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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 šļø šļø With Alice's Own Unisex Mascara 1973
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#2
Star-Kist Tuna (1970) With "Charlie The Tuna" Transistor Radio
#3
The Virginia Slim Tool Kit. Because You Got More To Fix Than Your Face. 1974
The past was really a different time, and these ads reflect that pretty well. Among other things that would surprise us today, magazines and TV were rampant with smoking and cigarette ads. Back in the day, people really didn’t think that smoking was that bad for your health. In fact, thousands of doctors endorsed smoking.
“Camel” had a whole ad campaign where “physicians” would tell people that smoking was good for you and very, very cool. Unlike products that were endorsed by celebrities, athletes, and other famous people, the “Camel” ads would feature generic “doctors” who were really actors.
Real physicians could risk losing their license if they endorsed smoking. Nevertheless, the American Medical Association didn’t condemn the campaigns, since they portrayed doctors ina favorable light and there were years of collaboration with the cigarette industry.
#4
Del Monte (Then Under California Packing Corporation / Calpak) Launched A Short-Lived Line Of Soft Drinks In The Mid-1960s (Around Fall 1964ā1965)
Elladine DesIsles 1 week ago
There's nothing else quite like the meeting of Art Nouveau revival and 60s psychedelic.
#5
Back Cover Of Mad Magazine #96 (July 1965)
Janissary35680 1 week 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
Paper Mate Ops'n Pops Are Here. 1968šļøšļø
Another brand that we’re quite familiar with today that had questionable advertising strategies is Lysol. Back in the day, the disinfectant company was inviting women to use their product as a contraceptive. In fact, in their ads, they marketed it as a feminine hygiene product, as the ads read: “I use Lysol always for douching.”
Today, the thought of using such a product would make any woman’s skin crawl, but even more so because, back in the day, Lysol used to contain cresol, a phenol compound that causes inflammation, burning, and even loss of life. “By 1911 doctors had recorded 193 Lysol poisonings and five [passings] from uterine irrigation. Despite reports to the contrary, Lysol was aggressively marketed to women as safe and gentle,” according to Mother Jones.
#7
Five Ways To Improve Nature'sš„ Most Perfect Food. The Five Quicks. 1967
#8
1966ā¦so Much To Do By Telephone!
#9
Star Trek Sneak Preview (1966)
Panda parents, how do you deal with a teething baby or an infant who just won’t stop crying? Well, back in the day, there was this product, Mrs. Winslow’s soothing syrup. It sounds pretty innocent, doesn’t it? Yet, the main ingredient certainly wasn’t: it contained 65mg of morphine per ounce.
If that weren’t enough, the manufacturers also put a dash of alcohol in there, just to make sure that the teething baby doesn’t grind its parents’ gears. The product contributed to infant mortality, mostly because around 1.5 million parents would buy it annually, until it was condemned by the American Medical Association in 1911.
#10
A 1910 Baker Electrics Advert
#11
Pop Art Pillows From Kleenex 1967
#12
Sears Gifts And Novelties (1932)
Lyone Fein 1 week ago
Sears used to carry just about everything. I always loved browsing through the encyclopedic annual Sears catalog.
The craziness doesn’t end there. In the first half of the 20th century, people were obsessed with using radioactive materials in medicine and beauty. One such miracle elixir was Radithor, which essentially was radioactive water — a toxic solution of radium dissolved in water. Yet, the miracle cure did nothing else but poison the poor souls who consumed it.
One man, Ebenezer McBurney Byers, took three times the prescribed dose and, after three years of use, had his teeth fall out, his jaw removed, and holes form in his brain and skull. In 1932, he finally passed from radium poisoning.
#13
Kentucky Fried Chicken - September 1978 - Sarasota, FL
#14
1933 Advertisement In Delineator Magazine (Page 97) For Ironized Yeast
#15
Frozen Haute Cuisine From 1968: Swanson International Dinners
monsieur mabel 1 week ago
.......we ate these when we had a babysitter......fun times !!.......
Today, 7Up is one of the most popular sodas in the world, especially in the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. But in 1929 (then called Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda), it contained lithium citrate. To those unfamiliar with pharmacology, that’s a medicine prescribed for patients with Bipolar Disorder, depression, and those who have manic episodes to stabilize their mood. Such a soft drink definitely wouldn’t fly today.
#16
Radioshack Ad 1983
Michael Largey 1 week ago
And the conversations usually started with "And what the hell is that thing?!?"
#17
Ricardo Montalban And The 1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue - An Island Of Luxury
#18
1/2 The Calories Of Regular Margarine. Diet Imperials Taste Never Goes To Your Waist. 1967š§
Which one of these ads was the wildest in your opinion, Pandas? Did any of them shock you, or have you seen enough vintage advertisements that nothing shocks you anymore? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! And if you’d like to see more unhinged ads, check out these funny marketplace listings and these hilarious advertising fails.
#19
Coca-Cola Was Marketed As A Medicinal Tonic And Refreshing Remedy That Relieved Fatigue And Exhaustion
#20
The 70's Were A Different Time
Janissary35680 1 week ago
One ad agency exec told me that within the agency they jokingly referred to this kind of ad as a "CYA (Cover Your Aāsās) 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."
#21
Dolly Madison Zingers 1970
#22
[1939] Canada Dry - āItās Gingervating!ā
Gingersnap In Iowa 1 week ago
As a ginger, I must drink ginger ale t9 maintain my gingerness. š
#23
Sealtest Ice Cream (1962)
Lyone Fein 1 week ago
OMG. Yes, in the 1970s + ice cream half gallons came in rectangular cardboard containers. Bricks.
#24
1970s Vodka Ad
#25
You Can't Fake It. š»āāļø Icee 1967
#27
A 1912 Nabisco Advert
#29
Texaco 1931ā½
Richard Graham 1 week 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.
#30
Ice Cream For Breakfast. Cream Of Wheat (1956)
#31
Butterš§bangles & šæbeads Land O' Lakes 1970
#32
Oster Massage Instrument (And Her Dress!) [1952]
#33
Cowan's Active Service Chocolate (1917)
#34
Philips Advertisements Featuring James Bond
#35
A 1902 Nestle's Food Advert
#36
A 1911 Cooper's Underwear Advert
#37
Guide - Matic Automatic Headlight Control 1962
Richard Graham 1 week 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.
#38
De Soto [1937]
#39
Barbie Cereal Ad 1989
#40
A 1906 Victor Talking Machine Co. Advert
#41
Van Camp's Pork And Beans [1949]
#42
Vans. October 1994. āWe Have Shoes For Moods You Havenāt Even Felt Yet.ā
driedgrapes 1 week ago
I wore these in the 90s, apparently at the height of their popularity. I never see them anymore.
#44
[1962] Judy Garland In Gay Purr-Ee - āFriskies Cat Food Labels Are Free Movie Tickets!ā
#45
Sesame Street Snacks 2001
#46
Payday 1999
#48
No Car "Out Comforts" The New Kind Of Ford. And The New Inner Ford Is Why! 1957
#49
Print Ad For The 1968 Chevrolet El Camino Ss 396 From 1967
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 week ago
My friend's creepy father had one of those - a red one. Every time I see one I get the chills.
#50
Underwood Deviled Ham (1916)
#51
Are You Having Dreams Where You're Being Violated By Your Furnace? [1940]
#52
A Sandwich Is A Sandwich, But A Manwich Is A Meal! 1983
#53
Kelly Tires 1950 Dependable Over Fifty Years
#54
A 1926 Orange Crush Advert
#55
New First Time In This Country! A Fabulous American Cake- Make It Yourself In Just 4 Minutes. 1955 š
#57
McDonald's Country Style Mcchicken 1989
Kelly Scott 1 week ago
Actually, I think this ad was from 2020, given how fast and how high McDonalds has raised their prices.
#58
Allstate Scooters By Sears 1960s šµ
Richard Graham 1 week 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?)
#60
Historic Election Campaign Buttons At Standard Oil Stations - October 1972
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 week ago (edited)
Oh my! I remember my favourite political chant from 1972: "Don't change Dāiācākās in the middle of a sācārāeāw - vote for Nixon 72." For those of you who don't know, Richard (i.e., "Dāiācāk") Nixon was a very naughty boy - ironically, in retrospect, probably much better than the current White House resident.
#61
Highway Building, 1979
Geoffrey Scott 1 week 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!
#62
Improve Your Pickups! Thrush šthe Performing Parts.1979
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 week ago
Tell me this wasn't just a straight out s****l advertisement.
#63
Taylor's Number 13 Insect Spray. Now A Double Action Killer!! Tested Trusted Ddt 1952 š¦š·ļøššŖ°šŖ³
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 week 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.
#65
We Found The Guy Responsible For The Vega Aluminum Engine
Forrest Hobbs 1 week ago
Ah. Not the aluminium as such, but the misapplication of the aluminium: 'The biggest gamble, however, was eliminating conventional cast-iron cylinder liners. Engineers believed they had developed an innovative aluminum alloy that would allow piston rings to run directly against the cylinder walls. real-world conditions exposed flaws that laboratory testing had not fully revealed. The Vega engine quickly became infamous for excessive oil consumption, cylinder wear, overheating, and catastrophic engine failures.' link follows.
#66
An 1886 Pears' Soap Advert
#67
Mr. Fatu's Tribute To Elvis At The Red Carpet Inn In Sarasota, FL - September 1978
#68
Kraft Cheese [1947]
Janissary35680 1 week 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.
#69
Samsung Mp3 Phone 2000
#70
Bug Too! You Can't Keep A Good Bug Down. [1996]
#72
1-900-200-Sega: Hey There. Are You Tired Of This? Call Now [1996]
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Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 week 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 week 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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