Vintage Guinness Posters
Mar 14, 2014 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns
The Girder Man, Cause A Frockus Ireland trip 2005
With Saint Patrick’s Day upon us, most of you are figuring out your celebration plans – may we humbly suggest enjoying a nice Guinness with your friends and family? We’ve always been captivated by the light-hearted vintage Guinness posters and today we’ll take a closer look at the fun facts behind these colorful advertisements.
Vintage Guinness Posters
The first advertisement for this tasty brew appeared in 1929 with the tagline “Guinness is Good For You.” Throughout its early marketing history, Guinness touted its health benefits and in 1931 spelled out a handful of compelling reasons to enjoy a cool treat. (Now keep in mind at this time they also suggested drinking seven glasses, seven days a week – remember to always drink responsibly!) The lucky seven ways that this brew could help included strength, nerves, digestion, exhaustion, sleeplessness, tonic effects, and the blood.
In a few short years, Guinness redefined its entire ad campaign, becoming part of people’s lives for generations to come in the process. The simple, but elegant graphics popped against the white background. Bold fonts and color choices made the work jump off the page and soon everyone was anticipating the next edition.
John Gilroy (1898-1985) is known as the originator of the brilliant, iconic zoo animals and girder posters. After serving in World War I, Gilroy went on to study at the Royal College of Art in London. By 1925 his reputation for talent grew and he worked as the in-house artist for the giant ad firm, S.H. Benson, Ltd. In 1928 he won the Guinness account and that set the stage for a relationship that would last well into the 1960s. His first poster was published in 1930 but over the next 35 years he worked on 100 press advertisements and 50 posters.
Guinness Zoo Ads
Originally, Benson tried developing a human Guinness family for an ad campaign, but that approach was not working out. After a fateful trip to the circus, Gilroy came back to the office excited and inspired – the zoo animals series was born! Even though the sea lion’s balancing act was his original inspiration, the toucan was the first animal to appear in 1935. This was followed by the sea lion, ostrich, and tortoise. Additional animals were introduced, but the frazzled zookeeper stayed the same – and was actually a comical tribute to Gilroy (he used his own likeness for the caricature). The public adored these posters and characters so much, Guinness would go on to sponsor real-life versions of their animals in zoos and circuses. The tagline “My Goodness, My Guinness” went on to make television history as well.
Image from Cause A Frockus trip to Ireland 2005
The first Guinness television advertisement debuted on September 22, 1955. Paired with the launch of ITV, it was the first time a television ad appeared during the evening hours in the UK. Comedian Charlie Naughton played the thirsty zookeeper chasing the clever seal. This moment cemented Guinness’ place in pop culture, but other events laid the foundation as well.
Guinness Poster History
The 1934 poster showing the man easily hefting a girder (pictured above) was so iconic that patrons would often order a Guinness by asking the bartender to pour them a girder!
The 1936 ostrich poster caused a bit of public controversy. People felt that Gilroy had drawn the glass going the wrong way, that if the bird had really drunk the brew it should be upside down. The artist responded by saying that the ambitious ostrich was trying to copy the seal’s balancing trick, only to have it slip! The misguided ostrich also starred in the background of the Christmas poster that debuted the following year.
The Guinness Factory, Cause A Frockus 2005
WWII era posters will often have a darker background as posters were printed on the back sides of older posters.
When Gilroy’s 1949 “Guinness for Strength” poster was first shown at the London’s Garrick Club, he received a standing ovation from the patrons.
Most of Gilroy’s animals reunited in 1951 for London’s “Festival of Britain.” To celebrate post-war progress, the zoo crew came to life every 15 minutes at the Guinness Festival Clock. It was the toast of Battersea Park. The last time they were featured in a poster was 1961.
In addition to hiring brilliant graphic designers, Guinness would also hire cartoonists to create new ads. They would give the artists the punchlines and had them work backwards to make the final humorous joke.
Cause A Frockus would like to thank their tremendous resources: Guinness, Guinness Storehouse, and Collectors Weekly.
Tell us – do you enjoy the humor found in these ads? What’s your favorite vintage Guinness poster? Do you love the seal the most, the ostrich, or the kangaroo??