Quaker Oats, 1941

[medren.livejournal.com]

In 5 years, Mother will be telling poor Janie she's "filled out" too much. Also, the Quaker guy looks even creepier than he does today.

Comments

[flummoxicated.livejournal.com]

That's the Quaker Oats guy? I thought it was Liberace!

[thejackaolf.livejournal.com]

I think they took a stereotypical cigar chief slapped the wig,hat and outfit on him and called it a day.

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

Wait, what's "Mother's Oats"?

[janenx01.livejournal.com]

Oatmeal made with breast milk.

[spuzzlightyear.livejournal.com]

lol

[herbadness.livejournal.com]

What's with this '136 out of 142 of leading dieticians' numbers? Couldn't they round it up? Or get more opinions? Or isn't it 'digestible' enough?

hahahah!

[radteacherally.livejournal.com]

People don't worry about "puny" kids anymore do they?

Re: hahahah!

[jazzybabe56.livejournal.com]

there's very few of them in N. America anymore.....;)

Re: hahahah!

[charlotterhys.livejournal.com]

No, it's still a problem sometimes that needs to be fixed. I know one of my cousins, who's ten, has always been 'puny' and looks underfed all the time, even though he's healthy. Just skinny and redheaded.

Sometimes you do still get kids who have a hard time putting weight on, which is needful when you're a kid.

[keristars.livejournal.com]

This is 1941, so advertised to folks whose kids were practically starving during the depression years (which didn't fully go away for many until the height of the War), as being a good and filling food for not a lot of money? Kind of makes sense to me...I vaguely recall similar things about food in Europe after the war.

yep...

[radteacherally.livejournal.com]

I think it could happen again if the unemployment rate gets any worse.
I'm a single woman and I have a hard time feeding myself...I can't imagine how difficult it is to feed kids for families who are struggling.

[baron154.livejournal.com]

It's weird from a modern perspective- at first you think she's yelling about how the kid's a fatty in a mean way.

But apparently it's good news. The woman still looks manic and freaky, though.

[whoseline_wlsc]

Egads, the Quaker man is a lot creepier!
How the times have changed though. Now, it seems like gaining weight is always a bad thing.

[thebazu.livejournal.com]

yes- can you imagine if oatmeal were advertised today as helping to put on weight? now it's all about fiber and filling and lowering cholesterol.

[vp19.livejournal.com]

Janie OD'd on the oats, and eventually wound up as a strapping six-foot Amazon.

(Note that even in 1941, "whole grain" was a selling point. Everything old is new again.)

P.S. That is one creepy-looking Quaker...a glad-handing Chamber of Commerce type who'd just love to sell you some life insurance.