February 2020
February 15, 2020
Follies of the Madmen #466
This was part of a campaign that made far-fetched comparisons between the animal kingdom and a desire to eat Jello.Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 15, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Business, Advertising, Food, 1950s
February 14, 2020
Sprink
I wonder how much consumer research this company did before deciding to name their product 'Sprink'. I'm guessing they thought it was a catchy shortened form of 'sprinkle'. But the problem is that the name sounds too much like 'Stink', which is exactly the wrong association for a room-rug freshener. Must be why it doesn't seem to have been on the market more than a few months.
Rocky Mount Telegram - June 18, 1963
Cincinnati Enquirer - Oct 21, 1962
Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 14, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Odd Names, Products, Fetishes, 1960s
Donkey Bike
Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 14, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Inventions, 1960s
February 13, 2020
Serve More Cottage Cheese
A 16-page recipe book published in 1954 by the National Dairy Products Corporation, Sealtest Division.A better name for the cover recipe would be Vomiting Clam.
via reddit
Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 13, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Food, Cookbooks, 1950s
Nuke-Powered Commercial Shipping
As we know, this scheme detailed in NEW SCIENTIST never came to completion. But are there, or have there been, other, non-military nuke-powered surface vessels?Yes, a few.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 13, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Oceans and Maritime Pursuits, Atomic Power and Other Nuclear Matters, 1950s
February 12, 2020
Sing Along with Khrushchev Coloring Book
A few days ago, Paul posted about a Khrushchev coloring book authored by Jack Davis. Another Khrushchev coloring book was created in 1962 by the Hungarian cartoonist Victor Vashi with text by Ilona Fabian.I haven’t been able to find any photos or scans of it online. And according to Worldcat, it’s only held by two US libraries. So, it’s extremely obscure. However, its existence establishes Khrushchev coloring books as a tiny, but existing literary genre.
Knoxville News Sentinel - Jan 20, 1963
Some selections from the text ran in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Apr 18, 1963):
Posted By: Alex - Wed Feb 12, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Art, Dictators, Tyrants and Other Harsh Rulers, Politics, Books, 1960s
Rubber Snow Mitts
There's a good reason these never caught on: I'm sure the wearer's hands were as clammy as dead fish within seconds of wearing them.Source.
Even the modern version that appears next has some breathable fabric, and is specially for work, not snowball fights.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 12, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Inventions, Seasonal, Pain, Self-inflicted and Otherwise, Skin and Skin Conditions
February 11, 2020
Peanut Butter Floor
An art installation consisting of peanut butter spread out on a floor in a giant rectangle. The Museum Bojimans Van Beuningen website provides some historical context:I guess the five-second rule would no longer apply.
via Book of Joe
Posted By: Alex - Tue Feb 11, 2020 -
Comments (7)
Category: Art, Food
Becoming Leslie
More info here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 11, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Eccentrics, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Regionalism, Documentaries, Twentieth Century, Twenty-first Century
February 10, 2020
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
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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 books such as Elephants on Acid. 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. Chuck Shepherd Chuck is the purveyor of News of the Weird, the syndicated column which for decades has set the gold-standard for reporting on oddities and the bizarre. Our banner was drawn by the legendary underground cartoonist Rick Altergott. Contact Us |
