Category:
1960s
1960s
Live Beetle Brooch
A living beetle, encased in a silver girdle, worn as a brooch. It was said to be “the rage of high-fashion Europe” in the early 1960s. With proper care, this living brooch supposedly would survive from two to six years.I don't think a beetle would suffer by being worn as a brooch. Would it even care if it was being fed well? Even so, I'm guessing that living jewelry wouldn't go over well nowadays. Though that's no great loss to the world of fashion.
Toronto National Post - Dec 8, 1962
Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 10, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Insects and Spiders, Jewelry, 1960s
Suntan Suzy Doll
Suntan Suzy was a doll that would develop a tan if you put her in the sunlight. Back in the shade, her tan would fade. She came on the market in 1962, but lasted only one season. As far as I can tell, she was the only doll that has ever had the ability to tan.
Arizona Republic - Nov 23, 1962
image source: worthpoint
The chemistry responsible for producing the tanning effect is described in Patent No. 2,921,407 (Jan 19, 1960) – “Simulating Sunburning Toy Dolls and Figurines”:
0.5 gram of mercuric bis-dithizonate having the following structural formula was dissolved in 1000 grams of dioctyl phthalate.
1550 grams of a high molecular weight polyvinyl chloride polymer, in powdered form, were dispersed in this solution by stirring for ten to fifteen minutes. The latter material was specifically Bakelite Company QYNV polymer. Thus a plastisol formulation containing the phototropic dye dissolved in the liquid dioctyl phthalate (plasticizer phase) was obtained. About 120 grams of this plastisol formulation were then poured into a two piece steel mold, this having its inner surface previously coated with a silicone oil release film. This was then placed in an oven at 140 degrees centigrade and held at this temperature for eight minutes to allow solution of the polyvinyl chloride polymer phase. The mold and contents were then removed from the oven, cooled to room temperature, and the now solid form of the doll figure removed.
The figure thus produced was transparent and red in color. Upon exposure to sunlight a progressive darkening to a brown, then blue-black color occurred during a period of about three to four minutes, simulating a “sunburning” effect. When the doll was shielded from the sun a return to the original color took place, being visually complete after a period of eight to ten minutes. This action was repeatable with no detectable change in functional characteristics being noted after several dozen cycles.
1550 grams of a high molecular weight polyvinyl chloride polymer, in powdered form, were dispersed in this solution by stirring for ten to fifteen minutes. The latter material was specifically Bakelite Company QYNV polymer. Thus a plastisol formulation containing the phototropic dye dissolved in the liquid dioctyl phthalate (plasticizer phase) was obtained. About 120 grams of this plastisol formulation were then poured into a two piece steel mold, this having its inner surface previously coated with a silicone oil release film. This was then placed in an oven at 140 degrees centigrade and held at this temperature for eight minutes to allow solution of the polyvinyl chloride polymer phase. The mold and contents were then removed from the oven, cooled to room temperature, and the now solid form of the doll figure removed.
The figure thus produced was transparent and red in color. Upon exposure to sunlight a progressive darkening to a brown, then blue-black color occurred during a period of about three to four minutes, simulating a “sunburning” effect. When the doll was shielded from the sun a return to the original color took place, being visually complete after a period of eight to ten minutes. This action was repeatable with no detectable change in functional characteristics being noted after several dozen cycles.
It seems like an interesting gimmick for a doll. Curious it never caught on.
Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 07, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Inventions, Patents, Toys, 1960s
Frustration Room
In 1962, the Imperial Inn in Chicago opened a “frustration room.” It was a room that people could rent to vent their frustrations. They were supplied with dishes, lamps, furniture, and light bulbs, and they were invited to hurl these against the wall of the room. On the wall were pictures of policemen and politicians, among other things. The hotel manager noted, “there is a chance that someone might get carried away, and unwind so far that he needs to wind himself back up again. So as a special precaution we have a straight jacket available for anybody who goes berserk.”
Pittsburgh Press - Aug 19, 1962
Opelousas Daily World - July 15, 1962
Posted By: Alex - Mon Feb 03, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Emotions, Hotels, 1960s
Shave-O-Mat
Harry Thalheim believed that “a need has existed for a long time for a shaving emporium where people may shave cheaply and rapidly at all hours of the day and night.” So, in 1964 he patented the Shave-O-Mat (US Patent No. 3,120,886). It was a coin-operated shave-yourself establishment, open 24 hours a day.Did this address some kind of market need in the 1960s? Were there men who, in the middle of the night, really wanted to shave but couldn’t?
I'm guessing not, because, as far as I can tell, Thalheim's Shave-O-Mat never opened.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 02, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Patents, 1960s, Hair and Hairstyling
The Beatlettes
Mystery queens of Beat music! No one knows who the Beattle-ettes were. They were one more answer record knocked off responding to the maelstrom of the Beatles' invasion of New York in 1964. (It was rushed out so fast, in fact, that they got the spelling of the boys' name wrong, with an extra 'T'!) But it is sure that they were produced by "Shadow" Morton just before his breakout success with the fabulous Shangri-La's. Because of this, and the definite New York moxie of the singers, many believe it might actually be the Shangs! This would be cool as all hell, of course, but no one knows for sure. What we do know is this is a rockin' two minutes of punky Beat music that sticks in your head all day.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 31, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Music, Homages, Pastiches, Tributes and Borrowings, 1960s
What was under Beetle Bailey’s cap?
According to Brian Chapman, over at the Legends & Rumors blog, Beetle Bailey was arguably “the syndicated comic strip most often copied in underground and anti-war papers during the Vietnam War era.” And the most-copied strip from Beetle Bailey was one that originated as a satire in Mad magazine. It was popular because it revealed what was under Beetle Bailey’s cap: a message written on his forehead saying, “Get out of Vietnam.”Brian traces the many publications that this particular strip appeared in. Along the way, the strip was frequently redrawn, and eventually new forehead messages were substituted, such as "Go to hell Lifer" or "FTAF" (F the Air Force).
The original strip, from Mad magazine (Apr 1969)
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 30, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Comics, 1960s
Khrushchev’s Top Secret Coloring Book
Finally, some artwork that might amuse the Soviet dictator, from the great Jack Davis.Buy your copy through the link below.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 30, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Art, Dictators, Tyrants and Other Harsh Rulers, Books, 1960s
Fizz Bowling
A drinking game of the 1960s, invented at European ski lodges:
The Montana Standard - Feb 10, 1963
A few more details from the Akron Beacon Journal (Feb 6, 1963):
Latest sport catching on with the ski crowd at smart Winter spas is "fizz bowling." A large grapefruit serves as a bowling ball and the player bowls at full gin bottles instead of pins... player then drinks contents of all pins left standing. Each player is allowed a "handicap" number of bottles he must knock down.
Some googling reveals that it's now possible to buy gin bottles shaped like bowling pins. Available from Amazon for $18.99 (empty, you add your own gin). However, they're made of glass, so probably not great for fizz bowling.
I'm guessing the people back in the 60s were playing with minis, rather than full-size bottles.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jan 29, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Games, Sports, 1960s, Alcohol
Magazine for the nearsighted
The magazine Leisure debuted in 1963. It was distributed exclusively at barbershops and featured articles intended to be of interest to male readers, on subjects such as hunting, fishing, boating, camping, golf, skiing, travel, hobbies, photography, etc. But what made the magazine unique was that all the articles were printed in extra large type. This was so that barbershop customers who took off their glasses to get their hair cut could still read the magazine.I’ve found several newspaper articles referencing the existence of this magazine, but I haven’t been able to find any copies of it archived anywhere. It doesn’t even appear in library databases.
Eureka Humboldt Standard - Sep 18, 1963
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jan 24, 2020 -
Comments (4)
Category: Magazines, 1960s, Eyes and Vision
Eefin Music
NPR’s Jennifer Sharpe has defined eefin music as "a kind of hiccupping, rhythmic wheeze that started in rural Tennessee more than 100 years ago."Back in the early 1960s, some in the record industry thought that eefin was going to be the next big thing. Though the hopes for it never panned out. The biggest eefin hit was "Little Eefin Annie" by Joe Perkins, which reached #76 in the charts in 1963.
But if you're a fan of Benny Hill, you might appreciate the song 'Eefin Nanny Stomp,' released in 1960 by Billy Hutch His Harmonica And Orchestra. You can clearly hear the Benny Hill theme (Yakety Sax) during parts of it.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 23, 2020 -
Comments (5)
Category: Music, 1960s
| Who We Are |
|---|
| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |