Twentieth Century
Frog Postcards
Please consider the usefulness and attractiveness of having frogs convey your birthday, Xmas, Valentine's Day or New Year's wishes.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 02, 2016 -
Comments (10)
Category: Animals, Holidays, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Postal Services
Grove’s Laxative Bromo Quinine
Not sure about a laxative having any effect on a cold. Or quinine either. But thousands of people obviously found some relief for nearly eighty years.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Mar 01, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Patent Medicines, Nostrums and Snake Oil, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Hitler Is Alive!
In its heyday, THE POLICE GAZETTE was a goldmine of weird news. It was recently revived by Steven Westlake, son of the famous crime novelist Donald Westlake, and he has now compiled a book of the best Hitler articles from the magazine. Looks like a winner!
Posted By: Paul - Mon Feb 22, 2016 -
Comments (3)
Category: Dictators, Tyrants and Other Harsh Rulers, Hoaxes and Imposters and Imitators, Magazines, Europe, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
The Eccentric Club
For over 230 years there has been one or more organizations known as "the Eccentric Club." I think every WU-vie should be a member by birthright.
Here is a tongue-in-cheek account of a party at an NYC branch from 1889.
Original article here.
Profile of the current London version.
Present-day USA version.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 11, 2015 -
Comments (11)
Category: Eccentrics, Eighteenth Century, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century, Twenty-first Century
The Elvis Diet
Everyone knows about Elvis's penchant for fried banana and peanut butter sandwiches. But some of these other items, as instanced in the book below, have faded from popular memory.
[Click to enlarge]
Original article here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 11, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Eccentrics, Food, 1970s, Twentieth Century, Bodybuilding, Pain, Self-inflicted and Otherwise
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
Regrettable Superheroes
I have not seen a copy yet, but I am betting this book will be a winner, based on the description.
For every superhero hitting the big time with a blockbuster movie, there are countless failures, also-rans, and D-listers. The League of Regrettable Superheroes affectionately presents one hundred of the strangest superheroes ever to see print—from Atoman to Zippo—complete with backstories, vintage art, and colorful commentary.
Drawing on the entire history of the medium, the book celebrates characters that haven’t seen the light of day in decades, like Natureboy, Dr. Hormone, Thunder Bunny, and more. It’s a must-read for comics fans of all ages!
Until it appears in June, why not read an issue of DOLLMAN now.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 23, 2015 -
Comments (6)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Comics, Superheroes, Twentieth Century
Mystery Illustration 5
Why is this fellow masked at his writing desk? Kidnapper? Bank Robber? Sex games?
Find the answer here.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 18, 2015 -
Comments (3)
Category: Art, Disguises, Impersonations, Mimics and Forgeries, Twentieth Century
Nervine
What exactly were the ingredients of Nervine that made it sell effectively for many decades?
Read all about it here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Nov 16, 2014 -
Comments (7)
Category: Medicine, Nineteenth Century, Twentieth Century
Stuffed Gators
Original article here.
Apparently, back in the early part of the 20th century, it was common to have a stuffed alligator as an umbrella stand. I searched the web for an image of such a thing, but could not find one. Maybe one of our clever WU-vies can.
But I did find the great feat of taxidermy seen below. I'm so sad the piece got auctioned before I could bid. As a fan of Pogo, I would have loved it.
Original auction here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Nov 07, 2014 -
Comments (5)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Comics, Twentieth Century
| 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 |