1970s
The Kids from C.A.P.E.R.
Wikipedia entry here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 31, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Music, Television, Homages, Pastiches, Tributes and Borrowings, 1970s, Comedians
The egg on the head scam
San Francisco Examiner - Dec 22, 1974
Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 29, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Frauds, Cons and Scams, 1970s
In three weeks he may be dead…
Look at Bambi lying in a field. Bambi will be dead soon.
Sports Illustrated - July 1970
Coincidentally, this ad appeared within a year of the release of the classic animated short "Bambi Meets Godzilla." Perhaps the ad men had seen Marv Newland's film. Newland went into advertising after making his film, so it's at least possible.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 28, 2024 -
Comments (3)
Category: Advertising, Cartoons, 1960s, 1970s
“Dude” on Broadway
One of the most spectacular theatrical bombs. Read the full story here.
And also here, with more pix.
The Wikipedia page.
I am going to include some quotes from the 1972 NYT article on this massive failure, but the whole piece is behind their paywall.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 19, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Success & Failure, Theater and Stage, 1970s
Most Beautiful Ear
In 1975, the Koss Corporations (maker of headphones) sponsored a "most beautiful ear" contest. Unlike most beauty contests, it was open to both men and women. Nor was overall attractiveness even considered. Entrants were judged on an earprint that they submitted.
Des Moines Register - Oct 15, 1975
The eventual winner, out of more than 3000 entrants, was Mrs. Lloyd Borne of Binghamton, New York.
Roanoke Times - March 3, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 10, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, 1970s
The youngest person to bicycle across the United States
In 1973, 11-year-old Becky Gorton bicycled from Olympia, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts in 47 days. She was accompanied by her entire family. Though her dad (who was attorney general of Washington) got hit by a car en route, so he had to complete part of the journey in a car.
Becky Gorton and her family at the end of their trip.
Longview Daily News - July 21, 1973
The feat earned her a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest person ever to bicycle coast-to-coast. But since then Guinness seems to have stopped tracking this record. Probably because it didn't want to encourage ever younger children to attempt the feat.
However, younger people definitely have subsequently biked across the country. Though it's difficult to say who's officially the current record holder.
In 2014, 9-year-old C.J. Burford got some publicity for biking cross-country. But I don't think he set the record because in 1995 8-year-old Starr Moss was reported as having biked across the country with his 13-year-old brother.
The SF Chronicle article about their feat never mentioned that Starr set a record. So perhaps there's someone even younger who managed to do it.
If this is the same Starr Moss, he's now, appropriately, working as a "Bike Share Planner" for Lyft.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 01, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, World Records, 1970s
Mystery Illustration 114
What is unique about this PEANUTS cartoon?The answer is here.
Or after the jump.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 28, 2024 -
Comments (1)
Category: Comics, 1970s
Don Ellis, “Hey Jude”
His Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jul 27, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Music, Avant Garde, 1970s
English Chemist’s Secret Formulation
Transform from a "fat & lonely" cartoon into a "slim & desirable" photograph in 3 days.It's got my vote for the best before-and-after figures of any weight-loss ad.
Daily Mirror - Mar 25, 1972
Posted By: Alex - Fri Jul 19, 2024 -
Comments (0)
Category: Advertising, 1970s, Dieting and Weight Loss
A vulgar tip to save gas
In 1974, the UK's South East Gas Board (SEGAS) solicited gas-saving tips from the public. It awarded prizes of £10 to those who offered the best tips and published their tips in a full-page ad.Conservative politician John Stokes subsequently denounced the ad as "deplorably vulgar and in the worst possible taste."
Can you figure out why? The answer is in extended.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 17, 2024 -
Comments (2)
Category: Censorship, Bluenoses, Taboos, Prohibitions and Other Cultural No-No’s, Public Utilities, Advertising, 1970s
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| 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 |