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We notice quite a few pertinent ads during the 1960s. Many were color ads which was becoming more common. Soda ads often featured children and in several instances were aimed at them. Of course they were important consumers. Notably the children in the ads still are nicely dressed. There were also ads for cars and insurance company. The children in these ads also tended to be neatly dressed. Children were also depicted in casual clothes--although more formal casual clothes than we would see today. The 1960s, however, was the last decade in which children were seen in suits with mothers that had white gloves. This was an indicator that the upper social classes were still setting the fashion trends.
A HBC reader has provided an undated American Volkswagen ad. While it is undated, we are fairly comfortable in dating the ad to about 1960. VW Beatles wereva rarity in the early 1950s, but by the end od the decade they were virtually the only foreign-built car seen in any numbers on American roads. We believe the ad dates to the late-1950s or early-1960s. Hopefully we will be able to eventually date it. It is kind of an unusual Bettle ad. The VW ads in America usually focused on practicality and the Beattle unique characteristics. This one was a more standard American ad focusing on luxurious living and making a fasghion statement. American authombile ads into the 1960s featured fashiobably dresses car owners enjoying the American dream with their luxuriius and roomy cars. Here we have a rare VW ad with fashionably dressed children and parents suggesting it was not only penny-pinching Americans who bought Beatles. In this case the family is not only all dressed up, but setting out on their summer vacation. I don't remember anyone dressing up like that for their summer vacation.
We note Pepsi Cola ads in 1960 with Boy Scouts camping, smartly dressed in the full uniform. At the time, long pants uniforms were most common for Scouts, although the short pants uniform was commonly worn at camps. The Pepsi ad reads, "Supers ready ... have a Pepsi." and "Be sociable ... have a Pepsi."
We also note Coca Cola ads in 1960 with Boy Scouts camping, always smartly dressed in the full uniform. Slovenly Scouts were never shown, At the time, long pants uniforms were most common for Scouts, although the short pants uniform was commonly worn at camps. The Coke ad reads, "Enjoy that exciting new feeling ...." I'm not sure what was new about Coke in the 1960s.
Norther Tissue manufactured tissues I believe. Boxes in the 1960s or 70s came with drawings of children. The images were chrming, usually girls. There were also at leat one boy. They were bust portraits showing hair styles and shirts.
Here we see a depiction of an a boy wearing an American eton suit (figure 1). Note the matching cap. This was an illustration from a magazine ad, I think for an insurance company. I believe it appeared in 1960. Note the mother's white-gloved hand--a hint of the social class aspects of the Eton suit. These suits do have an upscale appearance. HBC has another Eton suit page, from a 1955 Cadillac ad, that makes the same sort of fashion statement!
Printed ads from the 1950s and even into the early 1960s showed boys in shorts, even shorts suits. HBC has an example, in fact. The color photo of Billy Mumy in the actors' page is from an appliance ad (I think for G.E. or Frigidaire refrigerators) which ran in Life and Saturday Evening Post (maybe some others) in December 1962.
We see lots of soda ads in the 1960s. Diet Rite was an erly brand of diet (no-calorie) soda--carbonated soft drinks. It was originally distributed by the Royal Crown Cola company. It was introduced in 1958 and initially released in selected locl markets as a dietetic product. It was then introduced nationwide and marketed as a healthful beverage in 1962. This ad appered soon after. The original Dier-Rite formula was sweetened with cyclamate and saccharin. Diet Rite still exists and is distributed by Dr Pepper Snapple Group. The market here is, however, very small, the category dominated by Coke and Pepsi diet products. Unlike some other producuts, soda they were sometimes aimed at the children, like the Coke Scouting ads. This one was, however aimed at moms. We see the family on a picnic, but notice how they are dressed. They are not formally dressed as might have been the case in the early-20th century, but they also are not casually dressed. Diet Rite clearly believed that mothrs wanted the family looking smart even for a picnic. The ad wanted to show Dit Rite as classy beverage choice. Mom and the daughter wear summer ginham dresses. Dad and the son wear collared shirts, slavks nd larger shoes. The boy wears rather formal slack-like short pants. After this by the 1970s, picnic scenes will be much more casual.
United Airlines had a magazine ad in 1968 featuring a pack of Cub Scouts taking a flight. The advertisement took a different turn, rather than having the Cubs comment on United Airlines, the Airlines comented on the Cubs. The ad reported that the Cubs were "trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent". The Airline incouraged thenm to return after finishing school.
We notice an encylopedia ad in a 1969 issue of Parent's Magazine. We are not sure which encylopedia, perhaps The Encyclopedia Americana. A younger boy is depicted using the encyclopedia. The boy looks to be an age where he would just beginning to read. He looks to be reading a junior version of the actual encyclopedia. The boy wears a bright red sweater, navy blue shorts, kneesocks, and double strap sandals. We assume the outfit was designed to give the encyclpedia a tony image.
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