Here is a curious WWII-era advertisement for the A&P Super Market chain. The top of the ad has a triptych which is meant to parallel the ideals often espoused in wartime advertising and entertainment. To that end, the first panel has some sort of well-dressed elf strapped to a tree, accompanied by this verse:
Just as helpless as can be,
His defeat was swift
Once we practiced thrift
At our convenient A&P...
Who or what is this HCL? Hydrochloric acid? Henry Cabot Lodge? Whatever the answer is, its true meaning is surely lost in the sands of time.
The other panels chronicle the stories of a family who overcome their differences all in the name of thrift and a very proud hen who is doing her part on the homefront.
The best part of this ad, however, is its centerpiece, the bustling Super Market scene. Friendly faces, bright packaging, and those little two-tiered shopping carts collide in a flurry of time-saving, step-saving excitement. 'If you like to choose from wide selections of the best of good things to eat [namely, Marvel Enriched Bread and Rolls, Jane Parker Cakes and Donuts, and Mel-O-Bit Cheese] and if you strive to get the most possible for your food budget ... then ... It's Time To Turn To A&P!' And it's time to click on the ad above to enlarge it!
5 comments:
The elf's hat seems to say "High Cost of Living"...
Scooby, I think we've solved our HCL mystery...
;-)
(Made a typo in my first comment...)
Wow, how were you able to see that?? You have a really good eye! Although, are you sure it doesn't say 'Henry Cabot Lodge'? I was convinced that was it! Now to figure out how an elf best represents 'High Cost of Living'..
Yes, it is always time to shop A&P stores, then and now.
Those ads from 60 plus years ago are a reminder that A&P will be celebrating its 150 years of feeding America in 2009.
Wow, how time flies.
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