Thursday, September 16, 2010

Don't Stick/Your Elbow/Out So Far/It Might/Go Home/In Another Car/Burma Shave

Words of wisdom, for sure. I bet you remember taking that family vacation and reading those Burma shave signs. It was the most successful advertising campaign in the country. It all started out with a product made by Burma Shave which was a liniment. Sales were poor and the company needed to manufacture a product that would sell. So, Burma Shave came out with the brushless shaving cream.
In 1925, Allen Onell, son of the owner came up with a brilliant advertsing plan. His father gave him $200.00
to get started and the rest was history. From 1925-1963 there were 7000 Burma shave signs all across the country. Those red and white signs soon became part of our popular culture.
The fifties brought a slow down in sales, though. With cars becoming faster, super highways were built and the signs were replaced with billboards. The final Burma Shave sign ended in 1963.
Said Farmer Brown/Who's Bald/On Top/Wish I Could/Rotate The Crop/Burma Shave.

The Verse by the Side of the Road : The Story of the Burma-Shave Signs and Jingles

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Joyce,

I just have a quick question for you but couldn't find an email so had to resort to this. I am a progressive blogger on senior issues. Please email me back at barbaraobrien@maacenter.org when you get a chance. Thanks.

Barbara

Mohawk Chieftain said...

Hi!

This is one of the many metal signs I've got on the fences lining our backyard in suburbia, here in the Midwest. I missed out on being a Hippie. I was drafted, went into the Marine Corps and went to Vietnam in 1970. Semper Fi, Lady!