The last century saw the birth of iconic inventions and innovations like radios, televisions, computers, iPhones, and the Slinky. Other stuff simply got lost in the shuffle. Check out this list of products from 1955 through 1973 that no longer exist.
1955: Cissy doll
Madame Alexander is credited with creating Cissy, the first modern fashion doll. The fashionista boasted a lovely figure which could be outfitted with any number of gowns and dresses. High heeled shoes capped her signature style.
1956: The Ladder
The Ladder was America’s first national lesbian magazine, created by the first national lesbian organization, the Daughters of Bilitis. It started as a 12-page newsletter but grew to feature news stories, book reviews, poetry, short fiction, and letters from readers. The Ladder also provided positive messages for a marginalized community. The magazine folded in 1972 due to a lack of funds and a difference in opinion over the magazine’s direction.
1957: Ford Edsel
Henry Ford had high hopes for the car he named after his son, Edsel. He invested 10 years and $250 million into the car, only for its legacy to be the Ford that flopped. Although the car came in 18 models, it survived just two years on the market.
1958: RCA Victor tape cartridge
The RCA Victor tape cartridge was created to offer recording quality in a convenient format for the consumer market. After four years of development, the reversible cassette was launched in sync with the introduction of the stereophonic phonograph record. The cartridge didn’t take off as planned and production ceased in 1964.
1959: Chatty Cathy
If you enjoy the gift of gab, you may have earned the nickname Chatty Cathy in honor of Mattel’s talking doll. She was discontinued in 1964, but has since been reissued twice for collectors who may have missed out the first time.
1960: The Chevrolet Corvair
The Chevrolet Corvair first appeared in 1960. The model received a coveted annual design award from the Industrial Designers Institute, yet consumer advocate and politician Ralph Nader called the Corvair “one of the nastiest-handling cars ever built.”
1961: Somewhere perfume
At the start of the ’60s, Avon released a new perfume called Somewhere. The green-floral scent, apparently, went nowhere.
1962: Fizzies
Fizzies were tablets that could be dropped into a cup of water to add instant (and very temporary) carbonation and fruit flavor. The Emerson Drug Company sold the sugar-free, flavored tablets to wide public appeal, and by 1968, the product was selling twice as much as Kool-Aid. Unfortunately, the sugar substitute in Fizzies included saccharin and cyclamates. That, along with the short-lived fizz and diluted flavoring, helped along Fizzies’ eventual demise. The brand has been brought back a number of times since, only to go flat again.
1963: Mister Rogers
A beloved classic, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” first graced televisions in 1963 on CBC as “Misterogers,” The broadcast moved to PBS in 1968. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Fred Rogers invited a generation of America’s youth to be kind and compassionate to themselves and one another. The show aired continuously until 2001, but its legacy lives on in the full episodes available for streaming online and the memories of the children who loved it.
1964: Celery-flavored Jell-O
Jell-O tried to fulfill fruit and veggie nutrition requirements with this garden variety. Who could resist a Jello-O infused with the flavor of celery? Maybe everyone; they were pulled off shelves a few years later.
1965: Goody Two Shoes doll
Little girls loved the Goody Two Shoes doll from Ideal Toy Company. The battery-operated plastic doll walked and wore a blue cotton dress.
1966: Computer Weekly
When it launched in 1966, Computer Weekly was the world’s first weekly IT newspaper. The publication is no longer in print, but lives on as a multi-platform digital publication, reaching millions of IT enthusiasts.
1967: Floppy disk drive
Alan Shugart invented the floppy disk drive at IBM in 1967. Anyone who used these drives remembers that they initially used an 8-inch disk, which was called a diskette as it got smaller. Sony was the last to manufacture floppy disks, ceasing production in 2011.
1968: Flower-flavored PEZ
Who can forget the sheer delight of dispensing a PEZ candy and letting it dissolve in your mouth? When PEZ launched a flower-flavored candy, it did not garner the same delight as other PEZ favorites. It went out a fashion soon after the Summer of Love that inspired it and was only briefly reissued in the ’90s.
1969: Flatsy doll
Little girls adored Ideal Toy Company’s Flatsy dolls. In spite of being a favorite among young girls, Flatsey flatlined in 1973.
1970: National Lampoon magazine
When National Lampoon magazine launched, the publication sold fewer than half of the 5,000 copies that were printed. However, the magazine's popularity grew and had people rollicking for almost three decade, becoming a major media influence on films like “Caddyshack” and “Animal House.” 1998 saw the last issue.
1971: Buc Wheats cereal
Buc Wheats was a cereal released by General Mills described as “corn flakes mixed with dark buckwheat” and glazed with maple. However, controversy erupted when General Mills replaced that maple glaze with honey instead. The product was pulled from shelves in 1982.
1972: Toaster Eggs
Downyflake imagined its Toaster Eggs would delight children in the era of pop-up breakfasts. The concept of an egg cooking in a toaster was toast by 1975.
1973: Playgirl
6,000 people bought the magazine’s first copy and circulation soared in its first decade. The publisher, Blue Horizon Media, sold print rights to Magna Publishing Group in 2011, and then in 2015, Magna was acquired by a toll-free telephone erotica company.