Advertising Strips

[suebutcher]

Ah, Supermousse, a cross between Roger Ramjet and Bullwinkle!

Has anyone got a Rowntree's "Sir Lastalot" ad they could post? (Roundtree's Gums, they ain't what they used to be since they stopped using gum arabic in the formula.)

[philcom55]

Another very popular advertising strip which I'm sure many already know, is the gas council strip 'What's cooking? with Carol and Chris', which ran from 1958 to April 64.

In these days of rocketing energy bills I really miss those old nationalized utilities! The Gas Council in particular were very keen on using comic strips in their adverts (often starring their mascot 'Mr. Therm'). As Lew has pointed out comics are an excellent way of imparting information, and 'Donald Draper' and his chums in Madison Avenue were amongst the first to recognize their effectiveness. Thus, although we now think of them being aimed primarily at children, there were even more advertising strips produced for an adult audience during the middle years of the 20th century. Here, for example, is another Gas Council advert that appeared in a 1960 issue of Today magazine - this time addressing the newly-affluent middle classes who were just beginning to realize that they'd 'never had it so good'!



In spite of the spanking new TV set that takes pride of place in Bert's living room I can't help wondering what might have happened if the television hadn't arrived at that precise point in time to take the place of advertising strips in people's lives. Who knows? - maybe there's a parallel world out there in the vast multiverse where history actually took a different turning and adults learned to embrace the comic strip so completely that they now sit down to tea every evening in front of the latest copy of 'Coronation Street Comics' - instead of gluing their eyes to the ubiquitous goggle box in the corner!

- Phil Rushton

[philcom55]

For many years one of the most enthusiastic sponsors of advertising strips for adults was Horlicks. Here, in widescreen format, is a truly spectacular example: a giant two-page spread drawn by John Worsley that appeared in Hulton's flagship title Picture Post just two weeks before their first issue of Eagle was unveiled:



- Phil Rushton

[stevezodiac]

Here are some less dynamic examples from Home Notes magazine from the 1950s:

[Robbie Moubert]

Sir Lastalot

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Here's some truly dreadful ones I've found (love Candy & Mr. Cube by the way!):








I like this one, mind:

[philcom55]

Great stuff!

Here's another confectionary-based series from those lazy, hazy, crazy days of Crystal Tipps and Alistair (not to mention Mr. Benn).



- Phil R.

[Robbie Moubert]

Eagle had Tommy Walls of course. Originally by the Hampson studio, this example is by Richard E Jennings.

[Digifiend]

Buster Scuff looks just like Roger the Dodger. How did that go unnoticed when the advert was in, of all places, The Beano?

[big bad bri]

the champion ad may have been dreadful but i used to love the stuff when i was a kid,prob cos we normally only bought tesco value bread
I think that & mighty white bread was basically the same.

[suebutcher]

Thanks for that, Robbie. Sir Lastalot's a cut above Gumslinger, more like "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again."

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Those Fruity Pops Poppers are insane! Just been watching the biopic of Carlos the Jackal as well, funny how things "match up" (sort of).

Buster Scuff looks just like Roger the Dodger. How did that go unnoticed when the advert was in, of all places, The Beano?

Guessing that as long as DC Thomson got their money they didn't care what went into the adverts

[matrix]

Nice Tommy Walls strip Robbie, love the drawings of the old cars in those 50s and 60s comics.

Here's another that ran in 'Girl' comic, advertising BSA bikes.

[philcom55]

I could be wrong but that BSA advert looks like the work of Reg Bunn.

As shown in the example posted above by Steve, Bovril were another big sponsor of advertising strips. 'Little Bovril' made her debut in Girl vol.1, no.9 and was the first continuing character to star in her own advertising feature for that title:



(...At least I think it's a 'her' - though going by the clothes I guess she could be a 'he'! )

- Phil R.

[Digifiend]

There's also the fact the Little Bovril has horns. All males have them, but only certain bovine species have them on females. So I'm inclined to think that LB is male.