Follies of the Madmen #266

Posted By: Paul - Sat Nov 28, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Business, Advertising, Products, 1960s, Cars

Condom Hut

Back in 1992, Emanuelle Del Vecchio had an idea for a great new business — a drive-through condom store. She called it "Condom Hut" and set up shop in a former Fotomat booth.

Unfortunately the booth was located in an area of Cranston, Rhode Island populated by very Catholic Italian-Americans, many of whom took great offense at the idea of people being able to buy birth control from the comfort of their motor vehicle.

Local residents began protesting the store. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence condemned it for "promoting sexual activity, not abstinence." A rock was thrown through its window. Graffiti was spray-painted on its front. And eventually the business folded.

America was just not ready for a drive-through condom store.

Source: People magazine - Sep 21, 1992

Source (and more info): Quahog.org

Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 13, 2015 - Comments (8)
Category: Business, Birth Control , 1990s

Follies of the Madmen #264

That young couple is stopping not to admire the tablecloth but to gawk and laugh at the grade-school-dropout, simpleton-style hat worn by Dad.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 10, 2015 - Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Family, Baths, Showers and Other Cleansing Methods, Headgear, 1950s

Redactron Word Processor

Apparently, if you can believe the ad, this early feminist word-processor had the side-effect of liberating women.

Original ad here.

History here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 06, 2015 - Comments (14)
Category: Business, Computers, 1970s, Women

Groovy Gasoline

Posted By: Paul - Tue Oct 27, 2015 - Comments (11)
Category: Business, Advertising, Motor Vehicles, 1960s

Follies of the Madmen #263

The deodorant that combines the crushing force of Niagara Falls with the brutal chemicals of a municipal water-treatment plant.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 26, 2015 - Comments (7)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Hygiene, Nature, 1950s

Follies of the Madmen #262

Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 17, 2015 - Comments (9)
Category: Annoying Things, Business, Advertising, Products, Death, Insects and Spiders, 1960s, Australia

Mail-Order Foliage

The website shipfoliage.com, created by Kyle Waring, will ship hand-picked New England leaves to U.S. customers. For $19.99 you get three leaves — 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 mixed-color. The site's "foliage experts" make sure that only perfect leaves are shipped.

$19.99 seems like a lot for three leaves. For instance, that's not enough leaves to decorate a Thanksgiving table (which I imagine could be one reason people might want leaves). Also, I'm pretty sure you can buy fake leaves that look pretty convincing at most craft stores.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Oct 15, 2015 - Comments (13)
Category: Business, Strange Websites, Postal Services

Follies of the Madmen #261

Posted By: Paul - Tue Oct 06, 2015 - Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Food, 1960s, Cars

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

Posted By: Paul - Thu Sep 17, 2015 - Comments (3)
Category: Business, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, Exploitation and Grindhouse, Avant Garde, Homages, Pastiches, Tributes and Borrowings, Martial Arts, 1980s, Dance