This is the story of a birthday gift. It’s a belated gift from my cousins Michael, Melissa and Max. It was well worth waiting for!
There were two top-40 radio stations in New York through most of the 60s. WABC was the big dog. WMCA was the obvious lower cost operation. Here’s one of their most memorable jingles.
However, WMCA had one iconic feature. Multiple times every day WMCA gave away Good Guys sweatshirts.
As far as I can tell it was the world’s first use of the smiley face!
I really, really, really wanted a WMCA Good Guy sweatshirt… and now I’ve got one!
And thanks to modern technology–or e-bay–they were able to track one down?????. It looks like it’s new!
I hear ya, Geoff. “Really, really”! Leave it to Great Cousins to fulfill a lifetime wish.
I know this is 5 years late, but I was doing some researching on these sweatshirts and came across this post. While I am not certain, I have a suspicion that this is NOT an original. I DO happen to have an original that I myself got from WMCA back in I believe it was 1965. There are slight differences in the smily face, specifically the hair outline, and the stitching under the face on the sweatshirt is several inches lower below the face than it is on yours. Perhaps, not all the sweatshirts were done exactly the same, but just so you know mine is definitely an original and it does have these differences.
it was the summer of 1963 , went up to ‘Freedomland’ in the Bronx from Brooklyn on the subway with my Sister and a school buddy . ‘WMCA’ disk jockey’ B Mitchell Reed’ was there broadcasting from the ‘satellite’ building . He , in return for ‘something different’ , would give out a ‘WMCA’ sweatshirt . So I went to Main Street there ,in the park, and at the ‘Magic Shop’ noticed a wooden “boomerang” in the window , cost me about a ‘buck’ and got it to him . Well he loved it , announced my name on the ‘broadcast’ there⚡️⚡️and handed me the official “WMCA” Good Guy Sweatshirt” !!! . I remember wearing that thing out to its last and decent “ treads” that Summer . Man- was I proud as a kid’ from Brooklyn !!! ⚡️✌