Weird Ads
When I was younger, I wanted to be many things. One of them: an ad executive. I ended up being a lawyer (and hating it), then a blogger for hire. I’m not sure if I should regret the career I never had in advertising, though. Being creative under crazy deadlines and constant pressure is tough.
Judging from the following weird ads, sometimes it’s so tough, that the results are, to put it mildly, bizarre.
1. Scotch Hair Set Tape
Image credit: sugarpie honeycomb. 1970.
2. Hair Dryer For The Bald
Image credit: sugarpie honeybunch. 1972.
3. Physical Violence Is A Great Way To Sell Cigarettes
Image credit: jbcurio. 1975.
4. Bewitched Hairspray
Image Credit: sugarpie honeybunch. 1965.
5. This kid scares the hell out of me
Image credit: bayswater97. 1930s.
6. Is That His Mom? She Scares Me Too
Image credit: Marcoa84
7. Baby-Approved Cigarettes
Image credit: bayswater97
8. Eat Eat EAT! And Always Stay Thin With jar-packed sanitized tape worms
Image credit: 1vintage1
9. This Ad Is Especially Appetizing
Image credit: sixtiesbooks
10. Drink Your Yeast! Yum
Image credit: Sugarpie Honeybunch
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Truth In Advertising
Funny Ads
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jelveh responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 12:38 pm →
these are too funny and well too sad in many cases…the most bizzar I think is the hair dryer one…well the hair tape head too, and there there is kid and the women with the meat, ok, they are all very bizzar…noticed how many more adds make women look dumb than men…
dont know if that was the case…OK the TAPE WARM just takes the cake, is that really true? did they used to sell TAPE WARMS???
thank you for sharing these, as always dont know where you got them all but I admire the work you did to bring them together…
Jelveh
Peace
RC - Rambling Along... responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 12:40 pm →
“Ginger” looks like he may be the offspring of the Joker (Batman) – very creepy. I have never heard of eating yeast, so that was new…
The Scotch Hair Set Tape is the creepiest ad, in my opinion (the victim of a beheading), and I get a kick out of old cigarette ads.
Sign me up for a tapeworm, okay?
Lori Anderson responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 12:44 pm →
OMG I LOVE these things! I have these huge ad books from various time periods and I’ve been alternately amazed/appalled/amused at the ads I saw! I’ve seen some cool cookbook horrors on Lilieks.com, too — I think it’s the Unfortunate Gallery of Food.
(And my mom used to use that horrid pink Scotch hair tape on me — egads!)
Barbara Swafford responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pm →
Hi Vered,
These are definitely bizarre ads. Tapeworms? Gross!
Mike Wilson responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 1:07 pm →
“Linda manfully sunk her teeth into a yeast cake”?
I…
wow.
Lori Hoeck responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 2:31 pm →
You mean all I need to lose fat is a tapeworm or two? Send me a couple with a side of blood-letting leeches, OK?
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 2:39 pm →
@ jelveh: “noticed how many more adds make women look dumb than men” I agree! I wrote about it a few months ago: Women Are Stupid
I’m not sure if the tapeworms ad is for real or a spoof.
@ RC: “The Scotch Hair Set Tape is the creepiest ad” –I think so too. It’s awful!
@ Lori Anderson: “Unfortunate Gallery of Food” – sounds interesting. I’ll check it out.
@ Barbara Swafford: “Tapeworms? Gross!” Totally!
@ Mike Wilson: That was my reaction too.
@ Lori Hoeck: Ewwwww!
The Lawyer Mom responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 2:50 pm →
These are a riot. A decapitated stepford wife, a guy so cool he sweats profusely everywhere, all the time, and a blowdryer for a gorgeous baldie! Sanitized tapeworms, of course, take the cake. Where can I get some?
Lance responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 3:11 pm →
And these were supposed to help sell the products??
Ginger…he looks evil!
As strange as these are…they are also interestingly funny to look at today!
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 3:18 pm →
@ The Lawyer Mom: “a guy so cool he sweats profusely everywhere, all the time” – what were they thinking?!
@ Lance: They ARE fun. I love advertising. It teaches us so much about periods and cultures.
Friar responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 3:57 pm →
I was gonna comment about LInda manfully sinking her teeth into a yeast cake, but Mike Wilson beat me to it!
Jannie responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 4:08 pm →
I actually remember the Tarrytown cigarette ads in the magazines – guess I’m vintage now too!
And my pearls and white gloves went missing last last week – better go back and check at the steak counter!
Tracy responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 5:43 pm →
I am very glad that make-up artistry has come such a long way since the days of the Tarrytown half a felt furniture pad taped under the eye black eyes!
Patricia responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 7:37 pm →
Oh I do remember some of these ads. My aunt used to swear that she only got pregnant after she had had a Tablespoon of Lydia Pinkhams Tonic each night for a month of so…I think Lydia Pinkhams was straight gin!
I had heard about tapeworms in my youth and knew several people who had them, but not because they wanted to loose weight. I was always told it was poor hygiene.
What a clever post Vered. Very fun indeed.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 16th, 2009 at 8:10 pm →
@ Friar: It was a strange ad.
@ Jannie: The steak woman is scary.
@ Tracy: Me too.
@ Patricia: Intentionally swallowing tapeworms is crazy.
J.D. Meier responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 2:15 am →
Sanitized tape worms … wow. And I can’t believe the Gerber baby encourages his Dad to smoke.
Evelyn Lim responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 5:38 am →
OMG….I am surprised that they even got published!
Carla responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 10:19 am →
Yikes! About those tape worms, I guess they are better than those diet pills we have on the market now, but still!
I guess that was “a different time”.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 10:47 am →
@J.D. Meier: The tape worms ad is indeed disturbing.
@ Evelyn Lim: I’m sure some of them worked, at the time.
@ Carla: Exactly. Vintage ads give us such a fascinating glimpse into the past.
Tara responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 3:15 pm →
Ye gods Vered, where do you find these fabulous adverts!
I wonder which of todays ads we will be looking back on in years to come and saying ‘I can’t believe we ever bought in to that rubbish’!
Nicole responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 3:29 pm →
Since advertising reflects the culture of the time I can only imagine what people were like during these placements. Then again, we have restless leg syndrome adverts to screw with people in 2070.
Dr. J responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 6:51 pm →
I think the Ginger boy grew up to become Ronald McDonald!
My best friend in college went into advertising. Talk about suspension of honesty.
Diana responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 8:17 pm →
I have actually bought Scotch Hair Set Tape! You had to use tape on curly hair. There were no blow dryers then.
I used it on my bangs. Does that make me vintage?
Did you notice how white the girl’s teeth are in the cigarette ad? Crazy…
Marelisa responds:
Posted: May 17th, 2009 at 9:18 pm →
The bald lady with the hair dryer, and the tapeworms are beyond bizarre. Then again, I read awhile ago that Demi Moore applies leeches to herself for “cleansing”. I guess the more things change the more they stay the same
Mrs. Micah responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2009 at 7:14 am →
I’m supposed to BE a doll? WTF?
I think I’d be much less freaked out by that scotch tape ad if her head weren’t decapitated. I’ve read articles on the dismemberment of women in ads, but they normally mean zooming in or focusing on one feature (like only a torso on the page)…you assume the rest is still there, beyond the edge of the ad. That one’s just freaky.
Cath Lawson responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2009 at 7:19 am →
Some of these are hilarious. I wonder what year the tapeworms one was from – that is gross.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2009 at 10:36 am →
@ Tara: I’m sure we will look at diet pills ad this way. I can’t wait for those to be outlawed.
@ Nicole: Hehe yes we do.
@ Dr. J: “Talk about suspension of honesty.” Well, it’s true for law as well. I guess I couldn’t do advertising anyway.
@ Diana: Ridiculously white!
@ Marelisa: I guess they do. Celebs are insane.
@ Mrs. Micah: I agree. It’s a freaky ad.
@ Cath Lawson: It looks really old – maybe 1910s? Who knows. Gross regardless.
andy responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2009 at 1:46 pm →
#2 is funny because they probably actually had to put a “bald wig” since they didn’t believe in Photoshop yet.
I picture the Coneheads from Saturday Night Live. 
vodkamom responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2009 at 4:25 pm →
Wait…….a hair dryer for the bald? Are you SURE??
sweet jesus.
Tess The Bold Life responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2009 at 8:35 pm →
I would like to think we’ve come a long way but I’m afraid we haven’t! I remember the hair tape!
I agree with another commenter. Where are all of the dumb looking men?
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2009 at 8:50 pm →
@ andy: Interesting observation. I just assumed it was photoshopped.
@ vodkamom: Yup, it’s a weird one.
@ Tess: Ah, but men are so smart. Although, that sweaty cool dude looks pretty stupid.
Davina responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2009 at 10:50 pm →
Hi Vered. The Flip’N Style hair dryer is the one that got me. “Even if you can’t use it it’s fun to have.” Oh come on. Really sad
trainingupchildren responds:
Posted: May 19th, 2009 at 6:32 am →
The cigarette ad is pretty scary. Back then, they had no idea about the effects of cigarettes. A doctor actually got my grandfather hooked on cigarrettes. The doctor prescribed them to him to deal with nerves.
Suzie responds:
Posted: May 19th, 2009 at 9:38 am →
I dont know that Marlboro add did make me want to give my baby a smoke
cindy platt responds:
Posted: May 19th, 2009 at 11:10 pm →
I remember the Tareyton cigarette ad from magazines as a child and feeling afraid because her eye was blackened. The steak ad and the perfectly white gloves and pearls. Pretty, GROSS with a side of tapeworms and a shot of yeast juice. When you gotta have your vitamin B complex you know what to do. I spent hours in the library looking at old periodicals oogling over vintage ads. What a rush of memories.
MomGrind responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 8:58 am →
@ Davina: It is.
@ trainingupchildren: Unbelievable!
@ Suzie: Hehe I’m sure it did.
@ cindy platt: “I spent hours in the library looking at old periodicals ogling over vintage ads.” I can relate! Only I do it on the internet.
Natural responds:
Posted: May 20th, 2009 at 3:08 pm →
these gave me a laugh. the bald head lady with the hair dryer in particular. i sure wish i had something to sell somebody. some people will buy almost anything, even if they don’t need it.
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 11:26 am →
Oh wow, talk about disconcerting! I’ve always known about Magic Health thingees…but tapeworms? Eeeeek!
Barbara
Paisley responds:
Posted: May 21st, 2009 at 1:50 pm →
The sanitised tape worms to lose weight may just catch on again due to weight obsession and the smoking ad with the baby shows how ignorant we were kept by cigarette companies.
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Posted: May 26th, 2009 at 5:39 am →
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Posted: May 28th, 2009 at 12:43 am →
Oh my, the 60’s vibe is so unmistakeable.
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