The House of Googie

Life was better in the Atomic Age. It is currently the year 1966.

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Pair it with some Irish coffee, and you've got yourself a dinner fit for St. Paddy himself!

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"Why Ireland? Oh, no reason, no reason at all. Say, did you know they don't have any extradition treaties with our country? Just a fun little fact I found completely at random."

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At long last, it's now possible to load up on as much Guinness as possible in Dublin and Shannon, and by the time you land in Boston, you've sobered up enough to hit the pubs all over again.

Sláinte!

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"Now I'm not saying you'll need a lucky four-leafed clover on board, but it couldn't hurt, right?"

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"Look, Mac, I don't care if you all you guys in tanks are on your way to fight the Germans, do you have your coupons or don't you?"

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Owing to a certain disagreement currently taking place in the Middle East, let us look back to the 1940s for ideas on how we might conserve much-needed fuel oils.

For you "A" drivers, you get 2-4 gallons a week, mind how you go. "B" drivers, you get 8-10 gallons a week, but you have to share your car (and your horrific music tastes) with all sorts of people. "C" drivers can have all you like, but you'd better be delivering babies, parcels, or telegrams. Motorcycle drivers with "D" stickers may wish to consider swapping the engine out for pedals and chains, and pedalling for victory. Oh, and if you have more than five tyres, you're not getting a drop until you give your spares to Uncle Sam, you filthy hoarder.

Those of you with huge trucks, SUVs, and V8 engines would be recommended to shop for more economical cars, but all vehicle sales were halted at the start of 1942, so you'd better find a bus or stick to that 35 mph speed limit.

Have fun!

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In the future, families will keep their finest paper plates in the china cabinet, only to be brought out for very special occasions. Mothers will pass their special and beautiful Fonda paper plates and bowls down to their daughters as valuable and treasured heirlooms. "They don't China-ize them like they used to," they will say, and they'll be right.

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Take a spoonful once daily and... no, wait, hold on a sec...

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All Aboard Bassethound!

It's a new year, so make it your resolution to travel across America by bus this year! Unlike your other resolutions to lose weight and give up those disgusting vices you have, this is one that you really should break. You'll find them across all 48 states (Rhode Island and Utah should consider themselves lucky), just show a bit of leg if you want the driver to stop. The buses may or may not stop, may or may not arrive, and may or may not contain all the parts they left with, but hey, it's not like you have much choice. Consider it public transport as an endurance sport.

When I found the 1956 Greyhound ad I posted a few days ago, my mind went into high gear – which is more than can be said for Bassethound's buses. As I was reading it, the copy practically wrote itself. From what I understand, bus travel in the States can be a bit of a roll of the dice, and given what my fairly brief trip was like with them back in 2024, I can kind of see why it's not exactly considered luxury travel. Maybe Bassethound is even an improvement?

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I foresee a very wobbly year of drinking ahead!

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Get Your Kicks in 1966!

The end of the year normally means farewelling the old and welcoming the new, but at the House of Googie, we farewell the old and welcome in the even older.

This coming year is a special one for one particularly notable 2,448-mile strip of asphalt: 2026 marks the centennial year of Route 66, the great Mother Road of America. There will be plenty of celebrations leading up to the big day on November 11, but if you get the chance to travel along the road next year, be sure to raise a glass to America's most famous highway (but not if you're driving, wait until you pull in to one of the roadside motels first).

1966 is also a curious year for the House of Googie. The site has always tended to focus on the 20 years from 1945 to 1965 (but not exclusively), and you may have seen the annual January banners slowly counting up the years. My original plan had always been to run the calendar through to 1965, then wind it back to 1946 and set it off again. When I realised a few months ago that next year is Route 66's centenary, I knew I had to make an exception. A road that means so much to me (even having only travelled a short length in California) deserves recognition by the most authoritative retro blog this side of the double yellow lines. The calendar will reset in time for Googiemas ’46, but until then, let's put the top down and hit the road.

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These days, the bus actually picking you up and taking you to your destination is an achievement in itself.

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"And you wouldn't believe the frame rates we're getting in Satisfactory with this baby."

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Helpful terms like "finance", "repairs", and "the nearest Holden dealer". Besides that, ten horsepower is just sheer extravagance.

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There's Nothing Like Nylon for Christmas

At this time of year, it is only natural for thoughts to turn to that most traditional of Christmas staples: nylon. It helped win the war, so it's good enough to clad your entire family in. Just remember not to stand too close to the heater.

Googiemas 2025 is brought to you by our dear friends at Du Fectiv, America's most trusted*, honest*, and reputable* industrial conglomerate, and winners of the Du Fectiv Award for Corporate Excellence from 1935-1967 and 1969-2025 (don't ask about what happened in ’68). Rumours of backroom negotiations between Du Fectiv and The House of Googie for this year's choice of advertisement are base slander, and our lawyers will be in touch.

Of course, Christmas Day means it's time for this year's Googiemas ad, and while it's getting harder to find good ones to work with each year, this 1950 ad from DuPont felt ripe for some silliness. What could possibly be more festive than a lady showing off her bestockinged leg? Don't tell me, I don't want to know.

Merry Christmas everyone, and may you enjoy the snappy style of nylon clothing, as well as the snap of the static electricity you'll be building up when you put it on and take it off.

(*Terms and conditions may apply.)

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Sunset Magazine - December 1960

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In my house growing up you knew it was about time to take down the Christmas tree when you had to pull dangling tinsel out of the cat’s ass.

Life   December 13, 1963