Far Out 1960s Fads that Should Stay Far Away
Grab your bell-bottom jeans, plug in your lava lamp, and channel your inner flower child because it’s time to celebrate Woodstock’s 50th Anniversary!
On August 15th-18th, 1969, half a million people traveled to Yasgur's dairy farm for 3 days of peace, love, and a musical event that became the cultural touchstone of a generation (and featured amazing bands like The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin)!
Although concert goers were met with traffic, food shortages, and bad weather, the Woodstock legacy continues to be one of hope, unity, and optimism. It was a groovy time to be alive!
In fact, we wish we could channel a little bit of that Woodstock positivity today. But — even with the hopefulness and cultural growth of the decade — there are certain trends from the 1960s that are better left in the past. Here are a few of the least groovy fads of the ‘60s:
1) Even Astronauts Think It Sucks: Tang
Tang comes in grape, orange, and even a fancy hibiscus tea flavor! Except, it’s anything but fancy. Thankfully for the powdered drink though, it became all the rage when NASA included it on their space flight menu during the 1960s. The drinking water on-board the spacecraft — due to a harmless chemical reaction caused by space travel — wasn’t always the most refreshing treat available for the astronauts to drink. Thus, NASA turned to Tang for help!
Sadly though, Tang’s popularity in the United States faded because — well — it’s gross. Although it was touted as a healthy Vitamin C drink, the sugary beverage — the first ingredient being sugar and the second ingredient being more sugar — lost popularity over the years. In fact, the iconic astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, even admitted “Tang sucks.” So in the end, not even NASA or drinking Tang in space could save it.
2) Who Needs a Puppy: Sea-Monkeys
Forget about going to the pet store for a puppy or even getting a boring old goldfish because — during the 1960s — you could be the proud owner of a sea-monkey instead! Sea-monkeys are exactly what you think they are except... Not. At. All.
Don’t be fooled by the cool name or the even cooler 1960s advertisements that show off an alien-like family (presumably the advertised sea-monkeys) relaxing by an underwater castle. Although it promises “a bowlful of happiness” and even brags that your sea-monkeys can be trained, you are about go home with a bag of dried brine shrimp.
Don’t worry though! Once you put them in water they’ll probably eat bananas and do other awesome monkey things too, right? Nope. Sadly they’re still just going to be brine shrimp.
3) Forget About PB&J: Fluffernutter Sandwich
We’ll admit that we’re tempted by the Fluffernutter sandwich (aka peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich) that was made popular during the 1960s. What’s not to love? Marshmallow and peanut butter? Yes, please!
In fact, we’re glad that the snack lost some of its popularity because we’d otherwise be eating Fluffernutter sandwiches all day long. And — since it has about a million calories — that would not have ended well for anyone.
The popular sandwich was even a public school lunch favorite! You’d never have been able to convince us to eat fruit if there were Fluffernutter sandwiches available in the lunchroom instead. We’d all just have died of scurvy before adulthood.
4) Are you Trolling Us: Troll Dolls
We’ve all owned a troll doll (sometimes even against our better judgement) because somehow you both want them and fear them at the same time.
The troll dolls — with their brightly colored hair and bejeweled belly-buttons — were originally created in Denmark by a woodcutter named Thomas Dam and the cheaper plastic versions became widely popular across Europe and the United States during the 1960s. The beloved toys were said to bring luck and — for some of us — childhood nightmares.
5) Jell-O Everything
The ‘60s may have been an innovative time for science, music, fashion, and more but it was a black hole when it came to food.
Nothing epitomizes the weird ‘60s food craze better than the obsession with putting food in Jell-O or gelatin molds and then trying to trick people into eating it by calling it a “salad.” Would you like a delicious jellied lamb salad or a cottage cheese and salmon mold? It’s healthy because it’s a SALAD!
The gelatin mold craze allowed people to combine things that should never be combined and then serve them as a picturesque array of randomness that was dinner.
There may be a few things that we’d happily forget about the Sixties but one thing we never want to forget is Woodstock! On Woodstock’s 50th Anniversary, let your freak flag fly with a DBH hippie-inspired t-shirt today.
