Pictures In History

Sonny and Cher Sold Everything, Even Bibles

Some ads are so iconic that even years after they ran, we still remember them. Who can forget "Just Do It" from Nike or "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" from Coca-Cola? It's not just TV ads and commercials that get you excited about buying your favorites, either! Certain print ads catch your eye and never let go.

Vintage ads captured the attention of shoppers for generations. Even if you don't remember them, your parents or grandparents might. From meat in a can to Sonny and Cher hawking Bibles, take a step back in time as you check out these incredible vintage ads.

Between "The Sonny and Cher Show" and "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour," this couple was almost everywhere in the 1970s. On top of the money they made off their albums and shows, they also endorsed several products. One thing you might not expect to see them endorsing is the Bible, but that's just what this ad shows. It appeared in magazines in 1971 as part of the 31st National Bible Week, an interfaith program designed to bring together different denominations.

While the ad might seem weird to you, it's not too weird. Celebrities still talk about their faith today. Even Chris Pratt talks about his religion today. Sonny and Cher were just part of an early effort to make religion cool.

Mark Twain Sold Soup!

Mark Twain is an American icon. The author wrote books like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," books that kids still read in schools today. He also used multiple pen names to write in different genres. While Twain did a lot in his life, he never sold soup until Campbell's used him to market their tomato soup. Grocery stores sell dozens of types of soup today from multiple brands, but Campbell's tomato soup is still popular. It was even one of the soups that Andy Warhol chose to paint.

Though some people find that canned soup has a slightly chemical flavor, Campbell's ran this ad to show the natural flavor of its soup. The ad also targeted people who thought canned soup could never taste as good as homemade soup. Campbell's showed that even Twain, one of the smartest men in the world, couldn't figure out how its soup had such a natural tomato flavor.

Try Some Sweet-Cured...Meat?

When it comes to meat, many people go with savory over sweet. The only sweet meats people enjoy today are things like maple bacon or barbecue topped with a sugary sauce. In the 1940s and even earlier, luncheon meat was a common thing. World War II led to rations that limited how many fresh ingredients most homes could buy. While SPAM made waves with its pork products, it had some competition from brands like Burns, the maker of Spork. If you think this sounds similar to SPAM, you're not wrong.

Spork was more than just pork in a can, though; it was sweet-cured pork in a can. This ad may not want to make you rush out and look for a can, but it highlights some of the benefits the products had for families. Spork was easy to use and a good protein source at a time when protein was hard to find.

Enjoy Your Soup on Ice

On a hot day, you likely reach for a cold bottle of water to beat the beat. You might even grab a hydration drink or some soda. The last thing you probably think about is an ice-cold can of Campbell's soup, and yet that's exactly what this ad wants you to do. In the '70s and the '80s, Campbell's faced a lot of competition from new brands and looked for unusual ways to get customers to buy and use its soup. One ill-fated idea was soup on the rocks.

The recipe in this ad is easy to use and even includes ways you can change it to reflect your taste. Grab a glass of ice and top it with a can of Campbell's Beef Bullion. Add a little lemon or Worcestershire sauce for more flavor. Believe it or not, some loved this drink so much that they still make it today.

Schwinn Expanded Beyond Bikes

In the 1960s, you just weren't cool unless you had a Schwinn bike. The Stingray was a must-have for little boys, but the company also had bikes that appealed to little girls. Knowing that people only bought new bikes when they outgrew or damaged theirs, Schwinn needed to find a way to make more sales. Bike accessories could only go so far, which is why Schwinn entered the unicycle market.

Released in 1968, the Schwinn Unicycle came in two sizes that would fit both boys and girls as well as kids of different sizes. Looking at this ad might give you an idea of why it didn't last long. Many kids had trouble balancing on one and fell off, which resulted in lots of injuries. Though Schwinn quietly pulled the unicycle from the market, it is still a popular toy among collectors.

When Sauce in Canned Meat Was a Thing

Walk into any grocery store and you'll find dozens of canned products on the shelves, including meat. Canned meat grew beyond SPAM over the years. Brands now make soup, beef stew, stewed meats, and even canned sausages and hot dogs. The one thing you won't find is canned meat with a packet of sauce in the middle. Not only was this idea uncommon when Oscar Mayer released it, but it's still not common today.

Oscar Mayer highlighted its new product with this ad, which showed both the two available products and how to use them. Pop off the top to find your choice of beef or hot dogs inside. Tucked inside the meat was a packet of sauce designed to mix with the meat. Oscar Mayer encouraged shoppers to add a side dish like rice or pasta to get a full meal on the table in less time and for less money.

Reddi-Bacon Offered Toaster Bacon

Reddi-Bacon wanted to change the way customers thought about bacon. Back then, it took a lot of time to make bacon. You needed to dig out a pan, pop it on the stove, and cook the bacon until it reached the texture you wanted. Convenience foods kept popping up as a way to make cooking at home easier. In a world filled with TV and microwave dinners, Reddi-Bacon was a little different.

Each box had several packages with bacon slices tucked in small packets inside. This ad, which ran in major magazines, showed users how easily they could make Reddi-Bacon. They simply popped the packet in a toaster and enjoyed fresh and hot bacon. The next time you make Pop-Tarts, you might find yourself wishing Reddi-Bacon was still around.

Wine Made Everything Better

Alcohol ads are fairly common today. Even brands like Smirnoff and Budweiser run ads. The ones you see are different from those that ran in the '50s and '60s, which is clear when you check out this one from Petri Wine. While many brands had advertisements that showed women in the kitchen, Petri Wine went in the opposite direction. The man in this one wears a pink apron and stands in front of a messy kitchen with a glass of wine in his hand. It was a way for the brand to show that its wine appealed to everyone.

“Everything tastes better with Petri Wine” is the tagline at the bottom of the ad. Petri also added a note to let shoppers know that it took the time to make great wine. The use of humor in the ad is on par with modern ads, but marketing companies probably aren't going to put out something that encourages folks to get wasted in the kitchen.

Ben-Gay Soothed Peter Pan Pains

When you have sore muscles, Ben-Gay comes in handy. Not only does it now come in its original cream formula, but you'll also find other products like one with lavender to help you sleep at night. Though Ben-Gay ran some odd ads over the years, none were as strange as this one with Peter Pan. Unlike the Peter Pan from the cartoons, this one looks more like a grumpy little troll. Clad in tights with a jaunty hat on his head, he uses his hammer to punish the woman in front of him.

MEAT Anyone?

With so many people following vegan and vegetarian diets today, it's rare to come across an ad for meat like this one. The American Meat Institute started in 1906 as an organization for meat packers. It later expanded to help the general public through programs to encourage meat consumption and make meat safer. The American Meat Institute later merged with a similar organization, but we still have ads like this one to remind us of what once was.

The ad focused on Swiss steak, which was a popular dish made from slow-cooked roast. Not only does the ad mention that it's a great source of protein, but it also tells consumers why they should make it. Front and center is the meat itself.

It's hard to imagine any magazine running an ad today that shows huge cuts of meat if only because it would turn off some readers.

Boris Karloff For Northern Pacific

For horror movie fans, no actor was better than Boris Karloff. Karloff appeared in dozens of horror films like "Bride of Frankenstein" and even voiced the Grinch in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Prior to gaining fame, he made a living working for a railway company. That former job might explain why he later appeared in this ad for Northern Pacific Railway. Or maybe he just had a few bills to pay.

Japan Airlines Had It All In The 1970s

Sushi is so common today that even most grocery stores sell it in their prepared food areas. When this Japan Airlines ad came out, though, sushi was an uncommon and even exotic dish. The main way to get sushi back then was at an upscale restaurant. Japan Airlines used sushi in this ad as a way to show why travelers should pick the company. It also showed that people of different types could fly together - albeit in a way that makes you want to rub your head in your hands.

Treet Made Meals Easy

Armour released Treet in 1939 as a competitor to SPAM. Though it was a luncheon meat mixed with some spices, it was different than similar products on the market. Armor used a combination of pork and ham, but the combination went through multiple stages before it was canned, which made it smoother. In this ad, you can see some of the thick chunks that were in the early version. Those segments gave it some texture, which made it popular among some cooks.

What makes this vintage ad so unusual is the way it uses the meat product. Instead of frying or baking the meat as most people did, the ad showed how it could serve as the basis for a quick sandwich with mustard, onion, and dark bread. Even those who like Treet today will do a double take at the idea of eating it right out of the can.

Hear Muffs Kept Users Happy in Bed

The 1970s were a swinging time when manufacturers weren't afraid to push the boundaries when it came to their ads. This is quite possibly one of the most suggestive vintage ads we found. It walks the line between what people would accept and not accept at the time. The ad plays on the old joke that someone wouldn't kick a beautiful woman or handsome man out of bed for eating crackers.

Hear Muffs were big and bulky headphones that looked like earmuffs and completely covered the wearer's ears. Were these comfortable in the 1970s? Or literally any time? Probably not but they look fun.

Hardee's Marketed to Men

Hardee's is a fun fast-food chain known for its huge burgers. While people today think nothing of stopping by a fast-food place to grab a meal, times were different when this ad came out. Fast food was something reserved for special occasions. People had fast food just a few times a month or even less often. Women were wives and mothers who cooked full meals at home for their families. Hardee's used a touch of misogyny in this ad as a way to appeal to men.

While the ad looks simple, it goes much deeper. When you move past the woman lovingly watching her husband play with their child while she stands in the kitchen, reading the text shows something different. The ad tells men who don't have a wife or children waiting for them at home to stop by Hardee's and enjoy the bachelor life. It's an ad few would want to see today.

Doris Day Endorsed Construction Equipment... Naturally

You expect to see celebrities endorsing products. Michael Jordan has a major line with Nike while TV stars love selling makeup and clothing. In the early days of advertising, celebrities endorsed a few things you might not expect them to use in real life. That's why this Doris Day ad is so unexpected. Doris Day was a singer and actress known for roles in films like "Pillow Talk" and "The Thrill of It All." She even had a TV show named after her, "The Doris Day Show," which ran for five seasons.

Day worked with International Harvester to endorse the company's Series 56 Road Roller. Imagine grabbing a magazine and seeing Jennifer Aniston advertising a CAT backhoe. As part of a promo for her film "It's a Great Feeling" with Dennis Morgan and Jack Carter, International Harvester even painted its equipment in her signature shade of pink.

An Airline Compared Planes to Evolution

Charles Darwin was the man behind the theory of evolution. The theory looks at how things evolve and change based on the environment and other factors. It explains why some species went extinct and others survived. While you expect to see Darwin in science and even history books, you probably don't expect to see his name in an advertisement. Yet British Overseas Airways used both his name and likeness in this ad.

The ad almost pokes fun at the theory as it claims that evolution is why its planes have wings and how they keep growing. It goes on to mention its “Speedbird Service,” which helped travelers fly to the United States and other destinations quickly. Darwin had the last laugh, though, as British Overseas Airlines folded not long after the ad ran. It merged with BEA in the early 1950s, which later became the Civil Aviation Authority.

Kenwood Uses Misogyny to Sell Small Appliances

You probably know Kenwood as the manufacturer of major speakers and audio equipment. In the 1950s and 1960s, though, Kenwood expanded its portfolio to include more products like small appliances for the home. That's when it released The Chef, which it claimed could do almost everything. Called the Kenwood Electric Food Mixer when it hit stores in 1946, it became the Kenwood Chef or The Chef in the 1950s after the design went through some changes.

The Chef came in multiple colors designed to match and fit any kitchen. There were even some attachments, which is what led to this advertisement. Kenwood claimed that The Chef could do anything a kitchen needed except for a cook and insinuated that men needed a wife to handle the cooking. There's no way a company could get away with running such a misogynistic ad in today's world.

DuPont Does Not Want You to Put Your Baby in Cellophane

Parents are very protective of their kids and want to do whatever it takes to keep them safe. DuPont tried to capitalize on that with this ad, which strikes a different chord today. We now know that we should never allow babies or even toddlers and older kids to be alone with plastic. It's a suffocation risk that can lead to serious injuries and even death. While a Swiss chemist invented cellophane in the early 1900s, it didn't catch on in the US until DuPont began making it.

Roughly 25% of the money DuPont made in the 1920s came from cellophane. To reach more customers and show how safe the product was, the company ran this ad. While it looks cute on the surface with the smiling stork face, it becomes a little darker as you look at it and realize the baby inside can't move. Yikes.

Give the Gift of Guns This Year

Can you imagine opening up a magazine today and seeing a gun ad staring back at you? The chances are good that your parents or grandparents had that experience in the past. Federal law now prohibits gun makers from advertising their products, but this is a fairly new law. For years, the big gun manufacturers ran advertisements that encouraged shoppers to buy their products for almost any occasion, including Christmas.

We found this Colt ad that seems off for a few different reasons. Not only does it ask shoppers to buy a Colt gun for Christmas, but it also recommends they buy one for their mother. There are tons of gifts your mom might like from a new book to a bottle of perfume. Guns probably don't make the list.

Retro Rewind: Vintage Ads Revisited