Thursday, September 21, 2023

Giant Tiger Ad – Sept. 12, 1963

A few of you may remember the Giant Tiger discount store chain, which I've featured many times on this blog. Above is a full-page for the Elyria store at 230 Broad Street, which ran in the Journal on Sept. 12, 1963. Back then shoppers used the Layaway plans that were available, so that's why the ad had a Christmas theme.

There's plenty of interesting things to check out in the ad, including the Safety Eye Running Lights with 21-candle power bulbs, which according to the ad would "attract the attention of approaching motorists – DAY OR NIGHT!!" Today, running lights are quite common, and even required in some countries.

What's amusing to me in the ad (as usual) is the appearance of Kellogg's cereals Tony the Tiger doing a side hustle as the Giant Tiger mascot. (I've devoted several posts to this.) What's really funny is that whoever prepared the artwork decided to also superimpose Tony's whiskered face on top of that of a cigar store Indian.

But if you look closely at the part of the ad devoted to boxes of matches, however, you see what's probably the real Giant Tiger mascot on the package.

We've seen that rather tame-looking cat on a piece of Giant Tiger paraphernalia (below) on an earlier blog post. 
Yet, the GrrrrRRREAT one was appropriated time and time again.
Anyway, the tale of two kitties eventually came to an end with the name change to 'Gaylords.' 
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At the time of the above ad, Lorain's store hadn't been built yet (destroying the Hopewell homestead at 1867 Elyria Avenue in the process). It wouldn't open until August 1967 (which I wrote about here).

8 comments:

  1. I remember the ads for Giant Tiger on the old Gene Carroll Show on Sunday, and wondering if they had an actual giant tiger there; I 'd seen tigers at the circus, and they seemed enormous.
    I don't think we ever shopped at the Elyria Giant Tiger, although I can remember going to Joe Norban's out on (I think) 113; it became Elyria City.
    There's a Giant Tiger chain in Canada, but I dunno what connection it has to the one here, if any.

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  2. Gene Carroll show...
    Flashback city.
    "Let me tell you when, we will meet again..."

    Was Polka Varieties on before or after?
    Now, I'm jonesing for some Frankie and the Yanks!

    The Pennsylktucky Polka!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_D35m3wJdw

    It always fills me with homesickness.

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  4. I like the picture of the gent dressed head to toe in a rubber suit, strolling in the rain and smoking a pipe.

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  5. Alan: Thanks!

    Buster: He should be holding his pipe upside down to keep the water out!

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  6. A neighborhood buddy's Mom worked at Giant Tiger in Lorain and was able to use her employee discount to score us a tent for "camp-outs" in my backyard. We all chipped in about $7 or $8 bucks for and old fashioned canvas (smelly & heavy) tent. For a few years we used the heck out that tent and had a blast! Todd

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