It's an obscure quote, from a John Hiatt song by the name of "Ethelyne" but those were the only lyrics I could come up with that had to do with bathrooms. Sorry. Anyway, and without further ado, I present to you my toilet paper collection.

The box. Even it has a certain, uh, camp appeal.

Israel was a very young country at the time, and poor. The kibbutz system was a show piece for American Jews. The toilet paper was the deal breaker, however. Recycled paper with chunks of who knows what. The art director at my office astutely pointed out that you'd pay big bucks today for a sheet of that stuff, and you'd be buying it in a high-end paper boutique. Maybe so, but you still wouldn't want it anywhere near your ass. The pink stuff was barely better, and came from a very elegant hotel.

This stuff was hard, and coated on one side. COATED, people. As in, slick... non-porous.

Different train. This was also hard, and crinkly, like onion skin paper or tracing paper.

Those are just climate stains, OK? This paper was like crepe paper, with a heavy, crinkly texture. Soft-ish. Sort of.

The famous neon pink, heavy as paper towel. Deeply textured. Ribbed, even. Swiss engineering at it's finest, eh?

I thought that you'd be able to see, in the scan, that you can read my handwriting, even where the paper is doubled. It was another example of crunchy, hard, slick tissue paper.

Pink waxed paper. Pre-cut, to add insult to possible injury.
And that is your tour of European toilet paper, circa 1966. Thank you, thank you. It was my pleasure.
Posted by Miz Shoes at January 23, 2007 08:13 PM
I had to admit it but when I went to China in 1984 I brought home toilet paper too....and I was older than 11 (times 3) because I couldn't believe their samples either. Gold Fish Brand was my favorite.
Posted by: LeeAnn at January 24, 2007 12:33 AM
Awesome collection!
I wish I'd saved a sample of East German fare from my travels back in the day. Sort of like thin newsprint, it was.
Posted by: dorothy at January 24, 2007 12:05 PM
Wow, what an incredibly cool and weird idea -- collecting toilet paper. Gonna blog this one, darlin.'
Posted by: lattégirl at January 25, 2007 05:35 PM
Oh man...we have to talk...*grin* I thought I was the only one who collected toilet paper!!
Posted by: Brooke at January 26, 2007 09:04 AM
Lattégirl tracksback to this entry.
Posted by: lattégirl at January 26, 2007 12:35 PM
I guess I got it wrong. When I went to Spain in 1973 I took a roll of good old American TP with me. I had been warned beforehand about the "quality" of European toilet paper.
Posted by: Nancelah at January 27, 2007 10:21 AM
If I had a collection, it would include leaves, newspaper, seaweed, and the leg of a pair of white levi's hanging in a gas station bathroom.
Posted by: Paul at January 29, 2007 05:10 PM
Impressive collection!
I don't know how you managed to accumulate it. Last time I was in France and Italy, uniformed attendants were standing outside washrooms and handing out 2 and 3 little squares for tips. At least they were paper, and not waxed(!) But alas, there was none left to take home.
Posted by: gigi at February 4, 2007 06:06 PM