In the Ark with Colman’s

Another example of Colman’s of Norwich campaigning for the hearts and minds of the nation’s children. Crisp drawings, bright colours, cute animals and catchy rhymes combine to engage the interest of the junior consumer. No opportunity wasted to sing the praises of the Colman portfolio of products from mustard to starch, from Waverley Oats to Krusto Pastry. Unsophisticated by today’s standard but the advertising industry hasn’t forgotten the importance of targeting children – the net is simply cast wider as the adult population auto-infantilises. Many of the most successful TV campaigns are built on the simple notion of treating the nation’s adults as if they were children.

Mustardman on the High Seas

Another in the long series of small books for children distributed free of charge by Colman’s of Norwich, Mustardman Ready. Our dapper seafarer sails to distant lands where his cargo of Colman’s products restores the health of the local despot, transforming King Krosspatch into King Kontent and fortuitously, opening up a new export market for British-made Mustard, Starch and Krusto. An inspiring tale of entrepreneurial economics. It turns out that Colman’s Krusto was a pastry-maker that with the addition of water produced a perfect pie crust and thanks to the East Anglian Film Archive (EAFA) we can all watch a 7 minute promotional film from 1928 where Krusto comes to the rescue of an uxorious husband and a desperate-to-please spouse. A dismal succession of granite-like baked offerings that even the dog rejects is brought to an end by the entry of a sophisticated friend who brings Krusto into the unhappy household. The resulting pie is a triumph and domestic harmony is restored. The EAFA is worth exploring for more treasures from the strange world of Colman’s publicity – the Mustard Club film is a riotous celebration of gluttony – Bunuel at the Bullingdon Club.