The Advertising Hall of Fame

One of my claims to any amount of internet fame is for posting vintage magazine and newspaper advertisements from the 20th century. Having seriously begun my digital collection in 2011, I now have thousands of them.

While I save all types of ads for a myriad of reasons (and still post them regularly on Pillowfort along with photos of vintage commercial architecture), certain ones stand out in my mind as being the best. So, on occasion when I have six outstanding ones in mind, I will share them here and explain why I believe they belong in my Advertising Hall of Fame.

The Advertising Hall of Fame: First Christmas Class

WIth me planning on publicly announcing the official opening of KoHoSo on Neocities on December 1, 2025, in addition to the inaugural class of inductees in the section below this one, I decided to select six other 20th century advertisements to include in the special Christmas wing of my Advertising Hall of Fame.

Click each ad to see it full size in a new tab. Presented in chronological order.

We Greet Noel WGN (AM) - Chicago, Illinois 1945 Scan credit: Faded Signals Most people would not have seen this ad as it would have appeared in a radio trade magazine aimed at potential sponsors. I still love the joyous spirit with the festive letters up top and the simple but very happy Santa featured in the middle. Of course, while Santa is always happy, he had extra reason this time around as this appeared during the first Christmas after the end of World War II.	Touch No Dirt! Breathe No Dirt! See No Dirt! Lucky Strike featuring the cast of The Jack Benny Program December 1950 Scan credit unknown* I love ads like this where there is a cast of characters that you might not know and need to match it up with a key at the bottom. For the advertiser, that's a great way to keep your eyes on the ad, thus making you think more about the product (although, in this case, that's a very bad thing). This was still necessary for this legendary program as it had only just begun its run on television (while still running simultaneously on radio!) at a time when owning a TV set was still the exception rather than the norm. Other than Jack Benny, many might not have known what the cast looked like. Here you get to see them wonderfully illustrated with all of them riding in Benny's infamous Maxwell (the sound effects for which were provided by Mel Blanc who also performed other characters on the program but who is sadly missing from this ad).	Merry Christmas Curtiss/Baby Ruth published in Quick (Vol. 7, No. 25) - December 22, 1952 Scan credit unknown* Plain and simple while still extremely vivd, this is a real eye-catcher from the time when it was still common for at least some presents to be hung on the tree. This is almost pretty enough to be a Christmas card!
It's the Trend, Friend! Ballentine Ale 1957 Scan credit: Fred's AdverCity on Tumblr Overall, my Advertising Hall of Fame will not include ads that bring a snide remark to my mind. However, I really do like the look of this illustration even though the way that the couple looking at each other always makes me think of the sleeping arrangements shown for married couples on TV in the '50s and '60s, and I say to myself... Uh oh! Looks like Dan and Mary might push the beds together tonight!	Gay Boxes S. S. Kresge Company published in Ladies' Home Journal - December 1959 Scan credit: the FPDA (File Photo Digital Archive on Flickr (R.I.P. Daniel Wrona) Aside from the wonderful colors, I love this ad for the rarity of the subject. Despite how much a part of Christmas it is, I have found very few ads over the years that focus excusively on wrapping paper. It was one of my most favorite things as a kid to shop for every year, so this one makes this hall of fame for that personal attachment as much as everything else. For those too young to know this, Kresge is the K in Kmart (now down to only three American locations at the time of this writing).	Heavy Duty Cold Power/Colgate-Palmolive Company published in McCall's - December 1971 Scan credit unknown* While most other advertisers had moved on to more simplistic artwork or went exclusively with photographs, this is a very refresing ad for its era. This illustration of Santa Claus stands up to any that preceeded it, and it fits great with the brand and how it presented itself overall. Cold Power was quite a revolutionaly laundry detergent for its time (whereas, these days, almost any detergent works well with cold water). While Cold Power has disappeared from store shelves in the U.S.A., it is still available in many other countries, but is now owned by the German conglomerate Henkel. In Canada, it was always known as Arctic Power and is now owned by Canadian conglomerate KIK Consumer Products.

* Due to a botched backup of my KoHoSo.us website and being unable to determine the original scanner/photographer through an image search, I have unfortunately lost many of the sources for the items that are not my own work. If you know who deserves credit for any such item presented on this website, please contact me through any of the places listed under the Social Diseases section that is on the bottom of every page here. It is very important to me to give credit where it is due, so I will be glad to add it.

The Advertising Hall of Fame: First Inductees

Click each ad to see it full size in a new tab. Presented in chronological order.

In Any Weather! Hamilton Manufacturing Company published in The American Home - November 20, 1951 Scan credit: Jon Williamson on Flickr While it might seem depressing, this ad is absolute perfection in its simplicity. Especially for the early '50s, it immediately conveys the message that the old way of taking heavy, wet clothes outside to dry was hard work; perhaps even dangerous. Wild ads might be more fun (and one of those is coming later in this class), but the whole purpose of an ad is to make one feel that a product or service is truly needed and worth separating you from your hard earned money. This ad absolutely does that in stunning clarity.	Touch No Dirt! Breathe No Dirt! See No Dirt! Electrolux Corporation 1955 Scan credit unknown* For me, this is the absolutely perfect illustration of the stereotypical '50s housewife. Illustrations by this artist (for whom I sadly don't have a name) can be seen in many other ads of the era, but this is truly his or her finest work. Aside from the face, just look at the detail and positioning of her hands!	So Light They Almost Fly! Puffin Biscuits 1956 Credit: Boing Boing What's not to love about this? Flying biscuits, a boy in a space helmet, an amazed little girl, all beautifully rendered just at the start of the Space Race. This artwork is more like the cover of a classic music album than something made for an advertisement!
You Almost Taste It Radio Corporation of America (RCA) published in Cosmopolitan (Vol. 143, No. 6) December 1957 Capture by KoHoSo If you want an example of how to quickly and succinctly get the message across as to why people should buy your product, bam, this is it! Of course, there were tons of ads illustrating things in glowing colors that were made to entice people to replace their old black-and-white television sets, but I've never seen one as clearly vivid as this.	Bold Face of '58 1958 Buick B-58 1958 Credit: Paul Malon on Flickr (R.I.P.) One of the fun trends in ads of the '50s was the use of varying styles in the same ad. This one from Buick throws in pretty much everything but the kitchen sink...different fonts, abstract color highlights, the typical thrilled family, a tie-in with the jet age, a simple highlight illustration of the flag, even the cool little General Motors 50th anniversary logo...so much to grab and keep the eye to make the reader dream of owning this new Buick, and all with General Motors' infamously rich ad copy!	Good Sign on a Dark Night Gulf Oil Corporation published in The Saturday Evening Post - April 18, 1959 Scan credit unknown* (but first seen through Cardboard America™ on Flickr) This ad says it all so simply, especially for the majority of people at the time who still had not yet experienced the convenience and guarantees of the Interstate Highway System (much less the wonder of what our smart phones, tablets, and vehicle dashboards bring us today). Reassurance, comfort, safety...it's all here in a great photograph with just one simple line of ad copy.

* Due to a botched backup of my KoHoSo.us website and being unable to determine the original scanner/photographer through an image search, I have unfortunately lost many of the sources for the items that are not my own work. If you know who deserves credit for any such item presented on this website, please contact me through any of the places listed under the Social Diseases section that is on the bottom of every page here. It is very important to me to give credit where it is due, so I will be glad to add it.

Webrings