The Coppertone Girl Is a Little Creepy, Right? Just a Little?

[yuiyoshida]

Hey, parents! Have you always dreamed of your daughter being known worldwide as an oddly sexualized orange baby whose pants are eternally being eaten off by a dog? Well, your day has come, my friend! Merck & Company is reviving their classic "Coppertone girl" campaign with the "Little Miss Coppertone" contest. The winner gets to show their butt on the internet. Forever.

Through June 22, parents can submit photos of their daughters aged 2-7 (sons are BANNED!!!) to the Little Miss Coppertone Facebook page, where other parents and, uh, sunburned baby enthusiasts, can comment and bicker. Then a panel of judges, including some lady, will choose the finalists.

Revival campaigns like this one use the power of nostalgia as a marketing tool, says one Merck executive:

The contest is another example of what has been called comfort marketing, as Madison Avenue revives, with modern-day twists, familiar brand characters, jingles, slogans and ads. The goal is to appeal to consumers during today's tough times with soothing content but update it to reassure shoppers the products meet today's needs.

"Not only is she a famous trademark, she is a love mark," he said, and has "become a part of the fabric of the American summer."

"Love mark." Ew! (Weirdly, they've decided not to revive the "comforting" tagline, "Don't be a paleface!" )

https://jezebel.com/5907430/the-coppertone-girl-is-a-little-creepy-right-just-a-little''

Yeah this isn't recent but still interesting!

[hlthe2b]

1. Times are differerent; Now, this is just catnip for pedophiles.

[yuiyoshida]

2. justa...little differnet

[Polly Hennessey]

3. Never thought much of it at the time.

It was a cute picture that showed tan lines. Times truly are different now.

[yuiyoshida]

5. Yeah , today a man can run for Senate in the Republican party

on those credentials alone!

[bdamomma]

14. yea for sure

nt

[Ohiogal]

4. I always did find this creepy.

Or maybe a better word would be "inappropriate"? Especially the idea that it is somehow a "beloved" ad from yesteryear.

[yuiyoshida]

6. beloved ad... like

Aunt Jamima newspaper ads...

[catrose]

11. Me too

And I wasn't much older than she was. Maybe that's why. Coppertone, I really wouldn't go there again, if I were you.

[dlk]

7. The Sexualization of Children Begins Early

Given the high percentages of American children who are sexually abused, this ad campaign is a very poor idea to sell sunscreen. Is the marketing department too lazy to come up with a clever new idea?

[MichMary]

9. Beyond the sexualization,

the whole sunburn thing is just awful. Malignant melanoma in the making. My grandkids don't go outside unless they are slathered with sunscreen, like mayo on a bologna sandwich.

[MichMary]

10. I just wish they could bring back

the Hamm's beer commercial.

From the land of sky-blue wa-a-ters . . .

[yuiyoshida]

15. Even BETTER!

[sammythecat]

25. I liked that one too! n/t

[PasadenaTrudy]

32. Here ya go...

[MichMary]

34. Thanks!

Great trip down memory lane!

[lagomorph777]

12. OMG I thought you were going to say they are retiring her.

That is gross. These people are idiots.

[tanyev]

13. I had a co-worker who loved a photo of several naked babies holding onto a bathtub.

All you could see were their backsides. She said something like, "I could just eat them up!" Now she was a grandmotherly type, so I absolutely do not think her reaction improper in a sexual way, but it still struck me as very odd. Then again, I am a happily childless woman who doesn't think human babies are irresistibly adorable, so what do I know?

[PasadenaTrudy]

33. I'm childfree too

and haven't never understood the eating them up comment. Yuck.

[procon]

16. As a young girl, I can remember boys pointing and snickering at the huge,

half-naked Coppertone Girl ad on a billboard that could be seen from our schoolyard. It made me feel very uncomfortable, but that was the "Mad Men" era and all females, even toddlers, were treated as brainless sex objects for men.

[yuiyoshida]

18. kinda like our current

President. What a disgusting fool he is too!

[procon]

21. Yeah, Trump grew up in that era too, but he never outgrew it and matured or

changed with the times. He still has that same neanderthal, sexist attitude and he's too old and set in his ways to ever change now.

[lapfog_1]

30. I think the sexualization of this ad went on for some time

I even vaguely remember a Playboy cover that spoofed the ad.

[MineralMan]

17. Well, since that's six years old, I imagine that the contest is over.

Who won? Did the company revive that ad concept? I think they abandoned it, due to objections at the time.

After a little research, I discovered who won that "Little Miss Coppertone" contest, and watched a video of the photo shoot, which was done in 2014. No dog. No bare bottom.

https://vimeo.com/97948228

[yuiyoshida]

19. I would think the contestant's moms

would probably not want to reveal what they did, but I could be wrong.

[MineralMan]

20. Look again. There was a winner, but there was no bare bottom.

It was just a publicity campaign. The old ad was never duplicated at all. I added the video of the actual 2014 photo shoot above.

I remember those original ads, actually, from the time. I saw a billboard or two in California. I don't remember being shocked by them, but that was a different time.

[crazycatlady]

24. Everything in that video is age appropriate

She was dressed like any other kid her age at the beach (if not more with the coverup on).

I've seen worse on Toddlers and Tiaras.

[MineralMan]

26. Well, time has passed, and that image is no longer used

in advertising that product. It bothered some people. Once it bothered enough people, it was dropped. It's not the 1950s any more. Advertising, more than any other business, tries to keep up with the times.

It's all in the eye of the beholder, really, and those beholders are potential customers.

[crazycatlady]

27. I was referring to the video with the little girl

I do agree that in 2018 the 1950s cartoon girl with the bare butt is not appropriate.

[MineralMan]

28. OK, I see. I agree.

Apparently, that company had similar contests every few years. I understand that Jodie Foster was once the model for one of the swimsuit/bare bottom versions. Funny!

[Dreamer Tatum]

22. Thanks for reminding me I forgot to be outraged about that years ago. nt

[yuiyoshida]

23. Yeah I posted it

but I didn't write it..

[LanternWaste]

31. Oh noes!!! An article on the internet can do so much to so many with so little.

Oh noes!!! An article on the internet can do so much to so many with so little.

The important thing is we minimize and trivialize it to illustrate how evolved we truly, truly are.

[cwydro]

35. Me too.

I remember seeing it on billboards on the way to the beach as a kid.

Meant nothing to me except “yay we’re on the way to the beach!”

[SharonClark]

29. Why wasn't this posted under "Too Little Too Late, Could Care Less" forum?