At least it wasn't puffy.
Posted on 08/02/2025 8:59:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The 60s were when life burst into colour for many people after the drab 50s.
The music, the fashion and the newfound freedom, for some at least, made it a great decade in which to grow up.
Wartime austerity was finally coming to an end and more and more households were able to afford time-saving mod-cons.
But no era is perfect and the 60s certainly had their flaws.
Below are nine things you almost certainly don’t miss about the 1960s if you grew up then.
1. Waking up to ice on the inside of your windows
At the start of the 60s, only around 5% of homes in the UK had central heating, and that figure was still down at 30% by the end of the decade. Lots of people remember waking up to find frost on the inside of their windows.
2. Running out of coins for the TV
In the 1960s, many households rented their TV and they were coin operated, which meant that if you ran out of money you risked missing your favourite show that day. One person recalled how their grandparents had a slot TV and when someone came to collect the rent each month whatever was in the box would be taken out of what they owed.
3. Squeezing into a bubble car
The bubble car, as it was dubbed, was launched in the 1950s but remained a popular vehicle in the early 60s, even with the advent of the Mini. The BMW Isetta had a tiny engine, a top speed of just 53mph and painfully slow acceleration, with early models taking half a minute to reach just 30mph. But the fuel economy was great and it was like no other car, with a single door at the front, containing the steering wheel and instrument panel, swinging open for access. There was supposedly space for two adults and a small child, in the days before road safety was a thing, but as you can see that was a bit of a squash.
4. Sharing a party line
It may sound fun but the party line was a way of saving money by sharing a telephone line with other people. Only one person could use the line at a time so you often had to wait for the line to be free. You could also listen in to another person's call if you were nosy, which wasn't uncommon, it seems. The Kinks memorably sang about the experience in their classic song, Party Line, which includes the lyrics 'wish I had a more direct connection'.
5. 'Tracing paper' loo roll
If you went to school in the 60s, you'll likely recall how the loo roll was not at all kind to your bum. The shiny, rough, non-absorbent toilet paper used in many school toilets was the antiseptic Izal loo roll, which most pupils back then dreaded using. It was widely known by children of that generation as 'tracing paper' loo roll and the very mention of it is enough to send a shudder up the spine of those who remember using the stuff. One person called it a 'crime against humanity' and another said 'whoever invented it should be punished'.
6. Waiting for the launch of Radio Caroline
The 60s are widely recognised as the best decade for music, with the explosion of rock 'n' roll, and the arrival of great bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. But it took a while for DJs to give the public what they wanted, with Radio 2 reportedly rationing listeners to just three hours of rock 'n' roll a week in the early 60s as part of a rather traditional, conservative playlist. Thank heavens then for Radio Caroline, the pirate station which shook things up when it launched in 1964 - doing so from a ship off the British coast, to circumvent broadcasting laws. Such was the demand that within weeks of hitting the air it was reportedly attracting around 7 million listeners. Tony Blackburn, Johnnie Walker and Dave Lee Travis were among the big name DJs who started out aboard Radio Caroline before moving to the BBC.
7. Ghastly paisley shirts
The 1960s were a golden age for fashion, full of colourful, flamboyant design classics, from flared trousers to the mini-skirt. But the decade was not without sartorial sin - the popularity of paisley shirts being a case in point. Two of the biggest offenders, it seems, were the pop duo Sonny and Cher.
8. The smell of boiled cabbage
School dinners in the 60s were a stodgy affair, with potatoes and pastry featuring prominently. The smell of boiled cabbage hung heavy in the air, and most pupils dreaded seeing spam fritters on the menu again. Some desserts were more popular than others, with the skin on a wobbly blancmange, and 'frogspawn' tapioca pudding turning many children's stomachs.
9. Needing a degree to work out your change
It wasn't until 1971 that the UK switched to decimal currency, with people still paying in pounds, shillings and pence during the 60s. That meant children grew up knowing their 12 times table, with 12 pence to the shilling, but it could still be confusing when it came to calculating your change at the checkout. Of course, people were used to it back then, and when the switch came in the 70s many people found that even more confusing at first.
After WWII American men came home and built everything and the economy roared. In England, they embraced socialism, and enjoyed 2 more decades of rationing, until Thatcher came along (they still hate her for that).
Polyester clothing was punishment for a fallen race.
None of this was part of my 60’s experience.
I had an English girlfriend ten years ago and I spent a lot of time talking over the phone with her when she was back in England and I was in the States. One afternoon she freaked out and was telling me that the TV coppers were in her neighborhood and she had to go. I didn’t understand what she was talking about. She hadn’t paid her TV tax! I could not figure out how that scheme works. I guess if your TV is on, they can tell with their antenna vans. But how can they tell if someone is receiving transmissions? Transmitting, okay.
***Coin operated TV?***
I remember those in motels in the 1950s. Once while watching the TV show TOPPER the RV died and dad did not have change to start it up again.
How many remember that TV show form the 1950s?
Reads like it’s talking about a different planet. And I did grow up in the 60s. Fackin Brits.
I spent the late 60s in Scotland. As a society, they were about 20 years behind the U.S.
I was raised in South Florida in the 1960’s. No frost, but running the AC was expensive, so my family were early adopters of paddle fans.
At night they would turn off the AC, open the windows, and turn on the fans. In the summer nighttime temps would often only dip into the lower 80’s, with 90% humidity, so you would just lay there and sweat.
No one that I knew in the 50s wore a ducktail, which was considered low class.
Communication is inescapable today. Some of us see limited value in that fact. I liked it better when we were either ‘at home’, ‘at work’, ‘out somewhere’, or ‘out of town’, and we all somehow managed to get by...
Just shared this thread my mom, this morning. She said, “Everyone we knew, was alive.”
They were in airports in the 80’s. You dropped a quarter into the slot and I think you got 15 minutes.
I was always too cheap. Anything I wanted to see I had planned ahead and had it recorded on the Betamax, waiting for me when I got home.
The pirate radio era of England is fascinating. Both for how stubborn the BBC was about playing “children’s” music, or for how long they let the pirate station go.
The pirate radio era of England is fascinating.
The Who Sell Out, paid tribute to the pirate stations, complete with ads in between the songs. It’s still my favorite Who album.
I find that album a little tough to listen to. Their pirate radio mimicking takes me out of the album early, but then when I get used to it they drop it. But there is a lot of good stuff on there, it just suffers structurally. But it does show who these pirate stations got big enough to get advertising, like big deal advertising. Mostly American cause what do they care about British laws.
I’ll also recommend the movie The Boat That Rocked, very fun movie, great soundtrack.
The TV show Topper was from before we got a TV, but I do remember the Cary Grant movie, and I have the book Topper by Thorne Smith (also Topper Takes a Trip). Thorne Smith wrote a lot of very funny stuff; my favorites are The Night Life of the Gods and The Bishop’s Jaegers. I still reread them every once in a while.
I had some paisley hip huggers.
It appears that the UK was 20 years behind us in the 60’s.
Naa girl hair was starting remember the Beatles and it got a lot worse in the 70’s and 80’s.
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