Christmas Ads – 1970

Well, the Christmas Cavalcade of newspaper ads and articles continues – we’re up to 1970 now.

It’s a real mixed bag of old fashioned ads, and “hip” ones that reflected the (ugh) changes in fashion that were taking place.

This nearly full-page ad for Hills Dept. Store seems to symbolize that the times were a-changing. It ran in the Journal on December 24, 1970. The unappealing characters look like they’re right out of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine cartoon.

This Dec. 14, 1970 ad for Sam Klein Co. can’t seem to decide what decade it is. Although the man looks like he belongs in a 1950s beer ad, the woman has those now-classic 1970s ‘big eyes.’

Making his annual appearance in Penneys ads (after being introduced in 1967) is that famous holiday meece, Santa Mouse. This ad ran in the Journal on December 13, 1970. 

(I’ve had several recent dealings with mouse traps and ‘miserable meeces,' so I have to confess that I’m not a fan of Santa Mouse. He looks a little too realistic to me, and a little too hungry.

At least the next few ads are old-fashioned. First Federal Savings of Lorain (now the only local bank with ‘Lorain’ still in its name) had some nice vintage art in its Dec. 24, 1970 Journal ad. I like the dog-like reindeer.

 This Dec. 13, 1970 ad for Llewellyn Motor Company had a nice Santa illustration as well.

Santa’s also in this Lorain Creamery ad of Dec. 21, 1970 featuring ‘Flaming Ice Cream Snow Balls.” Sounds like a weapon! 

I wonder if competitor Home Dairy was not amused by the Creamery’s ad tagline: “LORAIN’S FINEST HOME DAIRY?”

Lastly, what would the holiday be without our old pal Reddy Kilowatt? His appearances in Journal ads were getting pretty rare by 1970, but here he is in one that ran Dec. 15, 1970, inviting us in for a free cup of coffee, and serving up an electrifying holiday meal. And unlike the Lorain Creamery Snow Balls – no flames!