Schering-Plough Healthcare Products, Inc.: Little Miss Coppertone campaign

Deborah Mack

Coppertone Suntan Cream hit the market in 1944. At the time, dark tans were considered healthy, and most people did not imagine a link between overexposure to the sun and skin cancer.

Schering-Plough Healthcare Products, Inc.: Little Miss Coppertone campaign

Deborah Mack

Overview

Coppertone Suntan Cream hit the market in 1944. At the time, dark tans were considered healthy, and most people did not imagine a link between overexposure to the sun and skin cancer. The product was first sold in bottles with an Indian chief logo and the words "Don't be a paleface!" on them. In 1953, Coppertone bought the rights to the image that would become a symbol of summer sun and fun: Little Miss Coppertone. Drawn by commercial illustrator Joyce Ballantyne, who used her three-year-old daughter and her neighbor's...

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