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Follies of the Mad Men #44
Either a 20th-century man's shoe has been transported through time back to pre-Columbian America, confounding the primitive redksins, or else some 20th-century Native Americans on some especially traditional and cloistered reservation somewhere are incredibly ignorant.
Or, some Madison Avenue genius thought this was brilliant.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 17, 2008 -
Comments (4)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Fashion, Shoes, Anthropology, 1940s, Time-travel, Native Americans
The Faces in the Broccoli
Cascadian Farm sells frozen organic broccoli florets. That's not particularly unusual.
But look closer. Can you see the tiny disembodied heads floating amidst the broccoli bits?
When contacted about it, Cascadian Farms offered this reply:
Posted By: Alex - Mon Nov 17, 2008 -
Comments (7)
Category: Food, Advertising
Follies of the Mad Men #43
This appears to be an ad for a brand of French chewing gum. I'm not sure if the notion of a pair of used panties from the Statue of Liberty is adequate enticement to chew the company's product.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 12, 2008 -
Comments (10)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Food, Statues, Monuments and Memorials
Follies of the Mad Men #42
Yet another "disease" that Madison Avenue tried to foist upon the public.
[From Fortune magazine for December 1936.]
Posted By: Paul - Mon Nov 10, 2008 -
Comments (5)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Furniture, 1930s, Disease
Baby Laugh-a-Lot
Could this commercial have been the inspiration for The Exorcist?
Posted By: Alex - Fri Nov 07, 2008 -
Comments (11)
Category: Babies, Video, Advertising
Cheerios and V-8
I love Cheerios, and can tolerate V-8. But there's no way I could imagine eating a spoonful of Cheerios and then swallowing a gulp of V-8 immediately after the sweet milky mouthful.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Oct 30, 2008 -
Comments (16)
Category: Business, Advertising, Food, Toys, Children, Space Travel, 1960s
Follies of the Mad Men #41
"Let's take a screeching unfunny harridan, dress her in Colonial drag, then simulate a hideous war wound using our product as a makeshift sling. Then, let's run the ad in a magazine filled with beautiful naked women for contrast."
Posted By: Paul - Wed Oct 29, 2008 -
Comments (31)
Category: Business, Advertising, Products, Entertainment, Fashion, 1970s, Comedians
The Academy of Mystic Arts
[From Amazing Science Fiction magazine for August 1973.]
The "Academy for Mystic Arts" which sponsored this ad seems no longer to exist, although there are other, newer organizations with that name. The original Academy has left very few traces behind on the internet, although one lead seems to point to a connection with the famed astrologer named Zolar.
I love the testimony at the end about how relations with the boyfriend have improved. Well, of course they have--you put a zombie spell on him!
Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 27, 2008 -
Comments (9)
Category: New Age, Paranormal, Advertising, 1970s
Follies of the Mad Men #40
There's nothing oddball about this ad--except its incredible lameness! Look at those stupid birds that dominate three-quarters of the page. What do they tell the reader about the product? Absolutely nothing! This full-page ad could have run as a tiny spot with the same text at the back of the magazine for a fraction of the cost. And it would have achieved the same results.
Imagine the malicious glee at the ad agency that created this: "We just grossed a hundred K for two blotches of paint!"
Posted By: Paul - Mon Oct 27, 2008 -
Comments (12)
Category: Animals, Business, Advertising, 1960s
Follies of the Mad Men #39
The other day, watching that commercial of Lucky Strike cigarettes square-dancing, I speculated on how one could distinguish female from male cigarettes. Twenty years after that commercial, Madison Avenue had the answer! Female cigarettes are "pretty" and have decorative floral emblems on the filters!
Wasn't it wonderful that "women's lib" allowed tobacco companies to sell more cigarettes to a previously under-served population?
Posted By: Paul - Sun Oct 19, 2008 -
Comments (3)
Category: Addictions, Business, Advertising, Death, Fads, Gender, Women, 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 |