Four Things that Don’t Exist Any More

Butler Brothers General Wholesale Catalog, 1935

Another supplier of items for your general store, dry goods, or druggist during the Depression. All prices listed are wholesale to the store owner. This page intrigues me because of none of the things pictured exist any more, either specifically or generally.

Obviously we still have toothpaste, but the brand name “Halitosine” is long gone. And no wonder – what an unappealing medicinal moniker. Zoom in to look at the alcohol content – 25%! Prohibition had ended, and “Halitosine” was bringing back alcohol with a vengeance.

Likewise, pencil sharpeners still exist, but when did you last use one of those tiny manual versions? I’ve never run across a sharpener with moving wheels and a siren. Had I owned one in school, I could have annoyed the teacher no end.

Baby Ruth…Peppermint Gum? That’s an odd attempt to play off the popularity of the Baby Ruth candy bar (and baseball star Babe Ruth himself). Each pack of gum contains a picture of a baseball star or Movie idol. That’s Ruby Keeler pictured — and she doesn’t exist any more either.

Finally, we have Tally Cards. Quite honestly, I don’t know if they still exist or not, because I can’t decide what you were supposed to tally with them. But they do come with silk cords and a cellophone envelope. Any guesses?