Oreo Billboard, Southern California, 1955
An enormous package of Oreo cookies jumping out of a TV, two giant little girls and white-lined red letters, spelling out what is short for National Biscuit Company, simply dwarf a sideswiped 1940 Dodge.
The giant little girls are properly dressed alike for TV viewing in matching puffed sleeved blouses and powder blue hair bows. One controls the TV while the other controls the Oreos. They are both about to take a bite out of the Americana sweet treat sensation they are suggesting we switch to.
Oreos are and have always been, hands down, my favorite mass-produced cookie. Apparently, I’m not the only one. The crispy, creamy-dreamy combo of firm yet soft, sweet mystery fatty matter joining two crunchy, munchy, chocolate mini-man manhole covers is considered by cookie connoisseurs to be the number one cookie of all time. Nobody seems to know where the name Oreo came from. In case you are eating one and you forget the name, that’s not a problem. Each Oreo has the name stamped on it and baked right in. This is the cookie that advertises itself all the way to your mouth. What marketing genius thought of that?
It was 1912 when the original Oreo came out of the oven at the Nabisco factory in New York City. In the beginning, according to the legend, they were shaped like mounds. It wasn’t until 1952 that Oreos were styled and flavored as we know them so well today. If you want Oreos fresh out of the oven these days you will have to go to the Nabisco factory in Richmond, Virginia, aka Oreocity! Oreos are produced there in huge batches and cooked in special 300-foot long Oreo ovens. I haven’t had the pleasure of touring Richmond, VA yet but when I do, I’m going to start whiffing and sniffing the moment I cross city limits to find my way to the Oreo factory. Long may the sweet scent of Oreos waft in the winds and breezes of Richmond.
I discovered this incredible Slide of the Week hanging on the wall of legendary Los Angeles photographer, Gary Leonard’s new photo gallery called Take My Picture. It’s downtown LA located at 9th and Broadway next to the Orpheum Theater. I couldn’t believe my Kodachrome loving eyes when I walked through the door of the gallery. I stood there in awe before a whole wall hung with thirty framed photos printed from Kodachrome slides of billboard scenes taken in SoCal in the 50s and 60s. The assortment of ad subjects and colorful graphics inspired my imagination and made my spirit soar!
For more info about the Gary Leonard’s spectacular Billboard Show in LA click here.
Here’s to Oreos, Gary Leonard’s Billboard Show and YOU!
Am I bad person if I make the intern stop what they are doing and go get me some Oreos?
This billboard reminds me of the ones on the 5 freeway in Anaheim in the mid sixties. Would you believe there are actually people who would have this spectacular billboard made illegal? .
Charles, The Nabisco factory is on the far reaches of town, and requires a bit of a hike to find. Most Richmonder’s grew up wiffing and sniffing the sweet smell of vanilla extract from the C.F Sauer manufacturing plant near downtown. Since 1911, this landmark has been in continuous operation, and has one of the last animated incandescent billboard signs still functioning. See this cool billboard in action on their website: athttp://www.cfsauer.com/company/index.asp
I just read about Gary Leonard’s show yesterday, and when I read that he saved the slides from the dumpster I thought “Now that sounds like something Charles Phoenix would do!” Wonderful slide, and now I must run to the kitchen here at work to see if they have any Oreos in the snack machine.
Awesome pic, yes billboards were once beautiful. Or maybe we think that looking back. Maybe at the time people thought they were obnoxious as most do now. Still a great pic, what a tragedy Nabisco is gone from Buena Park. They used to make chocolate chip cookies at that one and they smelled so good for miles.
I’ll have MY OREO’S dunked in an ice-cold glass of grade A, whole, Shamrock Dairy Milk (Phoenix, Arizona, “I remember touring the dairy on opening day in 1959 or 60. The Shamrock Plant on The Black Canyon Freeway in the most charming 1950′s Americana neighborhood I’ve ever seen! We ate vanilla ice-cream off those ‘itchy’ wooden spoons, marvelled at the factory, and left with milk carton piggy-banks that we cherished for years!”
It’s all about Double Stuf, mint-Oreo ice-cream and chocolate covered Oreos!
Oreo’s now strech all across the globe. I just ate a pack, on a mountain top, in Changsha China. They were two sweet for my Chinese friend, but they were good old All American food for me!! Thanks for the great pic!
too cool stuff
What’s in a name? A few years ago I was in the state of Maine and near a small town saw for the first time “Belted Galloways” a breed of cow that a friend calls an Oreo. They are dark on both ends with a white stripe around their middle! Their markings are rather amazing.
Oreos rule! This billboard rocks as well.
WOW Pop Art!