Jell-O 1-2-3

I remember this stuff! It was so cool, and had such a unique texture to it when eaten. Ymmmm... makes me want some, too bad it's off the shelves:

Jell-O 1-2-3 debuted in 1969, offering consumers a new wrinkle in homemade desserts. Jell-O gelatin itself was nothing new by that time; the product had been concocted in 1897. But what made this version of the product different was that once it was mixed with boiling water and set aside to cool, it would separate into three layers: a clear bottom, a chiffon middle and a creamy top.

After a few decades, the novelty may have worn off, and the product was discontinued in 1996 due to declining sales.

• Bing: Find recipes for Jell-O 1-2-3

To console any remaining disappointed fans, Kraft recently added a recipe to its Web site showing how to make a similar dessert using sugar-free Jell-O and Cool Whip Lite.

Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away!

Before digital cameras came to dominate the scene, taking pictures was all about capturing images on film. And for professional photographers (and serious amateurs), choosing the brand of film to use was as important as picking the kind of camera.

Kodachrome, a brand of film immortalized in a 1973 Paul Simon song of the same name, was introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935. It was actually developed as a motion-picture film, but Kodak developed versions in a variety of formats, including the slide film that became prized by photographers for its rich, bright colors.

• Bing: Search for Paul Simon's 'Kodachrome'

Alas, after 74 years of production, Kodak discontinued the film in June, citing falling demand in a digital age. The move added new poignancy to Simon's refrain of "Mama don't take my Kodachrome away."

Breast-feeding Doll?

Controversial new doll mimics breast-feeding

Manufacturers claim ‘Bebe Gloton’ promotes nurturing — but is it creepy?

By Mike Celizic

TODAYShow.com contributor

updated 10:40 a.m. CT, Thurs., Aug 6, 2009

It’s probably all Betsy Wetsy’s fault.

If the iconic baby-boom generation baby doll hadn’t introduced the world to the notion that dolls could have bodily functions, then maybe today we wouldn’t be talking about Bebe Gloton — the doll that that suckles 6-year-old girls.

“I just worry about what’s next,” TODAY’s Kathie Lee Gifford said after watching a video clip showing a young girl wearing a vest with daisies where her breasts would be ... if she had any.

The girl held the doll to the daisies, and the doll made suckling noises.

“It’s got a little creep factor,” Gifford opined to co-host Hoda Kotb.

“Why would you want a suckling doll for an 8-year-old?” Kotb wondered.

Some are wondering why you would want a suckling doll for anyone. The Spanish manufacturers of Bebe Gloton — “Baby Glutton” in English — say the doll is meant to encourage nurturing in young girls and to promote breast-feeding. But others, including Kotb and Gifford, are wondering whether it’s too much, too soon.

Then there’s the idea that it was just a matter of time. After all, Gifford observed, “we have dolls that go potty.”

That was Betsy Wetsy’s big trick when she was introduced in the 1930s. It made the doll one of the most memorable and creative playthings of the 20th century, according to the Toy Industry Association, which enshrined Betsy in its Century of Toys list in 2003.

Betsy’s success, which peaked in the 1950s, led to the invention of the next big thing in live-action dolls, Tiny Tears. Whereas Betsy Wetsy wet her pants after being fed a bottle, Tiny Tears cried after drinking hers.

Little girls were enthralled.

Today, there are anatomically correct dolls sold by specialty manufacturers such as Amamanta Family that take little girls and boys — and big ones, too — through the entire birth process. There are therapy dolls and disabled dolls and talking dolls and walking dolls.

And now a doll that sucks on a daisy on a little girl’s chest.

“I guess it teaches you about nurturing,” Kotb conceded.

“But to see a 6-year-old,” she added, “it’s just weird.”