Life During Wartime: The Sunday Comics Ads Part 1

The following ads are from the Sunday Comics sections from 1944. This was, of course, the height of World War II, and they reflect a strange mix of concern with supporting the service men and women, while also trying to make your house and teeth the cleanest and brightest they can be. These ads are sponsored by major companies, not like the ads you'd see attached to the comics nowadays for the local car parts shop, or a Carl's Junior burger. You can judge the importance of the media based on the advertisers, and it's easy to see, with ads for cleansers, toothpaste and the latest Nash auto, that in the 40's Sunday comics sections were for the whole family.

Dreft was the first synthetic detergent sold in the US, and it was marketed as a miracle soap, used for dishes, hands and hair. The war put a crimp in the supplies used to make Dreft, so it was hard to find in 1944.

Ivory soap, on the other "hand", introduces Red 'n' Rough, two characters who show how tough the "washday" soap is on a woman's hands. As the housewife says "just 12 days with Ivory can make hands like mine softer, smoother and whiter."

In 1944 Cheerios were called Cheerioats. The name was later changed because of a trademark disputes with Quaker Oats. This ad spotlights how Dorothy Lamour worked as an elevator operator when she discovered by a talent scout. "You're much too beautiful to be running an elevator."

Several months after the first ad for Dreft, the paper ran an advertisement explaining that "Uncle Sam comes first," so they were suspending production of Dreft until after the war. Fortunately for the housewives, production of Dreft was able to resume less than a year later because WWII ended in 1945.

Ivory soap once again tries to gain the "upper hand" by selling softness. This time the ad is directed not to the housewife, but to the newlyweds. The young wife tells her sailor husband" I work and slave all day... wash those dishes in that strong washday soap...why'd I get married?"

The banner along the top of this next excerpt isn't tied to the ad. Slogans to buy war bonds were sprinkled throughout the comics section every week. I'm not sure why these joes are making the climb, but they're clear about the cigs: "I'm sure glad to be up here smoking a Camel."

Here's another Camel Cigarettes ad, aimed at women this time. The ostensibly true story of Petty Officer Phyllis ____ ("name omitted by regulation") joining the Waves. Six weeks later "So now you're a full-fledged sailor -- smoking Camels too! They're the Navy Man's favorite."

This Camel ad really puts smoking in perspective. After finding and detonating a booby-trapped landmine, it's a relief for the soldiers to take a drag on a Camel!

 

Gillette makes shaving a matter of national security as wells as personal hygiene. "Ever since our first mission this crew has always slicked up before a raid and had a date afterwards." "That gives us a swell reason for coming back."

Private: On KP and your girl's mad at you? Try Colgate tooth paste. You'll be a Sergeant in no time!

Read Part 2 here.