# The List of Disappearing Products **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094 "2008-11-23T14:15:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/101 "2008-12-10T19:56:58Z")
PS/2 keyboards and mice could be added to the list of disappearing products. I needed to buy a new computer keyboard the other night. Since it was late at night and I didn’t want to wait until the next day or drive halfway across town to get it I went to Wal-Mart for the keyboard. I wanted to get a PS/2 keyboard since I like to keep my USB ports open for use with other devices (I even have an expansion hub). All they had were USB keyboards, as it turned out, so that’s what I got. I have a feeling the availability would have been much the same at Best Buy or Circuit City. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/102 "2008-12-10T22:11:32Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Cigarette cases. 😕 These are all over the place! I could buy them by the truck load just taking a walk up Yonge Street in Toronto or the Annex. > [@Philster](#): > > Formica/laminate counter tops, bar soap, hand towels During our home renos I got to see a lot of different counter tops. Formica is alive and doing very, very well with a few hundred patterns currently on the market. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/103 "2008-12-10T22:17:04Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > When I was a kid, I can remember seeing these cloth towel “strips” hanging in public restrooms (particularly in rural areas). The towel strip was suspended from a large metal box, often with a mirror on the front; I think there was some mechanism for rotating/wringing the towel strip. They also used to be right next to the powdered soap dispenser thingy. You’d turn a crank that would, I assume, grind you some soap from a block. Kind of like a white, square pepper mill that had soap instead of pepper inside. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/104 "2008-12-10T22:30:44Z")
Hey, they still make the [cloth towel dispensers!](http://www.steinersystem.com/index.php?page=product_detail&id=254) And here’s a much more aerodynamic looking [soap grinder/dispenser](http://momsgarage.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/soapmaster2.jpg) than the ones I remember. I have to get one of those. Er… sorry about the um, triple post. (I got all excited when I found the towel dispenser.) ---
**Author:** ![Strassia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Strassia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strassia)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/105 "2008-12-10T22:54:49Z")
> [@BJMoose](#): > > Does this mean mine is worth big bucks now? Cool! > > Apparently bottle brushes (I think of them as thermos brushes) have gone bye-bye. I spent twenty minutes looking for one at Wal-Mart a few weeks back. Nada. > Couple of weeks back the local paper had a story on the last photo lab in America (or maybe even the world) that still processes Kodachrome film. It’s in Pittsburg, Kansas, if you want to visit. > I thought about mentioning Fizzies and Root Beer Kool-Ade, but that would _really_ be dating myself. > [@silenus](#): > > Bottle brushes are still readily available. You’re just not looking in the right places. Try home-brewing stores. [Williams Brewing](http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BRUSHES_C53.cfm) has several types for sale. > [@BJMoose](#): > > I can’t say what Fuji’s instant film is intended for, but to my knowledge Polaroid was always the only game in that town. > Re bottle brushes: I shoulda known to go looking for the things in the areas where they are still used - home brewing and baby bottles. Alas, both are beyond my immediate practical experience. (I’ve discovered recently that most of the furniture industry regards the glider chair as a nursery item. Why, I don’t know.) > I’m beginning to wonder if we shouldn’t add the humble Thermos to the endangered species list. Most bottle brushes are in the [baby section](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_ba?url=search-alias%3Dbaby-products&field-keywords=bottle+brush&x=0&y=0), but you can also find them in [outdoor equipment or bike shops](http://www.rei.com/search?query=brush&button.x=8&button.y=7). As for things that are slowly disappearing: PDAs. Smartphones and iPods have almost completely taken over the market. Jonathan ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/106 "2008-12-10T23:51:18Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > Hey, they still make the [cloth towel dispensers!](http://www.steinersystem.com/index.php?page=product_detail&id=254) And here’s a much more aerodynamic looking [soap grinder/dispenser](http://momsgarage.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/soapmaster2.jpg) than the ones I remember. > > I have to get one of those. > > Er… sorry about the um, triple post. (I got all excited when I found the towel dispenser.) I’ve never seen the soap grinders before! That’s actually a neat idea. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/107 "2008-12-11T01:51:24Z")
> [@BJMoose](#): > > Never guessed my comment on Kodachrome would attract any interest. The newspaper story is [here](http://www.kansas.com/news/story/614962.html). This _is_ the last Kodachrome lab in the world, so your stuff is coming here, **Sam**. (Looks like they’re also the last folks to process Ektachrome.) Not my stuff, I’m not a photographer, but that’s what I’ve heard. Gee, I always thought it must have been sent to Japan or somewhere; didn’t realize it was going _that_ far. > [@rhythmonly](#): > > … but Thailand has Bacon Thins as well? > > Thailand it is! > > (runs off to buy extra Lotto ticket) Oops! I was thinking of Bacon Bits. My bad. :o But come on over anyway … as long as our airports aren’t shut down by protesters. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/108 "2008-12-11T18:26:57Z")
No one’s mentioned incandescent light bulbs? Barring a technological breakthrough, they will be [forced](http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2007/12/29/bulb.ART_ART_12-29-07_A1_438TK3L.html?sid=101) off the market over the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![Azile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@Azile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azile)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/109 "2008-12-11T19:14:08Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I don’t think manual transmission cars are on the endangered species list at all. Many European sports cars come standard with manual transmissions and, as for Japanese makes, you can still get most Toyota models with a manual transmission…I know this because my Solara has a 5-speed manual transmision. Yes, I had to request it, but Toyota had no problem getting one for me. I believe the same holds for Honda. I have a manual transmission in my 2004 Ford Focus - and I didn’t even have to ask for it, I was able to drive it off the lot same day I bought it. I was in the market for the cheapest new car I could get, and an automatic would’ve cost more. So, at least at that point, they were/are still standard in inexpensive cars. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/110 "2008-12-11T19:50:28Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > Not only that, but Kodak isn’t promising to ever make another giant reel of the film. The sales are so slow to the geek/professional photographers that it’s not convinced it’s worth the effort. They gave us those nice bright colors, they gave us the greens of summers… _pours a shot on the ground for the homies_ ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/111 "2008-12-11T19:55:41Z")
Straight alpine recreational skis and narrow telemark racing skis are both close to extinct. I am not aware of any recent births in either species. The local Walmart here has men’s handkerchiefs. Put me down as another Kodachrome fan. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/112 "2008-12-11T20:05:43Z")
> [@BJMoose](#): > > I’m beginning to wonder if we shouldn’t add the humble Thermos to the endangered species list. Why on Earth should Thermoses go extinct? What has replaced them? 😕 Re manual transmission on cars, I’d be utterly amazed if that dies out. The vast majority of cars sold in Europe are manual. From the NYT in 2001: > [@](#): > > The dominance of automatic transmissions is an American phenomenon, Mr. Kester of General Motors said. They have captured only 12 percent of the European market. … ‘‘The European mind-set,’’ Mr. Kester, ‘‘is A, you can’t get good mileage with an automatic, and B, only weenies drive them.’’ I was trying to find some more up-to-date figures, and [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manual_transmission#Applications_and_popularity) says that as of 2008, over 75% of cars built in western Europe have manual transmission. I don’t think I know anyone that owns an automatic, and the only time I’ve ever driven one was when I rented a car in California and they didn’t have any manual options. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/113 "2008-12-12T00:03:08Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > The local Walmart here has men’s handkerchiefs. Actually, not only are men’s handkerchiefs available here, they’re a common gift at funerals. At many funerals, people attending get some sort of dorky little gift, and handkerchiefs are high up on the list. I try to avoid funerals, but the wife has brought me a few handkerchiefs back. Towels are a big item, too, and we still have a couple of thin low-quality towels that were left over from my father-in-law or mother-in-law’s funeral. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/114 "2008-12-12T03:34:01Z")
I’ve wondered for a long time about something. Is there somewhere that keeps track of the last game made for each console? I heard that Madden '08 was the last Gamecube game, but is there somewhere that lists the final game released for each system? These would count as dying products. For example, what was the final PSOne game? NES? SNES? Genesis? N64? ---
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/115 "2008-12-12T04:41:58Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Cigarette vending machines. Damn. In the clinic/hospital where my dad worked for most of his career, one of those was still in the lobby about 20 years ago. > [@Amber in Treasury](#): > > Mercury vapor lamps (in outdoor lighting fixtures) are getting rarer and rarer. You kinda had me freaked out for a minute until I realized where you were from. Those are still all over the place in the rural US. My grandparents had one of those in their driveway, and I still feel all warm and fuzzy with nostalgia when I see that white-green beacon from some distant farm piercing the darkness when I’m driving through the sticks at night. > [@Derleth](#): > > Traditional modems as opposed to DSL modems. I remember how cool I thought it was how a 56.6k modem was free (standard) in the Dell my parents bought me when I went to college. How many computers these days even have THAT anymore? During summers in high school in college, I worked in medical records in my dad’s hospital system. In 2002, that system bought out their rival facility in the area, and I helped them clean out old equipment and stuff when I was home that summer. They tossed out a bunch of obsolete and/or broken computer equipment, including a variety of external modems from US Robotics. I rescued a 14.4, 28.8, 33.6, and a 56.6k from the trash, albeit without their power cords. That was 6 years ago, and I still have them in my parents’ basement back home. I wonder if they’ll ever be worth anything? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/116 "2008-12-12T06:01:01Z")
Modems? Gandalf, R.I.P. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/117 "2008-12-12T13:24:38Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > For example, what was the final PSOne game? NES? SNES? Genesis? N64? All of these are licensed US releases; unlicensed titles may come out years later (such as Beggar Prince for Genesis in 2006), and other regions may see later releases as well, sometimes well past when the console itself has been discontinued (like licensed Japanese Dreamcast releases in 2007). SMS: Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991 NES: Wario’s Woods, 1994 SNES: Frogger, 1998 Genesis: Frogger, 1998 Saturn: Magic Knight Rayearth, 1998 Dreamcast: NFL 2K2, 2002 N64: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, 2002 PS1: FIFA Soccer 2005, 2004 I don’t think there’s a FAQ out there or anything that specifically lists last games for various systems, but most of the above was relatively easy to find. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/118 "2008-12-12T15:18:46Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Why on Earth should Thermoses go extinct? What has replaced them? 😕 That one boggle my mind too. Thermos has a pretty vast array of products and we recently bought a few of the “food jars” so I can take a small one of yogurt and a large one of soup to work and keep the one cool and the other warm. We also have several that we take with us camping when we want to be able to have hot coffee with our snacks. Given the way some local governments are adding surcharges for bottles and the huge popularity of travel mugs and Nalgene sports bottles, I can’t imagine Thermoses will be going anywhere for generations. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/119 "2008-12-12T15:20:45Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > All of these are licensed US releases; unlicensed titles may come out years later (such as Beggar Prince for Genesis in 2006), and other regions may see later releases as well, sometimes well past when the console itself has been discontinued (like licensed Japanese Dreamcast releases in 2007). > > SMS: Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991 > NES: Wario’s Woods, 1994 > SNES: Frogger, 1998 > Genesis: Frogger, 1998 > Saturn: Magic Knight Rayearth, 1998 > Dreamcast: NFL 2K2, 2002 > N64: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, 2002 > PS1: FIFA Soccer 2005, 2004 > > I don’t think there’s a FAQ out there or anything that specifically lists last games for various systems, but most of the above was relatively easy to find. Wiki says the last 1st-party (ie., published by Nintendo) release for the SNES was _Kirby’s Dream Land 3_ in November '97, and the last licensed release was _Metal Slader Glory Director’s Cut_ in December '00, but that was Japan-only. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094/120 "2008-12-12T15:43:32Z")
Remember beepers? You dialed the number and put in your number and the # sign and the person called you back? Cell phones destroyed that industry. ETA: Remember when car phones were a big deal? I don’t know anyone who has a stationary phone in their car anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-list-of-disappearing-products/474094.md?page=7)