Communist products which became cult

[Bonobo]

Despite the hatred towards communism, many people are nostalgic about the system because it was the time when they were young and healthy. Today, cherishing old socialist products, they desire to recreate those days.

Let`s see objects, some of which were craved and literally hunted for in shops until they got sold out within minutes.

Two FIAT cars - baby and big.




Winter boots called Relax


Street soda machine


Cult ABC book with a famous sentence: Ala ma kota.


Food stamps - in 1980s major foods except bread were rationed and you could buy a few kilos of meat/sausage per month.


Glass bottles with fixed caps.


Household goods were generally quite durable and lasted for dozens of years.


I still have one in my basement and am thinking of getting it out.


Primitive wach machines.


Eau de cologne called Birch - sprayed or drunk.


Cosmetics for men - one of them Brutal, my fav.








IXI - Polish detergent


The cheapest cigarettes - Popular.


Sometimes those public phones worked


Cheap wines

[Bonobo]

The production of baby Fiat started 40 years ago.

[jeanne]

A few years ago, we knew a young man from Poland who was studying here in the U.S. Whenever he saw something that we would call fashionably "retro", he referred to it as "communist," and by "retro", I mean things that were fashionable in the 1950's, which seem to be popular again.

[pjotr]

Jeanne,

This man from Poland is not far beyond the truth from a Central- and Eastern-European perspective. Because a lot of Retro products in the West were in the Communist countries of the East-Block reality, because the communist regimes produced old versions of Western cars. A lot of the communists products looked like old fashionate old Western-European or American products. I think that is why the man labeled fashionably "retro" as being "communist."

Certain things in the West can be linked to or similar to the Communist countries, like the collective 'projects' neighborhoods with cheap apartment blocks (flats), cheap depressive supermarkets, bad roads and highways and old products, second hand products or the cheapest products. Not everything was bad under the socialist communist system, but there was less choice than in the West. I remember that from the travels to Poland during the seventies and eightees.

Cheers,
Pieter

[Bonobo]

Dec 28, 2013 21:32:54 GMT 1 pjotr said:

Jeanne,

1 Not everything was bad under the socialist communist system,

2 but there was less choice than in the West. I remember that from the travels to Poland during the seventies and eightees.

Pieter

1 Some products lasted for years, that`s true. But it also happens today if you are lucky. Vide: my Chinese winter boots which I am going to discard now after 5 or 6 years of comfortable wearing.


2 Communist choice compared to capitalist choice was very insignificant.


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