Title
Magic Christmas Gift Selector: Come with me on a Shopping Trip through …
Date
[ca. 1950].
Description
This double-sided volvelle is a prototype for a department store to help customers make their Christmas gift selections. Stores could put their name or logo on the volvelle. The die-cut hole on one side lists the merchandise that can be found on each floor. The reverse would give the store’s hours and related information and gift suggestions, based on family relationships, like mother, sister, or aunt, through die-cut holes. This prototype is from the archive of its designers, Gordon K. and Sam Gold, known as the “Kings of Premiums,” one of the most creative and prolific producers of advertising premiums in the United States from 1920 through the 1980s. The Golds brought cartoon and popular characters into product tie-ins and pop-up books, like the Blue Ribbon Press books. They produced scads of prizes for Cracker Jacks. Sam Gold is quoted as saying, “The world's greatest super salesman was a child, able to sell to mom and dad when no one else could.”
Source
Collection of Ellen G. K. Rubin.