Monday, February 25, 2013
Obscurity of the Day: Mr. Griper
We seldom cover ad strips here, but this one, submitted by Mark Johnson, gave me a chuckle. Mr. Griper was a weekly strip, sponsored by the Central Bank of Yonkers, that was intended to boost their city to the residents. I really get a kick over Mr. Griper doing what he evidently does best, ragging away on Yonkers. Invariably he does this in front of someone who thinks the city is just the peachiest-keeniest. In the face of a dissenting opinion, Mr. Griper's spine instantly melts and he's all of a sudden just ka-razy about Yonkers himself.
Mr. Griper ran from September 9 to December 9 1950 in the Yonkers Herald-Statesman, with one strip repeated on December 18th. The credited creators, John Mason and Martin Slaughter, are unknown to me (but not to Alex Jay, sleuth extraordinaire, who weighs in tomorrow on this dynamic duo).
Thanks for the samples Mark!
Labels: Advertising Strips, Obscurities
