We have all heard the myth that there was no sex in the Soviet Union, however, it did exist. And if there was sex, then contraceptives were needed. It is about Soviet condoms that we will talk further.
In the USSR, the production of condoms began in the 50s, and before that they were imported from other countries. They were called product No. 2 and were produced at the same plant where they made gas masks, which were called product No. 1. The number indicated the thickness of the rubber used in the product.
Condoms were originally called item 4 because the rubber was thinner. Such condoms were unreliable and often broke, so they decided to use thicker rubber.
Condoms were sold in pharmacies, but were a scarce commodity. The “rubber bands” sold out very quickly, some even bought them in large quantities.
Some people bought condoms for future use for themselves, others resold them at a higher price, which did not repel customers.
At first, only the plant in Bakovka was engaged in the production of contraceptives, but later their production began at the Kiev plant “Red Rezinshchik”. During Khrushchev's reign, three different sizes of condoms appeared, so men had to tell the pharmacist their size when purchasing.
Condoms, usually yellow or gray in color, were wrapped in paper packages. They had a specific smell of rubber, and to prevent the condoms from sticking together they were lightly sprinkled with talcum powder.
In the late 80s, new packaging appeared on which they began to write “electronically tested.” There are legends that a Soviet condom could withstand a bucket of water.
