December 9, 2005

Zipper Gas Mask Made for Babies (May, 1934)

Zipper Gas Mask Made for Babies
A special handbag for carrying babies furnishes protection in case of a war-time gas attack. An oxygen tank begins to function as soon as the zipper cover is closed, supplying air to the baby.

December 6, 2005

Hang your kids out the window (Aug, 1953)

This is completely insane.

Apartment-Window Cage Protects English Tots
Enclosed in a wire cage suspended from an apartment window, English children play in the sunlight and fresh air while their mothers are busy with housework. The cage, made of wire netting is strongly braced and is guarded on the apartment side by a cloth net which prevents children from crawling back into the room. Loaned by an infant welfare center to families with no gardens, the portable balcony is apparently popular with children and mothers. The demand exceeds the supply.

December 5, 2005

Meta-Branding (Dec, 1955)

This is amazing, it is basically an ad teaching people how to be proper consumers. I’ve seen generic ads for the milk industry as well as steel, plastic, paper, etc, but the idea of branding and promoting the idea of name brands takes a special kind of dollar fueled dementia.

Incedentially there was an organization at http://www.bnef.com called the Brand Names Educational Foundation but the site is dead. You can still see it at Google’s cache though.

If it weren’t for brand names you’d have to be an engineer to know which TV set to buy
The most complicated piece of equipment in the American home is a television set.
Yet you’re not afraid to go out and buy one without even “looking under the hood”
What makes you so sure of yourself? In fact–how can you buy so many things you know so little about, without worrying?
Isn’t it because you’ve learned the secret of safe and sound buying?
A good brand is your best guarantee. No matter what kind of a product you’re buying, you know you’re right when you buy a good brand. You know the manufacturer will stand behind it because his reputation is at stake. You can depend on a good brand.
The more good brands you know, the fewer buying mistakes you’ll make. Get acquainted with the good brands in these pages and get more value for your shopping money.

BRAND NAMES FOUNDATION
Incorporated
A Non-Profit Educational Foundation
37 West 57th Street, New York 19, New York

A GOOD BRAND IS YOUR BEST GUARANTEE

November 21, 2005

Vitabrush (Sep, 1949)

BE FAIR TO YOU HAIR Want better looking hair? Embarassed by falling dandruff, itching scalp? Get the new VITABRUSH, the electic-automatic brush with build-in brush head motor… gives scalp and hair an invigorating “workout” in just 3 minutes. Cleans scalp, stimulates blood supply, distributes the natural oils. Fun to use - relaxing. Write for satisfaction-guaranteed offer - today.
Hersey Mfg. Co., 3791 Field Bldg., Chicago 3.

November 18, 2005

Camera Tests Eye Appeal of New Packaging Designs (Jun, 1956)

Filed under: Scary — @ 3:53 pm
Source: Popular Science ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Jun, 1956
Buy on Ebay

Am I the only one who thinks this looks like something out of A Clockwork Orange?

Taking a cue from photographers who used to clamp your head in a vise to keep it still, modern package designers made this harness to help them test the eye appeal of new packages. A camera (left foreground) is focused on the subject’s eyes to record their movements and thus rate her interest in packages on the shelves within her view. It’s a research project conducted by the Folding Paper Box Association.

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