From the Sept. 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics.  Enjoy!

Did you own any action figures when you were a kid?
Superman?  Jedis?  X-Men?

I didn’t, probably because I never read any comic books until my brothers came along.  What we did have though, were real people action figures.

I’m not even kidding.  There’s a company out there called Accoutrements that makes action figures out of historical characters.

There’s Marie Antoinette with a detachable head, Houdini wrapped up in a straight jacket, Van Gogh with a bandage over his ear, and many more –>

I myself am the proud owner of both a Jane Austen and a DaVinci figurine, and they sit on my bookshelf, keeping each other company whilst I am away, or so I like to think…

But, for the purposes of this blog, I would like to introduce you to the action figure of none other than Rosie the Riveter.  That’s right — our very own pseudo-mascot, doll-size — the perfect desk-top inspiration!

She comes with her very own spring-action rivet gun and a lunchbox, just like in the original Norman Rockwell painting.  Plus, she’s posable!

Original Caption: Line Up of Some of Women Welders Including The Women’s Welding Champion of Ingalls [Shipbuilding Corp., Pascagoula, Ms]., 1943

U.S. National Archives’ Local Identifier: 86-WWT-85-35

Photographer: Beebe, Spencer

Subjects:
World War, 1939-1945
Labor
Women

Persistent URL: http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/ExternalIdSearch?id=522890

Just caught this article over on the NY Times about a Rosie.   The thing that shocked me, its been 60 years!  Not that I was alive then, but I guess because Rosie the Riveter, the icon, is still so prevalent, it seems it can’t have been 60 years ago!  And let me just put a call out to all who know a Rosie the Riveter maybe now is a good time to do an interview, document their story before its too late….

60 Years Later, ‘Rosies’ Have Their Day

By ASHLEY SOUTHALL

Nearly 60 years later, Garnet Kozielec still marvels at the journey that took her from a job wrapping porcelain dishes to doing so-called “man’s work” making bombers and fighter jets and from her home in West Virginia to Michigan and then California.

CONTINUE READING AT THE NY TIMES –>

AND if you need help conducting an interview, check out the StoryCorps National Day of Listening Campaign (its set for November 27, the day after Thanksgiving when all your relatives will be gathered together– what better opportunity). On the site you’ll find a Do-It-Yourself guide and even a question generator…

Opal Moore is a living legend.  One of our country’s original “Rosies”, she helped make flares as a welder during World War II.

‘Rosie the Riveter’
Moore reminisces about working in factories during war time

POSTED: September 6, 2009
By BRETT DUNLAP

PARKERSBURG – During World War II, Opal Moore was one of many women who entered the work force to do many of the jobs essential to America’s war effort.

Photo by Brett Dunlap

The Parkersburg resident reminisced about her time as one of many women nationwide nicknamed “Rosie the Riveter” for the work they did in factories on the home front.

A number of groups have been working to collect the stories of these women to preserve the memory of what they have done.

“Thanks! Plain and Simple” is a veterans group in West Virginia that has been working to collect the stories of “Rosies” from around the state.

Moore, 87, worked as a welder helping to make flares for the U.S. Navy at the Ames shovel plant in Parkersburg in the 1940s. Having been born in Wirt County, Moore, the former Opal Wright, came to Parkersburg to find work.

CONTINUE READING ONLINE ->

I happily stumbled across this article at the Pop History Dig.  I say “happily” because I have never article more succint, more informative, or more delightful than the one which I am about to relate to you all.

It is, as was suggested by the title, ALL about Rosie the Riveter – the paintings, the posters, the song (did you know there was a song?), the campaigns for women workers, and loads of interesting little tidbits along the way.

For instance, did you know that Marilyn Monroe was once a real-life Rosie?  Well, she was, but you’ll have to read on to find out all about this, and loads more!

“Rosie The Riveter”
1941-1945

“Rosie the Riveter” is the name of a fictional character  who came to symbolize the millions of real women who  filled America’s factories, munitions plants, and shipyards during World War II.  In later years, Rosie also became an iconic American image in the fight to broaden women’s civil rights.

After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and the full involvement of the U.S. in World War II, the male work force was depleted to fill the ranks of the U.S. military.  This came precisely at a time when America’s need for factory output and munitions soared.  The U.S. government, with the help of advertising agencies such as J. Walter Thompson, mounted extensive campaigns to encourage women to join the work force.  Magazines and posters played a key role in the effort to recruit women for the wartime workforce.

CONTINUE READING ONLINE –>

“Women are trained to do precise and vital engine installation at the Douglas Aircraft Company plants, Long Beach, CA, October 1942.”

Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress

My first thought when I stumbled upon the following website was: “PINK!!”  Just like that – all caps.

I had just found the homepage of Charm and Hammer, a website dedicated to “safety gear for the hard working woman™.  It has everything you could ever want or need in a work environment.

Safety goggles?  Check.

Welding gloves?  Check.

Hot pink toolbelt?  Definitely check!

I swear that if you counted, at least 75% percent of the products on that website are pink!  And they aren’t ashamed of it!

They also feature products from two different companies, of which I am also a fan:

Rosie’s Workwear for Women and

Tomboy Tools.

The former makes lovely overalls and coveralls AND the t-shirt to the left (which I was very tempted to order — after all, we here at Carmen Electrode can never get enough of Rosie!)  The latter — well, where else would you go to find pink power tools?!?

You guys (er, girls) have to check these sites out – your work wardrobe may never be the same again!

However, if pink is not your thing (like maybe you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb on the work site),  check out the

AngelFire™ Gear at Arc-Zone.com –>

We carry this state of the art line of welding gear for women, inlcuding the Firefly™ TIG gloves, made especially for women, all in a nice chocolate brown.

This video about the history of Rosie the Riveter features video clips of real Rosies at their posts during WWII.

Enjoy!

Rosie’s Girls is an all-girls camp for 6th to 8th graders in Vermont (and California, South Carolina, and Ohio) that primarily teaches them skills in trades like carpentry, welding, electrical wiring, auto repair, and fire fighting!  The rest of their time is spent making their own artwork and testing their strength in activites like rock climbing and self defense.

To hear more about this experience in the girls’ own words, you can read The Riveter Blog, written by the girls participating at the California camp.