Before Dr. Seuss became so well known for his stories, Ted Geisel made a living in advertising. He worked mostly for Standard Oil, but became famous for his advertisments for 'Flit'. The ads were some of Seuss' earliest published works and they were reminiscent of his doodles from college. Their popularity was astonishing, bringing cartoons and humor to the world of advertising.....
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Both of the drawings above are from the popular ad campaign for the insect repellent 'Flit'. It was Ted Geisel that coined the phrase 'Quic, Henry, the Flit!' which has since become well known and often repeated in and out of context. The artwork of these pictures looks quite different than the Seuss we all know. The stereotypical Seuss characters, with their big eyes and typical features are only beginning to take shape in these early advertising campaigns.(Phillip 2004)
Seuss worked for many other companies, beginning with Standard Oil in 1928 and continuing throughout the 1930s. These companies included: Daggett & Ramsdell General Electric Gilbert and Barker Holly Sugar L.P.P.Co. Macy Westchester New Departure Schaefer Snyder and Black Stromburg Carlson Warren Telechron (Ads from The Advertising of Dr. Seuss) |
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Progressions and stages of Seuss' art can be seen throughout the ads. While there is a typical style to the ads of each company, the ads of different companies often differ greatly. But throughout the ads you can see similar attributes, as well as similarities to the drawings of Seuss' books. The Ajax Cups ad, for example, is a more complicated drawing, but is very similar to the drawings seen throughout Seuss' books. It is very typical for Seuss to create a picture that forces the reader to scan around and see what can be seen, much like some of the busier scenes in the Sneetches. The Bock Beer ad, aside from the signature at the bottom, does not look much like the Dr. Seuss we know. There are a few similarities however, such as the typical eyes, and the movement of the beer (much like the movement in Green Eggs and Ham). The Ford ad, although you wouldn't immediately pick out as a Seuss production, has a very important character who is now quite infamous. The small animal holding the pointing hand, looks very much like an early cat from The Cat in the Hat. This ad in particular shows some of Seuss' progression toward fame. The NBC ad, which is one of his later advertising campaign, is an obvious precursor to Horton, everyone's favorite elephant. Even the men with guns, and the moving bullets are typical Seussian characters. The Standard Gasonline ad, was one of Geisel's last ads for his first ad campaign. This ad, used in 1932, has some typical features to its characters, but in general looks quite foreign and unusual. |
Throughout all the advertisements that Seuss drew, there are recurring themes, which are apparent throughout all his works. It is these round eyes, and constant smiles that keep children entertained and adults amused. But before Seuss wrote his most popular books, World War II came, and with it spread a range of emotions. Many of these emotions were diagrammed in Seuss' political art.......