Coppertone girl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coppertone is the brand name for a suntan lotion, owned by Schering-Plough HealthCare Products Inc.
It dates to 1944, when pharmacist Benjamin Green invented a lotion to darken tans. The company became famous in 1959 when it introduced the Coppertone girl, an advertisement showing a young blonde girl in pig-tails in shock as a Cocker Spaniel sneaks up behind her and pulls down her blue swimsuit bottoms, exposing her pale white buttocks in stark contrast with her tanned body. Accompanying the ads was the impish slogan, "Don't be a paleface!"
The original artist, Joyce Ballantyne Brand, created this iconic image using her daughter, Cheri, as the model.[1] Later, Jodie Foster made her acting debut as the Coppertone girl in a television commercial, when she was 3 years old.
At the turn of the 21st century, Coppertone revised drawings of the Coppertone Girl so that they would be less revealing in an era of heightened sensitivity regarding pedophilia. Some recent versions show only the girl's lower back, as opposed to her buttocks or wearing a T-shirt, a hat, and holding a bottle of Coppertone while the puppy is shown pulling on her shirt.
[edit] Parodies
The image has been frequently parodied, often using older female models duplicating the pose for a pin-up effect.
 Carmen Electra parodying the Coppertone girl |
 Lois Griffin (Family Guy) parodying the Coppertone girl |
[edit] References
- ^ NYT Staff (May 18, 2006), “Joyce B. Brand, Commercial Artist, Dies at 88”, New York Times, <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/business/media/18brand.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>
[edit] External links
- Official website. Coppertone. Retrieved on February 7, 2005. Showing image of Coppertone Girl in logo
- "Real Florida: Red-faced with the Coppertone Girl", St. Petersburg Times, September 5, 2004. Retrieved on 2004-09-06. Interview with Joyce Ballantyne Brand
