Advertising
Follies of the Madmen #240
"I'm so dumb I can't even pronounce 'aluminum!'"
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 24, 2015 -
Comments (12)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Hygiene, 1960s, Brain Damage
The Sunshine Belt
As Alex showed us earlier, Florida merited a celestial spotlight to be shone upon it. But it was not the only favored land!
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 16, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Geography and Maps, Advertising, 1910s, South Pacific
Volto!
I do believe I've featured Volto before, but I could not resist another encounter with him. Hope you all agree he deserves more fame!
The Complete Volto Archives here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jan 11, 2015 -
Comments (4)
Category: Food, Advertising, Comics, 1940s
Sexy Banana Spokeslady
This is really four commercials back to back. I like that sentient bananas are willing to strip their skins off and sacrifice themselves for humans.
Number three has one of the typical vintage representations of a cannibal for you to marvel at.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Jan 10, 2015 -
Comments (9)
Category: Food, Stereotypes and Cliches, Advertising, 1940s, Bananas
Boys with beards
According to the New York Business Journal, the Campbell Soup Co. has recently dramatically increased its marketing budget with the launch of a multimedia ad campaign centered around a boy with a long beard ("The Wisest Kid in the Whole World") who advises people to have soup.
First thing I thought was that the kid reminded me of the bearded boy in those ads for the Boy Scouts that ran 3 or 4 years ago. Also, boys with beards look kinda strange.
But evidently the lesson from Madison Ave. is that boys with beards can really sell stuff.
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jan 08, 2015 -
Comments (6)
Category: Advertising, Facial Hair
Follies of the Madmen #239
[Click to enlarge]
"Droodles" sounds ugly, like "drool." And these jokes are fit only to entertain an eight-year-old. Excellent campaign to indicate quality of product and sophistication of audience.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 08, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Games, Tobacco and Smoking, 1950s
Paradise Regained
1898 ad for the Florida East Coast Railway/Steamship line running from Jacksonville to Key West. I think all of us here at WU would agree that Florida definitely is special.
via Mappenstance and Library of Congress
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jan 04, 2015 -
Comments (5)
Category: Advertising, Nineteenth Century
Follies of the Madmen #238
A pelican garbed in Colonial clothes with lettering on its pouch is not the intuitive choice for a booze mascot.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Dec 30, 2014 -
Comments (8)
Category: Animals, Anthropomorphism, Business, Advertising, Products, 1940s, Alcohol
Follies of the Madmen #237
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Dec 19, 2014 -
Comments (11)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Radio, 1920s, Bodybuilding
Flashcube!
I remember when Flashcube and I protested the war at the Pentagon, dropped acid with Timothy Leary, and saw the Grateful Dead at Fillmore West. What an integral part of that decade he was!
Posted By: Paul - Sat Dec 06, 2014 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Photography and Photographers, 1960s
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |