American Home May 1968

This month's edition of American Home has arrived.

In this month's issue:

Dennison's was known for their Party Planning books and particularly remembered for their Halloween Bogie Books.

This ad starts out fairly tame, but I don't know what kind of shenanigans are going on by the end.

This is a Chicago area code and exchange.  I dare someone to call Linda. 

I used to love this stuff when I was a kid.

When I first looked at this ad, I was struck how it could easily be a modern ad.  Then I noticed something that placed it firmly 40 years ago.  See it?  I'll wait while you look some more.  Okay, give up?  It's the smallpox vaccine on her arm.  I still remember getting mine and the size of the gun that administered it.  Most smallpox vaccinations were halted in the United States by 1971.  These days it would have been photoshopped out of the ad.

The message in this ad?  Whirlpool refrigerators will make you fat.  Not sure that's how you sell a refrigerator.  Whenever I left our refrigerator open like that, my dad would yell, "You're letting all the cold out!"  Now I yell that at my kids.

I've commented before how it seems like more thought went into appliances in the past.  This is another example. 

And so is this.  

This reminds me of cookies at grandma's house.  Seems like she always had these types of cookies, particularly those sugar wafer cookies and the Vienna Fingers.  We also ate Hydrox cookies in our house as opposed to Oreos.  They must have been cheaper.  I recall my sister and I made our own mock "Wacky Package" of them called "Hard Rocks".

When you want to bring the Brady's yard indoors.

Panel Love

Carpet Love

Seriously, what was with our paneling obsession in the 60's and 70's?  What was the appeal?  I guess it's the same thing that made us love popcorn ceilings in the '80's.  What do we do to our homes today that we'll hate in 30 years?

I've never heard of Alpine cigarettes, of course I never smoked. They're made by Pall Mall and apparently can still be bought.  And now, a word from Roy Scheider on Alpine cigarettes and their Swift-Gift coupon program.

You should see what happens on Stove Top Stuffing night.

The Shangle.  Say it.  It's fun to say.

My sister and I used to throw a blanket over our ping pong table and pretend it was a house.  One time we thought it would be cool to bring a candle in there.  We ended up setting the area rug on fire.  True story.

Who knew Kodak made carpet?

Mexican "Marriage" Hammock, eh?  I think we know what's implied here.