PINUP GIRL ADVERTISING MATCHBOOKS
PINUP GIRL ADVERTISING MATCHBOOKS
Believe it or not, the pinup girl genre dates way back to the 1860's!
They made their first appearance on advertising matches in the 1930's and gained popularity during World War II when the image of a gorgeous girl temporarily took the soldiers' mind off the war by acting as their only link to their world back home.
Their selection of pinup's took the form of a lithographed pinup calendar, an advertising matchbook, or a print ad that featured a pinup that was torn out of an American or European magazine. Most GI's in the service had their favorite taped inside their footlocker lid.
These fantasy women were first known as 'Petty Girls', named after the artist George Petty, which were popularized by Esquire Magazine's ribald cartoons during the 1940's and 50's. The depictions of scantily clad and voluptuous women were featured in magazine calendars, centerfolds, cartoons, advertisements for cigarettes and cars and many were painted on WW II warplanes!
In the late 1950's and early '60's the attitude and fashion of vintage pinup girls went mainstream quickly moving from the centerfold straight to the front cover. Millions of advertising matches were distributed by every category of business that ran the gamut from Gas Stations, Bars, Restaurants, Hotels/Motels, Florists, Jewelers, Retailers, Trucking Companies, Car Companies, etc. The advertisements were initially drawn with illustrations by renowned pin up artists Rolf Armstrong, and Gil Elvgren and Vargas. Later photos of real models and movies featured pin up girls in their provocative poses and fashions. Marilyn Monroe who was Earl Morans' favorite model before and after she became a movie star, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Esther Williams, Jane Mansfield and last but not least; the "edgier" Miss Bettie Page
Pin up fashion and art has proven to be resilient. Over the past several years independent burlesque troupes have exhibited at mainstream venues in every major city, as well as a resurgence of Rockabilly fashion, Retro "Hot Rod" magazine style pin up fashion in which many young people mix with their interests in music, hair styles, tattoos, hot rod culture and retro motorcycle fashion
Pinup girls, pinup art along with pinup style and pinup fashion's resurgence has been confirmed by being featured once again in movies and magazine ads, as well as being adopted by pop singers like Katy Perry, among other celebrities like the cult figure Dita Von Teese.
New books and related images are being published featuring the great artists of the past. Original paintings are highly sought after and commanding sale prices that reach into the ten of thousands of dollars at auction! This wonderful American art form hasn’t received this much attention, or enjoyed as much popularity since it’s heyday from the 30’s to the 50’s.
To order your own pin Up matches to promote your business be sure to get in touch with TheMatchGroup or call one of our experienced "match makers" at 800.605.7331.
SPY MAGAZINE MARCH 1990 SCOOP White House Matches MADE IN CANADA! with quote from Joe Danon
Hilarious mention in Spy Magazine March 1990 Naked City Column exposing the fact that the White House's Official Presidential match books (for then Pres. George Bush Sr,) were produced in Canada!
At that time, I was the NY Sales Manager at the now defunct Universal Match Corp. that had recently moved it's last remaining US match factory to Canada from Hudson NY. I was quoted in the article responding to the intrepid reporter's question re. "The ominous legend printed on the bottom of the White House's matches that stated "Made in Canada" and "the potential firestorm of controversy" that it may cause. I told him "that we made the type very small and discrete as we were aware that we were dealing with a national symbol so we took precautions."
Then the writer contacted the White House spokesperson and she acknowledged that the matches were foreign made but was otherwise tight lipped about the situation...
Spy Magazine was a very funny satirical publication. If you're a fan of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, that magazine would be considered the journalistic equivalent to today's Daily Show.
Ahh good times, good times.
Call TheMatchGroup to order your branded matches at 800.605.7331. www.GetMatches.com.
The New York Times MATCHBOOK ADS Succeed For Lawyer
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/18/nyregion/matchbook-ads-succeed-for-lawyer.html?smid=pl-share
A clipping of an old New York Times article circa early '90's featuring Edward Horn, a New York lawyer who stated that he doesn't believe in promoting smoking but was thrilled with the ROI that his law firm's advertising matches provided. They proved their effectiveness as a targeted distributed form of advertising. After he compared the money that he'd spent on radio and print advertising campaigns, he was surprised that those campaigns brought in far fewer new clients than from the volume of calls that he received from people who received his advertising matchbooks!
Order your advertising matches from TheMatchGroup at www.getmatches.com or Call 800 605 7331 now!
Process of Buying Advertising Matches
Frequently Asked questions:
Q: What is the minimum order quantity for custom printed match books or match boxes?
A: 5,000 (2 cases) match books or 5,000 (2 cases) match boxes
Q: If I order more than the minimum is there a price discount?
A: Yes, we offer price breaks at 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, 50,000, 100,000 and 250,000 units.
Q: How do I get my logo and ad copy to you so that you can print my matches?
A: We requite a high resolution PDF or .eps file with all fonts outlined, however if you don't have access to such a file from your graphic artists, then we can accept a clean hard copy of your logo for us to scan.
Q: Do you provide a final proof for me to approve, prior to printing?
A) Yes, we provide an electronic PDF that is emailed for you to approve for color and position of your art as well as the type/ad copy for any misspellings or typos.
Q: How long does it take for me to get my matches after proof is approved?
A: If you order our US Quick Ship items such as our 20 stem or 30 stem paper match books or our 10 stick or 20 stick wooden match boxes the lead time is 10-12 working days after proof approval. However, we do offer a range of Japanese produced match books and match boxes in unusual shapes and sizes including cigar and candle matches 4" in length that ship is about 12 weeks after proof approval.
Call us at 800.605.7331 or email us at strike@getmatches.com to get more info or to place your order today!