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The whole world looks up to the Rocket
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perishthethought piefed.social perishthethought@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-06-07
Quote

Ad for an Oldsmobile Rocket 88 car from the 1950s, featuring a bright yellow car and a couple riding atop a rocket next to the moon.

Not sure why they put their own product's name in quotes.

39   Original
loweffortname lemmy.blahaj.zone loweffortname@lemmy.blahaj.zone
Joined: 2023-07-01
#2 · Quote Reply

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_88

One of the more influential proto rock songs.

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JohnnyEnzyme piefed.social JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social
Joined: 2025-06-11
#3 · Quote Reply

If it was a new car at the time, I could see the need to identify it more. Altho it does seem like if they bolded or italicized it, that would have looked better.

Btw, I'm liking this design style. Not quite Googie, but maybe early Jet-Set or something.

1
Davel23 fedia.io Davel23@fedia.io
Joined: 2024-03-16
#4 · Quote Reply

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_88 One of the more influential proto rock songs.

Also featured in the film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension.

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altphoto lemmy.today altphoto@lemmy.today
Joined: 2025-04-14
#5 · Quote Reply

Cadmium yellow pigment in lead paint!

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kurt_vonnegut2 lemmy.dbzer0.com kurt_vonnegut2@lemmy.dbzer0.com
Joined: 2026-09-18
#6 · Quote Reply

The woman is driving? In the fifties?

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ToastedRavioli midwest.social ToastedRavioli@midwest.social
Joined: 2025-04-26
#7 · (edited) Quote Reply

The car is actually the Super 88, which had a “rocket” V8 engine. Assumedly, “rocket” is in quotes because it is not a literal rocket engine. This was a time where the engines used in cars and jets had a lot more crossover and a lot of companies made both. Including Olds, who made jet engines for planes during the Korean war. Occasionally jet engines were used in land vehicles. So it was worth avoiding any confusion or accusations of false marketing. They also had a concept around the same time called the “Golden Rocket” that used the same engine:

That said, the 88 was one of the fastest cars in the world at the time and was commonly used in early NASCAR

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