20060113

Will it sell naming rights?


There are odder museums around the country. A few that come immediately to mind are the Jello-O Museum, the New York State Museum of Cheese, and even two Banana Museum locations, one in California and one in Washington.

In 2007, for those who plan vacation trips well in advance, you'll be able to drop in on the Advertising Icon Museum, currently under construction in Kansas City, MO.

It will feature 900 advertising icons in the forms of toys, dolls, signs, cups, figurines and any other mediuam you can think of. Not at all surprising, given the tremendous role advertising plays in our everyday lives.

The project, created by Robert Bernstein, will be located on the west side of the historic Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. The icons will range from a 1939 Heinz Aristocrat Tomato, complete with top hat and monocle, to a 7-foot tall Jolly Green Giant. Visitors will be able to view TV and print advertisements in which the icons first appeared and see the evolution of certain icons over time. Exhibits will also demonstrate how these icons mirror the social and cultural values of the eras that they represent.

Reason No. 286 we're a fat nation


If you're a globetrotting glutton, New York City may still be the place to go.

A few years ago, the race was on to create the most expensive burger in Manhattan. Now, it's time for dessert.

FAO Sweetz, the upscale ice cream parlor inside the legendary FAO Schwartz toy store on Fifth Avenue, is serving up "The Volcano." It's one scoop each of 12 different ice cream flavors inside a Belgian chocolate mountain, topped with cherries, whipped cream, chocolate rocks and seven different toppings. The price: $100.

It takes two waiters to deliver the treat, and customers are given tools to crack open the chocolate shell.

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