WWII era 'Blinky Bill' birthday card

c. 1943
Overview

World War Two era birthday card featuring the Dorothy Wall character, koala 'Blinky Bill'.
The front cover is a bright blue kit bag with a cream coloured tag suspended with red, white and blue string, which reads 'Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and..." in red and black lettering.
The kit bag opens to reveal the words 'Smile!, Smile!, Smile!' also printed on a cream coloured tag suspended with string from the top.
On the opposing page, there are 4 jokes printed in black lower case lettering on a cream background. These are made to look like newspaper cuttings and are positioned on differing angles.
There are a further two sets of pages, each with 4 jokes, making five pages in total.
At the upper left of the final page is the text 'Happy Birthday' in red letters, under which is an inscription in faded black ink which reads 'To Nan from Ede, Mary, Betty & Dick with love'.
The depiction of 'Blinky Bill' appears below this on the lower right of the kit bag on the final page. He is wearing a slouch hat with a chin strap and a rising sun badge on the side, and a tunic and leggings. He appears to be marching from right to left.
A red, white and blue stripe extends vertically down the right hand side of the card, while a small section of the same stripes extend from the top on the left to the top of the kit bag.
The back cover of the card is plain with the exception of the publisher's symbol - two triangles with the top one inverted creating an hourglass image, with the letters 'J' and 'S' either side of the narrowest point.

Historical information

Blinky Bill was a character created by author and illustrator Dorothy Wall. He was a koala who resembled a small mischievous boy, but who nevertheless was true in appearance to the real animal.
Several books were written about Blinky Bill, with one of the main messages being about environmental responsibility. The title 'Blinky Bill Joins the Army' was written in 1940 and published by Angus & Robertson in 1943.
A calendar featuring Blinky Bill for the year 1944 is also held in the collection.
It is likely that this card was produced around the same time.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-119-RoW01177
Item type
Collectibles
Ephemera
Personal Effects
Material
Ink
Metal
Paper
Width
113 mm
Height or length
139 mm
Inscriptions and markings

On front cover:

"PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES IN YOUR OLD KIT BAG and"

On inside cover:

"SMILE!
SMILE!
SMILE!"

On inside back cover:

"HAPPY
BIRTHDAY"

"To Nan
from Ede
Mary, Betty
& Dick
with love"

Place made
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Year
Primary significance criteria
Artistic or aesthetic significance
Social or spiritual significance
Comparative significance criteria
Interpretive capacity
Rare or representative
Last modified
Saturday, 14 November, 2026
Completeness
100
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Recollections of War

Recollections of War

Front cover of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Front cover of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Close up of 'Blinky Bill' in uniform
Close up of 'Blinky Bill' in uniform
Inside pages 1-2 of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Inside pages 1-2 of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Inside pages 3-4 of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Inside pages 3-4 of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Inside pages 5-6 of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Inside pages 5-6 of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Back cover of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Back cover of 'Blinky Bill' birthday card
Collage of WWII era 'Blinky Bill' items
Collage of WWII era 'Blinky Bill' items

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