POP CULTURE
For all the talent that emerges from this, the creative capital of the world, The Museum believes there is one underlying trait most responsible for turning our community into the epicenter of the American culture we dub “pop”. It’s that the San Fernando Valley has never taken itself too seriously. The fine arts abound on stage, in our galleries and our world-class this and that, but it’s the sense of fun, the whimsical ideas, and often a disregard for decorum, that have given birth to one iconic trend after another. Pop culture reaches into, and pops out of, corners you never expect. It has started on the street, in the mall, in the media and the studios…all right in your own backyard.Arguably the most recognized “personage” in the entire world, Mickey Mouse, has roots right here at the renowned Disney Studios in Burbank. The cowboy actors—who really were real cowboys on the Valley’s ranchos--rode right into the sunrise of the Westerns. Woody Woodpecker pecked at the doors of Universal Studios in Universal City as Hanna Barbara Studios ramped up their cartoon culture and the Valley’s DC Comics gave rise to the original superhero, Superman himself. Icons all, and all Valley exports to the world stage.
Pop culture is heard, tasted, breathed and felt, shaking up the status quo like one of our earthquakes. Murals appear on outdoor surfaces seemingly overnight, done in paint and even mosaic tile. (The world’s largest public art mural is right here in the Tujunga Wash, behind Valley College. The Great Wall of Los Angeles created in the 1960’s and now newly restored, is a blocks-long depiction of the controversial history of Los Angeles—a pop cultural mural of pop culture, in a sense.)
The double decker hamburger from Bob's Big Boy—you had it here first. Valley folk were also the first to choose from an unprecedented 31 Flavors of their ice cream from none other than Baskin-Robbins.
"We sell fun, not just ice cream."
— Irv Robbins, co-founder.
When something big comes onto the scene, you’re first to know about it, for the iconic signage gets shouted from the rooftops of the often exceptional pop architecture. Circus Liquor, Beer Barrel, Cupid’s Hot Dogs—they’re renowned for more than their food and beverages. Pop culture has a way of mixing things up when you least expect it. Fusion is the new pop culture. Hot dogs as kebobs. Burritos gone kosher. The Valley has also been known to tweak the language to make it its own, then export it to the rest of the country. Valley Speak, first uttered by local teens at the mall, caught the ear of Americans in the 1980’s. Spanglish is the chatter of the day, with new vocabulary flowing off multi-lingual tongues on a daily basis. Though many prefer to turn a blind eye, the adult film industry has produced its own iconic contributions to the Valley pop scene.Perhaps because the resources and industries are all here, the Valley influence, for better or worse, is disproportionate. What starts as a fad in the Valley often finds its way into dialogue, music lyrics and TV and film scripts, spreading the ideas and concepts with the speed of sound and new technologies. Now, with all the new media, The Museum sees no bounds. Already, the video gaming industry pouring out of the Valley surpasses the movies in revenue. Who will document, preserve and present the histories of pop culture as it evolves at this incredible pace?
The Museum of the San Fernando Valley welcomes the job, and looks to Valley residents for help in preservation efforts along with donations of memorabilia and artifacts of all of these noted pop culture elements that make the Valley a great place to live, laugh, love and work.
For more information about The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, please contact Gerald Fecht, President, at (818) 347-9665 PST or gerald.fecht@TheMuseumSFV.org.
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