen by dealers. The sugar and creamer set (upper left) hails
from "LaMoure Auto & Impl’t," where you can talk to "Oscar &
Jon" about "John Deere and Chevrolet" products. The letter holder (upper
right) is compliments of Frisby Implement Co., Your John Deere Dealer" of
"Primghar, Iowa." They boast "We Trade for Anything" and can be
reached by phoning "PL7-4815." The large serving tray is imprinted by
"Meyer Implement. Phone 482. Montevideo, Minn." with the Quality Farm Equipment
logo. On the tray, a bottle opener, toothpick holder, and toothpick dispenser also promote
local John Deere dealerships. Photo © 1999 Michelle Schueder |
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Salt and pepper shakers were popular promotional items in the 1950s.
This grouping shows the variety of designs and slogans from dealers across the country.
The shaker on the far left is a dual-design with a four-legged deer logo from Dudley
Implement of Laurens, Iowa. A line from the Bible, "Ye are the salt of the
Earth," serves as the marketing phrase. The green plastic one (second from left) says
"Seasoning’s Greetings" from Orange City Implement of Orange City, Iowa. At
a recent auction, one similar to this brought $80 by itself. The yellow one in the back
middle is also from Orange City Implement and uses the Bible phrase from Matthew 5:13. The
other dual-design shaker encourages customers to "Get a fair shake at Cherokee
Implement Co., Your Friendly John Deere and Studebaker Dealer" in Cherokee, Iowa. The
two single shakers in the center are probably fake despite the Quality Farm Equipment
decal. The set on the far right with the stand and toothpick holder comes from
"Farmers Implement Store" of "Bloomington, Ill." who asks customers to
"’Pick’ John Deere for ‘Peppier’ Farming & ‘Salt’
Away the Savings." Photo © 1999 Michelle Schueder
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© 2000 Brenda Kruse. Photos by Brenda Kruse unless otherwise noted. |