I'm older than dirt. I actually remember every single thing on the list except howdy-doody, but I heard a lot about it from older siblings and parents, even as i was a li'l tacker. It had been one of their favorite shows.Later got to hear it on vinyl (78, I think) and much, much later on the Internet.
That was a great read. Lots of memories...thanks!
A few more:
Burma shave signs. In fact, Burma Shave itself!
Kukla, Fran and Ollie.
Captain Kangaroo.
Bazooka bubble gum with comics inside, from the barber shop (salons were mysterious, strange-smelling places where women went in and later came out with funny hair and also smelling strange).
Waiting for the T.V. to "warm up" before it "came on", and then having to fiddle forever with the antenna to get the reception right, because what worked right when you were standing next to and touching the rabbit ears, didn't work when you went back to the sofa. When the TV dial went up to 12 or 13 stations, but there were not that many stations to actually watch.
It was cool when the car radio (tube, of course) had metal push-buttons you could set to quickly select a station.
Similarly, push-button transmission shifting. [Not on our cars, but on my Grandpa's. Same age vehicle, different brand.]
When the onlychoices there were in casual shoes were Keds or Converse, low or ankle-high ("basketball" shoes), and black, white, red or blue. Oh, and Hush Puppies.
BVDs.
When you knew who the movie stars and celebrities were, because there were only relatively few and they stayed famous for a long time. Also, they were actually attractive and had some talent.
When you'd think twice before buying something plastic, because plastics could distort, discolor or crack. The technology of making plastic was too new and unreliable.
When "made in Japan" was used to mean really cheap and trashy; of the worst possible quality.
When Burma, Bombay, Rhodesia, East and West Pakistan, the Soviet Union and many other vanished place names still existed on the map.
When Little Black Sambo was just a funny kid's story that happened to be about a black kid, and not a charged political statement or a sign of prejudice.
When saying you loved mankind meant all people, and not specifically males, so likewise wasn't politically charged. Heck, when the concept of "political correctness" did not exist yet, but people were taught respect and consideration for others, and that "sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words can never hurt me", and the wisdom and courtesy to find the right balance between them. When you were taught to "be a man" and take care of yourself, instead of waiting for the chance to sue someone for enough money to retire, because they stepped on your toe. 'Ambulance chasing' didn't exist yet.
When there were NO PCs, copy machines (except mimeographs), calculators (except big desktop adding machines that businesses used), mobile phones, LED displays, or touch controls. Transistors were things inside of small, cheap (mono, usually AM-only) radios.
When owning a wristwatch was a status symbol.
When kids had chores to do, and doing them was not negotiable. When being "grounded" was a meaningful deterrent punishment.
When all mothers were called "Mother" or "Mom" or "Ma" and fathers were "Father" or "Dad", or maybe "Pa" or "Pop", but NEVER by their first names!
When people saved up for travel, and a trip to somewhere far away and exotic, like Hawaii, for a week, was something one planned years in advance and probably only did once or twice in a lifetime (if at all). If you had done such a thing, you were lucky and special, to be envied by most.
and many more changes, both material and social...
