Monday, June 18, 2007

Spoolie Queen

Google "spoolies" and guess who's Number 1 on the search engine? Um, yeah, that'd be Shorty PJs. Lord, who died and made me Spoolie Queen?

My posts about the vile little rubber hair curlers here and here, plus the Spoolies mention in my blog description, have somehow launched me into the stratosphere of bad-hair-grooming-ideas fame. The Spoolies/Noxema post is far and away the most popular page on my blog.

Oh, the irony! Spoolies (and Toni home perms) were the absolute bane of my young life. Why, those curly, fried-hair days live on in countless photos and home movies so that I can never, ever forget what a total dweeb I was. Aaaargh! (But I'm totally blaming Mother for the whole thing.) While other little girls of my era sported pony-tails and braids, I looked like I'd spent all my free time with my finger in a light socket. Thanks, Toni. Thanks, Spoolies.

On the other hand, I feel kinda bad that I don't have much information to pass on. Obviously, folks are dying to know about 'em, and there's just not that much out there or people would visit Wikipedia/Spoolies instead of Shorty.

I'm seriously thinking about making up a whole history and mythology for the little critters, so that no one will be disappointed when they click on my blog for the scoop. My Spoolie wheels are turning, even as I post . . .

13 comments:

Joy Des Jardins said...

You know...I never used spoolies. In the height of my 'perfect hair days,' I used those wretched brush rollers that left permanent dents in your head. All in the name of beauty. I must have thought... the more pain I endured...the better my hair would look. What was I thinking?

Anonymous said...

I never used spoolies OR brush rollers. Heh...

You think you've got it tough being the spoolie queen? Go right now and Google snake pee (no quote marks). Wanna trade?

Chris said...

This took me back to 1957, my first job as a telephonist at the International exchange (shades of Ernestine aka Lily Tomlin) and a girl in our training group who was very attractive, with long, curly auburn hair. We all hated her!!

One morning she arrived with her head covered in what must have been a tablecloth as a normal headscarf would have been too small to hide the enormous mound of ginger frizz, the result of an unsuccessful experiment with a Toni home perm. She kept it covered up for the best part of three weeks and the rest of us were delighted!!

Oh, happy days of sack dresses and winkle-pickers.

Chris said...

PS Also, did you have Friday night as Amami night? That horrible, sticky 'wave lotion'; and did people REALLY only wash their hair and bathe once a week on Fridays, ready for the weekend?

Elsie said...

Never even heard of spoolies until you! It would be great to read your mythological take on them. Now Noxema -- who could ever forget that smell? Do they even make it any more?

Liz Hinds said...

Oh you must, Mary! I remember you having to explain to me about the spoolies and the noxema - was that why you wrote that post? I think it was.


That's a relief: I had a sudden horrid feeling that a search on dog poo would lead to me! It doesn't. Phew.

MaryB said...

Joy, I had my brush-roller-wearing days after my Spoolie days. Yes, slept on those buggers till Clairol finally gave us hot rollers. (I keep thinkin' they should get a Nobel Prize, don't you?)

Winston - you win. Snake pee.

Chris - love your story! Ah, how the mighty/beautiful have fallen! Somehow I missed Amami night, though.

Elsie - I think we should send a CARE package of Spoolies and Noxema to Liz, what'd'ya say? Liz, we'd expect a blog out of it. :-)

MaryB said...

And Chris - welcome back! Did Jo tell you I asked about you?

Liz Hinds said...

I'll await the package! Will you have to write on the outside what is in it though?!

Anonymous said...

I just sent my 10 year-old daughter off to camp, and one essential piece of kit I found for her trunk was none other than Noxema. I couldn't imagine camp without a big, cooling jar of this mentholated potion, which was one of my few camp luxuries when I was her age. --Carey

MaryB said...

Oh, Carey - I can just see Joanna with a glob of Noxema on her nose and shoulders! I thought of her as we rounded the back-end of Lookout Mountain yesterday on our way to Monteagle, realizing she was just over the way at Camp Juliette Low! Ah, those summer camp days!

Anonymous said...

I used Spoolies as a teenager and loved them. I would love to find some to purchase. Anyone know where I could buy them?

Unknown said...

YAY SPOOLIES!
You can get them online at Vermont Country Store! Happy winding!