Signed WAKR 1590 AM “Adam and Bob in the Morning” Coffee Mug (October 28, 1982)

I originally had not one but TWO kinda sorta ‘spooky’ movie-themed posts to finish up October/take us to Halloween, but things didn’t quite work out as planned. I simply didn’t have time to sit back and watch them and review ’em proper. Between work and clearing other things off the DVR, well, it is what it is. One of those subjects I’ll probably just put on the backburner and maybe, MAYBE get to it somewhere down the road, while the other I’ll hopefully get up in November.

Truthfully, I probably could have swung one of them, but then, earlier this week, our subject today fell into my grubby hands, and since the timing was fortuitous and I’m only going to get one 40th anniversary to celebrate it, hey, that’s what I’m going with.

Longtime readers may remember the super neato McDonald’s slash WAKR 1590 “Adam and Bob” plastic coffee mug I detailed back in November 2018 – nearly four (!) years ago as of this writing. As someone who’s always, always after local broadcasting memorabilia, not to mention old restaurant/fast food memorabilia, it was an indelible addition to my collection. The fact I’m a sucker for those old promotional plastic coffee cups/mugs (typically – but not always – made by Whirley) was just the icing on the cake.

So, we’re going back to that well today, because I got another, and it’s even cooler.

This is it, obviously. If you go back to that old post, you’ll see that it’s identical to what I’m showing now. There’s a typical McDonald’s logo on the other side, which I’m neglecting to photograph this time around because I don’t have much to say about it. (Click on the link if you really wanna see it, cause it’s the exact same deal.)

Rather, this image here is, to me, the “meat” of the mug. The Adam and Bob caricatures, the 1590 logo, all immortalized in McDonald’s-appropriate colors and decades-old Whirley plastic – it’s all awesome. Simply put, you just can’t have too many of these. Well, you can’t if you’re me.

Copy ‘n paste from last time, uh, time. Here’s what I done said: “Adam and Bob were Adam Jones and Bob Allen. Sadly, Bob Allen passed away in April, 2017. They had a long running show on the station, starting in 1978 and running until either 1991 or 1995. (I’m seeing both years listed online; can anyone confirm which is correct?)” Honestly, I had forgotten much of what I’d written in that original post, but the illuminating comment from Bob Allen’s daughter was more informative than anything I said anyway.

This is all well and good, but why exactly are we taking a trip to Adam and Bob mug-land again? Well, had you fired up them astute lil’ eagle eyes you’re always bragging about (or just bothered to read the post title), you’d already know: this mug is signed by Adam Jones and Bob Allen! Cool winnins!

Oh alright, you have a point; the signatures on the mug are obscured in the photograph above. Fine, here’s a close-up. Happy? Well sure you are!

Seriously gang, this is mega sweet. The mug itself was already a neat throwback to a bygone era in local broadcasting, but when it’s signed by the two stars of the subject, that’s not just cool; that’s immensely cool. (I am of course operating under the presumption that the autographs are legit; forgeries, uh, seem kinda unlikely.)

And what’s even more interesting is that the mug is dated: 10-28-82. Since it’s in a different ink from the signatures, I’ll surmise it was put there by the original owner to, obviously, commemorate the event. If that notation is to be trusted, then this occurred a whopping 40 years ago – today!

Unlike that other Adam and Bob mug, this one has the removable holder on the bottom still in place, though it lacks the little instruction paper inside. I guess I could take the one from the other mug and put it in this one, but that seems awfully superfluous, even for me.

So, the bottom line: I did not have a signed Adam/Bob/WAKR/McDonald’s mug prior, but I do now; it’s the local piece of memorabilia I didn’t realize I needed! And luckily, just in time for its 40th anniversary!

Vintage McDonald’s / WAKR 1590 AM “Adam and Bob in the Morning” Coffee Mug

A dude I know found this for me several weeks back. His alert came via text message, with a simple caption of “need?” Yes, need. Need now. (Or maybe the caption was “want?” Either way, my response was highly in the affirmative.) The guy knows I collect broadcasting memorabilia and promotional items, and indeed, some months back it was he that found me an old WVIZ mug that was subsequently covered here. (Would you believe he picked me up another one of those later, too? No foolin’!)

‘Course, if you have thus far callously neglected to scan the title of this post, and still refuse despite my vaguely passive-aggressive reminder right here, you may be looking at this picture and thinking to yourself “broadcasting?” True, the face you’re seeing is just the famous McDonald’s logo. But that font! Those arches! Coupled with the color scheme and design of this plastic coffee mug, the nostalgic vibes emanating forth are still enough to make me unacceptably giddy even without an added attraction. I think we pretty much all grew up with McDonald’s, and If this is as old as I’ll momentarily surmise it to be, well, I can already hear the appropriate jingles of yesteryear ringing in my head. This thing just looks like breakfast at McDonald’s! Fast food or otherwise, I generally skip the first meal of the day, but this has me wanting one of their sausage biscuit things. Or maybe some eggs, provided they served them to me in an old school styrofoam container. (Wait, the eggs did come in styrofoam at one point, didn’t they?)

Ah, but it’s the other side of the mug that not only gives this a broadcasting connection, but a local broadcasting connection to boot. Dig this: the other side is a promo for Akron’s WAKR 1590 AM, specifically their morning show of the 1970s to the 1990s, The Adam and Bob Show. Cool winnins!

No, seriously, this is really, really neato. I’m into radio memorabilia quite a bit less than I am television, but even so, this is legitimately awesome.

Adam and Bob were Adam Jones and Bob Allen. Sadly, Bob Allen passed away in April, 2017. They had a long running show on the station, starting in 1978 and running until either 1991 or 1995. (I’m seeing both years listed online; can anyone confirm which is correct?)

I really don’t think this mug hails from the extreme of the 1990s though, or even the late-1980s. Given the size and shape of it, I’m guessing early-1980s; even though the show started in 1978, I’m not sure they would have been producing mugs of this nature that early on. I mean, maybe they were, but I’m getting the notion (basically just a gut-feeling on my part) that it’s from about 1980. No later than 1984, anyway. That’s my best guess.

(I did a search for the specific WAKR logo seen here to help narrow things down even further, but nothing doing on that front.)

To top it all off, despite some (minimal) wear to the graphics and outer mug in general, I don’t think it was ever used. A little slip of paper was still inside, giving the company info as Whirley Industries of Warren, PA. (I’ve seen/got a few other mugs of similar shape by them, and each one appeared/appears to be of notable vintage.) I just can’t see someone using this, washing it, and then replacing this slip of paper afterwards each and every time. So yeah, I’m guessing it’s technically “new.”

Though, as the instructions make clear, it’s not quite complete; these Whirley travel mugs (officially deemed the “Easy Rider Travel Mug,” as per the pic here) originally came with a ‘holder’ that would be affixed via tape to a flat surface, ostensibly in that of a moving vehicle of some sort, and which would then allow the owner to slide the mug in and out for easy usage and then safe, hands-free holding.

Mine does not include said holder, so maybe the original owner intended to use this only as a “breakfast table” item? Maybe? Or perhaps it was just simply lost over the years? Oh the mysteries this mug presents!

Anyway, the last big question remaining is: how did someone go about obtaining this mug back in the day? The obvious answer is McDonald’s, but I mean how? Did you have to order breakfast and then pay a nominal fee for your collectible local mug? Could you just walk in and buy one alone? Was it included free when you ordered coffee? Oh the mysteries this mug presents!

Or perhaps it was a giveaway from The Adam and Bob Show direct? A call-in trivia prize? Something given away at personal appearances? I just don’t know, but if anyone does, please hit up the comments section and share!

However it was originally obtained, it was certainly put “out there” somehow, much to my eventual intrigue and delight. What a cool mug! It just feels like McDonald’s in that late-1970s/early-1980s era, and the local connection just makes it all the more irresistible. You could drink out of it while perusing the newspaper in the morning, or at work, or maybe even on the drive to work (perhaps all while listening The Adam and Bob Show, even!).

For this lifelong Akronite, that all makes it an indelible addition to the collection.