Goofs for
Hairspray (1988) More at IMDbPro »

• Anachronisms: The Checker taxi in the film has 1973 or later style bumpers though the film takes place in 1962.
  
  
• Anachronisms: Visible behind Tracy Turnblad when she and her friends are in Motormouth Maybelle's record shop is an album by The Supremes titled "Supremes A Go-Go", in a record bin. The movie is set in 1962, that album wasn't released until 1966.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The movie is set in 1962, but Toussaint McCall performs his #5 Soul hit (USA) from 1967,"Nothing Takes the Place of You", after being introduced by Motormouth Mabel.
  
  

• Anachronisms: Although set in 1962, the song "You Don't Own Me" by 'Lesley Gore' is played at The Corny Collins Show, a song released in early-1964.
  
  
• Factual errors: The announcer for the 6:00 news gives the date as "Friday, June 5, 1962". 5 June 1962 was a Tuesday, not a Friday.
  
  
• Anachronisms: During try outs for the Corny Collins Show, Nadine is asked if she can "relate to Lesley Gore's music". In 1962 there was no Lesley Gore music to relate to-as Lesley wouldn't record her first single, "It's My Party", until March of 1963.
  
  
• Anachronisms: While they are watching "The Corny Collins Show" on TV, the issue of "Life" that Wilbur Turnblad is reading has the right subject matter (civil rights) but is from the wrong year. That issue was published March 19, 1965, about three years after the film's 1962 setting.
  
  
• Factual errors: During the dodge ball scene at Mervo High, bleachers are seen in the schoolyard. The bleachers actually did not go up until 1968. This film was set five years earlier.
  
  
• Miscellaneous: In the closing credits, the 1988 production year is shown in Roman Numerals as "MCMDXXXVIII." The correct Roman Numeral equivalent for 1988 should be "MCMLXXXVIII."
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the picket scene at Tilted Acres, a woman is seen lighting and throwing a cherry bomb type firecracker but the audio has the sound of a string of firecrackers exploding.
  
  
• Continuity: In the scene where Tracy is modeling on the Corney Collins show, the snowball that Tracy eats already has a bite taken out, then it reverts to the original state before she picks it up.
  
  
• Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Corny introduces himself at the auto show, the audio is not in sync with his lips.
  
  
• Continuity: During the "Shake A Tail Feather" dance, the non-council members in the background are dancing along in close-up shots, but just watching in the long shots.
  
  
• Continuity: When the two kids in the red car pull to the curb, two boys in blue pants walk by twice.
  
  
• Crew or equipment visible: As Penny's mom pays off the drunk, a camera shadow falls across her back.
  
  
• Anachronisms: The movie story occurs in June 1962. The song "I Wish I Were A Princess" by Little Peggy March did not come along until June 1963.
  
  
• Factual errors: In the scene where the Baltimore band "Lafayettes" makes an appearance on the Corny Collins show singing their signature song "Life's Too Short", they are presented as a 3 man group. In reality, the Lafayettes consisted of 7 members.
  
  

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