Crossword Cute Clues -- Prior to 2000

Here are the New York Times Cute Clues I liked in the years prior to 2000.  What you see below is what the answer might look like with only one or a few letters filled in, just as it might be if you were working a puzzle.

To enjoy the table below best, resist the temptation to click the answer cell till you've played with the clue for a while.  To appreciate the clues and answers from a different perspective, imagine that as the constructor you have a particular answer filled into the grid, and you need a clue for it.  If you don't understand why a particular answer makes sense, . 

When I started collecting these Cute Clues I neglected to record the date and the constructor's name.  If you know the when and the who of any of the ones above that are missing that information, please .

Update of May 18, 2001 Thanks go to BARRY HALDIMAN for supplying much of the information I was missing.  There are only just a few Unknowns left.

Update of August 22 Thanks go to Mark Diehl for filling in almost all of the remaining Unknowns.  And more thanks to him for writing not two or three or four but eight of the Cute Clues on this list so far.

Crossword Cute Clues -- Prior to 2000