Found in Mom's Basement

An early attempt at guerrilla marketing

In 1952, two LA police officers and a skeleton named Mr. Statistic joined forces to warn drivers of the increased danger of traffic fatalities during Labor Day weekend.

Found at Moth Girl Wings.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Mary Had an Ashtray by Henry Gibson

Mary had an ashtray
Full of ashes white as snow
And every time she drove the car
The tray would overflow.
She dumped it on the road one day
Which was against the rule,
The road is very ugly now
'Cause she was such a fool.

From a 1970 anti-littering ad:

 

 

1946 ad for American Meat Institute

See more ads from this campaign HERE.

Found at Community LiveJournal.

1940s posters from the American Meat Institute

Found at Ffffound!

Madonna in Rock the Vote's first TV spot, 1990

Cringing-ly painful.

CLICK HERE to watch the TV commercial.

Rock the Vote is an organization that uses entertainers to encourage young people to get involved in politics.

Vintage poster promoting Social Security, 1937

Source: Social Security Online

Excruciatingly awful anti-drug abuse ad from 1970

Source: Boing Boing

WPA poster promoting fruit, 1938

According to Fruit From Washington:

The Federal Art Project sponsored by the Work Projects Administration produced color silkscreened prints on posterboard which have been collected by the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division."

WPA poster promoting fruit, 1941

According to Fruit From Washington:

The Federal Art Project sponsored by the Work Projects Administration produced color silkscreened prints on posterboard which have been collected by the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division."

Vintage V.D. poster warning about "loose women"

Source: Bedazzled