SUNDAY DRIVES

About the Book

The Burma-Shave craze reached its zenith during the 1950s, with more than 7,000 signs posted across the United States.

To market Burma-Shave, Allen Odell, an advertising wordsmith, devised the concept of sequential signs to sell his shaving cream. Typically, six signs were erected, with each of the first five containing a line of verse, and the sixth trumpeting the brand name.

Burma-Shave signs appeared in every state except Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. The creative people at Burma-Shave, as well as customers who sent in jingles of their own, ultimately created more than 600 of the rhymes.

In the world of advertising, Burma-Shave stood as unique, creating signs that became a part of the popular culture.

Although the Burma-Shave company is no more, these fun little rhymes hold great nostalgic value for those of use who fondly remember them from our Sunday drives.

About the Author

Michael Larson has been a journalist for more than 30 years. During his career, he worked as an editor and a managing editor for a number of top-quality daily newspapers. He now teaches journalism students at St. Cloud State University and at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Jill Larson Sundberg runs Access Marketing Systems in Bloomington, Minn., and sells gift items and books to retailers all over the Upper Midwest. She is the author of My Red Hat, My Red Hattitudes, and Babes Remember, which she wrote in collaboration with Michael Larson.