Tag Archives: advertising

Obnoxious Advertising

Obnoxious Advertising — Published Under Direction of Thomas Hall Secretary of State — 1917
Obnoxious Advertising — Published Under Direction of Thomas Hall Secretary of State — 1917

Thank you, Ann and Bismarck Antique Mall, for thinking of me when you found this gem.

Johnny Gasparini would’ve gotten his two dollars on one of these.

Found in an October 1968 issue of Outdoor Life
Found in an October 1968 issue of Outdoor Life

Snow Bikes have been around in one form or another for 100 years or so.

The conversion kits cost a little bit more these days.

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Sit on it.

Magazine ad for Hart Schaffner & Marx found in a December 5, 1960 issue of Sports Illustrated

Magazine ad for Hart Schaffner & Marx found in a December 5, 1960 issue of Sports Illustrated

Great art direction for this menswear ad, oozing style and confidence, but now I want to find out more about the cool chair the suited dude is sitting in. Somebody thought it could be a Lucite chair but I’m not sure. Anyone know?

You can’t go wrong with veggie shapes and a creepy baby.

1948 magazine ad for Heide Jujyfruits
1948 magazine ad for Heide Jujyfruits

The Jujyfruits shapes are asparagus, tomato, grape, banana, pineapple, raspberry and pea pod.

You absolutely must be curious about the etymology of jujube.

Heide Candy Company was founded in 1869.
Heide was sold to Hershey Foods Corporation in 1995.
Hershey sold Heide to Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company in 2002.
Farley’s & Sathers merged with Ferrara Pan Can Candy Company in 2012, becoming the Ferrara Candy Company.

What’s a pastille? It’s for when you don’t want to say “lozenge”.

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Going Hollywood

1972 magazine ad for Levi’s boot jeans and such
1972 magazine ad for Levi’s boot jeans and such

Some Western movies from 1972.

The Robert Redford Jeremiah Johnson gif many of you are familiar with is, like this ad, from 1972.

That’s right.
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prelude to adventure

Magazine ad for Gay Diversion perfume (by Evyan) found in a 1946 issue of Art News
Magazine ad for Gay Diversion perfume (by Evyan) found in a 1946 issue of Art News

Gay Diversion is brought to you by the same folks who made Menace, Enchanting Menace and Moonlight Menace.

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Just Four Spiffy Little Ads From 1948

Sylcon Quilted Mattress • Simonis Billiard Cloth • T-N-T Popcorn • Saf-T-Hed Thumb Tack
Sylcon Quilted Mattress • Simonis Billiard Cloth • T-N-T Popcorn • Saf-T-Hed Thumb Tack

Simonis might be the only one still in business.

The Maid’s Dilemma


In 1971, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. sent out fancy-looking replicas of one of its 1906 advertising pieces to… oh, probably bars, package stores and, who knows, maybe even courthouses and Girl Scout troops. It was a different time. Anyways, here’s one of them.

Schlitz — The Maid's Dilemma
Schlitz — The Maid’s Dilemma
Schlitz — The Maid's Dilemma
Schlitz — The Maid’s Dilemma

Bad Girls sucks your balls.

Flyer (front) for the Bad Girls pinball game, circa 1988. Gottlieb / Premier Technology
Flyer (front) for the Bad Girls pinball game, circa 1988. Gottlieb / Premier Technology

Back in the 1990s when I was living in Grand Forks, North Dakota, there was a building that housed Sensations Nightclub, the Down Under Pub, Campus Liquors and several other businesses. In the inside hallway was a pinball machine that one of my friends decided to play one night. After a bad game, she shouted, “Bad Girls sucks your balls!” and something like that is hard to forget.

I randomly happened upon this Bad Girls flyer while scrolling through some eBay listings and, yeah, I had to get it.

Ahh, good memories of Bad Girls.

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No other car in the world will satisfy you.

Magazine ad for the 1950 Chrysler Crown Imperial Limousine found on the back cover of an issue of Flair magazine, if I’m remembering correctly.
Magazine ad for the 1950 Chrysler Crown Imperial Limousine found on the back cover of an issue of Flair magazine, if I’m remembering correctly.

What did the 1950 Chrysler Crown Imperial Limousine look like for real? Check out General Douglas MacArthur’s, one of 209 built that year.

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