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Products From the 70s

Some say that everything that is old is new again. Well, maybe not everything. While hair styles, certain types of music and various styles of clothing may be cyclical, some of the reasons we enjoy things from the past is because they serve as a time capsule, reminding us of time that was perhaps more simple... or just a little nutty.

Pong
- Video games today are a major source of entertainment. It's a multi-billion dollar industry with several big time players. This mighty industry, however, sprung up from very humble roots in the form of the Atari game, Pong, which debuted in 1972. It was a tennis-type game designed by Allan Alcorn. While there had been previous video games, it was the success of Pong that really ignited the arcade game craze of the following decades.
Sunkist Orange Soda
- If you take a trip to your local market's soft drink section, you'll find a tremendous variety. From standard colas and diet sodas to energy drinks and even sodas with very peculiar flavors, there is seemingly something for everyone. In 1979, however, when Sunkist orange soda debuted, the field was far less crowded. In short time, Sunkist orange soda became America's best-selling orange soda and positioned itself among the top 10 best-selling sodas in America.
Pet Rocks
- No conversation of quintessentially '70s products would be complete without mentioning the Pet Rock. The brainchild of marketer Gary Dahl, Pet Rocks were billed as a no-hassle pet. Of course, few, if any, would buy a rock by itself. That's why Dahl took the concept a step further with innovative packaging that included a Pet Rock training manual and a cardboard carrying case. Pet Rocks hit the mainstream just in time for the Christmas season of 1975 and retailed at $3.95 a piece. They promptly sold more than a million units. The rest, as they say, is history.
Mood Rings
- Like the Pet Rock, mood rings were invented by a marketer named Joshua Reynolds. Unlike a Pet Rock, however, mood rings were dynamic, changing their appearance. While the premise was that the ring would change with the wearer's mood, the color actually changed with the wearer's body temperature. The color change occurred because the "stone" in the ring was actually made from a heat-sensitive liquid crystal that was encased in quartz. As an interesting aside, Reynolds also went on to invent the ThighMaster.

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