Sunday, January 4, 2009

Retail in Bizarroland

Watching this compilation of 60s commercials from East Germany - advertising a department store chain called Konsum (rhymes with condom) - is like floating in an alternate universe. It probably helps not to understand a word of German, which lends the whole thing a surreal air only enhanced by the creepiness of the announcers when they appear on camera.

Those with the stamina to stick it out - past the ghastly shop-windows-in-the-snow montage, past the maddening "Tausend Kleinen Dinge" theme music in the housewares ad, past the horrifyingly depressing Christmas segment - will be rewarded with a genuine DDR-style fashion show.

Enjoy. I think my favorite moment is that all the housewares models have the same shoes; a telling detail.

3 comments:

  1. yeay! I've been waiting for another installment of Soviet Glamor!

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  2. I hope whoever decided to let that bald creepy guy with the cocktail shaker/sheltzer thingie on tv got fired.

    I liked the ladies coats.

    Who knew Germans could be so wacky and fun?

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  3. Gosh.... what a timeflash to my childhood-days back in the gdr! Thanks & greatings from Berlin, Bob

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