A concept pushed by advertisers in the late 1940's and early 1950's to encourage consumerism and the population explosion known as the baby boom, this helped sell mounds of goods to consumers while distracting them from the danger of nuclear war. The hypothetical nuclear family had 2.2 kids and a dog, lived in a suburban home, watched a lot of television, had a station-wagon and new appliances, and lived wholesome, empty lives just like their other average American neighbors.