The Retro Blog

This post is not for the faint of heart. A while back educational filmmakers figured out that the best way to get people’s attention was to show ‘em blood. These films take it to the extreme, showing people just what can go wrong if you don’t follow the rules.
“Signal 30″ is the most infamous of the [...]

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

[via boing boing]

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, [...]

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 [...]

 
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, [...]

Oh boy, how the people of the past loved their cigarettes. Back when smokers were celebrated rather than shunned and forced to huddle together in cold, stinky alleys behind bars, creative inventors loved to keep the nicotine flowing. Modern Mechanix posted a wonderful little roundup of such devices. Marvel at the clever methods people used [...]

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…

When going to a fair or amusement park in the first half of the twentieth century, you had many options for entertainment. You might go on the swings, or a thrilling ride on the wooden roller coaster, or maybe you would just stare at some tiny babies in glass bubbles. Modeled after similar devices used [...]

I’m sick. Thankfully, this 1948 short has some advice for me….or I could just use a tissue.

After that Pez post, I think I’ll balance the blog out with some useful information about the dangers of tooth decay. It’s doled out by frantically animated clay teeth having a hoe-down. The Retro Blog doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on the 70’s, so this video’s special. Enjoy Munchers: A Fable Tale

Oh Disney… You used to be so damn interesting. Nowadays all you hear about are the various corporate blunders and slumps at the box office. Let’s ignore all that and have a look at the good old days. Not only did Disney help our soldiers out in WWII, but they helped young ladies fight an [...]

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.