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Car interiors these days are so blah, especially when it comes to the dashboard. While it’s probably good for minimizing distractions, removing those dashboard decorations we were once so fond of is a shot to our nostalgia-loving hearts. In honor of these fallen fads, here are some of the most iconic dashboard doodads we dearly miss.
Bobbleheads first became prominent in the 1950s, but their popularity transcended the next several decades. With their wobbly noggins, these little guys showed up as animals, athletes, cartoon characters, and just about any other iteration you could imagine. Somewhere in the mid-2000s, the enthusiasm for dashboard bobbleheads fizzled out.
During the 1950s, U.S. soldiers stationed in Hawaii during World War II brought hula dancer figurines back to the mainland to adorn their dashboards. The dashboard dancers had springs in their hips that allowed them to wiggle and sway like real-life hula dancers, making them a coveted novelty.
Alright, so flower leis technically dangle from the rearview mirror, but since they dangle above the dash, they qualify for this roundup. This fad is linked to the hula dancer dash ornaments, in that they both draw inspiration from the Hawaiian islands.
From cartoon characters to dancing doodads, there have been tons of different solar-powered figurines spotted on dashboards over the years. Popular during the ‘90s and 2000s, you’d see these on every other dash you drove by, sometimes lined up across the entire length of the windshield.
Folks started hanging fuzzy dice above their dashboards in the 1950s. The accessories were prominent until the late ‘80s, although some people continued the trend well beyond that. The dice were used as good luck charms — another World War II-inspired superstition. During the war, fighter pilots hung dice in their cockpits for good luck (particularly relevant when referencing risky missions as a "roll of the dice").
These days, vehicles will display directions right on the dash panel or rearview mirror (thanks, Waze!). Before these technologies and apps were readily available, though, drivers used to mount compasses on their dashboards to keep their navigation dialed in.
We’re pretty sure this is a fast pass to a ticket these days, but back in the ‘90s, drivers used to decorate the dashboards and rear windows of their vehicles with stuffed animals, placing them on the top of the back seats. Some drivers would add just a couple, while others would have an entire zoo on display.
The dreamcatcher craze exploded in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and they weren’t just used for warding off nightmares in bedrooms. People used to hang them off rear view mirrors, too — although if you’re worried about having a nightmare in a car, you’ve got bigger problems. Maybe don’t fall asleep while driving?
If you didn’t want to pay extra to customize your actual license plate, you’d just buy some mini ones and decorate your dash with them. From pink-outlined “Princess” plates to personalized names and fun messages, these accessories had their moment during the ‘70s and ‘80s before fizzling out.
From hanging flowers to trees with patterns on them, car air fresheners used to be dual purpose: They made your car smell nice and they were an above-the-dash decoration. The air fresheners you stick right on the vents seem to have bulldozed the hanging ones we used to love.
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