ASHLAND — It’s always fun to reminisce about the past so here are some interesting facts and products from the 1960’s that many of you may recall or still see around now:
The word doofus was introduced. If someone was referred to as a doofus it meant they were stupid, incompetent or foolish.
Dep was introduced as a non-greasy hair product that gave hair a drier look rather than the slicked back, greasy look from the 1950’s. Yep, it still exists!
Discotheques became popular in larger cities where the elite danced the night away to records rather than live music. This was the early start of discos which played the recorded music enjoyed by many and was eventually depicted in the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever.
Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) became widely used in the computer world and remained the most popular language used in business for many years. COBOL was created to provide both portability (ability of programs to be run with minimum modification on computers from different manufacturers) and readability (ease with which a program could be read like ordinary English).
My we’ve come a long way here!
Health Spas became popular, especially for the elite.
Radar Detectors became available and notified drivers if their speed was being measured by law enforcement. In 1968, Dale Smith from Ohio, who was an electrical engineer, received a speeding ticket and invented the Fuzzbuster, which became the most popular defense against speeding tickets in its time.
The vegetable tray became a popular appetizer in American households. Raw vegetables such as onions, radishes, carrots and celery were often served with some type of dip at family gatherings.
In the 1960’s the term “golden oldies” was born. It referred to music from the 50’s and today usually refers to music from the 50’s and 60’s.
Mayonnaise became very popular in the 1960’s as convenience cooking also became a familiar term. It was used in everything from cakes to pasta salads.
Barbie, a fashion doll manufactured by Mattel and launched in March 1959, became one of the most popular toys in the 1960’s. Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as the inspiration of Barbie which has become a very valuable collectible.
Chubby Checker’s 1960 cover version of the song gave birth to the Twist dance craze. His version of this single became a hit and reached #1 on September 19, 1960. The song resurfaced and became #1 again on Jan. 13, 1962.
This would not happen for another song for nearly 59 years when Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” topped the charts in December 2019 and again in December 2020.
Another popular toy introduced in the 1960’s was the Etch A Sketch. It was introduced near the peak of the Baby Boom in July 1960 and sold for $2.99. 600,000 units were sold that year and it is one of the best-known toys of that era. In 1998, it was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
In 2003, the Toy Industry Association named Etch A Sketch one of the 100 most memorable toys of the 20th century. The Etch A Sketch has since sold over 100 million units worldwide.
Color television became common in households in the early 1960’s. Thanks in large part to NBC, color TV grew quickly during the color revolution of 1965. A large RCA color TV in 1965 cost about $300.
The Tunnel of Fudge was extremely popular after being introduced in 1966. It is a cake with a fudge and nut center baked in a Bundt style pan. Though it only won second prize in a 1966 baking contest, it became iconic. This recipe brought Bundt cakes to universal recognition in the United States.
It’s interesting to see how many of these products and trends have stuck around over the years.
