timeless vintage logo #10 Petit Bateau

For this new issue of my posts about evergreen vintage logos, I am going to present you one of most French brand: Petit Bateau! This summer I left Paris for coming back in Italy - as usual - with a new Petit Bateau lined swimwear: I always dreamed to have it but the rainy weather of Paris always frustrated my desires considering silly to buy a swimwear with 15°C outside... and when the summer suddenly came, it was always out of stocks in the shops! This time I took decision to not risk again and in March I have already secured one for me! And while I was waiting for wearing it, I made a special stamp with which I decorated a cotton bag for my dreamed swimwear...

I always considered Petit Bateau a classic of the French style but I was not aware of its age and achievements. I discovered indeed that this brand has a long history beyond it. It was founded by Pierre Valton in 1893 under the name of Valton & Fils in Troyes and it was originally a producer of hosiery. In 1918 Valton had the idea to create a new kind of underwear: until then, all underpants were long and  included legs; the innovative idea of Valton was to cut off legs and to produce, by this way, the first modern pants. The second big innovation of this brand was to create a new working method to produce the typical lined jersey, which nowadays is associated with marine style, able to resist to high temperature washes.

A curious story is linked with the adoption of the name of Petit Bateau. According with the corporate story of this firm, the idea to produce pants without legs pop up in the head of Valton while singing an old French song that says "Maman les p'tits bateaux, qui vont sur l'eau ont-ils des jambes?" (Mammy, have the little boats, which go on the water, they too their legs?). Since than, a little boat became the logo and the name of one of most famous producers of hosiery and underwear in the world, almost a French flag internationally recognized.

For long-time Petit Bateau was chiefly a brand for little ones. The fortune of this firm was indeed built focusing progressively their products on the market for kids and babies, after the starting as adult hosiery producers at the end of XIX century. Only recently, Petit Bateau extended its wears to adults, but it curiously kept sizes as given for children. For instance, an XS corresponds to 12 years, S to 14 years, M to 16 years and so forth up to 20 years that means XL /as shown below). Funny, by this way I still consider to be only 14 years old!

timeless vintage logo #9 Calimero

For this new issue of my posts dedicated to timeless vintage logos, I'm here glad to introduce Calimero. In this case, Calimero is not really a logo: this cute mascot was the principal character of tv commercial advertising of "Ava", an Italian vintage laundry soap. Between late 1950s and 1970s commercial advertisings in the Italian TV were concentrated in special space of 10 minuts per days (from 20h50 to 21h00) called "Carosello" and each advertising was in the form of a quick humorist sketch or cartoon.  That was the real appointment for little ones, which looked forward to see Carosello before going bed. Each firm had its own mascot as commercial testimonial. Calimero in this case survived and took autonomy from its original advertising nature, and became afterward a popular cartoon diffused in many country all over the world.

Each episode of Calimero had more or less the same plot: Calimero, after having made countless troubles, ended up with complaining and grieving over his sorrow while claiming that nobody wants him because he was "little and black". As soon as these words were pronounced, a voice-over reassured the little chick saying "Calimero, you are not black, you are only dirty" and with AVA Calimero was cleaned up are restored in his original color. That's true, today this plot seems rather racist: the fact that to point out that to be dirty is better than to be black is offensive indeed. Yet this is  partially confuted by that fact that Calimero in white is too ugly; really much better in black!

Aside this little downside, Calimero became a real character of the modern pop culture, and personified a typical human behavior to feel sorry for ourselves. All of us, at least one time in the life, tried to blame external causes about life downturns, as Calimero, instead to adopt an auto-critical reply. The idea to be subject to an injustice independent of our mighty makes us feeling better than to admit our limits and to try to ameliorate them. This is why Calimero survived during times and became the symbol of an attitude. And I had also fun to make a rubber stamp with his shape and I hope you like it!

timeless vintage logo #8 Alsa

Also for this special issue of my blog dedicated to vintage logo we stay in Alsace. Sometime ago, when I was looking for a nice logo feature here, I discovered this cute enterprise, founded in Nancy in 1897: Alsa. I've chosen this brand following a two-fold consideration:

First, the core business of this firm is linked with the production of sweeties. Leaven powder, preparation for cookies and cakes, vanilla sugar etc... as soon as I've found Alsa's leaven bags at grocery's I made some muffins!

Second, Alsa's bags are so cute: rose since late XIX century, the little stylish Alsatian woman gave me the idea to carve a stamp with her shape... I hope you like it!!

timeless vintage brands #7 Haribo

After having showed the amazing world of handcrafted candies, here I'd like stay on the line to this sugary world... Indeed I'm glad to dedicate this 7th issue of timeless vintage logos to HARIBO, maybe the standing confectionery producer over the world. Gummy bears, cola twist, liquorice wheels, starmix etc... this hall of fame of candies belongs to Haribo! I'm sure that everyone of you was, at least for a short time in her or his life, a sound addicted of one of these gummy delicious sweeties!

This brand was born almost a century ago: HAns RIegel of BOnn, HA-RI-BO, created its firm of candies in Germany in 1920. As soon as in 1922 the first "tanzbär" (litterally "dancing bear") was created: it was the ancestor of the actual "Gold-Bear", a cult candy for children and grown-up ones! In a certain way, these candies were one of first attempts of popular mass candies: in a period of economic and social crisis, such as the post WWI Germany, these funny bears represented an inexpensive drop of happiness!

Yet the most funny aspect that I experienced is the Haribo is the most French of German firms. My apologized for the game with words, but the rivalry between French and German people is notorious; in spite of that, Haribo is the leading producers of bonbons in France! Since 1967, when Haribo took over some French producers, it started also a production of a "vedette" candy, that was shortly assimilated as a French flagship: the Fraise Tagada, a guimauve with the flavor of strawberry coated with red sugar. Tagadas are as ingrained in French culture to such extend that it was calculated that one of them is eaten every second here! I guess that Tagadas are sold in other countries under the name of Primavera (Italy and Germany for instance) or Strawbs (UK and US). If you find them in your country, try them!

timeless vintage brands #6 Snuggle

Today for me was the "washing day". Indeed, I've not any washer at home, and, usually, I need to spend whole afternoons in the coin-operated laundry on the doorstep for doing the washing. But today, my time was not totally wasted. As soon as I crossed the laundry's threshold this afternoon, I've promptly recognized something a new but familiar at the same time: the soap dispenser was re-settled to sale a new kind of softener and its panel has been covered with a huge sticker of "cajoline". Cajoline is the French name for "snuggle", in Italy we call it "coccolino"... and it remembered me too much my childhood! Shortly, a new argument for my special issue dedicated to vintage timeless brands was dropped in my mind! Indeed, as soon as I finished to dry my scented clothes, I hand-carved the logo of snuggle, making a special stamp that you can see in the pics of this post; I hope you like it!

Watching again today the old commercials of snuggle from 1980s (a lot of them are available here - in French), I remembered all the efforts made by my grandma to please my desire to have this cute character of the TV. During my childhood, indeed, in Italy (but I guess also in other countries) it was possible to win the teddy-bear accumulating points. A lot of points. I think that at the end my grandma obtained the bear only thanks to a friend of her, who has a little stock of promotional teddy-bear because she was the owner of a grocery... But, this was not exactly a happy end: indeed the toy revealed to not be at all the cute and softy teddy-bear of the adversing. It seemed more to an evil woo-do doll, very rigid and mangy. I think that, fearing it could become alive, I enclosed it into a drawer, without even considering the possibility to play or sleep with it. I read that still today an accumulation of point exists for having the little bear... and in the pic it seems really cute; what should I do, to try again my chance to obtain this white teddy-bear?

Timeless vintage brands #5 Lemonhead candies

After the summer pause, it comes the time to restart my periodical special issues. And, here I'm glad to announce a new entry of my issues dedicated to timeless vintage brands: Lemonhead candies! Lemonheads come from the beginnings of Sixties, and they are a creation of Ferrara pan, an American brand specialised in the production of colourful candies. I personally consider these candies as a landmark of modern sweet art, just as the Brionvega is for radios! For more information about these little, yellow drops of lemon, take a look to their website here.

I discovered this cute logo quite willy-nilly some time ago, while I was just spending my spare-time browsing the net; and when I see this cute logo representing a droll man whose head has the shape of a big yellow lemon, I cannot avoid myself to turn it into a combined rubber stamp! The pics in this post show the outcome of my fascination for this logo... Indeed, I find it very funny, and it is a pity that they are not easy to be found here in France... indeed I never tried them, at least for the moment.

Timeless vintage brands #4 Ladybird books

For the last issue of this series of post dedicated to timeless vintage brands, I was glad to present you the Penguin Books' logo and to tell you about the history of this publishing company... and for this current issue I wanted to continue this cultural branch and, following a very precious suggestion received on flickr by a friend of mine, I took decision to hand carve the amazing logo of Ladybird Books limited! I have to admit that, in spite of the fact that it is an old and well established enterprise, I had never heard this company before but, since I've discovered it, I've fallen in love with its wonderful logo! And to show this new love of mine, here some pics of Ladybird hand carved rubber stamps...

According with its official website, Ladybird published books for children since 1915, when Wills & Hepworth (the former name of Ladybird Books) published a large variety of fairy tales or ABC picture books under the imprint "A Ladybird Series". I was not able to find why they have chosen a ladybird as logo, no evidence about it is available on the net, but what I learn is that this brand became in England a kind of synonymous of childhood education since 1940s, when the Ladybird invented a new standard in books for children with 30 x 40 inches and 56 pages format, a cheap price, and a such as quality in writing and drawing able to stimulate little ones' curiosity and imagination (other than the mine... ;)). More than their official website, some other site are dedicated to this children books publishing company: check them out here and another one here...

Timeless vintage brands #3 Penguin Books

Strolling around the dusty shelves of one of best bookstores of Paris, Shakespeare and Company, I discovered in a little display case an old book published by Penguin in 1938... and I was really surprised about, firstly, the fact that this publisher exists since a lot of time ago and, secondly, its logo, which has changed since then... Indeed, bringing the book at home with me, I became curious about the history of this publisher and of its wonderful logo, a great sample of timeless vintage brands about which I'm writing latterly...

Still during 1930s, good books were expensive, and people for reading them had to be either rich or have a library card. The only popular-price books available on the market were "lurid" fictions almost without cultural qualities... or at least that was what Allen Lane - the creator of Penguin Books - stated one day when, coming back in London from a journey to Agatha Christie's house in Devon, wanted to buy a book for the travel but did not found any good book in the station store... so his idea was to contribute to create a new type of books: the modern paperbacks! That's a good book that does not cost more than a cigarette pack. Following this idea, Penguin was incorporated in 1935, the original price of each book was 6 pennies, and since them it has as mark a little penguin on the front-page and on the spine...

What attired my curiosity is: why a penguin? Well, according with the website of the publisher, Allen Lane was consciousness about the novelty represented by the new brand and for it he desired a "dignified but flippant" symbol for distinguish his books, and a secretary of him simply suggested to use a penguin... indeed I find this logo really flippant, for that I took decision to hand carve a rubber stamp of it and to use it for my bookmarks! I hope you like them, you can find them on my etsy!

Timeless vintage brands #2 Mr. Peanut

I stumble upon Mr. Peanut while I was looking for another timeless vintage logo to be featured on this special column of my blog. More than to be caught by its design, which I love for its simplicity and imaginary, I have to say that I was also very impressed by the history behind this brand. The founder of Planters was an Italian immigrant in US, named Amedeo Obici, who was run away from poverty of his country at the end of XIX century. When he was only 11 years old he moved from Italy to US to reach an uncle who lived in Pennsylvania after the died of his father. Once he arrived in US he did not find his uncle for a misunderstanding about the date of his arrival and he started to cry desperately because he was not even able to ask for a help in English... a policeman, according to his history, offered him some peanuts in order to calm him... Some years later Amedeo founded the first firm in US to sell toasted and salted peanuts in small packets, and he raised an economic empire upon this snack.

But also the logo has a surprising history that merits to be told. After having been founded, the Planters needed a logo to improve its image amongst customers. And, in order to find the right logo to attract more buyers, Planters launched a public contest: this contest was won by a schoolboy, he too Italian, named Antonio Gentile who imagined a Peanut with spats, white gloves, top hat, monocle and cane, a kind of aristocrat gentleman of snacks. These original intuitions of two Italian young boys produced one best example of timeless logo in world advertising history... and maybe the most Italian of international snack brands!

And I hope you like the rubber stamp that I carved with this logo, with which I produced some little paper bags that you can find on my etsy.

Timeless vintage brands #1 Utz chips

Some times ago, while I was watching an episode of Mad Men - a TV series sets in 1960s that tells about a fiction advertising company called Sterling & Cooper - I get a huge inspiration. More than to follow passionately the story of its controversial characters (such as the charming Don Draper) and to have good cues about the hypocrisies of a society such as the 1960s' one, this series is for me a continuous source of historical knowledge about logos and brands. Some of them are for me simply wonderful for their cuteness and grace, a kind of quintessence of how a logo should be. For instance, I discovered the logo of Utz chips: I had never seen it before, nor ever tried them, but the little girl who represents is really modern, able to express a high grade of simplification that is, using Leonardo da Vinci's words, the "ultimate form of sophistication". And my idea was that: to open a little space in this blog in which I show hand carved rubber stamps inspired directly from timeless vintage brands...

And using this hand carved rubber stamps I produces some tags, to be used for instance as bookmarks, that you can find on my etsy. I hope you like them...