Shocking Vintage Advertisements: Ads Targeting Parents That Would Never Appear Today

Sometimes there is just too much scary news for parents -– there’s arsenic in apple juice, SpongeBob will rot your child’s brain and play areas are infested with germs. Here at HuffPost Parents, we're wondering what it was like to live in an era of non-worry. A time when June Cleaver and Carol Brady solved any dilemma in 26 minutes.

So, we turned the clock back and opened up an issue of Parents magazine from 1952 for clarity. And, what caught our eye were the ads. For one, a campaign for laxatives that makes them look like candy. Then, we looked a little further and found that marketing history was rich with crazy -- and it was the boost of confidence we needed. If you feel guilty for giving your kids too much sugar, or for letting them watch TV for too long… relax. At least you’re not feeding 7UP to a newborn..

Take a look at these eyebrow-raising ads that would never make it into magazines today, and (ahhh) breathe a sigh of relief.

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• You choose stuffed animals, not guns

  Regardless of what side of the gun control debate you're on, we can all agree that guns aren't welcome during naptime. (Iver Johnson, 1904 via <a href="http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/2009/11/27/iver-johnson-revolvers/" target="_hplink">everydaynodaysoff.com</a>)

• You keep razors far, far away

  To avoid that five o'clock shadow, for dad, Gillette might be 'the best a man can get.' But for a baby, a razor doesn't come into play for another 15 years or so. (Although, if your newborn has a beard, you may have bigger problems...) (Gillette, 1905 via <a href="http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-1905-gillette-safety-razor-babys-first" target="_hplink">worthpoint.com</a>)

• You know there is no such thing as a "bad" baby

  No matter how loud the cry, or how few hours of sleep you get, you wouldn't classify your baby as anything less than the best. (Clapps' Baby Foods, 1943 via <a href="http://www.vintageadsandstuff.com/viewfoodbaby1.jpeg" target="_hplink">vintageadsandstuff.com</a>)

• You take deep breaths of fresh air, not nicotine, when you're stressed around the baby

  How could you "scold" a baby in a top hat anyway? (Marlboro, 1950s via <a href="http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/kids-and-babies-ads-1950s" target="_hplink">vintageadbrowser.com</a>)

• You're not sugar-coating laxatives

  This ad suggests feeding your child a laxative that he or she will enjoy, but today's parents know that there is no such thing. (Castoria, 1952 via Parents Magazine)

• You load 'em up with SPF

  Oil? In the sun? And, what's that baby doing in the pool without floaties? (Johnson's, 1956 via <a href="http://www.vintageadsandstuff.com/viewhealthjohnson2.html" target="_hplink">vintageadsandstuff.com</a>)

• You're not wrapping babies in cellophane

  While the sentiment is nice, babies are the greatest gifts, we prefer them wrapped in cozy blankets -- and breathing. (Dupont, 1959, via <a href="http://consumerist.com/2009/07/top-10-ironic-ads-from-history.html" target="_hplink">consumerist.com</a>)

• You know your girls can hang with the boys

  Despite <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/31/jc-penneys-girls-shirt_n_943349.html" target="_hplink">outrageous</a> slip-ups from <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/12/allergic-to-algebra-forever-21-shirt_n_959063.html" target="_hplink">retail</a> stores, gone are the days when science and math were for the boys. Your little brainiac doesn't need a lab kit specialized for her. (Gilbert, 1958 via <a href="http://pzrservices.typepad.com/vintageadvertising/vintage_advertising_to_children/page/2/" target="_hplink">pzrservices.typepad.com</a>)

• You don't encourage sugar addiction

  As the Rabbit is reminded, Trix are for kids. But, you know when to put a cap on the intake. (Trix, 1959 via <a href="http://carlifrenneman.hubpages.com/hub/11-Vintage-Food-Ads-Featuring-Creepy-Soulless-Children" target="_hplink">carlifrenneman.hubpages.com</a>)

• You choose milk over soda

  Just what a baby needs: Cavities before their teeth have even grown in. (7UP, 1960 via <a href="http://www.boredpanda.com/vintage-ads/" target="_hplink">boredpanda.com</a>)

• You hold your baby

  According to Pampers, newborns didn't spend much time in their mother's arms back in 1974. According to us, the ad's writer didn't spend enough time with a new mommy. (Pampers, 1974 via <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-Print-Ad-Pampers-Baby-Diapers-old-ads-/350319434572" target="_hplink">ebay.com</a>)

Comments

[Vivibeagle]

11:32 PM on 10/20/2011

Whoever wrote the asinine captions for the photos needs to lighten up. Holy cow. Preachy, humorless, blah. The ads stand on their own as glimpses of another time. We don't need some caption writer to remark that parents today know when to put a cap on the Trix for godsake.

[Marioam]

12:27 AM on 10/08/2011

Well, the ad about the guns says it's hammerless, not sure if it would actually fire and has anyone seen how much sugar there is in today's cereals. People back then were not stupid and they knew the ads were not to be taken that serious. As for 7UP, a sip now then didnt hurt anyone. Todays kids are way too coddled and soft. And it also strikes me that for all the uproar about how we were smokeing and drinking and not eating from the USDA food pryamid, that so many of my mothers generation lived well into their late 80's, and 90's. And of course people are screaming about how long the Baby Boomers have lived so far because we are now starting to collect our Social Security. Seems to me things are not so great with todays generation.

[ichoosehappynow]

07:46 PM on 10/06/2011

These ads make me laugh and realize how times have changed! I just saw a show on prohibition and they had a baby with stein of beer!

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers,
Louise

[rarado]

08:00 PM on 10/05/2011

They're not "shocking"...they are of a different time. Everything today is delivered with such hyperbole!

[Townsend]

06:17 PM on 10/05/2011

Nice to know Americans weren't always so coddled, overprotected, and dumbed down as they are now. By the way, guns and naps do mix if you're teaching your children to protect themselves and not rely upon the Government to do it.
So don't speak for me, please.

[dav0001]

05:17 AM on 10/06/2011

Okay then, I'll speak for myself. If you are stupid enough to let a child have a gun in bed while sleeping somene should call child protective services because those kids need to be removed from your home

[ursula isaacs]

05:25 PM on 10/05/2011

Somehow, despite those ads and the common practices of those days, kids grew up to be hard working and responsible adults. I agree the ads made me chuckle but maybe that's because I was born in 1949 and grew up in that era. We were not coddled, nor were we shielded from losing in a competition. We were taught to respect our parents and teachers, do our homework on our own and delay gratification. We understood that we needed to respect the rights of others and that working hard to achieve a goal was a worth while endeavor. When kids were naughty or bratty,which all kids sometimes are, limits were set and consequences delivered. I think it helped prepare us for the real world.I dunno, I'm just saying....

[wyndchas78]

05:37 PM on 10/05/2011

You preach it!!!! I am raising my kids like that now. fan and faved.

[Hawkeye7]

05:57 PM on 10/05/2011

Well, just keep on saying, Ursula, you are absolutely right! I was born in 1948 and I agree with you completely. Parents who don't know how to say no (and I know many of them) and cave in to their children's every whim and allow them to be disrespectful will live to regret it.

[caugrl]

06:30 AM on 10/25/2011

Us parents of today do know how to say "no". However, by next week CPS will be investigating you if you don't give your kid that new toy, because somehow if they want for anything it will be considered neglect.

[berlytowns]

04:58 PM on 10/05/2011

"According to Pampers, newborns didn't spend much time in their mother's arms back in 1974. According to us, the ad's writer didn't spend enough time with a new mommy."

In 1974 mothers weren't obsessed with being a helicopter mother. Kids were left with their toys and siblings to learn how to play by themselves and/or without constant watch by their mother.

That's how we grew up independent.

[observer9]

11:39 PM on 10/05/2011

The copywriter's simply alluding to all the time newborns spend asleep in their cribs, but it was very awkwardly phrased.

Helicopter kids--Lord, yes. They come to college teacher's offices with excuses. And complain if the papers they've written don't get an 'A.'

I do think parents sould show interest in their children's homework (take a look at it) nearly every day. The new directions to help your child with homework every day mystifies me. And if you have three children?--give up an hour or more five days a week when parents are often already overworked and stressed out?

It would help if teachers had fewer students and higher salaries. I'm not buying the recent right-wing claim that class size doesn't make much difference. A teacher at every level has time to think of only so many students and look at their work.

[berlytowns]

08:14 AM on 10/08/2011

“"According to Pampers, newborns didn't spend much time in their mother's arms back in 1974.""

Apparently the writer saw this as newborns were neglected and laid in their beds all the time.

""According to us, the ad's writer didn't spend enough time with a new mommy.""

Again, apparently, the writer believes that modern mothers hold their newborns all the time.

[pslcitizen]

04:47 PM on 10/05/2011

Big deal, they always ran ads like this & I think people still had more common sense back then..lol.

[tlcpro]

06:47 AM on 10/06/2011

Remember Saturday morning cartoons? Back in the day when there was no such thing as Cartoon Network..? Look at the ads that were targeted toward kids back then. Every box of cereal had a surprise inside and you could be like an astronaut and drink TANG. Advertising has become more sophisticated, not necessarily better.

[Susan2000]

04:33 PM on 10/05/2011

This article is boring. And the final comment doesn't even make sense.

[tenaclark]

03:58 PM on 10/05/2011

The only ad that really shocked me was the "revolver" ad. I think we have "darker" minds these days, and worry about far too much. If I had spent my life worrying about little things like this, I'd be dead.

[Jeff081]

03:55 PM on 10/05/2011

They could bring back the one for cigarettes for liberal moms: Before you scold me mom, maybe you'd better light up a joint.

[meganini]

05:35 PM on 10/05/2011

Really, cuz I'm a liberal mom. There are no joints, alcohol, or any other addictive substances (except maybe coffee, but only one cup a day) being used in my house.

[Bogym]

03:09 PM on 10/05/2011

By Michael Gerson
Friday, July 17, 2009

There was a scandal this week concerning the Supreme Court, though it didn't concern the nomination of its newest member.

This Story
Justice Ginsburg In Context
The Case of the Stumped Jurist
To the Right of the Pope
The New York Times Magazine printed a candid interview with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, including this portion:

Q: "Are you talking about the distances women have to travel because in parts of the country, abortion is essentially unavailable, because there are so few doctors and clinics that do the procedure? And also, the lack of Medicaid abortions for poor women?"

Justice Ginsburg: "Yes, the ruling about that surprised me. [Harris v. McRae -- in 1980 the court upheld the Hyde Amendment, which forbids the use of Medicaid for abortions.] Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don't want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion."

[caugrl]

06:33 AM on 10/25/2011

I think you posted to the wrong site. This is about old-fashioned advertisements.

[Marjorie Diaz]

03:05 PM on 10/05/2011

OK so how is this for a modernized version of the old days? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbN442jDlHw&feature=feedlik

[Vanessa1129]

02:52 PM on 10/05/2011

Yikes! Scaryness much

[lambdin1]

01:12 PM on 10/05/2011

It just makes me wonder how I've survived this long?!???????????? Ads have been pulling our chains for years and we follow like the dogs we are.