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75 Wild Products Advertised In Old Magazines That We Couldn’t Imagine Buying Today
People tend to be nostalgic for things of the past. We remember stuff like Game Boys, New Coke, and video store rentals with a certain fondness, even if they weren’t that good. But the 20th century really was a different time, as people thought that smoking was good for your health, drinking while pregnant wasn’t all that bad, and telephones used to look like something Etsy witches now use to summon the devil.
Bored Panda found the wildest and most interesting ads from the past century that enthusiasts have shared on r/VintageAds and presents them to you here. You almost wouldn’t believe the stuff people would buy and sell back in the day: from seemingly useless knick-knacks from Sears to slightly, er… racist soap.
More info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Whiplash!! Liberate Your Eyes 👁️ 👁️ With Alice's Own Unisex Mascara 1973
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#2
Star-Kist Tuna (1970) With "Charlie The Tuna" Transistor Radio
#3
Del Monte (Then Under California Packing Corporation / Calpak) Launched A Short-Lived Line Of Soft Drinks In The Mid-1960s (Around Fall 1964–1965)
Elladine DesIsles 1 day ago
There's nothing else quite like the meeting of Art Nouveau revival and 60s psychedelic.
#4
Five Ways To Improve Nature's🥛 Most Perfect Food. The Five Quicks. 1967
#5
Back Cover Of Mad Magazine #96 (July 1965)
Janissary35680 1 day ago
Mad's satirical ads were the best. Their parody of Contadina Tomato Paste's "Who puts eight great tomatoes in that little bitty can?" showing an exasperated chef with a mallet and can and splattered with what looks like blood is pure genius. Reddit link follows. Click on the forward button for the actual ad.
#6
The Virginia Slim Tool Kit. Because You Got More To Fix Than Your Face. 1974
#7
Paper Mate Ops'n Pops Are Here. 1968🖊️🖋️
#8
Pop Art Pillows From Kleenex 1967
#9
A 1910 Baker Electrics Advert
#10
Star Trek Sneak Preview (1966)
#11
1966…so Much To Do By Telephone!
#12
1933 Advertisement In Delineator Magazine (Page 97) For Ironized Yeast
#13
Frozen Haute Cuisine From 1968: Swanson International Dinners
monsieur mabel 1 day ago
.......we ate these when we had a babysitter......fun times !!.......
#14
Ricardo Montalban And The 1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue - An Island Of Luxury
#15
The 70's Were A Different Time
Janissary35680 1 day ago
One ad agency exec told me that within the agency they jokingly referred to this kind of ad as a "CYA (Cover Your Ass) Ad"--the idea being that the client knows what they're selling is harmful and to defend themselves against potential class-action suits years down the line, they can point to these ads and say "But we were warning users way back then, Your Honor."
#16
Sears Gifts And Novelties (1932)
Lyone Fein 1 day ago
Sears used to carry just about everything. I always loved browsing through the encyclopedic annual Sears catalog.
#17
Kentucky Fried Chicken - September 1978 - Sarasota, FL
#18
1/2 The Calories Of Regular Margarine. Diet Imperials Taste Never Goes To Your Waist. 1967🧈
#19
Radioshack Ad 1983
Michael Largey 1 day ago
And the conversations usually started with "And what the hell is that thing?!?"
#20
[1939] Canada Dry - “It’s Gingervating!”
Gingersnap In Iowa 1 day ago
As a ginger, I must drink ginger ale t9 maintain my gingerness. 😉
#21
Sealtest Ice Cream (1962)
Lyone Fein 1 day ago
OMG. Yes, in the 1970s + ice cream half gallons came in rectangular cardboard containers. Bricks.
#22
Dolly Madison Zingers 1970
#23
You Can't Fake It. 🐻❄️ Icee 1967
#25
Butter🧈bangles & 📿beads Land O' Lakes 1970
#26
Oster Massage Instrument (And Her Dress!) [1952]
#27
Coca-Cola Was Marketed As A Medicinal Tonic And Refreshing Remedy That Relieved Fatigue And Exhaustion
#29
A 1902 Nestle's Food Advert
#30
A 1911 Cooper's Underwear Advert
#32
Texaco 1931⛽
Richard Graham 1 day ago
"You can trust your car to...the man who wears the star...the BIG..BRIGHT..TEXACO..STAR". Song is now running through my head.
#33
1970s Vodka Ad
#34
Cowan's Active Service Chocolate (1917)
#35
Philips Advertisements Featuring James Bond
#36
Vans. October 1994. ‘We Have Shoes For Moods You Haven’t Even Felt Yet.’
driedgrapes 1 day ago
I wore these in the 90s, apparently at the height of their popularity. I never see them anymore.
#38
[1962] Judy Garland In Gay Purr-Ee - “Friskies Cat Food Labels Are Free Movie Tickets!”
#39
New First Time In This Country! A Fabulous American Cake- Make It Yourself In Just 4 Minutes. 1955 😋
#40
Sesame Street Snacks 2001
#41
Payday 1999
#43
Guide - Matic Automatic Headlight Control 1962
Richard Graham 1 day ago
I had one of these in my 1964 Imperial. It barely worked. By the time it automatically turned down the high-beams the oncoming car had flashed its high-beams at you two or three times.
#44
No Car "Out Comforts" The New Kind Of Ford. And The New Inner Ford Is Why! 1957
#45
De Soto [1937]
#46
Print Ad For The 1968 Chevrolet El Camino Ss 396 From 1967
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 day ago
My friend's creepy father had one of those - a red one. Every time I see one I get the chills.
#47
Underwood Deviled Ham (1916)
#48
Are You Having Dreams Where You're Being Violated By Your Furnace? [1940]
#50
Ice Cream For Breakfast. Cream Of Wheat (1956)
#51
Barbie Cereal Ad 1989
#52
A 1906 Victor Talking Machine Co. Advert
#54
Van Camp's Pork And Beans [1949]
#55
Historic Election Campaign Buttons At Standard Oil Stations - October 1972
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 day ago (edited)
Oh my! I remember my favourite political chant from 1972: "Don't change Dicks in the middle of a screw - vote for Nixon 72." For those of you who don't know, Richard (i.e., "Dick") Nixon was a very naughty boy - ironically, in retrospect, probably much better than the current White House resident.
#56
A Sandwich Is A Sandwich, But A Manwich Is A Meal! 1983
#57
Kelly Tires 1950 Dependable Over Fifty Years
#58
A 1926 Orange Crush Advert
#59
We Found The Guy Responsible For The Vega Aluminum Engine
Der Kommissar 1 day ago (edited)
The Vega was Chevy's answer to the Ford Pinto, which had the infamous exploding gas tank when it was rear-ended, and we all know how painful that can be.
#61
Mr. Fatu's Tribute To Elvis At The Red Carpet Inn In Sarasota, FL - September 1978
#62
Highway Building, 1979
Geoffrey Scott 1 day ago
Imagine, if you will, a proposal like this nowadays. Ike couldn't have even gotten it past the committee stage. We (US) no longer do big things, Gordie Howe bridge case in point. How embarrassing, not even going halfsies on this project!
#63
Taylor's Number 13 Insect Spray. Now A Double Action Killer!! Tested Trusted Ddt 1952 🦟🕷️🐞🪰🪳
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 day ago
If my husband came roaring into the bedroom and sprayed me with a dose of DDT, we would be having a serious talk later.
#64
McDonald's Country Style Mcchicken 1989
Kelly Scott 1 day ago
Actually, I think this ad was from 2020, given how fast and how high McDonalds has raised their prices.
#65
Allstate Scooters By Sears 1960s 🛵
Richard Graham 1 day ago
Sears, in the early 1950s, sold an automobile under the name "Allstate". It was a re-badged Henry J (a compact made by Kaiser-Frazer. The company's President was Henry J. Kaiser. Get it?)
#68
Improve Your Pickups! Thrush 🏁the Performing Parts.1979
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 day ago
Tell me this wasn't just a straight out s****l advertisement.
#69
Bug Too! You Can't Keep A Good Bug Down. [1996]
#71
1-900-200-Sega: Hey There. Are You Tired Of This? Call Now [1996]
#72
Kraft Cheese [1947]
Janissary35680 1 day ago
If anyone's wondering why Kraft American is "back" in 1947, it's because during World War II, Kraft shifted its focus from regular consumer cheese production to supply preserved butter spreads, canned cheese, and butter for WW2 US military combat requirements like "K" Rations.
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Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 day ago
I loved this trip down Memory Lane for many of these products. Those of you who are younger will be thrilled in 40 to 50 years when you see today's ads and you will then understand the nostalgia.
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 day ago
I loved this trip down Memory Lane for many of these products. Those of you who are younger will be thrilled in 40 to 50 years when you see today's ads and you will then understand the nostalgia.
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