Awesome 1960s

Postmodern Jukebox dusted off The Romantics’ 1980 hit What I Like About You and sent it even further back in the time machine. Their fresh interpretation gives the pop hit a 1960s sound, straight out of Motown, and clearly inspired by The Way You Do the Things You Do. That’s singer Tia Simone belting out the soulful vocals.

Originally released in 1964, the Prince lighter is an elegant example of mid-century modern design. Topdrawer has brought back this classic Japanese-made lighter for new generations to enjoy. The lighter features a low-profile body with a push-to-light flint striker. It’s available in several colors as well as black leather and marbled finishes.

Old Things Never Die picked up a rare and rusty U.S.A.F. GEMINI X-5 toy spaceship on eBay. After disassembling all of its parts, he got to work sandblasting away the rust, polishing the plastics, and then painstakingly reapplying paint to make it look as good as new. He also had to replace its motor and rebuild its driving mechanism.

Filmmaker James Parris pokes fun at those 1950s and 1960s educational films with an etiquette lesson on how to properly use a sidewalk so you don’t bump into people walking in the opposite direction. But what do you do if there are three or more people coming at you, James?

A lot has changed with music over the past 60 years, but memorable melodies will always be a thing. Music teacher Milo Andreo sat down at his electric piano and synthesizer to play the introductions to a single famous song from each year since 1963. Close your eyes and see how many you can name without looking at the titles.

Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, and Norm Reedus star in this fictional movie about the members of a 1960s motorcycle club and the drama that ensues as the club becomes increasingly violent. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special, Mud), The Bikeriders rolls into theaters on 12.1.2023.

Toy companies have always liked making kids’ versions of adult products. After showing off the 2000s Hit Clips music player, Techmoan got his hands on the Mighty Tiny, a 1960s attempt to make a miniature record player. It required a bit of repair work, but he eventually got it to play some tiny vinyl discs. Ohio Art – of Etch-a-Sketch fame – created the gadget.

For many, the 1960 and 1970s are considered the golden age of Saturday morning television. The era gave us weird, wild, and memorable shows like H.R. Pufnstuf, Scooby Doo, and the original Spider-Man cartoon. Johnnyboy792 shared this time capsule of TV shows and commercials that’ll bring back fond memories to Gen-Xers and younger Boomers.

The surf rock sound of the 1960s relied heavily on instrumental electric guitar and lots of reverb. Musician Mathieu Terrade performed this enchanting cover version of Surf Rider by The Lively Ones on a different kind of electric string instrument called a Harpejji. Mathieu’s YouTube channel is packed with more great Harpejji covers.

Many of today’s popular toys are pretty different from those sold in the 1960s and 1970s. But in this video from Rhetty for History, you’ll see for as many things have changed, classics like NERF, Hot Wheels, and LEGO are still selling well today. And then there’s the Pet Rock.

You might not remember the band Hot Butter, but you’ve probably heard their tune Popcorn at some point. The 1969 instrumental track was one of the earliest examples of synth-pop. Elias Niemelä and Suvi Buckman of Drumorg replaced the original’s Moog synthesizer with a church organ and upgraded the drum kit.

A year before Sesame Street debuted, Jim Henson’s Muppets turned up on The Ed Sullivan Show. The fuzzy, smoke-blowing aliens repeated the phrase “Sclrap Flyapp!” while hunting an elusive snail creature whose only utterance was “Merp.” Yes, it’s as silly as it sounds.

Architecture and design nerds will recognize the shape of this lamp as the Futuro House by Matti Suuronen. This 1:32-scale version of the UFO-shaped home serves as an art piece and an ambient light. It comes in several lovely colors as well as a slick chrome-coated version, and a special yellow and blue Ukraine edition.

Not to be confused with the game of the same name, Joker and the Thief’s trippy playing cards are a nod to 1960’s psychedelia. Each cardback and face card is illustrated with the kind of artwork you might find on a vintage Grateful Dead concert poster. Choose from Standard or Art of Play editions.

When you think of pop music, it’s usually pretty upbeat stuff, but back in the 1960s, a strange trend emerged – pop songs about tragic accidents and death. Yesterday’s Papers offers an intriguing look back at this unusual fad and some of most popular “splatter platters”. It’s worth watching for Wayne Cochran’s epic hair helmet alone.

Jake Wegesin of Ambient Press created this wonderful CG short film about the space race of the 1950s and 1960s, offering a playful reinterpretation of the competition between the USA and USSR. Benjamin Widawksi’s music and the accompanying narration perfectly complement the black-and-white animation.

We always enjoy seeing how industrial machines are engineered. In this video from author and maker of things Theodore Gray, he shows off a 1963 Bunn packaging machine that was designed to quickly wrap items with string. What makes it really interesting is how it ties a knot and cuts the twine perfectly every time.

One of our favorite things about the ’60s Batman TV series was the celebrity cameos as the Dynamic Duo scaled a building with their grappling hook. Tommy Westphall’s Snowglobe compiled a reel of the 15 times a celeb popped out of the window. Is it just us, or does the second guy (George Cisar) sound like Peter Griffin?

Dig the look of objects from the early days of the Nuclear Age? UK-based Martin Metal Art creates unique lamps with an Atompunk aesthetic, incorporating objects like 1960s battery chargers, perforated metal, and glass for a great retrofuturist vibe. The Davenset Atomic Reactor is our favorite, but it’s also the most expensive.

We’re suckers for The Pixies song Where Is My Mind? and always love hearing fresh interpretations of the track. Vocalist Allison Young teamed up with Postmodern Jukebox to deliver a great cover version with a melodramatic style inspired by the late Roy Orbison, who gave us such great songs like Crying and Only the Lonely.

While you can’t park it your driveway in time for Halloween, you could still own this awesome bit of pop culture history – the coffin-shaped car that Grandpa raced in an episode of The Munsters. Barris Kustoms built five of these cars in the 1960s to promote the horror-sitcom, and it’s headed to Mecum’s 2022 Kissimmee car auction.

Postmodern Jukebox and vocalist Haley Reinhart turn in a great cover of No Doubt’s 1995 track Don’t Speak, performed with a sultry and soulful 1960s vibe. If you love the style of singers like Adele and Amy Winehouse, you’ll definitely want to give this a listen.

(Flashing images) Motorcycles take the spotlight in Paul Bush’s stop-motion short film, which pays tribute to the motorcycle design and culture of the 1950s and 1960s. Bush created the effects by swapping bikes between frames, and featured quite the assortment of motorcycles thanks to Jose Pereira’s Museu das Motas in Portugal.