Dolly Put the Kettle On

1947
Sound
2m

A spurned doll turns knife-wielding femme fatale when she doesn't get her teddy bear, in this cartoon cinema ad for tea

We all know it's tea for two, not three. But when the teddy bear chooses just one of his two suitors because of her hot beverage provision, the affections of the spurned doll turn to knife-wielding jealousy. A heady mix of melodrama, child's play and salesmanship, this cartoon cinema ad for tea is another neat animation from the Halas & Batchelor production company.

Cartoon by well known tea manufacturer - Brooke Bond.

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.