Swedish Kitchen Advert - 1973

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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Y'know, it's interesting how remarkably universal deployment of technology was in high-income, spacious countries (i.e. Scandinavia/North America/Australia) was in the '70s....other than style, really little separated these (very slightly aspirational) views of suburban life from a similar US or Canada P&G ad from the same year. I remember going to an automotive styling exhibition in Stockholm 20 or so years ago and observing the similarities in Northern Europe auto culture to US auto culture...local cars (Volvo/Saab) were quite large compared to southern Europe cars...people were big, cars were big, houses were big.

About 15 years ago, there was an interesting article in either the Wall Street Journal or one of the other US business magazines talking about the consolidation the appliance manufacturing in Europe, and stressing how different country-by-country range designs were (as you see here, huge US-scaled stoves in Scandinavia; smaller stoves in the UK with weird side-wall heating elements, etc etc etc).
 
So the Idékök video is in fact from a kitchen trade show and they do talk about German and British kitchen manufacturers. Sweden used to have a big appliance branch - like Futurum fans and Cylinda. I'm surprised that nobody commented on the Kupol (aka Cupula) Microwave from Husqvarna towards the end - it was a total luxury item and was available on a teak trolley for tableside nuking.

Kronfågel is, obviously, chicken and still available. She's shilling frozen direct to the oven meals and drumsticks and such.

Here's a video for the "Idea House" from '75 - sponsored by the magazine "Vi i Villa" (essentially "we in villas" - in Swedish terminology a villa is a single-story ranch house, which most Swedes who live in a newer house live in, a house with be more compact and maybe older and a floor and a half, though both are fairly interchangeably used). Its an old house in a Stockholm suburb renovated through sponsors so it's the latest in trendy furniture and appliances (notice the glass free-standing fireplace in one room). "Check your local paper for listings, entry is free!"

Here's one for "Andy" a cleaning product:

And one for "Witch" metal polish:

T-spirit (looks like it's for everything - from window washing to car windshield washer fluid):

And Florence Hendersons little know post "Song of Norway" scandinavian tv work?



 
No TV ads back in the 70's...

No TV time, they didn't have ads on tv back them. These were all "cinema" ads (or instructional films/reports in some cases). Sweden had two channels, Kanel 1 (channel 1) and TV 2, yes, that's what they are called. TV adverts didn't come until TV3 & TV4 (commercial channels) circa 1990+/- which was cable and broadcast.

Here's another for cheese! "Mail in the coupon for recipes"



This one will probably interest you cleaning product lovers; quasi-reportage style ad showing the MEN doing the housework!



Meat at Konsum (Consume - the cooperative grocery store - Domus is their department store/hypermarket brand) - the party at the end is groovy



OK Bensin (OK Petrol) - portraying the advantages of self-service gas stations



And Jazz legend Monica for Lux Soap



And the best for last, about ten years earlier, at the start of the 60's with Sweden's biggest pop-star (the Beatles opened for HER on their first tour of Sweden), cover-girl for Swedish tabloids and one time girlfriend of James Garner, Lill-Babs, aka Barbro Svensson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t1xt7ZCAnE
 
Years ago I bought an 80s version of that Asko compact dishwasher at an auction. It was fantastic, the door popped open at the end exactly like my TOL Miele now! It had fantastic capacity for a tabletop dishwasher. I’d love to get my hands on one again.
 

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