For those of you who follow my Facebook and Instagram posts, you may have seen my weekly ‘Who Remembers?’ posts every Friday. I thought I would summarise them on my blog, as a reminder and place to revisit every time you need that nostalgia fix!
In March it was slightly influenced by the global situation ie the Coronavirus crisis. It reminded me of old public information films, which perhaps we should have more of now! Plus the old fizzy drinks brand Corona – and why it had the same name as a virus.. Read on to find out!
Who Remembers….. Corona Pop?
Corona is Latin for Crown so that’s where the topical virus name comes from too (due to the look of the virus particles). In this case it was named after the first logo which was all the seven pop bottles arranged to look like a crown. The bottles were sold from a lorry that went round the streets and you could return the bottles getting some money back too (something perhaps that should be considered again by brands to help climate change 🤔). Sales declined with the rise of supermarkets and changing shopping habits. Anyway thought you would enjoy reminiscing – I wonder how well it would sell at the moment if it was still around today lol! I know sales of corona beer have slumped which I find v bizarre 🤷🏻♀️. Hope you are all keeping safe and well!
Who Remembers… Public Information Films?
They were often quite shocking and scary designed to make people sit up and think. Quite apt for our times at the moment too! This one of course is Charley Says which was a series of animations aimed at children urging them to do the right thing such as not going off with strangers or not playing with matches. Charley was voiced by Kenny Everett and would always miaow the lesson learned which would then be translated by the boy, Tony ‘Charley says…’. The one on not going off with strangers was famously sampled by The Prodigy in the early 90s for their hit single ‘Charley’ – I can hear it now! 😺👦🏻.
Who Remembers… The Banana Splits?
The Banana Splits was a crazy psychedelic kids TV show made by Hanna-Barbera. It first aired in 1968 for two seasons but was repeated in the early 80s, bringing it to a new generation of children. Featuring four furry characters from a fictional band, they all wore red helmets and featured both live action and animation elements.
Who Remembers… The Rotor?
This fairground ride, which probably wouldn’t be allowed today, was called The Rotor and used G Force to literally stick people to the side of the drum as it spun round very fast! Some kids would hang upside down, and it probably made a few of them very sick and with wobbly legs afterwards!
So that’s it for this week! Hope you enjoyed the memories. Do you have any more to add, specific memories on the above etc? If so feel free to leave a comment below! Rachel x
This post is written by Rachel Toy, owner of Rachel’s Vintage & Retro. I am a vintage enthusiast writing about a Vintage Lifestyle, focusing on the Vintage Home. I also sell a wide variety of vintage household items from kitchenalia, to homewares such as linens, mid century glass, brewerania, furniture and collectable toys on my Vintage Online Shop.
