1.
Delicious, delicious Tang that came in glass jars:
2.
Colored toilet paper that usually coordinated with the color of the bathroom:
3.
And crocheted doll toilet paper holders that also coordinated with the bathroom:
4.
Built-in ashtrays next to toilets:
5.
Drive-through photo development kiosks, where not only could you develop your photos, but also get film and other camera accessories:
6.
“Clicker” TV remotes that were fun to press:
7.
Ambrosia salad, which was served at every summer get together:
8.
And elaborate Jell-O desserts that were served at every party you went to:
9.
Homemade birthday cakes at every friend’s birthday party you went to:
10.
S&H Green Stamps and the books you or your folks would put them in:
11.
Roller skate keys that were essential to making sure you got the skates to fit:
12.
Metal toy cap guns that looked a lot like real guns:
13.
And bubble gum cigarettes that looked a lot like real cigarettes because they had an almost similar “name-brand”:
14.
Having a few photos of yourself crying as a kid. Just a snapshot in the moment, snapped on a whim without warning, with no posing or fuss, taken and then forgotten:
15.
The external speakers you would need to put inside the car whenever you went to drive-in theater:
16.
Phone booths that had phone books attached to them — in case you needed to look up a number before making a call:
17.
TV dinners that came in aluminum trays and never heated up right:
18.
Electric skillet frying pans, which were the air fryers of its era:
19.
Bonanza which aired on Sunday nights:
20.
And your parents watching variety shows, like The Dean Martin Show:
21.
Duck and cover drills, which were supposed to help you survive a nuclear attack…by hiding under your desk and covering your neck?
22.
Opening your lunch to find your sandwiches neatly wrapped in wax paper:
23.
Coppertone, which you used because you used to tan yourself ’cause you didn’t want to be a “placeface”:
24.
Band-Aids that came in tin containers:
25.
Chocks Vitamins that tasted like chalky fruit:
26.
Vicks Formula 44 that tasted like jet engine fuel:
27.
Telephones before they had the * or # keys:
28.
Notepads that were hung on the wall next to the kitchen wall phone so that you could take a message or write down any information you needed:
29.
Lawn darts — the heavy, metal-tipped ones that were basically a backyard game of “try not to get impaled”:
30.
Merry-go-rounds at playgrounds that were all about having someone spin it as hard and fast as they could while everyone on it hung on for dear life:
31.
Drinking straight from the garden hose in the front yard after running around all afternoon in the summer heat:
32.
Typing class at school, where everyone practiced on loud clunky keyboards and competed to see who could type the fastest without looking down:
33.
Cigarette ads plastered everywhere — on billboards, in magazines, on store windows — making smoking seem glamorous and impossible to ignore:
34.
The “Things go better with Coke” Coca-Cola ad campaign that featured the infectious jingle.
35.
Mr. Whipple in the “Please, don’t squeeze the Charmin!” Charmin commercials:
36.
Hawaiian Punch that came in tin cans, and required a church key to make a hole so that you could pour it out:
37.
Gas station attendants at full-service gas stations:
38.
Fallout shelter signs that marked a building you should run inside of in case of a nuclear attack:
39.
Double features at the movie theater, where you could spend an entire afternoon watching two full films back-to-back for the price of one ticket:
40.
Bonnet hair dryers that looked like something out of Star Trek:
41.
Your mom or grandma owning Avon perfumed soaps that smelled oh-so-heavenly:
42.
Shopping for your Sunday best at Penneys:
43.
The warm, buttery smell of popcorn wafting from the candy department, greeting you every time you stepped into Sears:
44.
Howard Johnson’s restaurants, which were always a stop any time you went on a car trip:
45.
Sprawling out across the entire backseat, stretching your legs, and shifting around freely because you didn’t have to wear seatbelts:
46.
And taking rides in all sorts of risky spots — like the open bed of a pickup truck or even perched on a trailer — without a second thought:
47.
And lastly, the TV test pattern screen that went up at midnight which meant that was the end of programming for the day until the next morning:
