Ted Jacobs ‘Crazy Daze” Sale Ad – August 1971

Although mental illness is certainly no laughing matter, there was a time when being ‘crazy’ was considered somewhat amusing in the world of entertainment. The image of someone laughing uncontrollably while wearing a Napoleonic hat and goofy grin became a commonly accepted cartoon representation of madness.

This ‘crazy’ theme even made its way into advertising.

Remember Crazy Days Sales? Downtown Lorain seemed to have them at least once a year in the 1950s and 60s, with ‘crazy’ low prices that had to be seen to be believed.

And Lorain was still having them into the 1970s. Here’s an almost full-page Ted Jacobs ad from a Crazy Daze Journal sales supplement published on August 5, 1971.

The ad is somewhat amusing in that the ‘crazy’ angle involves poor Teddy, the Ted Jacobs parrot. As the ad copy goes, 'this sale is so wild that we had to put Teddy in a padded cage.’ 

What’s also crazy is the advertising layout, which squeezes the Holbrook & Smith ad onto the page, creating an odd arrangement. 

Anyway, here’s a saner Teddy with the boss himself.