Things you could order over 50 years ago that you can't order now !

[bullbreaker]

Was buying baby alligators from ads in comic books really a thing? - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board

I was watching an episode of the old TV show “Leave It To Beaver” where the boys ordered a baby alligator from an ad in their comic book. It arrived in a shoe-box with holes in it and they raised it until it was a coupl…

boards.straightdope.com

Over 50 years ago we ordered a baby gator from a comic book add . It came through USPS in a shoe box with holes poked on top of lid . We kept it as a pet in a shady part of house (outside) lol with a small pit , shade , small plants trees etc to make it feel at home .
When it got to big to handle a friend of ours who worked for Fish and Game relocated it for us . This was in south Fla .

Any of you's recall as a young boy ordering a baby gator in a box or something similar ? lol !

 

[/pine]

everyone I ever saw was a caiman...everyone just thought they were gators...lot of old stories of people from NY visiting FL and taking them (caimans sold as alligators) home and ending up flushing them and the NY sewers were filled with giant gators...!

 

[/pine]

I remember being able to order either S&W or Colt revolvers from ads in Sports Afield etc. magazines...ungodly cheap compared to today's prices...

 

[Jstpssng]

Army surplus jeeps for $40... I don't know the exact details but heard that what you got was a crate with a jeep in various states of disarray. Our high school shop teacher tried to organize some students to place an order and got into a bit of trouble.

 

[5030]

You could buy ant farms complete with starter ants...

 

[stuckmotor]

everyone I ever saw was a caiman...everyone just thought they were gators...lot of old stories of people from NY visiting FL and taking them (caimans sold as alligators) home and ending up flushing them and the NY sewers were filled with giant gators...!

Long before the internet, I read somewhere that they were caimams, too.

 

[Jstpssng]

You could buy ant farms complete with starter ants...

Apparently you still can. We always had the real thing digging mounds in the driveway so I could never see the point.

 

[stuckmotor]

Army surplus jeeps for $40... I don't know the exact details but heard that what you got was a crate with a jeep in various states of disarray. Our high school shop teacher tried to organize some students to place an order and got into a bit of trouble.

I remember those ads. They sounded too good to be true.

 

[/pine]

Long before the internet, I read somewhere that they were caimams, too.

To those of us born and raised in FL it was a running joke on the tourists and snowbirds...

Brine shrimp was another one...only they were called "sea-monkeys"...!

 

[Alan W.]

I remember being able to order stuff and never giving a second thought to where it was made because you knew it was made in the USA.
Every time I wanted to order something from the comic books my mom would tell me no that I stayed in too much trouble already.
Now I ask you how much trouble could a young boy and x-ray vision glasses get into.

 

[stuckmotor]

I remember being able to order stuff and never giving a second thought to where it was made because you knew it was made in the USA.
Every time I wanted to order something from the comic books my mom would tell me no that I stayed in too much trouble already.
Now I ask you how much trouble could a young boy and x-ray vision glasses get into.

My brother ordered a box of junk from a comic book or some place similar. His x-ray glasses had feathers for lenses and really SEEMED to work. He also got a walkie talkie set. It was two objects shaped like electronic microphones with a string beteen them.

 

[stuckmotor]

To those of us born and raised in FL it was a running joke on the tourists and snowbirds...

Brine shrimp was another one...only they were called "sea-monkeys"...!

After I was grown, I bought some sea monkeys out of curiosity. They were probably on a novelty stand in a store. They died soon after hatching. The sea monkeys didn't have the little faces on them like pictured in the ads.

 

[bullbreaker]

Also The Littleton Coin company from Colorado use to back then send me coins , mostly pennies and nickels to review and purchase on " scouts honor " . I was a jr numismatist just a kid . No nothing but a person's word and promise . I never sent any back I would just buy them all . I imagine at some point people started ripping them off and they had to stop that policy , but times sure were different back then .

 

[tacticalturnip]

everyone I ever saw was a caiman...everyone just thought they were gators...lot of old stories of people from NY visiting FL and taking them (caimans sold as alligators) home and ending up flushing them and the NY sewers were filled with giant gators...!

 

[5030]

50 year ago you could by a rotary phone too.

 

[ultrarunner]

Leaded high octane gas…

Local clothing store in the mall raffled off a new Cessna and it was there for all to see.

You could buy one for little more than the price of a top of the line Cadillac.

Burger, fries and drink for a buck…

 

[Jstpssng]

Mexican jumping beans... Maybe you can still get them but I didn't feel like filtering through all of the chaff my search engine produced just to find out.

 

[/pine]

How about rosin potatoes...?...I remember seeing them in pots I think in the rosin on the store shelves with the charcoal etc...anyone ever eaten them ?

 

[/pine]

found this:

Rosin Baked Potatoes: An Almost-Lost Art

Come, explore the unique cooking technique of rosin baked potatoes and uncover an intriguing piece of culinary history with us.

thecookscook.com

 

[bullbreaker]

I never did it but how about the old old time county fair "kissing " booth .