#127 Slip & Slide
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Amperbr& series
Slip & Slide
AmperArt #127, Slip & Slide, is the latest in the series of Amperbr& posters. This collection is dear to my logo-lovin’ heart, as I enjoy nothing more than designing corporate identity, specifically the logomark & logotype. The concept for each Amperbr& design is to feature the brand name’s and, ‘n, or & set as an ampersand in the primary style used for the logo’s text. The actual logo used as a model for Slip & Slide looks like this:
Usually I use the retro version of the package or logo, but the original Slip & Slide box (below) didn’t have a very pretty log0 — kinda ugly, in fact — so I opted for a later, still retro-ish, version, above.
The latest version looks like this:
The colors of the new logo are certainly appealing, but I don’t think the typestyle exudes the playfulness of sliding & slipping on a runway of water, and is quite dated. Maybe Wham‑o wants to retain the decades-old innocence of the wonderful, simple toy; I’m all for that. However, I feel the product name “Slip ‘n Slide” could be rendered with a more exhuberant & contemporary lettering style and still retain the identity factor.
Check out the Slip ‘N Slide® Surf Rider® Double!
Good old-fashioned summer toys, still fun today
Along with Slip & Slide, there were Frisbees (also made by Wham‑o) and squirt guns (now mega water cannons) as summertime toys in the 50s and 60s. Fortunately all of these are still popular, along with roller skates (no metal key required) & boogie boards.
So dangerous this toy was banned — but we sure had fun
Some of these old toys could be dangerous, especially since us kids weren’t required to wear full-on body armor like helmets and knee pads back then, but there was one in particular that guaranteed blood: the beloved Flexy Racer, made by a sled manufacturer who added wheels. You rode this thing on your stomach, just a few inches from the ground. Your hands wrapped around the brake handles (which just rubbed against the skinny tires, and didn’t ever stop the thing in time). The handles also were part of a steering mechanism, but all we ever did was tilt our body left or right to make a turn. The speeds got up there on the steep streets where I lived and this was more fun than a roller coaster. This short vid gives you an idea how dangerous and fun that Flexy was:
If you like old industrial films, this is the Flexy Flyer company that made the Flexy Racer, c. 1955. Notice how many steps they used to assemble one sled — especially tightening each bolt individually at 3:00, which could be done in a few seconds by a robot today.
Have fun this summer! And wear those helmets and knee pads, you wusses.
Production notes for #127 Slip & Slide:
Original size: 20x30 inches
Program: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop
Ampersand: Tempo
Credits:
Logos & SurfRider Double photo: Wham‑o
Vintage box: Soul 2 Spill
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To download a full-size high-resolution 11x17-inch poster, click on the image.
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