ORIGINAL PUBLICATION DATE: FRIDAY JULY 30, 2010

Vintage Advertising Characters Subject Of New Book

AD BOY: Vintage Advertising with Character By Warren Dotz and Masud Husain, is published by Ten Speed Press.
There is a classic axiom among admen: "Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle." In other words - don’t sell the product, sell the feeling - it isn’t about what’s for sale, it’s about the emotional response of the customer who’s being courted.
That’s one reason why the postwar economic boom launched a generation of charming, cheeky, and relentlessly cheerful critters and characters that found their way into our homes - and our hearts - in print, on television, and on packaging. Some took detours that reflected the times (Elsie the Cow was sent into outer space in 1958). Some were fashion victims who survived (remember hippy Hush Puppies?). An some are no longer with us (the Frito Bandito was finally brought to justice in 1971). These endearingly offbeat characters are as fresh and entertaining today as they were creatively inspired in decades past.
Informative and entertaining, Ad Boy features over 500 of the most outrageous and hilarious characters from one of the largest collections of advertising character art in the country. Each chapter is dedicated to a different theme and gives a glimpse of how companies utilized and adapted their advertising mascots in the 50’s 60’s, and 70’s. Ad Boy is a fabulous resource for illustrators, graphic designers, advertising enthusiasts, and nostalgia buffs.
Warren Dotz is a pop culture historian and the author of eight books on advertising art. As an authority on product label art, his commentary has appeared in Advertising Age, Brandweek, and the New York Times Magazine. He lives and works in Berkeley, California. Masud Husain is a graphic designer, branding specialist, and avid collector of American advertising ephemera, who lives and works in Albany, California.