The Retro Blog

Sometimes writing a classic that’s required reading in thousands of schools just isn’t enough to pay the bills. Here’s science fiction author Ray Bradbury acting as Big Brother to a bunch of folks in the future. At least the ad is funny.

[via neatorama]

 
If I remember correctly, the recipe for Kool-Aid is one packet Kool-Aid, one quart water, and 27 cups of sugar. That’s why it makes me happy to know that in the 50’s it was considered “pure and good” for kids by Parents Magazine. As a child of the 80’s, though, the most striking thing about [...]

Recently the Muppets have been making entertaining videos for youtube. (Warning: clicking on the first link will result in several hours of the phrase ‘bork bork bork bork’ circulating through your head). They’re so much fun, you might want a Muppet of your own. That’s what Ideal Toys figured way back in the 60’s. Here’s [...]

This Jello commercial seems to be more of an endorsement of spoons than the jiggly dessert, but it just goes to show you that 60’s ad execs thought you could sell just about everything through the wonders of racial stereotypes.

This is the first time I’ve heard the phrase “laxative tantrum,” which doesn’t sound pleasant.

[via boing boing]

After watching Eisenhower’s joyous we like Ike Disney ad, this offering from Kennedy is a touch disappointing. It’s not so much animation as it is a series of pictures strung together by an overworked editor.

Like the Ike ad, though, it takes the view that the best way to get the voter to punch the right [...]

Dwight Eisenhower was the first president to embrace the televised political advertisement. Says the Sociological Images Blog, “Eisenhower was skeptical about using television and his opponent, Stevenson, wouldn’
t appear on television because he thought it demeaning to a man ascending to the presidency. Eisenhower won.” Of course, we know that Stevenson learned his lesson, producing [...]

 
[via vintage ads]

If you’re like me you love old industrial films. The actors are goofy and overreact to every little situation in a generally hilarious way. I can see how it might get a little old making these things. Apparently to entertain themselves the filmmakers occasionally had a little fun with the whole idea of industrial films. [...]

Do you find yourself walking through the front door of your home only to immediately begin screaming at your wife? Do you find yourself wanting to beat the crap out of those kids playing near your front yard? Anacin has the answer:

Too bad Anacin is really just aspirin with some caffeine mixed in, but hey, [...]

I’m a renter and am thus not allowed to have any pets. The boyfriend and I have decided, though, that if we could have a pet we’d want a basset hound. We think these lazy, short dogs would suit us perfectly. But since we can’t have one, what’s the next best thing? Ideal toys has [...]

 
[via silera in vintage ads]

Even the most die hard of modern cigarette smokers knows that there are certain times when you simply shouldn’t light up. People in the 1950’s, however, were unaware of this, and these commercials prove it.
1. When you’re waterskiing:

2. When you’re a doctor:

3. When you’re in need of a “cold shower”:

4. When you’re under hypnosis:

5. When [...]

We’ve all seen tire commercials that advertise the tires’ ability to keep vehicle occupants safe. It seems that in the 60’s and early 70’s, this marketing was directed entirely toward women. After all, women are horrible drivers. You might think you don’t need a nice set of Goodyear tires, but as this sexist ad attests, [...]

The game where “you make strategic offensive and defensive moves, and then try to bust your opponent’s balls.” I especially like the lazy, drawn out narration. Something makes me think this one didn’t quite make it to production.

“You’re a ball buster!”

Flickr user Pink Ponk posted an excellent collection of vintage 1950’s-1970’s advertisements. [via laughing squid]

Here’s a great flickr gallery of scans of kodachrome slides of 50’s and 60’s travel posters.

Did you know Salvador Dali was a total sell out? Watch him shill for Alka-Seltzer. I really can’t explain the odd choice of the actor providing Dali’s voice. Spanish=Mexican=Speedy Gonzalez? Check out Laughing Squid for more, including Dali’s quite amusing appearance on What’s My Line in which he insists on answering ‘yes’ to almost [...]

What’s with little girls and hair? They love it. There seems to be something very soothing to children about dragging a brush through lengthy tresses. Luckily there’s always a marketing guy willing to cash in on little girls’ weird obsessions. Ideal toys stepped up to the plate with Crissy, a doll whose hair shrinks with [...]

Space Patrol is a prime example of what fun can be had with plastic rayguns and miniatures. The series aired nationwide from 1950-1955. The whole thing was performed live, which makes the “special effects” all the more thrilling. The show followed the adventures of Commander Buzz Corry through space in the 30th century. Strangely, a [...]

Making a “fluffer nutter” sounds a little dirty to me, but if you want to give it a try, here are some simple instructions given by an adorable bouncing head and a disembodied hand.

I am alternately intrigued and horrified by the concept of a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich. I’d probably try it.

If you were one of those people who were offended by Speedy Gonzalez, you might want to think again before indulging in everybody’s favorite deep-fried corn chip. From 1967 to 1971, the official cartoon mascot for Fritos was The Frito Bandito. Picture Speedy Gonzalez but subtract the running fast part and add a penchant for [...]

There’s a new site called Vintagraph that has an excellent collection of retro PSA’s, military posters, illustrations, travel posters, and more. The site gives you information about how and why the poster was produced (a rarity these days) and makes them available to purchase as fine art prints on museum quality paper for quite reasonable [...]

I’ve always adored animated commercials from the 50’s and 60’s. Their abstract backgrounds and jazzy soundtracks combined with fun, simple, line art characters that follow the music perfectly make me swoon. It seems to be the opposite of what we think of when we hear “Japanese animation,” but these Suntory Whiskey commercials show that the [...]

 
Why take diet pills when you can enjoy Ayds? Ayds comes in a variety of flavors like chocolate, chocolate mint, butterscotch, caramel, and peanut butter. Ayds sounds delicious. Watch a 1970’s commercial for this unfortunately named product below:

Ayds first appeared in 1944, but the company sold off the rights to the name in 1981. Hmmm, [...]

Here’s a retro ad.

Yeah, I didn’t know that about Lysol either. Here’s a few more ads. If you have some twisted desire to learn more on this subject, the wikipedia entry is actually quite informative. Ummm, yeah…

I always prefer old ads to new, but what about old ads featuring the new? Worth 1000 recently hosted a contest in which entrants photoshopped new products into retro ads, and the results are a lot of fun.

Like a lot of great inventions, Silly Putty was a complete accident. Researchers were attempting to invent a new rubber substitute because of a shortage during World War II. Instead they found a fun way to squash and stretch images from the funny pages. Marketed as a toy since 1950, Silly Putty is still adored [...]

Cracked.com has a very amusing new article up that counts down the 7 most terrifying corporate mascots of all time. Shudder in horror at these creepy commercials of the past.

This might be a follow up response to the 1943 guide to hiring women I just posted.

[image: sombersigh]

Mid century military posters seem to have two common themes: loose women and loose talk. Here’s a gallery of World War II posters about the latter. Uncle Sam and some big bold text advise soldiers to keep their damn mouths shut. For some reason the U.S. government seemed to strongly associate floating hands with staying [...]

You can always count on 1950’s housewives in advertisements to get excited about almost anything. This is especially evident in this flickr pool called “I Love My Electric Appliance!!” These broads go into a tizzy because they have ten color options for their refrigerator door handle. If you were able to quantify the amount of [...]

&Check out this sweet commercial for Pie Face, a game whose title describes it all. Yes, this is a game where you steal whipped cream from the fridge, apply it to a sponge, and wait for a machine to smash it into your face.
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To me, Pleo looks like a sad modern attempt to make [...]

So Super Tuesday’s over and you might get a short break from all the annoying political commercials, but here’s one last ad for your enjoyment. It might just trick you into thinking there was a time when politics were a little less malicious and a little more delicious. (This catchy number puts me in a [...]

I’ve been keeping an eye on these electric bikes from Schwinn for a while. The battery gives you an extra push when you get tired. I think I’d be inclined to ride a bike more often if I weren’t so intimidated by San Francisco’s landscape. It’s certainly not the worst looking bike, and it [...]

Eatliver.com has an excellent collection of disturbing ads from the past. If you’ve ever wanted to see Ronald Reagan hawking cigarettes, this is the place for you. There’s also a great variety of ads for questionable medical practices, VD prevention, and, of course, creepy kids.

Plan 59 is perhaps the best source for vintage ads. Their vast collection of gorgeous scans can’t be beat. I’m especially fond of their demonic tots and deeply disturbing cuisine section, full of creepy kids who are pushed to the limits of excitement over baked ham and cans of pork and beans.