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June 1943. New Britain, Connecticut. "A child care center opened September 15, 1942, for 30 children, ages 2 through 5, of mothers engaged in war industry. The hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., six days per week. Miss Machmer and the dietitian checking the amount of food used during the month and making a general inventory of all supplies on hand." Medium format nitrate negative by Gordon Parks for the Office of War Information. View full size.
I remember this story as a child. It involved two frightfully privileged children throwing the detested pudding out of the nursery window. I believe they eventually met their comeuppance when the junket hit one of the outdoor staff.
I'm 76 and ate lots of junket in my youth but never saw this book before. I found the artwork you mentioned to look similar to a cross between the (Rice Krispies) Snap, Crackle and Pop characters and the very old Walt Disney art. On Shorpy, we definitely do learn something new every day. Thank you for sharing.
During my 50s childhood Junket was like the Brand-X dessert in place of Jell-O. Its various flavors came packaged in small Jello-sized boxes and, once made, resulted in something that had a consistency similar to Jell-O but opaque. Sort of like plaster but wiggly. The flavor was OK but not as intense as Jello-O's. For a kid, it was better than nothing.
My father still has a copy of the Junket Flibbity Jibbit book. I think it was a Christmas promo or something. The artwork in it fascinated me as a kid:
Hurff Tomato Juice is named for the sound I make right after I drink it.
My Mom worked in Woolworths when I was a kid, the lunch counter served Junket Rennet Custard, back then the boxes had Baseball coins in them, She brought them home and I had hundreds of them, of course they're long gone now.
The large glass bottle appears to hold walnuts.
I had forgotten all about the existence of Junket Rennet powder that my mom used often to make various custards of all flavors. Haven't had any of it in over 60 yrs. either but it was a mild, soft easy-to-digest supposedly healthy dessert. My ill grandfather had been told by his doctor it was nourishing so we all had to eat it.
My favorite flavor was maple and I see on the top shelf a full gallon jar of walnut halves, a flavor very popular in New England. This picture also shows tapioca, another frequent old time dessert, and lots of canned fruits. Pudding and Jello was served much more often than it is today. Tomato juice on the other hand was served as an appetizer before a meal. I believe most day care centers today serve the kids only processed, prepared, prepackaged individual servings of everything.
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