10 household items only children from the 60s will remember

While we might know our way around a touchscreen phone now, nothing quite tested finger dexterity like the classic rotary telephone. You’d spend ages practicing your spinning skills, only to dial the wrong number and have to start over again – though it felt oddly grown up to hear the repeated click as you dialed your best friend’s phone number.

These chunky, glass-fronted wonders became living room staples during the decade, complete with “rabbit ear” antennas that you constantly had to adjust – or wrestle with – to get even a glimpse of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Flipping through channels tested your patience, but it gave you time to savour the anticipation of what might appear on screen next – all glowing warmly through the cathode-ray tube.

The Wikipedia of the 60s – these towering book sets exclusively came in large sets that easily commanded an entire shelf bound in glossy hardback, cloth, or leather if you were feeling fancy. While looking anything up was a mission in itself, it felt far more intellectually rewarding than tapping it into Google.

Pulling these out from the linen cupboard truly meant winter was here. These fluffy, textured blankets felt unbelievably cosy, stylish, and just a touch sophisticated – the problem was they made getting up for school an even greater challenge.

Almost more exciting than the peanut butter sandwiches that lay within was the metal lunchbox you clutched as you swanned through the school gates. Decorated with Mickey Mouse, superheroes, or even The Beatles, these were the childhood equivalent of a designer purse – until you accidentally dented Ringo’s head.

Small enough to hold in one hand but loud enough to fill a room, transistor radios made music personal and portable. Battery-powered freedom meant you weren’t tied to the living room, and could tune in to the crackly signal of your favourite pop hits from the comfort of your bedroom – until someone complained about the noise.

While the milkman may sound like a fairytale character today, his daily deliveries were the way a large majority of people got their milk back then. While returning the empty bottles always felt like a chore, the elegant glass feels super nostalgic and far fancier than any flimsy carton we grab from the supermarket today.

Picture this: you’re excited to sink into your brand-new tweed sofa, only to find your mum has smothered it in a crinkly plastic cover. Often made from vinyl or PVC, these covers always squeaked when you sat down (especially in summer), though they undeniably extended the life of the furniture for many years to come.

Whether perched on a wooden cabinet in the living room or balanced on a bedside table, a record player was an essential part of any 60s household. Rushing home from school and putting on your dad’s favourite Elvis record was pure magic – though heaven forbid you accidentally scratched it.

While we’re more accustomed to open-plan kitchens now, serving hatches once kept dinner preparations separate from the mayhem of the rest of the household. Often fitted with sliding panels or lift-up flaps, it kept the kitchen mess out of sight and allowed parents some peace while they were whipping up dinner – unless they had to keep an eye on us, of course.