the 80's was an interesting time in saudi arabia, a massive increase in expendable income, opening up to new cultures, and an increasingly consumer-oriented (although still clueless) populace. this all meant that it was boom-time for marketers of various gadgets and knick-knacks. among the loads of useless junk during that time a few products really managed to infiltrate saudi households in the 80's:
1. furniture with built-in car radios
everything from sofas to beds had to have a built-in car radio. for the super-swanky the radio also had a cassette player.
2. upright iron
this was supposed to be a home version of those giant steam presses used by laundromats.the idea behind this was that it would reduce ironing times for thobes and stuff. unfortunately no one could really figure out how to get it to work properly.
3. blood-red tissues
the good people at fine tissue company decided that blood-red tissues, that smelled funky and left red fibers all over everything would sell like hot cakes. they were right, of course it was only used for those oh-so special occasions.
4. homemade bench press
ok this was a bit out of necessity but still relevant.gyms were almost non existent so what was a teenage dude to do? get a 3/4" metal water pipe and attach two giant nido cans filled with cement at both ends. voila! instant gym!
5. sharp wood grain tv
everyone had to have this same model tv. with its unique feather touch buttons and its support for a whopping 10 channels. oh man, the day channel 2 went on air people actually had to change the channel. they later came out with this chunky remote control to help flip between those two channels.
6. national/panasonic radio with leather cover
every self-respecting man of the house had to have this radio. it could get all those hard to get radio stations and had super loud speakers.
7. aluminum and glass tables
art-deco makes a freak appearance. the single item that single-handily made people have ugly looking homes.
8. handheld crumb sweeper
used in fine restaurants to remove tablecloth crumbs. these little gadgets were abused to death and were used pretty much as handheld vacuums.
9. mini red and white food grinder
this little grinder with its black suction cup feet was amazingly versatile, no kitchen could be without it. probably what launched a thousand infomercials.
10. juice in steel cans
remember at this time everything was imported. juice came in these tiny rusted steel cans. most notable was the popularly known "mitsubishi juice" (3 diamonds mixed fruit juice).
remember anything else? (remember it has to be from the 80's, in saudi arabia, and you must have seen it in at least 3 homes) list it in the comments!
