1972 photo of pushcart in Chinatown resurfaces, one Singaporean says “Oh my…a whole cart of ‘weapons’ – childhood trauma”

SINGAPORE: In today’s blast from the past news, an old photograph from 1972 featuring a pushcart in Chinatown has garnered attention online, bringing back childhood memories for many Singaporeans.

“Here’s a photograph taken by my grandfather Dr. Ivan Polunin in 1972,” Reddit user @Flikounet wrote. The netizen is quite known on the online news forum for sharing such nostalgic photos taken by a relative.

“You don’t see pushcarts like these anymore!” the netizen said. “Does it remind anyone of Itt from Addams Family?

If you’re interested in following this project where I share records from the past captured by Dr. Polunin, you can follow over on Instagram (@ivanpoluninarchives) or Facebook (Ivan Polunin Archives). We’re are publishing a book soon of Singapore through the 50s to 80s, with over 1,000 never before seen images, follow our socials to keep up to date!”

The photo’s caption was also copied onto the comment to give Singaporeans more context.

“You don’t always need four walls to call yourself a business!” it read. “Pushcarts, kerbside stalls other temporary structures were commonplace in Singapore’s early days since independence. It was often a much more affordable and convenient way to sell goods without the liabilities of a property. These shops could be set up early in the morning and dismantled by night, without any sign of their presence left behind. Pictured here is a mobile shop selling a variety of brooms, baskets, and feather dusters.”

For many, the photo brought back childhood memories of being disciplined with feather dusters.

“Oh man, the vintage feather dusters…brings back childhood memories,” said one, to which another replied, “The hiss of the air as the rattan end swings down towards you.”

A third expressed delight over such photos, saying, “Always like these old pictures showing a simpler time. Keep them coming.”

Still, another netizen commenter, “Primary use, cleaning. Secondary use, beating naughty children.”

One even called the pushcart “a whole cart of ‘weapons’,” adding “childhood trauma.”

Another took it like a sport, saying, “Ah yes, the feather duster. Brings back childhood memories.”

Mobile pushcart in Chinatown, 1972
by u/Flikounet in singapore