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118 Retro Advertisements That Show How Much Things Have Changed
Interview With Expert
Some people may call them outdated, but vintage ads have a charm you won’t find in today’s bulletins or posters. They evoke a vibe that reminds those who lived it of a much simpler time, while introducing younger folks to what things looked like decades ago.
Check out some of the examples we’ve collected from this Facebook group, an online community all about vintage advertisements. It currently has just over 403,000 members, thriving on pure nostalgia.
We’ve collected some of the best images for a blast from the past today. Be sure to upvote those that catch your eye!
This post may include affiliate links.
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#2
Sally Moen 7 hours ago
Paint colors being advertised haven't really changed much than what is being shown here. It's all "Admire our new color for this year, look how well it shows off your living room!"
#3
Brandi VanSteenwyk 10 hours ago
As Americans, this was a "taste of the Orient." Little did we know that no decent, upstanding Cantonese (or surrounding countries/cultures) person would eat anything of this sort. They have taste.
The one common theme in these retro ads is that they all came about during a time when today’s technology was far from being developed. As cultural historian Allen J. Wiener tells Bored Panda, “print media filled the idle hours of the youth.”
“The post-World War II generation of kids was the first to have disposable income, making them a plum target for advertising,” Wiener said. “Comic books were particularly popular with kids and were illustrated with hand-drawn art from cover to the final page, with advertising typically appearing on the back cover, where sellers could provide everything from BB guns to ant ranches by mail.”
#9
Lyone Fein 1 hour ago
This is really well made. It is like the designer’s menu of MCM all on one page.
Looking at these ads in 2026 is essentially peering into a window to the past. According to digital marketing professional Victoria Morais, they provide clues about social hierarchies, ideals of home life, and design trends at the time.
“Suburban kitchens were elaborate sets; color televisions starred; men were strong; and women were homebound. And like popular culture, they mask power dynamics in a message of aspiration,” she said.
#10
Daniel Atkins 6 hours ago
My grandparents would eat these. We grew up on the farm and called them hay bales.
One thing that may not be as noticeable in these ads is the gender-targeting. Wiener says that children's publications directed to young males featured boys engaging in activities that included the advertised product.
The same thing applied to female-centric comics like Little Lulu, which showed more ads for trinkets that appealed to young girls.
#13
#15
Stephanie Did It 4 hours ago
I absolutely love this movie. Betty Hutton's physical strength and presence is astounding.
There was also racial segregation at the time, which, according to Wiener, also showed in the ads. He notes that, save for a few publications that cater to African-Americans, most of the advertisements during the time were predominantly white.
“Except for a few Black-oriented publications (Jet and Ebony come to mind), which distributors rarely sold in predominantly white neighborhoods, all of the figures in these ads were white, whether in photographs or sketch art,” Wiener pointed out.
#18
Rose the Cook 5 hours ago
Our first TV as a child in Australia, never worked properly. It was continually out of order. I distinctly remember a repair man sitting on the floor reading "How to fix your Admiral TV."
During a time when print media was king, advertisers had limited tools for disseminating information. However, these creative constraints assured that quality was on point.
“The hand-rendered lithography and succinct copywriting meant that the key visual and verbal elements of the campaign needed to be clear, compelling, coherent, and united in purpose,” Morais said. “I see each day how constraints can both clarify and magnify a story.”
#20
Sally Moen 7 hours ago
TIL that FTD stood for Floral Telegraph Delivery. And is see Mercury is being used as the symbol for speed
#21
Sally Moen 7 hours ago
The ice cream man would drive his little truck (converted post-office trucks were common) playing Turkey in the Straw to summon customers and most of the offerings were this company's products, so you really could get a Popsicle for about 25 cents.[1960s western US] It's a different thing nowadays, some of those frozen treats are 5 dollars.
#25
#26
Sally Moen 7 hours ago
When I first saw this bottle I thought it said Pineapple Catsup, which might be something from the Philippines, like Banana Catsup
#31
Liz Rutherford 4 hours ago
I have the one at the bottom right. Found it at a flea market a few years ago. Paid $15 bucks. The wiring was updated and it still works. I use it to listen to my Cubs.
#32
Sally Moen 7 hours ago
The reason you don't see, or very rarely see, those pull-tabs on beverage cans is that they were dangerous to wildlife. I can't remember if birds got them stuck in their throats or what. Also the edges were sharp and they could cut your feet up if you stepped on one
#34
Stephanie Did It 3 hours ago
🎶You can trust your car to the man who wears the star, the big bright Texaco staarrr! 🎶
#36
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 53 minutes ago
For some reason it now seems funny to have called it "toilet soap."
#39
Stephanie Did It 3 hours ago
Jane Jetson had one. If she was messy when a call came through, she had fully made-up and coiffed masks on a stick to hold in front of the screen. I'll never Facetime until I get those.
#40
#42
#46
Bill Swallow 2 hours ago
As opposed to 'Carling Black Label' beer. "Yoo-Hoo! Mabel! Black Label..."
#48
Gingersnap In Iowa 4 hours ago
I have a Love-Pat compact that my grandma gave me when she had used it up, so I could play dress up. 🥰
#50
Bill Swallow 2 hours ago
That convertible on the bottom looks like it could fit six bodies in the trunk. Lay 'em in there like cord wood.
#57
#60
Stephanie Did It 3 hours ago (edited)
We grew up with these. One bump and there went your drink!
#62
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 8 hours ago
I LOVED the Mister Softee ice cream man when I was little!
#64
#65
Liz Rutherford 4 hours ago
The only thing my paternal grandmother used was good old fashioned lard. She thought Crisco was for sissies.
#66
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 43 minutes ago
"It's a grinder - it's a juicer - it's a mixer" reminds me of SNL - "It's a floor wax! It's a dessert topping!"
#67
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 8 hours ago
I can hear this ad in my head. I have to give it to some of the jingle writers - those things will stick with you over the years.
#69
Der Kommissar 8 hours ago
Unsafe at any speed. Chevy also made a Monza, which was a sportier version of the death trap Corvair.
#70
Gingersnap In Iowa 4 hours ago
We had one of these markers in a kitchen drawer when I was growing up. I STILL remember the smell!
#72
Bill Swallow 2 hours ago
Oh, God, I remember reading articles about this in 1950s-vintage Popular Science magazines. As I recall, it worked like an 'Invisible Fence' for dogs - you had to bury a wire around the perimeter of your lawn.
#74
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 8 hours ago
In this friendly, freedom-loving land we stuck way too many fish in this tiny fish tank.
#75
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 8 hours ago
I must admit that I was totally in love with Chef Boy-ar-dee when I was a little girl and wanted to marry him. I loved the little pizza kit he put out where you could make your own little pizzas. I LOVE you, Chef Boy-ar-dee!!!!
#77
Stephanie Did It 2 hours ago
When a shoe salesman with a stay-at-home wife and three kids could afford the house, the car, and the stereo.
#79
#81
Stephanie Did It 2 hours ago
Is the money-back guarantee still good after it goes through a window?
#84
#85
#89
Der Kommissar 8 hours ago
The men behind the counter were known as soda jerks. As a child, I always wondered why they would hire jerks.
#91
#92
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 8 hours ago
This is where the phrase "Gag me with a spoon" originated.
#93
WindySwede 9 hours ago
"Methyprylon was withdrawn from the US market in June 1975 and the Canadian market in September 1990. Some other trade names are Noctan and Dimerin." - wiki
#94
#98
Stephanie Did It 3 hours ago (edited)
I see this and imagine the agony of having an overactive bladder.
#101
#102
Stephanie Did It 2 hours ago (edited)
I had a family member who worked at the airport when I was a child. They brought home the inner tubes from the front wheels of aircraft. They had the air valves Vulcanized and moved to the outer side, and we learned to swim with airplane tubes like fat belts around our waists. NOT the safest way to learn, but we swam like otters!
#107
Gingersnap In Iowa 4 hours ago
Not to brag but I got 2 boxes of chocolate for Valentine's Day and one of those was a Whitman's Sampler.
#109
Deson Bowenford 9 hours ago
A Stingray. I used to have one of those beasts. Man I miss it now. Then again I miss the knees I had then too.
#111
Liz Rutherford 4 hours ago
Is that a bird? And she going to put it in the microwave? What kind of sadist is she?
#115
Liz Rutherford 4 hours ago
My uncle smoked Pall Mall unfiltered. Surprisingly, he died of lung cancer.
#116
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What do you think ?
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 8 hours ago
This was fun. I am sure it was quite American-centered, but since I grew up there, it brought back some great memories. Thanks!
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 8 hours ago
This was fun. I am sure it was quite American-centered, but since I grew up there, it brought back some great memories. Thanks!
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