Advertising
Keep the mouth glands active
"unless we watch out, the mouth glands slow up and decay sets in. The formula to correct this was worked out in Pebeco Tooth Paste."
San Francisco Examiner - Aug 21, 1927
Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 24, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Hygiene, Advertising, 1920s, Teeth
Want-Ad Wonders
Two weeks ago I posted about Dr. Clark Wells, who spent his career trying to figure out how to remove bugs from windshields. One of the sources for that post was a cartoon titled 'Want-Ad Wonders.'Some further research has revealed that 'Want-Ad Wonders' was a series, authored by Howard Parish, that ran irregularly in papers in the 1950s and '60s, with the goal of promoting the use of want-ads. Parish diligently collected together examples of odd ways in which want-ads had played a role in history. It's certainly one of the more narrowly focused cartoon series I've seen.
More in extended >>
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 22, 2020 -
Comments (0)
Category: Advertising, Cartoons
Baby and Cockroach
In 2003, the UK children's charity Barnardo's came out with the ad below. It promptly triggered numerous complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority. Barnardo's argued that it "caused distress for good reason, but the ASA banned the ad anyway, saying it could "cause serious or widespread offense."The ad was subsequently voted one of the top 10 ads of 2003 by Campaign magazine.
Of course, the charity must have known it was likely the ad would get banned, but evidently figured the controversy would attract more attention to their message than something more subdued.
Posted By: Alex - Sat Aug 15, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Babies, Charities and Philanthropy, Insects and Spiders, Advertising, Nausea, Revulsion and Disgust
“You can sniff my mint”
What in the world were the admen thinking who dreamed up this campaign?And I wonder how many parents actually let their kids wear this thing.
Arizona Republic - Apr 29, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Mon Aug 10, 2020 -
Comments (5)
Category: Advertising, 1970s
Follies of the Madmen #485
No infants were harmed in the making of this ad. Oh, wait a minute, they're not breathing...
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Aug 08, 2020 -
Comments (1)
Category: Babies, Business, Advertising, Death, 1950s, Goofs and Screw-ups
Accidental Prophets
From 1966.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 31, 2020 -
Comments (8)
Category: Fashion, Technology, Telephones, Zeitgeist, Advertising, Anomie, Exhaustion, and General Malaise
Burger King’s Secret Ingredient
It's people!!!
Tallahassee Democrat Sun - Feb 28, 1999
Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 30, 2020 -
Comments (6)
Category: Cannibalism, Advertising, Junk Food, 1990s
Follies of the Madmen #484
Somehow not quite as humorous nowadays.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 29, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Business, Advertising, Death, Family, Photography and Photographers, 1960s
Of course, unmarried girls can use them!
Davenport Quad-City Times - June 14, 1959
Posted By: Alex - Sun Jul 26, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Advertising, Gender, Body Fluids, 1950s
Follies of the Madmen #483
Our product turns you into an arrogant jerk.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 19, 2020 -
Comments (3)
Category: Business, Advertising, Emotions, Smoking and Tobacco, 1970s
| 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 |