Posted by Ed Kiser on January 30, 2008 at 16:21:00 from 205.188.116.198 user Kisered.
In Reply to: Force - a cereal to be reckoned with posted by Robert Thompson on January 30, 2008 at 13:01:38:
Product Names in Ransome's stories:
Squashy Hat's exotic Latin American matchbox is found. It is not
like the ones the Swallows use which have the Ark on the label
(i.e. Bryant and May!)
In SA Mother offers a packet of Force to save Susan cooking
porridge every day.
WH - Chapter 22 -
"There's lots of Quaker Oats in the cupboard."
Father and Uncle Jim both smoke Players' Navy Cut.
Woolworths get a good plug in WDMTGTS.
Tabacalera Filipina gets a negative plug of sorts in ML - not
their fault that one of their cigars gets dropped down a petrol
tank by a monkey!
There's the famous Cooper's Oxford Marmalade in ML.
Garibaldi squashed flies (by name in SW, as just "squashed flies"
in others).
Also found "Grape Nuts" being served for breakfast (SA, after the
war).
I've inferred that Roger's favourite chocolate was Cadbury's
Fruit & Nut, but I don't think Cadbury is ever named.
They also bought corn flakes when they were visiting the
boatbuilder in SW, since the box was part of what they burned in
sending up signals.
In PM - CH5: There were the hammocks, a three-legged stool, a
Tate & Lyle sugar case for a table,...
"Susan with pencil and paper was making a list as they dug into
the three boxes that Daddy had sent down to Pin Mill from the
Army and Navy Stores.".....
"four packets of cornflakes"....
"One tin of golden syrup"....
"Can I tear the paper off?" said Roger. "Good. Garibaldi.
That's squashed flies...."
"...a small bottle of Bovril..."
The "Handy Billy" petrol engine in WD.
From BIG SIX, chapter 3: An old Jack Tar stove was in the middle
of the floor nearly red hot, with a big black kettle singing on
the top of it.
This line is found in a description of the EELMAN's living
quarters that the D&G's go for a late night visit.
The Jack Tar was a brand of boat stove. Now extinct.
The Handy Billy was a Thorneycroft engine - still occasionally
found in vintage River Thames launches, who pride themselves on
these things. Long extinct as a sailing boat auxiliary.
GOBLIN is clearly fitted with Major Wykeham Martin's jib furling
gear, since the sail rolls up on itself, though the product is
not named. Still in production.
Incidentally GOBLIN is visibly flying the burgee of the Royal
Cruising Club - as did NANCY BLACKETT when owned by AR - he was a
member.
Dunlop, Palmer, John Bull - makes of bicycle tyres in BIG SIX.
ML - Ch3:
"What's your cook got in her box? 'Thin Captains,' we've got, and
butter, lots of pemmican, dates, chocolate..."
PP-CH26
They discover a strange match box. Obviously not one of theirs.
"I say," said Nancy. "Giminy. It isn't English at all.
What's this? 'Phosphoros de Sequranca... Marca Registrada,
Compannia Fiat Lux'...!"
In PP, Mrs. Blackett is making out the shopping list for them to
get in Rio, and she mentions Roger's chocolate: "I haven't put
down what brand of chocolate... Isn't there a special kind
that Roger likes?... Titty knows it... the kind that breaks
into squares..." It is not exactly a BRAND name, but close.
In PP, when Dick was buying a blowpipe at the chemists, the clerk
was telling an old lady with a bad cold that there
was nothing like Sims' Smelling Salts for hay fever.
How have we missed Primus stoves (site uses frames) so far?
Mentioned in SA & WH at least. There is an illustration in WH which
might allow us to identify which model Captain Flint equipped
the houseboat with. BS, CC in D&G and Teasel. GN, ML, PD also.
GN, CH3, "Nancy brought up mops and long-handled scrapers, and
two great tins of Mariner Brand, Best Quality, Gold Medal
Anti-fouling Paint out of the stores in the fo'c'sle, and lowered
them down to Titty and Dorothea, who were already in the dinghy,
hoping to be the first ashore."
(The above is from my archive collection, gathered from TarBoard posts
quite some time ago, and now repeated here, so if you think you have seen some of these items before, you probably did.)
Ed Kiser, Kentucky