The Decade That Laughed at Itself: The Wildest Fads of the 1970s

The 1970s is often remembered as a serious decade, a time of political scandals, economic uncertainty, and social change. But it was also one of the strangest and funniest periods in modern history, a time when millions of people embraced the bizarre, the absurd, and the downright silly. These fads weren’t just distractions; they were a form of shared, collective laughter.

The Great Streaking Craze

For a brief, shining moment, the most popular hobby in the world was running through public places… naked. The “streaking” craze swept college campuses, sporting events, and even, most famously, the Academy Awards. In 1974, a man infamously streaked across the stage at the Oscars, prompting host David Niven’s classic ad-lib, “Isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?”

This wasn’t just isolated pranks; it was a full-blown phenomenon. The media covered it with a mix of shock and amusement, and it was so widespread that musician Ray Stevens had a number-one hit song simply called “The Streak.” It was a bizarre, chaotic, and oddly good-natured expression of public rebellion.

The Perfect Pet: A Rock

In 1975, one of the sharpest marketing minds in history, Gary Dahl, had a brilliant idea. He was tired of hearing his friends complain about their pets. So, he invented the perfect pet: a rock. It required no feeding, no walking, and no grooming.

The “Pet Rock” was literally just a smooth rock, nestled on a bed of hay in a cardboard box that looked like a pet carrier. The box included a hilarious, 32-page “care and training” manual. This masterpiece of absurdity became a national obsession, and millions of people happily paid real money to adopt their very own stone.

What’s Your Mood?

If you wanted to know what someone was feeling in the 1970s, you just had to look at their hand. Mood rings were the must-have accessory, claiming to change color based on your emotional state. The rings were filled with heat-sensitive liquid crystals that would shift from black (stressed) to blue (calm) or green (active) based on your body temperature.

Of course, this meant the ring mostly just told you if your hands were hot or cold. But that didn’t matter. The mood ring was a perfect symbol for a decade obsessed with self-exploration and “vibes.” It was a piece of cheap jewelry that let you wear your “feelings” on your sleeve, or rather, your finger.

When TV Laughed at the Absurd

The decade’s humor wasn’t just in the streets; it was on TV. Some of the most iconic and funny moments in television history came from the 70s. In one famous episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the news team had to cover the death of “Chuckles the Clown,” who was killed in a parade-gone-wrong. The episode became a legendary, darkly comic exploration of trying not to laugh at a funeral.

But the king of 70s absurdity might be the “Turkeys Away” episode of WKRP in Cincinnati. In it, the radio station decides to do a Thanksgiving promotion by dropping live turkeys from a helicopter. The resulting chaos is reported live by a field reporter, who famously stammers, “As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

The Polyester and Shag Carpet Era

You can’t talk about the 70s without mentioning the style. This was the golden age of the polyester suit, a shiny, synthetic, and often wildly patterned garment that defined the fashion of the disco floor. These loud outfits were worn in homes that were just as bizarre.

Wall-to-wall shag carpet—in bright orange, avocado green, or harvest gold—was considered the height of interior design. It was a time of unapologetic, over-the-top aesthetics that, in retrospect, seem like a collective joke.

A Legacy of Laughter

From pet rocks to public streaking, the 1970s was a masterclass in not taking itself too seriously. In a decade that desperately needed a break, these fads provided a strange and wonderful kind of comic relief. They were a way for everyone to join in on the same joke, proving that sometimes the silliest ideas are the ones we remember the most.