You really can’t go (or scroll) a few feet some places without bumping into an ad. They are ubiquitous to life these days, for better or worse. It raises the question, what ads were people in the past looking at and what actually worked on them?
So we’ve gathered some of the best posts from this page dedicated to interesting old ads. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts and which products you’d actually still buy in the comments section down below.
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Superman Against Racism/Discrimination Ad Circa 1950
This is the kind of leader the world needs right now. Not the ones we seem to be voting in.
Again, we need AGE LIMITS on who can serve, or barring that, just euthanize everyone over 60. LASTDAY/CAROUSEL
Load More Replies...MAGA take note: Superman says you're idiots and traitors. Be like Superman.
Crazy lefties trying to make Superman a loony liberal! Next they will make Superman an illegal immigrant!
Second guy on the left has a tan and the kid he holds is asian - If I'd be cynical I'd say they filled the diversity quota
Load More Replies...Actually superman , the same goes for ALL COUNTRIES there is no need for racial a b us e. Religious a b u s e , or any other kind of a b u s e come to that , ( and that includes bullying ,, etc ) we are all human and we all bleed RED !!
But you frequently slate Christians. Hypocrisy me thinks.
Load More Replies...They All Got Vaccine Except Dad - Workbench Magazine - 1958
Shots lol back in those days polo vaccines were on sugar cubes !! well it was for kids anyways. n a simple jab dint hurt either. So yes ALWAYS GET VACCINATED !! Human up ,
An Unusually Progressive Seagrams Ad, Circa 1970s
For a company that makes alcohol to come out and tell pregnant women that it’s a good idea for them not to drink during pregnancy, and depriving their bottom line of that revenue, tells you something good about Seagram’s values, at least at the time of this ad. I don’t know if it’s the same now, but at least they had their heads screwed on right back in the seventies. And yes, I know part of the reason for it is to CYA and avoid lawsuits from women who drank during pregnancy and gave birth to children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which was likely their sole reason for it. But it’s still a step 8n the right direction to come out and advise it publicly.
Jack D or Jim B just cancelled production becauss sales are way down, so yay!
Load More Replies...No, no, Nathaniel, that's just the ascites giving you that "pregnant belly" look... XD (okay, that joke might actually be TOO dark. Apologies. XD )
Load More Replies...Welcome to the era where advertising grew a soul and started talking back. In the early 1960s, the industry underwent a massive transformation that moved away from dry product specifications toward something much more psychological and artistic. We transitioned from a world where ads looked like instruction manuals to a vibrant landscape where they felt like a conversation with a clever, funny friend. This period was not just about selling household goods, it was about defining the very identity of the modern consumer through sophisticated art and sharp wit.
The decade kicked off with the legendary Creative Revolution, spearheaded by agencies like Doyle Dane Bernbach. Before this shift, advertisers believed that more words meant more sales, often cluttering magazine pages with tiny text and boring facts.
1934 Ad By The ‘Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals’
So in 1934, people were holding their pets like babies XD It's not just a "modern unmarried childless cat-lady" thing like some people like to scream about ;)
My boy whippet mutt was abandoned at 3mo, stayef a month in the shelter because nobody wanted him, so I got him. He was very stressed rolling in his own 💩 Best rescue yet. He genuinely thinks Im his mother
Load More Replies...From the size of that purse, she must have pockets. So, something else that was different b ack then.
Created partly due to the influence of Margaret Marshall Saunders' book, Beautiful Joe. I wish it was required reading in schools.
Jester Wools (1947, UK)
I want my money back, I put on a jumper and did not turn gay!
According to the Gay Agenda (GOP propaganda) just reading that made you Gay because they believe stupid things like that. You better not play tackle football in Texas with 8yo girls! Ted Cruz gonna getcha
Load More Replies...The mainstream meaning of the word "gay" morphed rapidly after the 1950s. Wikipedia has a fairly well-written article on the subject. Wikipedia: gay
It's interesting for older songs as well, "When Johnny comes marchig home" has a verse that says "And we all be gay when Johnny comes marching home" for example
Load More Replies...Ray Ban 1998 Ad
And it is very late-1990s. At the height of Buffy's slaying days.
Load More Replies...My first thought was Albert Wesker from Resident Evil before noticing the teeth XD
The new guard realized that consumers were smarter than that and began using irony and self-deprecation to win people over. This was the birth of the modern commercial voice, one that favored a subtle wink and a nod over a loud, aggressive, and repetitive sales pitch.
1966 Ford Mustang Advertisement
Youth is wasted on the young! I wasted mine! 🤣🤣🤣🐰🐰🐰🐇🐇🐇
As someone born 1966, and childless, I am 100% agreeing with what Shaw said. Or, like tRump would say: "I agree 600%, 1.500%. Or even more!"
The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio, July 27, 1937
1979 Ad For London Transit Showing How The City Would Look If Built By American Planners
Good public transportation is wonderful! London, NYC, Paris, DC - all great subways.
Having mixed districts also helps a lot with cutting commute times
Load More Replies...Lot better than US. Not so good as Japan or China.
Load More Replies...NO we could not live with that monstrosity (that said we could also happily live without London to ,it’s worse than the Bronx now a days , litterally )
How would you know? You've told us often enough that you never leave the house.
Load More Replies...No campaign defined this new spirit better than the Volkswagen Think Small ads. At a time when American cars were becoming massive, chrome-covered behemoths, VW dared to show a tiny beetle in a vast ocean of empty white space. It was a radical departure from the status quo, teaching the industry that less is often more. This minimalist approach did not just sell cars, it invited the audience to join an exclusive club of people who were clever enough to value substance over flash.
Keep Baby Safe
Ah ja, what people considered "safe" in those days. Always mesmerizing.
But hey, the kid is "constantly visible" and rear vision isn't impaired!
Load More Replies...Yes the UK did, in fact, have baby car hammocks, which were marketed as a "safety device".
Load More Replies...Womens Army Corps (Wac) 1941 Advertising
Interesting... It looks like she's tracing a peace symbol on the map!
Well spotted. But the Peace Sign as we know it was created about a decade later. (Wikipedia: Peace symbols) That's probably the artist's impression of a drafting tool of some kind.
Load More Replies...One Oregon Newspaper Clip Reads: “We Appeal To Your Civil Patriotism To Co-Operate With Us In Our Effort To Stamp Out The Spanish Influenza Or “Flu” Plague In Portland By Wearing A Mask”
What strange looking mask. I scratching my head, trying to work out what's what.
When I first looked, I thought it was examples of how not to wear a mask. 😆
Load More Replies..."G*****n Portland librulz at it again with their phony pandemic. Anything to distract from the fact that it's a war zone. D**n commies with their 5g gluten free soy lizard trans fentanyl laced drag shows! I'll never wear a mask! " ( Continued incoherent MAGA babble trails off...)
As the 1960s roared on, the industry also discovered the power of the mascot to build long-term brand loyalty. This era gave birth to icons like the Pillsbury Doughboy and the Jolly Green Giant, characters designed to make mass-produced products feel friendly and approachable. Even fast-food giants got in on the action with the debut of Ronald McDonald, proving that if you could capture the imagination of a child, you could potentially secure a loyal customer for several decades to come.
Eat Ironized Yeast (1930s)
"Only a dog wants a bone, girls want a steak" - Quote of my best friend about her preferences in women
No one's taking Ozempic for the benefit of the opposite s*x
Load More Replies...Kellogg's Pep Cereal (1940's)
You'll be even healthier if we don't replace the broken washing machine!
Plus the added help from mother’s little helper …GIN !! as it was back in those days lol
Kickin Jeans Were Made By Century Martial Arts From 1977-1991. They Wear Like Regular Western Jeans But The Stretch Denim And Special Design Let You Move Like A Stuntman
Hence the rumor that we were all king fu fighting back in the Seventies.
That poor guy who got kicked looks really as if he got kicked for real.
We tried wearing street clothes at jujutsu one night. It was a total disaster and the aftermath was a Greek Chorus of falsetto moans and groans.
Culture and music also played a huge role as the British Invasion and psychedelic art began to bleed into mainstream marketing. Pepsi took a bold stand by branding itself as the choice for those who think young, effectively inventing the concept of lifestyle marketing. Ads became colorful, loud, and groovy, reflecting the energy of a generation that was actively rebelling against the stiff traditions of their parents. It was no longer just about the soda, it was about the rebellion.
Howard Johnson’s, 1951
I miss Howard Johnsons :( We would always stop there for lunch when on a road trip. Orange and teal buildings. I would get the fried clams :)
There used to be one over the highway on the way from WI to IL. We would always stop there when I was a kid on trips to Chicago.
1953
"That woman just opened a bottle all by herself! Witch! Burn her!"
While wearing perfect makeup, a dress, and curled hair! I know we have many issues today, but I sure am happy I wasn't a woman back then!
Lose Weight With Pure Sugar!
Still relatively more healthy than whatever they're pumping into zero sugar stuff right now
I remember the ads saying sugar had only 16 calories per spoonful. It sounded good, anyway.
When the calendar turned to the 1970s, the vibe shifted significantly due to economic changes and a growing sense of social realism. The bright-eyed optimism of the previous decade faded as the energy crisis and political scandals made consumers more skeptical of big promises. Advertisers had to pivot from fantasy to a tell-it-like-it-is style that felt more authentic and grounded. This era was less about the dream of the future and more about how a product worked.
Hmmm... That's One For Two... LOL!
"The Tennessean" Nashville, Tennessee November 16, 1909
It would have been 2009, so I suspect that the US president at the time would have been even more surprising to the Nashville paper of 1909 than even a woman.
Load More Replies...Burger King (1960's)
The 1970s were famously labeled the Me Decade, and advertising reflected this new obsession with the self and personal fulfillment. L’Oréal changed the game in 1973 with the iconic slogan Because I’m worth it, which shifted the focus from the product’s quality to the consumer’s self-esteem. It was a revolutionary moment for women's marketing, moving away from ads about pleasing a household to ads about buying something because you deserve to feel beautiful for yourself.
Congoleum (1970)
So much to unpack here, but why would anyone do that kind of work in a address anyway?
That's what women of that era wore daily at home, whether they were cleaning or whatever
Load More Replies...And don't they all look miserable about it XD
Load More Replies...The new Shinyl Vinyl comes in interesting colours and patterns. Pacemaker (what a name!) looks like cooked tomatoes have fallen on the floor. As much as the manufacturers want to introduce the word Shinyl, it doesn't rhyme with Vinyl - it would be pronounced like the body part shin, wouldn't it?
I assume it's a mangled "clever" version of the word "shine", so no, it wouldn't be pronounced like "shin".
Load More Replies...Pretty sure my gran I grew up with never wore a dress for doing the housework lmao in fact I can’t recall ever seeing her in one , ever , trousers mind u dresses on a farm is t exactly practical either , it in uk very few wore dresses in that era ,
If you look at old BW photos of Irish women, they wore sack cloth dresses above the knees and no footwear, farm or town
Load More Replies...Help Fight MD With Cheese Balls
I remember when Hickory Farms was in the mall. Oh, and that is one Big cheese ball for $2.50 !
My dad LOVED the Hickory Farms beef summer sausage, and it was a running family "joke" that we'd get him the giant-sized one every year for Christmas, and then try to disguise the wrapping so it didn't LOOK like a two-foot-long meat log XD After his accident (which happened when I was 18) he couldn't eat food orally any more (muscle atrophy occurred during his coma) but we still got him a Hickory Farms summer sausage that year. He had a good laugh trying to smack all of us with it XD
Load More Replies...Dang. I always thought that "cheese balls" was a medical condition.
Girl-Size Pen
No, its cute and intended to make girls feel included you dumbbunny. No different than something Hello Kitty or Bluey branded
Load More Replies...I'd say it's not a bad idea to offer pens for smaller hands as well for better ergonomics, nowadays marketing it especially as a product for women wouldn't fly though
I love the implication/assumption that all women have small hands XD I don't have small hands, myself - my hands are actually only fractionally smaller than my ex's hands (5'9" male.) Smaller writing utensils (like the worn-down pencil stubs my mother refuses to throw away..) actually make my hand hurt to use!
My hands are the same length as my husband's, although mine are much narrower (his are very wide). Many men have smaller hands than me.
Load More Replies...This decade also saw the escalation of the legendary Cola Wars, most notably through the Pepsi Challenge starting in 1975. Comparative advertising became a powerful tool, as brands stopped playing nice and started naming their competitors directly in their scripts. By filming real people in blind taste tests, Pepsi created a sense of gritty documentary realism that made their rivals look like corporate relics. It was a high-stakes drama played out in the local grocery store aisle.
Bell Telephone Company 1959
Not like those unexpected guests who just turn up when you're still in your pjs.
I live next door to my childhood home, where my mother and sister still live (my mom owns both houses.) Years ago, my mother knocked down the wall between the houses' backyards, so I can literally just walk like 10 feet from my garage over to the other house. I often go pantsless when I'm at home (as one does) since I'm the only person living in this house. The other day, my sister texted and asked if I could go over to the other house so she could show me something. I wandered over through the side yard, still pantsless, as (I assumed) it was just my mom and sister in the house. Nope, they were standing in the kitchen talking to one of our long-time employees XD I just kind of blinked and said to her in Spanish "Ah, sorry, I don't have any pants on" (as if it wasn't obvious) XD I was wearing undies and a long shirt, so it's not like I was indecent/anything was exposed, but mang XD Was not expecting our employee to be in the house...
Load More Replies...Yeah, it is weird, but I have seen new construction houses here in Florida built that way - for hurricanes.
Load More Replies...Hm
I always thought "Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman" was nonsensical because what it really says is every body needs strong deodorant.
I can think of a few things were women have a disadvantage biologically (Higher rates of osteoporosis or inflammatory bowel diseases for example) - No gender is superior, just different
In all honesty, yes. However, ALL the worlds problems are caused by men. How much better would the world be if we only existed to deliver DNA, then croaked off? Think of anglerfish
Load More Replies...Candy Ad
Timmy was *this* close to braining his mother with a dumbbell, but then she offered him candy and he changed his mind. Candy. It even saves lives!
I actually can't even tell what that's ACTUALLY supposed to be in the kid's hand XD A spinning top? A rubber squeaky chicken? XD
Load More Replies...Beyond selling consumer goods, the 1970s used the power of persuasion to address growing social and environmental concerns. The famous Crying Indian public service announcement for Keep America Beautiful became a cultural touchstone that highlighted the era’s burgeoning environmental movement. While the ad is viewed through a more critical lens today regarding its casting, its impact at the time was undeniable, proving that commercials could be used to prick the collective conscience of a whole nation.
1958 Sylvania Convertible Television
Hmm, I wonder why they don't mention the weight? Maybe it was a luggable, not a portable. And yet, a weak woman appears able to carry it! Maybe she ate her Kellogg's Pep™ cereal?
I am old fashioned to a certain degree,.but am delighted I don't have to hire ten body builders to move my flat screen televisions.
Mcdonald’s, 1987 Ad
Why are they on the phone and both about to take a bite of the salad? Are they just going to listen to each other chew?
The Universal Food Chopper -1899
I did until it got lost in a move. I used it a lot, actually.
Load More Replies...Looking back at these two decades, it is clear that they built the foundation for everything we see in modern marketing today. We moved from the witty, minimalist print ads of the 1960s to the bold, identity-focused television campaigns of the 1970s. These years taught us that a product is never just a product, it is a mirror reflecting our desires, our politics, and our sense of self. It was a golden age of persuasion that still influences every screen.
Hmm
"Don't Be A Job Hopper" 1940s Disney WWII Propaganda Poster
After being taxed 95% to end the Depression
Load More Replies...I Miss The Days When An Employer Would Provide Health Benefits And Office Chicken
Beko markets a know-it-all (ie "smart") oven that detects what kinds of foods are being baked/roasted and warns when they're likely done.
Load More Replies...In terms of professional and technical production values this is an extremely well-done spoof. I looks like something that might have appeared in "National Lampoon" magazine but I don't remember it.
De Beers Diamonds (1983)
Yeah... that's bad money management to me. It could be a used car or a kitchen depending on income
Load More Replies...Addams Family "Haunted House", 1964 Ad
It's about 9 inches wide and about 13 inches high :)
Load More Replies...Hunt-Wesson Foods, 1967
It is an old spelling/word for ketchup. It also regional tern in the US.
Load More Replies...Cut Loose
I remember Davy Jones of the Monkees doing the skate when he sang! I thought he was dreamy...
Wow
Yes. And stylistically, it kind of resembles the Fuxley rotisserie ad.
Load More Replies...This is current GOP agenda: Women are just baby farms, and Republican voting women go along with it 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
Kenwood Chef Ad
Ive run commercial kitchens all alone, 30 years ago, but still
Load More Replies...'60s Hoover Ad
Show her how you truly feel when she shoves that hoover up your b*m.
Dormeyer Corp, 1960
I'm Just Happy That Her Mouth Is Closed
Until this post I was quite surprised of how reasonable those ads were. But this one is simply disgusting.
This was also the era of creating "shrunken heads" out of baseballs and scrap leather
Load More Replies...Advertisement For Tyco's Us 1 Electric Trucking Play System (1981)
Bulgemobiles
It was a series of parody ads in the 1970s. If I recall, they were done by Bruce McCall and Brian McConnachie. Featuring Tap-A-Toe Futuroidic Footless De-clutching!
Load More Replies...The car you need when there is a nuclear strike on a city near you.
... and you have to drive to the top of a pyramid to get a better view.
Load More Replies...Sunkist Growers Inc, 1966
I remember when the oranges actually DID have the little stamp on them! ;_;
Give Telephones This Christmas, 1957 Ad
Ma Bell didn't allow people to own a phone, so I'm not sure how you would give one. Maybe I'll call my local Business Office and find out.
The ad is for "additional telephones". The gift is paying for the extra telephone line.
Load More Replies...November, 1919 Ad For Log Cabin Syrup
No Wonder Kids, Girls Were Body Sized Stressed, Chubby?
At the department store in my town, there was a department called Chubette. That’s where my mom took me to shop. I guess they couldn’t figure out that they just made regular clothes in bigger sizes it would fit us.
Actually, AFAIK, Lane Bryant still markets clothing towards plus-sized people. My mom used to shop there when I was a kid. I had no idea they used to make clothing for "chubby" kids :(
Man's World
Hooray for the patriarchy! The secret to our success is wearing ugly ties apparently.
Baby Battle Armor From Wahltoys, 1984
Nope. It was real. Along with such as Bill, the clown friend
Load More Replies...Note: this post originally had 54 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Hindsight is always 20/20 - There is probably something we consider progressive nowadays that will be looked at in horror in 50 years
Load More Replies...I wonder what people a hundred years from now will say about our ads? Probably be just as amused and self righteous as we are now.
Sandberg, Palšytė & Žvilius seem to have taken at least a couple of spoof ads at face value...
Hindsight is always 20/20 - There is probably something we consider progressive nowadays that will be looked at in horror in 50 years
Load More Replies...I wonder what people a hundred years from now will say about our ads? Probably be just as amused and self righteous as we are now.
Sandberg, Palšytė & Žvilius seem to have taken at least a couple of spoof ads at face value...
