Category:
Children

How television benefits your children

The text of the ad basically admits that it's the parents that television benefits, not the children. Because TV is the greatest nanny ever created. Park the kids in front of the boob tube and you don't have to worry about keeping them out of trouble.

No more "rainy day riots" . . . with television keeping small fry out of mischief . . . and out of mother's hair.



Advertising Age - Sep 11, 1950

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 25, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Television, Advertising, Children, 1950s

Renske Quax, 2-year-old billiards prodigy

It's impressive that this kid could hold a cue stick well enough to hit the ball at the age of two, let alone sinking shots. That's more coordinated than the 2-year-olds I've known.

I couldn't find any media references to him after 1953. So I'm assuming that he didn't grow up to be a billiards pro.

Miami Herald - Nov 13, 1952



Info from Life magazine (May 18, 1953):

Barely a head taller than the billiard table in his grandfather's cafe in Haarlem, Holland, Renske Quax has played the game since before his second birthday last September, and is getting better by the day. His shots are set up but he holds his cue properly, chalks it as incessantly as a pro and is a miniature whiz at massé shots. After a good shot he applauds himself in mimicry of the cafegoers who stop in to watch him play. But when his game is off he throws tantrums, climbs on the table or starts tossing the balls around.


Life - May 18, 1953

Posted By: Alex - Sat Jun 03, 2023 - Comments (3)
Category: Sports, Children, 1950s

Follies of the Madmen #566

Our syndicated TV show is comparable to the deadliest weapon known to mankind.

Posted By: Paul - Tue May 30, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Death, Destruction, Humor, Television, Advertising, Children, 1950s, Weapons

A Comic That Scared the Senate

The infamous Senate Hearings on horror comics in the 1950s are well known. And in fact, you can read the whole 316-page transcript here.

I thought it might be fun to see one of the actual stories that triggered the politicians. It follows after the next two images.

















Posted By: Paul - Fri May 19, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Horror, Politics, Scandals and Controversies, Comics, Children, 1950s

Jan and Kjeld

Boy band, 1959-style.

Their Wikipedia page.







Posted By: Paul - Sun May 14, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Music, Children, 1950s, 1960s, Europe

Songs of the Russian Street Urchins

A few cheerful gulag ditties.





Posted By: Paul - Fri Apr 28, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Music, Children, 1960s, Russia

Win a Pony!

Maybe this 1950s contest was the inspiration for the famous episode of THE SIMPSONS where Bart won an elephant.

A survey of newspaper records indicate the contest ran multiple times from 1952 to 1955. I wonder how many ponies were actually accepted and delivered?

But Roy and Dale could never cause any trouble, could they?







Posted By: Paul - Sat Feb 18, 2023 - Comments (5)
Category: Animals, Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Television, Children, Cereal, Wild West and US Frontier

Follies of the Madmen #553

In 1970, everything was psychedelic, including kids' vitamins. The subtext of handing out groovy pills could not be denied.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 22, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Advertising, Children, Nutrition, Psychedelic, 1970s

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Who We Are
Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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.

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