It's kind of an odd ad. The infamous, much-feared Disney legal machine apparently wasn't firing on all pistons yet in the early 1960s, because I can't seem to find any sort of reason for the lovable cartoon characters to even be there. Mickey is ringing the school bell, so perhaps there's supposed to be some 'Back to School' ad copy and it was cropped out. But there's no trademarks anywhere.
The ad is amusing none the less. The cartoon characters have no relation to the sales product they're next to! Granted, Happy the Dwarf Person of Short Stature is kinda chunky, so it makes sense to plunk him down next to Star-Kist Chunk Tuna. But Jiminy Cricket next to Smoked Ham? Pluto Pup next to Potatoes?
And then there's Chip – or is it Dale? – next to Nylons. He looks a little too happy to be pushing women's stockings. By the way, I don't like either of the mischievous chipmunks. They were always making life a living hell for Donald Duck: stealing his pancakes, borrowing his toy sail boat, blowing up his house, etc.
And speaking of the irascible duck, why isn't he in this ad? Perhaps he was still tied up promoting his same-named orange juice.
Well, he's available now. Unfortunately, nobody is going to be Krogering in Lorain County anytime soon.
Donald Duck was my favorite Disney character, next to the giant squid in 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA.
ReplyDeleteIn the early Sixties, Heinz marketed a line of condensed soups especially for children, Happy Soup, which used animated Disney characters as mascots, and the voice of Winnie the Pooh, Sterling Holloway, as the announcer.
https://youtu.be/ji7kxqNVZj8?feature=shared
DeleteI never liked any of Disney's cartoon characters but learned to tolerate Goofy for the sake of my kids who used to howl with laughter at his old 1940s-era cartoons. Now... I did, on occasion, read a Scrooge McDuck comic book, but otherwise, I was Warner Brothers all the way.
ReplyDeleteProps to the squid, though. Scared the hooey out of me when I was a kid, that's for sure.
Any time I hear of Walt Disney I immediately think of Annette Funicello and the original Mickie Mouse Club gang.I am a big Annette fan.
ReplyDeleteGet in line.
DeleteFor me, it's Mary Poppins. Those corsets with their buttons.
DeleteI remember when Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color was the high point of the week. We always hoped it would be a cartoon episode but had to put up with stuff like "Charlie the Lonesome Cougar" every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteLike Alan, I liked Donald Duck the best and didn't like it when some bug or bee or the well-known pair of rodents tormented him. I even had a small Donald Duck bendy toy that I carried around in my pocket.