What Were They Thinking?

This ceremonial Indian mask was highlighted in a feature on Snow Goose, a retail store in Ottowa, Canada, that was described as a “Mecca for collectors of authentic Canadian handicrafts.” Okay, so it may have been a collectors item. But this piece definitely gets our vote for the ugliest accessory of the decade. —February 1969

Look familiar? Nine years before the introduction of the Chia pet, Mother Nature's Green Sheep Ltd., of New York, debuted its flock of planters in the pages of Gifts & Decorative Accessories. Advertised as “No extras required,” this breed had a growing cycle of ten days and a guaranteed leak-proof watering spout. But the real difference? These sheep grew a coat of edible herbs — a full decade ahead of its time. —October 1973