May 2025
May 11, 2025
John McCracken’s Planks
Minimalist sculptor John McCracken produced a series of "planks." Each work consisted of a brightly painted plywood plank leaning up against a wall. Some info from wikpedia:
"Blue Plank" (1969)
"Don't Tell Me When to Stop" (1967)
"Think Pink" (1967)
Posted By: Alex - Sun May 11, 2025 -
Comments (3)
Category: Art, 1960s
Collect: The Stamp Collecting Game
As the folks at Board Game Geek tell us:Stanley Gibbons Collect: as it says on the box, "share the excitement and tension of building a major stamp collection". Stanley Gibbons is a famous UK firm that sells postage stamps to collectors and published this game in the 70s to promote the hobby. There wasn't much to do in Britain in the 70s.
Posted By: Paul - Sun May 11, 2025 -
Comments (0)
Category: Boredom, Games, 1970s, United Kingdom, Postal Services
May 10, 2025
Ice Cream Van regulations
Online you can find the official regulations governing "Noise from Ice-Cream Van Chimes Etc. in England." One part that stood out for me:‘selling point’), only once when the van is stationary, and never at intervals of less
than 2 minutes.
6.2. The chimes should not be played more often than once every 2 hours in a particular
length of street.
Once the summer heat sets in here in Phoenix, the ice cream truck drivers are out in force, and they sure don't limit their music to "once only on the approach to each stopping place." They play the jingle constantly. You can hear it repeating endlessly as the van circles around the neighborhood.
Incidentally, while growing up I thought ice cream trucks were referred to generically as the "Good Humor Man" (whether or not they happened to be selling Good Humor ice cream). Only recently did I realize that many people don't refer to the trucks by that name.
Posted By: Alex - Sat May 10, 2025 -
Comments (1)
Category: Government, Junk Food, Cacophony, Dissonance, White Noise and Other Sonic Assaults
Hi Yo, Camel
The record's page at Discogs.
Posted By: Paul - Sat May 10, 2025 -
Comments (0)
Category: Animals, Music, Ridiculousness, Foolishness, Public Ridicule, Silliness, Goofiness and Dumb-looking, 1960s
May 9, 2025
Pul-Vac Vacuum Massager
Turn your vacuum cleaner into a vibrating massager.
Pittsburgh Press - July 25, 1965
(l) Pittsburgh Press - July 25, 1965; (r) NY Daily News - Sep 12, 1965
Harrisburg Patriot-News - Apr 19, 1966
Posted By: Alex - Fri May 09, 2025 -
Comments (3)
Category: Technology, 1960s
Miss Cereal City
The earliest reference that I find is 1961 (the photo below). The latest is 1999. It seems the contest and title are extinct.
Posted By: Paul - Fri May 09, 2025 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Regionalism, Cereal, Twentieth Century
May 8, 2025
Kilroy Was Here toy jeeps
I would guess that the maker of these toy jeeps knew that "Kilroy Was Here" was a popular phrase among members of the American military, but probably didn't know much about it beyond that.
Decatur Herald and Review - Apr 1, 1947
Posted By: Alex - Thu May 08, 2025 -
Comments (1)
Category: Military, Toys, 1940s
The Madison Avenue Beat
Posted By: Paul - Thu May 08, 2025 -
Comments (3)
Category: Music, Vinyl Albums and Other Media Recordings, Advertising, 1960s
May 7, 2025
Larry the Lamb
Science Digest - Mar 1968
Posted By: Alex - Wed May 07, 2025 -
Comments (1)
Category: Animals, Farming, 1960s
Follies of the Madmen #622
Is the radio the man, and the tube the woman--or vice versa?
Posted By: Paul - Wed May 07, 2025 -
Comments (3)
Category: Technology, Advertising, 1930s, Men, Women
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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 |
