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They say that you need to explore the past to understand the present. Like flipping through historic photos that change our perspective or discovering time-honored places and the stories behind them. Visuals help us get a sneak peek into moments that we have long forgotten or weren't even aware of. But there are some illustrations, like old-fashioned ads, that offer heaps of wisdom into how our attitudes were shaped and often get overlooked.

So get ready for a blast from the past because one corner on Reddit called 'Vintage Advertisements' is sharing plenty of hilarious and plain outrageous ads that didn’t age that gracefully. Members of this online community let us poke fun at past behaviors and remind us of all humanity has achieved in the last decades, and their efforts do not go unnoticed.

From "Get into Grunge!" to "Should you drink if you’re pregnant?", these ads prove that hindsight really is 20/20. We at Bored Panda have gathered some of their best examples and wrapped them up in one list, all for your entertainment. So continue scrolling and hit upvote on your favorite ones! And if you’ve ever stumbled upon ads that are simply begging to be ridiculed, we’d love to hear all about them in the comments below.

#1

Superman Against Racism/Discrimination Ad Circa 1950

Superman Against Racism/Discrimination Ad Circa 1950

__braveTea__ Report

#2

LEGO (1981)

LEGO (1981)

superdankm8 Report

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Nimues Child
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love LEGO (the company) and their dedication to kids and education. I also still love playing with LEGOs...I still have my childhood set!!!

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Gandalf the Pink
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't wanna sound like I think things were better before because I think most things weren't, but LEGO used to have an awesome design and ad philosophy. It was meant to be the equal toy, not directed toward girls or boys but directed toward kids, full stop. The sets were always non specific and perfectly transformative and mixable with other sets. What mattered was what you came up with and what made sense in the play, not how it was supposed to be built. Now they are clearly gendered, and most of the girl stuff is meant to look pretty and innocent and the boy stuff mechanical and adventurous. The girl and boy stuff is put on different shelves in the toy stores usually. The sets has such specific styles they do not blend as well with other sets or regular pieces, and the ads make it clear they are meant to be built and played with in a certain way. A shame, really.

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Mighty Remolacha
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, great points! And the girl in the ad- great clothes! I read that was just what she happened to be wearing. Can't imagine that today- so gendered and with specific instructions rather than being a creative building toy.

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Uber Mensch
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thoroughly confused here: how is this a failure of the test of time?

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Na Schi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Agree. A girl in trousers holding up a self-made LEGO-brick house, what nowadays would not be considered 'girls' bricks, because they are not pink. Love this advertise!

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Laura Mende (Human)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom sorted every bit of LEGO in our house and forbade me to mix it up. since I was 10, I never played with LEGO again. She ruined it for me.

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Ela
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I strongly advise you to go buy a LEGO set. Your mother's neurosis should no longer affect your enjoyment of things. Build as you like, store it all in a bucket, whatever suits you.

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Madre_Dr4gnZFly
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never had Legos when I was a kid. Fast forward many years, my 15 yr old grandson and I are building the Lego Fender guitar & amp set. My personal collection of Legos(mostly bought used, in bulk and all genuine Lego) fills 3-40 gallon totes and I'm always building something!

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Asher Tye
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What it is, is painful to step on when left in the hallway at night.

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oktopus
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Currently proud co-constructor of a 6-storey Lego building with my son, combining pieces dating back to the 1970s with miscelleanous useful parts I picked up in second hand shops in Tokyo.

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MellonCollie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That utterly proud little face, it's so adorable I'm squealing inside!

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Lisa H
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LEGO's are the absolute best......until you step on one.

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Anna Helmersgaard
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a dane from 75, I feel happy and proud from this. The words still apply, Lego is a timeless joy :D

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Mary Jeffries
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love that even back then, the girl wasn’t in some fancy dress. Just useful overalls and braids.

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Lisa H
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember the really tiny pieces getting forever lost in the red shag carpet in the bedroom my brother and I shared as kids.

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Chris Liu
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those Legos on the ground are landmines waiting to attack your foot

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Brandon Marlowe
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Better pick up those loose pieces on the floor so you don't get up barefoot in the night and suffer the horror and agony we all have experienced. Like stepping on a bear trap!

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Brandi VanSteenwyk
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

An experience only an adult can have... experiencing their inner voice asking "WTF is that?" while on the outside they fawn over the creation.

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Azolane
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My parents would take me to Legoland everytime we went to Denmark on vacation. It was awesome there !

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A.
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every parent in the world has scars from stepping on Lego blocks, but we had as much fun with them as our kids did.

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Beth Ellis
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the lego I remember growing up, No colour branding pink for girls. Its shamefully now.

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With the tagline, "Ads from the past!", members of this online community are always on the lookout for lesser-known visuals that leave people amused, enraged, or simply pleasantly surprised. Over 107k old-fashioned advertising enthusiasts follow the group and always take the opportunity to share their thoughts and have discussions about the illustrations and how much the world has changed since they were created.

#4

Homosexuals Are Different, Mattachine Society Of New York, 1960

Homosexuals Are Different, Mattachine Society Of New York, 1960

Slow-moving-sloth Report

#5

They All Got Vaccine Except Dad - Workbench Magazine - 1958

They All Got Vaccine Except Dad - Workbench Magazine - 1958

sir_rossington Report

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Katie Lutesinger
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Poor bastard. People forget just how horrible it could get before vaccines became widely available. Whole wards full of kids in iron lungs, and graveyards full of tiny tombstones.

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#6

An Unusually Progressive Seagrams Ad, Circa 1970s

An Unusually Progressive Seagrams Ad, Circa 1970s

ofthrees Report

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Saint Thomas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one is quite sensible, even if it comes from a company that produced alcohol. The final advice is sound.

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One of the main goals of advertising is to allow companies to get their message across and communicate with potential customers. After all, the world keeps evolving, and advertising is tagging along. It has become an essential part of our lives and, though some of us are afraid to even think about it, it’s carefully designed to speak to the hearts of the consumers and predict what our minds want. It taps into our hopes, dreams, goals, fears, and sometimes, it seems like it just keeps chasing us everywhere.

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But let’s take a step back, shall we? Interestingly, the first-ever advertisement was discovered in 3000 BC in the ruins of Thebes in Egypt. According to Sagar Joshi, a content marketing specialist, it was a Papyrus created by a slaveholder trying to find their runaway servant while promoting their weaving shop at the same time. "For news of his whereabouts half a gold coin is offered. And for his return to the shop of Hapu the Weaver, where the best cloth is woven to your desires, a whole gold coin is offered," the transcript states. Apparently, in ancient times, it was completely normal to simultaneously ask for help and try to boost your clothing sales.

#10

1978 Star Wars Vaccination Ad

1978 Star Wars Vaccination Ad

Paul-Belgium Report

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Tybalt P.
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually like this one! It could help kids who are squeamish about getting poked be less stressed about it! Brave like Han! :)

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#11

Electricity Was New Once. These Signs Were Mostly In Hotel Rooms And Other Public Places

Electricity Was New Once. These Signs Were Mostly In Hotel Rooms And Other Public Places

Gwendolyn7777 Report

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#12

Jester Wools (1947, UK)

Jester Wools (1947, UK)

MetaHelvetica Report

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Nathaniel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is this how people discover they are homosexual? A thoughtful aunt buys them a nice jumper, and once they wear it Shazaam! Gay!

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Ever since then, people promoted themselves and their craft through word of mouth or by making carved signs and flags. A few centuries passed, and the history of modern advertising actually began in the 1700s. As Joshi explains in his article, those days were the pre-internet age, so the only way for brands to communicate at that time was through outdoor and print ads.

"Direct advertising, which involves directly reaching out to potential customers, was considered an expensive option before the internet," he explained. "Many organizations preferred indirect advertising because it was more affordable. Indirect advertising dealt with promoting a product or service in a subtle way, without sounding too sales-y. For example, big signs and posters in front of a shop."

#13

1934 Ad By The ‘Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals’

1934 Ad By The ‘Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals’

onepersononeidea Report

#14

Beauty Is More Then Skin Deep, Cordless Massager, Anthony Enterprises, 1971

Beauty Is More Then Skin Deep, Cordless Massager, Anthony Enterprises, 1971

Slow-moving-sloth Report

#15

Volkswagen Beetle, 1965

Volkswagen Beetle, 1965

Slow-moving-sloth Report

In 1704, John Campbell started to distribute the Boston News-Letter, the first continuously issued newspaper in the United States. Soon after it started reaching the readers, one of the first newspaper ads appeared in the paper. According to a blog post on Softcube, it was a real estate advertisement selling a plantation on Oyster Bay, Long Island.

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#16

"The Closest Some Of Us Will Ever Get To Heaven" -- World Trade Center (1980)

"The Closest Some Of Us Will Ever Get To Heaven" -- World Trade Center (1980)

UltimateLazer Report

#17

1979 Ad For London Transit Showing How The City Would Look If Built By American Planners

1979 Ad For London Transit Showing How The City Would Look If Built By American Planners

morganmonroe81 Report

#18

Drunk Driving Ad, London... I'm Going To Say 1930's? Sorry For The Light Reflection!

Drunk Driving Ad, London... I'm Going To Say 1930's? Sorry For The Light Reflection!

Terminian Report

This one simple ad initiated a whole industry that soon embarked on a journey to change the world. The 20th century was the time when advertising started flourishing and is considered to be the golden era of advertising. You see, things took a whole new turn when radio stations and television came into play, Joshi wrote. It almost seemed like the industry sparked a movement that took a huge part in society – basically taking on a cultural status.

#19

How To Carry 20 Megabytes Of Data Around In 1985

How To Carry 20 Megabytes Of Data Around In 1985

reddit.com Report

#20

"The Day My Kid Went Punk... What Do You Do When Your Bright, Loveable, Talented Kid Turns Into A Punker Overnight?" - Abc Afterschool Special, Oct. 23, 1987

"The Day My Kid Went Punk... What Do You Do When Your Bright, Loveable, Talented Kid Turns Into A Punker Overnight?" - Abc Afterschool Special, Oct. 23, 1987

DiosMioMan63 Report

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Nathaniel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My parents gave me the punk vaccine so I did not suffer this particular malady.

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#21

Drummond Sweaters - 1967

Drummond Sweaters - 1967

PioneerStandard Report

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Nathaniel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For some inexplicable reason I want to purchase the top right and bottom left items.

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With the radio and television, ads started becoming more personal. Companies began directly reaching into the minds of consumers, trying to boost their sales and ask them to try out their goods and services. "Radio advertising was launched in 1922 and was a big hit, allowing businesses to convey their unique selling propositions (USP) directly to consumers. Advertisers started paying radio stations to broadcast advertisements to their listening audience."

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#24

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”

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”

Paul-Belgium Report

Joshi continued that radio ads were quickly followed by TV advertising, with the first television commercial airing in 1941. "Bulova Watch Company aired the first TV commercial, which was ten seconds long and seen by 4,000 people in New York," who were all reading one message, "America runs on Bulova time." This might seem like a small moment, but it set the precedent for the next seventy years. It inspired new ideas in the industry, and organizations started investing heavily in promoting their brand’s value and mission and engaging their target audience.

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#27

Save Wild Life. 1975

Save Wild Life. 1975

Dhorlin Report

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As you probably can guess, then came the colorful days of the internet, which simply changed our lives. Joshi wrote that as the use of the web became more widespread, advertisers began focusing more on digital ads. Well, we're all well aware of that by being consistently bombarded with ads at any given time of the day. However, it's hard to deny the benefits the creation of technology brought to our lives. After all, it also provides us with the opportunity to flip through the pages of history and take a peek at the visuals that can tell us a lot about what ideas and attitudes prospered at the time.

#29

1/2 Page Converse Ad Scanned In From A 1984 Playboy Magazine, I Just Read It For The Ads

1/2 Page Converse Ad Scanned In From A 1984 Playboy Magazine, I Just Read It For The Ads

mikeyRamone Report

#30

Mcdonald’s, 1987 Ad

Mcdonald’s, 1987 Ad

Paul-Belgium Report

#31

Really, Really Excited About Hot Dogs (1950s)

Really, Really Excited About Hot Dogs (1950s)

MetaHelvetica Report

#32

No, K Mart, No

No, K Mart, No

Dreams_of_Eagles Report

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Nimues Child
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know whether to laugh or facepalm. Upvote for the caption.

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#33

Remember When Brach’s Pick A Mix Was The Best Thing About Going To The Grocery Store? (1970s)

Remember When Brach’s Pick A Mix Was The Best Thing About Going To The Grocery Store? (1970s)

DiosMioMan2 Report

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Nimues Child
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I met Mr. Brach as a young child (he was a donor to the college where my dad worked). He thoughtfully gave this six-year-old a child-sized jackknife with his name inscribed on it.

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#34

The Establishment Wig, 1968

The Establishment Wig, 1968

reddit.com Report

#35

1977 Sears Catalog

1977 Sears Catalog

morganmonroe81 Report

#36

"When In Quarantine; People Who Are In Quarantine Are Not Isolated If They Have A Bell Telephone" - Bell Telephone Ad, November 17, 1910

"When In Quarantine; People Who Are In Quarantine Are Not Isolated If They Have A Bell Telephone" - Bell Telephone Ad, November 17, 1910

FNaXQ Report

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They’re not wrong. Except for the fact that not everybody had a phone back then, and using the neighbor’s phone kinda ran counter to the idea of isolating.

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#37

Schlitz "Don't Worry Darling, You Didn't Burn The Beer!" 1950's

Schlitz "Don't Worry Darling, You Didn't Burn The Beer!" 1950's

susierabbit Report

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Nathaniel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone is going to find themselves with a pan wrapped around his head.

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#38

“It’s Almost Like Having Another Lover There With The Two Of You”

“It’s Almost Like Having Another Lover There With The Two Of You”

MrCarnality Report

#39

Simpsons Newspaper Ad (1991)

Simpsons Newspaper Ad (1991)

GrapeJelly_ Report

#42

Toll Booth Quarter Gun (1962)

Toll Booth Quarter Gun (1962)

GymbagDarrel Report

#43

70’s Ad For Asbestos

70’s Ad For Asbestos

morganmonroe81 Report

#44

Matchbook Ad For Camp Wandawega In Elkhorn, Wi

Matchbook Ad For Camp Wandawega In Elkhorn, Wi

50thStreetInc Report

#46

Garfield Telephone By Tyco (1978)

Garfield Telephone By Tyco (1978)

TaimSolas Report

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Saint Thomas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fun fact : Garfield phones have been washing up on the beaches of Finistère (France) for more than 3 decades. A shipping cargo lost a container full of them. The container is stuck in an underwater cave, and it's impossible to retrieve it.

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#47

Yes, These Are Telephones. Created By The Ericsson Company Of Sweden In The 1940s, Marketed In The 1950s

Yes, These Are Telephones. Created By The Ericsson Company Of Sweden In The 1940s, Marketed In The 1950s

50thStreetInc Report

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River Webb
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"why does mummy always tell us to leave the room whenever the phone rings?"

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#48

Kickin Jeans

Kickin Jeans

MrZombified Report

#49

Cellophane (1954): Better Living Through Chemistry

Cellophane (1954): Better Living Through Chemistry

PhilThecoloreds Report

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Nathaniel
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So much wrong here but....the stork is so freaky looking right?

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#50

Lose Weight With Pure Sugar! (1950s)

Lose Weight With Pure Sugar! (1950s)

50thStreetInc Report

Note: this post originally had 106 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.