DP Time Machine: History Through Ads, Volume I
October 28, 2014 at 10:14 am
Fact: everyone at Penn is a nerd, no matter how cool. So UTB's inner history geek is coming out to play in our first ever installment of DP Time Machine, in which we'll be looking back on our fine university in decades of yesteryear through the lens of ads that were placed in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
The DP office at 4015 Walnut is full of bound volumes with every year's print editions, and for our first trip down memory lane, we'll be exploring gems from 1969, 1985 and 1994. What we found was equal parts fascinating and absurd. Let's take a journey...
1969
The 60s, man. Far out. Free love. And apparently over-the-counter speed?
Gotta love that sexist "and/or" with an M.R.S. degree listed before profession. As one "journalist" has notoriously noted, today, Penn "coeds" care more about that job that that meaningful boyfriend. But then again, that "mother nagging" 45 years ago is still alive and well.
Prague is a top destination amongst Penn students studying in Europe now, but this aggressive "Remember CZECHOSLOVAKIA!" ad is, like, communist propaganda in the pages of the DP?
Barber shop in the basement of Houston!? Just think, in Pure Fare's future home, hippies got their luscious locks tamed. No word on if that weird "more than just a haircut" tagline also included a happy ending. Make love, not war!
1985
We can almost hear our collective Jewish grandma complaining, "So now what do I do?" This ad shows that the lack of serviceable NJBs – resulting in (gasp) interfaith sexytimes – is a tale as old at time at dear old Penn.
This is real. This is sassy. This is affordable. This is timeless. Why wait for V-Day? Bring this back TODAY.
This idea can also get it. Perhaps our UA reps are too politically driven today to associate with such a SCANDALOUS concept, but we bet their approval rates would skyrocket.
Oh. My. God. Our beloved 40th and Walnut location coexisted with this McDirty's, but this one was decidedly NOT 24/7. Were no fast food joints all-nighters then, or did Houston's early closing result in it going under? If your parent(s) went here in 1985, please inquire about this Mickey D's and if he or she got the free balloon.
1994
"Boy oh boy, have computers made progress in the last twenty years," we think from our comfortable position in the blogosphere. Hey, $295 is sort of a rip off for an HP printer (for MACINTOSH), but that free paper sample...those were the days.