Some pop culture anniversaries in 2025 to make you feel old. How Raffi has remained relevant for nearly 50 years. A few of the biggest product fails of the 1960s.
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025!
Episode 176 starts the year off with a large serving of nostalgia. We look at the new year as a whole by going over some pop culture events with milestone anniversaries this year. Did you know Back to the Future is turning 40?
Remaining relevant and popular in any form of media is a difficult task. Some burn out quickly while others never even get their 15 minutes of fame. Then there's Raffi. The beloved troubadour of children's music has remained influential for nearly half a century. How did he do it?
Product failures are always a good source of laughter and confusion. This week's Top 5 is going to look at some of the biggest product failures of the 1960s. A car that is also a boat?!
There is also a brand new This Week In History and Time Capsule centered around the very first New Year's Eve ball drop in New York City.
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Helpful Links from this Episode
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- Purchase My New Book Cape Cod Beyond the Beach!
- In My Footsteps: A Cape Cod Travel Guide(2nd Edition)
- Hooked By Kiwi - Etsy.com
- DJ Williams Music
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- Cape Cod Living - Zazzle Store
- Subscribe on YouTube!
- Initial Impressions 2.0 Blog
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 03 (00:00):
Hello world, and welcome to the In My Footsteps
podcast.
I am Christopher Setterlund,coming to you from the vacation
destination known as Cape Cod,Massachusetts, and this is
episode 176.
Yes.
(00:27):
Happy New Year.
Happy 2025.
Today, when the podcast goeslive, it's New Year's Day.
I'm going to start your yearoff right, hopefully.
We're going to kick it off withmaking you feel old with some
events with anniversaries thisyear.
You will feel yourself aging asI list these.
(00:48):
We're going to go way, way backin the day and look at the
beloved children's singer,Raffi, whose career has gone on
for decades.
Many, many decades since beforeI was born.
There'll be a brand new topfive.
These are the top five 1960sproduct fails.
And there'll be a brand newThis Week in History and Time
(01:09):
capsule centered around the veryfirst ball drop on New Year's
Eve in Times Square.
All of that is coming up rightnow on episode 176 of the In My
Footsteps podcast.
Happy New Year, everybody.
For those of you that might behungover, you may want to turn
this down a little.
(01:30):
I said I would try to speakquieter, but it just doesn't
work for podcasting.
Wherever you are, I hope thatyour New Year has started off
right.
I mean, hangover won't start itoff right, but if you had a
good time, it kind of makes itall worth it.
I had many years of New Year'sDay hangovers based around the
(01:51):
fun I had on New Year's Eve.
I thought about doing the topfive this week about top five
New Year's Eve memories for me.
And then I thought, God,there's a lot of things in there
that I don't want shared.
I share a lot, but I don't wantto have too many things out
there that could be held againstme later.
I can't start off 2025 withoutthanking my Patreon subscribers.
(02:15):
Laurie, Mary Lou, Ashley,Kevin, Leo, Marguerite,
Neglectoid, Crystal.
Thank you all for being mybackers, helping support my
content creation.
Patreon subscriptions, it's $5a month.
It gets you access to bonuspodcasts, including one that
(02:36):
drops today, New Year's Day, forPatreon subscribers.
They go up the first of themonth.
I have a growing free tier,including something that came
out of nowhere when I wasrecording the January bonus
Patreon podcast.
I decode some old blogs ofmine, initial impressions, the
originals from 2010 to 2012.
(02:57):
One of these blogs was sorandom and so funny that I even
said during the podcast, I thinkI could put this into ChatGPT
and make like a TV show out ofit.
And that's what I did.
And the results was a showcalled Chris Unfiltered.
It's on the free tier.
I created a cover art for it.
(03:18):
It's...
But what I'm doing is I'm goingto start putting those up on
Patreon on the free tier.
I'm going to find the mostrandom blogs that I've written,
you know, 15-ish years ago andturn them into new episodes of
Chris Unfiltered.
That was like something thatjust fell into my lap.
Anyway, we can get more intothe housekeeping parts of the
(03:42):
podcast at the end.
Let's dive into the actualshow, kick off the new year
right now.
This segment that's coming up,I had a hard time trying to
describe what it is.
Once I started going throughit, you'll know exactly what I
mean, but you need to have kindof a short, catchy title for it.
You'll see it's anniversariesof events and it's going to make
(04:03):
you feel old because it made mefeel old.
And if I have to feel old, sodo all of you.
Sorry.
So let's all feel old togetherto kick off 2025 right now.
So what I do for the podcast,especially at the beginning of a
new year, is I look back forevents that have anniversaries.
(04:23):
I mean, every event has ananniversary each year, but I
mean ones that are roundnumbers, 5, 10, 15, etc.
This is partially how I minethe regions of nostalgia for
content.
So what we're going to do isI'm going to go through some of
these that I found that reallymade me feel old.
It's like I could hear myjoints starting to creak even
(04:46):
more as I read them.
And I will say that a lot ofthese I will be going in depth
in as the year goes on.
This is going to be kind of aspeed run.
Think of me as Sonic theHedgehog and all the events or
the rings that I collect.
What I'm going to do is I'mgoing to start with the most
recent and I'm going to work myway backwards.
(05:07):
So if you're hungover, maybeyou want to start drinking again
to soothe your soul.
And if you're not drinking, geta box of Kleenex to weep as
where the years have gone.
15 years ago.
So 15 years, 2010.
That is when the Walking DeadTV show premiered.
(05:28):
This is the legendary zombiepost-apocalypse TV show.
It ended its run in 2022.
In total, there are sevendifferent TV shows in the
Walking Dead universe, includingthe original.
Also 15 years old is the iPad,which first was released in
(05:49):
2010.
This is one that actually doesseem, I figured they had been
around that long.
It's like the iPod, which forthose of you who were wondering,
the first generation iPod wasreleased 24 years ago in 2001.
But wait, let's go back.
20 years, 2005, thecatastrophic Hurricane Katrina
(06:12):
hit in 2005, 20 years ago.
If I had gone a different wayin my Choose Your Own Adventure
book that is my life, I wouldhave been in New Orleans when
Hurricane Katrina hit.
But we'll get deeper into thatcome the summer.
Also 20 years ago, the ChicagoWhite Sox won the World Series,
which was their first in 88years.
(06:34):
Google Maps made its firstdebut.
YouTube made its first debut.
You had TV shows like TheOffice premiering.
Lost first debuted.
In the movie theaters, StarWars Episode III that ended the
prequel trilogy.
2005 is 20 years ago now.
(06:55):
Yeah, this stuff from 2005,that's the stuff that my oldest
nieces, my Gen Z nieces, that'swhat makes them feel old.
stuff from 2005.
And I'm like, wait till you getdeeper into my life.
Speaking of, so 25 years ago,the year 2000, in theaters, you
(07:16):
had the movie Gladiator, themovie Castaway.
Those are 25 years old now, aquarter century.
You can say it like that.
The boy band NSYNC releasedtheir huge hit album, No Strings
Attached.
You had one of the OG realityTV show Survivor beginning in
(07:38):
2000.
You also had the debut of thePS2, PlayStation 2, which I
remember I was living in LasVegas when it debuted, when it
was released, and I was workingin a Target.
And the story was one morning Iwas going into work, I got off
the bus and I'm walking towardsthe Target and there's four or
five police cruisers out front.
(07:59):
And all I'm thinking is, oh myGod, someone in there killed
someone else.
So I'm thinking of coworkersthat might have that quick
switch to murder somebody else.
It wasn't that.
It was people on the nightcrew.
When they got the delivery ofPS2s, they stole them.
I don't know what ended uphappening to those people that
(08:20):
actually stole them, though.
I don't think I cared enough.
I was like, as long as no onegot killed, I guess it's fine.
But let's go back deeper here.
30 years ago is 1995.
Let that sink in a little bit.
eBay debuted in 1995.
We had the OJ Simpson verdict.
(08:41):
That's 30 years ago.
The release, the wide releaseof DVDs.
In 1995, you also had therelease of Alanis Morissette's
gigantic album, Jagged LittlePill.
You had the movie Toy Story.
The movie Seven.
These are 30 years old now.
(09:02):
And just for reference, I was ajunior in high school 30 years
ago.
Oh, man.
Every year I get closer andcloser to the meme of Al Bundy
sitting on his couch on Marriedwith Children and just going,
oh, God, and just putting hishead in his hands.
It's coming.
35 years ago is 1990.
(09:24):
That's right.
The 90s began 35 years ago.
Kids today are going to look atthe 90s the way that when I was
a kid I looked at the 50s,which just is mind-boggling.
In 1990, Mike Tyson's aura ofinvincibility ended when Buster
Douglas knocked him out.
You had the disgrace of MilliVanilli lip-syncing their songs
(09:48):
and having to return theirGrammys.
We'll dive deeper into thatlater in the year.
You had the release of SlapBracelets, which ended up being
banned.
I know they were banned in mymiddle school.
You had the debut of The FreshPrince of Bel-Air.
You had the debut of BeverlyHills 90210.
Mariah Carey released her firstalbum.
(10:11):
MC Hammer had his huge hit YouCan't Touch This 35 years ago.
But wait, it gets worse.
This was what initially gave methe idea for this segment.
We go back 40 years to 1985.
And this is where we find outthat Back to the Future is now
40 years old.
(10:31):
Other movies that are turning40 include The Breakfast Club,
The Goonies.
The movie The Goonies was whatinspired me to become a writer
in the first place.
I've mentioned it on thepodcast before.
So that means my genesis ofstarting to become a writer was
40 years ago.
The TV show The Golden Girlsdebuted 40 years ago.
(10:54):
The song We Are the World was40 years ago.
One that shocked me is thatMicrosoft Windows 1.0 was
released 40 years ago.
I would love to see what thatlooked like on people's personal
computers back then.
Also, one of the biggestproduct busts in the history of
(11:16):
the world happened 40 years agowith the release of New Coke.
It was the product equivalentof just taking a 50-pound
dumbbell and slamming it on yourfoot.
Oh, but we're still going,though.
Now we're going to go back 45years.
1980 is 45 years ago.
So I'll reiterate, the 80sbegan 45 years ago.
(11:38):
I can hear some tears and I canhear some bottles of wine
opening as I mention that fact.
I am sorry.
Hey, I was alive then.
I was three years old, so I'mwith you.
45 years ago was the miracle onice, the United States hockey
team defeating the Soviets.
It was also the release of theoriginal Friday the 13th.
(12:03):
It was the release ofCaddyshack, The Shining, The
Empire Strikes Back.
That's a murderer's row ofmovies that I really enjoy.
You also had the debut ofPac-Man in video arcades.
There was the famous Who ShotJ.R.
episode of Dallas 45 years ago.
(12:25):
ACDC released their first albumwith new singer Brian Johnson
after the death of theiroriginal singer Bon Scott, Back
in Black, one of the best albumsever released.
You also had John Lennon'smurder 45 years ago in 1980.
We'll go back a little more.
We'll go back 50, 50 years to1975.
(12:48):
You had the release of StevenSpielberg's massive blockbuster
Jaws.
You had the release of Queen'sseminal song Bohemian Rhapsody,
the debut of the game show Wheelof Fortune, and you also had
the premiere of Saturday NightLive 50 years ago.
(13:09):
I have a few more honorablementions as we go even deeper
back in history, just in casethere's any of you that feel
that you've been unscathed by mylist of anniversaries.
The Beatles broke up 55 yearsago in 1970.
World War II ended 80 years agoin 1945.
(13:30):
The very first credit card everwas released in 1950, 75 years
ago.
And to really hammer it home,the very first television
transmitter was created 100years ago in 1925.
As I said, as the year goes on,I'll be diving deeper into a
(13:54):
lot of those.
It's not just, here's a list, Ihope you can research them
yourselves.
Which one of thoseanniversaries surprised you the
most?
Like I said, I realized thatBack to the Future was 40 years
old, and that really made mefeel old, so I kind of started
building from there.
There you have it, though.
(14:14):
Anniversaries of events, bigevents...
Music, TV, movies, big popculture events, and other things
to just make you feel old.
This week in history, we aregoing back 118 years to December
(14:38):
31st, 1907, and the very firstNew Year's Eve ball drop in New
York City.
I guess this would count as twodifferent This Week in
Histories as it goes from NewYear's Eve to New Year's Day,
but we'll move on.
The original idea for the balldrop in Times Square came from
(15:00):
Adolph Oaks, who was the ownerof the New York Times newspaper
at the time.
He wanted to celebrate thenewspaper's relocation to its
new headquarters in what wasthen known as Longacre Square,
which is now Times Square.
What's interesting is thatAdolph Oaks, originally this New
Year's Eve celebration, whichstarted in 1904, featured
(15:23):
fireworks.
There was a city ordinancebanning fireworks in 1907, which
necessitated Oaks findinganother centerpiece for this New
Year's Eve celebration.
Oaks and the event organizerssaid, were inspired by something
called time balls, which is amaritime tradition where large
(15:44):
balls were dropped at a specifictime to signal ships in the
harbor.
So we fast forward to December31st, New Year's Eve, 1907.
The original ball wasconstructed of iron and wood and
weighed 700 pounds.
This ball was also lit by 100incandescent light bulbs.
(16:07):
This 700-pound ball of iron andwood was lowered manually from
the flagpole atop one TimesSquare.
I'm sure if you had enoughpeople doing it, it wouldn't be
bad.
But think about that.
Even if you had seven peoplelowering it, that's 100 pounds
each they've got to beresponsible for.
(16:27):
This initial ball drop was ahuge success, drawing a large
crowd and immediately capturingthe public's imagination.
In 1920, the original 700-poundball was replaced by a lighter
400-pound version made ofwrought iron.
Through the years, even throughchallenging times like the
(16:49):
Great Depression and World WarII, the ball drop continued,
except for 1942 and 43, when itwas suspended due to wartime
blackout restrictions.
In those years, the crowdsgathered for a moment of
silence, followed by the ringingof chimes.
In 1955, the ball was made ofaluminum, which was now only 150
(17:13):
pounds.
There were advances in lightingtechnology, which allowed for a
more vibrant and visuallyappealing display in the 50s,
60s, and 70s.
It's amazing, in the 50s theyhad a 150-pound ball, and the
new version that was introducedin 2008, which is 12 feet in
(17:33):
diameter, weighs nearly 12,000pounds.
This one, though, it ispermanently a top one Times
Square, and it's used annually.
Since its debut in 1907, theTimes Square ball drop on New
Year's Eve, it's grown into amassive televised and in-person
event.
typically drawing somewherearound a million spectators in
(17:56):
Times Square and billions ofviewers worldwide.
There's music, there'scelebrity appearances, and it
culminates in the iconiccountdown clock as the ball
descends 70 feet in the final 60seconds of the year.
And that first ball dropoccurred 118 years ago this week
(18:19):
in history.
Oh yes, the first time capsuleof the new year.
I had to update the math on theage of these time capsules.
So we're going to go back 80years to December 31st, 1945.
I chose that because it is thedate of the first ever televised
(18:43):
ball drop in Times Square.
This was on local New York NBCstation WNBT-1.
In case you were wondering,wait, how was this on TV in
1945?
The number one song wasChickory Chick by Sammy K and
his orchestra.
This is kind of a nonsense songwith the lyrics being written
(19:08):
by a woman named Sylvia D.
Sammy K was one of the biggestnames of the big band swing era
of music and eventually gettinghis own primetime TV show in the
early 1950s.
The number one movie wasSpellbound, and you could get
into the theater with a ticketcosting 35 cents.
(19:29):
This is a psychologicalthriller directed by Alfred
Hitchcock, starring IngridBergman and Gregory Peck.
The film made over $6 millionat the box office and was
nominated for six AcademyAwards, including Best Picture
and Best Director.
Even though this was the timeof the first televised ball drop
(19:52):
on New Year's Eve, there was notelevision ratings.
I couldn't find any.
So we have to go to the numberone radio show, which was the
Pepsodent show, starring BobHope.
Legendary actor, comedian BobHope, less legendary toothpaste
Pepsodent, comes together toform this radio program.
(20:15):
It was a variety show.
It was what you would expect ofBob Hope.
Comedy skits, musical acts.
The Pepsodent show isfascinating.
It began on the radio in 1938.
The show's original vocalistwas 16-year-old Judy Garland.
You had people like Doris Dayand Desi Arnaz being a part of
(20:37):
the show.
And one of the original writersfor the Pepsodent show was
Sherwood Schwartz, who went onto write the Brady Bunch TV
show.
And if you were around backthen, New Year's Eve 1945, maybe
you've got to run to the storeand return something you bought
with the receipt to getsomething better for your kid.
(20:58):
Maybe you're mad at them formaking you go and return it.
Well, you're in luck.
I got something that'll helpyou out.
It's a jousting set from Sears.
It's kind of what you wouldexpect for 1945.
So there's a round wooden discand it's got crisscrossing half
(21:20):
round pieces.
So you have to balance on it.
It comes with two of these.
You also get a pair of thesticks that are padded on the
end.
They look like big Q-tips.
And you joust.
You battle each other to seewho can knock the other off of
the balance disc.
It really looks like AmericanGladiators in the 1940s.
(21:41):
I have no idea how many kidswere hurt by their parents
playing this with them, justgetting smacked in the head and
knocked off of this balancedisc.
Anyway, you can get your Searsjousting set for $4.88.
That would be $85.53 whenadjusted for inflation to 2025.
(22:05):
So even then, it's a good deal.
That'll wrap up another ThisWeek in History, another time
capsule.
I don't know how well thatjousting set sold from Sears,
but I'm going to tell you thatwhat's coming up in the top five
is I don't think any of thesesold well.
As we look at the top fiveproduct fails of the 1960s,
(22:27):
starting now.
Ah yes, product failures.
There's no time restraints onthese epic fails.
Doing a segment about 1960sproduct fails, that comes from
my statistics for the end of theyear from my podcast from 2024.
(22:49):
And seeing that the highestdemographic of people that
listen is not my age group, butit's slightly older, 55 plus.
Knowing that made me decide toadd a little bit more in the way
of 1960s content to the podcastfor 2025.
Because I know that there'll besome of you out there listening
(23:10):
that grew up in the 60s, whichis great for me because it opens
up a whole other decade that Ican mine for content.
So thank you for listening.
I've done a few other decadesas far as product fails go, so
you can check the archives forthose.
I came into this decade, thistop five, without much in the
way of knowledge of whatproducts failed in the 60s
(23:33):
because it's before my time.
Other decades that I've done, Ihave familiarity with.
I was still able to find a goodtop five and some honorable
mentions.
So I'll give you the honorablementions here and a little bit
about the product.
Honorable mentions include theBell Rocket Belt, which was a
(23:53):
low-power rocket propulsiondevice you wore kind of like a
backpack with a belt.
Another honorable mention wasCelery Flavored Jell-O.
This goes back to the weird oldThanksgiving recipes that I've
spoken about the last two yearson the podcast.
Where it seems like all ofthese weird recipes are savory
(24:15):
foods with gelatin.
So I guess Jell-O thought, whynot make a celery flavored one?
Well, that failed.
The third honorable mention isPatio Diet Cola.
This was released by Pepsi as aresponse to Diet Right Cola.
It became famous again when itwas featured on season three of
(24:36):
the show Mad Men.
But in reality, it was a fail.
So those are the honorablementions for 1960s product
fails.
With most of these, the topfive is in no particular order.
So let's jump right into thislist with number one, Ready
Bacon.
Bacon.
Speaker 01 (24:56):
Bacon.
Bacon in the toaster.
It's something new, this ReadyBacon.
Bacon you don't have to cook.
They cook it for you.
Very nice.
If you want bacon.
Speaker 03 (25:09):
Ready bacon was made by the Ready Whip Company.
So whip topping, cool whip,that same idea.
This was first released in 1964as instant bacon, which took 90
seconds.
And the joke was that instantwas actually 90 seconds back
then.
These would come in packets offoil.
(25:31):
They were almost likePop-Tarts, like that shape foil
thing.
Each of these, there'd be twoin a package.
It would have four strips offinished off bacon that you
would throw in the toaster.
The bacon was in the foil inbetween some absorbent paper.
So it's like paper towelsinside the packet.
It all sounds well and good,but the problem came with the
(25:53):
integrity of the foil packaging.
If there was any kind of holepuncture in the foil
packaging...
you were at a risk for anyresidual fat that was congealed
in the bottom there of heatingback up, leaking out from the
hole, and then setting yourtoaster on fire.
(26:13):
The advertising would say itsaves you from soiling your pans
with bacon, but is it a fairtrade-off if instead of getting
your pans dirty, you burn yourhouse down because the bacon
grease leaked into your toaster?
It was discontinued after avery short time, but it did set
the precedent for microwavablebacon in the future.
(26:36):
Number two is the Amphicar.
Speaker 00 (26:41):
But where are we getting with this
fish-out-of-watery theme ofours?
This looks a perfectly normalmotorcar, but what's its name?
The Amphicar.
Oh, yes, I begin to see.
Just for a start, you make thedoors watertight.
Speaker 03 (26:54):
amphibious car, car that goes in the water as well.
That's what this was.
This vehicle was made in WestGermany and it was launched in
1961.
It was meant to be the best ofboth worlds, a boat and a car.
The front looked a little morelike a boat with headlights.
The rear had the fins thatlooked kind of like the cars of
(27:17):
the late 50s.
The problem was that it wasn'tgood at either.
It was less powerful than aboat, less powerful than a
typical car.
When the Amphicar was first forsale between 1961 and 66, it
sold for just around $3,000.
So you're looking at about$30,000 today.
(27:39):
But knowing that it wasn't goodas a car or a boat, I don't
know if it would be worth it ifit was out today to get one for
$30,000.
It did not sell, althoughperhaps its most famous owner
was then-President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
And there's a funny story abouthim having guests at his ranch
(27:59):
and driving them around in theAmphicar and going down the hill
towards the lake and screamingthat his brakes didn't work.
So that's pretty good.
Number three is DuPont CorFamShoes.
Speaker 02 (28:14):
Choose in Corfam.
It's so easy.
It's so easy.
It's so easy.
Patent finish never cracks.
Choose in Corfam.
So easy to look at.
Corfam.
Speaker 03 (28:26):
Corfam was DuPont's invention.
It was a synthetic materialthat looked like leather.
It was kind of a mixturebetween plastic and fiber.
The big problem with these wasthat they cost a lot to make.
They were first released in1964, and more than 7 million
(28:46):
pairs of these Corfam shoes weresold between 1964 and 69.
Besides them being expensive,these Corfam shoes didn't
breathe like regular leather,and if you didn't get a perfect
fit, they also, the material,didn't expand like regular
leather.
Vinyl shoes came around and gotreally popular into the 70s,
(29:09):
and basically killed Korfamshoes.
Number four is Astro Color.
Speaker 01 (29:18):
Astro Color.
American Airlines' new colormovie system uses 14 separate
screens throughout the plane, soyou are never more than five
rows from the picture.
Every Astro Color screen hasits own built-in projector, and
the picture itself is so brightwe even leave the cabin lights
on.
Speaker 03 (29:36):
In doing my research, I saw there is a band
named Astro Color.
This is not them.
In the early 1960s, AmericanAirlines hired Bell & Howell, a
film equipment manufacturingcompany, to design an in-flight
entertainment system.
And the result was Astro Color.
It would show movies, but thiswas long before the days of VHS
(30:00):
DVDs.
So airlines needed the 16millimeter celluloid film reels
to show the movies on theirflights.
What's crazy is they had thewhole film laid out.
And because there were TVscreens on the plane, the film
would go through each TV beforegetting to the end and starting
(30:20):
to wind up.
That sometimes there was 300feet worth of film just laid out
on the plane.
Well, not on the floor, upabove the luggage racks.
Using the 16mm film meant thatthe people in the front of the
plane, what they saw on theirscreen, the people in the back
of the plane with the last TV,wouldn't see for five minutes.
(30:42):
So nobody was watching themovie at the same point at the
same time.
Trouble with the projectoritself could delay flights.
And the failure rate on thefilm, the celluloid film during
flights, was 20%.
So it was a novel idea.
But the fact that this couldactually cause your plane to be
(31:03):
delayed, that's partially whythey stopped making it.
And finally, number five on thelist of top five 1960s product
fails is Smell-O-Vision.
This was first tinkered with inthe late 1950s when the craze
of 3D had started to die down.
(31:24):
This was supposed to helpenhance the movies you were
seeing, just like 3D wassupposed to enhance it visually.
Having smells pumped into themovie theater while you're
watching a film was supposed tomake it more inclusive, I guess.
Smell-O-Rama was a great idea,but it was such a big fail, it
was only used once for onemovie.
(31:45):
This was Michael Todd Jr.' 'sScent of a Mystery.
There were 30 different scentsthat would be sprayed on the
audience through the theater'sair conditioning vents.
The scents would be mostlyfood-related, flour-related, but
the reviews were not good.
(32:05):
One reporter said that theypreferred being outside smelling
the pollution in New York Cityrather than being in the
theater.
It must be good when you comeup with something you think is
going to change the movieindustry and it's just bombs
like that.
But there you have it.
The top five 1960s productfails.
(32:26):
How many of those had you heardof?
As I started doing my research,the Amphicar was the one that I
had heard of.
All the others, nope.
And that's the beginning of mydipping into the 1960s for a
little more pop culture.
I mean, it makes sense when Isay Gen X nostalgia.
The first year of Gen X isconsidered to be mid-60s, so I
(32:49):
can't disappoint you as well.
But we go from 1960s productfails to one of the most beloved
children's singers of the lasthalf century as we look back at
the story of Raffi coming upright now.
I suppose it depends on whenyou were born, as far as who you
(33:16):
listened to, children's musicartists that you listened to.
You had Sharon, Lois, and Bram.
You could have Alvin and theChipmunks.
There was the Muppets, varioussingers on Sesame Street, the
Wiggles, even up to the Kidz Bopalbums.
These artists that I've named,they span the last 40-ish years,
(33:38):
but there's one name thatpredates and is still popular in
rotation for preschool-agedkids to this day, and that's
Raffi.
Raffi Kavoukian, who is knownjust as Raffi, he's more than a
children's musician.
He's a cultural phenomenonwhose songs became anthems of
(33:59):
childhoods.
These songs blend feelings ofjoy with learning, environmental
awareness...
Rafi was born in 1948 in Egyptto Armenian parents.
When he was 10 years old, thefamily emigrated to Canada and
they settled in Toronto.
His love for music wasapparent.
(34:21):
As a young adult, Rafi dabbledin performing folk music in
coffee houses and studying thecraft of songwriting.
It was only when Raffi wasexposed to the works of other
children's musicians, coupledwith the influence of his wife
at the time, Debbie Pike, whoworked with children, that Raffi
considered channeling histalents into music for young
(34:44):
audiences.
What's unbelievable to me was Ididn't grow up on Raffi's
music.
I grew up on Muppets, SesameStreet.
Scamper Scamper Little Mouse byHap Palmer from his Witch's
Brew album, my kindergartenyear, 1983.
But what I was amazed at wasthat Raffi has been doing this,
(35:06):
children's music, since before Iwas born.
Inspired by the simplicity andhonesty of children's
perspectives, Raffi released hisdebut album, Singable Songs for
the Very Young, in 1976, 49years ago.
This album was a groundbreakingsuccess.
It featured playful, catchy,educational tunes that resonated
(35:32):
with kids and parents.
A big thing about Raffi'smusic, his secret was not really
a secret.
It was respecting his audience.
Unlike other children'sperformers who often talk down
to kids, Raffi approached themas equals, crafting songs that
were engaging without beingpatronizing.
(35:53):
This was the beginning of whatwould lead Raffi to be the
best-selling children's musicartist of all time and one of
its most celebrated.
He has sold more than 15million albums worldwide and his
music has gotten more than 1billion streams.
And we're at this point nowwhere if you were three years
(36:15):
old, let's say in 1976, and yourparents were playing you Raffi,
you could be old enough nowthat you might have
grandchildren.
You'd be 52 years old.
So it's like four generationsof children that have listened
to this music.
For those of you that havenever listened to any of Raffi's
(36:35):
music, and unless you havekids, I don't know why you
would, but a few of his biggesthit songs among children include
Baby Beluga, which is from1980.
It's a Gentle Anthem About aLittle White Whale, Teaching
Children About Nature andEmpathy.
There's Down by the Bay.
(36:56):
This was off of his 1976 debutalbum.
A playful call-and-responsetune that encourages creativity
and silliness.
There's Banana Phone from 1994,which is a humorous, upbeat
song that became a viral hitdecades after its release.
There was Apples and Bananasfrom 1985.
(37:19):
That was a song that cleverlyuses vowel sounds to engage and
entertain.
He did songs about brushingyour teeth, saying thank you.
He even did a cover of theBeatles' Octopus's Garden.
Even though Raffi is a figureof children's music, his
influence extends way beyondthat realm.
(37:40):
His work has been referenced inmovies, TV shows, internet
memes, often as nostalgiccallbacks for Gen Xers like us,
millennials, maybe some of you alittle younger, who grew up
with his songs.
I say it a lot, nostalgia is apowerful thing.
I'm sure that some of you outthere that enjoyed Raffi's music
(38:03):
as a kid or have played it withyour kids...
that hearing some of thosesongs just get right in there
and bring you back to being achild.
Like I said, his songBananaphone in 94 gained new
life recently in the digitalage, becoming a meme and a remix
sensation.
It just shows you the stayingpower when you create something
(38:25):
that makes an impact like Rafi'smusic has for millions of
people.
He's now 76 years old, and he'sstill as relevant today as he
was 40 years ago.
Throughout his career, he'sused his platform for activism,
promoting causes like climatechange awareness, children's
(38:46):
rights, digital safety, and hehas a child-honoring philosophy
that emphasizes creating a moresustainable and compassionate
world for future generations.
He's received the Order ofCanada Medal, which is the
second highest honor you canreceive in the country.
He's received the Order ofBritish Columbia, which is a
(39:09):
civilian honor for merit in theprovince of British Columbia in
Canada.
For all of you Raffi fans outthere, his most recent album,
Penny Penguin, came out in Aprilof last year, 2024.
And that album is the 24thstudio album by Raffi.
He's got Christmas albums, livealbums, greatest hits albums.
(39:33):
He doesn't tour as much.
He performs occasionally now inhis mid-70s, but he engages
with his fans a lot throughsocial media.
An interesting thing about Rafiis that even though he has sold
over 15 million albums andinfluenced millions of kids
around the world, he actuallycould be bigger and could have
(39:56):
been bigger, but he's turneddown a lot of opportunities to
merchandise his music.
Famously, the producer of Shrekcame to him and wanted to make
a Baby Beluga movie and Raffisaid he wasn't interested.
Raffi's legacy, it's more thanhis songs.
It's the joy he brought tomillions of families.
(40:17):
He knew the perfect balancebetween being cute and syrupy
with his music and too cutewhere it got cringey.
His song, Baby Beluga, formillions of kids out there, it's
not just a song.
It's a cherished memory of amagical, simpler time.
(40:37):
Even if you didn't listen toRaffi, you know the song Baby
Beluga.
But even if you didn't listento him, you had a song like that
when you were a kid that madeyou feel the world was special
and magical again.
So even if you didn't listen toRafi, you can understand the
impact he's made on people thatdid enjoy his music.
(41:00):
Even though he turned downopportunities to really
merchandise his music, there arestill children's books he's
done.
There's a biography of him.
He's got movies.
I'll bet some of you right noware going to, when this podcast
is over, go over to Spotify andstream some Rafi to bring back
memories of your childhood.
(41:21):
Raffi's work reminds us thatmusic, when created with love,
has the power to unitegenerations.
I'd say anybody from the age oftwo all the way up to your
mid-fifties has had theopportunity to listen to and
enjoy Raffi's music.
That's a large group of peoplethat I'm sure are from all
(41:43):
different parts of the world,all different backgrounds, but
united by that music.
And as long as there are kidsin the world, Rafi songs will
continue to echo in homes,classrooms, and hearts for years
and decades and generations tocome.
And thank you to Nick, listenerNick, for recommending that
(42:04):
topic.
I hope that you enjoyed it, andthanks for listening.
But until next time, that'sgoing to wrap up episode 176,
the very first episode of 2025.
Dropping on New Year's Day.
Thank you all so much fortuning in.
Thank you for making 2024 mybest year yet for the podcast.
(42:26):
My best year ever for all mycontent.
Videos on YouTube, gosubscribe.
The blog, including InitialImpressions 2.0, which also is
made into a video podcast I callthe Webcam Weekly Wrap-Up.
My days and weeks are neverslow.
I have so much content.
(42:47):
I'm always working onsomething.
And if I'm not, I feel like Ishould be.
I'll be back next week forepisode 177.
We're going to be looking at1995, the year in music part
one.
So that'll be a lot more ofmaking me feel old.
As I've said, if you enjoy mycontent, $5 a month on Patreon
(43:10):
gets you access to bonus podcastepisodes.
I do have a growing free tier,but for people that subscribe,
they get the bulk of the extracontent.
It's like the differencebetween a free account on
Peacock compared to what you getwith a paid subscription to
Peacock.
All my videos on YouTube, allmy blogs, they're all free.
(43:35):
The best thing you can do forany content creator is sharing
their work, getting the word outabout their work.
I'd love it to have 50,000Patreon subscribers and not have
to work a day job, but you gostep by step, and that's by
increasing your viewership,listenership, and that comes
(43:57):
down to you who actually enjoymy work and share it with
others.
So I have to get to this at theend, but have any of you made
New Year's resolutions?
It might be kind of early forsome of you, but is there
anything you're looking to do orto improve about yourself, your
situation, dreams, goals?
(44:17):
Or maybe you hadn't thoughtabout that and I'm putting the
bug in your ear.
One goal, one resolution isgetting into the best shape I've
been in since pre-COVID.
COVID's fifth anniversary thisyear.
That's not a good one, but...
I have my first film role.
It's a small role in FrankDurant's next horror film.
(44:38):
So I want to get back intoreally good shape if I'm going
to be on camera.
And that's in March.
I'm also starting to takeclasses through Skillshare about
copywriting.
I don't mean copywriting liketrademarking legally my books or
something like that.
but more writing copy forproducts, for businesses.
(45:02):
It seems like something that Imight be good at.
It seems like something thatI've been doing for my own
content for years.
But I'm going to take thesecourses and see if it's a
feasible thing to add onto myplate.
I won't get too motivational,but I'll say if you don't have a
New Year's resolution, Or ifyou break yours in the first
(45:24):
week, it doesn't matter.
You know, you can start on anew journey any day.
I use New Year's sometimes askind of a launching point for
something new.
But it's also if you're waitingfor the perfect time to start
something, you may be waitingforever.
Maybe I'm throwing that outthere as kind of a built-in
(45:45):
excuse for myself so that if Ifall off the wagon with my
fitness, I can be like, well,you told everyone else you could
just start over again the nextday.
We are, though, now in thepost-holiday hangover period,
the long, cold days of winter.
So remember to get outside asmuch as you can and get that
vitamin D that we're all goingto be deficient in pretty soon.
(46:08):
Go to the supermarket and getyourself some vitamin D
supplements.
Also, make time for things andpeople that make you happy.
Lean into those things in thesedays where it's cold and the
sunset is super early.
I will do my best to keeppumping out as much content as I
(46:28):
can all over the place.
Audio, video, written word.
So at least you got that tolook forward to.
But until then, remember, Inthis life, don't walk in anyone
else's footsteps.
Create your own path and enjoyevery moment you can on this
journey we call life because younever know what tomorrow
(46:49):
brings.
Thank you all again for tuningin.
This has been the In MyFootsteps podcast.
I am Christopher Setterlund.
You already knew that.
And I'll talk to you all againsoon.
Hello world, and welcome to the In My Footsteps
podcast.
I am Christopher Setterlund,coming to you from the vacation
destination known as Cape Cod,Massachusetts, and this is
episode 176.
Yes.
(00:27):
Happy New Year.
Happy 2025.
Today, when the podcast goeslive, it's New Year's Day.
I'm going to start your yearoff right, hopefully.
We're going to kick it off withmaking you feel old with some
events with anniversaries thisyear.
You will feel yourself aging asI list these.
(00:48):
We're going to go way, way backin the day and look at the
beloved children's singer,Raffi, whose career has gone on
for decades.
Many, many decades since beforeI was born.
There'll be a brand new topfive.
These are the top five 1960sproduct fails.
And there'll be a brand newThis Week in History and Time
(01:09):
capsule centered around the veryfirst ball drop on New Year's
Eve in Times Square.
All of that is coming up rightnow on episode 176 of the In My
Footsteps podcast.
Happy New Year, everybody.
For those of you that might behungover, you may want to turn
this down a little.
(01:30):
I said I would try to speakquieter, but it just doesn't
work for podcasting.
Wherever you are, I hope thatyour New Year has started off
right.
I mean, hangover won't start itoff right, but if you had a
good time, it kind of makes itall worth it.
I had many years of New Year'sDay hangovers based around the
(01:51):
fun I had on New Year's Eve.
I thought about doing the topfive this week about top five
New Year's Eve memories for me.
And then I thought, God,there's a lot of things in there
that I don't want shared.
I share a lot, but I don't wantto have too many things out
there that could be held againstme later.
I can't start off 2025 withoutthanking my Patreon subscribers.
(02:15):
Laurie, Mary Lou, Ashley,Kevin, Leo, Marguerite,
Neglectoid, Crystal.
Thank you all for being mybackers, helping support my
content creation.
Patreon subscriptions, it's $5a month.
It gets you access to bonuspodcasts, including one that
(02:36):
drops today, New Year's Day, forPatreon subscribers.
They go up the first of themonth.
I have a growing free tier,including something that came
out of nowhere when I wasrecording the January bonus
Patreon podcast.
I decode some old blogs ofmine, initial impressions, the
originals from 2010 to 2012.
(02:57):
One of these blogs was sorandom and so funny that I even
said during the podcast, I thinkI could put this into ChatGPT
and make like a TV show out ofit.
And that's what I did.
And the results was a showcalled Chris Unfiltered.
It's on the free tier.
I created a cover art for it.
(03:18):
It's...
But what I'm doing is I'm goingto start putting those up on
Patreon on the free tier.
I'm going to find the mostrandom blogs that I've written,
you know, 15-ish years ago andturn them into new episodes of
Chris Unfiltered.
That was like something thatjust fell into my lap.
Anyway, we can get more intothe housekeeping parts of the
(03:42):
podcast at the end.
Let's dive into the actualshow, kick off the new year
right now.
This segment that's coming up,I had a hard time trying to
describe what it is.
Once I started going throughit, you'll know exactly what I
mean, but you need to have kindof a short, catchy title for it.
You'll see it's anniversariesof events and it's going to make
(04:03):
you feel old because it made mefeel old.
And if I have to feel old, sodo all of you.
Sorry.
So let's all feel old togetherto kick off 2025 right now.
So what I do for the podcast,especially at the beginning of a
new year, is I look back forevents that have anniversaries.
(04:23):
I mean, every event has ananniversary each year, but I
mean ones that are roundnumbers, 5, 10, 15, etc.
This is partially how I minethe regions of nostalgia for
content.
So what we're going to do isI'm going to go through some of
these that I found that reallymade me feel old.
It's like I could hear myjoints starting to creak even
(04:46):
more as I read them.
And I will say that a lot ofthese I will be going in depth
in as the year goes on.
This is going to be kind of aspeed run.
Think of me as Sonic theHedgehog and all the events or
the rings that I collect.
What I'm going to do is I'mgoing to start with the most
recent and I'm going to work myway backwards.
(05:07):
So if you're hungover, maybeyou want to start drinking again
to soothe your soul.
And if you're not drinking, geta box of Kleenex to weep as
where the years have gone.
15 years ago.
So 15 years, 2010.
That is when the Walking DeadTV show premiered.
(05:28):
This is the legendary zombiepost-apocalypse TV show.
It ended its run in 2022.
In total, there are sevendifferent TV shows in the
Walking Dead universe, includingthe original.
Also 15 years old is the iPad,which first was released in
(05:49):
2010.
This is one that actually doesseem, I figured they had been
around that long.
It's like the iPod, which forthose of you who were wondering,
the first generation iPod wasreleased 24 years ago in 2001.
But wait, let's go back.
20 years, 2005, thecatastrophic Hurricane Katrina
(06:12):
hit in 2005, 20 years ago.
If I had gone a different wayin my Choose Your Own Adventure
book that is my life, I wouldhave been in New Orleans when
Hurricane Katrina hit.
But we'll get deeper into thatcome the summer.
Also 20 years ago, the ChicagoWhite Sox won the World Series,
which was their first in 88years.
(06:34):
Google Maps made its firstdebut.
YouTube made its first debut.
You had TV shows like TheOffice premiering.
Lost first debuted.
In the movie theaters, StarWars Episode III that ended the
prequel trilogy.
2005 is 20 years ago now.
(06:55):
Yeah, this stuff from 2005,that's the stuff that my oldest
nieces, my Gen Z nieces, that'swhat makes them feel old.
stuff from 2005.
And I'm like, wait till you getdeeper into my life.
Speaking of, so 25 years ago,the year 2000, in theaters, you
(07:16):
had the movie Gladiator, themovie Castaway.
Those are 25 years old now, aquarter century.
You can say it like that.
The boy band NSYNC releasedtheir huge hit album, No Strings
Attached.
You had one of the OG realityTV show Survivor beginning in
(07:38):
2000.
You also had the debut of thePS2, PlayStation 2, which I
remember I was living in LasVegas when it debuted, when it
was released, and I was workingin a Target.
And the story was one morning Iwas going into work, I got off
the bus and I'm walking towardsthe Target and there's four or
five police cruisers out front.
(07:59):
And all I'm thinking is, oh myGod, someone in there killed
someone else.
So I'm thinking of coworkersthat might have that quick
switch to murder somebody else.
It wasn't that.
It was people on the nightcrew.
When they got the delivery ofPS2s, they stole them.
I don't know what ended uphappening to those people that
(08:20):
actually stole them, though.
I don't think I cared enough.
I was like, as long as no onegot killed, I guess it's fine.
But let's go back deeper here.
30 years ago is 1995.
Let that sink in a little bit.
eBay debuted in 1995.
We had the OJ Simpson verdict.
(08:41):
That's 30 years ago.
The release, the wide releaseof DVDs.
In 1995, you also had therelease of Alanis Morissette's
gigantic album, Jagged LittlePill.
You had the movie Toy Story.
The movie Seven.
These are 30 years old now.
(09:02):
And just for reference, I was ajunior in high school 30 years
ago.
Oh, man.
Every year I get closer andcloser to the meme of Al Bundy
sitting on his couch on Marriedwith Children and just going,
oh, God, and just putting hishead in his hands.
It's coming.
35 years ago is 1990.
(09:24):
That's right.
The 90s began 35 years ago.
Kids today are going to look atthe 90s the way that when I was
a kid I looked at the 50s,which just is mind-boggling.
In 1990, Mike Tyson's aura ofinvincibility ended when Buster
Douglas knocked him out.
You had the disgrace of MilliVanilli lip-syncing their songs
(09:48):
and having to return theirGrammys.
We'll dive deeper into thatlater in the year.
You had the release of SlapBracelets, which ended up being
banned.
I know they were banned in mymiddle school.
You had the debut of The FreshPrince of Bel-Air.
You had the debut of BeverlyHills 90210.
Mariah Carey released her firstalbum.
(10:11):
MC Hammer had his huge hit YouCan't Touch This 35 years ago.
But wait, it gets worse.
This was what initially gave methe idea for this segment.
We go back 40 years to 1985.
And this is where we find outthat Back to the Future is now
40 years old.
(10:31):
Other movies that are turning40 include The Breakfast Club,
The Goonies.
The movie The Goonies was whatinspired me to become a writer
in the first place.
I've mentioned it on thepodcast before.
So that means my genesis ofstarting to become a writer was
40 years ago.
The TV show The Golden Girlsdebuted 40 years ago.
(10:54):
The song We Are the World was40 years ago.
One that shocked me is thatMicrosoft Windows 1.0 was
released 40 years ago.
I would love to see what thatlooked like on people's personal
computers back then.
Also, one of the biggestproduct busts in the history of
(11:16):
the world happened 40 years agowith the release of New Coke.
It was the product equivalentof just taking a 50-pound
dumbbell and slamming it on yourfoot.
Oh, but we're still going,though.
Now we're going to go back 45years.
1980 is 45 years ago.
So I'll reiterate, the 80sbegan 45 years ago.
(11:38):
I can hear some tears and I canhear some bottles of wine
opening as I mention that fact.
I am sorry.
Hey, I was alive then.
I was three years old, so I'mwith you.
45 years ago was the miracle onice, the United States hockey
team defeating the Soviets.
It was also the release of theoriginal Friday the 13th.
(12:03):
It was the release ofCaddyshack, The Shining, The
Empire Strikes Back.
That's a murderer's row ofmovies that I really enjoy.
You also had the debut ofPac-Man in video arcades.
There was the famous Who ShotJ.R.
episode of Dallas 45 years ago.
(12:25):
ACDC released their first albumwith new singer Brian Johnson
after the death of theiroriginal singer Bon Scott, Back
in Black, one of the best albumsever released.
You also had John Lennon'smurder 45 years ago in 1980.
We'll go back a little more.
We'll go back 50, 50 years to1975.
(12:48):
You had the release of StevenSpielberg's massive blockbuster
Jaws.
You had the release of Queen'sseminal song Bohemian Rhapsody,
the debut of the game show Wheelof Fortune, and you also had
the premiere of Saturday NightLive 50 years ago.
(13:09):
I have a few more honorablementions as we go even deeper
back in history, just in casethere's any of you that feel
that you've been unscathed by mylist of anniversaries.
The Beatles broke up 55 yearsago in 1970.
World War II ended 80 years agoin 1945.
(13:30):
The very first credit card everwas released in 1950, 75 years
ago.
And to really hammer it home,the very first television
transmitter was created 100years ago in 1925.
As I said, as the year goes on,I'll be diving deeper into a
(13:54):
lot of those.
It's not just, here's a list, Ihope you can research them
yourselves.
Which one of thoseanniversaries surprised you the
most?
Like I said, I realized thatBack to the Future was 40 years
old, and that really made mefeel old, so I kind of started
building from there.
There you have it, though.
(14:14):
Anniversaries of events, bigevents...
Music, TV, movies, big popculture events, and other things
to just make you feel old.
This week in history, we aregoing back 118 years to December
(14:38):
31st, 1907, and the very firstNew Year's Eve ball drop in New
York City.
I guess this would count as twodifferent This Week in
Histories as it goes from NewYear's Eve to New Year's Day,
but we'll move on.
The original idea for the balldrop in Times Square came from
(15:00):
Adolph Oaks, who was the ownerof the New York Times newspaper
at the time.
He wanted to celebrate thenewspaper's relocation to its
new headquarters in what wasthen known as Longacre Square,
which is now Times Square.
What's interesting is thatAdolph Oaks, originally this New
Year's Eve celebration, whichstarted in 1904, featured
(15:23):
fireworks.
There was a city ordinancebanning fireworks in 1907, which
necessitated Oaks findinganother centerpiece for this New
Year's Eve celebration.
Oaks and the event organizerssaid, were inspired by something
called time balls, which is amaritime tradition where large
(15:44):
balls were dropped at a specifictime to signal ships in the
harbor.
So we fast forward to December31st, New Year's Eve, 1907.
The original ball wasconstructed of iron and wood and
weighed 700 pounds.
This ball was also lit by 100incandescent light bulbs.
(16:07):
This 700-pound ball of iron andwood was lowered manually from
the flagpole atop one TimesSquare.
I'm sure if you had enoughpeople doing it, it wouldn't be
bad.
But think about that.
Even if you had seven peoplelowering it, that's 100 pounds
each they've got to beresponsible for.
(16:27):
This initial ball drop was ahuge success, drawing a large
crowd and immediately capturingthe public's imagination.
In 1920, the original 700-poundball was replaced by a lighter
400-pound version made ofwrought iron.
Through the years, even throughchallenging times like the
(16:49):
Great Depression and World WarII, the ball drop continued,
except for 1942 and 43, when itwas suspended due to wartime
blackout restrictions.
In those years, the crowdsgathered for a moment of
silence, followed by the ringingof chimes.
In 1955, the ball was made ofaluminum, which was now only 150
(17:13):
pounds.
There were advances in lightingtechnology, which allowed for a
more vibrant and visuallyappealing display in the 50s,
60s, and 70s.
It's amazing, in the 50s theyhad a 150-pound ball, and the
new version that was introducedin 2008, which is 12 feet in
(17:33):
diameter, weighs nearly 12,000pounds.
This one, though, it ispermanently a top one Times
Square, and it's used annually.
Since its debut in 1907, theTimes Square ball drop on New
Year's Eve, it's grown into amassive televised and in-person
event.
typically drawing somewherearound a million spectators in
(17:56):
Times Square and billions ofviewers worldwide.
There's music, there'scelebrity appearances, and it
culminates in the iconiccountdown clock as the ball
descends 70 feet in the final 60seconds of the year.
And that first ball dropoccurred 118 years ago this week
(18:19):
in history.
Oh yes, the first time capsuleof the new year.
I had to update the math on theage of these time capsules.
So we're going to go back 80years to December 31st, 1945.
I chose that because it is thedate of the first ever televised
(18:43):
ball drop in Times Square.
This was on local New York NBCstation WNBT-1.
In case you were wondering,wait, how was this on TV in
1945?
The number one song wasChickory Chick by Sammy K and
his orchestra.
This is kind of a nonsense songwith the lyrics being written
(19:08):
by a woman named Sylvia D.
Sammy K was one of the biggestnames of the big band swing era
of music and eventually gettinghis own primetime TV show in the
early 1950s.
The number one movie wasSpellbound, and you could get
into the theater with a ticketcosting 35 cents.
(19:29):
This is a psychologicalthriller directed by Alfred
Hitchcock, starring IngridBergman and Gregory Peck.
The film made over $6 millionat the box office and was
nominated for six AcademyAwards, including Best Picture
and Best Director.
Even though this was the timeof the first televised ball drop
(19:52):
on New Year's Eve, there was notelevision ratings.
I couldn't find any.
So we have to go to the numberone radio show, which was the
Pepsodent show, starring BobHope.
Legendary actor, comedian BobHope, less legendary toothpaste
Pepsodent, comes together toform this radio program.
(20:15):
It was a variety show.
It was what you would expect ofBob Hope.
Comedy skits, musical acts.
The Pepsodent show isfascinating.
It began on the radio in 1938.
The show's original vocalistwas 16-year-old Judy Garland.
You had people like Doris Dayand Desi Arnaz being a part of
(20:37):
the show.
And one of the original writersfor the Pepsodent show was
Sherwood Schwartz, who went onto write the Brady Bunch TV
show.
And if you were around backthen, New Year's Eve 1945, maybe
you've got to run to the storeand return something you bought
with the receipt to getsomething better for your kid.
(20:58):
Maybe you're mad at them formaking you go and return it.
Well, you're in luck.
I got something that'll helpyou out.
It's a jousting set from Sears.
It's kind of what you wouldexpect for 1945.
So there's a round wooden discand it's got crisscrossing half
(21:20):
round pieces.
So you have to balance on it.
It comes with two of these.
You also get a pair of thesticks that are padded on the
end.
They look like big Q-tips.
And you joust.
You battle each other to seewho can knock the other off of
the balance disc.
It really looks like AmericanGladiators in the 1940s.
(21:41):
I have no idea how many kidswere hurt by their parents
playing this with them, justgetting smacked in the head and
knocked off of this balancedisc.
Anyway, you can get your Searsjousting set for $4.88.
That would be $85.53 whenadjusted for inflation to 2025.
(22:05):
So even then, it's a good deal.
That'll wrap up another ThisWeek in History, another time
capsule.
I don't know how well thatjousting set sold from Sears,
but I'm going to tell you thatwhat's coming up in the top five
is I don't think any of thesesold well.
As we look at the top fiveproduct fails of the 1960s,
(22:27):
starting now.
Ah yes, product failures.
There's no time restraints onthese epic fails.
Doing a segment about 1960sproduct fails, that comes from
my statistics for the end of theyear from my podcast from 2024.
(22:49):
And seeing that the highestdemographic of people that
listen is not my age group, butit's slightly older, 55 plus.
Knowing that made me decide toadd a little bit more in the way
of 1960s content to the podcastfor 2025.
Because I know that there'll besome of you out there listening
(23:10):
that grew up in the 60s, whichis great for me because it opens
up a whole other decade that Ican mine for content.
So thank you for listening.
I've done a few other decadesas far as product fails go, so
you can check the archives forthose.
I came into this decade, thistop five, without much in the
way of knowledge of whatproducts failed in the 60s
(23:33):
because it's before my time.
Other decades that I've done, Ihave familiarity with.
I was still able to find a goodtop five and some honorable
mentions.
So I'll give you the honorablementions here and a little bit
about the product.
Honorable mentions include theBell Rocket Belt, which was a
(23:53):
low-power rocket propulsiondevice you wore kind of like a
backpack with a belt.
Another honorable mention wasCelery Flavored Jell-O.
This goes back to the weird oldThanksgiving recipes that I've
spoken about the last two yearson the podcast.
Where it seems like all ofthese weird recipes are savory
(24:15):
foods with gelatin.
So I guess Jell-O thought, whynot make a celery flavored one?
Well, that failed.
The third honorable mention isPatio Diet Cola.
This was released by Pepsi as aresponse to Diet Right Cola.
It became famous again when itwas featured on season three of
(24:36):
the show Mad Men.
But in reality, it was a fail.
So those are the honorablementions for 1960s product
fails.
With most of these, the topfive is in no particular order.
So let's jump right into thislist with number one, Ready
Bacon.
Bacon.
Speaker 01 (24:56):
Bacon.
Bacon in the toaster.
It's something new, this ReadyBacon.
Bacon you don't have to cook.
They cook it for you.
Very nice.
If you want bacon.
Speaker 03 (25:09):
Ready bacon was made by the Ready Whip Company.
So whip topping, cool whip,that same idea.
This was first released in 1964as instant bacon, which took 90
seconds.
And the joke was that instantwas actually 90 seconds back
then.
These would come in packets offoil.
(25:31):
They were almost likePop-Tarts, like that shape foil
thing.
Each of these, there'd be twoin a package.
It would have four strips offinished off bacon that you
would throw in the toaster.
The bacon was in the foil inbetween some absorbent paper.
So it's like paper towelsinside the packet.
It all sounds well and good,but the problem came with the
(25:53):
integrity of the foil packaging.
If there was any kind of holepuncture in the foil
packaging...
you were at a risk for anyresidual fat that was congealed
in the bottom there of heatingback up, leaking out from the
hole, and then setting yourtoaster on fire.
(26:13):
The advertising would say itsaves you from soiling your pans
with bacon, but is it a fairtrade-off if instead of getting
your pans dirty, you burn yourhouse down because the bacon
grease leaked into your toaster?
It was discontinued after avery short time, but it did set
the precedent for microwavablebacon in the future.
(26:36):
Number two is the Amphicar.
Speaker 00 (26:41):
But where are we getting with this
fish-out-of-watery theme ofours?
This looks a perfectly normalmotorcar, but what's its name?
The Amphicar.
Oh, yes, I begin to see.
Just for a start, you make thedoors watertight.
Speaker 03 (26:54):
amphibious car, car that goes in the water as well.
That's what this was.
This vehicle was made in WestGermany and it was launched in
1961.
It was meant to be the best ofboth worlds, a boat and a car.
The front looked a little morelike a boat with headlights.
The rear had the fins thatlooked kind of like the cars of
(27:17):
the late 50s.
The problem was that it wasn'tgood at either.
It was less powerful than aboat, less powerful than a
typical car.
When the Amphicar was first forsale between 1961 and 66, it
sold for just around $3,000.
So you're looking at about$30,000 today.
(27:39):
But knowing that it wasn't goodas a car or a boat, I don't
know if it would be worth it ifit was out today to get one for
$30,000.
It did not sell, althoughperhaps its most famous owner
was then-President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
And there's a funny story abouthim having guests at his ranch
(27:59):
and driving them around in theAmphicar and going down the hill
towards the lake and screamingthat his brakes didn't work.
So that's pretty good.
Number three is DuPont CorFamShoes.
Speaker 02 (28:14):
Choose in Corfam.
It's so easy.
It's so easy.
It's so easy.
Patent finish never cracks.
Choose in Corfam.
So easy to look at.
Corfam.
Speaker 03 (28:26):
Corfam was DuPont's invention.
It was a synthetic materialthat looked like leather.
It was kind of a mixturebetween plastic and fiber.
The big problem with these wasthat they cost a lot to make.
They were first released in1964, and more than 7 million
(28:46):
pairs of these Corfam shoes weresold between 1964 and 69.
Besides them being expensive,these Corfam shoes didn't
breathe like regular leather,and if you didn't get a perfect
fit, they also, the material,didn't expand like regular
leather.
Vinyl shoes came around and gotreally popular into the 70s,
(29:09):
and basically killed Korfamshoes.
Number four is Astro Color.
Speaker 01 (29:18):
Astro Color.
American Airlines' new colormovie system uses 14 separate
screens throughout the plane, soyou are never more than five
rows from the picture.
Every Astro Color screen hasits own built-in projector, and
the picture itself is so brightwe even leave the cabin lights
on.
Speaker 03 (29:36):
In doing my research, I saw there is a band
named Astro Color.
This is not them.
In the early 1960s, AmericanAirlines hired Bell & Howell, a
film equipment manufacturingcompany, to design an in-flight
entertainment system.
And the result was Astro Color.
It would show movies, but thiswas long before the days of VHS
(30:00):
DVDs.
So airlines needed the 16millimeter celluloid film reels
to show the movies on theirflights.
What's crazy is they had thewhole film laid out.
And because there were TVscreens on the plane, the film
would go through each TV beforegetting to the end and starting
(30:20):
to wind up.
That sometimes there was 300feet worth of film just laid out
on the plane.
Well, not on the floor, upabove the luggage racks.
Using the 16mm film meant thatthe people in the front of the
plane, what they saw on theirscreen, the people in the back
of the plane with the last TV,wouldn't see for five minutes.
(30:42):
So nobody was watching themovie at the same point at the
same time.
Trouble with the projectoritself could delay flights.
And the failure rate on thefilm, the celluloid film during
flights, was 20%.
So it was a novel idea.
But the fact that this couldactually cause your plane to be
(31:03):
delayed, that's partially whythey stopped making it.
And finally, number five on thelist of top five 1960s product
fails is Smell-O-Vision.
This was first tinkered with inthe late 1950s when the craze
of 3D had started to die down.
(31:24):
This was supposed to helpenhance the movies you were
seeing, just like 3D wassupposed to enhance it visually.
Having smells pumped into themovie theater while you're
watching a film was supposed tomake it more inclusive, I guess.
Smell-O-Rama was a great idea,but it was such a big fail, it
was only used once for onemovie.
(31:45):
This was Michael Todd Jr.' 'sScent of a Mystery.
There were 30 different scentsthat would be sprayed on the
audience through the theater'sair conditioning vents.
The scents would be mostlyfood-related, flour-related, but
the reviews were not good.
(32:05):
One reporter said that theypreferred being outside smelling
the pollution in New York Cityrather than being in the
theater.
It must be good when you comeup with something you think is
going to change the movieindustry and it's just bombs
like that.
But there you have it.
The top five 1960s productfails.
(32:26):
How many of those had you heardof?
As I started doing my research,the Amphicar was the one that I
had heard of.
All the others, nope.
And that's the beginning of mydipping into the 1960s for a
little more pop culture.
I mean, it makes sense when Isay Gen X nostalgia.
The first year of Gen X isconsidered to be mid-60s, so I
(32:49):
can't disappoint you as well.
But we go from 1960s productfails to one of the most beloved
children's singers of the lasthalf century as we look back at
the story of Raffi coming upright now.
I suppose it depends on whenyou were born, as far as who you
(33:16):
listened to, children's musicartists that you listened to.
You had Sharon, Lois, and Bram.
You could have Alvin and theChipmunks.
There was the Muppets, varioussingers on Sesame Street, the
Wiggles, even up to the Kidz Bopalbums.
These artists that I've named,they span the last 40-ish years,
(33:38):
but there's one name thatpredates and is still popular in
rotation for preschool-agedkids to this day, and that's
Raffi.
Raffi Kavoukian, who is knownjust as Raffi, he's more than a
children's musician.
He's a cultural phenomenonwhose songs became anthems of
(33:59):
childhoods.
These songs blend feelings ofjoy with learning, environmental
awareness...
Rafi was born in 1948 in Egyptto Armenian parents.
When he was 10 years old, thefamily emigrated to Canada and
they settled in Toronto.
His love for music wasapparent.
(34:21):
As a young adult, Rafi dabbledin performing folk music in
coffee houses and studying thecraft of songwriting.
It was only when Raffi wasexposed to the works of other
children's musicians, coupledwith the influence of his wife
at the time, Debbie Pike, whoworked with children, that Raffi
considered channeling histalents into music for young
(34:44):
audiences.
What's unbelievable to me was Ididn't grow up on Raffi's
music.
I grew up on Muppets, SesameStreet.
Scamper Scamper Little Mouse byHap Palmer from his Witch's
Brew album, my kindergartenyear, 1983.
But what I was amazed at wasthat Raffi has been doing this,
(35:06):
children's music, since before Iwas born.
Inspired by the simplicity andhonesty of children's
perspectives, Raffi released hisdebut album, Singable Songs for
the Very Young, in 1976, 49years ago.
This album was a groundbreakingsuccess.
It featured playful, catchy,educational tunes that resonated
(35:32):
with kids and parents.
A big thing about Raffi'smusic, his secret was not really
a secret.
It was respecting his audience.
Unlike other children'sperformers who often talk down
to kids, Raffi approached themas equals, crafting songs that
were engaging without beingpatronizing.
(35:53):
This was the beginning of whatwould lead Raffi to be the
best-selling children's musicartist of all time and one of
its most celebrated.
He has sold more than 15million albums worldwide and his
music has gotten more than 1billion streams.
And we're at this point nowwhere if you were three years
(36:15):
old, let's say in 1976, and yourparents were playing you Raffi,
you could be old enough nowthat you might have
grandchildren.
You'd be 52 years old.
So it's like four generationsof children that have listened
to this music.
For those of you that havenever listened to any of Raffi's
(36:35):
music, and unless you havekids, I don't know why you
would, but a few of his biggesthit songs among children include
Baby Beluga, which is from1980.
It's a Gentle Anthem About aLittle White Whale, Teaching
Children About Nature andEmpathy.
There's Down by the Bay.
(36:56):
This was off of his 1976 debutalbum.
A playful call-and-responsetune that encourages creativity
and silliness.
There's Banana Phone from 1994,which is a humorous, upbeat
song that became a viral hitdecades after its release.
There was Apples and Bananasfrom 1985.
(37:19):
That was a song that cleverlyuses vowel sounds to engage and
entertain.
He did songs about brushingyour teeth, saying thank you.
He even did a cover of theBeatles' Octopus's Garden.
Even though Raffi is a figureof children's music, his
influence extends way beyondthat realm.
(37:40):
His work has been referenced inmovies, TV shows, internet
memes, often as nostalgiccallbacks for Gen Xers like us,
millennials, maybe some of you alittle younger, who grew up
with his songs.
I say it a lot, nostalgia is apowerful thing.
I'm sure that some of you outthere that enjoyed Raffi's music
(38:03):
as a kid or have played it withyour kids...
that hearing some of thosesongs just get right in there
and bring you back to being achild.
Like I said, his songBananaphone in 94 gained new
life recently in the digitalage, becoming a meme and a remix
sensation.
It just shows you the stayingpower when you create something
(38:25):
that makes an impact like Rafi'smusic has for millions of
people.
He's now 76 years old, and he'sstill as relevant today as he
was 40 years ago.
Throughout his career, he'sused his platform for activism,
promoting causes like climatechange awareness, children's
(38:46):
rights, digital safety, and hehas a child-honoring philosophy
that emphasizes creating a moresustainable and compassionate
world for future generations.
He's received the Order ofCanada Medal, which is the
second highest honor you canreceive in the country.
He's received the Order ofBritish Columbia, which is a
(39:09):
civilian honor for merit in theprovince of British Columbia in
Canada.
For all of you Raffi fans outthere, his most recent album,
Penny Penguin, came out in Aprilof last year, 2024.
And that album is the 24thstudio album by Raffi.
He's got Christmas albums, livealbums, greatest hits albums.
(39:33):
He doesn't tour as much.
He performs occasionally now inhis mid-70s, but he engages
with his fans a lot throughsocial media.
An interesting thing about Rafiis that even though he has sold
over 15 million albums andinfluenced millions of kids
around the world, he actuallycould be bigger and could have
(39:56):
been bigger, but he's turneddown a lot of opportunities to
merchandise his music.
Famously, the producer of Shrekcame to him and wanted to make
a Baby Beluga movie and Raffisaid he wasn't interested.
Raffi's legacy, it's more thanhis songs.
It's the joy he brought tomillions of families.
(40:17):
He knew the perfect balancebetween being cute and syrupy
with his music and too cutewhere it got cringey.
His song, Baby Beluga, formillions of kids out there, it's
not just a song.
It's a cherished memory of amagical, simpler time.
(40:37):
Even if you didn't listen toRaffi, you know the song Baby
Beluga.
But even if you didn't listento him, you had a song like that
when you were a kid that madeyou feel the world was special
and magical again.
So even if you didn't listen toRafi, you can understand the
impact he's made on people thatdid enjoy his music.
(41:00):
Even though he turned downopportunities to really
merchandise his music, there arestill children's books he's
done.
There's a biography of him.
He's got movies.
I'll bet some of you right noware going to, when this podcast
is over, go over to Spotify andstream some Rafi to bring back
memories of your childhood.
(41:21):
Raffi's work reminds us thatmusic, when created with love,
has the power to unitegenerations.
I'd say anybody from the age oftwo all the way up to your
mid-fifties has had theopportunity to listen to and
enjoy Raffi's music.
That's a large group of peoplethat I'm sure are from all
(41:43):
different parts of the world,all different backgrounds, but
united by that music.
And as long as there are kidsin the world, Rafi songs will
continue to echo in homes,classrooms, and hearts for years
and decades and generations tocome.
And thank you to Nick, listenerNick, for recommending that
(42:04):
topic.
I hope that you enjoyed it, andthanks for listening.
But until next time, that'sgoing to wrap up episode 176,
the very first episode of 2025.
Dropping on New Year's Day.
Thank you all so much fortuning in.
Thank you for making 2024 mybest year yet for the podcast.
(42:26):
My best year ever for all mycontent.
Videos on YouTube, gosubscribe.
The blog, including InitialImpressions 2.0, which also is
made into a video podcast I callthe Webcam Weekly Wrap-Up.
My days and weeks are neverslow.
I have so much content.
(42:47):
I'm always working onsomething.
And if I'm not, I feel like Ishould be.
I'll be back next week forepisode 177.
We're going to be looking at1995, the year in music part
one.
So that'll be a lot more ofmaking me feel old.
As I've said, if you enjoy mycontent, $5 a month on Patreon
(43:10):
gets you access to bonus podcastepisodes.
I do have a growing free tier,but for people that subscribe,
they get the bulk of the extracontent.
It's like the differencebetween a free account on
Peacock compared to what you getwith a paid subscription to
Peacock.
All my videos on YouTube, allmy blogs, they're all free.
(43:35):
The best thing you can do forany content creator is sharing
their work, getting the word outabout their work.
I'd love it to have 50,000Patreon subscribers and not have
to work a day job, but you gostep by step, and that's by
increasing your viewership,listenership, and that comes
(43:57):
down to you who actually enjoymy work and share it with
others.
So I have to get to this at theend, but have any of you made
New Year's resolutions?
It might be kind of early forsome of you, but is there
anything you're looking to do orto improve about yourself, your
situation, dreams, goals?
(44:17):
Or maybe you hadn't thoughtabout that and I'm putting the
bug in your ear.
One goal, one resolution isgetting into the best shape I've
been in since pre-COVID.
COVID's fifth anniversary thisyear.
That's not a good one, but...
I have my first film role.
It's a small role in FrankDurant's next horror film.
(44:38):
So I want to get back intoreally good shape if I'm going
to be on camera.
And that's in March.
I'm also starting to takeclasses through Skillshare about
copywriting.
I don't mean copywriting liketrademarking legally my books or
something like that.
but more writing copy forproducts, for businesses.
(45:02):
It seems like something that Imight be good at.
It seems like something thatI've been doing for my own
content for years.
But I'm going to take thesecourses and see if it's a
feasible thing to add onto myplate.
I won't get too motivational,but I'll say if you don't have a
New Year's resolution, Or ifyou break yours in the first
(45:24):
week, it doesn't matter.
You know, you can start on anew journey any day.
I use New Year's sometimes askind of a launching point for
something new.
But it's also if you're waitingfor the perfect time to start
something, you may be waitingforever.
Maybe I'm throwing that outthere as kind of a built-in
(45:45):
excuse for myself so that if Ifall off the wagon with my
fitness, I can be like, well,you told everyone else you could
just start over again the nextday.
We are, though, now in thepost-holiday hangover period,
the long, cold days of winter.
So remember to get outside asmuch as you can and get that
vitamin D that we're all goingto be deficient in pretty soon.
(46:08):
Go to the supermarket and getyourself some vitamin D
supplements.
Also, make time for things andpeople that make you happy.
Lean into those things in thesedays where it's cold and the
sunset is super early.
I will do my best to keeppumping out as much content as I
(46:28):
can all over the place.
Audio, video, written word.
So at least you got that tolook forward to.
But until then, remember, Inthis life, don't walk in anyone
else's footsteps.
Create your own path and enjoyevery moment you can on this
journey we call life because younever know what tomorrow
(46:49):
brings.
Thank you all again for tuningin.
This has been the In MyFootsteps podcast.
I am Christopher Setterlund.
You already knew that.
And I'll talk to you all againsoon.
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