{"product_id":"punch-judy-ice-cream-parlors-los-angeles-1949","title":"Punch \u0026 Judy Ice Cream Parlors. Los Angeles 1949","description":"\u003cp\u003ePunch \u0026amp; Judy ice cream parlours and their “sensational ice cream productions” were the brainchild of entrepreneur Arthur Whizin, one of Los Angeles’s most influential restaurateurs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhizin opened his first restaurant- a café called T\u0026amp;T – on Pico Boulevard in 1927.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThree years later, folklore has it that he was sitting at the counter of a burger bar, trying to figure out what kind of restaurant he wanted to open next, when a friend slid over his chili bowl and said ‘do something with that.’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the time, coinciding with the rise of automobile use, eateries were built in the shape of kettles, hats and tamales to catch the eye of passing motorists.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhizin recalled that he sketched out the design of a chili bowl-shaped building on the corduroy pants he was wearing, and his concept was born.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe opened his first Chili Bowl restaurant on Crenshaw Boulevard, with $1200 funding raised by selling items such as his wife Shirley’s wedding ring and his roadster. Because Whizin had no car, the couple moved into a home nearby.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithin a decade, Whizin had nearly two dozen circular, bowl-shaped eateries, which became iconic examples of California’s offbeat roadside architecture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA man with a sense of humor, one of Whizin’s marketing slogans for Chili Bowls was: \"We cook our beans backwards--you only get the hiccups!\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter WWII, Whizin changed tack and many of the restaurants were converted into Punch N Judy ice cream parlours.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhizin’s astute marketing prowess can be seen in this colorful menu from 1949 featuring the Punch and Judy puppets. The interior menu is also a great example of vintage menu art with clever illustrations and captioning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the featured ice creams was a “Moron’s Ecstasy” with 8 flavors of ice cream and 8 toppings – all for the princely sum of $1. The joke was that you were a moron if you were able to finish it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhizin went on to open a shopping mall in Agoura Hills which still bears his name. He died in 1994. A few examples of Chili Bowl architecture remain in LA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCourtesy Private Collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGallery quality Giclée print on natural white, matte, 100% cotton rag, acid and lignin free archival paper using Epson K3 archival inks. Custom printed with border for matting and framing.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eAll printed in USA.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003eEach print is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu or cover.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Love Menu Art","offers":[{"title":"8.5x11\" Archival Print (Unframed) $25.00","offer_id":57492198457510,"sku":"mrb1790053896398","price":19.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"11x14 Archival Print (Unframed) $30.00","offer_id":57492198490278,"sku":"rcs1790053896399","price":22.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"13x19 Archival Print (Unframed) $40.00","offer_id":57492198523046,"sku":"bgo1790053896400","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"16x20 Archival Print (Unframed) $55.00","offer_id":57492198555814,"sku":"nfo1790053896401","price":33.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x24 Archival Print (Unframed) $85.00","offer_id":57492198588582,"sku":"hnz1790053896402","price":53.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"24x36 Archival Print (Unframed) $135.00","offer_id":57492198621350,"sku":"mnt1790053896403","price":85.05,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/9133\/8662\/files\/punch-judy-ice-cream-parlors-los-angeles-1949_1.webp?v=1790053900","url":"https:\/\/coffeetamper.shop\/products\/punch-judy-ice-cream-parlors-los-angeles-1949","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}