Advertising
Follies of the Mad Men #178
My questions:
1) Did girls and women acquire those same Charles Atlas muscleman biceps shown on the box, or just boys and men?
2) Do they eat Pep on the International Space Station today?
3) Does anyone today still say, "He's got pep!" or "I feel peppy!"...?
And if you haven't had enough cereal trivia, please allow me to highly commend this new book, which is a lot of fun. My review will appear soon at THE BARNES & NOBLE REVIEW.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Mar 07, 2012 -
Comments (6)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Family, Food, Nutrition, Health, 1950s
Whiskey for Health
Such was the medical wisdom of 1912.
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 03, 2012 -
Comments (9)
Category: Health, Advertising, 1910s, Alcohol
Follies of the Mad Men #177
I'm confused: is this cereal for Beatles imitators or computer programmers?
Posted By: Paul - Thu Mar 01, 2012 -
Comments (8)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Business, Advertising, Products, Food, Cartoons, 1960s
My Excellent South American Adventure
Despite my daily posts last week, I was really among the missing. I spent from the 20th to the 27th (counting travel time) in Medellin, Colombia, being a guest speaker at this conference.But now I'm home, and have read all the posts and comments from the past week, and just want to say a big thanks to Alex and Chuck and all the witty, talented WU-vies who make this site so wonderful.
Here are two fotos from my trip.
Salsa dancers working up a sweat to advertise something at EIGHT IN THE MORNING! I was ready to buy anything the ladies offered.
Strange grafitti. What revelation is the monkey experiencing?
Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 28, 2012 -
Comments (8)
Category: Animals, Conventions, Advertising, Paul, Dance, South America
Follies of the Mad Men #176
Here's my concern. Is this a human Sherlock Holmes wearing a can disguise? If so, it's not one of his masterstrokes.
Or is this a living tin can with fleshy appurtenances? In which case, the ad is the stuff of nightmares!
Original ad here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Feb 26, 2012 -
Comments (5)
Category: Body, Business, Advertising, Products, Literature, Surrealism, 1930s, Fictional Monsters
Bearded Boy Scouts
A few months ago, the Boy Scouts of America launched a new ad campaign featuring bearded boy scouts. I don't think anyone has yet figured out what the campaign is supposed to mean, or why it's supposed to make boys want to be boy scouts. (links: time.com, offbeatearth)
Posted By: Alex - Sat Feb 18, 2012 -
Comments (23)
Category: Advertising
Follies of the Mad Men #175
For one fraction of a second after he sniffs it, I was sure the human was going to chow down on this bowl of dog food. After all, if the dog can talk, why not?
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 15, 2012 -
Comments (13)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Food, Dogs, 1970s
Maidenform Dream
Never mind that she's playing pool in her bra, on a pool table that appears to be wet. What's going on with that hairdo?
(via Vintage Ads)
Posted By: Alex - Fri Feb 10, 2012 -
Comments (10)
Category: Fashion, Hair Styling, Underwear, Advertising
Where Women Look Best
This Clairol ad claimed that "The average American woman looks her best in the bathroom." Which suggests the ad-men must have spent a lot of time spying on women in bathrooms to find this out.(via Kitchen Retro)
Posted By: Alex - Thu Feb 09, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Advertising
Lucy Lettuce
Years ago I made a series of collages illustrating what I called "Lesser-Known Advertising Icons." The D List of product representatives. Here's another one I just found, pictured above.
For every Tony the Tiger, there are scores of Lucy Lettuces.
Original ad here.
Click on the link below the book cover image for a volume on the topic.
What a Character!: 20th Century American Advertising Icons
Posted By: Paul - Tue Feb 07, 2012 -
Comments (4)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Advertising, Books, Vegetables, 1940s
| 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 |