Retro Ad #4 - Buy War Bonds - Get a House and Gold Digger

This poster is a bit of an oddity from the days of World War  II, when the easiest way to provide support to the war effort, was buying war bonds.  For those who are unacquainted with the world of war bond, they were documents issued by the government  promising inflated financial returns in the years beyond a country's imminent victory in war, in exchange for money.  This money was used to finance a country's war effort, and the influx of cash was also used as a means to control inflation by taking money out of circulation.  Canada, the United States, and Germany all had war bond programs during the first and second world wars.

While most North American war bond posters usually portrayed various glorious battlefield scenes or scenes from the war effort back at home, this one is just bizarre.  It features characters from Li'l Abner comic strips, who were very popular in the day.  Li'l Abner featured a cast of hillbilly characters, who speak in a barely recognizable form of english and, for the purposes of the world at the time, are on the war bond bandwagon.  However, according to this advertisement, war bonds are more a means to get a hot babe and a house and less about helping the war effort.

The most perplexing thing about this poster is not the message, but the goings on in the background of the illustration.  Why is that old woman with the corncob pipe holding that old man upside down and cutting his toenails?  What does that have to do with war bonds?  I get Daisy Mae in a classic pin-up pose, but was the toenail thing a recurring thing in the comic strip?  I'm also amused by the old woman's high heeled boots.  If not for the boots I would have though she was a man.

Beware of Loose Women! - Classic Anti-VD Propaganda Posters

While searching the internet for inspiration for our modern take on the classic wartime Propaganda poster, I discovered that there were a ridiculous amount of propaganda posters directed towards preventing venereal disease.  So much so that all my google image searches returned 3 anti-VD posters to every anti-Axis, pro military posters.  I'm embarrassed to admit that up until now, I was completely oblivious to this form of propaganda.  But, looking back at all of the books and films that I have seen regarding the war it makes complete sense.  I guess those Gene Kelly-Frank Sinatra musical adventures while on shore-leave films (On The Town and Anchors Aweigh, if you're curious) had a dark side after all.

In general, the easy women portrayed in these posters take on the appearance of dangerous dames who would star in the pulp novels of the era, albeit a little more sinister.  The exceptions would be the ladies to the left who look like a bunch of catty bitches talking about a loose acquaintance behind her back.  The girl directly below has her shirt buttoned up to the collar, but who knows she maybe she's hiding a wild side - and a wicked case of gonorrhea.  Here's a sampling of the more entertaining posters, featuring the dreaded V-gals:

This gal looks about 15 - This should say beware of under aged Lolitas

This gal looks more like the illustrations of blow-up dolls in old magazine adds

I've always enjoyed the term Booby Trap

Love the phallic symbolism here.  This girl is so sinister they've compared her to a deadly snake.  She also sucking on a very phallic cigarette.   I also enjoy that the dance club is called Shorty's

Why don't they just paint a giant swastika on this gal?

I don't think they'd mind the cooking of the goose so much.  You also gotta love the slang for prophylactic.