DeMet’s Inc., est. 1898

Museum Artifact: Turtles Candy Tin, c. 1960s

Made By: DeMet’s, Inc., 177 N. Franklin St., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Vee-Jay Records, est. 1953

Museum Artifact: “Introducing The Beatles” Vinyl LP, 1964

Made By: Vee-Jay Records, Inc., 1449 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL

To a serious record collector, the copy of Introducing… The Beatles in our museum collection probably wouldn’t appear all that special. It is, after all, a non-mint example of the second and considerably more common version of the album,

Filbert’s Root Beer & Bottling Co., est. 1926

Museum Artifact: Filbert’s Old Time Root Beer Bottles, c. 1965-1975

Made By: Filbert’s Root Beer & Bottling Co., 3033 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Maher Printing Co. – DownBeat, est. 1936

Museum Artifact: 8 Issues of DownBeat Magazine, 1964-1968

Made By: Maher Printing Co. / Maher Publications, 205 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Replogle Globes, Inc., est. 1930

Museum Artifact: Replogle 12″ Relief Globe, 1964

Made By: Replogle Globes, Inc., 1901 N. Narragansett Avenue, Chicago, IL

Replogle, appropriately enough, is one of Chicago’s best-traveled brand names. If you look for the trademark on any random spinning globe you encounter (it’s usually stamped a little west of the Galapagos Islands), you’ll quickly get a sense of how this former mom-and-pop enterprise grew larger than any “to-scale model”

Wilbac MFG Co., est 1940s

Museum Artifact: Expando Grand Slam Baseball Cap, c. 1960s

Made By: Wilbac MFG Co., 913 W. Van Buren St., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Manufacturing & Trading Co., est. 1952

Museum Artifact: “Wonder Wand” Industrial Safety Lamp, c. 1970

Made By: Manufacturing & Trading Company “VO”, 904 N. Campbell Ave., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Sidney A. Tarrson Co., est. 1948

Museum Artifact: “Skill-Flight” Electronic Board Game, c. 1960s

Made By: Sidney A. Tarrson Compant, aka Tarco Toys, 518 S. Racine Ave., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

John O. Butler Co., est. 1923

Museum Artifact: Butler Gum Stimulator, c. 1960s

Made By: The John O. Butler Company / GUM, 540 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Orange Crush Co., est. 1911

Museum Artifact: 8-Pack of Orange Crush (with 6 Glass Bottles), c. 1965

Made By: Crush International, Inc. / Orange Crush Company, 2201 Main Street, Evanston, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Gunk Laboratories, Inc., est. 1959

Museum Artifact: Gunk S-C Degreaser Can, c. 1960s

Made By: Gunk Laboratories, Inc. / Gunk Chicago Co., 5829 W. 66th Street, Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Weber-Stephen Products Co., est. 1893

Museum Artifact: Weber Barbecue Accessories Starter Set 8801, 1970s

Made By: Weber-Stephen Products Co., 100 N. Hickory St., Arlington Heights, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Solo Cup Company, est. 1936

Museum Artifact: “Dairy Treat” Paper Cups, 1967

Made by: Solo Cup Company, 1501 E. 96th Street, Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Andes Candies, est. 1921

Museum Artifact: Andes Candies Tin, c. 1960s

Made By: Andes Candies, Inc., 4430 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Chess Producing Corp., est. 1947

Museum Artifact: Chicago Cubs “Pennant Fever” 7-inch Record, 1969

Made By: Chess Producing Corp., 320 E. 21st Street, Chicago, IL

Long before the Chicago Bears awkwardly rapped their way to a certified gold record with “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” the precedent for a singing sports team had already been set—albeit with substantially less commercial and cultural impact—by the baby bears over at Clark and Addison.

Oscar Mayer & Co., est. 1883

Museum Artifact: “Little Oscar & The Bandit” Coloring Book, 1962

Made By: Oscar Mayer & Co., Inc., 1241 N. Sedgwick St., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Johnson Publishing Co., est. 1942

Museum Artifact: Jet Magazine MLK Memorial Issue, 1968

Made By: Johnson Publishing Co. Inc., 1820 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Arnold, Schwinn & Co., est. 1895

Museum Artifact: Schwinn “Hollywood” Bicycle, c. 1970

Made By: Arnold, Schwinn & Co. / Schwinn Bicycle Company, 1718-1740 N. Kildare & 1856 N. Kostner Ave., Chicago, IL

The last Chicago-built Schwinn bicycle rolled off the assembly line in 1982, and while the brand name is still embossed on the badges of various Chinese imports, anybody who buys a new one is bound to hear the inevitable cranky lament from a passerby: “they don’t make ‘em like they used to.”

The Schwinn in our own collection is a “campus green” Hollywood model,

Art-Rite Products Co., est. 1958

Museum Artifact: Tarnishproof Tinsel Garlands, 1960s

Made By: Art-Rite Products Co., 1355 Blue Island Ave., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Slingerland Drum Company, est. 1912

Museum Artifact: Slingerland Tempo King Bass Drum Pedal, 1960s

Made By: Slingerland Drum Company, 6633 N. Milwaukee Ave

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

W. M. Welch Scientific Company, est. 1880

Museum Artifact: Bakelite Galvanometer, 1960s

Made By: W. M. Welch Scientific Co., 1515 N. Sedgwick St., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.

Chicago Specialty MFG Co., est. ~1932

Museum Artifact: 3-in-1 Closet Spud Wrench, c. 1960s

Made By: Chicago Specialty MFG Co., 2954 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL

Research is underway on this one and a full write-up will be coming soon.