Author: Anika Burgess / Source: Atlas Obscura
From domestic appliances to clothing to children’s toys, everyday items from Soviet life are the subject of the new book Designed in the USSR: 1950 – 1989. It’s a comprehensive look at a momentous four decades, in which otherwise mundane products often had an additional purpose: to replicate items from the West, or to promote Soviet achievements.
The Saturnas vacuum cleaner did both. Entirely spherical and encircled by a beige-colored ring, it was released in 1962, the year after the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to travel into outer space. This mini-planet cleared dust from the floor, while its form reminded its user of the USSR’s space capabilities. It was also based on an existing American product, Hoover’s Constellation vacuum cleaner, which was released…
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