New exhibit looks at early merchandising of Elvis Presley

The exhibit from the EP Blvd Pawn Shop also features Tupelo related Elvis items

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A new exhibit at the Tupelo Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum chronicles the early merchandising of the King of Rock n’ Roll.

The exhibit is called “Mr. Presley, are you ready to fly?” based on the line in the Elvis movie from Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.

Items in the exhibit are original from 1956 and include an Elvis doll, a board game, record players, a hat, and other rare items such as a ticket stub to the 1955 fairgrounds concert when Elvis was second on the bill.

All items are from the personal collection of Jon Daly, owner of the EP Boulevard Pawn Shop.

“It is basically a recap of Elvis’ life and times here with Tupelo, there’s a lot of artifacts that pertain to 1956 and the explosion of the merchandising part through Hank Samperstein and Colonel Parker, so there’s a lot of artifacts people saw in the movie and not thought they were real but the real ones are actually here,” said Daly.

“In the early days before this youth center was built, you could donate money and you got a little certificate that looked like a stock certificate and the membership card. I had never seen that before, that’s our history, the birthplace history, so that was probably the thing I got most excited about,” said Roy Turner, executive director of the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum.

The exhibit is on loan to the birthplace for two years. The Tupelo Elvis Fest begins Wednesday evening and runs through Sunday. For a list of activities, go to tupeloelvisfestival.com

For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter