Thursday, October 9, 2014

The Fishing Advertisement: Baker's Breakfast Cocoa (1924)


Baker’s Breakfast Cocoa, as seen in this charming 1924 advertisement, was long a staple in American cupboards. Interestingly, the firm was one of the first to be sued for false advertising, having claimed that it was processed to have “treble the strength of cocoa as usually prepared” and “has more than three times the strength of cocoa mixed with starch, arrow-root or sugar.” The state of New Hampshire investigated the firm and found that Baker’s, in the first case, was lying, and in the second case were misleading. The report concluded “The sample is further misbranded on account of the claims for solubility.”



Regardless, this is a cool ad, and one that represents a lost time and place — who today would let a child swim unsupervised?

— Dr. Todd

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