Coloured Toilet Paper

It was once EVERYWHERE. But IMPOSSIBLE to find at virtually every supermarket today. And it is a question I get asked a lot. And as an authority on forgotten junk, I've had a hard time trying to answer this one (especially with a straight face.) But here goes:

Whatever happened to the coloured toilet paper of the '60s and '70s?

Well, the simplest answer would be look at the most common colours of toilet paper back then themselves. Pink, Green and Powder Blue.

Northern and Scott were ubiquitous in EVERY home with coloured bathrooms

In the '50s and '60s, many new homes were manufactured with bathroom sinks, tubs and toilets in matching colours of - of course, Pink, Green and Powder Blue. Women of that day expected a perfectly matching colour scheme in the bathroom.

Another place was the kitchen. Where appliances, countertops/cabinetry and fixtures also had to PERFECTLY match (Avocado Green anyone?)

But by the late '70s, fewer homes were made with such creepy colour matches. What looked good for one time rarely looked good in another and "colour neutral" became the trend in the '80s and '90s. And what could be more colour neutral than no colour at all?

A second answer is the environment. Although coloured and printed toilet paper began disappearing in the late '80s, it's long been said the dyes and perfumes used in coloured toilet paper then were harmful to the environment. But not a single iota of actual PROOF of this has ever been established.

In reality, the first answer is the most logical one. Times and popular taste had simply changed. Many of these old homes from the '50s and '60s underwent massive remodeling in the '80s to today and one of the first things to go was the old bathroom and kitchen fixtures.   

But ironically, coloured bathroom and kitchen fixtures are making a comeback. In wilder colours than ever. And, in spite of all environmental claims about it, there's even a demand for matching coloured toilet paper again.