17 Ads From the Past That Were Actually Dark
These vintage advertisements seemed innocent until their disturbing messages became clear.
- Chris Graciano
- 4 min read
Some historical ads are more twisted than tacky, embedding fear, prejudice, or even health risks in their visuals and slogans. They range from ads treating domestic abuse as humor to marketing deadly substances as safe medicine. This list covers 17 real-life ads that now read like cautionary tales more than nostalgia.
1. Tipalet Cigarettes – “Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere”
Zhilin Zhang on Flickr
A 1960s print ad glibly suggested men could court women by blowing smoke in their faces. The tagline equated harassment with charm, reducing women to objectified trophies.
2. Chase & Sanborn Coffee – Wife Spanking Joke
Mykl Roventine on Flickr
A 1950s ad depicts a husband spanking his wife for buying the wrong coffee, implying domestic violence is humorous or justified. The casual violence treats a serious issue as lighthearted comedy.
3. Camel Cigarettes – Doctor Endorsements
Martin Criminale on Flickr
These 1940s‑50s ads featured actors posing as doctors proclaiming that Camels are medically approved. They lent false health credibility to a clearly dangerous product.
4. Kleenex – “The Lonely Little Boy”
markjhandel on Flickr
A 1960s campaign manipulated childhood isolation by showing a sad boy who only finds solace through Kleenex. Emotional pain was exploited to sell tissues, implying that consumer goods can bridge deep psychological gaps.
5. Pond’s Cold Cream – Engagement Promises
Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr
These 1920s‑30s ads tied a woman’s marital prospects directly to her appearance, saying, “She’s engaged! (She used Pond’s!)”. Beauty was framed as a transactional path to marriage.
6. Life Savers – Avoid Murder by Candy
Mike Mozart on Flickr
A 1960 ad features a man holding Life Savers, saying they prevent him from murdering his wife. It trivialized domestic violence with neon imagery and candy packaging.
7. Alcoa Bottle Cap – “You mean a woman can open it?”
Stanislav Kondratiev on Pexels
This 1953 ad mocked women’s strength, praising the cap’s ease of use specifically by female users. The copy suggestion that female capability is remarkable reinforces sexist stereotypes.
8. Warner’s Brassiere – “Show Her It’s a Man’s World”
Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr
This 1950s campaign showed a woman kneeling before her husband in bed, serving his breakfast, utterly reinforcing patriarchal norms. The imagery condoned submission as a romantic ideal.
9. Lysol – “Neglect That Sometimes Kills Romance!”
Mike Mozart on Flickr
This 1930s ad pitched Lysol as a feminine hygiene necessity, suggesting improper cleanliness ruins love. Using severe social pressure in intimate spaces to sell disinfectant was invasive and shaming.
10. Pears Soap – “White Man’s Burden”
Wellcome Collection on Wikimedia Commons
These early 1900s print ads depicted racial purity as hygiene, implying that whiteness equates to cleanliness and virtue. It embraced racist tropes in moralizing about soap use.
11. N.K. Fairbank Fairy Soap – Racist Imagery
Boston Public Library on Flickr
This ad depicted a shabby black child contrasted with a white girl asking, “Why don’t you wash with fairy soap?” Exploiting racial caricatures to shame non-white people.
12. Dr. Campbell’s Arsenic Wafers
Nesster on Flickr
Late 19th‑century ads promoted arsenic-laced tablets for pale, “beautiful” skin, causing poisoning instead of a glow. Women unwittingly consumed toxic doses.
13. Bayer Heroin – Medical Breakthrough
dog97209 on Flickr
In the 1890s, heroin was marketed as a safe alternative to morphine for coughs, backed by medical claims. In reality, it caused addiction and damage, wrongly touted as beneficial.
14. Vin Mariani Coca Wine
Wikimedia Commons
A tonic wine containing cocaine was promoted with endorsements from celebrities and even the Pope, claimed to cure depression. The drug-laced drink symbolized pseudoscience masquerading as elite medicine.
15. Grim Reaper AIDS PSA (Australia, 1987)
Wikimedia Commons
A public service commercial depicted the Grim Reaper bowling over men, women, and children to represent AIDS deaths, and warned that it could kill more than WWII. Its frightening imagery sparked panic and unintended gay-stigma backlash.
16. Pot Noodle “Computer Graphic” Ad (U.K., 1993)
Pete on Flickr
This psychedelic commercial starring Phil Hartman triggered epileptic seizures due to strobe effects. It was banned after viewer reports of seizures, forcing the brand to tone it down.
17. Tango “Orange Man” Campaign (U.K., 1992)
Alan Longbottom on Wikimedia Commons
An actor painted orange slapped unsuspecting people in stores to mimic the drink’s punch, leading to children mimicking violence at school. Though memorable, the ad was quickly withdrawn as it sparked harmful copycat behavior.