DON'T FORGET the Napkins!

Apparently Santa is pretty picky about his napkins. I'm mentioning this so you can rush out to get the right napkins for the milk and cookies, or chablis and cheese, or ze pigs in ze blanket, or Svedish meatballs. Remember, presentation is everything. And ummmm...if that's a bowl of eggnog you might want to leave out a cup for the old guy. The idea of him having to pick that up and chug-a-lug is just unpleasant. Now, if that's not eggnog...whatever it is, don't put it out!

(SOURCE: Sunset, December 1968)

Groovy Ops'n Pops...WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Imagine the poor admen back in the 60s trying desperately to take old brands and make them young and hip for the youth market. Was there a focus group that said, "I really hate boring ballpoint pens that look like the one my grandfather uses. It's a bummer."

So they gave us Ops'n Pops. Huh? What the...? I like the pens. I even like the add with the pshychedelic type reminiscent of Bill Graham Fillmore concert posters. But "Ops'n Pops"? Really. How long did it take them to come up with that name? And why? And what was it like to hear the copywriter say "groovy" for the first time in a meeting with the client?


Click on image to see it larger. (SOURCE: Teen, June 1968)

The 60s were an odd time. Rather schizoid. On one hand you had the girls in the Breck ads looking like traditional nice girls. And then you had PaperMate trying to win over girls who might be using Breck, but were secretly wishing they were hanging out on the Strip with Buffalo Springfield. An advertising high wire for sure.

Poor admen. Poor poor admen. Life used to be so easy.

Remember girls, ALWAYS WEAR KRENE FABRIC when chasing boys

This is just so wrong! Wrong on so many levels!


Click on image to see it larger. (SOURCE: Sunset, October 1968) 

"BIG" AMERICAN CARS in 1967: '68 Dodge Dart

What do you do when the hood of the car is the same size as the trunk? Where’s the sex appeal? Well of course, put a babe on the hood and no one notices this “flaw.” It was an American car being downsized. This was considered a compact car. My how times have changed.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, November 1967)

The Dodge Dart is an automobile built by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1960 to 1976 in North America, with production extended to later years in various other markets. The Dart was introduced as a lower-priced, shorter wheelbase, full-size Dodge in 1960 and 1961, became a mid-size car for 1962, and finally was a compact from 1963 to 1976. Chrysler had previously applied the "Dart" name to a Ghia-built show car in 1956.

The project planners proposed the name Dart, only to have executives demand an expensive research program which produced the name Zipp. This was promptly rejected in favor of Dart.

Over its 13-year production run, the Dart earned a reputation as a sturdy, dependable car. "The Dart was one of the most successful compact cars ever introduced in the American automobile marketplace," according to R.D. McLaughlin, then vice president of Chrysler's Automotive sales division, "It enjoys a strong owner loyalty and is a car that has established a reputation for reliability and value...these are [some] reasons why we will continue to market the Dart while introducing the new compact Aspen." Ultimately, the A-body Dart was replaced by the F-body Dodge Aspen beginning in late spring of 1976—a replacement Chrysler President Lee Iacocca would later lament due to the Aspen's many early quality problems.

1968Changes for 1968 were relatively subtle. The park/turn lights in the grille were moved slightly inboard and made round. Side marker lights lights were added to the front fenders and rear quarter panels, to comply with newly introduced Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. Other changes to comply with new federal safety laws included collapsible steering columns, additional padding on the dashboard and sunvisors, shoulder harnesses (separate, this year and until 1973, from the lap belts) and non-glare matte finish on the windshield wiper arms. Chrysler's "Clean Air Package" emission control system became standard equipment on cars sold in all 50 states. The steering linkage was revised again, as were the windshield and rear window gaskets and trim-lock strips, leaving the 1967 pieces as one-year-only items. The standard rear axle ratio was dropped from 2.93 to 2.76 with all standard-performance engines and automatic transmission. Part-throttle downshift functionality was added as a refinement to the TorqueFlite automatic transmission in 6-cylinder cars, to retain acceptable city performance with the taller rear axle ratio.

Fifty specially-equipped "Hemi Dart" models were built under subcontract by Hurst for NHRA SS/B and SS/BA drag racing classes, today these cars (with their sister Plymouth Hemi'Cudas) remain the quickest production cars ever mass produced, with elapsed times in the low 8-second range (1/4-mile) and trap speeds approaching 160 MPH. (SOURCE: Wikipedia) 

BIG AMERICAN CARS in 1967: Cadillac '68

Yes, Cadillac was known as a luxury car. It was a status symbol before the country was overrun by foreign luxury cars. But there’s a little secret so many people don’t know. The engines cost extra. Yes, it’s true, a lot of the Caddies you saw sitting in people’s driveways had been towed there by the dealer and placed strategically to make it look like the owners had wealth. They simply couldn’t afford the engine which was an extra, like power steering.

They were statues of status.

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, November 1967)

BIG AMERICAN CARS IN 1967: Chrysler '68

They were American cars and they were in your face. Parking them was akin to trying to bring the Queen Mary into dock. But oh my were they comfy. There was plenty of room to do all sorts of things in these cars. And advertisers wanted to make sure you understood that what was under the hood was sexy. BIG and SEXY!

Click on image to see it larger.

(SOURCE: Sunset, November 1967)

American car makers scoffed at the Volkswagen. “Ha! You pathetic little ahead of your time gas saving no room lousy shocks tiny pinhead of a car! Ha! Eat our dust! We’ll drive by you on the freeway leaving you scurrying around trying to stay in your own lane just from the wake we leave behind.”

Yes, American cars were big, no…HUGE, and we loved them.

My folks sponsored a fellow from England in 1975. The first thing he wanted was a big American convertible. I loaned him $500 and we went out shopping. He found a huge white Ford convertible. He was in seventh heaven. I thought he was crazy, but it was a dream come true for him. He was in California and driving a convertible. It just didn’t get any better.