Health class – circa 1950

One of my favorite sites is Cate’s Garage Sale Finds. Too much funny stuff there to even count – but it’s on par with the infamous Weight Watchers cards from 1974. PAINFULLY funny and observant.

PAINfully funny.

Anyway, I just flipped through Cate’s discussion of a health book for teenagers in the 50s she found somewhere.

You just have to flip through it. Look at the illustrations, look deeply. And then read her commentary.

My stomach hurts. Her observations about the illustrtaion showing the dangers of joy-riding is almost too funny to be read at work.

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16 Responses to Health class – circa 1950

  1. Lisa says:

    Hahahahahaha! I love that. It reminds me of the antiquated Sunday School books my church used when I was growing up where we were warned that “petting” leads you STRAIGHT TO HELL. Bizarre word, petting.

    I have Wendy’s book (with 16 more WW cards!) and it is hilARious. My favorite card is “Chicken Liver Bake”

    Chicken Liver Bake: enjoy it with the ashes of a loved one.

    Or maybe what’s left of the chickens are in that urn. Maybe the chickens were your loved ones.

    But chickens never love back enough. And that’s why you have to KILL them. And eat their livers ritualistically. And then they’re a part of you forever. Forever.

  2. red says:

    HAHAHAHA I never get tired of looking through those cards. I love the weird one with the random pig staring on at the dish in horror. Or apathy. It’s hard to tell.

  3. Lisa says:

    Embrace mackereality — Tom Cruise

  4. Cullen says:

    Oh, thank you for all of that. Never seen them.

  5. red says:

    cullen – aren’t they hysterical?

  6. Cullen says:

    Absolutely. Cate’s stuff is great. The Weight Watchers cards are also good. I love this kind of stuff.

  7. Emily says:

    I love the “tasks for teenagers.”

    “Accepting yourself as a girl or boy.”

  8. mere says:

    these are funny!! Caucasian Shashlik!!!

  9. Rude1 says:

    Snacks on a Stick, Oh. My. God! Thanks Sheila, these crack me up, I’ll (sadly :)) be wasting more time going through and reading each one! Like I have nothing else to do!!! :) Cheers

  10. Laura says:

    Every now and then I find myself in a serious need for laughter, and those Weight Watchers cards do it every time. My favorites are the pathetic salmon attempting to spawn with a lemon, and inspiration soup. Another one that’s painfully funny is the House Cakes courtesy of Lileks.

  11. Websites to get lost in while I’m gone

    It all started, as usual, with Sheila. She linked to Cate’s Garage Sale Finds, specifically the health education book from the 50’s. Priceless. From there, I toured Vomitously Overdecorated T-shirts, the entire Artex gallery of horrors, and Cakes Run A…

  12. red says:

    Emily – I fear that I still haven’t learned that lesson. If I had only had that book when I was a teenager …

  13. red says:

    Laura – those house cakes are excruciatingly funny.

  14. Lisa says:

    Ohmigod, the HOUSE CAKES! Hahahahahaahaa!

    “No cake is complete without at least one ethnic slur.” How true, how true.

  15. Rocket Jones says:

    I’d rather get sweaty with Richard Simmons

    You must check out these actual Weight Watchers Recipe Cards from 1974. The accompanying commentary is priceless: Once upon a time the world was young and the words “mackerel” and “pudding” existed far, far away from one another. One day,…

  16. Rocket Jones says:

    I’d rather get sweaty with Richard Simmons

    You must check out these actual Weight Watchers Recipe Cards from 1974. The accompanying commentary is priceless: Once upon a time the world was young and the words “mackerel” and “pudding” existed far, far away from one another. One day,…

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