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.

What Women Want?

Caring mums, hard-working housewives or independent, fun-loving 'new women' - the female consumer has long been a target of screen advertising.

In the cause of selling anything from baked beans to washing powders to all manner of labour-saving devices, advertisers have promised to make women's lives easier and to help them build happy homes and successful relationships.

There's no getting past the fact that women have all-too often been patronised and objectified by a male-dominated advertising industry. But screen advertising also tells (and sells) a more positive story of social progress for women, with increasing social and economic independence. This collection tracks the ups and downs of female empowerment in the 20th century, with its false steps as revealing as its forward ones.