Stay in shape vintage style with the Jell-O Girl

✯ Day 101 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Long before Jane Fonda, Suzanne Somers or Chuck Norris had workout videos on the market (or long before, for that matter, video tapes even existed!), Jell-O brand gelatine's utterly adorable little bobbed haired, rosy checked girl was telling the viewing public how to stay in shape.

First introduced in 1902, the real life Jell-O lass was called Elizabeth King, and she appeared in numerous ads for the company during the early days of the 20th century. As time went on and Elizabeth grew up, she was more often portrayed as an illustrated character who very much resembled many children of the day, and instantly won a place in the hearts of dessert loving folks everywhere.

 

Of all the ads I've seen featuring the Jell-O Girl, I think that this delightful guide to doing simple, healthful stretches is perhaps my favourite. I love the juxtaposition of pairing a sugary dessert with working out and trying to stay fit.

The two make for unlikely bedfellows, yet somehow they jive here - setting as well as a properly prepared mould full of quivering, sweet gelatine. It's as though the Jell-O Girl is saying that if you follow her advise and do these 12 easy stretching exercises, you'll be able to keep from putting on any extra jiggle care of the very product she's representing.

In this timelessly lovely vintage Jell-O ad from the 1920s (which comes via Edible Creations on Flickr), the focus in in fact in no way on gelatine itself, but instead on Jell-O Girl and her apparent desire to help eaters of her brand's scrumptious treats stay fit and trim.

It's charming ad that can't help but make you smile, and perhaps rather effectively, still manages to put the word "Jell-O" in your mind and, as I no doubt imagine the company's execs intended all along, on your shopping list - after all, you've got these wonderful Jell-O Girl exercises to help counterbalance those pesky dessert calories.

A super quick note about the Vintage 365 series

Hi my wonderful dears, how are you each as we wrap up this second day of March 2011? On this end we've been treated to another round of wild banshee-like howling winds, but the sunshine did briefly - and radiantly appear - which pleased my snuggly little cat, Stella, ever so much! :)

{Just a little note - much like the one the elegant gal in this 1922 black and white illustration - is reading, to let you that I'll be making a teeny-tiny change to the Vintage 365 series. Vintage image via Captain Geoffrey Spaulding on Flickr.}

 

This immensely quick post is simply to let all of you know that as of tomorrow, I'll be dropping the words "Vintage 365" from the post title of all future editions of Vintage 365 (the colourful "Day x of Vintage 365" counter will still appear at the top of each post though, so you'll always be able to quickly know how far along in the series we are).

I'm doing this because the thought struck me earlier today that perhaps having the words "Vintage 365" at the start of so many posts (ideally 365 of them ) might get a tad repetitive (if not downright annoying) to some people. By eliminating those two words at the start of each new article, you'll be better able to immediately read the title and get a sense of what that day's entry is about.

While we're on the subject of Vintage 365, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank everyone for your awesome support of, and comments on, the posts in this series so far. I adore hearing from, and sharing in this marvelous daily journey through the past with, each of you!

Vintage 365: 1922 Standard Plumbing ad bursts with heartwarming charm

✯ Day 24 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

One of my favourite themes when it comes to vintage ads are immensely lovely domestic scenes - you know the ones that look as though they could have been plucked from the "to paint" file of Norman Rockwell. Life rarely mimics the idealistic world portrayed by such yesteryear advertisements, yet somehow that only makes me love them more. There's something almost magical about the notion of having a house and family with which such moments of perfect homespun happiness were possible.

This wonderfully charming Standard Plumping ad from 1922 (which comes via Captain Geoffrey Spaulding's Flickr stream) simply stole my heart. From the matching pink dresses mother and daughter are sporting, to the incredibly cute miniature toy sink (does anyone know if such teeny-tiny sinks were really manufactured?) this simple scene of time-honoured home life can't help but make you smile and yearn for a 1920s kitchen so that you can wash dishes alongside your adorable, bob haired daughter.