40 Fascinating, Funny, And Bizarre Vintage Ads That Show How Marketing Worked Back In The Day
The landscapes of advertising and marketing have undergone immense changes over the decades. But it’s only when you see images of products and services from the past that you truly begin to understand just how much the world has evolved.
‘Old School Ads’ is a social media project that does exactly what it says on the tin. Its curator shares vintage and retro advertisements that shed light on the past in a way you might not have seen before. We’ve collected some of the best, weirdest, confusing, timeless, and even outdated ads to share with you, and you’ll find them below.
This post may include affiliate links.
1976 - Jose Cuervo
Watch out where the huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow!
Load More Replies...1964 - Naacp
Although do not vote Democrat as your vote will be discarded as you are obviously a plant trying to overturn the democratic process of making sure Donald Trump wins.
I fully believe he didn't actually win this election, like his first. Voting machine company owned by Musk? Okay.
Load More Replies...We've got compulsory voting in Australia. Nothing frightens an American more.
Isn't it a fineable offense in some countries for registered voters to not vote?
It is in Turkey. A little less than the equivalent of USD 10 if I'm not mistaken.
Load More Replies...Urging people of color to vote wouldn't fly today? Well, yeah, given Trump's fasc1st dictatorship.
1958 - Swanson TV Dinners
I was gonna say that too. They werent too shaby and actually close to filling. Did you also burn the heck out of your mouth with the desert, iirc it was usually apple pie? OHH and you had to actually use the oven, i even had gi joe metal table tray things..
Load More Replies...Fun Fact: Tucker Carlson is heir to the Swanson Family Fortune. One of the most hateful talking heads on TV owes everything to frozen turkey dinner.
I miss those ,for some reason they tasted way better in those tin trays then they do in the plastic ones they have now
even today's TV dinners taste better when cooked in the oven.
Load More Replies...And No microwaves! All was foil, had to use the oven. Miss those TV tray tables too!
My 3 squares a day as a 70s child. Best friend was the TV. I walked home from school about 3 miles, over creeks, down by a cemetary. No one kidnapped me. No one wanted me 😭😭😭😆😆😆
Nostalgia is big business, and lots of companies are trying to capitalize on it. When things get tough, and the world doesn’t seem to make much sense, it’s natural to think back and reminisce about the good old days. Usually, they coincide with a period of time when you were young, happy, carefree, and the world seemed simple.
And though nostalgia has lots of benefits, like making you more resilient and boosting your optimism, there are downsides, too. For one, you might miss out on great opportunities in the present if all you ever do is yearn for the past.
1969 - Sesame Street
My mom took my brothers and me to see Captain Kangaroo in person! Mr. Greenjeans was there too!
Load More Replies...One two three four five six seven eight! Hum along if you remember the tune!
One,two,three,four,five. Six,seven,eight,nine,ten..eleven,TWELVE!
Load More Replies...1960 - Kodak
Emmett was popular and loved. This was before TV and horror movies started demonizing clowns. People even collected clown figurines. I miss the old clowns, including wonderful Red Skelton.
Not at all sinister! The depressed hobo clown makes the advert so much better!
Emmett Kelly was a particularly popular tv clown with hobo looks that was essentially a mime. If you find a clown painting of his character, it may well be painted by him, and be worth good money.
Red Skelton also painted many clown portraits, also quite valuable.
Load More Replies...1950 - Cheez-It
Puritans in the stocks for being 'sinful' enjoying a snack.
Load More Replies...As the University of Florida notes, nostalgia and thinking back to positive memories offer a host of potential benefits, including building your self-esteem, helping you find meaning in life, and making you happy
What’s more, it can also encourage you to live more authentically, as you remind yourself to stay true to your values, no matter how much time has passed.
1967 - Sony
1981 - Bell System
I remember when your phone bill was based on how many calls you made, to where, and how long you talked.
I remember when my grandmother would talk about the cost of calling long distance and it was actually quite expensive in her day.
Load More Replies...I remember when you did not have to dial the area code unless you were calling long fod8
1989 - Nike Air
I had a "Bo Knows" sticker that was the prize in a box of Cherrios. Oh memories.
Load More Replies...1. Some ads and photos are deliberately done in black and white so that you focus on shadows, which emphasizes things like muscles in this case. 2. Because the shoe is also in black and white, I think this ad placement was a black and white spot. In a given publication, only some pages would be designated four color (all color) while others would be spot or black+1. Because certain pages couldn't run color, those ad spaces would typically be sold at a lower price. So this double truck (two facing pages) would be more affordable when done in black and white on pages where color wasn't being printed. Digital presses have largely removed cost savings of having some publication pages be black and white only, I think.
Load More Replies...However, in terms of downsides, nostalgia can hinder your personal growth and increase your anxiety. “When we become too attached to certain memories, it can be hard to embrace the present, leaving us stagnant in certain areas of our lives,” the University of Florida notes.
Furthermore, if you have a habit of worrying, then being exposed to nostalgic content can make you more anxious or sad, even if the memory is fond.
1965 - Kenner: Daddy Saddle
Basically a kid seat then. Sounds very practical, except for being plastic
1960 - Simca
Simca was a big name brand in France, back in the day. They spread out to South America, Spain, various other places - I recall them here in the UK. I've seen more Simcas here in the UK than Chryslers.
Load More Replies...I remember those cars. They held approximately 1.5 normal sized people.
One of my secondary school teachers drove one of these.
Nobody soaps windows anymore. It's pretty funny to see bubbles running off the car hood from the soap.
The witch is doing an impersonation of a pigeon...it will take ages to get off the windscreen/windshield
We had a Simca in France when my family lived there in1963, but it was tiny compared to this one.
1944 - Camels
No, but I would like the quality of my life to be as best as possible as I age. Such as, without hauling around an oxygen tank.
Load More Replies...Same cigarettesaybe, but new PTSD... new domestic violence... new alcoholism...
According to Blavity Inc., as nostalgia is trending, companies are looking to retro ads for inspiration.
“Throwback retro ads give the viewer a sense of nostalgia. Attention is at a premium and what better way to stand out than to publish visuals that help people remember a time when a single, median, full time income was sufficient to purchase a single family home.”
1938 - Guinness
The less said about the sĩck when you bring it back up, the better. I speak from experience.
Load More Replies...I wondered about vitamin G. Apparently it's been rebranded "Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2'
If you actually see a face in your beer, maybe you should stop drinking
1954 - Life Savers
Butter Scotch! Hey, remember the scene from a film where the guy fell in the water off a boat or something, and he says Throw me a life saver! And they throw him a candy life saver not the round floatation device
Musk? I wonder what the heck that tasted like. I'm guessing there's a reason it didn't stick around.
It tastes like clueless pathetic tyrannical failure, propped up by more money that a million people would need in their combined lifetimes.
Load More Replies...1979 - Yamaha
Data1001: I think the point the advert is trying to make is that the electronic organ in question is good for young and old, hip and square. It's also explaining that it's able to emulate the sound of different instruments, and has the ability to play rhythms by itself. To me, it makes perfect sense. Yamaha made musical instruments long before it got into motorcycles 😉 (I've just looked up Electone. The brand name was used for music synthesisers from 1974. Yamaha GX-1 is a notable high-end model - Benny from Abba used one).
Load More Replies...The one in glasses is the daughter, she looks older because the cost of living is so expensive it has aged her.
Ah, the electric organ! Yep, there was a short space of time when these were popular to have at home.
Yamaha still makes some of the best electric pianos.
Load More Replies...Ad: Buy this organ to be hip and have your kids want to spend time with you. Reality: If you are buying an organ, you are elderly.
Julie Rogers: come 1979, Yamaha Electone "organs" were actually synthesizers, all derived from the Yamaha GX-1 publicly released in 1975 - the GX-1 was used by Abba, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder and lots of other bang up to date acts, or at least they were bang up to date in the 1970s.
Load More Replies...What’s more, nostalgia can help reconcile consumers with who they once were with who they are right now. There’s a strong social (not just aesthetic) element within nostalgia, too.
“It can connect us to others through shared experience. We see this in how people derive warm, fuzzy feelings from recounting the ‘good ‘ol days’ with childhood friends or former classmates. This experience can help the human brain contend with the irreversibility of time. So, while there may exist a bit of bitter longing for the past, we’re comforted by the possibility of revisiting it, and in a sense, living it again,” Blavity Inc. explains.
1983 - Hbo
Not very flattering to Robin. Looks like they just randomly paused a videotape and used that image for the poster.
Honestly, this was perfect for his comedy at the time. Watch Mork and Mindy. He held ridiculous faces for long periods for laughs.
Load More Replies...1953 - Chlorodent Toothpaste
IKR? D**n Im Old. Remember Calgon, take me away? Je nate splash? Foooooooook
Load More Replies...Anyone else remember a toothpaste called Mentadent (sp?) I believe that was the name of it.
I not sure that using rodent in the name of your product is helpful.
1960 - Monster I-Scream Spoons
This is wrong. Frankenstein was the doctor's name, not the monster's name.
well the monster didn't really have a name and "frankentein's monster" wouldn't fit and also sounded lame and the kids couldn't exactly understand why unless they read the book, and they really shouldn't have at that age.
Load More Replies...Furthermore, referencing the past and focusing on the human side in advertising can be a way to signal both prestige and sophistication. This especially stands out in the context of the spread of artificial intelligence and the yearning for human connection.
That being said, the past isn’t all rosy. The cultural context and attitudes have changed a huge deal, and often for the better. A lot of the retro messaging from vintage ads wouldn’t fly in this day and age.
1955 - Olin Batteries
Nope they did it properly. It is a great night for batteries!
Load More Replies...1947 - Whitman's Sampler
My mothers mother loved these and the mint chocolates. Anytime I got an assortment of anything I saved her the mint chocolates
Load More Replies...This one had me baffled until I searched. "Whitman’s Sampler" = box of chocolates.
I have a box! Literally just the box, my grandma stored craft things in it, which I then inherited. I kind of ruined it though, by doing crafts on top of it, so there is glue and fabric paint blobs all over.
1947 - Goodyear
Except for the big gas bag currently in charge of the USA.
As per Blavity Inc., in the past, advertisements weren’t consumed as frequently as they are now. They used to be found in newspapers, magazines, bus stops, and billboards, while now they are nearly ubiquitous, including on your screens.
Ads in the past used to focus on brevity and bold design choices, which is something that could help you stand out from the crowd in the modern advertising landscape.
1978 - Connoisseur Kids
I wore those. A lot more comfortable than regular skates, but not as durable of course. I went skating recently at a roller rink and their skates all packed the bumper stop at the front. Took practice to stop by criss-cross
1956 - Curtiss Candies
RIP Curtiss. I miss the Baby Ruth sign at the factory in Franklin Park, IL.
And Baby Ruths are different now... They were my absolute favorite but something changed over the last 15 years or so (they cheaped out).
Load More Replies...Back before some mega corporation bought all the candies. Now they're all from like Mars company or something.
I hate how small bars are now, one gentle breeze and it is blown off the table.
Load More Replies...1936 - Parker Brothers
We used to have a Parker Brothers board game called Landslide, where the object was to collect electoral votes. As I recall, it was fairly entertaining. (And now I wonder if one of my siblings ended up with that game...?)
Ha! I was just thinking of this game when I saw the board with the map.
Load More Replies...That sounds as interesting as a game I had as a kid, Squatter. It was so boring that none of us got past setting it up.
‘Old School Ads’ was first created on Twitter (now known as X) in November 2013. Throughout the years, the account focused on sharing old school and vintage advertisements from all over the world.
While some of the ads are fun, lighthearted, and a little goofy, others sound incredibly tone-deaf in 2026. And some are for products and services that it’s hard to believe would be advertised in this day and age.
1964 - Ringo For President
Ringo remains all in favour of peace and love. I think you'll find there's more than one or two war-mongers around the world right now. For the sake of the gallant Ukrainians who are trying very hard to minimise Russia's invasion of Europe, I'll stick with mentioning Putin. (I apologise for the inadequate support Ukraine is receiving from Europe - but on the other hand, at least you're getting something. Sorry).
Load More Replies...1939 - Texaco
AH... imagine hibernating for winter to avoid the extortion that is heating costs.
1979 - McIlhenny Co - Tabasco Sauce
Which of these advertisements impressed or shocked you the most, dear Pandas? Were there any that you think could actually work in the modern world? On the flip side, which ones do you think are so outdated that it’s hard to believe they were ever made in the first place? Meanwhile, what are the best modern ads that you’ve seen in recent years?
What do you miss the most from your childhood? Let us know in the comments down below.
1961 - Adf Company
Gomez Addams would *never* use the phrase ~keep the little woman in line~
Load More Replies...Ah, all the freaky ads in the back of the comic books. How I wanted to send away for all that c**p!
Glass eye maker figured out a gimmick to sell more product. There is still glass eyes being sold as keychains in different colored pupils
1952 - Schlitz
That's is what made the ghosts coming back so much easier. They flew down the road, then floated back.
Load More Replies...1961 - Coca-Cola
When I was a kid,nobody, I mean nobody had a soft drink at dinner. Some relative might use it as a mixer for their liquor, but everyone else had milk or coffee. Soda pop was a special treat, I remember getting treated with a bottle of Fanta at the laundromat when we went. It's quite a difference how saturated soft drinks are in every place you go in the US.
We had Pepsi with dinner, but only on nights when homemade chili was served. It was a rare occasion.
Load More Replies...I think I see the word "s*x" written on the ice in that glass, which is typical for a magazine ad from the '60s and '70s.
Are you channeling Vance Packard's "The Hidden Persuaders"?
Load More Replies...1953 - Milky Way
1968 - Sony
There are phones and tablets with bigger screens (and sharper resolution) now.
How does one put a phone with a larger than 8" screen in one's pocket. Do they have a roll up one now?
Load More Replies...1952 - Carrier
I was trying to remember when they both had a convention together. Oh wait, they didn't, and don't
1965 - Western Electric
Aww...the push button phones that you could play little jingles on. Until the operator called your house and said to stop the nonsense. True story.
It was quite the sensation when this came out. Suddenly you didn't have the tediousness of dialing a rotary dial.
It took us years to get my mom to replace her rotary dial phone. It was so much easier and faster to use! She was just ... frugal?
Load More Replies...1971 - The Bullwinkle Watch
Who let in those two jokers in the middle of the bottom row? They could'a put in Tom Slick and Baron Otto Matic!
Better value than a Trump watch. It even has animals for Trump to identify during his so often taken cognitive tests.
W.C Fields... sounds like the area they call the Glastonbury portaloo area.
1989 - Toys "R" Us
That was a LOT of money in 1989, more than $400.00 in today's money.
OK I have to ask, if you had the chance to drive a Delorean would you do 88mph in it?
Imagine the disappointment when you get this for Christmas and realize you cannot actually ride inside it
1956 - Seagram's 7 Crown
1962 - McDonald's
1957 - S.o.s
Do an online search for bronze wool pads. They're used primarily in boatyards that service sea-going craft because they don't rust and they don't scratch polished metal surfaces.
Load More Replies...1936 - Camel
My parents were big smokers but even they didn't smoke at the dinner table. Let alone smoke five cigarettes during one meal.
How disgusting that must've made your food taste! A "palate cleanser." I think not.
Note: this post originally had 80 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Nope, can't say I have that many fond memories of a time when hauling off and whacking your kids because you were in a bad mood was considered acceptable
Load More Replies...These were not all that nostalgic for me. Think they covered too large of a time frame.
Perhaps they weren't giving you a positive feeling due to all the negative comments you left?
Load More Replies...Nope, can't say I have that many fond memories of a time when hauling off and whacking your kids because you were in a bad mood was considered acceptable
Load More Replies...These were not all that nostalgic for me. Think they covered too large of a time frame.
Perhaps they weren't giving you a positive feeling due to all the negative comments you left?
Load More Replies...
