The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsCan you remember a fad from the 60's or 70's? Mine is the troll doll. What about you?
PJMcK
(25,284 posts)I still have one!
debm55
(62,824 posts)AllaN01Bear
(30,374 posts)MontanaMama
(24,791 posts)Still in his little crate with the shredded wood bedding.
SARose
(1,831 posts)And Twiggy!
Yardley soap, black eyeliner, all things Carnaby Street!
I still have my troll doll from then. How shes survived all the moves I dont know.
debm55
(62,824 posts)mwmisses4289
(5,420 posts)OldBaldy1701E
(11,934 posts)FM123
(10,396 posts)At least I think that's what they were called - they looked like tiny little Barbie dolls.....
debm55
(62,824 posts)TommieMommy
(3,286 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)kimbutgar
(27,794 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)hlthe2b
(115,550 posts)Kinda broke my heart.... LOL
debm55
(62,824 posts)BoRaGard
(7,598 posts)
debm55
(62,824 posts)no_hypocrisy
(55,969 posts)Puka Shell necklaces
debm55
(62,824 posts)Last edited Mon Mar 31, 2025, 07:01 PM - Edit history (1)
Ocelot II
(132,131 posts)Mood rings, Nehru jackets and love beads, to name a few.
debm55
(62,824 posts)chowmama
(1,155 posts)Yes, I did occasionally burn myself. But then there was the time I dropped a brightly colored centipede in my older sister's milk When she drank down to where it became visible, she fired the glass across the kitchen, narrowly missing my mother.
Totally worth it.
debm55
(62,824 posts)3catwoman3
(30,438 posts)Chasstev365
(8,608 posts)1. Clackers
2. Wacky Packages
3. Duncan Yo Yo's
4. Plastic Skateboards.
5. Any Toy from the company "Wham-o"
6. The Drinking Bird.
7. Lava Lamps
debm55
(62,824 posts)for sharing your memories.
Prof. Toru Tanaka
(3,005 posts)Right off the bat, I can remember Hostage Mud-filled Cupcakes, Liptorn Soup and Bent (beyond repair) cigarettes.
Emile
(44,415 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)sinkingfeeling
(58,416 posts)mwmisses4289
(5,420 posts)flor-de-jasmim
(2,290 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)EYESORE 9001
(30,061 posts)Broke a lamp and that was the end of the Ckackers fad in my household.
debm55
(62,824 posts)never went in a line like the video.
Eugene
(67,509 posts)EYESORE 9001
(30,061 posts)It became a challenge to clack them hard enough to break the balls.
DaBronx
(787 posts)We called them click clacks.
MyMission
(2,010 posts)I remember a lot of fads from that time, my formative years.
My first thought was the pet rock, which I remember from my teenage years.
Then there's the fashion fads.
Hair parted in the middle, and then the shag haircut, then punk.
I remember bell bottoms, hip huggers mini skirts, wide lapels, platform shoes.
And jeans with many patches that I sewed on as they got holes!
Now of course they sell jeans with distressed holes and no patches.
debm55
(62,824 posts)lastlib
(29,009 posts)
I wore those strings out!
debm55
(62,824 posts)applegrove
(134,244 posts)at school.
debm55
(62,824 posts)sinkingfeeling
(58,416 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)terip64
(1,607 posts)I loved it, but it gave me a headache!
debm55
(62,824 posts)Nittersing
(8,633 posts)I think it was an inverted appliance box with a LOT of orange yarn hanging down, all around it.
debm55
(62,824 posts)livetohike
(24,560 posts)not sure I remember how to make them though.

sinkingfeeling
(58,416 posts)Probably a video out there somewhere on how to do it.
debm55
(62,824 posts)AllaN01Bear
(30,374 posts)white leisure suit. had one. frisbie the flyin disck
debm55
(62,824 posts)AllaN01Bear
(30,374 posts)TomSlick
(13,183 posts)I had a set of leisure suits that my mother sewed for me.
AllaN01Bear
(30,374 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)TomSlick
(13,183 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)Ilikepurple
(853 posts)I mainly wanted some cuz the6 looked like big marbles, but mom said no.
AllaN01Bear
(30,374 posts)rsdsharp
(12,121 posts)Which was the inspiration for naming the AFL NFL World Championship Game the Super Bowl.
debm55
(62,824 posts)EverHopeful
(745 posts)Going back to the regular ball just wasn't as much fun after playing with the Superball
rsdsharp
(12,121 posts)AllaN01Bear
(30,374 posts)Freddie
(10,204 posts)They came in 3 sizes and everybody had them. I remember going to Woolworths with Mom to get mine.
LogDog75
(1,514 posts)For some reason, it wasn't cool to have a loop on the back of your shirt in school. The loop was there so you could hang it up in a locker. If you had one, most likely someone would rip it off while you're walking down the hall. I never remembered anyone's shirt being torn so the loop must have been stitched in a manner that it would tear easily. Kids used to see who could collect the most loops in a day.
debm55
(62,824 posts)3catwoman3
(30,438 posts)Emile
(44,415 posts)ripped the whole back of my shirt when she tugged on mine in the hallway between class.
some_of_us_are_sane
(4,016 posts)FRIED MARBLES! I'd take cat's eye marbles, put them in a cast iron skillet and turn on the heat until the glass developed cracks inside. Then glue them onto cheap necklace fasteners with airplane glue, put them on chain and wear as a necklace. ROFL!
Whoops! Forgot the ice cube part!

(That's when they'd crack.)
debm55
(62,824 posts)Aristus
(72,861 posts)forming a rainbow, then decorated with fuzzy tufts, googly eyes, and a golf-tee beak. A pop-art glass bird to decorate the window sill with.
debm55
(62,824 posts)Aristus
(72,861 posts)n/t
yourout
(8,940 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)MorbidButterflyTat
(5,137 posts)your insides will explode!
yellowdogintexas
(23,781 posts)there was also a Ben Casey bracelet which I still have; the blouse/top kicked the bucket long ago
at my high school, there was an occurring fad amongst the boys to bleach their hair nearly white. ( one guy only bleached a stripe down the center of the top of his head, and left it longer than the rest of his hair. His nickname was "Skunk" after that)
Bleeding Madras cotton shirts, worn with jeans and WeeJuns (without socks)
Mohair sweaters
Keds with longer, squared toes
Humongeously teased hair
SheltieLover
(83,471 posts)JMCKUSICK
(7,172 posts)SheltieLover
(83,471 posts)wcmagumba
(7,177 posts)Our neighbor managed a small local plastics company and hired some of us teens (14 or older) to work at his company packaging and labeling the Clackers...
yourout
(8,940 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)Eugene
(67,509 posts)and many, many fads listed above.
I remember a Pet Rock on display and reading the owner's guide for it at a department store. I was first to bring a yo-yo to schools. Tie Dying a tee-shirt was taught in art class.
debm55
(62,824 posts)wcmagumba
(7,177 posts)I remember my mom buying me two pair at Montgomery Wards (aka, Monkey Wards). I got a green striped pair and a blue striped pair....I was so cool...In my own mind anyway...
DBoon
(25,339 posts)MontanaMama
(24,791 posts)Burned myself dozens of times getting them off the cookie sheet.
debm55
(62,824 posts)Wiz Imp
(11,100 posts)
mwmisses4289
(5,420 posts)three color shag carpets that was put into new houses in the early 1970's, along with the big flowered wall paper accents in the kitchen. Our carpet was shades of green, a neighbor had shades of orange, and I think another neighbors was shades of cream. People started recarpeting as soon as a kid spilled something on it, or threw big parties hoping someone would spill something on it so they could replace it asap!
debm55
(62,824 posts)Doc_Technical
(3,800 posts)Collector cards, the size of baseball cards, that depicted a Martian
invasion of Earth, these were the inspiration for the movie "When Mars Attacks".
There were about 50 cards in the collection.
There was also a set of cards about the Civil War.
pandr32
(14,307 posts)She had a whole bunch.
Wiz Imp
(11,100 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)Wiz Imp
Nictuku
(4,695 posts)Back when streaking was popular, the skydiving team she was on "The Stardusters" actually did a streaking jump. Of course they had their parachutes and helmets and boots, but otherwise.... They did have a camera man (camera attached to helmet) who exited the plane last. Mom said that he must have had quite a view from there.
Boy has skydiving equipment changed since then! Nowadays they have these lightweight 'wing' parachutes (mom had the old fashioned type back in the 60s) You have so much more control over the landing, they don't even require heavy boots any more.
A packed parachute these days is about the size that the reserve parachute's used to be.
A related story: Reserve parachutes used to have to be packed by a professional once a year, and one year after getting hers packed, mom sewed a patch to it. She didn't find out until the next year that she had SEWN IT CLOSED! She was jumping without a reserve every weekend for close to a year.
rubbersole
(11,375 posts)I could use the wig, come to think of it ...
debm55
(62,824 posts)Borogove
(642 posts)I owned a pair of cheap knockoffs from Thom McCans. Was wearing them when I met my wife. She still makes fun of me for it.
wcmagumba
(7,177 posts)Guess I'll have to face the fact that I had most all of these 60s and 70s items, and I liked them too...ha ha!
debm55
(62,824 posts)DaBronx
(787 posts)catbyte
(39,545 posts)I went on a senior trip to Italy in the early 1970s and thought I was hot stuff buying a pair of genuine Italian 6" platform shoes in Rome. I was going to be cutting edge in my little town in northern lower Michigan. I was until I tried to cross the street in town and almost broke my ankle on those damned things. They rapidly turned into a useless souvenir.
debm55
(62,824 posts)catbyte
(39,545 posts)We looked like Mutt and Jeff so naturally the relationship was doomed. I vowed to never again date anybody over a foot taller than me.
Nictuku
(4,695 posts)
debm55
(62,824 posts)ILikePie92
(223 posts)"What's the magic word?"
Please
MLAA
(19,888 posts)Response to debm55 (Original post)
BigMin28 This message was self-deleted by its author.
MuseRider
(35,176 posts)and very pale lipstick.
London Fog
debm55
(62,824 posts)mwmisses4289
(5,420 posts)and something called Bottle Caps (I think that's what they were called). You dropped one in a glass of water and it would fizz. My favorite tasted like rootbeer, but iirc, they were also flavored grape orange and cream soda. Soda stream without the machine, lol.
Edited to add: Ah, just found that they were called Fizzies, not Bottle Caps.
mwmisses4289
(5,420 posts)4TheArts
(194 posts)Fizzies gone from the market when cylamates banned in 1968. I think Tang came out around then.
Hula hoops endure.
brush
(61,033 posts)Last edited Sun Mar 30, 2025, 06:36 PM - Edit history (1)
JMCKUSICK
(7,172 posts)brush
(61,033 posts)Some sick, disgusting images, but somehow funny.
Mike Nelson
(10,947 posts)Eugene
(67,509 posts)woodsprite
(12,603 posts)Both toys heated up enough to cook whatever it was you had in there, but my Mom always supervised my Easy Bake Oven cooking. She didn't with the Creepy Crawler cooking. I guess because she wanted to make sure what came out of the Easy Bake oven was edible.
Diamond_Dog
(41,692 posts)I always wanted a hairstyle like hers but my hair wouldnt cooperate. Later on in the 70s I had real long straight hair parted in the middle like Cher.
I was going to say white go-go boots but I see someone else beat me to it!
P.O.W. bracelets.
Macramé.
Crocheted vests. (I had one)
debm55
(62,824 posts)Last edited Sun Mar 30, 2025, 09:06 PM - Edit history (1)
bracelet and and Granny Square Crocheted vest. Thank you for sharing with us.
RainCaster
(13,966 posts)I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet.
debm55
(62,824 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)nocoincidences
(2,495 posts)Smoking weed, dropping acid, hash brownies...
debm55
(62,824 posts)Oldbrat4567
(2 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)LetMyPeopleVote
(185,036 posts)JMCKUSICK
(7,172 posts)Chipped beef on toast.
debm55
(62,824 posts)WestMichRad
(3,595 posts)My family was fairly poor and with me the youngest of several kids, I pretty much had only hand-me-downs, except for a few clothes each year. So I was aware of most of these things that others mentioned, but had very few. Fizzies, a frisbee, lawn darts and thats about all. Except the Spirograph, which was a Christmas present shared by 3 of us. Oh, and an Etch-a-sketch, which I never really could create anything interesting with. Stupid thing!
debm55
(62,824 posts)sketch. All I was able to make was squares.
marble falls
(73,760 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)BlueKota
(5,639 posts)and jump suits.
Wiz Imp
(11,100 posts)BlueKota
(5,639 posts)I read it was invented in the 70s. Missed the released in the 80s part.
DaBronx
(787 posts)Not sure if these were a regional thing in the Bronx but they came in two colors, dark brown suede and a lighter brown leather. I tried to find something similar a few years back and the closest I came to them was something called roofer shoes.
debm55
(62,824 posts)Captain Zero
(9,016 posts)They don't make noise like a dog, and don't poop in a box in your house like a cat.
Bluepinky
(2,595 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)terip64
(1,607 posts)We used to make rings out of it.

debm55
(62,824 posts)kozar
(3,394 posts)1972,
My 8th grade teacher, put a basketball in my hands. I still have that basketball, im 64 now and can't even see the hoop from the free throw line! The feel of that ball, makes me feel young again. And I'm still, just 6 ft tall.
Koz
debm55
(62,824 posts)WhiteTara
(31,322 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)58Sunliner
(6,482 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)crimycarny
(2,118 posts)OMG, I wore a Gunne Sax dress to my senior high school prom. 1977. Blast from the past!
58Sunliner
(6,482 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)dresses.
tintinvotes
(152 posts)The Bus stop dance.
debm55
(62,824 posts)Historic NY
(40,254 posts)
]debm55
(62,824 posts)Historic NY
(40,254 posts)MorbidButterflyTat
(5,137 posts)flare jeans, and platform shoes. I had older girl cousins and I loved their clothes!
My friends and I would wear those feathers in our hair you'd get from local carnivals, and they attached with roach clips!
Invisible Man and Woman models you could see through to their arteries and innards, sea monkeys, Mad magazine, hanging beads in my closet doorway, hot pants and the body to match!
debm55
(62,824 posts)Ilikepurple
(853 posts)When I was ten, I bought a box wholesale and got in trouble for selling them at school. They didnt seem to be contraband. I think that my social studies teacher wasnt fond of my entrepreneurial spirit.
debm55
(62,824 posts)Ilikepurple
(853 posts)They were a pack of trading cards that had Mad Magazine like parodies of household products with a stick of trading card quality gum inside.
Emile
(44,415 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)surfered
(15,506 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)Earl_from_PA
(308 posts)Made from the pull tabs from beverage cans.
debm55
(62,824 posts)KitFox
(621 posts)chokers, paisley prints, madras plaid that you washed and it bled, baby doll mini dresses. I still have my lava lamp in the spare bedroom. My grandkids turn it on first thing when they come for sleepovers. They also play with my clear orange Imperial yo yo that I got when I was in the 6th grade!
debm55
(62,824 posts)KitFox
(621 posts)your oxygen level doing? Hoping it is in B plus to A range!!! Thinking of you!🩷🩷🩷
debm55
(62,824 posts)KitFox
(621 posts)walkingman
(11,413 posts)Listen to the stereo and play.
debm55
(62,824 posts)SWinter
(27 posts)Colorful caps with a pompom on the end. The longer the better!
debm55
(62,824 posts)gay texan
(3,312 posts)Cute, but not comfy
debm55
(62,824 posts)gay texan
(3,312 posts)Freddie
(10,204 posts)A large elastic band you did various complicated patterns with your feet. All we did at recess 4th grade.
debm55
(62,824 posts)crimycarny
(2,118 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)Wiz Imp
(11,100 posts)CB Radios
?resize=553%2C422
8-Track Tapes

The CB Radio craze even spawned a #1 Hit Song in 1975.
debm55
(62,824 posts)Wiz Imp
(11,100 posts)
?w=2044
?w=2046
?w=2045debm55
(62,824 posts)Clouds Passing
(8,252 posts)How are you doing deb?
debm55
(62,824 posts)Thank you for asking Clouds Passing. It is very kind of you.
debm55
(62,824 posts)JPK
(1,037 posts)Making doorway curtains out of them.
debm55
(62,824 posts)LudwigPastorius
(15,372 posts)And then, much later, the Mattel Electronics Football Game
Teacher's desk drawers were full of those things, because there was no way to mute the little beeps and chirps it made when you played it.
debm55
(62,824 posts)Emile
(44,415 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)sakabatou
(46,644 posts)Roller skates have mostly gone out of fashion. Roller blades are still out there.
debm55
(62,824 posts)eShirl
(20,674 posts)debm55
(62,824 posts)Niagara
(12,544 posts)
Disclaimer #1: I didn't read anyone else's responses so if someone else said "spoon rings" I didn't read it or see it!
Disclaimer #2: If anyone doesn't like my response, that anyone can keep scrolling!
debm55
(62,824 posts)your photo. Very unique.
milestogo
(23,486 posts)My grandparents were Scandinavian, and fortunately I ended up with the troll.