Remember Vintage Wacky Packages (also called Wacky Packs for awhile) that were popular when Gen Xers were kids? Here’s a look back at some of the best of these wild and crazy collectible stickers from way back!
Culture & lifestyle
It’s like going to the movies. Only better. With Fisher-Price Movie Viewer toys, kids could run short films all by themselves, just by turning a handle. In slow motion, speeded up or backwards.
This easy-to-make vintage cardboard dollhouse is a project that can grow with your children! Here’s how you can make it – along with tips for cute ways to decorating the little play house.
The Chevy Chevette was a subcompact car introduced with the 1976 model year, and was created to compete against other small cars like the Ford Pinto and the AMC Gremlin.
Thousands of kids loved these custom-made Vintage Me Books from the ’70s, including titles like My Friendly Giraffe, My Birthday Land Adventure, My Special Christmas & My Jungle Holiday.
Antique scrapbooks have been made for generations – each era having their own creative styles as well as unique subject matter. Here’s a look back at how and what people were scrapping long ago.
Creativity is not something you are either born with or not: it needs to be discovered, nurtured, and expressed for it to grow. Here are 12 tips from the 1980s that are just as helpful today as ever, plus a look at some creative visions from the past.
Back in the late sixties, a small company started selling these vintage Make-A-Plate kits, which were a huge hit with kids, parents and teachers. What better gift for mom or grandma than a one-of-a-kind melamine plate featuring a child’s artwork?
These vintage Rig-a-Jig toy sets were popular back in the fifties, and were sort of a hybrid of TInkertoys, Lego and an Erector Set. See how they worked, and what you could create with them, here!
Since 1952, Mad Magazine has poked fun at everything from Superman to Yoda, M*A*S*H to hippies. But it’s about more than humor – it’s big business, too.
We have heard Mathis’ voice for years – but who’s the man behind that rich, smooth sound? Find out more about this extraordinarily talented singer here, and see Johnny Mathis as he lived in his Hollywood home back in the 1970s.
From the 1950s: Dozens of bright ideas for your home with colorful oilcloth! Create many helpful things for around your home, because the coated fabric surface doesn’t spot or stain, stays color-fresh, wears and wears.
Put together a half dozen pieces of this DIY fun furniture for kids, and your child will have endless play ideas. Made from just one simple box construction, the pieces are great for pretend games, the right size to use as table and chairs.
When the Disney Channel started in 1983, it was a cable subscription service with shows like Mousercise and Mickey Mouse Club, along with many of the famous Disney movies. See some of the schedules and more here!
Take a look at the classic 1940s Pontiac cars to see what the old designs were like, what the vehicles, they offered buyers (and drivers), and what the manufacturer thought would most appeal to potential customers.
Wonder Horses and other horse ride-on toys made kids’ dreams come true! There were different styles & sizes for all ages of children – and for decades, they were among the most popular requests made of Santa. Here’s a look!
Folk-art painted furniture: Upcycle & renew furniture with tips from famed vintage artist Peter Hunt
For decades, artist Peter Hunt specialized in upcycling furniture and found objects by renewing them with colorful peasant designs. Here are examples of his work, and tips for how you can create your own folk-art painted furniture!
Artist Peter Hunt was known for his colorful peasant-style folk-art paint designs. He insisted that everyone – even people who couldn’t draw a straight line – could create these whimsical designs, using the simple techniques he explains here.
From pretty in pink to bold in black, teen girls put a lot of time and money into finding just the perfect now-vintage ’80s prom dress. Here’s a look at more than a hundred of the styles available back then!
Right from the start, the AMC Gremlin’s unique styling and sporty individuality appealed to a specific range of drivers. Take a look back to the ’70s, and find out what these cars were all about.
Bald, Tootsie Pop-snacking Kojak was the king of the police procedural on TV, from 1973 through 1978. Here’s a look back!
‘All in the Family’ was a huge hit TV show that aired on CBS from 1971 to 1979, and was number 1 in the Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976. Find out about the series here, and see the famous opening credits, too!
The basic concept hasn’t changed much in 100 years, but vintage Erector Sets like these are still popular, still inspiring creativity, and still being used to build everything from mini roller coasters to motorized robots.
Based on the famous books, The Hardy Boys-Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series debuted in 1977, starring Parker Stevenson & Shaun Cassidy as the brothers Frank & Joe, and Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy.
The Ford Thunderbird was introduced in 1955, and quickly became a favorite with car buyers… but that didn’t stop Ford from making a lot of changes to the model during those first five years. Here’s a look!
The history of Levi’s jeans shows that the power of a really good idea – like super-durable clothing that people like to wear – can make for a business that stays strong for more than 160 years.
These vintage zodiac cross-stitch designs could be used as-is, interspersed and contrasted with plain squares, or the designs adapted to many other uses — such as cross-stitch embroidery for table linens.
Hopefully, these vintage 1970s Playskool toys, dolls, ride-ons and more will bring back some happy memories! They may also remind you of a simpler time, when most toys were joyfully kid-powered.
Do you remember these vintage Mad magazine back page Fold-Ins – where, with a couple of folds, you could change the page’s picture, and its message? Look back at a few of these clever pieces of art created by Al Jaffee.
Find some elegantly vintage Easter egg crafts and artsy inspiration right here! The ideas may be old, but they’ll probably seem new to you.
The word ‘flapper’ as used today in reference to a woman from the 1920s, has a much broader definition than how the term was originally used. So what is a flapper, then? Find out here.
How did these vintage Easter egg shrink-wrap decorating sleeves work? Find out here, and see a retro collection of Disney Easter decorations and other holiday designs!
No longer do superheroes zip through the air. They’re complex, abnormal, alienated and schizoid. They are the heroes of today’s college campuses, the new escape mechanisms for 10-year-olds, and the grist for social psychologists a generation from now.
When these Classic Walt Disney Home Video VHS tapes were finally available back in the 1980s, it was huge for fans. No more waiting for the movies to appear once a year on TV, or to be re-released in theaters. Here’s what you could see back then!
While popular cartoon kids talking about life insurance and IRAs might not seem like a natural match, in the ’80s & ’90s, the combination was a hit. Take a look back here!
These old ads make it clear that these vintage 1970s Winnebago motor homes – both big and small – were more than just a mode of transport. They could be your home away from home – or your home instead of a house.
Chevy’s second-generation Camaro cars debuted in early 1970 – restyled and upsized compared to the 1960s model. Here, take a look back at the features and styles of the classic 1970s Chevrolet Camaros.
If you don’t know your dingledangler from your Kluck from your zoozer, you’ll want to know this Flapper slang from the 1920s!
Back in the seventies, you weren’t considered ‘in’ in some circles if you didn’t have a Pet Rock – the perfect pet. Here, look back at a few of the most popular ‘breeds,’ and find out the history of this silliness.
In 1967, the first of the brand-new 1960s Camaro cars hit the streets. It was an immediate success, selling 220,906 cars in their first model year. Here’s a look at the ’67, ’68 and ’69 Chevy Camaros!
Take a look back at vintage Knott’s Berry Farm – the California amusement park known as a Disneyland alternative, but one that boasted its very own ghost town.
Here, see two articles from the twenties about old-fashioned train & travel etiquette from the 1920s. They as much tell people what to do as what not to do when traveling the country by railroad.
Here is how some of the oldest American motorcars – the classic Maxwell automobiles, produced in New York – looked back around the turn of the century.
WWII Victory gardens from the 1940s: How people planted them, and how you can grow your own even now
During World War II, people needed to help ease the nation’s burden by growing as much of their own food as possible in what they called Victory Gardens. Here’s how they did it!
Starting before TV was a really big thing, the old CBS Radio shows filled the airwaves with audio-only entertainment and news of every kind. Here’s a look at some of the programming!
The Packard Patrician 400 cars that came out in 1951 were called presitge cars in the medium-price field, and came on both convertible and sedan models.
The 1960s Dodge Chargers really began with the 1966 model, after previewing in the big auto show the year before. The cars were hugely popular, and later became even more well-known thanks to a starring role in The Dukes of Hazzard.
CHiPS, a light-hearted one-hour action-adventure series, follows the exploits of a pair of young California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers on the busy Los Angeles freeways, and their encounters with the infinite variety of people who drive there.
Take a look back at these beautiful classic 1940s Studebaker cars, which were loved by socialites and regular family folk alike. Here’s a look inside and out at these old autos!
Debuting in 1976, the classic TV series Charlie’s Angels was widely popular with viewers, eventually becoming a cult classic favorite and spawning feature films and reboots.
About H. R. Pufnstuf, the completely wacky vintage kids’ TV show – plus the opening credits & lyrics
There were only 17 episodes made of H. R. Pufnstuf, but the kitschy kiddie TV show earned its cult status through reruns that aired through the ’70s and into the ’80s. Here’s a look back!
The Matthew Broderick movie ‘War Games’ was more than just a hit at the box office -it also showed such a realistic WWIII scenario that it led to the creation of a 1986 anti-hacking law.
