Ken Padgett: January 2023

Advertising has always been an interesting way to look at history. But when you see these vintage advertisements, the past seems a lot stranger than you thought.

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Menthol cigarettes were originally marketed as a remedy for the dryness and irritation smokers experience when smoking regular cigarettes. Despite the claims in this ad, menthol cigarettes are not actually cures for sore throats or the common cold. The menthol additive does act to temporarily reduce the irritating properties of nicotine and other cigarette byproducts inhaled through cigarette smoke, providing a smoker with the illusion that menthols contain curative powers.

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This wanted ad for a forger has lots of interesting details, "Is ruptured and wears a truss. Uses morphine and carries Hypodermic Syringe. Dresses well. Gambles and is fond of comic opera."

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Space: 1999 was a British science-fiction television show that only ran for two seasons in the 1970s, but the merchandising of Space: 1999 toys continues today.

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The Hoosier cabinet got its name because most of them were made in Indiana. The first Hoosier cabinets appeared in 1898, created by a furniture company called Sellers, in New Castle, Indiana.

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The Tissu-Pak was invented in the early 1950's but never really caught on beyond a small number of gear heads, because it replaced the engine oil filter with a canister that used an ordinary roll of toilet paper to filter the oil.

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Babe Ruth was a city boy who never went near a rifle. His favorite pastimes were drinking and womanizing.

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The pompadour is a hairstyle named after Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), a mistress of King Louis XV of France.

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"Sure he gets the best seat. Common courtesy and good taste demand it."
Wait. What? Now it's "common courtesy" to insure the rich guy gets the best seat?
Welcome to American values.

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"Is there a spot you yourself have forgotten to clean?"
How dare you discipline your child for bringing dirt in the house when you haven't even cleaned your drains!

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Another instant classic from the Facebook Marketplace

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Catarrh is a build-up of mucus in an airway or cavity of the body. In 1906, there
was an Ohio physician who defined catarrh in any way he wanted and created a single cure for every malady he said was caused by catarrh. Dr. Samuel Hartman, made millions in sales, but his claims were so outlandish that eventually a law was passed to regulate patent medicines.

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Laury P. Sevis ran for sheriff in York County, Pennsylvania, in 1935.

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If this guy has "X" and you won't even show his face, I don't want to meet him.

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If you scoff at the notion that burning designs on wood can actually earn profits, do a quick Google search on Pyrography and you'll see that a lot of people believe it.

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The Inches Away Reducing Belt was "perfected by a doctor" so you know it's legit, but it won't work without the Doctor's "sealer lotion."

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The first refrigerator for home use was invented in 1913, by Fred W. Wolf of Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1933, GE was trying to convince people that them taking 15 years to design and engineer their first refrigerator was worth it.

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Not a vintage ad, but still very funny.
This "Action Figure" is offered for sale on Etsy by BadMonsterToys.

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They don't creep but they might trigger a bull.
Hanes was founded in 1900 by John Wesley Hanes at Winston, North Carolina under the name Shamrock Knitting Mills

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Is it really a "Glamour Supermarket" or just a flea market for tawdry nude photos?

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The King Midget (original price: $1,000) was a micro car produced between 1946 and 1970 by the Midget Motors Corporation.

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"If you've got the courage, maybe you can have fun (?) with them."

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You don't know where those hands have been...

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TABAC -- when you want to smell like stale tobacco.

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An ad I found recently in Facebook Marketplace:
"Chicken Lights with Egg Bulbs is known for making very unique art using realistic taxidermy and you deserve it."

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In the early 1950's, Marx was one of the first to combine a ride-on toy with battery power. As advertised on the box, the Marx-Mobile boasted, "Kids! Now you can drive a real automobile!" The 22" metal cars weighed nearly 20 pounds and could carry a child weighing up to 50 pounds.