Have a Party Hair-Do, A Yabba Dair-Do..
Product: Gayla Bobby Pins
Date: 1950
Ever wanted to look like you were headed to a fancy evening soiree when, in fact, all you were doing was playing tennis? Now you can. All it takes is…wait for it…bobby pins!
Yes, magical bobby pins can transform you from sweaty athlete to coiffed princess in seconds. Well, not just any bobby pins, mind you. Only Gayla bobby pins are the ones that will make you feel like you’re wearing a ball gown and diamonds when driving that scorcher down the line. You’ll have a gay-la old time.
Click to enlarge.
Technorati Tags: antique advertisement, vintage advertising, funny ads, bobby pins
I’ll Have What She’s Having
Product: Listerine
Date: 1962
As the lady in the diner says after Meg Ryan’s famous O performance in When Harry Met Sally, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Honestly, who knew that gargling Listerine could be such a dreamy experience?
Click to enlarge.
Technorati Tags: vintage advertisement, Listerine, mouthwash, gargle
Get Out of My Dreams and Into My Mini Car
Product:The Lad’s Car
Date: 1912
One look at this ad from 1912 and you’ve got to think that maybe the Lad’s Car had a little something to do with implementing a minimum driving age.
The Lad’s Car was a fully functioning, five-horsepower, gasoline-powered miniature car that could reach speeds of 20 miles per hour. To put that in perspective, the speed limit in 1912 on most streets in America would have been about 10 miles per hour.
The Lad’s Car was touted as a pleasure vehicle for young boys, or working transport for kids who wanted to make some extra cash as a courier or messenger. OK, a neat idea for the time.
But imagine a bunch of 10- and 12-year-olds careening down the streets in tiny cars, mixed in with all the full-size vehicles, and you get a sense of the chaos these might have created.
The part of this ad that I truly enjoy, though, is the illustration. There’s a young boy, looking oh so cool in his “wheels” (note the jaunty cap and the one hand draped casually over the steering wheel), showing off to a pretty little girl in a dress. Even in 1912, with the auto industry as we know it barely 10 years old, manufacturers were marketing cars as a way for boys to attract the attention of the opposite sex.
Click to enlarge.
Technorati Tags: antique advertising, vintage ad, automobile history, children’s car, miniature car
A Plague Upon You…Unless You Use Lysol
Product: Lysol Disinfectant
Date: 1931
Marketers know that few things work better than a scare tactic or two when it comes to compelling people to buy a product. Witness this 1931 ad from Lysol that uses the Bubonic Plague as its central image. The text tells you that those silly people in the Middle Ages didn’t know that germs caused illness. Oh, silly dead people.
But thank goodness we live in 1931 and we know better: Germs are the cause of disease. And oh, by the way, Lysol kills germs real good.
Nowhere does it actually say that the Black Plague is a threat in the 20th century, yet the headline, the illustration, and the text combine to deliver several unspoken messages:
- You can protect yourself against horrible sicknesses — the Plague, for crying out loud! The Plague! It could happen. You never know.
- You can feel smart when buying this product because you know about the causes of disease, unlike those “ignorant” people of long ago.
- You can feel proud when buying this product because it is thoroughly modern…and so are you.
And P.S., it’s good for “feminine hygiene” too.
Click to enlarge.
Technorati Tags: antique advertising, vintage ad, disinfectant, household products, Bubonic Plague, marketing
