What a Character!: 20th Century American Advertising Icons [Paperback]

Warren Dotz (Author), Jim Morton (Author), John William Lund (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

From the Jolly Green Giant to bumbling Cap'n Crunch, advertising characters are as much a part of twentieth-century America as the familiar products they symbolize. Culled from one of the world's most extensive collections of promotional product icons, What a Character! presents a nostalgic assortment of advertising figures, including some of the most popular characters ever created. Lively, full-color photographs and an informative text offer an entertaining look at the remarkable history and enduring design of these pop culture icons, with their timeless appeal for consumers of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Warren Dotz is a Berkeley, California-based author, consultant, and popular culture historian. His collection of advertising characters is one of the largest in existence.

Jim Morton is the publisher and editor of Pop Void, a journal of popular culture and its consequences. He lives and works in San Francisco.

John William Lund is an award-winning still-life photographer based in San Francisco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811809366
• ISBN-13: 978-0811809368
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #817,524 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super Snappy!, May 23, 2000

By 

Michelle M. King (San Francisco, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What a Character!: 20th Century American Advertising Icons (Paperback)

I love this book and love giving it as a gift as well. The thick colored photographs glorify these quirky, spooky, adorable, impish, goofy figures. This is not just another boomer collector on my kitchy 50's coffee table book. Oh no! The writing is musical, provocative and sociologically insightful. I'll never look at an advertising character again in the same way. Chronicle does tasteful stuff but this book with it's tribe of characters is a yummier feast for those who long for magic from our breakfast cereal and motor oil and in moments once spent between the twilight zone and Mr. Clean . Bye bye kittie!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small folk, big sellers, January 19, 2002

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What a Character!: 20th Century American Advertising Icons (Paperback)

This delightful book of at least three hundred photos of advertising characters shows the public face of commercial America. Companies realised that a three-dimensional figure built brand awareness. Look through the photos and you have to admit they do look cute and so very collectable too.

This book is the author's second attempt at the same subject, he wrote an earlier book called 'Advertising Character Collectibles', more or less the same items in each book but the earlier copy had perhaps a bit more historical detail about the companies. I prefer 'What a Character', the photography and design are so much better and I think these count for a lot in a strongly visual book.

Both books have a photo of the character I would love to have, the Kraft Cameraman from Kraft Television Theatre. Yours for fifty cents and the end flap from a Velveeta carton in 1954, yours now for at least $100 without the end flap!

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift for the bright and quirky, June 11, 2001

By 

Bruce_in_LA "reader_in_LA" (los angeles, ca United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What a Character!: 20th Century American Advertising Icons (Paperback)

I ran across this book in a offbeat-stuff boutique and couldn't put it down. An amazingly comprehensive view of all kinds of advertising characters over a century. This can't help bring back childhood memories, whether you're 20 or 85. And the writing is quite interesting as well. This one quickly made my gift list for some hard-to-choose person's birthday or christmas.