Friday, October 8, 2010

Mad Men & Crazy Critters, 9th episode: Carosello

Sepo, promotional ad for Studio Maga, 1923

Two weeks ago I received an unexpected offer to teach two extra courses in typography and advertising!
Been very busy ever since preparing the materials, which lead us to today's offerings. 

Studio Maga postcard for Aquila needles and tools for stockings 

 Gino Boccasile, 1940, Italian Transcontinental Airlines

Arces Landenna, Liquore Strega, 1955

When I was a child, growing up in 1960s-70s Italy, it was a common ritual and family routine for children
 to be sent to sleep after Carosello. This unmissable variety show was our pleasant fix of daily brandwashing: 
theatrical interlude with fanfare introduced the comedic and musical feast, an ever-changing carousel 
of cleverly crafted advertising spots, all reliably broadcast between 8:50 and 9:00pm, everyday from 
1957 to1977. Various animation styles and techniques were featured, often done on the cheap but 
with a lot of wit and fantasy, and peopled by popular characters like CalimeroCaballero e Carmencita, 
Pippo l'ippopotamoLa Linea and my favorite, the fabulous Fernet Branca claymation
Yes, those were the days! 


Erberto Carboni, ads for Bertolli olive oil and egg pasta Barilla. early 1950s

 Hope you enjoy these graphic remnants of the long lost glory of our Belpaese's 
advertising art, Animalarium's little retro hommage to Carosello!


Two Olivetti birds: the first by Marcello Nizzoli for Lexicon, 1949,
the second by Giovanni Pintori for Lettera, ten years later.

Sepo, ad for Cavallino Rosso, 1953


F. Barducci, logo for Agipgas, 1953, and Agip's logo 
in the redesigned version by Bob Noorda, 1972

Armando Testa, ad for Pirelli, 1955

 Sergio Ruffolo ad for Italian broadcasting company RAI, 1969

BTW, can you believe that Mad Men 4 has already reached episode 11?
I am so unashamedly addicted!

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