Some time ago (almost exactly seven years to be precise) I took a look at the 1967 Topps Funny Travel Posters set, one of their classic large format sets of the late Sixties. One of the posters therein thoroughly mocks Madison Avenue and in doing so, portrays several character mascots loved by generations of consumers, So I thought it would be fun over this week's post and next's to break down the roster, almost of of which were eventually animated, and seen on television about a gazillion times, some of which are very much still still in use today. In addition, I'll follow up with a look at the various Wacky Packages products that lampooned the products represented below the next time or two out.
Here is the poster, featuring Wally Wood and Wood Studio art and my favorite of the 24 in the set:
Next is the jumping Hertz man as we move Southeast. I'm not sure he was ever animated, so this is one of the two or three mascots on the poster that is a bit fanciful in execution. OJ Simpson famously portrayed him a few years after the poster was created but the character has been represented by many actors over the years.
I will not show OJ but here is a 1960's classic and brassy commercial that gives you an idea of how this looked in "real" life:
The Jolly Green Giant is next and boy is he prominent! Once again, well known and still used as a mascot today for Green Giant products. The original giant was created by Leo Burnett, an ad man who became so well known that he was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century. It's worth noting his classic "ho ho ho" catchphrase was not quite yet in use when Topps issued the set.
The character climbing up the Jolly Green Giant is not the little Green Sprout (a 1972 creation) but rather the mascot for Peter Pan Peanut Butter and in fact the product initially used the Disney version of the character before it turned into the version seen on the poster, which lasted about a decade:
The JGG is holding a pitcher of Kool-Aid and gives us yet another mascot in use today, the prosaic Kool-Aid Man! Know today for his wall-breaking entrances that gimmick was a few years away till. here's a compilation of some of the earlier "breakthroughs":
Looking leftward, we get the Esso Tiger filling up a car full of Snap, Crackle and Pop, the three Rice Krispies mascots. You know them well but did you know the Rolling Stones recorded a song for a TV commercial about the cereal? Yep:
This seems to have required some aforethought as it's easy to think Tony the Tiger was doing the pumping but it's not the Frosted Sugar Flakes mascot overfilling the tank. It's this guy, a favorite mascot of mine as a kid:
I am not 100% certain that the leaking tire on the car, which is being punctured by a knight in armor on horseback from an old series of Ajax commercials, isn't also something from Madison Avenue like a tire commercial but I can't find anything on point. Meanwhile, Ajax is stronger than dirt:
In the middle of all is the the Quaker Oats Quaker:
And let's not forget my favorite cereal character of all time, Cap'n Crunch. The Jay Ward commercials that ran for years featuring his crew of Alfie, Brunhilde, Carlyle, Dave and Sea Dog were as good as many cartoons of the day, if not better; no surprise as the studio launched Bullwinkle and George of the Jungle, among others. Jay Ward Productions animated Quisp & Quake of course and several other cereal and snack brand commercials that were staples of Weekday after-school cartoon programming and the Saturday Morning kiddie shows. Cap'n Crunch is too cloying for me these days but the sweet memories live on:
We'll get to the bottom row next time out!
No comments:
Post a Comment