Epic 1956 fridge ad shows ingenious features people wish should 'come back with new technologies'

In 1918, General Motors acquired Guardian Frigerator Company and launched the iconic “Frigidaire” brand, according to Appliance Zone. The brand's refrigerators were revolutionary, introducing innovative features like electric cooling, ice cream cabinets, and vegetable drawers. By 1929, Frigidaire had sold over a million units, cementing its rapid growth. While many of Frigidaire's vintage commercials remain popular, a 1956 ad featuring their icebox has recently gone viral. Shared by Vintage Fanatic (@misterselfhelp) on YouTube, the video has racked up nearly 573,000 views.

The commercial opens with the slogan, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” The black-and-white ad opens with the aforementioned sentence as some children are shown parking their bicycles on a housefront. The kids leap through the stairs and rush inside the door of a house where a charming woman is awaiting them beside the door. The woman dons a typical vintage ad appearance with an apron slinging around her shoulders.

She says, “Everything is in place” in her kitchen while walking around. Her kitchen appears luxurious with white cupboards, shelves sprawling with bowls and pans, and a refrigerator. “It’s easy with my Frigidaire cold pantry,” she says glancing at her fridge. The video transitions into another scene where another mother pops on the screen wearing a vintage blouse and skirt, standing in front of her kitchen aisle.

She approaches a similar refrigerator, positioned next to a window adorned with paneled curtains. “That’s true. In Frigidaire's cold pantry, there’s a place for all your fresh food – frozen, bottled, canned, and wrapped; newborn and leftover,” she proclaims while also opening the refrigerator door for the viewer to take a sneak peek inside. “They’re all right there and they’re all at your fingertips.”

“Let’s start with the most ingenious door in any refrigerator,” she says exuberantly and the camera points to the side door of the fridge where the top shelf is filled with an array of small-big bottles. “It has special places for bottles,” the woman explains. She then slides open the compartments on the shelf below it, revealing cases for “spreadable butter,” “cheeses,” and “leftovers.” Beneath this shelf, she shows a “picture window hydrator for fruits and vegetables.” She pulls the hydrator shelf down to show the grocery items peeking from inside a glass cover “It can tilt down to show your supply at a glance.” Then she shows that this entire grocery case is detachable. “It also lifts out so you can take it over to the sink when there’s a fresh supply to be washed and put away,” she proclaims.

“But that’s just the door. Think of all you can store in here on these big firm shelves that roll all the way up to you so you can get at the food at back without moving anything in front,” she says and slides forward a shelf that contains a casserole, a platter of food, a tray, and other things. She picks up a tray from the back of the shelf showing how easy it is to grab the food kept at the back without pushing oneself inside the fridge.

She then goes on to discuss the topic of “frozen things.” “Oh yes, there’s a place for them too,” she exclaims with a pearly smile, and adds, “in this big food freezer.” This freezer is shown to be occupying the space below the fridge’s main shelves. The freezer seems to be supported by a metal grid. Thereupon, the woman moves on to uncover another feature built inside the fridge: a special place for ice cubes. Inside the freezer is a small mechanism. She flips over an ice tray placing it on this mechanism, and a shower of ice cubes drizzles down in a bottom container.

The ad has captivated audiences not just for its vintage charm, but also for its masterful visual storytelling. The model’s engaging explanation of the refrigerator’s features has left viewers eager to own one—even if it's no longer available. “Why is this better than today's refrigerators,” reflected @annashearson7272.

Commenting on the fridge shown in the advertisement, @zms8092 said, “Better than any fridge I’ve seen today. Probably lasted for 40 years, too.” @jasongy827 added, “I have to admit this refrigerator is more genius than most modern fridges.” Another user @tweetspie added, "That refrigerator door sound when it closed was like a quality automobile door sound closing. Solid. And that compartment for the vegetables was genius." Another user capture_diaries pitched in, "We bought a new fridge and the freezer door broke within the first week. Meanwhile, my dad's fridge from the 70s is still going strong."

This article originally appeared on 08.14.24.