Reminiscing: Amazing Magical Jell-O Desserts

Okay, gentle readers, I know I promised you clowns peddling Jell-O, but I apparently confused clowns with magicians.  So, without further ado, I bring you Amazing Magical Jell-O Desserts with Marvello the Great.  Don't worry--Marvello is as creepy as any clown.

He looks like Mr. Peanut on stilts...

This cookbook has some very odd ideas for what you can do with Jell-O.  Consequently, the illustrations and photos are quite odd.  Here is an example:

What is happening here?  Why is the dog chasing that thing that looks like a firecracker or a bomb?  I hope MacGyver is around the corner...

Oh, okay, I get it now.  That thing is a "Banana Wobbler."  What the heck?

I'm sure that "Fred" is thrilled to be presented with this delicacy on his special day.  Or, I suppose that you could channel Sandra Lee and use these as place cards.  

Creeeepyyyy:

I can totally think of at least ten applications for this method, mostly for Halloween.  "Um, I accidentally sliced my pinky while I was plating dessert, but I don't think anyone will notice the blood under the whipped cream topping..."

I think that Post paid these people to feature Alpha-Bits.  I know I'm always looking for a good "Whiz" recipe...

Oh, my.  This whole book reminds me of Aunt Sandy, also known as "Puddin' Cups" for her unfortunate saggy surgically enhanced breasts and her use of pudding cups in dessert recipes.

These. Freak. Me. Out.  Although, I have to say that I'm happy to see multiple ethnic groups represented.

Leah, if I ever throw you a party, I will make all of the food different kinds of "balls."  These will be on the dessert table.  Nothing like some cereal covered in gelatin...perhaps green for Leah, though.

I have so many things to say about this:

1.  This looks like a design for a new inflatable yard decoration, no?

2.  So, Santa is wearing glasses/sunglasses while motorcycling through the sky at night?

3.  Santa's bike has acorn lights and giraffe wheel covers?

4.  Instead of exhaust, Santa's bike spews out stars.

5.  He hauls around a dish of Jell-O pudding decorated with candy corn? 

You thought you'd never see that crazy rabbit again, didn't you?  It isn't enough just to see an illustration of this creation.  You will want the recipe and the accompanying photo.  Nothing bad could happen when you give children something that is held together with toothpicks, right?  Especially when you are supposed to break them in half and then stick them, splinter side in, into the large marshmallow...

All hell breaks loose at the end of this book.  The illustrations depict some kind of crazy Jell-O themed costume party attended by Weebles.

My personal favorite is the male ice cream cone who is really getting down.  I wonder what song is playing?  I'm also pretty excited about the person with the giant donut/bundt cake hat with the circus animals stuck into the top while brown stuff drips down the sides of the hat.

Toot, toot!  All aboard the "Gelatin Express!"  What is with this book?  It goes from the Jell-O costume party to the "Gelatin Express" in the space of two pages.

My best guess is that whoever put this together in 1977, perhaps Marvello himself, was not only high on life, but also on something else.  I suppose you'd have to be if your job was to create an entire cookbook of Jell-O recipes with a "magic" theme.  I'm posting this book on paperbackswap.com and I cannot wait for a Fandra (a fan of Sandra Lee) to snap it up so that I will have enough credits to get a copy of War and Peace.