Smoke Topsy, the Granulated Tobacco

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

These ads are apparently both circa 1800.

Comments

[janenx01.livejournal.com]

Probably after 1852, when Uncle Tom's Cabin was released. Did Topsy smoke in the book?

[air-and-angels.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Harriet Beecher Stowe gave permission for the character to be used in these ads or if copyright law wasn't yet that tight.

[chaeri.livejournal.com]

Probably not. Also, she was a woman so I doubt any protection would apply to her or be enforced if it did.

Talk about holy missing the point batman!

[air-and-angels.livejournal.com]

I didn't miss the point that it's an alarmingly racist ad; I was just thinking about it from a different angle than the obvious.
SO THERE.

[chaeri.livejournal.com]

No, not you, sorry that wasn't clear. I meant the advertiser missed the point of the book.

[air-and-angels.livejournal.com]

We're cool then :)

[chaeri.livejournal.com]

Thanks :). I am so sorry I wasn't clear. Bleargh.

[zhukora1.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's...wow.

[xthexlonelyx1x.livejournal.com]

Precisely my reaction!

[je-reviens.livejournal.com]

holeeee CRAP!!!

[randomneses.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure this is prob after 1800.

But yeah, ew.

[gillianinoz.livejournal.com]

Between 1800 and 1870 according to the vintage ad site.

Neat.

[misstia]

it was after the publication of the book 'uncle tom's cabin'.....

Here's the link...

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

www.vintageadbrowser.com/tobacco-ads (http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/tobacco-ads)

Re: Here's the link...

[misstia]

i saw that when i was looking for it to try to date it, but i found another site that shows uncle tom inspired ads....perhaps that site just says 1800 but means it for dates between 1800-1870....

edited to correct grammar!

Re: Here's the link...

[misstia]

http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/tomituds/toadsf.html

this has different uncle tom based ads and it shows one of the above with the date 1900....

Re: Here's the link...

[misstia]

you have to scroll like 2 or 3 down on the left side to get to the topsy ad...

Re: Here's the link...

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

We also have a sign with this Topsy ad; ours is clearly a repro, and I actually thought the product never actually existed. Apparently it did.

Re: Here's the link...

[nekusagi.livejournal.com]

Chocolate... honey?

Re: Here's the link...

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

Chocolate…honey…dairy. A high percentage of African-Americans can't digest lactose (http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/lactose_intolerance.html).

[njbearcub1.livejournal.com]

In the first pic, is Topsy holding a Kindle?

And, does "cotch"="catch"?

[misstia]

ipad?

[njbearcub1.livejournal.com]

Ha! Maybe.

[bluebear2.livejournal.com]

"Ah sho doo lack me mah new iPad".

[kimerastorm.livejournal.com]

"I expect Master will be upset if he catches this child. (aka me)"

This is definately a rip-off of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the character is supposed to be speaking it the thick 'slave' accent. The box in her hand is an old time tobacco tin with (I guess) a black label. Detail work in printing presses back then stunk according to what I've seen.

Just wow... completely unacceptable as an ad in this day an age, but a damn good picture window back into some of the attitudes of the time in which it was made.

[kniferomance.livejournal.com]

Uncle Tom's Cabin memorabilia makes me laugh every time I see it. It's a hilarious reminder of 19th century ignorance.

This (http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/) is a really good site that showcases all the UTC-inspired products, plays, shows, etc. "Browse Mode" is the easiest to use to get around the site. If you click around long enough, you can find racist!Disney pics. No lie.

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

This is the Topsy ad we have hanging in our bathroom; it's embossed, halftoned metal, about 12" x 16" and is probably a reproduction.

Notice how radically they've toned down the racist overtones, merely calling it "A Success That Succeeds!"

[nekusagi.livejournal.com]

A success that succeeds? What?

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

That's what I said.

[tabaqui]

Well, at least now she's a young lady in fancy dress and parasol, rather than a goofy little kid 'stealing' the 'masters' tobacco.... Still a bit weird, though.

[air-and-angels.livejournal.com]

In New Zealand there's a chocolate-coated ice-cream on a stick called 'Topsy,' and as late as the 1980s (when I was a kid) its ads featured a cute little black girl in a red and white polka-dot dress. Reggae and the Cosby Show were both popular at the time and I think, if I considered it at all as a kid, I just assumed the mascot was part of the same sort of thing (hey, black people are cute and fun!). It wasn't until I was at university and reading Uncle Tom's Cabin that I put two and two together and had my mind blown. (What's especially mind-boggling is that a Topsy ice-cream is vanilla in a chocolate shell. Was the ice-cream company calling Topsy an Oreo?)
I also finally understood why people said that something was 'growing like Topsy.' That's also still an expression here, albeit one used by the older generation.
When I read the passage comparing Topsy and angelic little Eva, I got so irritated. I wanted to take Topsy to one side and tell her she had about eighteen times the spunk of Eva, plus the advantage of not being destined for a morally uplifting Little Nell death, so she should never EVER feel inferior no matter WHAT the narrator said.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I never ever connected the name of Topsy ice-cream sticks with the character Topsy, and I used to buy them sometimes as a kid. I suppose I thought the name was a cutesy riff on Tip-Top ice-cream. :-( Do they still exist?

[air-and-angels.livejournal.com]

They still do, but the mascot is no longer used.
I did some research and apparently the Topsy was named after a Tip-Top founder's favourite COW, so maybe the connection is not what I thought. I'd be kind of relieved if that were the case.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too. :-)

[fynoda.livejournal.com]

THIS NEEDS THE "OH LAWD" TAG. Please add it XD.

Interesting post~.

[carriepika.livejournal.com]

I know it's entirely inappropriate in this day and age, but if you take a moment or two to just appreciate the ad for what it is, indignation over racisms from the time aside... there's actually something strangely charming about the first one! I'm not sure if it's the pose she's in, her style of clothing, the style of the art or possibly a combination of the three, but it's actually a very eye-catching little advert, even as simple as it is.

[spooky.livejournal.com]

agreed!