All Things Vintage: Ivory soap AprilA2Z

1939, #2 U.S. Charts, The Ink Spots


Good-morning, kittens and dawgs! If I Didn’t Care then I wouldn’t share all the fabulous finds of All Things Vintage with you. 😉 Thank you joining me this morning!

Today, I want to tell you about a happy accident 137 years ago. In 1879, a worker left a batch of White Soap, that’s what it was called then; today we know it as Ivory soap, mixing while he went to lunch and when he returned he found air bubbles in the mixture. He decided against throwing out the batch because of the small error and he poured the White Soap into its frame. After the soap hardened, it was cut, packaged, and shipped; then a few weeks later letters streamed into the Proctor and Gamble’s office asking how they could get more soap that floats.

Ivory soap has literally been apart of my whole life. This is one product I’ve used since childhood. I tried other soaps over the years, but never for too long. I always came back to the simple ingredients and low-cost of Ivory. The best part is, it just works well on my skin!

Here’s a few vintage Ivory soap ads from the 20s and 30s.

Ivory Soap ad 1926
Ad 1926

 

 

It Had to be You. Music by Isham Jones, lyrics by Gus Kuhan. Recorded 1924.

 

Ivory Soap ad 1927
Ad 1927

 

Irene Bordoni (1895–1953), singer and actress recorded Cole Porter’s song (I actually prefer Porter’s version better), “Let’s Misbehave” from Paris that got cut in production with the Irving Aaronson & His Commanders orchestra in 1928.

 

Ivory soap ad 1935
ad 1935

 

 

Irving Berlin wrote “Always” and in 1947 recorded by The Ink Spots.

 

A special thanks to my good friends the incredibly gifted A2Z team member:

Arlee Bird @ Tossing it Out
Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh
Heather M. Gardner
Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts
AJ Lauer
Pam @ An Unconventional Librarian
Damyanti Biswas @ Daily Write
Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary
Joy Campbell @ The Character Depot
John Holton @The Sound of One Hand Typing

 

1959 “Shout” is The Isley Brothers’ first million selling hit. Depending on who you ask, but personally I consider this song more retro then vintage. lol

 

mewsic moves me Monday music

This is a quick & painless way for others to find good tunes in Blogosphere by joining my no strings attached music hop, just add your music post URL below and wha-lah… instant traffic directed to your site.

I hope you enjoyed the fun, now I invite you to hop along with me as I visit some amazing A2Zers.  Come back tomorrow to read about what makes me jiggle when I’m not on the dance floor with J-E-L-L-O.

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32 comments

  2. I love hearing about these happy accidents and ivory soap is really good but I use Dove. I like the music you have here also. Oh, for I, I added the card I made inspired by your Cheek to Cheek post

    1. Birgit, I like Dove soap, but I use it mainly on my face in the mornings. Oh, goody I’ll come by to check out your “I” inspired to Cheek to Check hand-stamped card in just a sec. Thanks for jumping over today for a visit!

  3. Cathy! How delightful it is here! I loved listening to the Ink Spots again! and all of the ads were such a delicious memory; a chance to stroll down memory lane and remember when things seemed so much more simple!

    And I LOVE the idea of your music hop! Will hope I figure it out enough to participate 🙂

    Musically yours,
    Fim

    1. Fimnora, I’m glad you enjoyed the vintage music and ads. As for my music hop, it’s basically anything goes! If you have a music post then link up and share in the fun. 😉

  4. I always have a bar of Ivory soap on hand. I may use other things from time to time, but sometimes the fancy ones get too expensive. I can remember my grandma using the “snow” flakes to do laundry.

  7. I loved bathing with the floating Ivory Soap when I was a young girl back in the 1950’s. And now, as an adult, I find they work well if you have leg cramps in your sleep. Someone told me to put a bar at the foot of the bed, under the covers. It really does work for me but who knows why?

  8. The Ink Spots. So funny that you featured them. My keyword today is IF and someone else used the song you posted first (If I Didn’t Care).

    I think we’ve all used Ivory soap at one time or another…

    1. Robin, You know, while I was at your place I do recall seeing someone used the song by The Ink Spots and I meant to say something about that, then it slipped my mind. I”m struggling to keep up lately, which is a bit of challenge. Every year I say, I’m going to have all of my posts done before the A2Z hop kicks off and each time I’m no where near having them completed. Oh well, maybe next year will be better. 😀

    1. Myke, yep now you know the rest of the story. It’s not only the best for kids, though. I still love and use the soap that floats. 🙂

  10. Fascinating music selections Cathy. I admit they are new to me.

    And Now I’m interested in Ivory soap again. But I can’t use bar soap. I have a craving to eat them all the time.
    I’m fighting that right now with the one in my bathroom. Ugh. Wish I could stay away.

    Thanks for letting us misbehave over here 🙂

    *HUGS*
    Thanks for your prayers for me. I appreciate you.

    1. Collette, Have you always craved bar soap? I don’t think I ever actually wanted to eat soap no matter how good it smells because I’ve accidentally gotten it in my mouth and it’s horrible. I remember mom threatening to wash my brother’s mouth out and he always laughed until it actually happened, then he didn’t think it was so funny. lol He was a cracker jack, I tell you! You can hop over to my place anytime to misbehave. lol Isn’t that a great song?

  11. Love the old Ivory Soap ads! I like Ivory soap too but will have to stock up on some. Haven’t bought it for quite awhile.
    Great old songs. I like the Ink Spots. Great name for a band. 🙂

    Michele at Angels Bark

    1. Michele, you might need the Ivory to wash off those Ink Spots back in the day, what do you think? lol I thought it was fun pair up of The Ink Spots and Ivory soap in the same post. So glad you enjoyed today’s post.

  13. The Ink Spots use to be one of mom’s favorites and she’d pull out their album & play it on her stereo so I know those tunes for sure & the Isley Bros… who doesn’t know their infamous “Shout”! The other gal she’s a Lulu that one that’s for sure. She sounds like she’s singing in a megaphone. Love your theme vintage. I always look forward to coming to see what you have found this time. Great job my dear friend! hugs.

  15. That’s such a good mistake resulting in Ivory Soap. I loved those ad cutouts which you posted…!

    I really liked ‘The Ink Spots’ 🙂

    Great post Cathy 🙂

    Cheers,
    Srivi – AtoZChallenge
    I for Inspiration | Twitter

  17. Ink Spots – If I Didn’t Care / Both song and artist start with I. How great is that. Couldn’t have worked better. I love seeing the old vintage adverts. I had considered doing that as my theme this year. All the retro/vintage music used today was excellent.

    1. Jeffrey, Yep I tried working my alpha prompt for the vintage ads with music, especially on Mondays with the various music link ups I participate in. I’m glad you enjoyed these today. It’s been a lot of fun to go through the old ads and music.

  18. Hi, dear Cathy!

    Ready for another 6-day week of A to Z? I appreciate the fact that you took us way, way back in time, as early as the 1870s, in this post. Isn’t is exciting when a great product, one that becomes a runaway hit with consumers, is created by accident? Ivory Soap is one of my earliest memories, too, and I remember playing with the floating bar at bath time. I brought my plastic toy soldiers along with me to the tub and used the Ivory bar as a boat to transport them across the imaginary river. The Ivory print ads are fantastic. Entire stories were written as ad copy to promote brand loyalty for products like Ivory. Notice how “beauty” is the focus of the ads, not the soap’s ability to get you clean.

    I enjoyed all of your “I” recording artists, especially the Ink Spots and the Isleys. The clean, wholesome image of the Ink Spots and the tender love songs they sang were light years away from today’s gangsta rap.

    Thank you very much for another entertaining and informative post, dear friend Cathy!

    1. Tom, you made me smile with your reminder of playing with your plastic toy soldiers in the bath with the soap that floats. When I was young, Mommy put me and my baby brother in the tub together ~ two baths at once with me in charge mostly until it was time to get out then Mommy got DB out. It was a lot of fun sitting the little figures on the bar of Ivory, then push it across the water to my little brother. I lost my brother in 2006, so memories like this are priceless. He was barely 40-years old when he died, but I know one day I’ll see him again.

      2. I’m sorry for the much to soon loss of your brother, Cathy, but am very glad that you have happy memories to hold onto.

        My mama bathed all four of us together, too (two boys and two girls), when we were little. I guess it was her way of insuring that I didn’t play Hansel and Gretel with my little sister while she was occupied with my little brothers. 🙂

        1. Suzanne, I think bathing more than one kid together was not only a convenience, but money saver for our parents. However, it is always memory maker for children. I’m so thankful for the fondness of sentimental moments frozen in time that sorta jump out at me from time to time when jogged. It sounds like y’all share in some of your own, too.

        2. I’m sure it was a convenience and a money-saver, too. It was also an education attempt by my mother to avoid us having particular questions when we got older about the opposite gender. It didn’t save her any questions later. If anything, it probably created more. haha

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