The Red Box Fantasy

1935
Sound
3m

A colourful cavalcade of cancer sticks, in this 1930s cinema ad

Roll up, roll-ups, for the colourful cavalcade of cancer sticks. This 1935 cinema advert makes full use of the virtues of the Gasparcolor palette. The idea was not original, having already been used by Oskar Fischinger for Muratti cigarettes the previous year, but French animator Paul Bianchi adds his own touches. It should perhaps go without saying that the idea that these cigarettes were good for your throat was a.... well, Craven lie.

Advertisement for "Craven A" cigarettes featuring stop motion cigarettes and packets in a circus type arena.

Animated Ads

British animation won great success as an entertainer, but it has long had a lucrative second career in sales

In cinemas and on TV, animated adverts have frequently outshone the main attraction. In the early days of the cinema, animated ads were often relative epics, with five-minute comic encounters leading to a pack-shot punchline. The arrival of commercial television in 1955 brought the animated ad down to bite-size, but if anything they packed an even harder punch. Advertisers found that animation could soften the edges of a hard sell approach, and bring cartoon brand characters to life.