Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Miss Spirit World of 1960
In our ongoing exploration of strange beauty titles, this may be the strangest one yet. To be considered for this title, a contestant had to be dead.In 1960, the editors of Psychic Observer magazine asked their readers to send in "pictures of departed beauties taken by spirit photographers." A photo of the contestant while alive was also requested. The readers of the magazine would then vote to determine the winner.
Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to track down any pictures of the Miss Spirit World contestants. Only a few issues of Psychic Observer are archived online. Nor are there back copies in a library near me.
Carlsbad Current-Argus - Feb 9, 1960
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 19, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Death, 1960s
Miss Chicken of Tomorrow
Two "Chicken of Tomorrow" contests were held. The first in 1948, and the second in 1951. Their purpose was to encourage farmers to breed meatier chickens. And they apparently succeeded. Modern Farmer magazine reports that, "Some of the champions of these competitions became the major genetics suppliers of today's poultry."Of course, at the time one couldn't hold such a major competition without simultaneously holding a beauty contest to find a young woman to be its queen. So, Nancy Magee became the first "Chicken of Tomorrow Queen" and Joan Walters was the second. Joan got quite a bit more publicity. She was paraded around the country as "Miss Chicken of Tomorrow."
For more info, check out this old documentary on YouTube about the 1948 contest.
Nancy Magee, the 1948 Chicken of Tomorrow Queen
"Miss Joan Walters of Rogers, Ark., 18-year-old brunette beauty, was crowned Chicken-of-Tomorrow Queen here last Friday night in a ceremony at the University of Arkansas field house."--The Madison County Record - Apr 12, 1951
"Miss Joan Walters of Rogers, Ark., was recently named National Chicken-of-Tomorrow Queen." Image source: Arkansas Land and Life - Spring/Summer 2004
San Bernardino County Sun - Apr 8, 1951
Orlando Evening Star - May 25, 1951
Posted By: Alex - Tue Nov 02, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Farming, 1940s, 1950s
Miss Kickback
At the end of each year, South Carolina would reward "kickbacks" of surplus state funds to the counties. In honor of this annual event, in 1962 and '63 the Columbia, SC Chamber of Commerce decided to hold a "Miss Kickback" beauty contest.The winner for 1962 was Jayne Arnold, and in 1963 Ann Warr was awarded the title.
The Columbia Record - Jan 10, 1962
The Columbia Record - Jan 9, 1963
Posted By: Alex - Mon Oct 11, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Politics, 1960s
Miss Albinism of Kenya, 2018
BBC coverage here.
I cannot find any evidence that the contest continued in subsequent years.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 10, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Human Marvels, Africa
The Arctic Venus
Helmar Leiderman was the first Miss Alaska. Not really one of of our "oddball beauty titles." Except that when she was disqualified on a technicality during the Miss America contest, she sued and was later arrested.
Article source: The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California) 01 Nov 1925, Sun Page 140
Posted By: Paul - Fri Oct 08, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Lawsuits, 1920s
The Cola Queens
So far as I can tell, these beauty queens hailed from a single year's contest in British Guiana.Read about it here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Sep 29, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Soda, Pop, Soft Drinks and other Non-Alcoholic Beverages, 1950s, South America
Mrs. America Contest of 1950
Source of first clip below: Florence Morning News (Florence, South Carolina) 21 Aug 1950, Mon Page 6
Source of main article below (also photo above): The Daily Record (Long Branch, New Jersey) 08 Sep 1950, Fri Page 7
Posted By: Paul - Mon Sep 20, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Domestic, 1950s
Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine
According to the archives of the American Turpentine Farmers Association, the first 'Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine' was crowned in 1940 at the ATFA annual convention.New Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine continued to be crowned for over half a century. I'm not sure exactly when the contest ended (I'm assuming it has because I can't find any info about recent winners), but it continued at least into the 1990s.
The Georgia Museum of Agriculture reports that it has a traveling exhibit of portraits of the Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine winners dating from 1946 to 1961. They have a brief slideshow on their Facebook page with some of these pictures (they're the color ones below). And I've added photos of a few other winners.
"Miss Gum Spirits of Turpentine Winners," Undated
source: American Turpentine Farmers Association
Miss Gum Spirits of 1946
The Columbia Record - Apr 20, 1946
Miss Gum Spirits of 1951
image source: Walter J. Brown Media Archives Blog
Miss Gum Spirits of 1956
Miss Gum Spirits of 1959
Miss Gum Spirits of 1961
Miss Gum Spirits of 1967
The Tampa Tribune - Apr 21, 1967
Miss Gum Spirits of 1976
Tallahassee Democrat - Sep 15, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Tue Sep 14, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests
Advertising Club Beauty Contest
Miss Margaret Gorman presenting the wooden loving-cup to "Miss" Alexandria, winner of the Advertising Club's "beauty" contest, held at the Raleigh yesterday. In business life pretty "Miss" Alexandria is Sylvan Oppenheimer. "Miss Congress Heights," the young "lady" with the rolling pin, is Allan De Ford. The debonair "Miss" Georgetown is Sidney Selinger and the charming young lady with the raven locks, "Miss Four-and-a-Half Street," is none other than Paul Heller] [1921 September 21]
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 09, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Humor, Parody, Advertising, 1920s
Miss Vice
In 1950, while Americans were bestowing titles such as 'Miss Potato Chip' or 'Miss Typical Teen' on young women, the French elected a 'Miss Vice'.
Chicago Tribune - July 3, 1950
The winner was 17-year-old Diane Erdos. Some details from the NY Daily News (Jun 25, 1950):
The sexy brunette showed up with a costume made of three rather small pieces of newspaper — and won hands down over eight other contestants. The selection was popular. The crowd in the smoke-filled Cave Tabou congratulated Diane so enthusiastically that she lost her clippings and was carried unadorned on the shoulders of her admirers until the cops rescued her with a voluminous cape.
NY Daily News - June 25, 1950
Miss Vice, who was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, was soon after arrested for trying to blackmail one of her father's friends, threatening to tell the police that he was trafficking cocaine and illegally exporting ball bearings to countries behind the Iron Curtain.
When arrested, she confessed, saying, "I wanted the money to travel around the country and teach Existentialism to the youth of France. I intended to reveal my body in the interests of this new religion, so the sensation would bring me big audiences of young people to hear about M. Sartre's new philosophy."
Posted By: Alex - Wed Sep 01, 2021 -
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Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Philosophy, Ethics and Morals, 1950s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |