Warsaw - Many Communist-era products disappeared from store shelves in Eastern Europe post 1989, unable to compete with Western imports after the Iron Curtain fell. But others have survived, and some have even managed to thrive in the past two decades. Gimmick-free design or fond memories have helped to maintain customer loyalty.
Others that disappeared are making a comeback amidst the craze for all things collectible and vintage. Their return signals that enough time has passed for people to look back with nostalgia or humour at life under Communism.
In Poland, Ludwik, a dishwashing liquid, remains the country's top seller. The product, launched in 1964, features a simple white bottle and green top that was modernized only slightly in 2004.
Pani Walewska perfume, still available on niche websites or in small shops, is sold in the familiar blue bottle showing a woman's profile in gold. The scent reminds some customers of their youth, with its intense smell of powder and jasmine, said Daria Bogusz of website spodlady.com, which offers some 500 Communist-era products.
For the Romanian car company Dacia - which produced its first car in 1968 and was acquired in 1999 by the Renault Group - the Communist past is being exploited today to draw in new customers.
Twenty years ago, the Dacia brand was associated with boxy, no- frill vehicles. Today, the name enjoys a renewed, revolutionary cache thanks to a 2008 commercial featuring Che Guevara, Lenin and Marx, with Che saying: "It's time for another revolution."
The Trabant car, made in East Germany between 1957 and 1991, was less lucky. It couldn't compete against sleeker models, despite an attempt in 1991 to market the car with a Volkswagen engine, though there has been a new attempt this year to bring the car back.
Regardless, the small, clunky two-door has its share of enthusiasts. There are fan clubs in Poland and the Czech Republic dedicated to restoring the East German icon. Devotees show off their Trabants at such events as the famous annual meeting of devotees in Zwickau, where production began in 1957.
Bartek Kedziora has eight Trabants, including "a few that run and others that run occasionally."
Kedziora manages Crazy Guides, a Cracow-based company, which specializes in "Communist tours" to nearby Nowa Huta, once the centre of Poland's steel industry.
Visitors are driven along his niche tour of Communist-era neighborhoods. The Trabants in which they ride bring people together and stir memories of the past.
"Whenever (the cars) break down, it gets people's attention, and they have very sympathetic because they remember how 20 years ago, they had to push theirs, too," Kedziora said.
In the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, few items from the past are regarded with affection. But the cult car Zhiguli, or Lada, is a notable exception.
"The Zhiguli was the dream car for every average household in the USSR," Latvian motor journalist Normunds Avotins told German Press Agency dpa. "It is considered a part of our history ... If you are riding in a shiny, refurbished one in Riga, smiles and appreciation will follow you wherever you go."
Other Communist-era items survive simply because owners are loathe to part with a product while there's still some life left in it.
Gas-powered water heaters from the Soviet era - when natural gas was cheap and consumer safety unimportant - are still widely respected in modern Ukraine.
The AGV water heater makes a characteristic "fa-woof!" when the gas fires kick in. It is audible in other rooms. As an extra, the wataer heater can spit out a green flame when the gas pressure is inconsistent. But
Nevertheless, it remains in wide use in Ukrainian homes. After all, without it, apartment owners would be dependent on expensive electric water heaters or on the city water authority to provide continuous hot water.
In Croatia, Bajadera chocolates by the firm Josip Kras were carried across borders as a precious gift. Today they are available in shops throughout the former Yugoslavia.
In Bulgaria, Moreni-brand chocolate-coated waffles and Chernomorets sweets survived the fall of Communism. In neighbouring Romania, Eugenia, a brand of biscuit, initially disappeared. But it has been resurrected and is sold again.
And in Poland, thousands have signed up to stand in a virtual line for sweets like lollipops and caramel candies on the spodlady.com website. The site is constantly being updated to include other products, Bogusz said. She added that customers are probably drawn to some old-time products for sentimental reasons or because of their quality.
"And things like ... Ludwik were good products and got the job done," Bogusz said. So why shouldn't they have survived?"
