Life During Wartime: The Sunday Comics Ads Part 2

Here are some more ads from Sunday Comics circa 1944. Historically we think of WWII as a "the last good war," a war where the planets aligned, good against evil. Juxtapose this with the current US conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan where the enemies are uncertain and the goals are unclear. Some people might yearn for the simpler days of the past, but even these ads from WWII seem to be selling an instant nostalgia for an earlier time, as if to say "use our toothpaste and everything is going to be all right!"

This ad for Lifebuoy has two separate strips, one targeting women and one for men. "See if you don't have more friends, more fun, more romance when you bathe daily with the only soap especially made to stop "B.O.""

I don't know what committee meeting "mom" is at, but can't the family make their own dang Royal Strawberry Gelatin?

As the kid brother says "Nothin' but mush, mush, mush. Sisters -- and sergeants -- sure are the craziest people." "Play safe," brush twice a day and before dates with Colgate "dental cream."

The military jargon in this story covers up a near Tailhook incident. "The way that gal blasted you out of formation was sure something to see." "Yeah, and all because I was gunning for a kiss." "Is that a reason for Sue to explode like that?" "Well, dames blow up easy when a guy's got bad breath!"

In this ad for Cheerioats there's a stamp in the upper left corner that reads "Produce and conserve...Share and play square...Food fights for freedom." This brings home the fact that, unlike today, there really were shortages during WWII.

Duz is a vanished brand of soap from Procter & Gamble. I like the etching along to top of the ad promoting war bonds.

The following ads are all from 1946, after WWII ended.
Like something from an old movie, this ad for Quaker Oats offers a chance to win a 1946 Nash Ambassador if you finish the sentence "Quaker Oats is America's Best Loved Cereal Because..." The Nash advertises the "famous In-A-Car Bed," which looks like you're sleeping in the trunk. By the time this ad was in the paper WWII had ended and people were probably relieved by the armistice. The federal government had ordered Nash and the other car companies to suspend passenger car production during World War II, so this was the first chance in over 3 years to buy a new car -- or win one!

For some reason this ad for Spic and Span seems to belong to the post-war future than to WWII and before. In 1945 Procter & Gamble bought the 10 year old product Spic and Span and began marketing it nationwide. So, this is the beginning of their campaign. Something about the box, the name, the graphics that feels more like an ad from the 50's or 60's than from the 40's. Maybe the ad is showing some of the optimism from winning WWII? Or, maybe they just want to sell more soap?

Read Part 1 here.