Monthly Archives August 2009

Billy Jo Jive, self-described super crimefighting ace, was a prepubescent Black detective in animated segments on Sesame Street in the late 1970s and early 80s. Along with his sidekick, Smart Susie Sunset, Billy Jo would solve crimes in his neighborhood.

As The Museum of UnCut Funk searches for items that are unique, different and funky, we continue to add items to our Black coin collection. Items that feature Blacks like our Slave Tokens are not only historically important but key acquisitions in our Black coin collection.

 
Wacky Packages are a series of trading cards featuring parodies of North American consumer products. The cards were produced by the Topps Company beginning in 1967, usually in a sticker format.

 
For a short time in the early 1970′s, Crazy magazine, a competitor of Mad and Cracked magazines was published by Marvel Comics. In 1973, Crazy released a parody of Shaft, called Shafted. During this period Crazy magazine payed tribute to many Black celebrities in the area of film, music and television.

Naomi Sims: Entrepreneur; Writer; Fashion Model

Naomi Sims, one of the top Black businesswomen in the United States, began her career as the first Black supermodel.

Good grief! Franklin’s 44!!!

I am Curious (Black) is the first Superman’s Girlfriend story. Lois Lane is sent to get a story in Metropolis’s “Little Africa” but is unable to get anyone to talk to her. Little children run away from her and adults shut doors in her face. One old lady will talk to her, but only because she is blind and doesn’t realize Lois is white. She draws the particular ire of a fiery orator who uses her as an example of the enemy “whitey.”

 
Return Of The Super Pimps issues 1-6 are written by Richard A. Hamilton, drawn by Ulises Carpintero and Rich Bonilla, colored and lettered by various talents, and published by Dial “C” For Comics, Richard’s company.

DASHIKI from Yoruba

This word originated in Nigeria. In Nigeria, it was worn for comfort in the hot climate. In America, it was worn to send a message. That was the situation when the dashiki, and the Yoruba name for it, were imported into the English language in America in the late 1960s.

Frankie Crocker, the New York radio personality imbued the R&B format with a wide-reaching musical palette that includes music from just about every genre. Born in Buffalo, NY, Crocker began his radio career at Williamsville, NY, station WUFO, while studying Pre law. His other stints include other N.Y. radio stations WWRL and Top 40 station WMCA. Becoming a program director at WBLS-FM and WLIB-AM in the early 1970s, Crocker began to shape an innovative and influential radio format that would become known as progressive R&B while garnering the top spot in the ratings. His timing was perfect as a new kind of R&B station was beginning to spring up on the FM dial around the country.