Mary Mild

Disney released Mary Poppins in 1964. The next year Ivory Liquid Soap debuted a new mascot: Mary Mild, a flying maid. Seems like an obvious Mary Poppins rip-off to me, though I can't find the similarity mentioned anywhere.

Mary Mild didn't last long. Within two years, Ivory had canned her.

The ads below ran in 1966 in magazines such as Ladies Home Journal and Good Housekeeping.

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Posted By: Alex - Mon Jan 18, 2021
Category: Advertising | Corporate Mascots, Icons and Spokesbeings | 1960s

Comments

I don't remember this but I do remember the many commercials where a male mistook the mother for the daughter because Mom had young looking hands (as if men look at women's hands).

Posted by ges on 01/18/21 at 08:54 AM

I do remember the mistaken hands commercials because they were so annoying. "Mary Maid" I don't recall at all. Perhaps she wasn't annoying enough for an eight year old kid..

Posted by KDP on 01/18/21 at 09:24 AM

I suspect it was less a rip-off of Mary Poppins than it was a general theme of "our product is high." Finishing off a big doobie and then seeing a maid floating around would certainly imprint the brand name on your mind.

Posted by Phideaux on 01/18/21 at 10:26 AM

They put those "mistaken hands" commercials on TV ad nauseum, for sure. Success for the ad dept./agency, since we still remember them.

Posted by Virtual in Carnate on 01/18/21 at 11:45 AM

Those commercials would work better in Arab countries. Picture this: a guest is in the house, thus the need for all the girls to don the niqab. The daughter's young husband sees a woman in niqab doing the dishes with Ivory liquid soap, which has been provided by the guest, who is a door-to-door salesman. You know the rest...

Posted by Yudith on 01/21/21 at 06:56 AM

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