Bang, Zoom! To the Moon!

One of the things I like best about YouTube is watching the old TV commercials and having a little retro flashback. It’s like having instant access to a part (albeit a tiny part) of your subconscious. Of my subconscious! Which seems to be somewhat full of old TV commercials. Among other things, of course. But it does help to explain my fascination with old ads and retro stuff.

I was fascinated back in the 1960s, too. In honor of the anniversary of the moon landing, I would like to share a Space Food Sticks commercial. I did see the moon landing on TV, and it was pretty exciting even for a six (almost seven) year old. But I also remember being pretty thrilled with the chocolate Space Food Sticks that followed this up in the grocery store. I don’t know why, they were the consistency of beef jerky and not really all that chocolatey. Still, it was novel in a time where we didn’t have new junk foods coming out every week, and it was before the granola bar.

This commercial is so much fun – that space ship wouldn’t fly to the end of our backyard never mind the moon. And the announcer acts like this is some amazing “aerospace research” product that has just been, you know, declassified. Oh boy! And only 44 calories a stick, too. Although the box says 41 calories. Get your story straight! Those space suits are pretty form-fitting. We need to know an exact number here!

Notice how the guys need Space Food Sticks to play rough sports, and the girl is stuck running after some kids or standing around in the yard.

It also sounds like this was made before they actually walked on the moon. Part of the media build-up, I guess. Did we really think that the government had asked Pillsbury to make little snacks for the astronauts, for real? I might have, but I wasn’t really thinking it through. I was too busy reading “Can This Marriage Be Saved?” in my mother’s Ladies’ Home Journals.

Thank you so much Louise for reminding us all that it is Moon Day with another fabulous post over at Months of Edible Celebrations! Hope you all have a happy one, even though Monday is literally ‘moon day’ and this is Sunday which is ’sun day’ which kind of makes my brain bang zoom a little - as Ralph Kramden would (and does) say…

1970s Eclectic Outlet

“The Personal Taste Chart “B” pinpointed a preference for diverse design elements with traditional overtones,” eh? That’s one way of putting it. Here we have a room from an early-1970s home decorating book. A room that says things about the person who has it in their early-1970s house. Things like this:

1. I like to trip over potted plants.

2. I also like bumping into oddly-angled glass coffee tables when I am trying to sit down or get up (if it was me, I would be getting up, as in getting up and running as far away as possible).

3. I really like brown and yellow. Lots of brown. Lots of harvest-gold yellow. (For bonus points, guess the kitchen color scheme…and the bathroom…)

4. I beheaded a lamppost downtown and brought it home to put on the side table.

The potted plants lend an ominous air to the room. They look restive and menacing, and are possibly about to open those plantation shutters and let the rest of the gathering pots in. They are going to avenge the furry rug and pillows.

Be careful how and where you sit…