Do you remember...BURMA SHAVE?

BURMA SHAVE

Burma-Shave sign series appeared from 1925 to 1963 in most of the contiguous United States. The exceptions were New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada (deemed to have insufficient road traffic), and Massachusetts (eliminated due to that state's high land rentals and roadside foliage). Typically, six consecutive small billboards would be posted along the edge of highways, spaced so they could be read consecutively by motorists driving by. The last sign was almost always the name of the product. The signs themselves were originally produced in two color combinations: red-and-white and orange-and-black, though the latter combination was dropped after only a few years. A special white-on-blue set of signs was developed for South Dakota, which restricted the color red on roadside signs to official warning notices.

This use of the billboard was a highly successful advertising gimmick during the early years of the automobile, drawing attention and passers-by who were curious to discover the punchline. However, as the Interstate system expanded in the late 1950s and average vehicle speeds increased, it became increasingly difficult to attract motorists' attention with relatively small signs, especially near major cities with their burgeoning arterial interchanges.

Some of the signs, instead of directly advertising what the shaving cream could do, would feature public safety messages (usually about speeding).

Examples of Burma-Shave advertisements can be seen at The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Re-creations of the famous Burma-Shave sign sets also appear on Arizona Highway 66, part of the original U.S. Route 66, between Seligman and Kingman, Arizona (though they had never been installed there by Burma-Shave itself during its original sign campaigns).

Movies and television shows set in the 1950s (either "period pieces" or time-travel plots) have used the Burma-Shave roadside billboards to help set the scene. Examples are Bonnie and Clyde, The World's Fastest Indian, Stand By Me, and the pilot episode ("Genesis") of Quantum Leap. The long-running series Hee Haw borrowed the style for program bumpers, transitioning from one show segment to the next or to commercials.
By having the rhymes build suspense until the fifth sign, Burma Shave forced those reading the signs to focus their attention on reading the full series of signs so that the message could be understood and savored like a good joke.

Examples:

THE BEARDED LADY

TRIED A JAR

SHE’S NOW A FAMOUS

MOVIE STAR

BURMA SHAVE

IF YOU THINK

SHE LIKES YOUR BRISTLES

WALK BARE-FOOTED

THROUGH SOME THISTLES

BURMA SHAVE

SHE EYED HIS BEARD

AND SAID NO DICE

THE WEDDING’S OFF

I’LL COOK THE RICE

BURMA SHAVE

A CHIN WHERE BARBED

WIRE BRISTLES STAND

IS BOUND TO BE

A NO MA’AMS LAND

BURMA SHAVE

USE THIS CREAM

A DAY OR TWO

THEN DON’T CALL HER —

SHE’LL CALL YOU

BURMA SHAVE

A CHRISTMAS HUG

A BIRTHDAY KISS

AWAITS THE WOMAN

WHO GIVES THIS

BURMA SHAVE

SUBSTITUTES

ARE LIKE A GIRDLE

THEY FIND SOME JOBS

THEY JUST CAN’T HURDLE

BURMA SHAVE