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This Online Group Shares 50 Funny And Weird Vintage Ads And Most Of Them Hilariously Failed The Test Of Time
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.
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Superman Against Racism/Discrimination Ad Circa 1950
LEGO (1981)
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!!!
Bacardi Rum Ad, 1983
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.
Homosexuals Are Different, Mattachine Society Of New York, 1960
They All Got Vaccine Except Dad - Workbench Magazine - 1958
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.
An Unusually Progressive Seagrams Ad, Circa 1970s
This one is quite sensible, even if it comes from a company that produced alcohol. The final advice is sound.
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.
Philips (Netherlands, 1951)
Best Buy, 1999
American, 1885
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.
1978 Star Wars Vaccination Ad
Electricity Was New Once. These Signs Were Mostly In Hotel Rooms And Other Public Places
Jester Wools (1947, UK)
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."
1934 Ad By The ‘Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals’
Beauty Is More Then Skin Deep, Cordless Massager, Anthony Enterprises, 1971
Walgreens even sells very good ones, so I hear....
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This was my post on Reddit, I'm a HUGE fan of vintage ads. Check out the sub on Reddit, it's got so many fabulous ads!
Some guys might be offended by the 4 and 1/2 inch model being labeled "mini". ..Not me, of course, but some guys. :)
Most especially when "used with your favorite lotion or creams" this was so spot on! 😜
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Legit question: with that shape, what else would that possibly be use for?? I don't normally massage my neck or back with a cucumber 🤷♀️
I mean, ads back then were intentionally discreet. It was obviously designed with that in mind. The wording also was intentionally chosen to promote the real use of the product without being direct.
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The jig is up. My mom had this and even being a little kid knowing LITERALLY NOTHING, still based on how and where she stored it and that we never saw it, I thought it was kinda sussy. 🤔
Hmmm. Yep. Wonder how popular the 10" massager was? And did any of the ladies ask if it came in black?
"Yes excuse me, do you perhaps have an ultra deluxe massager? A horse massager perhaps?"
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I think the phrase "more than Skin deep" was a subtle hint for its real use
I remember seeing one of these as a kid had no idea what it was n it smelled funny
That's animal cruelty! Keep them in a fish bowl or something
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I'm old enough to remember mail order catalogues, and being very confused as why women would want to massage their faces with objects like this... oh to be 7 years old again... and so naive...
When I was little I found one in my moms room, I asked about it and she said the same as the ad..
Anthony Enterprises: We all know women who r single would love our product😏
and for some reason, they are always massaging their face with these. Are there no instructions?!
Oh, no. These have been around a long, long time. The first vibrator was invented in the 19th century for "doctors" to use to treat "hysteria" in women. A non-existent psychological illness thought to be caused by a "wandering uterus." Apparently an orgasm was supposed to fix the problem!
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They found wooden or ivory "massagers" in the walls of houses being renovated on Nantucket. Whalers be all like at sea for years.
(sigh) They had the slogan right there in the ad to copy from and still got it wrong.
And just so people didn't get their expectations up, they had a 4.5-inch one.
Maybe not relaxation, but bring orgasmic contraction 😄
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That hand doesn't look like her hand - does it? I'm imagining some sort of random picture of a young lady and the hand plus device were edited in. Hopefully she got a good laugh if she saw the ad and if I'm right.
Volkswagen Beetle, 1965
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.
"The Closest Some Of Us Will Ever Get To Heaven" -- World Trade Center (1980)
1979 Ad For London Transit Showing How The City Would Look If Built By American Planners
Drunk Driving Ad, London... I'm Going To Say 1930's? Sorry For The Light Reflection!
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.
How To Carry 20 Megabytes Of Data Around In 1985
"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
Drummond Sweaters - 1967
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."
Pan American Airlines (1956)
New York Pizza Burger (1980s)
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”
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.
Eat Ironized Yeast (1930s)
Save Wild Life. 1975
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.
1/2 Page Converse Ad Scanned In From A 1984 Playboy Magazine, I Just Read It For The Ads
Mcdonald’s, 1987 Ad
Really, Really Excited About Hot Dogs (1950s)
No, K Mart, No
Remember When Brach’s Pick A Mix Was The Best Thing About Going To The Grocery Store? (1970s)
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.
The Establishment Wig, 1968
1977 Sears Catalog
"When In Quarantine; People Who Are In Quarantine Are Not Isolated If They Have A Bell Telephone" - Bell Telephone Ad, November 17, 1910
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.
Schlitz "Don't Worry Darling, You Didn't Burn The Beer!" 1950's
“It’s Almost Like Having Another Lover There With The Two Of You”
Simpsons Newspaper Ad (1991)
American Airlines, 1971
Toll Booth Quarter Gun (1962)
70’s Ad For Asbestos
Matchbook Ad For Camp Wandawega In Elkhorn, Wi
Gay Boy Tobacco 1890
Garfield Telephone By Tyco (1978)
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.
Yes, These Are Telephones. Created By The Ericsson Company Of Sweden In The 1940s, Marketed In The 1950s
"why does mummy always tell us to leave the room whenever the phone rings?"
Kickin Jeans
Cellophane (1954): Better Living Through Chemistry
Lose Weight With Pure Sugar! (1950s)
Note: this post originally had 106 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Quite a few of these weren't fails. And before we get too condescending, twenty years from now people will be looking back at us and laughing.
The title is wrong. I'd say most of these passed the test of time. Which is pretty rare when viewing vintage ads.
Anyone noticed how lot of this ads say "send XX for catalogue." You literally have to pay to get catalogue. Now they just keep on coming uninvited.
I remember those days,but you could, also, sometimes get free info , by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the company and they would use your envelope to send you info /price lists.
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It has only now occurred to me that I posed as a child in a catalogue so I can only count the years and pray I don't end up on one of these kinds of lists.
You want to see an ad that aged REALLY badly? Look up the Fairy Soap ad from 1912. You can't wash away the racism!
Quite a few of these weren't fails. And before we get too condescending, twenty years from now people will be looking back at us and laughing.
The title is wrong. I'd say most of these passed the test of time. Which is pretty rare when viewing vintage ads.
Anyone noticed how lot of this ads say "send XX for catalogue." You literally have to pay to get catalogue. Now they just keep on coming uninvited.
I remember those days,but you could, also, sometimes get free info , by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the company and they would use your envelope to send you info /price lists.
Load More Replies... It has only now occurred to me that I posed as a child in a catalogue so I can only count the years and pray I don't end up on one of these kinds of lists.
You want to see an ad that aged REALLY badly? Look up the Fairy Soap ad from 1912. You can't wash away the racism!
