Little Tom Bottling Co. Ad – October 20, 1966

Remember Little Toms – the small (6 oz.) pops that came 30 bottles in a wooden case? They were bottled in Cleveland from the late 1950s until 1980. Little Toms were pretty popular, especially for family gatherings and special occasions. Flavors (according to AI Overview) included grape, root beer, lime and cream soda.

I don't remember the Bradys ever having Little Toms on hand, although I think I might have seen a photo of one of us kids holding a bottle of one in the family album. Our tastes in soft drinks were more along the lines of Pepsi, Vernor's, Frostie Root Beer, etc. Plus we didn't have pop all that often anyway. But I do remember seeing wooden crates of Little Toms in the garages of some boyhood friends.

(I always thought that the "Tom" in the name referred to Tom Thumb, because of the puny size of the bottles. But the top-hatted chap on the bottle doesn't look like he came from a storybook.)

Anyway, sixty years ago this week, the ad below for Little Toms ran in the Journal on October 20, 1966. 

It's more of a corporate ad, since it doesn't say where you could buy them. But a quick look in the Journal online archives reveals they were primarily available at beverage stores located in shopping centers. 

March 18, 1964

Gallo's Beer Dock on W. 21st Street became the distributor of Little Toms on Lorain's west side in July 1965.

Here's a link to the Little Toms Facebook page, where the last owner of the company has posted some comments. He also has some rare bottles to sell to serious collectors.