Children
Brickplayer
Here is an old British toy that had a lot of good intentions, but also some unanticipated drawbacks.
Buildings were constructed on allegedly waterproof waxed card bases. The bricks etc. were stuck together with a mortar made from a mixture of flour and chalk powder. It required a great amount of skill to erect buildings accurately, very time-consuming and beyond the patience of most of the children it was aimed at (8 to 14 years). Especially so in cold houses (as most British homes then were) it would take several days for the building to 'set'. Reusing the components involved a process of dunking the entire model in a large bowl of warm water. After the model fell apart the bricks and plaster pieces required lengthy rinsing to remove all organic traces to prevent mould growing on them.
I wonder how well they sold in the USA, as touted in the ad below, from Boys Life for September 1948.
Fan page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Sep 20, 2015 -
Comments (8)
Category: Buildings and Other Structures, Toys, Children, Europe, Twentieth Century
Rent Boys of Central Park
1963 was a more innocent time, when the idea of young boys renting themselves out to strangers in Central Park wasn't anything to be concerned about.
Newsweek - Sep 2, 1963
Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 14, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Children, 1960s
Awesome Prank
Three year old Hailo cab company celebrates with a three year old cabbie, kind of.
Posted By: Alex - Sun Aug 09, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Anniversary, Pranks and Revenge, Children
Mystery Illustration 7
What is the meaning of this display?
The answer is here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 08, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Children, 1940s
Bicycle Clown
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 15, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, PSA’s, Children, 1950s
Ice Cream as Health Food
Original ad here. (Scroll to the left.)
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 13, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Advertising, Children, Junk Food, Nutrition, 1930s, Australia
A Strange Pet
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 06, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Death, Children, 1910s, Australia
Captain Z-Ro
Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 31, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Television, Children, Science Fiction, 1950s
Hippies Dig Coloring Books
I wish cartoonist Gill Fox were still alive, so I could ask him what constituted an "Establishment coloring book."
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 10, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Art, Children, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1970s
Oh Momma
A 65 year old woman who has 13 children is now pregnant with quadruplets. At least she gets a lot of Mothers Day presents.
Posted By: BrokeDad - Mon Apr 13, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Babies, Children
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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 |