I have so much stuff socked away in every available nook and cranny that I literally can't start cleaning without getting sidetracked by something fantastic. I'm about one box lot away from being featured on "Hoarders", that show on A&E that profiles folks with compulsive hoarding disorder. My guess is that most antique dealers have hoarding tendencies, but here I go getting all serious....
As I was attempting to straighten up my craft room, a stack of magazines caught my attention and derailed my plans to tidy up. I absolutely love looking at old advertising, whether it be printed in papers or magazines, in store displays, or as part of packaging. There seems to be renewed interest in advertising, especially with the popularity of "Mad Men", another A&E creation, featuring the sociopathic leading man Don Draper. Why, we always thought men in that line of work were buffoonish clowns like Darren Stephens (Bewitched reference) or nervous suck-ups like Larry Tate (Bewitched again). Here's a pic of what started this whole post:
More pleasure per puff, more puffs per pack! This ad for Camels states that "scientists have found out in their research laboratories that slow-burning cigarettes are extra mild, extra cool, and fragrant". Oh really? We all know that cigarette ads were famous for false health claims and other sources of mis-information. But what about candy? Let's check out this Baby Ruth candy box from the 1920's:
The packaging suggests that "Candy" is good to "Slice and Serve for All Occasions", kind of like a salami, I suppose, and that "Candy is Delicious Food", "Have Some Every Day!"
Let's see what wild claims are made on the flip side of the box:
Wow, all three candy bars are enriched with Dextrose, the sugar our bodies use directly for energy! The Curtiss Candy Co. helpfully suggests that we should eat one of these big bars any time our muscles send out that tired or more-energy signal. That means I would be eating about four a day....
Speaking of vigor, a hot topic in the early to mid-twentieth century, let's see what claims Ex Lax was making in 1940 in their little "movie", "The Taming of Tommy the Terrible":
In case the Ex Lax ad is hard to read, let me summarize it by noting that Tommy the Terrible won't take his medicine, but when Mom gives him the chocolate flavored Ex Lax, he states "Gee whiz mom, that was a cinch to take! It tastes like swell chocolate!" Then later, after Ex Lax has worked it's magic, both Tommy and Mommy look ultra-excited. Tommy exclaims 'Whoopee! That Ex Lax made me feel fine!" Oh brother.....
One thing I've learned from perusing old advertising is that people have always been preoccupied with their digestive health. If we think this Ex Lax ad is comical, maybe twenty or thirty years from now people will be amused by Dannon's Activia and similar products.
Another age-old obsession is the teenager and his or her pimples. Here's an ad for Zemo, something that must not have worked very well or there wouldn't be any need for Proactive.....
Zemo is "So clean, dainty, yet EFFECTIVE". Isn't "dainty" a strange way to describe ointment?
Next, the following circa 1940 ad for coffee really tickled my funny bone. Let's have a look:
Well, I have noticed that circus performers drink a lot of coffee! I also have to agree that Coffee Cheers You Up! Gee, I wonder what other healthy habits we could adopt from circus performers and carnival folk?
I could go on and on with these Mad Men creations, but I still need to clean up around here. So I'll end this post with this pic of Elsie the Cow, one of my favorite advertising characters. I just love how happy she looks on this mug. And she's so light on her feet! Maybe she just drank some coffee....
