Nostalgia for Route 66 increased as new interstate highways passed by local communities and stranded local businesses that had depended on tourist traffic.

Travelers began to think of the "Mother Road" in sentimental terms. Old car afficionados relived the past by retracing the remnants of Route 66 in restored automobiles.

Collectors began to think of Route 66 popular culture as camp objects that should be collected, protected, and revered. Ironically, most of the popular culture associated with Route 66 was discarded because they were ephemeral. Consequently, original materials have become scarce.